Heading upstairs, Grace looked through the bedroom that Kayla and David had shared for more than two decades. All the pictures of Grace had been taken down. There were piles of clothing on the bed, and empty snack wrappers piled on top of the nightstand. It looked more like a teenaged boy's college dorm than a custom designed master bedroom.
Grace poured through the dresser drawers and fought through the candy wrappers on the nightstand, but she found nothing. Harold was searching the closet when he called out to her.
"Grace, I think I found something." Harold turned around with a large metal box clasped in his hands.
She put down the handful of Snickers wrappers and walked to the end of the bed. He sat the box down on the edge of the bed and opened the lid.
Grace tried her best not to vomit right there on the spot. Harold turned away, clamping his hand over his nose and mouth and gagging.
Inside the box was the decomposing corpse of a raven, surrounded by an apple, what looked like a piece of moldy bacon, and several stones. Grace recognized several of the stones as cat's eye mixed in with some bright red stones that appeared to be garnets or rubies.
"Where did you find the box?" She turned to Harold who looked as though he was about to pass out from the sickening smell of decomposition.
"It was tucked back behind an old trunk in the corner of the closet," he said and began to gag a little more on each word.
"Someone put this here. My mother would never have anything like this in her possession. This is black magic. Very dark stuff. Summoning demons or dark sprits."
"What the hell? Demons? Are you shitting me?" Harold asked, forgetting the stench from the box and getting more and more angry.
"You need to put this box back exactly as you found it. She can't know that we saw it." Grace began chanting, holding her arms in front of her.
Harold watched in amazement as every piece of trash that had been moved out of place swirled back into its original spot. He put the box away, and when he emerged from the closet, the room looked exactly as it had when they had first entered.
"Are you up for a road trip? We need to go to camping," she asked Harold.
"I'll go anywhere with you, you sexy witch," he replied playfully. "Seriously though, camping?"
"We just need to go see some old friends."
"Well I guess I better pack the hotdogs and marshmallows."
"We won't have time for s'mores, but I think someone there can help us," Grace said as she headed out the bedroom door.
The two hurried downstairs, Grace trying to figure out who could have placed that box in her mother's closet. Who in the world would ever want to hurt Kayla?
Then again, maybe it wasn't someone from this world.
As they headed back out toward their car, Grace couldn't shake one thought from invading her mind.
God, s'mores sound delicious right now.
8
When they arrived at the edge of the forest, Grace slipped out of her regular shoes and into her hiking boots. She always kept them with her because she never knew when she and Kayla might need to head to the forest to handle one of their many royal duties.
"What are we doing here?"
"We need to talk to Jorek. If anyone knows what's going on, it will be him," she said as Harold caught up with her and took her hand.
It wasn't long before the two of them reached Jorek's home. He had found a beautiful tree to convert into a nice one-bedroom cottage. Grace had never seen the inside, of course, but he was quite proud of it.
Grace walked up to the converted tree and knocked three times. In a flash, Jorek was opening the hidden door and rushing outside.
"Princess," he bowed.
"You know that isn't necessary, Jorek," Grace said, kneeling down and gesturing for him to stand.
"It is a sign of respect, and I will only stop if you order me to do so," he said, head still bowed.
Grace knew that even if she ordered the sprite to stop, he most likely would not, so she let it go for the hundredth time.
"We need your help, my friend."
"I have heard that there are 'problems' with the Queen. I did my best to deny them and tell everyone that there was nothing wrong, but I sense that there is something amiss," Jorek said, looking almost tearful. "Please tell me what I can do to help you."
"She is acting strangely and seems to be not herself. There are a few things that I need to tell you about that might make the situation clearer."
"Is it about that djinn that was at her funeral?"
"What? You remember that? No one was supposed to remember that but me."
"There are advantages to being a half-breed, Princess. I am mostly immune to the magic of djinn."
"What can you tell me about him? I need to learn his name and figure out how to break the contract that I signed."
"What name did he give you?"
"Roland Stillson."
"And he has very blue eyes? The closer you get the bluer they are? And he smells of clove and cinnamon?"
"Yes. Does everyone know about these things but me?" Grace asked, exasperated.
"You know about him, too, Princess. I am sure that you heard the story of how he spun straw into gold for the miller's daughter. Of course, those drunken Grimm brothers got all of the details wrong. They used to say it was 'artistic license.' Bah, writers," he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
"You knew the Brothers Grimm?"
"Where do you think they got most of their stories from?" He smiled and Grace detected a hint of pride. "So, back to this djinn. His name was never Rumpelstiltskin, or Roland Stillson. He is somewhere around a thousand years old. He is a Si'Lat. He is a shape-shifting djinn that can take on the form of humans or animals at will. Most Si'Lats are evil, but this one has a soft side. He was once in love with a human girl. Her name was Serena. They lived together in another dimension, a dimension where Serena did not age. They planned to be together forever, but as most things go, their plans were broken."
