by Nicole Maggi
“So do you think she’s lying?”
“No.” I flexed my fingers. All my nails were chipped and broken. The Rabbit owed me a manicure, among many other things. “I think it’s probably true, but for some reason she didn’t want that to be common knowledge. After all,” I cocked my head, “who do you think wrote those books to begin with?”
“The Concilio,” Alessia answered. “Maybe not her specifically . . .”
“. . . but her people at least.” The cold concrete made me feel like I was sitting on a block of ice. I shifted so that I was on the doormat, leaving enough space for Alessia to settle next to me. “I definitely think she’s hiding something, though. Something else. Something big that maybe she really doesn’t want us to know.”
“She freaked out when Jonah and I were talking to each other,” Alessia said. Her eyes looked far away, like she was seeing that room again, that room that I hoped neither of us would ever go back to. “And it wasn’t just a Benandanti versus Malandanti thing. It went . . . deeper than that.”
“She told me that I had to get the whole idea of turning a Malandante into a Benandante out of my head,” I said slowly, bringing the conversation back into my mind. “She said it was impossible and that I had to forget it.”
“Well . . .” Alessia watched a lone bird spiraling in the sky. “In order to do it, someone from my Clan has to die. I’d like to think that’s impossible, too.”
“I know, I know.” I pressed my palms to my thighs. “But he’s my brother. I have to keep looking.”
Alessia nodded. “Oh—something else. It was pretty obvious that she and the Harpy knew each other. It didn’t hit me at the time, because I figured that they’ve both been around for so long it would be odd if they didn’t know each other.”
A memory slammed back into me. When I was trapped in that room, the Harpy had stood in the corner and laughed while the Rabbit tortured me. I didn’t remember most of what she’d said in those long hours; it was gone in the haze of pain and horrifying hallucinations the Rabbit had made me see. But one thing I did remember. She’ll pay for what she did to us, the Harpy had cackled. The little Lioness will pay.
“She’s made such a big deal about us knowing each other’s identities,” Alessia went on, interrupting my thoughts. “Something doesn’t add up.”
I shoved the memories aside and knocked my knee against Alessia’s. “I’m gonna get to the bottom of this. With all of us living under one roof, someone is bound to let something slip. And I am nothing if not sneaky.” I put my hand out. “Now help me up. I’m fricking freezing out here.”
Jenny’s room had an actual bunk bed in it. Apparently her parents thought they’d have another kid someday but either nature or someone’s nerve had failed. Alessia climbed to the top bunk. “Jenny hates heights,” she explained. “Obviously I don’t mind them.” She dumped the contents of her bag out onto the bed. We’d gone back to her house and I’d done a masking spell while she and her mom ran all over the place, throwing crap into bags to bring back to Jenny’s. And the whole time, they hadn’t spoken to each other. I’d sat between them in the truck on the way over, collateral damage in their battle of icy glares. That was a barrel of laughs, let me tell you.
I’d managed to get back to my own house too. I’d done the masking spell, but the house had been empty. Dad was still in Boston, being interviewed by the feds. And shockingly, my mom hadn’t been laid up in bed with a bottle of prescription drugs next to her. She hadn’t been there at all. I had no idea where she was, but considering how concerned she’d been when I was missing, I decided not to lose sleep over it.
I flopped onto the air mattress that Jeff had set up. “I guess it’ll have to do,” I said and eyed the bottom bunk. “Although maybe I should take the bed. You know, since I’m injured and all.”
Jenny rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall beneath her Taylor Swift poster. “Trust me, the bunk is not that comfortable. I’ve been begging for a new bed since I was ten.”
“Is that when you put that poster up?” I asked, narrowing my gaze at Taylor’s signature red-lipsticked smile.
“Hey!” Jenny pointed at me. “Do not mock Taylor. That girl knows how to spin her shit into gold, man.”
“Man? Man? I saw the shag carpeting downstairs, but I didn’t realize I’d time-tripped back to the seventies.”
“You’re lucky to even be here, Bree, so don’t make fun of my house.”
