The First Circle

by Paul Perea

“Gabriella, there’s something I have to tell you,” Daniel said, interrupting her private conversation with the moon. “I need to come clean.”

  “Hmm? What?” Gabriella asked dreamily and smiled as they passed the sign announcing they were entering the village. She turned her head in time to see a man standing in the middle of the road with one arm up, pointing at them.

  “Watch out!” she screamed.

  Daniel pulled the steering wheel sharply to the left in an effort to avoid hitting the man. They swerved off the road and came to a violent stop against the trunk of a large Cottonwood tree. Spring-boarded between the steering wheel and the seat, Daniel’s body ricocheted and bounced like a ragdoll. He heard the thud and the sound of crunching metal. He looked over at Gabriella, who had hit the windshield and was now unconscious, her body poised precariously between the floor and the seat of the car. The pain in his ribs screamed out as he tried to turn toward her.

  “Gabriella! Are you okay?” The words hurt with each exhalation of breath. Then, a feeling of dread came of over him. It wasn’t because Gabriella didn’t answer. It wasn’t the pain pulsing in his torso. His eyes grew wide and his breath momentarily ceased at the sight of a beast staring at him through the cracked passenger-side window.

  The canine opened its mouth, panting, and revealing rows of sharp teeth as it studied Daniel through red-rimmed blue eyes. It looked down at Gabriella and seemingly smiled approvingly as it started to walk slowly toward the back of the car and around to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

  Daniel turned his head and watched as the animal made its way stealthily and slowly towards his window, its powerful back and shoulders accentuated by the light of the full moon. Paralyzed with fear and close to shock from the pain in his chest, Daniel thought hard as to what to do as the dog came to a stop next to his window. Before he could react, the beast rammed the window with its massive head, shattering it and sending glass flying in all directions.

  He heard the screams. Were they his? Yes, he felt them leave his mouth, but the sound was not familiar. It was guttural, filled with pure unbridled fear. Daniel’s comprehension became distorted. It was all a bad dream, and he a participant in a nightmare. Detached and watching it all in slow motion, sweet unconsciousness was creeping ever closer. He wanted to surrender to it but each breath sent a signal of pain from his chest to his brain. It exploded and cried out, “You’re going to die!”

  Something warm was running down his face and his lungs were on fire as he fell sideways on the seat and onto Gabriella. In his delirium, he turned as the dog lunged again, its head squeezing through the broken window and biting at the door. His vision blurred as blood ran down his face and into his eyes. Scorching, piercing, blinding torture.

  Daniel screamed again and his cries were joined by the sound of birds. Crows and ravens shrieking, crying out so loudly that the bosque was filled with their unearthly sounds. Close to unconsciousness, Daniel watched as a flurry of black wings surrounded the vehicle and viciously attacked the beast.

  The dog jumped onto the vehicle, the metal groaning under the weight of the brute as it claimed its trophy, but the attempt was met with an onslaught of feathers. The beast was no match for the murder of crows that relentlessly pummeled him until he jumped off the car and ran into the dark woods. The birds followed after the beast, save for one that stood sentinel.

  As Daniel blinked and wiped the blood from his eyes, he looked up to see a lone raven watching him from the hood of the car, and then everything drifted into darkness.

  Raven remained with them until the bright lights of a police vehicle approached, flashing red and white against the darkness. Sure the pair were safe, Raven took wing, but didn’t venture far. He waited and watched from a nearby tree, at the ready should Salazar return.

  Sheriff Alary moved quickly, extracting each child from the car and placing them one by one in the squad car. He then delivered them to the local doctor, whom he roused from sleep and whose wife helped to tend to Daniel and Gabriella. Their injuries non life-threatening, Sheriff Alary left the doctor to do his work while he made a trip to alert the Mondragon’s of the accident.

  Ruth was alone and insisted she be taken to Gabriella. He obliged without argument. His next visit would be to Gloria Rios and he was relieved to have Ruth there to comfort the old woman. He knew that Gloria would be in hysterics.

