“Don’t,” he commanded, and with a pleading look, he let go of her. “I don’t need that anymore.”
The sudden vulnerability in his face took her by surprise.
“Titus,” she said softly, “you never told me what your powers are, exactly.” She didn’t come right out and ask, afraid to push him too far. But she let the unspoken question linger between them.
His mouth worked, as if he was chewing that over. “Things have changed. For me. For you, in fact. For the world. Things are going to start happening rather quickly.”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes seemed to light with an inner fire. “Back when we met, I wasn’t myself. I felt like . . . well, like a freak. I felt like the universe had punished me for some crime I had never committed. That’s why, back then, I asked you to find a way to rid me of my powers. But no matter how many crystals we tried, no matter how many potions, none of that worked.”
“I know so much more now,” Dru said. “We could try—”
“No. Back then, I didn’t know that I was put here for a reason. That I was given these powers for a purpose. Back then, I didn’t understand my destiny.”
“And . . . now you do?” Dru asked dubiously.
The manic look in his eyes was answer enough. “All of that confusion, all of that angst and regret? That’s all in the past.” He planted both hands on the counter and loomed over her. “Now, the doubt is gone. I know what I need to do.”
“Jeez, wow, that’s great. I don’t even know what to have for lunch.” She attempted a smile. “And here I thought you came in looking for a crystal.”
“No. I came to bring one to you.” From his pocket, he pulled out a lump of black velvet and carefully unwrapped it on the counter. Inside was a crystal that looked like a delicate rose formed out of coffee-colored rock.
“Hey, wow, that’s a nice barite crystal.” Dru bent closer to examine it. Truly, it was the finest barite specimen she’d ever seen. Each stone petal of the so-called “rose” was thin and flawless, nestled one against another to form the illusion of a flower cast in stone.
His smile seemed as brittle as the barite crystal. “Do you like it?”
“Well, yeah. Barite is great for detoxification and rebalancing.”
“And for cleansing away the past,” he added in his deep voice. “Preparing for a new future.”
She reached for her ledger. “Are you interested in store credit, or . . . ?”
His shoulders stiffened. “It’s a gift,” he insisted. “From me. To you.”
“Oh, thank you, that’s so sweet. But no. Let me buy it from you.”
His expression darkened. “Are you playing games with me, Drusy?”
Staring back into the bottomless pits of his eyes was like staring into the eye sockets of a skull. Suddenly, she could hear her own heartbeat thudding in her ears. All of her instincts screamed danger.
“Drusy,” Opal said abruptly, hanging up the phone as she came around the corner. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter. “I’m sorry. It’s just so cute. It really is.” She saw the two of them and drew up short, instantly picking up on the tension in the air. “Oh.” She gave Dru a worried look.
Titus broke into an easy grin, and it seemed to brighten up his entire face. He backed away from the counter and held up his hands in an aw-shucks shrug. “Of course. This must be so unexpected, after all this time. How rude of me.”
Dru swallowed. “Oh, hey, no, it is a really impressive crystal.”
“Still. I apologize for the awkwardness.”
She waved it off. “Hey, it’s not the end of the world.”
“No?” He chuckled, and it sounded completely genuine. Whatever darkness she had seen in him, it was suddenly gone, as if it had never existed. Had she imagined it?
Opal watched Titus carefully as she made her way back to the counter and sat next to Dru. “So how come we don’t carry any drusy crystals in stock, anyway? If they’re sparkly, we should have some. Everybody loves sparkly rocks.”
“Over my dead body,” Dru said. “Besides, there’s just not a lot of demand for it. So why carry it, right?”
“Honey, we’ve got a whole store full of things there’s not a lot of demand for. That’s a fact.”
Titus abruptly scooped up Dru’s fingers in his vast grip. “Drusy. There’s something you should know.” He leaned closer, eyes burning. “There’s going to be a gathering tomorrow night. Everyone who is everyone, all in one place, one night. It’s the chance of a lifetime to be among the most powerful sorcerers in the world. You and I, we’ve known each other so long, perhaps we could—”
“A party?” Dru interrupted him before he could make this even more awkward than it already was. “You know me. I’m just not much of a party girl. I’m sorry.”
