Reach for You

by Pat Esden

  Beyond the gate, black sheep grazed amongst the gravestones and hydrangea trees rustled in the breeze.

  The gate creaked as I opened it and latched it behind me. As I walked toward the closest obelisk, the sheep raised their heads, watching closely. When I’d first come to Moonhill, my connection to my family and ancestors had begun to sink in here.

  I walked deeper into the lines of crowded graves, moving toward the mausoleum at the top of the hill. So many of my ancestors had been brave, done amazing things. What advice would they give me about Lotli if they could speak?

  I stepped off the worn path, went down a line of newer gravestones, stopping in front of a glistening white one. Etched into it were seagulls circling between swirling clouds at the top and the likeness of a family of seals on the bottom. In the middle were mine and my father’s names and birthdates, and a space where the date of our deaths would be added when the time came. My mother’s name was there as well.

  Closing my eyes, I prayed that I’d hear my ancestors’ answer in the breeze or rustle of the trees. If I listened hard enough. If I—

  A growl came from deep in Houdini’s throat.

  “That is a rather unpleasant greeting,” Lotli’s voice said.

  My eyes flashed open. I wheeled to face her. She was strolling past Houdini and down the line of newer gravestones toward me, hips swaying.

  I frowned. “I thought you were testing the cold spot?”

  “We have done that already. You were wrong about the tapestry. It is normal.” She pressed her lips into a self-satisfied smile, holding back the rest for a long moment. “The weak point is in front of it. It does open into the djinn realm and is securely warded on their side.”

  I countered her smugness with sarcasm. “Wards that I’m willing to bet you could easily break—if you chose to.”

  She dipped her head. “Yes, if you choose to forsake—”

  “I’m quite familiar with your so-called offer. But you didn’t give me much time to think.”

  “Sunset is not far away. We have things to do if we are going to the realm. If not . . .” She licked her lips. “We are not sure if an elevator is the best place for a hellmouth. Perhaps your father’s room would be better.”

  Every muscle in my body tightened, readying to lunge at her. But something had just occurred to me and it helped me to hold back. There was one obvious detail she had neglected to mention, something that might just get me out of this. “Are you forgetting that my family has a contract with Zea? As I recall, it states that you’ll work for us until the next full moon. We could easily find him and tell him what you’ve been up to.”

  She blinked and a tendon in her neck flinched. Then a nasty smile tweaked the corner of her mouth. Her hand slithered to her waistband and she drew her flute. She stroked her fingers down its length. “Yes, ten thousand dollars and we are yours for one lunar cycle. Are you not ashamed of using me like that? Chase was. He thought it sounded like slavery.” She stopped stroking and smiled. “Yes, Chase, he is the matter at hand.”

  I grasped at another straw. “This whole thing doesn’t make sense. Why would you want a guy who doesn’t love you?”

  “Hmmm. Let us see—” She lifted a finger, bringing it down on the flute as she ticked off her list. “Pure muscle. Pure heart. Schooled by the djinn in the art of lovemaking.”

  “Shut up,” I screeched. My hands shook from fury. White-hot anger roared into my veins. But my eyes homed in on her flute. I couldn’t be stupid. I had to keep my head.

  “It’s your choice. All the promise required is a word from your lips and a few hairs from your head,” she cooed. “Forsake Chase. Or risk your entire family.” Her gaze sliced toward Houdini. “We are willing to bet the demons would like the taste of him. Maybe we should split him open and drop him in a hellmouth right now.”

  “Leave him out of this,” I snarled.

  Her eyes knifed back to me. “That depends on your answer. What will it be?”

  CHAPTER 16

  One carving on the temple unmistakably pointed to the race of nomads we’d previously uncovered traces of in Greece, the mountains of Slovenia, and Mongolia. It was fascinating to discover them here, in Mesoamerica alongside Huitzilopochtli.

  —Jeffrey White

  Sons of Ophiuchus: Annual Address

  I found Dad and Grandfather in the billiards room, talking and having a midafternoon brandy. They paused to greet me as I walked across the room to them.

