Cast in Stone

by Bilinda Sheehan

  “Nothing, it doesn’t matter,” she said, unfolding her arms.

  “Yes, it does. What did you say?”

  Triskel opened her mouth and then closed it again. She stared at me, the scent of her panic filling the car, and I drank it down, using it to fuel my dark nature. I let my power spread up through me, holding it in check as it filled my eyes. A low hiss slipped from between my lips.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it…” she said.

  “What did you say?”

  “Why do you want me to repeat it when it offends you?”

  “Say it…”

  “I called her an idiot,” she said, the tremble in her voice bringing me joy.

  “You think you’re better than her? That because you can walk and talk freely, live your life without needing the help of others, that it somehow makes you special?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she insisted.

  “But it’s what you feel.”

  “That’s not what I mean…”

  “Merry understands those around her more than you ever will. You think you’re special, but you’re just like everyone else. You live your life desperate to fit in with society, and she is the one living her life freely,” I said. “She lives for the moment, taking everything as it comes. And she loves without condition. You sit there in judgement, but I watched Merry with you this morning. No matter how hard you tried to ignore her, she tried to make you smile. All she wanted was to make you happy, and you have the cheek to think you’re better than her?”

  “I don’t.”

  The anger slipped out of me. What was the point in trying to explain something like this to Triskel? She was spoilt and selfish, believing that the world revolved solely around her. She would never understand what it felt like to care about another person.

  I turned back to the wheel, and we drove out of the car space.

  “Why do you do that?” she asked suddenly.

  “Do what?”

  “Decide I’m not worth the argument?”

  “I barely know you, and what I’ve been exposed to so far doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture.”

  “Yet you think you know me and my life. That my opinions don’t count?”

  I shrugged and kept my gaze trained on the road ahead. What was I supposed to say to her? I didn’t understand her way of thinking. I could never look at Merry and think she was anything less than perfect. Her power was intense, which worried me, but something about her made me feel as though I was supposed to protect her, that she and Carolyn had come to me for a reason beyond me having a spare room.

  Scratch that, I didn’t feel like I had to protect Merry and her mother. I wanted to.

  I didn’t know what the higher purpose was yet; maybe it didn’t exist at all, and I was simply ascribing purpose where there wasn’t one.

  Triskel sighed. “I don’t think she’s an idiot.”

  Simply hearing her say it again made me bristle, and I clenched my hands over the wheel, squeezing until my fingers turned white.

  “I just don’t want to get caught up in all of that,” she said, gesturing in the air as she searched for the right words. “I know you feel it, which is why you reacted so strongly just now.”

  “Feel what?”

  “The draw of what she is. I know you think I’m an asshole,” Triskel said, “and maybe I am. But if I’m honest, Merry frightens me, because I’ve seen what the world does to people who are that pure of heart.”

  Her words stunned me. I shot her a sideways glance, but her arms remained folded across her chest as she stared out the passenger window.

  “That’s not really a reason to be a jerk.”

  “Maybe not, but I know for certain that getting close to that little girl will result in her breaking your heart. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but one of these days.”

  I’d known Triskel less than twenty-four hours, and in that time she’d managed to show so many sides to her personality, most of them unpleasant, that I was beginning to feel whiplash.

  “The best things in life are worth the risk, Triskel,” I said. “And the very best people will always break your heart in the end. That’s life. There are no happy endings, just happy right now, and when you find that, you have to grab it with both hands.”

  She laughed, the sound tinkling and high, like the wind chimes that hung outside my back door. “Now who’s being all wide-eyed and naïve?”

  I didn’t answer her, but her words had struck a nerve, and I felt as though I’d peeled away another of her prickly layers. Had I judged her too harshly?

  Perhaps her behaviour and attitude had nothing to do with being an asshole and instead were a method of protecting herself. She’d told me that Siobhan had been like a mother to her, and to have that ripped away clearly hadn’t left her in a good place. Had I misread the signs completely? Was her poor attitude simply because of the trauma she’d suffered?

  I bit back the questions itching to be asked and instead concentrated on the road. There would be time for questions later, although I had a feeling that if I pushed too hard, she would lock down tight. Then the real issues would begin.

  I parked the car in front of Adrian’s shop, and before I’d even managed to switch off the engine he was out the front door and crossing the sidewalk toward me. His lips were moving, but from inside the car his words were muffled. He waved his hand in my general direction in a vaguely shooing motion, the bracelets that decorated his arms glittering in the watery sunlight.

  “Wait here,” I said to Triskel, pushing open the door and sliding out. The morning air was chilly, and I pulled my black jacket a little tighter around my body in an attempt to keep out the biting air.

  “Hey,” I said, slamming my door.

  “Go ‘hey’ somewhere else,” he said, sounding genuinely irritated.

  “Whoa, what bug crawled up your ass?”

  “Uh, that one.” He gestured to Triskel. I glanced over my shoulder at her, but she rolled her eyes and sank lower in the seat as though she could hide from view.

  “You know her?” I asked. I had told her where we were going, but other than informing me it would be pointless, she hadn’t bothered to tell me why it was a bad idea. As I looked back at Adrian, I was beginning to see her point.

