by Paul Perea
“We were so afraid you had been killed. What happened to you?” Gabriella asked.
“I’m sorry for the ruse but I had to do it. I couldn’t have that devil discovering what I was up to.”
“And what about Raven? Is he alright?”
Mancha smiled at Gabriella. “I’ve sent him to stand watch over your aunt. We must ensure Grace is safe.”
“Grace? Why?” Gabriella asked.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll explain,” Mancha said and then turned to address Joseph who was still standing in the middle of the road. “Hello, Joseph. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”
“What’s wrong, cat got your tongue?” Maria laughed.
“Close your mouth before it fills with flies!” Magdalena offered.
The three sisters laughed as they joined arms and walked with Gabriella into the house.
“Joseph, fetch us some water! Traveling as a dust cloud leaves one parched,” Mancha ordered. “And while he is doing that, why don’t you show me those beautiful little babies?”
Gabriella led Mancha into the bedroom where the twins slept soundly in their cribs. Gabriella looked at the children lovingly and then at Mancha. All her worries and cares faded away. For a brief moment she was truly happy as she watched Mancha bestow her kisses on her children.
They returned to the living room to find Joseph waiting with water, but before he could speak, Mancha turned to scold Gabriella.
“I see you’ve also been doing some talking . . . sharing information that should have been kept secret. I warned you. Salazar will use them. Possess them. He will distract you by attacking them and then you will all be done for! Has all my tutelage been for naught? Gabriella, my greatest pupil, and my greatest disappointment!”
“I needed to talk to someone,” Gabriella explained. “I didn’t know where you were or when you would be back—if you would ever be back! I thought you were dead. What could I do?”
Mancha listened to Gabriella’s words while studying Joseph’s face. Volumes were written there, a life of worry, a life filled with secrets and pain. But that would not sway what she had to do. He would have to be dealt with in a manner she despised.
“I’m sorry for your worry. It pained me to leave all of you in the dark but I couldn’t risk your lives,” Mancha said, and paused for a moment before continuing. “Joseph means to take your babies away from you and you will allow him to do just that. Let him take them to Grace. They will be safe there with Raven standing guard.
“Now, before Joseph goes, you will have to bewitch him—and that priest. Possess their minds—remove all knowledge of what you have shared.”
Before Joseph or Gabriella could protest, Mancha commanded Gabriella. “Do it now before Salazar does something worse to him! Protect your uncle, protect the priest, and protect your babies!”
Gabriella watched in sorrow as her uncle drove away, taking her children with him. The events of the day had been erased from his mind. As far as Joseph was concerned, he had convinced Gabriella to let him take the children to Grace and Sam, who would care for them during her convalescence. And Matthew, he would have no recollection of their long conversation. Both men simply believed that Gabriella needed rest, nothing more. The spell had been easy and now she sat feeling as if she had betrayed her own family.
“Gabriella, did anyone ever tell you about Emma Gomez and how she died?” Mancha asked.
Gabriella shook her head.
“Well, it’s important that you know the story and understand why she died. Your grandmother spent many years trying to find out. We were confused, as well, until Mirabella pieced it all together. But it was too late. I will tell you what I know but what I have to say won’t be easy to hear.
“Emma was not a very good sorceress but what she lacked in talent she made up for in drive and ambition. She came from a poor family. She vowed that when she grew up she would do whatever it took to ensure that she would never feel hungry or cold again. She dreamt of marrying a handsome, rich man who would take her away from all of her suffering.
“Unfortunately, she did not blossom as other girls do when they become young women. Instead, her looks were plain and suitors were not beating down her door. Her own parents treated her ill and were more than happy to show the poor girl the door when she was old enough to fend for herself. So Emma left home and settled here in Arroyo, hoping to begin a new life. Finding herself in a town filled with superstitious people, she offered services to help alleviate their fears.