“Oh, my God, you two, let it go.” Alessia dangled her feet over the edge of the bunk. “Seriously, if you two can’t get along, I’m going to lose it. There are things bigger than all of us going on.”
I grabbed an elastic from the makeup bag I’d brought from home and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. “Alessia, it’s because of all those big things that I’m just trying to lighten the mood. Jeez.”
“Well, don’t do it at my best friend’s expense.”
Jenny grinned, then glanced at the clock. “God, it’s not even noon. Staying home from school is boring.” She launched away from the wall. “Wanna watch bad reality TV with me in the den?”
“Guess there’s nothing better to do.” I stood up and stretched. “Ow. You don’t happen to have any Percocet, do you?”
“Please. I had to beg my mom to vaccinate me. I think the best I can offer you is willowbark.”
Our path to bad reality television was blocked in the hallway by Nerina. “Alessia, I need to talk to you.”
With a loud sigh, Alessia waved us on. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” But as soon as Jenny and I had turned the corner to the steps, I stopped and leaned against the wall. Funny how spying on people had become second nature to me.
“You know, I’ve had a really rough couple of days,” Alessia said. “Can’t I just hang out with my friends and relax for a couple of hours?”
“For a couple of hours, yes.” Nerina’s voice was low. Whatever she said next, I couldn’t hear. I did, however, hear Alessia’s response. Probably the whole house did.
“I don’t really care how sorry you are.” Alessia’s anger echoed off the walls down the hallway. “I’m sick of being lied to. You know, Jonah told me how much the Malandanti lied to him. I’m starting to think you’re no better than they are.”
Whoa. Low blow, Alessia. But I couldn’t blame her. I was so used to familial lying that it didn’t really faze me, but if you’d been raised to be as guileless as Alessia, you’d probably be pretty offended.
“All I can do right now is apologize,” Nerina said. Her voice was stronger. She’d taken charge again, stepped back into her Concilio persona. “But whatever differences you and I or you and Lidia have, what matters is the Clan. Can we at least agree on that?”
I guessed Alessia nodded, because Nerina said, “Good. You have a job to do tonight.”
I leaned forward, using the wall for support.
“What job?” Curiosity and suspicion rounded Alessia’s voice. But Nerina’s next words made my jaw drop.
“I have found our replacement for the Lynx.” I could almost hear the self-satisfied smile that was surely plastered on Nerina’s face. “And you will be his Guide.”
It looked like Alessia’s already complicated life was about to get even more interesting.
Chapter Six
The New Guide
Alessia
It felt odd to be driving rather than flying to my new charge’s house. I shifted gears in the ancient truck, chugging up the hill as I crossed the border from Twin Willows into Willow Heights.
Whereas everything in Twin Willows looked slightly rundown, Willow Heights was shiny, sparkly, and clean. The houses there were newer and bigger, the streets lined with trendy shops, and there was even a fancy wine bar on one corner. As I passed the dark alleyway next to the bar, I spied a couple leaning against the building’s brick wall, their bodies melding together, and thought of Jonah. Where was he now? Still in that deep underground room at the Guild? What were they doing to him? My breath hitche
d and I wrenched my attention back to the road in front of me. Tomorrow I would think about Jonah. Tonight I had to deal with our new Clan member.
“It’s pretty convenient that there are so many potential Benandanti near here,” I had remarked to Nerina as she instructed me on where to go and what to do before I’d left Jenny’s house.
“It’s not convenience,” she’d retorted. “There are always clusters of potential Benandanti around each site. It has been that way since the beginning.”
I wondered about the ancient Benandanti who’d protected the Twin Willows site. Had the Native Americans guarded the Waterfall long before Europeans had landed here? I shivered. Who would protect the site after I was gone?
The truck sputtered at the next intersection and I turned left into a residential neighborhood. The wealth of Willow Heights was even more evident on this street. Wide, sweeping lawns graced big, important-looking houses. I turned right at a house that had a fountain at the head of the driveway. It was covered in icicles.