He smiled, showing too many teeth. “But in fact, you are. I remember.”
She felt herself blush. “Well, that’s so . . .” She tried to pull her hand away, but she was trapped. “Jeez, you’ve got really strong hands.”
“Didn’t I tell you? That’s my secret power. Strong hands.” He winked and kissed the back of her hand before he released it. “Drusy, darling. Think about it. I’ll see you soon.”
Then he turned and strode out of the shop, leaving behind the barite rose and a hint of woodsy cologne in the silence after he was gone.
“Mmm-mmm.” Opal sighed, staring wistfully at the closed door. “For real, we need more of that around here, liven things up a bit. Can you just call him back, have him walk in and out a couple more times in those jeans?”
“You’re terrible,” Dru said, squirting hand sanitizer onto her fingers. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the jitters that Titus had left her with.
“The man brought you flowers. That’s new.”
“One flower. But it’s really a rock. Don’t read too much into it.”
“He’s been planning this for a while, you can bet on it.” Opal fixed a curious look on her. “So what exactly did he mean about you being a party girl?”
“That’s an exaggeration. I’m so not that.”
“Mmm-hmm. So, between you two, anything ever get—”
“No, no.” Dru shook her hands to air-dry them. “Noooo. Definitely not. Not with Titus. But you know, it’s so strange. Back then, he used to be so jumpy. Afraid of his own shadow. Now he’s all Joe Cool.”
“Hmm. Well, I would definitely not kick that man out of bed for eating crackers.”
“Trust me, Titus was never anywhere close to my bed.”
“Probably closer than you think.” Opal’s voice dropped an octave. “Drusy, dahling.”
“Whatever. Let’s put his rock in inventory.” Dru spotted her feather duster and remembered the dead moths. She headed down the aisle, duster in hand. “Is it just me, or was that whole thing really, really weird?”
“Honey, the only people in the world weirder than the ones we know are the ones we used to know.” Opal tapped the phone with one long cotton candy–colored fingernail. “Speaking of which, guess who called? Ruiz.”
“Ruiz? He’s not on fire again, is he?”
Opal chuckled. “Not this time.” She sighed. “That man is so sweet, I’m here to tell you.”
“That’s fabulous. What about Hellbringer?”
Opal gave Dru a meaningful look. “Depending on who you believe, either that car is nowhere to be found, or it tore up half the city yesterday.”
Dru traded looks with her. “And who do you believe?”
Opal pursed her lips, obviously thinking hard. “I don’t know. I’m not going to believe anything until we see it with our own eyes.”
“I like that policy. Let’s make it official.” Dru pushed the feather duster onto the shelf, and a pair of moths suddenly swarmed out at her, battering their big, ugly wings against her glasses before they swirled away.
“Gah!” Dru jerked her head back and frantically brushed herself off. Then, carefully, she swiped the feather d
uster back along the shelf, intending to sweep away the dead bugs.
But they were gone. She peeked around behind the jars and short statues, but found nothing.
Dru folded her arms. Something wasn’t right.
The dead moths had vanished. Almost as if they had been brought back to life.
10
HELLO, MR. BONES
After Rane showed up, they all set out for Salem’s place, which sat within spitting distance of rusty railroad tracks that hadn’t seen a train in decades. Dru didn’t know who owned the sprawling industrial building, but it was obvious that no one was looking after it. Knee-high weeds grew up through the cracks in the vast asphalt wasteland that was once a parking lot. Graffiti covered every inch of the ground floor, surrounding empty holes where windows had once stood. Dru was afraid to even get out of Opal’s car.
“So, I’ve got to ask. What did you ever see in that man, anyway?” Opal said, echoing Dru’s thoughts.
From the back seat, Rane gave her a sour look. “You’re kidding, right?”
Opal stopped the car in the middle of the deserted parking lot. “No, I’m serious. I’m not judging.”
