T*Witches 3: Seeing Is Deceiving

by H. B. Gilmour

  She flew in through the window. First, she hovered above the sleeping Fredo’s head. She chirped gaily as he jumped out of his chair, frantically trying to wipe the droppings off his head — a little gift Ileana couldn’t restrain herself from giving.

  Instantly, Thantos realized what happened.

  The villainous warlock mocked her. “A pigeon? A common pigeon? My dear Ileana, I’d have thought you more imaginative. If you were going to shape-shift into a bird to fly through our little window, why not an eagle? Or at the very least —”

  “A crow?” she responded sarcastically.

  “Precisely,” Thantos mused. “Although apparently I’m the one with something to crow about.”

  She zoomed straight for Thantos, flew right into his craggy face, and flapped her wings madly. Just as his muscled arm flung out to swipe her, she zipped away. Ileana settled at Karsh’s feet and said, “It’s over, I’m here now.”

  Use of her real voice confused the still-fouled Fredo. It wasn’t until the short pigeon legs elongated, the wings folded in and became arms, the convex chest morphed into a woman’s torso, and the small bird head reformed into Ileana’s exquisite face, did he understand. And became so enraged Thantos banished him from the room.

  Ileana knew she’d find Karsh in bad shape, but she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. With a stab of pain, she realized what the kidnapping had cost him. His pallor was gray, his frame skeletal, the creases that defined his weathered face had deepened. But his eyes were alive.

  “What did you think you could do in that shape?” Thantos was taunting. “Or were you planning to use pigeon droppings to free him? Or flap him free?”

  Ileana ignored Thantos. “Lord Karsh.” She bowed before her mentor. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault —”

  In a voice barely above a whisper, Karsh reassured her, “Guilt is not a productive emotion, my child. Use it only to learn a lesson, then discard it.”

  “Good advice, Ileana. You shouldn’t feel guilty about allowing my brother to escape. Which led to Lord Karsh’s kidnapping. And your paltry attempt at rescue.” Thantos gathered up the thick rope and chains from the corner he’d tossed them in after untying Karsh.

  Ileana hung her head. She’d acted impulsively, wanting only to get to Karsh in the quickest way possible. She had no plan for freeing him. Once again, she realized as Thantos now used the ropes to bind her wrists to Karsh’s, her impatience was her downfall. She was in danger of not only failing Karsh, but truly abandoning the twins, who’d come to her for help.

  Barging in on her thoughts, Thantos cackled, “Yes, my nieces do seem to be in quite the pickle right now. Without the protection you seem unable to provide right now, Artemis and Apolla are easy prey.”

  Karsh tried to quash what he knew would be an Ileana explosion. To no avail. She lashed out, “Don’t underestimate them. Together they can foil you!”

  “How unfortunate for them, then,” Thantos said menacingly, “that at the appointed time, they won’t be together.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE TIME HAS COME

  Cam couldn’t sleep. Her mind hummed like a motor she couldn’t shut off, yet she couldn’t concentrate on anything for longer than a flicker of a moment. Not her homework, not the book she’d been reading, Jane Austen’s Emma, not even the magazines that usually distracted her. They lay unread at the side of her bed, beneath the CDs and headphones. Even in the dark, the piece playing in her head would not be quieted.

  She should have been psyched. Her hunch about Lizzie had totally paid off. All by herself, she’d given the trusting girl a way to do what she really wanted: confess. Cam had helped free the trapped teen from Webb’s blackmail and from guilt. And isn’t that what her powers were for? For extra credit, she’d managed to stop Webb from ever snaring another vulnerable kid.

  It was in the bonus round she’d blown it. In what had been most important in her whole entire life: her friendship with Beth. Cam’s hunches, her foresight, her stun-gun eyesight had led a total stranger to the light, but when it came to Beth, she herself had been blind.

  Cam had not been able to see what was in front of her all the time. There was a reason Beth had fallen so easily into Webb’s trap and into trusting Shane. The good-natured ever-steady friend been emotionally off-balance, freaked about her parents. Beth had tried to tell her, but Cam wasn’t listening. Ears and eyes closed. Some friend.

