by Skye Knizley
Marie’s Curiosities sat between Old Town Sandwich Shoppe and a small storefront that was now home to Madame Eva, psychic. Madame Eva was new to the district, but well known in psychic circles as being the real deal. Raven had never met her, she wasn’t much for believing in fate or getting a glimpse at what was coming next. It was hard enough just going day to day.
She pushed through the door, disturbing the magpie that sat in his cage nearby, and looked across the shelves to where the sales counter was. While the shelves in the main store held nothing but the usual trinkets enjoyed by tourists, monkey paws, gris-gris bags full of harmless herbs, muslin voodoo dolls and other such items, the main counter was where Marie kept the real magik. As such, she was almost always nearby. Tonight she was behind the counter sitting on her stool enjoying a cup of herbal tea. She looked to have lost some weight in recent months and her hair was in fresh dreadlocks, but she was as cheerful as ever.
“Ravenel, my childe! And dear Faroma Levac, it is so good to see you. I am hurt you did not come to see me right away when you came home,” she said.
Raven crossed the distance and Marie stood. They embraced warmly, then Marie hugged Levac.
“I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner, Mambo, things have been busy. Too busy. You are looking well,” Raven said.
Marie rubbed her stomach. “Your mother convinced me to try Pilates, and it seems to be working. I’m down three stone and getting smaller.”
She turned and moved to the small stove behind the counter, where she poured two more cups of tea.
“But I sense you are not here just to see an old woman, are you, Rupert.”
Levac shrugged out of his coat and placed it on the counter. “Sadly, no. We’re working on a case and hope you can help us.”
Raven pulled Levac’s sketch out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. “Can you tell us what these mean?”
Marie set the steaming cups on the counter and wiped her hands on her apron before picking up the paper.
“These are very old, where did you find them?”
“On a victim. Her neck was snapped after these were carved into her living skin,” Levac said.
Marie picked up her glasses and held them between her eyes and the paper. “This is a language as old as humans, so old no one has spoken it in ten thousand years.”
Raven looked at the paper then back at Marie. “Can you translate it?”
Marie handed the paper back. “Not as such. It is a spell of protection, whoever carved these was trying to protect their souls from the evil they had done in life.”
“What evil? One of the victims was a young attorney with no criminal record,” Levac said.
Marie shrugged. “I cannot speak to the logic of killers, all I can tell you is he fears, or appears to fear, for their souls. This is a burial curse.”
Raven put the paper back in her pocket and took the cup of tea. “It is more than we had, Marie. Thank you. Can you tell us where someone would get such a thing?”
Marie sipped her own tea. “That is more difficult. An older magikal library might have reference texts, or perhaps the original Necronomicon.”
“Anywhere in Chicago that fits the bill?” Levac asked.
Marie shook her head. “Neither I nor MacLeod own such a text, I know of no one who does. The last was a ghoul that Raven ran out of town some years ago.”
Levac sipped his tea, made a face and set it aside. “Then they aren’t from around here. I assumed as much, nuts don’t usually just start killing people, they build up to it somewhere.”
Marie’s eyes crinkled with merriment. “The tea is not to your liking, Rupert?”
“It’s a little strong, Mambo,” Levac said with a smile.
“Not everything tastes like cheeseburgers. Never change, Rupert.”
Levac mimed tipping a hat. “No, ma’am.”
Raven drained her tea and set the cup aside. “Thank you, Marie. I value your assistance and your counsel.”
Marie reached across the counter. “I will always be here for you, childe.”
Raven clasped her wrist and held tight. “And I for you.”
Outside, Raven huddled in her jacket against the rising cold. “Can I drop you somewhere?”
Levac jerked a thumb at Isle of Night. “I’m going to meet Sloan for dinner, I figure I owe her a night out.”
Raven laughed. “Have a good time, partner, I’ll see you in the morning.”
He started walking backwards. “What about you?”
“Dinner, then to the Manor to check on Mom. I haven’t heard anything and that’s probably not a good thing,” Raven said.
“Good luck, Ray.”
*
343 Wolf Point, Chicago, IL
Raven watched him go then drove at what was, for her, a sedate speed back to her apartment. Aspen was waiting with a pair of fresh-grilled steaks, potatoes and a kiss so passionate it curled her toes.
“I’m happy to see you too,” Raven said when Aspen let her come up for air. “What was that for?”
Aspen poured two glasses of wine and sat at the table. “Still being alive.”
Raven sat beside her and picked up her own wine glass. “I’ll have to almost die more often. Dinner smells delicious.”
Aspen smiled and sipped her own wine. “You can smell through that nose?”
Raven sniffed a little. “It’s not so bad, now.”
She began to cut into her steak. After a moment she became aware that Aspen was still looking at her. She raised her head. “What?”
Aspen placed a pile of wedding magazines on the table. “I thought we could eat and talk. There are some really good ideas in these.”
Raven sighed. “I’m not sure this the time, Asp. Mom is sick, Thad is holding down the house, I’ve got a serial killer on the loose and a group of maniacs is trying to kill us.”
