“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
He straightened to his full height, and I detected annoyance. “We know it works now.”
I apologized again, and his rare half smile surfaced before fading. “You did that to punish me for pushing you away.”
“I didn’t, but you probably deserved it.” I chuckled, the moment passing. For the rest of the night, we spent time together, talking, enjoying each other. I began to imagine us doing this every night as we grew old, and then reality hit me. Ian would never grow old, and I didn’t have long. Those thoughts ruined the night for me. At some point, he grew alert and cocked his head to the side to listen to something I didn’t hear. I let him go without argument when he said he had to leave.
“We will discuss your son tomorrow night?” He stroked my face, and electricity danced between our touch.
I agreed and hoped we could be together just one more time.
Chapter Eight
“You must stay solid to wear the amulet,” Isabelle explained to me.
“That goes without saying. Whenever I forget I’m wearing an extra set of clothing and wink out, they fall on the ground. My secret has almost been revealed in the most embarrassing of ways.”
“This is no joking matter, Libby.”
She touched a finger to the dull gold coin with various symbols etched in its surface. The piece hung from a black string of cloth, and Isabelle had mentioned to me she had chanted for an hour before feeling the spell was solid and my protection assured. I examined the amulet and did get a sense of safety, but I wasn’t sure if that was all psychological. Of course, I had Ian’s reaction to know this wasn’t a toy.
“The protection is strong,” Isabelle continued. “I’m quite proud of myself actually. But the amulet probably won’t do anything if the vampire decides to banish you.”
I gaped at her. “H-How do you know about that?”
“Banishing?” She reached for a book she had brought with her to visit me. Some of the die-hard readers in town didn’t caress a volume as lovingly as Isabelle was doing now. “I learned about it in here. So, you already know? I wasn’t sure if I should tell you. I don’t want to frighten you, Libby.”
I stood up and moved to the counter. Without Jake here and me not needing to eat, I hadn’t dirtied any dishes. When Monica arrived, I had sent her away again on the excuse that I needed some time to wrap my head around the changes. Monica knew I had given Jake to Mason for longer than a weekend, but she had no idea I was at the point of going away permanently. I had used her enough. The time had come for her to be free. All of us would hurt for a while, but we would grow stronger and heal with time.
“Yes, I know about the banishing. Ian told me.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened.
“It was when he warned me never to allow anyone to find out my secret. He said there were those who could banish me to a place I couldn’t return from. Vampires more than anyone know the words to do it.”
“And witches,” Isabelle added.
I groaned.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Libby. I would never do that to you.”
“But if Tevin finds out, I’m lost.”
“We won’t let him near you.” She flipped through the pages of her book. “I’m worried I might have made a mistake. You’re too important for me to mess it up.”
I hesitated and then blurted the truth. “It works well.”
She looked at me. I explained Ian’s reaction and how he had seemed to be in pain. Isabelle grinned and clapped her hands together. I didn’t like how excited she was that I had hurt Ian, although that wasn’t entirely where her exuberance arose.
“Yes, the amulet gives off a sharp pain to the vampire. The closer he draws to the amulet the greater the agony, and it doesn’t matter which direction he approaches you. As long as the amulet is on your person, he can’t come near. Glamouring though with my skill level…”
“Don’t worry. I can’t be glamoured.”
She threatened to burst into the atmosphere like a rocket. “You’re kidding! Let me make some notes. Why didn’t I know that before?”
A whole new world had opened to Isabelle. From the looks of it, she might be able to grow where she hadn’t been blocked. I was happy for her on one hand and lonely on the other.
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten you, Libby.”
I started in surprise. “You can help me?”
“I believe I’ll be able to.” She tapped the book. “I won’t tell you everything I learn in here. Trade secret among my kind. I have to be loyal to them and protect their secret.”
“That my secret to banishment is in there makes no never mind at all?”
She appeared shamed.
“Nessa had a book on ghosts and other creatures of the darkness.”
I bristled at being called a creature of darkness but said nothing.
“Facts, combatants, etcetera. Nessa was human, and that might be why she lost to the vampire, but she had mastered much of the material.”
“The vampire,” she had said. In my mind, Tevin was the guilty one. I didn’t doubt Ian at all, but apparently Isabelle still held out that no one really knew.
“A couple of the books were very old. I think they were handed down a few generations. I can’t imagine anyone giving them up so easily or letting them pass out of their family line.”
“I can answer that,” I told her. “Ian and I read the diary together. Nessa’s great-grandmother told Nessa the story of the vampire so much, Nessa began to believe it. She developed a sense of, not revenge, but duty to enlighten the world. We already know she apprenticed under a witch.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Isabelle nodded, encouraging me to go on.
“The woman came to love her as her own. She didn’t have any children, and most of her family was gone, so she passed on everything she had to Nessa.”
“Interesting!”
“But wasn’t that breaking your code?” I asked.
“No one would feel Nessa wasn’t one of us. I can’t hold anything against her except her foolish method for trying to expose the vampires. She could have been around today. We might have been friends.”