  As soon as Alex downloaded her, she’d jumped to the phone — every instinct had been to call Beth and “make it right,” but Alex had stopped her. “It’s not like she told me; I read her mind. Besides, if you call now, it’ll be so you can feel better. It won’t be for her.”

  “So color me selfish,” Cam had said glumly. “Everyone else does.”

  Alex mimed playing the violin. “Poor little Cami. Everyone thinks she’s so self-serving — when she’s so not!” At Cam’s grimace, Alex reminded her, “What you’ve already done will help Beth more than anything —”

  “And what we will do — surgery to remove Shane from her life,” Cam had finished the thought.

  Als was right. Tomorrow was another day. After what she’d accomplished today, Beth was safe from Webb and “Helping Scams” forever. There’d be no more meetings, no more fund-raising — Cam made a mental note to tell her dad about Mrs. Fish’s missing necklace, sure now that Beth had “donated it.” After today, there would certainly be no event, no rave.

  Tomorrow she would start to mend the friendship. She’d suggest a mall troll, just the two of them. Maybe with some alone time, Beth would tell her everything. This time, she’d be listening. Cam flipped over on the bed and pressed her cheek to the cool, soft pillow. Maybe if she willed it, sleep would come.

  On the other side of the white night table that separated their twin beds, Alex lay awake, her back to Cam. She could hear her twin’s brain racing, but refused to tap in. How many times before had she heard this whiny song? So what if Camryn and Beth tripped on a speed bump along the road to lifelong friendship? Big whoop. Tomorrow was all do-over day. Cam believed that.

  But Alex checked her scorn. Cam, or Apolla, was sunny-side-up girl, named for the sun god. Was it fair for Alex to be PO’d at her lite take on life, her optimism? It was Cam’s nature, probably.

  So was it her nature to brood? To see the dark side? Or was that her reality? Last night, in Dave’s office, Alex had found her file. The one that held the letter from an attorney representing Isaac Fielding. The one that was now challenging the Barnes’ petition of guardianship.

  Other papers were there, too. Proof that he had, in fact, been the legal husband of Sara Fielding, and although there were no adoption papers ever found, the man had effectively been Alex’s father. The letters went on about some bogus “financial considerations” forcing a separation and his move to another part of the country. But now he was back on his feet and ready to resume his responsibility to the child — especially now that his beloved Sara was gone. Beloved! Alex nearly vomited. He’d done nothing but cause her heartbreak and lead them, she and Sara, down a road her mom would never return from: poverty.

  Ike Fielding was a slug, a spineless bottom-feeder.

  David Barnes was a righteous man, dedicated to justice. If there were any justice in this world, he’d prevail.

  There was a glimmer of hope. So far — okay, it had only been a few days — Ike had not responded to the letters and calls from Dave’s office summoning him to the hearing.

  Timing was everything: If Ike disappeared this time, he’d finally get it right.

  Alex could hear the sounds of Cam’s breathing. Her twin had finally fallen asleep. With a little luck, she would, too.

  Come with me, Artemis, you are needed.

  A man’s hushed voice whispered.

  Karsh? Is that… you? For a minute, Alex didn’t know where she was.

  Artemis, only you can save her. You alone.

  Alex struggled to wake up. She blinked. No one was ther
e, only the sleeping Cam. Who obviously was not hearing what she was.

  There isn’t much time. Arise, now!

  Karsh? It didn’t sound like him. The voice was high-pitched, whiny, not raspy and comforting. But who else could it be?

  It had to be him! Ileana had freed him, and now he was talking to her, summoning her. Alex was wide awake now. Propped up on her elbows, her heart thudding, she looked out at the moonlit night and listened intently.

  This night belongs to you and you alone, Artemis.

  If you want to save your friend, you will come — alone. Don’t bring Apolla.

  The friend? Beth!

  Why me? she asked telepathically.

  Because, the voice said, you are a creature of the night, Artemis.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  INTO THE RAVE

  Stealth. The word came to Alex as she soundlessly — so as not to awaken her sister — nervously slipped into black leather pants and a black shirt. Her thoughts had been invaded in a stealthlike manner. Now she’d be evading Cam and the entire Barnes clan as she crept out of the house and into the still of the night. Instinctively, she’d reached for her necklace, then remembered she didn’t have it.