Aspen sat back. “According to you, it’s never the right time. You… us, we’re always second to the job. Always.”
Raven stabbed a piece of steak with her fork. “Not always, we had a week vacation in Lake Tahoe, right?”
Aspen rolled her eyes. “It was a long weekend and you spent half of it doing research on a case. When are you going to focus on us?”
Raven put the meat in her mouth and chewed. She knew it was delicious, but somehow she couldn’t taste it. “Asp, you know I love you. But you know that duty comes first—”
Aspen almost hit the table. “Why does it always come first?”
She leaned forward and her eyes were glowing blue. “What did you tell me? How your dad was never there, how he missed almost all your games, all your school things, he was always working. You still resent him for that.”
“This is different, I didn’t understand when I was a kid, but this job, it comes first,” Raven said. “There are people who need me, need us. I can’t let them down.”
Aspen stood and waved her hand at the magazines, which exploded in a shower of ash. “What about me? What about when I need you, Raven? The job, your family, all that comes first, and I’m the one stupid enough to want to marry you.”
She stood up and stalked out of the room, leaving Raven alone. Raven looked at her steak and knew that Aspen had worked hard to make it a delicious meal, but she wasn’t hungry anymore. She pushed the plate away, drained her wine glass and left the dining room to find Aspen, who was sitting on the grey leather sofa making lights dance in her palm. Her magik was much more colorful now she had faerie dust to play with.
“I’m sorry, Aspen,” she said. “We’ll talk about the wedding soon.”
The lights in Aspen’s palm turned red, but she didn’t answer.
“I have to go check on Mom, are you coming?” Raven tried.
“No. I think you can handle it on your own,” Aspen said. “You always do.”
&nb
sp; Raven stepped close and kissed the top of Aspen’s head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Aspen still didn’t look at her. “Be safe, Ray.”
Raven sighed and pulled on her jacket. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Raven watched her for a long moment then shook her head and left the apartment.
*
Tempeste Manor, Chicago, IL
Raven drove in silence. She’d tried listening to the radio, but even her favorite rock station got on her nerves after a few minutes. The normally soothing sound of the car’s 427 V8 was just a low throb that did nothing to make her feel better. Why didn’t Aspen understand?
A light snow was falling when she passed by the outside guards and into the great hall. Everything was oddly quiet, only a few guards were visible in the house, chatting with one another. They acknowledged Raven with nods or waves and resumed their business.
She found Thad in the side library with a book in his lap and a glass of claret beside him. As a child, Raven had enjoyed the side library, it was where all her childhood books were kept on the lower shelves where she could reach them without help. It was also where Mason would fall asleep in his favorite chair, listening to one sport or another or working on the Tribune’s crossword. There were several burgundy leather chairs, a wide desk that no one ever used, and enough shelves to make a good-sized library jealous.
Thad looked up when Raven entered and his expression was a mixture of relief and exhaustion. “Raven.”
“Thad. How was the day?”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t see how Mother does it. So many stupid, petty concerns they should be able to resolve on their own. I mean, who really cares whose father took two inches of extra land five hundred years ago?”
Raven shrugged. “Vampires.”
Thad sighed. “Apparently. We’re immortal, we should have something better to do.”
Raven dropped into a chair opposite. “Any change in Mom?”
Thad sipped his claret and licked his lips with obvious enjoyment. “Some. She’s had moments of consciousness and her fever broke early this morning. Dominique set up a blood drip for nutrients and an antibiotic solution to fight whatever is in her system.”
“That sounds like more than some, what’s your prognosis?”
Thad shrugged. “I’d be happier if I knew what was wrong and she’d regained consciousness, but I think she’ll be fine in a few days. We’re notoriously hard to kill.”
Raven rubbed her eyes. “Don’t I know it. Is there anything I can do?”
Thad looked at her as if he was just seeing her. “You look tired, Ravenel. Did something happen today?”
“Nothing major. Picked up some clues in this case I’m working with Rupert, learned sarin won’t kill me, stuff like that,” Raven said.
Thad leaned forward, his eyes fascinated. “You actually inhaled sarin gas?”
“Not because I wanted to, but yes. Some nutjob terrorists had a small canister of it. They tried to kill everyone in the building and I had no choice,” Raven said.
Thad stood in a fluid movement and started rummaging in the desk. “Were there any euphoric effects?”
“Does being knocked on my ass count? What are you looking for?”
Thad kept rummaging, throwing papers and notepads over his shoulder where they fluttered around him before dropping to the floor. “I was keeping notes on the intensity of near-death chemicals on vampires, you know, for recreational purposes.”
Raven stood, her anger a hot poker behind her eyes. “Thad, I’m not a vampire, the gas almost killed me. I woke up in the hospital a few hours later.”
Thad blanched when he saw the look in Raven’s eyes. “Apologies, sister. Are you alright?”
Raven swallowed and calmed herself. “I’m better, still a little stuffy and my lungs hurt a bit, but I should be fine by morning.”
