Fugue Macabre: Bone Dance

by C. J. Parker

  The door crashed open and Kangee fell to the floor, crawling toward her. She tried to stand, but the wind knocked her down. “Kangee!”

  He reached her, drawing her close enough to speak into her ear. “Crawl.”

  She slunk as low as she could. Inch by inch, she slid over broken debris and splinters. She looked up. The back corner of her bedroom ceiling was gone. In its place, the trunk of an oak, leaves torn from its limbs littered everything she could see.

  Once they made it over the threshold, Kangee’s hands reached out to pull her to her feet. The noise of the wind came from every direction.

  Bobbie’s hair lashed at her face. Rain tried to drown her. She glanced down to discover water sloshing up between the floorboards. The surge had reached the bottom of the house and was trying to find a way in. The bedroom door slammed shut with the sound of a shotgun blast. Total silence. She glanced at each person one by one.

  Tabatha, Ionna and Lexie brushed leaves off their faces and arms. The small tattoos on Lexie’s wrists sent a shiver down Bobbie’s spine. Derek, Troy and Stephen were righting furniture. Kangee stood at her side. His mouth moved but emitted no sound. She shook her head. Still nothing. She pinched her nose, closed her mouth and puffed out her cheeks until the pressure in her ears popped.

  “Are you all right?” Kangee’s fear was evident in his expression. “Answer me, dammit. Are you okay?”

  She smiled as she could finally hear him. “Yes. I’m okay. What happened?”

  “Tree fell on the house, we think.” Derek upended an end table and glanced at her. “Damn, woman, don’t you ever wear clothes?”

  She gazed down at her nakedness and giggled. “You’re welcome to go back in there and find me something to slip on.”

  He unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to her. “Ionna, if I ever catch you running around with no clothes on, I’ll ground you for the rest of your life.”

  Ionna’s grin spread from ear to ear, as she glanced down at the sheet tied around her sarong-style. “Okay, Derek. I won’t. I like clothes. Tabatha said she’d buy me some when this is over. I’m looking forward to that. Can we get Lexie some things too?”

  “Hush, Ionna.” Bobbie cleaned a spot of debris and sat on a tattered chair. She leaned her arms over her knees and let her hands drape over. “Well, that was one hell of a wake-up call.” She looked around again. “Where’s Rhonda?”

  “She ran out, when the tree fell.” Ionna pointed toward the back of the house. Her eyes rounded when all their stares landed on her. “Said she thought she noticed someone in the trees.”

  “Ionna, you let Rhonda go out in the storm?” Troy rushed toward the backdoor.

  Her bottom lip quivered and tears rimmed her eyes. “I told her not to go.”

  As Troy took a step outside, the last bit of the landing collapsed and floated away. Derek grabbed his arms and pulled him back, saving him from falling into the surge. The wind once again knocked over furniture, blew pots and pans off the pot rack, kitchen cabinets flung open and slammed shut again.

  “Oh, God, Rhonda. What have you done?” Bobbie’s heart thudded against her ribs. “So help me God, if you’re not dead, I’m going to kill you when I get my hands on you.”

  Bobbie, Lexie, Snow, Tabatha, Derek and Troy moved to the living room and boarded the swinging door to the kitchen shut.

  Derek slid open a window on the north side of the house and knocked the shutters away then closed the window. The winds aren’t as bad on this side and it gives us a view to the village.” He shook his head. “There’s no way to tell the others to watch for Rhonda.”

  Troy’s back slid down the wall and covered his head with his hands. “This is my fault. I should have been watching her. I never thought she’d do something so…”

  “Stupid?” Bobbie kicked a decorative pillow across the room.

  “She’s not stupid.” Troy slammed his fist against the wall. “But I’ll bet she trekked after that werewolf again.”

  Bobbie would have laughed had the situation not been so dire. “Coyote. Not werewolf. And we can only hope she found him. He’ll keep her safe.”

  “How?” Troy raised his head to look her in the eyes. His were blood shot and damp. “We’re in the middle of a storm born in hell. Where is there a safe place?”