  “What are you guys up to?” I attempted to sound casual. But between what had happened in the elevator and my encounter with Lotli in the graveyard, I was pretty shaken. However, I wasn’t defeated. I’d learned to come out on top at auctions by doing the unexpected, and that was exactly what I intended to do now, no matter how difficult telling the truth was going to be.

  Dad’s eyebrows lowered as if he sensed the turmoil inside me. He polished off the last of his brandy and got to his feet. “Don’t get comfortable, Annie. I wanted to go over that map of the fortress again, in detail.” He swiveled toward Grandfather. “You don’t mind if we desert you?”

  “Not at all. I was contemplating taking a short siesta. It’s going to be a long night, especially for you two.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I might just have to grab forty winks myself.” Dad took me by the elbow, snugged me close, and paraded out of the room. It wasn’t until we got to the top of the main staircase that he drew me into a shadowy alcove and let go of my arm.

  “What’s going on?” he said in a gentle whisper.

  I sucked in a deep breath, gathering my courage. “It’s Lotli. I don’t trust her.”

  “I don’t either,” he said without hesitating. “I don’t think anyone in this house does. She’s powerful, manipulative.”

  “You can say that again.”

  He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Is there something else?”

  That’s when I noticed a hand-size bulge at Dad’s beltline. It was the right size to be a gun, but it was covered by his shirt, so I couldn’t be positive. Even if it was, it wasn’t his usual gun or it would have been in the shoulder holster he was wearing. My mind flashed back to a little while ago in the garage, to Tibbs flushing like he was uncomfortable about something and later offering me the black powder gun, the one leftover from a set of two dueling pistols.

  I let my eyes linger on the shape for an overtly long moment and then met Dad’s gaze, waiting for him to confess.

  He looked past me and went back to talking about Lotli. “We’re only assuming it’s her ability to help people cross into death that interested the Sons of Ophiuchus.”

  Anger heated my face. “That’s a black powder pistol, isn’t it? I hope you’re not planning on taking it to the realm.”

  One of his hands moved, his fingers scratching his elbow three times. That was Dad’s one and only tell. He was preparing to lie. But why not tell me?

  Revenge, Grandfather’s fear whispered in my ear.

  “Did you get it from Tibbs?”

  Dad laughed. “Nothing gets past you, does it?” He patted my arm. “Don’t worry, Tibbs just texted me about the unreliability issue. I was planning on giving it back to him when I got the chance.”

  “Good.” I glanced down at the floor, the crimson carpet burnished black by shadows. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t put off telling him what had happened any longer. I needed his advice. “Ah—speaking of Lotli . . .”

  My voice trailed off as his hand started for his elbow again, but quickly retreated to his pants pocket. Damn it. He was either lying about giving the gun back or preparing to lie again about . . . Holy freak shows.

  “Lotli didn’t say or do—she didn’t threaten you, did she?” I said.

  His hand came out of his pocket, flagging away my comment. “Of course not. And whether we trust her or not isn’t the point. We need her. Without her magic, this whole mission would be too risky to attempt.”

  But you’d still g
o, risk or not—and even without telling me, I thought.

  I brushed my hair back from my face, my fingertips sweeping the tiny sore spot near my temple. “Three hairs. Root and all,” Lotli had insisted. Three hairs and a promise I’d hated to make.

  Dad wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight. “Don’t look so worried. She’s got her flute and magic. But you and I have each other. Besides, I imagine she wants to get this over with and get back to her old life as badly as we do.”

  A heavy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Why for all that was sane and sensible had I given in and made such a ridiculous deal with Lotli?