Thad’s next comment was cut off by a roar that shook the house and broke two of the windows in the library. Raven drew her weapon in a blur of motion and turned to look out the window. Pillars of green flame rose at the edge of the driveway, sparking and fizzing against the protective shield Aspen had placed over the manor the night before.
“What the hell is that?” Thad asked.
“Whatever it is, it isn’t good. Get the security teams moving and keep an eye on Mom,” Raven said.
“What are you going to do?”
Raven felt alive for the first time that night. “I’m going to go look.”
Thad picked up his radio and held it to his lips. He then lowered it again. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
Raven pulled her jacket back on. “Probably not, but more fun than looking at your ugly face.”
Thad folded his arms and held the radio in one hand. “You’re just jealous my makeup is fabulous.”
Raven brushed passed him. “I’m just glad I don’t have a beard. Call security and keep your eyes on Mother.”
She hurried through the hall and out the front door, where the exterior guards were standing, their eyes locked on the crackling green fire. Whatever it was, it had the two vampires mesmerized. They were so afraid their hands were shaking. Raven shook them both and looked into their eyes.
“Hey, snap out of it!”
The vampires blinked and looked at her as if they hadn’t seen her come out.
“Fürstin Ravenel? What happened, what are those things?” Sophia asked.
Raven looked at them. “I have no idea, but I plan to find out. Stay here and try not to look directly at them.”
She stepped off the stairs and started across the courtyard. The snow that was falling just a few minutes before had stopped, leaving a dusting of white that glowed in the light of the pillars like some kind of alien pixie dust.
The lawn on the other side of the driveway and courtyard descended to a wooded field and park owned by the estate. Just a few years previously, Raven had killed almost two dozen vampires in that field when the Renegades attacked the estate at Xavier’s bidding. An odd sensation made her feel as if those renegades were just out of sight, waiting and watching for a chance at revenge. Raven shook the feeling off, she’d experienced far worse at the hands of Drakul and the ghost in the North Atlantic. It was a fear aura, nothing more.
The pillars of fire, if that’s what they were, stood twenty feet tall and close to six feet wide. Green energy crackled around the edges and licked at Aspen’s magikal construct with tongues of flame that sparked and jumped where they touched.
Raven shielded her eyes against the glare and looked into the gloom beyond them. Not far away, just beyond the glow of the flames, was a woman. She was wearing a floor length dress the color of midnight, with laces at the neck. She had black hair and eyes that were as cold and emotionless as any snake’s.
“Do these bug-zappers belong to you?” Raven asked.
The woman stepped into the circle of light. “Indeed. You have strong protections, Ravenel Tempeste.”
Raven motioned with her pistol. “You have me at a disadvantage. You also seem to be casting spells on my lawn, would you care to explain that?”
“I know you, Ravenel Tempeste. That is all you need know, for now,” the woman said.
Raven aimed her pistol at the woman. “I think I’d like to know a little more. Are you responsible for the attack on Tempeste manor?”
The woman’s smile held a hint of sarcasm. “Perhaps, and then perhaps not. How is your dear mother? Getting some well-deserved rest, I hope.”
“Right as rain, like always. Turn off the fireworks.”
The woman clicked her tongue against her teeth. “So rude, Ravenel.”
Raven kept her pistol trained on the woman. “Yeah, it’s one of my more endearing qualities. Turn the magik off and get your hands up.”
The woman snap
ped her fingers and the pillars vanished, bathing everything in darkness deeper than Raven had expected. She blinked and scanned the garden with vampire sight. She caught a brief glimpse of the woman, who smiled and vanished, her laugh echoing in the distance.
Ten minutes later, Raven sat in the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand.
“Was she human?” Thad asked.
“I think so. It was hard to tell with the weird weather and magik bouncing around everywhere. She smelled human, but that doesn’t mean much, my nose is still iffy,” Raven said.
Thad sat and spun his claret goblet in his hands. “This is a new threat, Raven. We’ve never been attacked by magik, not like this. We aren’t prepared. If it were not for your familiar, doubtless we would be at their mercy.”
Raven took a long swig of her wine. “That occurred to me. Do you know anyone who might help us?”
Thad shook his head. “No. Strohm made sure there were no mages loyal to House Tempeste. He coveted their power and learned to use it himself, then killed his teachers. His battle with the Mage Counsel is what caused The Dark in the first place.”
“Is the Mage Counsel still a thing?”
“No, they’re gone. Strohm made sure of that, down to the last member.”
Thad stood and rinsed his glass in the sink. With the water running, he picked at a particularly tough glob of dried blood with his exquisitely manicured thumbnail while he talked. “There is no Mage Counsel, the House of Merlin was destroyed, the Daughters of Diana were all but wiped out. I knew when he did it, it would be our end.”
Raven finished her wine and stared at the bottle, wanting another. “You think this attack is revenge.”
Thad kept working at the blob of blood. “I do, and we’re all in danger. If it’s who I think it is, we’re in terrible, terrible danger.”
Raven set the wine aside and joined Thad at the sink. “Then we fight back, Thad. Who can we get? There have to be other preternaturals like Aspen we can bring to our side.”