  She did not disappoint.

  “He should never have come back here,” Gloria cried. “And Mari isn’t here to protect him!”

  “What are you talking about?” Ruth asked as she sat in the back seat of the squad card, holding the weeping old woman in her arms.

  “I can’t say in front of the sheriff,” Gloria whispered. “Ruth, you must help me. You must help me talk Emilio into taking Daniel away from this place! Your mom promised me he would be safe from the man. She promised! Oh, my dear grandson! Oh, what will I do?”

  “Gloria,” Ruth whispered, her mind on Gabriella but her curiosity piqued, “what had my mother promised? Tell me, damn it, I need to know what’s going on!”

  “We’re here,” Sheriff Alary announced as they pulled into the doctor’s driveway.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Gloria whispered. “But I’ve a feeling it’s too late. Mari was supposed to protect him with a spell, but now she’s gone. Daniel will be killed unless I get him out of here.”

  It was dawn when the sheriff delivered everyone to their respective homes. The shattered glass had marked Daniel’s forehead with tiny cuts, and several of his ribs were bruised but not broken. He would soon be on his way to the hospital in Albuquerque for a thorough examination. As for Gabriella, she escaped with a nasty bump on the head and, miraculously, nothing more.

  The scene of the accident had shaken Sheriff Alary, but not as much as Daniel’s account of what had happened. A man in the middle of road. An attack by a beast of a dog. The birds. None of it made sense, yet it confirmed the stories he had heard since he was a boy.

  The dead walk in the bosque. Monsters, too. The woods are a haunted place!

  The notion that any of it could be true caused him to shudder.

  And what had Gloria meant by the words she thought he couldn’t hear? Had Mirabella, the woman he loved and lost, really been what people claimed? Had she been a witch? How was she involved in all of this? What had she promised Gloria all those years ago?

  As he drove home bleary-eyed, he delayed his much-needed rest and drove to the cemetery. He stood solemnly by the grave, his hat in his large hands, and tears glistening on the dark circles under his eyes.

  “Is that why you couldn’t give yourself to me? Because you were a witch? Goddammit Mari, you should have known I wouldn’t have given a damn. I loved you. Your Tiny loved you.”

  He kicked up some dirt with his boot, wiped the tears from his face and crossed the street to the church. He was not a religious man. Still, he took a moment to light two candles—one for Daniel and one for Gabriella.

  CHAPTER 33

  The sky was washed in pink and blue as the sun set behind the volcanic ridge. Las Tres Hermanas. The Three Sisters. Gabriella would have smiled at the thought, but it was impossible to smile. Not with a beak. Still, the irony was not lost on her as she shifted course, leaving those sisters behind for the three that awaited her.

  Gabriella dropped from the sky, shooting toward the thick evergreen forest. She glided close to the treetops, the potent smell of pine beckoning her to come closer as wind whispered through the trees. She resisted, choosing instead to circle in order to glimpse the mountain range to the east. The setting sun would paint their stone faces in shades of watermelon red. The Sandia Mountains, always protecting and forever watching over her.

  In the distance, Gabriella could see the thick woods that lined the Rio Grande, cutting a green swath along the valley and snaking through the center of her village. Even with the sharp eyes of a
hawk she could not see the river hidden beneath the trees, but she knew he was there, waiting for her. Gabriella was afraid and eager to talk to Mancha. Salazar had failed to kill Daniel but he would not give up, of that she was sure.

  Onward she soared until her destination was in sight. Gabriella could see light and movement within the house built into the mountain. Her thoughts connected with those that anticipated her arrival, and watched as the door opened, ready and welcoming. She flew directly into the house and transformed.

  “My little bug! At last. We’ve been so worried,” Maria exclaimed and immediately took Gabriella in a strong embrace.

  “Oh my dear girl, I’m so happy that you’re alright,” Mancha said as she studied Gabriella’s bruised forehead. “Had it not been for Raven, I’m afraid you and Daniel would have been taken prisoner, or worse, killed.”