  “Know her? Little cow robbed me just last week, took my entire stash of black candles and one of my ancient books that wasn’t even for sale,” he said, glaring over my shoulder.

  “What was in the book?”

  Adrian rolled his eyes and threw his hands up into the air. “What does it matter? She’s bad news, Jenzie. You should have left her where you found her.”

  I shook my head and put my fists on my hips. “Really, you think I should have just abandoned her?”

  “If she’s capable of stealing my shit, then she’s more than capable of looking after herself,” he said angrily.

  “There are some guys after her. We think they have the woman she was staying with and…”

  Adrian cut me off, the colour draining from his face as he stared at Triskel.

  “She’s dead,” he said suddenly, his eyes rolling back in his head as he clutched at my arm. “She owes them something and…”

  “And what?” I asked, leaning in toward him, supporting his body with my arm.

  Generally Adrian disliked physical contact, but when he had visions he stopped caring. He always said that if you already had a migraine, adding a headache into the mix wasn’t really going to put you up or down the ladder.

  “They’re going to sell her,” he said, the whites of his eyes sliding back as he refocused on me. “Ugh, Christ, I hate vampires,” he said.

  “Vampires?” Triskel hadn’t mentioned blood-suckers, but then she hadn’t mentioned much of anything beyond the initial story she’d told Grey and me last night.

  “Yeah, they’re not from around here, though,” he said, sounding exhausted.

  With my hand around his waist, I could feel his ribs poking out through hi
s black T-shirt. I studied him a little harder. His face was drawn, his eyes sunken, and the circles beneath them were big enough for blood witches to use them as portals to summon demons.

  “What have you been doing?” I asked.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He tried to pull out of my grip, but he was barely able to stand on his own two feet let alone push me off.

  “You know exactly what I mean,” I said, suddenly weary of the games everyone in my life seemed to be playing with me.

  Adrian sighed and slumped against me. “Can’t lie to you, can I?”

  I shook my head but kept my lips sealed.

  “Fine,” he said. “Bring her in and I’ll put the kettle on. But if she touches or breaks anything, you’re paying for it, Jenna.”

  I nodded and bit down on my lip. The fact that he was using my full name instead of his pet name for me concerned me, and being able to feel all of his ribs through the thin material of his top worried me even more. Adrian liked his food; in fact, when I’d first met him he’d been a hundred pounds heavier.

  Getting away from those who’d made him feel bad for the choices he made in his personal life had been a huge leap forward for him, even if it had broken his heart in the process. But he was happier for it and, as he’d said himself, less inclined to eat his feelings because he didn’t have to wake up every morning and lie to the man staring back at him in the mirror.

  But this, whatever it was, was different.

  I gestured to Triskel and she climbed from the car, traipsing after us as I helped Adrian into the back room of his store.

  “Stick the closed sign on the door, will you?” I said to her, settling Adrian on a small couch.

  She moved away, and I listened to the lock on the door sliding into place.

  “I can’t really afford to close during peak business hours,” Adrian said.

  “Mmm-hmm, you were really busy, but I’m sure all those customers that Triskel tossed out on their arses will come back.”

  “Very funny,” Adrian said. “One of these days your smartass comments will get you into trouble.”

  “One of these days.” I grinned at him, and he shot me a weak one in response.

  Moving to the small sink in the corner of the room, I quickly filled the kettle and set it back on its base. I reached into the cupboard above my head, grabbed Adrian’s teapot, and set it down, rummaging around until I found the loose leaf tea he had hidden in a biscuit tin.

  Moving methodically, I set up everything in a couple of minutes, then sat down opposite him as I waited for the kettle to boil.

  “So are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?”

  He sighed and sat up a little straighter. “Honestly?” He met my eyes.

  “What else, Adrian? Tell me the truth, you’re starting to freak me out now.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “The visions are getting worse, and every time I have one it takes so much out of me…” He stared down at his hands. “They’ve never been easy, but they were never like this either.”

  “Have you been to a doctor?”

  “What, so he can tell me it’s all in my head?” Adrian laughed, a bitter sound that hurt my heart.

  “It’s not like that; everyone knows about the supernats, so it’s not like you’d be an anomaly.”

  “You’d think that,” he said, “but when you can’t see it or touch it, they tend to find it harder to wrap their heads around. We humans have a wonderful capacity for burying our heads in the sand and pretending that whatever we don’t understand isn’t real.”

  He wasn’t wrong, I’d seen it often enough myself to know the truth, but I still couldn’t imagine that they would dismiss him so easily.

  “Anyway,” he said, “I don’t think a doctor could tell me why they’re becoming more frequent. That’s something no human can explain.”

  “So what else are you experiencing aside from the visions getting worse?”

  “Well, with them comes the usual fun bag of tricks.” He gave me a grim smile. “Lack of sleep. Can’t eat without upchucking everything. Headaches so bad they affect my vision… Yesterday, I thought I was going blind.”

  I stared at him in surprise. He’d been suffering through all of this and hadn’t thought to tell me?

  “Why didn’t you call?”