Grace listened intently to the rest of the story.
"The Si'Lat was summoned by a woman with great magic and, as is the rule, he had no choice but to come. The thing that summoned him was a dark witch by the name of Aliza. She too loved the Si'Lat and was very jealous that he had chosen Serena, a human, over her. When the Si'Lat came to her call, Aliza sent her familiars to capture Serena and bring her back to this dimension. Aliza trapped the Si'Lat in a talisman and forced him to watch Serena age and die within minutes.
"Aliza forced him to do her will for decades, before he broke free with the help of a good witch named Aurora. Aurora defeated and killed Aliza in battle and released the Si'Lat to return to his own dimension. Suffering still from the heartache of losing his true love, he asked Aurora to give him the talisman so that he could destroy it. Fearing that his hurt and anger might cause him to take revenge against Aliza, Aurora refused. If he had the talisman, he would be all-powerful. Aurora loved him, but she did not trust him. She kept the talisman so that he would always be bound to it and under control. He wished to remain bound to this dimension and never be forced to return to the place where he was truly happy. The place that only brought him memories of his beloved Serena. So, a deal was struck. Aurora would keep the talisman and the Si'Lat would stay here, under her control but no longer a slave."
"Oh my God, that is horrible. What happened to Aurora?" Harold asked, just as rapt as Grace in the tale.
"Aurora married another and had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter. The last in that line is you, Grace. Aurora was your great, great, great grandmother."
Grace looked at him, incredulously.
"I've never been able to trace our family line past Carolyn."
"That is because she destroyed any evidence of your family. She never wanted anyone to find out about any of this."
"But why would she want it to be kept secret?" Grace was so confused.
"Because the tali
sman still resides with your family."
"So, why is he doing this? Why is he hurting our family?"
"He is not doing anything to your family. He has free will, but only to a point. He is still bound to the talisman and must do the bidding of the one that owns it."
"So, if we find the talisman, we can free him or command him to set this right?" Grace asked, feeling hopeful that this could be resolved.
"It won't be that easy, Princess. You must still guess his name and find his master. That is the only way to break the contract. I will warn you as well, the Si'Lat is very prideful. Arrogant, some would say. Even though he is bound in servitude, he feels himself to be all powerful."
"What is the talisman?"
"It was a necklace, but it may have been changed. The stone is what holds him."
"Jorek, someone placed a box into my mother's room that contained some heavy duty black magic. Do you know who did it or what it was for?"
"It could have been anyone or anything. I can tell you that the queen still has enemies, though. As do you, Princess."
"Thank you, Jorek. You are a good friend."
"Another thing before you leave, Princess, that might be of value to you. Aurora and Aliza were sisters."
9
Grace sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the car window.
"Honey, are you okay?" Harold asked her.
"What the hell is wrong with my family? Families are supposed to have one or two assholes in the mix. I have a whole line of them."
"Your family is special."
"I don't want to be special. I want to be normal." Grace wiped a tear from her face.
"We'll figure this out."
"I wish my mom was here," she said, and began to sob.
Harold continued driving, sensing that the best thing to do was to let her cry. After a few minutes, Grace looked up with wide eyes.
"I think I've got it."
"I think I know how to get him to tell me his name."
Grace reached over and punched an address in to the GPS, and Harold adjusted his course when it showed on the map.
"Harry, I need you to stay in the car when we get there, okay? I have to do this alone."
"I don't like the sound of that, Grace."
"Please. I need you to trust me."
"Of course I do. Whatever you need," he said, still feeling uneasy.
They pulled up to the abandoned building at 729 Desidero, and Grace got out of the car. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before making her way up the steps.
While she stepped in to the broken-down lobby, it began to transform around her. The dirty floor turned into lush red pile carpet. The wallpaper was once again leafed with gold, and in the other room, the large ornate desk sat with Roland Stillson sitting behind it.
"I've been waiting for you Grace," he purred.
She took a seat in the once again finely upholstered chair.
"I know what you are, Roland. Or should I call you Rumpelstiltskin?"
Roland burst out in a hearty laugh.
"The ramblings of two drunken teen boys."
"I also know about Serena," she said, staring directly at him.
His demeanor went cold. "You know nothing of that."
"I know that a member of my family killed her. I know that my great, great, great, great aunt forced you into slavery. I also know that my great, great, great grandmother is the one that set you free."
"You have done your homework, Grace. I am impressed." He sat back and folded his hands in his lap, trying not to give away his obvious agitation.
"I am going to do more than that. I am going to summon Aurora. She will tell me where the talisman is, and I will send you back to where you came from."
Grace was doing her best to sound strong and confident. She really hoped her bluff was working.
"You do not have the power to do any of that, my dear," he said, leaning back and inspecting his manicure.
"I have the power to do a lot of things, Roland. More power than you, in fact."
"I would warn you against challenging me, Grace." H swiveled his chair and placed his elbows firmly on his desk. "I am sympathetic to your situation, and I wish that things were different, but if you dare to challenge me, you will lose. That is a promise."