The melancholy didn’t last long, and Isabelle’s spirit soared once more. I began to realize there was more to her excitement. She hadn’t shared everything just yet. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Isabelle?”
I watched her, hoping she wouldn’t say it was more trade secrets that only the super devoted born witch must ever know. Okay, I was feeling a tad put out. I gave myself an inner lecture on maturity and waited for her to speak with as charitable an attitude as humanly possible.
“Yes, there’s something else I haven’t said, Libby.”
I tensed. “Go ahead. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. The truth is I’m far from confident, and I don’t want to raise your hopes for nothing. I sense resolution in you, and I fear what it means.”
“I don’t like how sensitive you are to my feelings,” I joked.
An expression of sympathy turned down the sides of her mouth.
I gave in. “Okay, you’re right. I’ve been thinking of going away. I told you I let Jake go with his dad. He’s safer there. With Tevin possibly hunting me, if I put more distance between me and those I love, it will be better. For everyone.”
“Everyone except you, Libby.”
“That can’t be helped.”
“Maybe it can.”
“Please, Isabelle. Just say what you have to say. I’ve delayed enough. I can’t stay here. My doing so puts everyone in danger.”
“Will you give me a little bit more time?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I don’t mean while I research. I have the spell.”
I dared not hope. “You have the spell? What spell?”
She hesitated. “The call to a soul.”
The words sounded spooky. I wasn’t sure wh
at she meant or even if I wanted to know the details. “Um.”
“It’s powerful, takes loads of concentration on my part, and it could be dangerous.”
“To me?”
“To the soul.” She seemed to speculate. “Remember, there was someone else there the night you disappeared.”
“There would have to be,” I said. “In order to take me away.”
She nodded. “I sensed that person when I scryed over Peter Jenkins, the man we found dead here. He was there at the hardware store where you disappeared and so was someone else. I might be able to get enough residual energy to call that person here to Summit’s Edge no matter where they are.”
My mouth fell open. I couldn’t speak. Her idea seemed too fantastical, like nothing I had ever heard. Yet, my hope skyrocketed. Was it possible? Could I get my body back before it died?
“I haven’t worked out all the details, but it goes beyond any spells I’ve cast so far. The steps are in the book Nessa left, but it takes more than just steps and ingredients.”
“Do you think you can do it, Isabelle?”
“We will do it. I just need you to hold on, Libby, with everything you’ve got. Hold on. Can you do that?”
What she asked was easier said than done. I had no control over my body. I had no idea where it was. Ian had told me I still had a connection to it, a link that weakened day by day. He had said it meant I might be dying, and it scared me. How could I hold on? To what? Either way, I told Isabelle I was willing to wait a little longer. If this was my last chance, I would take it. Who knew. I might be able to stick around and watch my little boy grow up, stay by Monica to see her find someone to love, and stay beside the man I loved for my tiny little lifeline. Whatever Isabelle asked, I would do it, no matter the danger and no matter how afraid I became.
Chapter Nine
“Tell me again why we aren’t doing this in my house,” I asked Isabelle as we drove out toward Nessa’s house and stopped the car. I felt the night close in on me, increasing my fear. “Wouldn’t it be safer—and legal?”
Isabelle put the car in park and turned off the engine. She climbed out and opened the back door to remove her bag of supplies. “Normally, it would be safer at your house, or mine for that matter. We would both be more comfortable, and the energy we’ve accumulated just by living in our homes would be an asset.”
I raised my hands, palms up, questioning in my gaze.
“Oh, Libby, haven’t you been listening to what I’ve said?”
I had been, with only half an ear. I worried more about where Tevin was at that moment and about whether we would pull off this scheme. I thought about Monica at the restaurant tonight because she hadn’t been able to take off again.
Isabelle walked ahead of me toward the front door of the house, but she stopped and faced me. Her expression and bearing radiated annoyance, and she waggled a finger at me. “If we don’t do this right, we could both be in danger, Libby. You must focus.”
“I will.”
“No.” She reached out to touch me and then drew back before making contact. She’d done that before, not allowing herself to touch me when she needed all of her energy for a spell. I could always tell when she closed herself off so I couldn’t pull strength from her as I did with every living creature I came into contact with. Isabelle swept her arm to the side as if she encompassed all of Summit’s Edge and all of the world. “There are many spirits in existence—both evil and good. Some according to their mood. If we were to draw someone other than who we seek, someone murderous for instance, can you imagine what could happen to us?”
I swallowed.
“And say we were able to protect ourselves and we’re fine, but the evil spirit decides to make Summit’s Edge its new home. Do you understand what that could mean, Libby?”
All of a sudden what we were doing didn’t appeal as a solution. I wavered between backing out and accepting that I was lost forever, but Isabelle appeared as determined as ever. I questioned whether her enthusiasm had more to do with saving me or with testing her personal power limits. That might not be fair. She had become a friend, but it wasn’t an unreasonable thought with the way she behaved after finding Nessa’s books.