Halfway down the block, I jerked the truck to a stop. My heart convulsed, shuddering with the force of transformation. Not my own . . . the new Benandante’s. He was nearby.
I pulled over, threw the truck into park, and jumped out. My skin tingled, the back of my neck on fire. I could feel the new Clan member trying to break his soul free from his body, could feel the struggle inside me as if it were my own. And beneath the pain there was something else . . . a stitching together . . . a mending of the hole that the Lynx had left in our Clan.
Standing very still, I closed my eyes and listened. There. One house down, a moan, a whimper, coming from the second-story window. I felt the new Benandante’s pain in my own chest, the ache of being torn apart. Even though I was so used to the transformation now, that first one still felt fresh.
I ran to the house and examined my options. I could break in through the front door, but that might wake the entire household. The snow crunched under my boots as I raced around to the backyard. A wooden staircase led to a second-story porch. Jeez, rich people really liked their outdoor space.
The steps and porch above were slicked with ice and snow. Cold crept up through my feet, chilling me as I tried the back door. Unlocked. Nerina had given me her lock-picking kit in case I needed to break in, but apparently crime wasn’t a problem in Willow Heights.
Inside, the house was wrapped in a warm middle-of-the-night hush. I tiptoed along the hallway, the tug in my heart growing stronger as I neared the front of the house. The door at the end of the hall was cracked, dim light spilling into the darkness. When I reached it, I took a deep, full breath. You’re ready for this, Nerina had assured me. Whether I was or not, I pushed the door open.
Our new Clan member lay on the other side of the bed, twisting on the floor. I crept around the bed, spying bare feet, then golden-haired legs, navy blue boxers with the word Yale all over them, a bare chest, muscled and tanned, and then finally a face. His face. Our new Clan member. He was barely older than me. Rage shot through me like a sudden burn. Really, Nerina? Another kid whose life I had to ruin?
I dropped to my knees beside him. “It’s okay,” I murmured, grasping his shoulders as a shudder ripped through his body. His skin was sticky with sweat. “Don’t fight the shift. Just let it happen.”
He opened his eyes, dark blue beneath his mop of sandy hair. “You’ve . . . come,” he gasped. “At . . . last.” His hand covered mine, squeezing hard.
I stared at him. Tension tightened his body again. “I’m Alessia,” I said. “I know it sounds crazy, but what’s happening to you—”
“I know . . . what’s happening . . . to me,” he muttered in a strangled voice. Blue light gathered at his heart, swirling faster and faster. He was going to shift, any second now. “I’ve been . . . waiting . . . my whole life . . . for this.”
And before I could respond, the light flared out in all directions, shattering the room in a million pieces. I fell back, shielding my eyes from its brightness. When it cleared, the boy lay motionless on the floor, and next to him stood a huge, fierce-looking feline. He wasn’t a Lynx; our Lynx, Sam, had been sleek and silvery, the kind of animal that could disappear into a snowdrift. This animal was a Catamount, rugged and tawny, with dark spots markings his face and flank. His oceanic eyes stared out from beneath the ridged fur of his brow.
He let out a low growl and pawed the floor, making the wooden floorboard tremble beneath me. “Shh,” I hissed, but it was too late. The door to the bedroom swung wide open, and a tiny firecracker of a woman stepped into the room. Her dark eyes flashed, taking in the scene before her. “I—I—he’s okay,” I managed to get out, trying to figure out what the hell I could say to this poor woman whose son was lying as though dead on her Persian rug.
She looked from me to the boy on the floor to the Catamount next to him. “Ah,” she breathed. “It’s finally happening. I knew it would. I saw it long ago.” Her voice had a slight lilt to it. Not Italian; maybe eastern European. She marched over to me. I scrambled to my feet just as she threw her arms around me. “Take good care of him,” she said. “I know he will serve the Benandanti well.”
I jerked away and backed up until I hit the wall. She gave me one final smile and disappeared out of the room. What the hell?