  “Because I know you’ve got enough on your plate, Jenzie. You don’t need to worry about me too.”

  Reaching out to him, I tugged the edge of his jumper, my own attempt at comfort without having to put him through the pain of actual contact. He grabbed my hand suddenly and squeezed hard enough for it to hurt.

  “I’m scared, Jenzie. Really, honest-to-god scared.” He didn’t need to tell me; I could hear the terror in his voice. His gift was spiralling out of control, and he didn’t know how to stop it. But there was absolutely nothing I could say or do to help him.

  “We’ll figure this out,” I said as the kettle began to boil. Adrian smiled at me, but the happiness never reached his eyes. He released my hand and dropped back onto the couch, as though that little bit of movement had exhausted him beyond his capabilities.

  And maybe it had.

  That alone was a terrifying thought. Pushing onto my feet, I filled the teapot with boiling water and watched as the leaves began to swirl inside the infuser.

  As though on cue, Triskel appeared in the doorway and gave Adrian a sheepish look.

  “I’m sorry about nicking the stuff,” she said, twisting her fingers around in her shirt.

  “Are you going to pay for them now?” Adrian asked, his voice cold enough that I half-expected icicles to appear on the inside of the window.

  “I don’t have any money.”

  “Do I look like I came down in the last shower, sweetie?”

  “Look,” she said, raising her chin defiantly, and I knew from the way she’d started that no matter what she said next, Adrian wasn’t going to accept it. “I needed them. Mostly, I needed the book.”

  “Did it work?” he asked.

  “Did what work?” Triskel’s eyes widened in a poor attempt to make herself look young and innocent.

  “The spell. The one you did to get them off your scent and onto someone else’s.”

  The moment the words left Adrian’s mouth, my hand froze over the sugar bowl. What he was saying couldn’t be right.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just wanted to apologise for stealing your gear, but if you’re going to be an asshole about it…”

  “Bullshit!” Adrian exploded onto his feet. He wavered for a moment and then dropped like a stone back onto the sofa. “I know you did the spell. I know you’re the reason she’s dead…”

  I turned and glanced between the two of them. Triskel’s face drained of all colour, and I watched as her glamour momentarily failed, the scarlet and gold scales appearing before she took back control.

  “She’s dead?” She sounded genuinely shocked, and there was certainly no faking the fear that filled her eyes.

  “What did you expect would happen?” Adrian asked, his voice melancholic.

  “I didn’t want her to die, I just wanted them to leave me alone!” Triskel darted from the room.

  “She’s done a spell,” Adrian said to me. “It’s a little like an identity swap, and the vamps that went looking for her found the one she’d spelled instead… Wherever she’s staying, I’d check the places nearby for odd occurrences.”

  “Like maybe people working until they dropped and exploding if you tried to remove them from the confines of the spell?” I asked, remembering the pub staff’s behavior. Triskel had tried to pass it all off as a spell Siobhan had done, but I had a feeling that Adrian knew more than he was sharing.

  “That could be it,” he said cautiously. “She’s not spelled anymore, then?”

  I shook my head. “Grey broke it last night. She claimed it was a protection spell Siobhan had worked.”

  Adrian nodded thoughtfully. “They’
ll be coming for her, then.”

  “Can you see them?”

  “Not yet, the decision hasn’t been made yet… but I figure if they were willing to come in the first place, then they’ll come again.”

  He was right. Vamps could be tenacious and dogged in their determination. If they’d killed Siobhan thinking she was Triskel, then they’d be doubly pissed.

  “Great,” I said, “just what we need.”

  Adrian grinned at me as I set his mug in front of him and poured a steaming cup of the tea.

  “What are you grinning about?”

  “Just never seen you acting all ‘wifey’ before,” he said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Digging out the teapot, brewing loose-leaf, pouring… You usually leave me to do it, and only when you’re pushed will you make an attempt at it, and even then you don’t pour my tea. Grey is obviously having a good effect on you,” he teased.

  “I can dump the pot in your lap, if you’d like,” I said acidly.

  “Oh, come on. I know you, Jenzie. You’re utterly smitten.”

  I bit down on the sharp retort hovering on the tip of my tongue. He was wrong, I wasn’t smitten…

  “I’ve never seen it this bad,” he said. “Even when you worked together before, you weren’t this bad. I take it the old druid has aged well? I’ve heard they’re like fine wines…”

  “Shut up,” I said.

  Adrian started to laugh, and I felt my mood lift. “I hope you choke on your tea,” I said, but I gave him a small smile to soften my words.

  I took a mouthful of the scalding tea and then remembered my other reason for visiting.

  “What do you know about wights?”

  He scrunched up his face and closed his eyes in concentration before shaking his head. “Not much, why?”

  “Because that’s what we’re after, specifically a pied piper,” I said.

  “Well, they’re usually wraiths, living and not, if you get my drift, and a hell of a lot scarier than those things we saw on Evil Dead.”

  Setting my cup down on the table between us, I laughed. “I enjoyed that movie.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes. “You would.” He took another sip of his tea, the colour slowly creeping back into his face. “I’ve never heard of a pied piper, though.”