“I understand,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “Good. So we can’t do this at your house or mine. We don’t want to have to drive off an unwanted spirit at home. Too much damage can be caused before we know he’s there.”
“Makes sense.”
As before, I passed through the door, solidified, and then unlocked it. Isabelle walked inside and found a good spot to kneel down and rummage through her bag. I waited, watching as she brought out white candles, lit them, and set them at various spots around the room, creating a broad circle. Counting, I found there were twelve candles. “Multiples of three,” she commented.
A powdery substance followed. She sprinkled it behind the candles until it formed a circle as well, muttering as she walked. Lastly, she brought out a black ceramic bowl and a bottle of water. With the water filling the bowl halfway, Isabelle sat before it and shut her eyes. She whispered something in a strange language, hands extended. I thought I saw a shadow shift across the surface of the water and gulped. Too nervous to continue looking into those spooky depths, I glanced out the window at the trees, since Isabelle had also opened the blinds. The moon illuminated the area, but darkness encroached all around, and I longed to go home. Come on, Libby. You’re braver than this. I didn’t believe myself in the least.
“Come into the circle, Libby.”
I did and felt power surround me. Almost tangible, it seemed to question my makeup, as if it wanted verification that I had a right to be there. I didn’t know what to make of it, but one thing was clear. Isabelle was a very talented woman. Nessa might have been playing with something that didn’t come naturally to her, but Isabelle was born for this. I imagined whatever she copied of Nessa’s, it would come out stronger.
“Concentrate, Libby. I need you with me in this. I need your energy and your connection to the person who took you.”
I shut my eyes as well and centered myself. I used the same techniques I had learned when I figured out how to make myself solid. The process came easily now that I had been doing it a while.
“When I call to the person,” Isabelle explained, “we must be quiet until they cross the line. If we speak before then, we lose the pull, and they have the opportunity to get away.”
I opened my eyes to look at her. She kept hers shut, hands still raised. Since she spoke, I assumed it was okay for now. “This will force them, but it won’t work if we talk?”
“Yes. If the person happens to understand how the spell works, when they are closer, they may call out to try to goad us into speaking. You have to resist. It doesn’t matter what they say. They may lie to get you to say something.”
I thought of all that could be said to make me forfeit. Jake was in trouble or Monica. How would they know? Of course if it was someone who knew me who did this, there was a strong possibility they already knew everything there was to know about me, including where I lived and who I loved. Thinking that way terrified me, and while I steeled myself to remain strong at least until the person entered the circle, I had no guarantee I could do it.
“Are we ready?” Isabelle asked.
“One more question.”
“Yes?”
“How long will it take? I mean for them to come here.”
Isabelle was quiet a moment. “That depends on how far away they are. If they’re in another city, it might take a while. Or if they’re here in Summit’s Edge…”
She didn’t need to continue. Neither of us liked the thought of one of our friends or neighbors being the guilty party. Of course we had faced violence these last few weeks in our quiet little town. People we thought we knew had committed shocking acts. On one hand, I hoped the person responsible wasn’t someone I knew. However, we might be waiting a long time on pins and needles for a stranger wh
o lived outside of Summit’s Edge. Close by held the potential for feelings of betrayal. All we could do was follow through and see what happened.
I shut my eyes once again. “I’m ready.”
Isabelle began to speak. “Let this circle become a place of peace and rest. I call upon the powers of fire and…” She continued on, cleansing the area first and then invoking the soul we sought. “Come to me now. Heed my call…”
I strained my ears, listening for evidence that someone was coming, a step on the drive, a rattle at the doorknob. All I picked up were the normal creaks of the house and nothing much beyond it. An owl broke the silence, hooting from the nearby trees. Every now and then, branches scratched the window as the wind stirred them. I thought at any second someone would burst into the house, and it left me on edge.
Isabelle hadn’t exaggerated when she said she needed my energy along with her own. She’d mentioned the spell would work better if cast among at least four people. With just us, and one not even alive, we had a greater challenge. I felt my energy waning, making it harder to concentrate. The block Isabelle had on herself meant I couldn’t absorb even a drop from her. I had no idea how long I could last before I would have to fade out, which might ruin the spell.
I’m not sure how many hours passed, but it had to be more than two. Two hours holding my form without a break was my max, and I had begun to fade. I felt it without opening my eyes. Isabelle hadn’t shifted from her position or made a peep. I came to the conclusion since she didn’t say I had ruined the spell by running out of energy, we must still be okay. I thought back to a previous conversation with her when we had discussed Ian and Clark.
“What are you going to do about Ian?” she had asked, taking me by surprise.
“Do?”
“The two of you are more than friends.”
“I’m a ghost. I can’t—”
“Libby, please don’t patronize me, dear.”
I had bit my tongue. “He’s been pushing me away because of his brother. If I get my body back and somehow Tevin is taken care of, well, I don’t know.”
How to Kill a Ghost Page 7