Narrowing my gaze at the Catamount, I tore my soul free. Here I was, prepared to answer a million questions about what was happening to him, and it seemed I was the one who needed answers. My body dropped to the floor beside the boy’s and I flew to the ceiling. You know I had a whole spiel about who the Benandanti are, I said. But it sounds like I might be wasting my breath.
If it was possible for Catamounts to grin, he was grinning. I’ve known what the Benandanti are since I was little, he said.
I blinked. Doesn’t it interest you that we’re talking telepathically right now?
He leapt lightly from the floor to the window seat that was nestled into the large bay window at the front of the room. Not really.
Okay, seriously. I winged down to him. What the hell is going on?
Why don’t we start with names? You’re Alessia. I’m Calvin, only no one but my mother calls me that. Everyone else calls me Cal.
Okay, Cal. How do you know about the Benandanti?
He padded in a small circle around himself. This is the coolest thing ever! I’m a freaking lion!
Catamount, I corrected, ruffling my feathers. And you didn’t answer my question.
You’re a Falcon, right? You are so lucky you’re a bird. I was kinda hoping I’d be one too so I’d get to fly. But a lion is cool too. Are you going to take me to the magical site? I know there are seven of them. I also know that—
Just—hang on a minute, okay? Jeez! I soared back and forth across the room. How the hell did he know all this? That Benandanti web page I’d found all those months ago didn’t have anything about the seven sites on it. And why wasn’t he upset that he’d just had his life ruined? The room felt too small suddenly, like my wings would break apart the walls if I were trapped here any longer. Fine. Let’s get out of here.
Cal led me down the hall to the back door that I’d come through. With a swipe of one of his huge paws, he pushed it open. I swept out into the night, the cold air an elixir for my rumpled soul. I curved around the house, waited for Cal to appear beneath me, and continued up the street. Follow me. Hope you’re up for some exercise.
Are you kidding? I feel like I could run all night.
The wine bar was shut up and dark now, the kissing couple long since gone as we raced up Willow Heights’ quiet Main Street. Okay, no more dodging. Tell me how you know about the Benandanti.
I’m not dodging, Cal answered. He jumped over a bench on the sidewalk next to a bus stop. I’m just excited. This is the best night of my life.
What? Why?
My mother’s a psychic, Cal began. Not one of those crackpots you see on TV. A real, honest-to-God psychic. When I was born, she had a vision that I would be a Benandante.
No, Cal said. She’s been preparing me for this for as long as I can remember. I’ve studied everything I could find on the Benandanti. We even took a trip to Friuli a few years ago.
I pinched my mind closed to him. What if Lidia hadn’t hidden the Benandanti from me? What if she’d agreed with my dad, that I had a great destiny to fulfill? Would I have been bowled over with excitement the day Heath had Called me? I opened up again. What about your dad? What does he think about all this?
He died when I was a baby.
Oh, Cal. I dropped, skimming down over rooftops. I’m so sorry. The ache of my own dad’s loss uncoiled inside me.
Thanks . . . but I never knew him. My mom really makes up for me not having a dad.
Still, that’s really hard . . . being a single mom. I knew the stress, the loneliness that sometimes Lidia couldn’t hide.
We do okay. My dad ran a tech company that went public right before he died, so he left her a lot of money. We moved here because we knew it was close to one of the sites.
The great willow tree that marked the boundary between Willow Heights and Twin Willows loomed into view, its sweeping branches crystalline with tiny icicles. I veered around it, the blood pulsing in my head. There wasn’t a day, an hour, a minute when I didn’t miss my dad. Would it be better to have never known my dad, so I couldn’t miss him? So I didn’t have that constant pain in my heart where he should be? I soared right through the tree’s branches, breaking icicles off in the wake of my beating wings. No. Cal should be pitied for never knowing his father. I was a better person for having known mine. But the other things—the mother who’d been honest with him from day one, the easy money they had to live on without having to struggle. A hot-white bolt of an emotion I didn’t like shot through me. Stop it, I told myself. After all, I was the Guide. I had to rise above.