  “Remember, Troy, Cuda has instincts you don’t. Animals have been surviving storms since the beginning of time.” Bobbie forced herself to believe her own words, but it was hard. “If there’s a safe place out there, he’ll know where it is and get them to it.”

  Troy pushed himself to his feet and paced in front of Bobbie. “What was he doing out there in the first place?”

  “Safe bet is, he came to make sure Rhonda was all right. As tough as he comes across, he cares for her.” Water dripped from Troy’s hair down his face. Bobbie tossed him a towel from the stack on a nearby table. “She was the first one to show him tenderness, respect. The rest of us saw a coyote.”

  Tabatha peered out the window. “Water’s deep. Looks like it’s gotten into the house next door. Bet the cats are hanging onto the rafters.” Tabatha leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes. “Rhonda isn’t dead. She’d be screaming to beat the band if she was. I’d hear her. Rhonda won’t go peacefully.”

  Ionna wrapped her arms around Tabatha’s waist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was supposed to stop her.”

  Dropping to her knees, Tabatha gazed into Ionna eyes. “Honey, you couldn’t have stopped Rhonda if her mind was made up. She’s a grown woman, and only she is responsible for what happens to her.”

  Tabatha glanced at Troy. “That goes for you, too. This is no one’s fault but Rhonda’s.”

  “Did anyone save any of the food and water?” Bobbie tried to change the subject. “Or did we board it up in the kitchen?”

  Derek pointed at a stack of supplies in the far corner then joined Tabatha and Ionna at the window. He pulled Ionna to him and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around Derek and laid her head against his chest. Holding her with one arm, he drew Tabatha closer with the other.

  The sight brought tears to Bobbie’s eyes. How could she tell them they couldn’t take Ionna away from the village? Worse, how would she tell Ionna the new family she’d won was a booby prize? She was too young to be plunged into the world of the Outsiders. She’d only just had her first change. Tabatha and Derek wouldn’t know how to train her to control her powers. Joy, happiness, sadness, anger, any emotion could trigger a change.

  Silence enveloped the village. The winds died, sunlight drenched everything. The change in weather prompted Bobbie to rush toward the front door and sling it open. She tested the sturdiness of what was left of the front landing. Bobbie was first and the others followed stepping out on the landing to take in the devastation. One by one, Hylton’s pack of cats appeared at doorways and on balconies.

  Aetheria’s tree house still stood. The old oak had withstood the storm.

  “It’s the eye of the storm,” Hylton shouted from across the yard. “It’ll only last a few minutes. Anyone need help?”

  Bobbie raked her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. “A tree decided to wait out the storm in my bedroom, but other than that, we’re fine.”

  “Back of this house washed away,” someone shouted from the last house to her left.

  “It was an add-on,” Kangee shouted back. “The rest of the house should be sound.”

  The man gave the thumbs up sign. “Good to hear. Think we should check on the old lady?”

  Kangee shook his head. “See the oil lamp in the window? That’s her sign that she’s okay.”

  Aetheria stuck her head out of her window and waved. “I’m fine.”

  Kangee cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. “Rhonda? Rhonda, can you hear me?”

  “Rhonda’s that redhead?” someone yelled back.

  Bobbie’s heart sped up. “Yes. Have you seen her?”

  “We thought she was with you,” another voice sou
nded from the Ross house.

  “She was, but it appears she decided to go for a swim.” Bobbie tried to keep her tone light, keeping her worry buried.

  “That girl not right in the head?” Hylton shook his head back.

  Before anyone could reply, the sun ducked behind a dark cloud and the winds blew from the opposite direction. Debris that had collected on one side of the village began to float to the other on top of the floodwater. In the middle floated Phelps’ body. Shingles flew. The rains returned. Everyone dashed back into their shelters.

  “Here we go again.” Derek slammed the door closed and grabbed up a board and nails, securing it into place. Over his shoulder, he yelled to the group, “This is going to be the worst of it. Gather everything into the dining room. It’s the center of the house and chances are the last to go. Drag mattresses, food, water, anything you think you’ll need in the next few days.”

  Bobbie hoped it would be enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  A couple of hours later, the only sounds Bobbie heard were those of the wind and anything left unrestrained hitting the house. Trees cracked, popped and hit anything in their path with an earth-shaking thud.