  “Raven?” Gabriella asked.

  “She’s talking about me,” Raven said harshly as he stood perched on the edge of a chair, eyeing an astonished Gabriella. “You don’t have to say anything, child. On your grandmother’s grave I made a promise that I would watch over you, and I have kept that promise. I have remained hidden in the shadows, away from Salazar’s prying eyes, but now I’m afraid he has discovered your secret ally. He will be watching for me and he will kill me if he gets the chance.”

  Gabriella walked over to the raven and placed a kiss on the top of his head. “Thank you.”

  “Oh my, I didn’t think I could ever see him blush, but just look at him,” Maria teased as Mancha and Magdalena started to giggle at the joke.

  The raven shook out his wings and admonished them. “Go ahead and laugh but you were lucky I was there. Now, you three viegas better figure out what to do about that monster before we’re all killed!”

  With that, the raven flew out of the house, leaving Gabriella dumbfounded and the women laughing. Gabriella watched as the black bird became a speck against the sky and then disappeared altogether. “I think you hurt his feelings.”

  “Oh, that bird may have feathers but he has thicker skin than you can imagine,” Magdalena said as she sat down at the table and poured some tea. “But he is right. We must figure out a plan. Salazar would have killed Daniel and we can only guess what he intended to do with you.”

  “How is the boy?” Maria asked in an attempt to sway the conversation away from speculations on Salazar’s intentions.

  “In pain but he’s going to be okay,” Gabriella answered cheerfully, but her face told a different story. “His family has come to collect him and he’ll be leaving sooner than expected.”

  Maria brushed back Gabriella’s hair and planted a kiss on her bruised forehead. “I’m sorry, I know that distresses you.”

  “She’s better off,” Magdalena interjected rudely. “We have more important things to deal with than a broken heart! The monster has discovered our spy and has probably figured out what we’re up to. We must change our strategy and hasten our attack. Mancha, I think it’s time you tell her about the rosary beads . . . the girl needs to know!”

  “My grandmother’s rosary beads? What about them?” Gabriella asked.

  Mancha shot Magdalena a disapproving glance. “Well, I was going to save that for another day but since Magda brought it up, I guess now is as good a time as any.

  “Your great-grandmother, Levinia, had commissioned a jeweler to make them. She chose the stones and designed it—she was quite the artist—and had them blessed by the Pope himself. But unknown to most, she did something else, too. She enchanted them with a spell so dangerous that even the most powerful witch would be wary.”

  Magdalena and Maria shared a knowing glance but didn’t dare interrupt. Their knowledge of the power within the beads and the havoc that ensued following Levinia’s brazen use of that power was a history best kept secret for now. There was no need to overwhelm Gabriella with tales of Levinia, the loathsome demon she allowed into our world, and how they had been drawn into the drama.

  “Gabriella, did Mirabella ever tell you about other realms, invisible worlds that exist outside of our own? Places that witches dare not go?” Mancha asked.

  Gabriella shook her head.

  “Well, there exist realities that overlap with our world, some that mimic our own while others are far different, filled with strange sights and even stranger beings. A witch who attempts to travel to these places may get lost, or worse, fall prey to powerful demons or some other unimaginable entity.

  “Your rosary is much more than a string of beads used for praying. Not only can it guide and protect you as you travel into other realms, it also serves as an anchor to this world in order to keep you from getting lost. You possess a very powerful tool, and as much as we fear its power, it seems now you will need it. We will do our best to teach you how to use it properly.”

  Gabriella couldn’t help but wonder why her grandmother never told her what the rosary beads could do and Mancha caught that unguarded thought.

  “Mirabella didn’t tell you because she understood the danger that lay within the beads. She never used them as they had been intended, nor did she tell anyone about it lest they be tempted. She simply kept the beads as a remembrance of her mother, and of course, to pray the rosary.”