“You’re always judging,” Rane said. “Look, for one, he’s the most kick-ass sorcerer you’ll ever meet, okay? Nobody can stand up to him, besides me. And he’s got that whole big-brain thing going on. Besides, he’s smoking hot. What did you say about him that one time?” This last was directed at Dru.
“Oh, no.” Dru made a pushing-away motion. “You’re not dragging me into this.”
“No, it was really sweet,” Rane said. “You said he was mesmerizing.”
Opal raised her eyebrows at Dru.
Dru held up her hands. “What I said was—and this was when you first started dating, I have to point that out—I said, yes, he has the sort of magnetic good looks that make him interesting. If you can get past the guyliner.”
“Pretty sure you said mesmerizing,” Rane said. “Or maybe it was fascinating.”
Opal’s look at Dru became even more pointed.
Dru shook her head. She couldn’t win. “But you have to admit, just talking to him kind of hurts. He’s like a sarcasm factory churning out extra-strength snark.”
“Speaking of factories,” Opal said, “why does the man live in one? Or what’s left of it?” She leaned over the steering wheel and stared up through the windshield. “You sure this is even the right place?”
“Give me a break,” Rane said from the back seat. “I used to live here.”
Dru and Opal both turned around to look at her.
“What?” She glared back at them. “We were in love. It was fine.” She got out of the car and slammed the door. Without looking back, she marched across the weed-choked parking lot toward the building.
Dru traded looks with Opal. “Guess it’s too soon,” Dru said. “How long have they been broken up?”
“Not long enough,” Opal muttered, then patted Dru’s leg. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the engine running for you.”
“You’re not . . . ?” Dru jerked her thumb at the building.
“Oh, no, no, no.” Opal dropped her chin and gave Dru a knowing frown. “Honey, I haven’t lived this long by breaking into pissed-off sorcerers’ bachelor pads. But you go on ahead, really. I’ll just be your getaway car.”
“Um. Hmm. Okay. You’re sure?” Dru took a deep breath, trying to psych herself up. “No, that’s totally cool. I’ll be with Rane, so I’ll be fine. I’ve been in his place before. What could go wrong?” She hesitated, watching Rane’s strong back as she marched away, and then stepped out to follow her.
A series of hollow thumps came from the purple Lincoln as Opal locked the doors. Dru watched through the window as Opal pulled a handful of amulets off her rearview mirror and slipped them around her neck, then quickly fixed her hair and flashed Dru a thumbs-up.
Dru returned the gesture. She chased after Rane, trying to ignore the weeds brushing at her ankles.
With a practiced leap, Rane brought down the rusted metal fire escape ramp. The metallic screech startled Dru. Rubbing her arms, she looked around. There wasn’t another soul in sight, but she couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.
They climbed up to the flat asphalt roof that stretched out under a sky choked with sickly clouds. On the far side, a black metal door led into the top floor of the adjoining building.
“Looks like he’s not home. Door’s closed, and that means the protective spell is armed,” Rane said. “Don’t worry. As soon as the door is open, the spell turns off. Watch this.”
As she had no doubt done countless times before, Rane crossed the roof, touched the small, grimy window over the door, and transformed herself into solid glass. Only then did she open the door. “Wonder if he’s ever figured out this is how I get past his defenses.”
Dru stared at Rane, or more precisely through Rane, seeing a warped image of the rooftop through her shimmering glass body. It was always a strange sight, seeing Rane made out of glass, so that she was nearly invisible when she stood in shadow. “Wow,” Dru said. “Turning into glass must be useful for being stealthy, right?”
“Yeah. Because stealth is so my thing.” Rane snorted. “Not.”
Dru sighed. “Speaking of which, did you ever have a chance to read that Sun Tzu book I gave you? The Art of War?”
“Quit trying to educate me, dude. I know what I’m doing.” Rane led the way inside.
Salem’s place was pretty much the way Dru remembered it, packed with antique furniture, wooden chests, cardboard boxes stacked high with everything from crystal balls to ceremonial masks. It was all one enormous, magical mess.