  * * *

  Dad and I parted ways, he headed toward his room to take a nap and I took off for mine. As I walked, I went back through what had happened in the graveyard, trying to discover if I could have done anything differently. One detail that had gotten past me at the time, now stood out. When I’d asked Lotli about the contract Zea had with our family, she’d blinked and a tendon in her neck had flinched as if my words had hit a nerve with her. Then she’d cleverly redirected the conversation, talking about how we were using her and making me angry with innuendos about Chase. Lotli deserved bonus points for that move. If she’d let me keep thinking about the contract for even a second longer, I’d have realized why my mention of it made her uneasy, and I would never have sworn to forsake Chase. The contract might have been between us and Zea, but Lotli was sworn to do as Zea commanded. Lotli had lied in the elevator. She couldn’t possibly vanish and not go to the realm with us, any more than she could desert us there.

  I opened the door to my room, feeling less depressed and certain not telling Dad about the agreement had been a good choice. He had enough to worry about, and this was something I could deal with myself in the long run. We’d only be in the djinn realm for a few hours. The second we got back, I’d break my promise and tell Chase—and everyone—what was going on. What harm could come from letting Lotli flirt with Chase unhampered for such a short time? It wasn’t like we were going to a party where she could haul him off into a dark corner and put a love spell on him.

  I rubbed a chill from my arms. Even if she did, that was something Selena and her mom could counteract—just like a hellmouth. There wasn’t a cure for berserk or dead, and I needed Lotli to get Chase and Mom out of there and all of us back safely.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a small black gift bag sitting in the middle of my bed. The last time I’d received one of these, I’d freaked. Black is the color of death, the color of darkness, and all kinds of nasty things. Not the color I’d choose for a gift. But this time, I knew who it was from: Selena. She’d even warned me she was going to whip up something.

  I opened the bag and pulled out a tissue-wrapped bundle. Inside were a braided bracelet made out of what appeared to be Kate’s special willow and a small gift box.

  Smiling, I slid the bracelet on. Convenient for relieving pain, and decorative.

  I took the lid off the gift box. Nested inside folds of black satin lay a tiny decorated egg pendant on a silver chain.

  I flung the box onto the bed. A hummingbird egg? Why the hell would Selena give me that?

  My entire body simmered with anger. What was she thinking? The designs painted on its shell were different, but for all practical purposes it was exactly like the so-called friendship gift Lotli had given me, the exploding egg.

  I picked the necklace up by the clasp, watching as the egg swayed back and forth like a hypnotist’s watch. It was pretty, mesmerizing swirls of color with a teardrop-shaped piece of sea glass dangling down from it. The thing was heavy, too, almost like it was weighted.

  The door to the hallway scraped open. “So, what do you think?” Selena’s voice asked.

  I whipped around and glared at her. “You do know what this is, right?”

  She hustled over and took the necklace, grinning as if it were the best thing in the world. “I thought you’d wonder about that. It was my idea. Mom made it. Seriously, you need it—and the bracelet.”

  Her light tone dampened my anger. “I absolutely love the bracelet, and I’m guessing it’s for first aid. But, honestly, I have no idea what the egg’s for.” Please, let it be anything besides friendship.

  “It’s a pendulum.” She grinned. “You can use it to find things.”

  I frowned, unsure what she meant.

  “Things like Chase and your mom. You won’t know where they are, and according to you the fortress is massive.”

  Excitement fluttered in my stomach. “You’re talking about scrying?”

  “More like dowsing. People use it to detect the presence of ghosts or spirits in buildings. It’s used in medicine to locate problem areas. It’s easier to learn than scrying. I’ll show you.”

  Selena pulled scrap paper from her jeans pocket and laid it on the bed. It was a simple floor plan of Moonhill divided into quadrants.

  I glanced from the egg to the map and back again. I intellectually grasped that the same type of egg could be used for different magic purposes. I wasn’t worried that Selena or her mom would be out to get me. Still, I couldn’t help worrying. “You’re sure it won’t do anything unexpected—like explode?”

  “Mom feels really bad about that. She swears the symbols were nothing harmful and it was empty when she tested it.”

  “I believe that. It’s just—” I touched my throat, letting my fingers slide down to where Lotli’s egg had hung. “Do you really think the energy it absorbed was from me?”

  “Some of it, but most was probably sucked out of the atmosphere. I imagine that realm is supercharged.”

  I nodded. Even I’d sensed that.