  Kangee lay on an old mattress, forearm over his eyes. He and Derek had moved the couch against the far dining room wall, and Stephen and Lexie were curled up into each other’s arms at one end, while Ionna lay at the other.

  Bobbie glanced at Lexie’s Snickers bar sitting on the table. She’d threatened murder on anyone who dared touch it. A hand reached up and grabbed the candy and a knife. Tabatha smiled, cut it in half and tossed Bobbie her share. She didn’t worry about the racket the wrapper would cause. Nothing could be heard over the din of the storm. She brought the prize to her mouth.

  Tabatha? Bobbie? Can either one of you hear me?

  The candy bar forgotten, Bobbie saw Tabatha’s face pale. She scooted to Bobbie’s side and placed her mouth next to her ear. “Did you hear that?”

  Bobbie nodded and mouthed “Rhonda.” She turned her head to speak into Tabatha’s ear. “Is she dead?”

  No! I’m not dead, you idiot. Cuda was trying to find a way to get in the house. He saw me fall off the ledge and caught me, but we couldn’t get back to the house. He saved my life.

  “Bully for him.” Bobbie glanced at Tabatha and rolled her eyes. So, she didn’t just leave as Ionna thought.

  Tabatha smiled. “Where are you?”

  No friggin’ idea. But we’re safe. In a shed, has ladders down to the second floor but it’s filled with water. There’s a bridge crossing over to another building. Lots of machines all over the place. Wait.

  Her voice grew silent for a long stretch of time and Bobbie’s nerves frayed waiting. “Rhonda, you there?”

  Cuda says it’s a pump station, but none of the pumps are running. He’s trying to get the generator started. All this head talking is giving me a headache. And it’s downright creepy. How can I do this all of a sudden? Part of sharing our gifts thing?”

  Bobbie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. But I’m glad you decided to use it.”

  “I’ll get back to you later.

  Bobbie sat ramrod straight. “Rhonda! Don’t you dare shut us out!”

  “She’s gone.” Tabatha bit into the candy bar and leaned back against the wall. “She’s okay. That’s what matters. I was able to slip into her head for a minute. She’s right. It’s a pump house. She’s safer than we are. And she was eating potato chips.”

  “Twit.” Probably sees nothing wrong with what she’d done.

  A loud thud shook the house. Kangee and Derek shot up, going from sleep to full alert instantly, racing from one room to the next to see what had hit the house. They returned within minutes and collapsed back onto the mattress.

  “Kitchen.” Derek rolled over on his side and fell back to sleep.

  Bobbie glanced from one to the other then to Tabatha. “Our heroes.”

  Tabatha closed her eyes and Bobbie knew she was trying to connect with Rhonda again. Bobbie decided to try out her new power. She wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it, but she tried first to shut out the racket of the storm. Silence like Bobbie had never known filled her head. Darkness blended with mother of pearl swirls of light. Whispers drifted from far away, but grew in volume quickly.

  Three hundred? That’s all we can muster?

  She knew that voice. Verdun. How could that be?

  That’s way more than we’ll need. We’ve stopped her people from returning. There are very few of them in the village, seven, maybe eight in number.

  We’ll slaughter little Queenie and anyone who won’t leave her side.

  Queenie? That could only be one person talking. Omeda.

  Then we will destroy those in the shelter. Our people only wait for the go-ahead. Verdun’s voice boomed in her head.

  Bobbie’s cheek stung. The voices faded, light seeped into the dark slits of her eyes. She opened her eyes to find Tabatha shaking her and slapping her face. “Come out of it. Wake up.”

  Shoving Tabatha away, Bobbie rubbed her cheek. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t play with this, Bobbie.” Tabatha’s hand trembled. “It’s not a toy. Wait until I can teach you how to come back. You were sinking too deep.”

  Bobbie hadn’t meant to frighten Tabatha, but apparently, she had. “I heard Verdun and Omeda talking.”

  “Why would you reach out to them? They’re dangerous.” Tabatha’s expression was one of total disbelief. “If they found out you were in their heads, he could have…he could have done something terrible.”

  “I wasn’t reaching out to them.” Bobbie exhaled and released a bit of tension. “I was looking for Rhonda.”