The far wall was dominated by Salem’s doomsday wall, a floor-to-ceiling mess of newspaper clippings, maps, photos, and handwritten notes about the end of the world. Color-coded pushpins and strings connected them all together like some giant vision board for the apocalypse.
Between here and there, the vast maze of musty, old junk and antiques that Salem had accumulated under the broad slanted roof was interrupted by a grisly new addition: a half-dozen large aquariums filled with a whiskey-colored fluid. And in each one floated a handful of stained bones.
Dru wasn’t sure they were human until she saw the skull.
Her hands flew to her mouth. Her gaze zoomed from one tank to the next, unable to look away. Skeletal hands floated palm-up in one tank, detached from their connecting arm bones.
A rib cage floated in another tank, stained the color of driftwood.
A grinning human skull sat at the bottom of a third tank, its cranium mottled like disintegrating concrete.
Rane started to step forward, but Dru grabbed her arm. “Don’t go in there. Just . . . don’t.”
Hesitating, Rane stood in the doorway, her glass head turning side to side as she scanned the room. “This is seriously messed up. Grave robbing? That’s not his style. This can’t be what it looks like.”
“Maybe. But sometimes, things are exactly what they look like.” Dru’s mind went into overdrive. Salem had shown up at her shop with a wound caused by some kind of undead creature. He had stolen the scourge out from under their noses. And he had always had a fetish for collecting the occult lore of dark sorcerers, including the Harbingers.
Had his fascination with the Harbingers crossed over into something much darker?
What was it Titus had said, unexpectedly reappearing after all these years? He said that other sorcerers were talking about the Harbingers. People in the know. Did he mean Salem? Was Titus trying to warn her?
“Hold on. I have an idea. Let me have a look.” Dru fished her ulexite crystal out of her purse and pressed it to her forehead, letting her magical energy empower it. After a slightly dizzy moment, her vision took on an added dimension, showing her the ethereal auras within Salem’s place.
As she had always suspected, almost everything inside had some kind of magical aura. Salem wasn’t any ordinary packrat. Over the years, he had amassed a tr
uly vast collection of artifacts, books, spell components, and who knew what else.
No wonder he came down to the Crystal Connection so often. It was the only place in town that had more magical stuff than him.
She squinted at the aquariums across the room. From this distance, it was tough to make out many details through the distortion caused by the crystal. But she could see something that was hidden to the naked eye: the fluid around the bones was filled with ghostly strands of light.
They twirled and swam in slow motion, as if carried by invisible ocean currents. Thin ribbons of shimmering platinum-white light. Just like the cobwebs at Greyson’s place, these threads gave off the cold glow of magic.
Dru lowered the crystal and blinked to clear her vision. “Looks like there are cobwebs floating in the tanks. I bet these bones are parts for one of those undead creatures.”
With an icy ringing sound, Rane turned human again. “Are you saying he’s, like, building one of these things?”
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Dru stepped into the room and listened, but heard nothing except a train whistle in the distance. The room was filled with the earthy scents of candle smoke and strange herbs, along with a sharply sweet smell like honeysuckle. It was at once unsettling and strangely homey. “Undead scourge is usually associated with necromantic magic. But I never would’ve pegged Salem for a necromancer. Until now.”
Up close, she could see that the rim of each tank was unevenly smeared with dry brick-red paint. A spidery handprint, about the size of Salem’s hand, was planted on one face of each tank.
“Finger painting?” Rane sounded puzzled.
After a little hesitation, Dru ran her fingers over the paint. It felt chalky and primitive, not at all smooth and durable like modern paint. “Looks like red ochre. That makes sense. It’s a kind of clay that gets its color from oxidized galena.”
“Oxy what-what?”
“Here.” Dru dug through her purse and pulled out a heavy pair of smooth galena crystals, shiny and round as polished silver spoons. “Iron oxide. It’s the same stuff. Only these crystals are magnetized.” She pulled them apart with a soft ringing sound. “But essentially, if the galena rusts, it can naturally form red ochre. It’s been used to protect graves since prehistoric times.”
A Kiss Before Doomsday Page 9