“Know this: Emma was not entirely ineffective when it came to magic. She could move about in spirit form, read minds, and levitate objects. I remind you, she could do all of these things but with limited and sometimes disappointing results. Her power was not strong. She didn’t have anyone to teach her how to hone her skills. Still, she decided that she would use what talent she possessed to make her own fortune. Before long, people were coming to her for card readings, to be advised in making personal decisions, and for talismans to bring love and good luck. Her business thrived and soon she was living in grand style, well, grand for Emma.
“Some of the townspeople, such as Gloria Rios, became addicted to Emma’s fortune-telling. Mirabella may have told you this or you may have witnessed it for yourself—poor old Gloria was afraid of her own shadow. She would send herself into such fits of anxiety that she practically gave away her entire fortune to Emma for some piece of mind. It was easy pickings for Emma. All Emma had to do was retrieve a bit of information from the past, or find some slivers of what might happen in the future, and presto! She was the oracle that so many like Gloria relied on!
“Emma achieved modest wealth but she was restless. She wanted more . . . not more material things, mind you, more power. One day, while wandering through the bosque, Emma chanced upon Salazar. She didn’t know who or what he was but had heard the stories of the mysterious spirit that resides in the bosque. Emma became intrigued—you might say, obsessed. She studied old texts and read of spells to capture spirits in order to harness their power.
“At every opportunity, Emma took to spying on Salazar with the goal of learning his weakness so she could trap him. Poor Emma had no idea what she was up against and her fate would soon be sealed. It was Gloria’s visit that would bring about Emma’s doom.
“On that particular visit, Emma placed herself into a trance. Her power unstable, she inadvertently transported through a portal into another world. Emma found herself in a place not unlike her own reality. She saw what looked like the bosque but it was different, with strange colors and strange sounds. It frightened her.
“As she looked around, she saw Salazar sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree. Next to him sat a young man who seemed to be at ease conversing with the spirit and sharing a cigarette. Not wanting to be discovered, Emma transformed into a tree. She watched and listened as they continued their conversation. The young man looked vaguely familiar to her. She studied his face and then the recognition struck her like a slap to the face. She was looking at Gloria’s grandson, Daniel. Except he wasn’t a boy—he was a young man!
“Then oddly enough, Daniel was a child once more. The image kept changing. One minute a boy, the next a young man. Emma strained to hear what was being said and found that it wasn’t so much a conversation as it was a spell. Salazar was bewitching the child! Daniel would do as instructed. When he reached adulthood, he would meet a young witch and make her fall in love with him. He would take her—deflower her close to that very spot.
“Emma had stumbled upon Salazar’s plan! Horrified by what she had heard, she gasped, betraying her presence. In an act of self-preservation, Emma vanished and came to in her own living room, hysterical. She screamed at Gloria. She told her that her grandson was in danger. She told her to run.
“Gloria was so frightened by Emma’s outburst that she fled, running as fast as she could until she reached your
grandmother’s house, and leaving poor Emma to face her cruel fate.
“Salazar would not have his plot spoiled. He focused all of the strength within him and worked a spell. The water in Emma’s sink rose up like a mighty hand and grabbed her, choking her until her body slumped to the floor. Gloria would have met the same fate had it not been for Raven. He and his brethren descended upon Emma’s house and chased the monster away. But even Raven, with his talent for spying, was not aware of Salazar’s true intent.
“Now, when Gloria relayed her limited information to Mirabella, she was mistakenly thinking that the child, Daniel, was in danger, not the man he would grow up to be. Mirabella promised Gloria that she would help to protect Daniel but never knew that Daniel’s fate would not be realized until he was a young man.
“Salazar bided his time until the spell he had placed on Daniel could be put into play. Even before Daniel Rios had returned to Arroyo, his bewitchment had begun. When he reached manhood, he was driven to return home. And then when Daniel met you, the bewitchment was strengthened and he was lost. His pursuit of you was guided by Salazar, with the intent to impregnate you. When Daniel forced himself upon you, Salazar found that his spell had worked—the blood of the virgin witch broke his bonds.