"Lose to you? You are nothing but a trained monkey that has been passed from generation to generation through my family like an old toy."
"Grace, please leave." Roland was getting more and more agitated.
"You were nothing but a plaything for Aliza. Aurora kept you on a string. Did Carolyn use you as well?"
"Grace—"
"You are a step away from a parlor magician."
The walls of the office began to vibrate and Roland's blue eyes began to glow. Grace continued her assault, hoping his arrogance would override his judgment.
"A party trick. A two-bit wizard. A joke."
He could no longer hold his temper. Roland's skin gave off a soft blue glow as he stood up and placed his hands on the desk, leaning toward her menacingly.
"You say you know who I am?" he bellowed. "You know nothing. I am Am-Sher-Al, a djinn of the order Si'Lat. I have the power to destroy worlds and make kings from peasants. I am no wizard or parlor trick, and I am no ridiculous prancing imp made from gingerbread in a child's bedtime story."
He suddenly calmed and the intense blue glow left his olive skin. He adjusted the lapels of his coat and sat back down at the desk.
"Well played, Grace," he smiled at her. "Believe it or not, I am on your side. I no more wish to hurt you than you wish to hurt me. This is just a business transaction that I am conducting on behalf of someone else. It is nothing personal."
"Nothing personal? You are destroying my life."
"Not by my choice, Grace."
"Who is your master?"
"Ah, ah, ah. Fool me once, Grace," he said as he waved a well-manicured finger in the air.
"Well, at least I have your name. I'll find out who it is that's commanding you and what they want, and I will kill them."
"If you read the story, you should know what the goal is, Grace. The brothers got many of the details incorrect, but there were a few that were spot on." His eyes travelled to her growing belly.
Grace felt sick as the reality of her situation hit her square in the chest. She stood up and ran from the building without saying another word. She jumped into the car and yelled for Harold to drive.
"What is it? What happened?" Harold asked, obviously scared to death.
"Just drive."
He started the car and sped away. After a few minutes, he asked again.
"Grace, please tell me what happened in there. What did you find out?"
She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with terror.
"Someone is after our baby."
Grace and Harold drove straight to the coven. Thankfully, Kayla had already left.
They went inside and were greeted by Mooney and Gus first.
"Whoever she is, she just left," Mooney said with a long sigh.
"That most certainly is not Kayla," Gus agreed.
"We need to find out who it is, fast," Grace said, trying not to cry again. "Whoever it is, they are after our baby."
"Oh my God. Grace, sit down and tell us what you know," Mooney said, pulling a chair out for her to relax.
"You know that we won't let anybody take your baby, Grace. Fuck that," Gus told her, becoming agitated.
The rest of the coven heard Gus's raised voice and rushed into the room. Mooney motioned for them to take their seats and listen to Grace's story.
Grace sat down in the offered seat and took a deep breath. She told them everything that Jorek had told her and about the frightening encounter in Roland's office.
By the end of the story, she was unable to control her sobs. Harold was sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her.
"Who do you think it is, Grace?" Doc asked.
; "It can't be Carolyn. She's dead. Really dead."
Mooney turned away from the laptop that he had opened and rejoined the conversation.
"It can't be Aliza, either. When Aurora defeated her, she bound her soul. When you do that, there is no coming back. The whole history is right here on the deep web. Even though the brothers each published separately, it seems that one of the Grimm brothers liked to write stories under a pen name. Jacob Burkheart."
"Jacob Burkheart?" Grace asked, surprised.
"It gets better. The history books say that Jacob Grimm never married, but Jacob Burkheart did. He married a beautiful woman named Aurora in 1823 at the age of thirty-eight. They had a daughter."
"Are you serious? I might be a freaking Grimm?" Grace looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"It seems like it might be more than a possibility," Mooney said.
"Well, that would certainly explain a lot," Grace said, putting her head in her hands.
"We need to find out who in the hell could be responsible for all of this mess," Doc sighed. "We just need to figure out why."
Grace felt overwhelmed by all of the new information that was being thrown at her.
"Harry, I think I need to lie down."
"Okay honey. Joy?"
Joy jumped up and took Grace's hand, leading her to one of the bedrooms in the back.
Harold got up to follow them, but Doc stopped him.
"Harold, I need to talk with you, privately."
"What is it, Doc?"
"I think that I have an idea who might have put that box in Kayla's closet, and why."
"Who would have done a thing like that?" Harold looked as though he was ready to hurt someone.
"I think it may have been David. Or you."
Harold glared at the small man with a look of complete horror and indignation.
"I certainly would not do it, and there is no way in the world that David would ever hurt Kayla," Harold was flabbergasted at the accusation.
"Not on purpose, of course," Doc continued. "Someone may have the power to control humans that are touched by magic. David would never know that he was 'possessed.'"
Burkheart Witch Saga Book 3 Page 5