  Mancha paused for a moment to pour herself some tea and then sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Gabriella, it’s important that you remember that stepping into another dimension is not like letting loose your shade and moving about like a phantom—a mere reflection of yourself. When you use this tool, you are traveling in your physical body, and there are creatures that will be drawn to you like moths to a flame. Not only will they want to get close to you, they will want to possess you and take your power, by force if necessary.

  “And as Magda pointed out, Salazar is likely aware of our intentions so we must alter our plans. That means confronting him in his realm rather than coaxing him into ours. When the time comes, you will use the rosary beads to travel through the portal, and there you will deal with him.”

  Gabriella was stunned by all Mancha had to say and admittedly scared, as well. Her mind raced as she struggled with the questions running around in her head.

  “I still don’t understand one thing. Since you three apparently know so much about him, and your powers combined can surely kill him, why me? Why don’t the three of you take care of him once and for all? I don’t mean any disrespect but I feel as if you’re holding back on something . . . something important. If I’m to do this thing you ask, you must be honest with me. You must tell me everything!”

  Maria and Magdalena remained silent as they measured Mancha’s reaction to Gabriella’s plea. Neither of them dared to speak, nor did they attempt to share their thoughts. Gabriella was frightened and angered, and in her passion they could feel her power, the darkness overtaking her and reaching out toward them. Unharnessed, she could do them all in.

  “Alright then,” Mancha said as she stood and walked over to Gabriella. She took Gabriella in her arms and held her close and prepared to share the thing that might destroy the trust they had established. Mancha looked at Maria and Magdalena and then at Gabriella. In all her life, she never had a more difficult thing to say.

  “Gabriella, we can’t kill him. If we could, believe me we would, but our powers are useless against him. Long ago a spell was placed on us—all of us—Salazar and my sisters and I—by a cunning, evil woman. Her name was Malinalli. She had been his lover. This witch was shrewd and calculating, a most dangerous adversary full of schemes and lies, but loyal to Salazar. Together they sought power and dominion over men and we three stood in their way.

  “Malinalli placed an enchantment on my sisters and me—a spell that would render us powerless against him. But her spell did not work as planned. Instead, he became as ineffective against us as we were against him. Her spell was unbreakable and she paid for that mistake. Outraged, Salazar
killed her and the child she carried in her womb.”

  “But . . . but how? What you’re saying . . . what you’re telling me would mean that you are all over four hundred years old! And if that’s the case . . .” Gabriella stopped, her voice wavering as the realization came crashing down. “Who are you?”

  Silence pervaded the room as Mancha walked over to a stack of large framed paintings leaning against the wall. She moved her arm gracefully and the paintings obeyed her silent command. They floated into air, with one in particular moving toward Gabriella.

  “This painting depicts our arrival in New Spain,” Mancha said, pointing to the figures on the canvas. “Coronado is here, along with several of his men-at-arms. This one you will know.”

  Gabriella moved closer to look at the man with the silver hair and bright blue eyes. He stared at her—a face from the past—a man she knew very well in the present.

  “And you will recognize these women,” Mancha said, drawing Gabriella’s attention to three women standing behind the formidable Conquistadors. “Yes, we were there. We accompanied that wretched man to New Spain, but not of our own volition. We had been taken prisoner. Betrayed by my own blood.

  “You see, I am Mancha Salazar, and Francisco Salazar is my son.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Gabriella held Daniel’s hand, but a distance had settled between them. In the back seat of the car she sat in silence, listening to Emilio and Helena go on and on about the accident and their rush to return to Arroyo to retrieve their boy and convey him home. Their words carried no weight as her mind was occupied elsewhere, bouncing back and forth between Mancha’s tale, and the fact that the boy she loved was going away, never to return.

  She had forgiven Mancha for keeping secret her relationship to Salazar. Gabriella understood the need for secrecy, and in that understanding, she embraced the importance of the task ahead of her. Mancha and her sisters, while ineffective against Salazar, were not entirely powerless against him. She would be their proxy—the deliverer of death to the monster that waited in the dark bosque.