“Steady yourself, my dear, for what I have to say will break your heart.
“On that day, Salazar took the opportunity to exact his revenge on Mirabella. And he will do the same to her family. He will see to it that all of Mirabella’s kin are killed, save for you. You will be his trophy. Salazar will use you to escape the void. Once he has accomplished that, only the gods know what he has in store for you. You will be at his mercy!”
“I don’t care what he does to me!” Gabriella cried and buried her face in her hands. “My God! That day . . . that awful day. Salazar killed her because of what I did! I’m responsible for my grandma’s death.”
Mancha rose from her chair and knelt down in front of Gabriella, and looked into her swollen eyes. “No, you are most certainly not! It was a spell. It was Salazar. You are blameless.”
Gabriella’s chest heaved and she covered her mouth as she sank forward into Mancha’s arms, sobbing. “It’s me. It’s always been me. My grandmother. My own mother. I killed them all!”
“Gabriella, none of this was done by your hand,” Mancha said, embracing Gabriella and holding her tight. “Don’t you see it’s been Salazar all along. He has done these things to weaken you, to make you feel responsible. He thinks that you will crumble—succumb to your misery, leaving you defenseless. Remember the wisdom of these words—that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Let what he has done make you strong. Let it feed the darkness within you. But allow the light within to buoy you, to give you the courage and strength to defeat him.”
Mancha released Gabriella from her embrace and stood up. She looked at Maria and Magdalena, who stood watching in silence. She held out her hand to Gabriella and helped her to her feet.
“Now you must steel yourself, for the time is at hand. Alas, my sisters and I cannot accompany you through the portal. But remember, if you find yourself in danger, use the rosary beads and return immediately. Live to fight another day. Together we will avenge the murders of Ruth and Mirabella.”
“And if I fail?” Gabriella asked.
Mancha took Gabriella’s hands in her own and smiled. “Failure is impossible. I have a surprise for you—and for Salazar. The reason for my absence. While I was away I forged a weapon, a weapon that will be his undoing.”
CHAPTER 44
It was dark and she was alone. Even the wind had abandoned her. The wind that had whispered to her on the night she was born. The wind that once danced wildly about as she spun ‘round and ‘round. The wind that had carried her into the air to flit with the butterflies. Now the wind was gone and so was the child. The girl that once ran with the wind and whispered secrets to it was now a woman.
Gabriella did not fly to the bosque. Instead, she chose to walk. She wanted time to mentally prepare. But her pace was steady and fast, and she wore a look of determination. She knew that should she hesitate, stop for a moment to ponder what might happen, she would lose her resolve and turn back. And there was no turning back. Even if she did, Salazar would come to her. There was no escape.
Beneath her clothes, she could feel the leather band tied firmly around her thigh. Attached was the sheath, and in it the athame, which she would use to kill Salazar. Mancha and her sisters had enchanted it with powerful magic and Gabriella had rendered the weapon invisible to Salazar’s eyes. Once imbedded in Salazar’s chest, he would be unable to fend off the spell. Gabriella envisioned the blade, warm to the touch, its edges sharp, the leather handle protruding from Salazar’s body as he died. She kept that image firmly in her head.
Gabriella attempted to see what was to come, but like the wind, the second sight had deserted her, as well. Thoughts swirling, she turned off the main road near the Henderson’s orchard and headed down the same path Mirabella had taken so many years ago, a journey made before she was even born. Emma’s death, Gloria’s pleas, and her grandmother’s promise of protection. These events had formed her destiny and ultimately brought her to this place. So consumed by what was about to transpire, Gabriella did not sense the shadow that followed her in the dark.
* * *
The dinner dishes had been washed and put away. Before Grace and Sam retired to the porch for one last glass of wine they checked on the children, who were fast asleep. Grace looked down at the babies with a smile on her face, wanting to pick them up, to hug and kiss them, but she did not disturb the sleeping infants.