  “You have to send every other thought out of your head. Think only of the person you want to reach.” Tabatha sat back and stretched her legs out in front of her. “Otherwise, you get whoever is lurking in the back of your mind. Verdun must have been concentrating on you.”

  Bobbie’s heart was in her throat. Her voice shook. “How do you know I was in Verdun’s head? Why not Omeda’s?”

  “I had to follow you in to bring you back. That is one dark man. There is no warmth left in his soul. His brain is near rotten with rage and resentment. He’s a dangerous man.” Tabatha raked her fingers though her hair. “How strong do you feel?”

  “I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.” Bobbie glanced down and realized she’d squeezed the life out of the Snickers bar in her hand. One not to waste anything, she licked it from her palm.

  Tabatha cleared her throat. “Are you up to trying to stop this storm?”

  “It’s about time you thought of that, baby girl.” Bertha’s voice came from behind them.

  Bobbie jump to her feet. “Bertha, you’ve got to stop sneaking up on people like that.”

  An unladylike snort erupted from deep within the old woman. “You’ve got to start using the gifts you’ve been given and pay attention to your surroundings. If you had, you’d known I’ve been here for a while.” Bertha crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s one flaw in your plan, baby girl.”

  “What?” Tabatha opened the journal, reread the incantation to destroy the storm and then looked back at Bertha. “I don’t need herbs. I need strength to do it.”

  Bertha knocked lightly on Bobbie’s then Tabatha’s head. “Think.”

  Bobbie sat and leaned her back against the wall and searched her mind for possible problems. “Is it that Rhonda isn’t here?”

  “No.” Bertha shook her head.

  Listening to the wind and rain pounding the house, she ran through the sequence of events. She thought about Rhonda, alone with Cuda in a pump house, knowing it had to be a lot worse than this.

  Hey! Anyone listening? Cuda’s got the pumps going here. Now that the eye has passed, the storm should push the surge back to the Gulf. Once we can get out of here without drowning, we’ll start back.

  “I’ve got it.” Bobbie slapped her forehead. “We have to make the
storm push back the surge.”

  “Thanks to Rhonda.” Tabatha laughed and punched Bobbie playfully on the shoulder.

  Thanks to Cuda, you mean.

  “Give Cuda our thanks, Rhonda,” Bobbie conceded, trying not to wonder why he’d been lurking around the back of the house. Had he been spying for his uncle and felt he owed Rhonda for her kindness toward him?

  And how did you know I was what I appeared to be? Maybe I was sent to spy on you. You didn’t know me any better than you do Cuda. For that matter, you don’t know much more about my past than you do about his.

  “Touché.” The heat of shame flooded Bobbie’s cheeks. “But you’ve fought at my side. Cuda has only given me grief. And get the hell out of my thoughts.”

  A dark void of silence filled Bobbie’s head, and she knew she’d been shut out. She wanted to trust Cuda. The underlining scents of sadness and vulnerability blended with his coyote musk. She’d caught it immediately upon meeting him, but had accepted it as the solitary life of the coyote.

  “Keep alert.” Bertha’s voice pushed Cuda out of Bobbie’s thoughts. “When you notice the winds no longer cry through the cracks, it is time to begin. On the front porch facing the Gulf, your men will sit with their backs to yours, facing the four powers, Tabatha east, Derek west, Bobbie north and Kangee south.” Bertha laid her hand on Tabatha’s head. “Baby girl, you will form the symbols for each direction at their feet. Only then do you do your own and begin the spell.”

  “Why is it important the direction we face?” Bobbie yawned and stretched. Every muscle in her body ached with fatigue and everyone knowing things about events but her.

  “Kangee is the Lord of the Wind, if he faces the wind it will continue to bluster. Bobbie cannot face the water or it will continue to flow. Tabatha must face the east, the point of the rising sun, calling for it to burn away the clouds.”

  “And me?” Derek sat and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “You girls aren’t the best company when a man’s trying to sleep.”

  Kangee rolled over and straightened on the opposite side of the mattress. “Good question. What’s Derek got to do with this? He’s the Lord of Justice, isn’t he?”