  The voice, Karsh, had told her he’d be waiting for her. In a black car parked around the corner.

  Alex’s heart was racing. Something was wrong. Why had Karsh sounded so … artificial? Had Cam heard anything? She looked over at her twin, sleeping peacefully.

  * * *

  He was waiting just where he said, in a car so big and black, it reminded Alex of a hearse. Shaking off the creeping terror, she opened the door and slowly slid in, profoundly aware of being alone. Without her sister, without her amulet, was she crazy to sneak out in the middle of the night like this?

  No. If Karsh had summoned her, there was a crucial reason. If Karsh had called her, she’d be protected.

  Only the man behind the wheel wasn’t Karsh.

  Alex froze.

  “Lock the door,” he instructed. His voice was sinister as he kept his beady eyes on the road. “We don’t want to risk losing you before we even get there.”

  Fredo. So this was Fredo. Lizard-boy, Cam called him. The idiot uncle, Ileana had said.

  Fredo had tricked her.

  She regarded his profile. He had a long, thin nose and concave cheeks. Wisps of whiskers grew from a pointy chin. His slicked-back, thinning hair wasn’t doing much to cover a balding head. Her uncle. What a pathetic excuse for a man, let alone a supposedly powerful warlock. Dude! Her old slumlord, Hardy Beeson, had been scarier than this weasel!

  Alex was no longer afraid. If he were all they could summon up, she could handle him. “So you tricked me. Score one for you. What’s the breaking news?”

  “It’s simple, my dear … niece. The time has come.”

  “Ditch the warlock mumbo jumbo. The time has come for what?”

  He grimaced. Clearly, she wasn’t as scared as he’d hoped. “You’ll find out everything you need to know soon. Now shut up.” He tried to cackle demonically, hoping to scare her. All that came out was a rude snorting sound.

  “Soon” stretched into a half hour. Alex was at a double disadvantage. She didn’t have Cam’s see-in-the-dark peepers, and she wasn’t familiar with the streets or back alleys of this town. She had no idea where they were. Worse, Fredo acted like he was in some movie, trying to ditch a phantom tail. He took all these hairpin twists and turns that couldn’t have been necessary. The streets of Marble Bay were empty at this hour.

  Finally, he pulled to a stop in front of a warehouse on a deserted side street. Alex noticed a scattering of cars on the street, and some bikes, too. The parking lot in back, however, was jammed with cars. And though it wouldn’t have been audible to the normal ear, she heard the music, loud, pulsating, trancelike beats of electronica, coming from inside the building.

  Entering the cavernous space, Alex thought she might choke. Dark, smoky, and filled with enough sweat-drenched people to exceed the fire limit three times over, it was everything she feared. Pulsating blasts of neon-bright beams of light streaked the room, punctuating the near-complete blackness with the urgency of ambulance flashers.

  Beth could be anywhere. It would be easy to be swallowed up by the crowd, lost.

  Spinning on her heel, she stuck her finger at a startled Fredo’s nose. “Where is she?”

  Swiping her finger away, he said evenly, “Don’t take that tone with me, niece….”

  “Cut the niece crap, you freak. Where’s Beth? Is she even here?”

  “Oh, she’s here. I can assure you of that. You’re so smart, you find her!”

  Alex almost laughed. What was that? The warlock equivalent of “nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, I know something you don’t know….”

  She surveyed the room. Throngs of people, not much older than herself, were dancing, like one giant centipede. Guys with random piercings, longhairs, and spiked heads, girls with neon hair and glow-in-the-dark tattoos. None of them was Beth. At one point, they all raised their arms, swaying in a trancelike motion. At another, they lifted a random person off the floor and tossed him around, a mosh pit in motion.

  Think! Alex cursed her lack of supersight. If only she could see what Cam would be able to!

  Listen!

  And then she heard it. It cut through the din of the hypnotic beat. A thin, barely there voice of a girl trying to hide her rising panic. “Where’s Ms. Webb?” And, “I didn’t see anyone from Helping Hands. Are you sure this is the Rave to Save?”