Sam stood behind Grace and put his arms around her waist. He gave her a light kiss on the neck and managed a smile. He knew what was in his wife’s mind and heart. They had tried and they had failed. As much as they loved Martine and Blanca, they were a painful reminder of something they would never experience. It was slowly killing Grace and he was powerless to do anything.
They didn’t say a word as they returned to the porch and sat outside huddled together, sipping their wine and enjoying the warm spring evening, unaware of the raven on the roof of their house, keeping watch over them, but with an eye trained on the bosque.
* * *
Salazar sensed the power burning within Gabriella as she drew near. He closed his eyes and reveled in the light of generations that lived within the girl. Salazar admired her, this foe, this determined soldier marching toward her own death. But he would not engage her—not now. She was coming to him as he had always known she would. Gabriella would soon pass through the portal into his world. But before she did, it was time for the task at hand.
He would use his strength to journey into her world. He would find the children and bring them back to his world. Their blood would provide the power he coveted, and he would use that power to search the darkness for the soul of Malinalli. She, the woman who had given herself to him completely and whom he had murdered in anger. He would retrieve Malinalli from the void and restore her. Then he would deal with Gabriella.
On this night he would finally achieve what he had waited for so patiently, what he had spent centuries conspiring to do. His love resurrected, his enemies defeated, and the humans, exterminated. At last it was time.
Salazar roared his incantation and the portal opened. And as he had mastered over centuries, Salazar moved through the shimmering doorway and traveled to the home where the infants slept. As his shade flew past Grace, he watched her teeter and fall to the floor unconscious. He took a moment to whisper a promise into her ear.
“Stay right where you are, witch. This won’t take long, and when I’m done with Gabriella, I will come for you. Like your mother, you will pay for what you did to me!”
Salazar found the children sleeping soundly, and with the deftness of a thief, picked them up and stole them away.
* * *
Gabriella s
lipped out of her shoes and let her toes sink into the soft sand. She sluggishly made her way toward the river until she reached the wet shimmering beach where the water lapped the shore and the full moon danced on the surface. The moon! Gabriella looked up at the night sky. No longer cloaked by clouds, the moon shone round and bright. A light breeze touched her face and mussed her hair, and Gabriella smiled. The wind had returned to alleviate her fear. She wondered if the second sight had returned, too, so she closed her eyes.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?”
Startled by the voice, Gabriella wheeled about and was confronted by someone she had not expected.
Helena Rios stood near the edge of the woods, smiling. “Tell me, Gabriella. Out for a moonlight stroll all by yourself—or meeting a lover?”
“Helena? What are you doing here?” Gabriella asked, dumbfounded and caught off-guard.
“I was driving through town when I noticed you headed for the bosque. I decided to follow you to find out what you’re up to. So tell me, you little whore, who is it that you’re meeting?”
“Not that it’s any of your business but this isn’t what you’re thinking. I suggest you go back to your car and go home before you get hurt,” Gabriella demanded as she looked nervously around.
Helena laughed and reached into her purse. “Are you threatening me?”
“Please, Helena, just leave,” Gabriella said dismissively, then gasped as she caught sight of the pistol in Helena’s hand.
“Oh no, I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. I can’t have you blackmailing my son into leaving his wife for you and your bastard children!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Helena cocked the gun. “I can’t believe my luck—my good fortune. To find you out here, alone, and with a killer on the loose again. These woods seem to attract them.”
She raised the gun, took aim and then stopped, a look of horror spreading across her face. Behind Gabriella, a hole appeared in space, a bright blue light emanating from within. Helena watched as hideous creatures crawled through the hole and grabbed Gabriella and disappeared. Stunned by the sight, Helena stood in shock until the gun fell from her hands to the ground and discharged. Helena screamed and fell to her knees, paralyzed by what she had just witnessed.