  Another possibility flickered in my mind. When I’d been in the realm the last time, I’d discovered that my mother had the ability to maintain a solid body for brief amounts of time. This was unique since humans normally were ethereal in the djinn realm like genies were in our world. It undoubtedly indicated that my mother had an above-average amount of energy. If I’d inherited any kind of unique ability from my mother, then Lotli giving me the egg would make more sense. But I didn’t have a gift. I hadn’t even pretended like I did. On top of that, Lotli hadn’t learned about my mother’s ability until long after she’d given me the egg. So why give it to me? What was Lotli up to?

  I gave the egg another once-over. “If I hadn’t broken the egg, what do you think Lotli was going to do? Ask for it back and then use it to bomb Bar Harbor or something?”

  Selena shrugged. “Who knows? While you’re gone, Mom’s going to work on locating Zea. Our guess is that he’ll be able to answer those questions. Maybe Lotli lied—maybe he made the egg pendant and she didn’t know what it was for.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. It didn’t seem as if a detail like that would slip past Lotli. But clearly she wasn’t above lying. I bit down on a smile. Speaking of lies, this was the perfect time to get a little more reassurance that my hunch about her last one was true. “What sort of bond do you think Lotli has with Zea? I mean, what guarantees that she’ll do as he asks? Is there a code of honor between shaman and apprentices, or a binding spell?”

  “I imagine she dribbled her blood onto some sacred object and vowed—you know, a blood oath.” Selena took hold of the pendant’s clasp. “Now watch how I do this. And don’t worry. You don’t need any kind of special talent or powers. It’s a basic technique.”

  Shoving my thoughts of Lotli aside, I concentrated on Selena. “You’re going to swing it and focus, right?”

  “Focus, but don’t swing it. It’s designed to work with your energy.” She held the egg pendant over the map. It dangled for a second, then began to slowly circle. “Ask it simple questions to start with.” She wet her lips. “What direction do I go to find Annie? Right? Left?”

  The pendant swung until it reached the place on the map that indicated my room. Then it spun in a tightening spiral. It was cool as heck.

  “Now it’s your turn,” she said, handing me
the pendant.

  I palmed the egg for a second and my mind went back to the hellmouth opening up beneath my feet. “Selena?” I swallowed dryly, the rest of what I wanted to say sticking in my throat. “Maybe I can do this. But I’m scared of Lotli. I was the first time we went to the realm, and now—She terrifies me.”

  “Keep an eye on her flute. Take it by force if you have to. Without it she may have little or no ability.”

  “May have? That’s not exactly comforting.”

  “She can’t be that powerful. She’s like me—still in training. Otherwise, why would she be with Zea? The powerful kind of witches and shaman you have to worry about don’t show off by doing things like making smoke move to their music in the middle of a town park. Remember Zea? How quiet he was? You could feel the power radiating off of him.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I took a deep breath. Opening the veil seemed pretty powerful to me. And there was the hellmouth. Except Laura had been directly below us in the kitchen and she hadn’t noticed anything. Had I been mistaken? Had it been a clever illusion, perhaps enhanced by her ability to open the veil? Maybe.

  Selena tapped a finger against the side of her head. “Magic is partly about focus and accessing energy, about self-control. But it mostly involves discovering spells and remembering words. You’ve got the Freemont smarts—and that is more vital than any so-called special gift.”

  I smiled, feeling even better. But that feeling almost instantly subsided. Dad and I had met a Santeria priest in New Orleans. He was all about glitter and show—much more so than Lotli—and the rumors said he could kill people with a doll and a simple prayer, or make a woman miscarry by merely looking at her stomach. Selena might be right that magic was more about learning and remembering than what you were born with. But she was wrong about the glitz. Sometimes the show was real.

  It took me a couple of tries, but Selena was right. If I focused and asked the pendant questions as hard as I could, the pendant answered every time. The trick was asking the right thing. And by the time Selena left my room, I had no qualms about wearing the new necklace to the realm. In fact, I wondered how I’d ever hoped to find Chase or Mother without it.