  And then another voice, smooth, cajoling, comforting. “Of course it’s a fund-raiser. The money they collected at the door will all go to the cause.”

  Beth — and Shane!

  “Why are we in this room? Shouldn’t we go back out on the dance floor and look for Ms. Webb?”

  “Forget Ms. Webb. You’ve done enough for her. Tonight, I have a special treat for you.”

  Alex heard Beth’s heart thumping — scared, but excited. “A treat? What?”

  “There are some people I want you to meet. Important people.”

  Alex bolted in the direction of their voices. Elbowing her way through the mass of bodies, across the sticky floor, she ran — keenly aware of Fredo on her heel. She heard Beth thinking, I wonder if he means Helping Hands people, or even some of the kids? Not that this would be a place you’d take them …

  A beefy bodyguard stood outside the door at the other end of the warehouse. Alex stopped short, darted around him, and tried to push open the door. In a flash, bodyguard dude pulled her away. “That’s a private room. No one goes in there.”

  “I’m going,” she started.

  Fredo smarmily cut in, “Let her in. She’s family.”

  Leaning around her, he pushed the door open.

  She saw the boots first, as his legs were propped up on the desk, the soles facing her. The thick-soled black hobnailed boots that had once been used with such force, they’d smashed through the floor of her trailer. They could easily make the sound she’d heard, heavy footsteps stomping down a creaking staircase.

  “He’s not here.”

  The voice. Deep and menacing. She looked up. His glinting black eyes were taking her in. Thantos. Uncle Thantos.

  “Karsh, the one you’re thinking of …” The powerful warlock was sitting at a dark wood desk. “… is a guest of mine, along with your guardian witch, the talented Ileana. They’re in a safe house. Not far from here, actually. But, alas, they won’t be making it to our little family reunion.”

  Alex nearly spit.

  “Now, dear sweet Artemis. How….” He rose and looked her up and down. “Why are you dressed like that?”

  “Right back atcha,” she said defiantly, taking in his long black cape. “Is this vampire night at the rave?”

  His throaty laugh, so different from Fredo’s goatlike neighing, scared her.

  “Touché. What a brave little front you put on — I can’t help but feel proud.”

  Feel this, is w
hat Alex wanted to say, desperately looking around for something to magically throw at his head. She stopped abruptly; he’d know exactly what she was thinking. “Where’s Beth?” she demanded.

  “Beth?” Thantos sounded puzzled.

  Fredo reminded him, “The bait. Artemis’s best friend. That’s why I brought her first.”

  Alex was sickened. Uncle Fredo was so dim-witted, he hadn’t even known he had the wrong twin.

  Now he was saying eagerly, “She’s in the back room. Should I bring her out?”

  Alex took in her surroundings now. The room, L-shaped, was a posh office, with only one small push-out window high on the wall behind the desk. Two white leather couches flanked an expensive end table, on which sat a potted ficus tree. A door on the far wall probably led to an even more private inner sanctum.

  At Thantos’s command, Fredo loped over and opened it. “It’s time,” he said into the room. “One has been delivered.”

  Shane emerged first — Alex had only seen him once, at the mall, and she was startled by his gentle good looks. Cocoa eyes, tousled light brown hair, smooth skin, and a killer smile. But was that the smile of a killer?

  Beth followed tentatively. Wearing a leopard-print tank top and loose-fitting satin pants, she seemed so innocent and confused, mostly. “Alex? What are you doing here?”

  “You need to leave,” Alex said urgently. “Go home, now!”

  Beth turned to Shane. “Why’s she here? And are these …” She eyed Thantos and Fredo. “The important people you wanted me to meet?”

  Alex grabbed Beth’s elbow and tried to pull her toward the door. But Shane moved to block the way. “I’ll take Beth home,” he said, “when Lord Thantos instructs me to.”

  “Lord Thantos? What’s he lord of?” Beth laughed, nervously scratching at her arm.

  “Lord is my title,” Thantos told her. “It means I have earned a certain rank, the highest in my peer group.”

  Shane added, “It’s an honor to have been of service. And since Miss Fish has fulfilled her role, if it pleases you, sir, I’ll take her home now.”