Of Ash and Spirit_Piper Lancaster Series

by Denise Grover Swank

  That’s right, he had a twin brother. He wanted nothing to do with our family tradition—belief in a curse, cast in Roanoke by our many-greats grandfather, Ananias Dare, which supposedly sent the English colony of Roanoke to hell. I never believed this nonsense, and neither did my father, but somehow a group called the Guardians have discovered this secret and believe you will be a soldier for their army.

  They have given me a set of daggers that I was supposed to expose you to in an attempt to see if you were really “the one.” They gave me a month to see if you react to exposure to the weapons, but instead I have placed the daggers somewhere they can’t reach them. Only you can, Piper, and I fear this has cursed you as much as it has saved you.

  The Guardians swore they would wait until your twenty-fifth birthday to come for you. I tried to keep this from you as long as possible, giving you six months to come to terms with the truth about our family’s past and figure out a way to beat our enemies at this unbelievable game. I pray to God the Guardians are wrong, that demons will not be released to roam the world, and I pray that you are not the one from our family line who is destined to protect humanity from them.

  When the Guardians come, they will approach you with the promise of riches and power, but they are like the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve—they are deceitful. Never trust them.

  The daggers are supposed to be spelled to kill demons as long as they are wielded by the right person. As I said, the Guardians believe you will display some kind of supernatural sign proving you to be one of their chosen ones. Be careful, Piper. They dispose of those they deem to be in their way. They have killed and will kill again, all in the name of their cause—ruling the world by controlling demons.

  I know it sounds fantastical and fanatical, but they are zealots in their beliefs and those people, my precious daughter, are often the most dangerous kind. They feel they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

  I love you, my precious girl, no matter where I am.

  Dad

  I stared at the note in disbelief. Had my mother known about any of this, or had she simply been caught in the cross fire?

  Behind the note was a multiple-page family tree showing that the Lancasters went all the way back to Ananias Dare, along with a few surname changes along the way. The offshoot from my father’s grandfather was on there too, ending with Elinor Dare Lancaster, who was listed as the future Dare curse keeper.

  This was exactly what I needed to keep my share of the law firm, but that victory felt so small next to the harsh reality of everything else. If I’d known about this safe-deposit box six months ago, I would have saved myself considerable agony. Why hadn’t I at least tried to find the answers? Then a new thought struck me.

  Why hadn’t Nana told me?

  I grabbed my phone and called her.

  “Piper,” she said, sounding surprised. “How lovely to hear from you.”

  I hesitated for a moment, still trying to figure out how to approach this, then decided to be direct. Like the zealots, I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. “I found the safe-deposit box.”

  I half expected her to deny it, but after several seconds, she asked, “How?”

  “Dad’s assistant, Linda, told me.”

  “I see.”

  Anger rushed to the surface, making my skin feel hot and tight. “That’s all you have to say? I see?”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Piper.”

  “How about telling me why you hid it from me.”

  “I never hid it from you,” she said indignantly.

  “A lie of omission is still a lie, Nana,” I countered. “You knew about the box, yet you never told me about it after we opened that codicil.”

  “You never tried to search for your family history,” she said. “You wanted nothing to do with it. I was doing you a favor.”

  “Did you know what was in it?”

  She remained silent.

  “Well?” I demanded. “Did you?”

  “No, but I knew about your father’s brush with madness. Your mother was sure he’d lost his mind, talking about curses and demons and some group called the Guardians.”

  “You didn’t believe it?”

  “No. Of course not. It was nonsense.”

  “What about after my parents were killed?”

  “I still didn’t believe it was true. I figured their deaths were caused by an insane person, and I’m certain I was right. And then we opened that ridiculous codicil. I still didn’t think much of the threat until the Lost Colony reappeared.”

  “But you still didn’t tell me about the safe-deposit box,” I pointed out.

  “By then, I was terrified there might be something to it.” We were both quiet for several long seconds before she said, “So I take it that you’ve opened the box.”

  “No thanks to you. You had the key, didn’t you?”

  Her non-answer was enough. “What did you find?”

  “My father’s family tree.”

  “Dating back to Ananias Dare?” she asked in disbelief. “How can you be certain it’s real?”

  “I’m not,” I said. “I’ve only just found out. I haven’t had time to authenticate it.”

  “Send it to me. I’ll have it examined.”

  I paused. “What did you think was in that box, Nana?”

  “How was I to know what was in there?”

  “You were afraid of what I’d find.” I gasped as the truth hit me. “You knew, or at least suspected.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  There was that word again. It had been her favorite word when I was a teenager defying her. She’d always bandied it about when she had no real reason to deny me something I wanted. “How am I being ridiculous? Why didn’t you tell me?” Then a new fear hit me. “You know about the Guardians.”

  “Piper . . .” I was sure she was going to deny it, but then she surprised me. “They approached me when you were a girl, but I told them in no uncertain terms that I didn’t know anything and wanted no part of such nonsense. They told me they were certain there were answers in the safe-deposit box, but I told them I didn’t have access to it and neither did you until you turned eighteen. I didn’t want you to know about them when you were a girl. I didn’t want you to be afraid. I never heard from them again, so I figured that was the end of that. And then we opened that codicil . . . My nightmares were reborn, yet I never heard from them and neither did you . . . or have you?”

  “Directly? No.”

  “But you’ve heard from them?” She sounded much older than her age of sixty-nine.

  I let my voice soften. “Nothing I can’t handle, Nana.”

  “Piper, I know you and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I love you as much as I loved your mother. I would do anything to protect you.”

  In that moment, I believed her. Now it was my job to protect her. “I’m fine, Nana,” I lied. “They haven’t contacted me.”

  “Thank God,” she murmured.

  I heard the sound of another call coming in. A quick glance at the screen showed me it was Jack’s number.

  “Nana, I have to go. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me since Mom and Dad died. I know it wasn’t easy taking me on.”

  “You bite your tongue,” she admonished. “I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. I love you, Piper.”

  “I love you too.” I hung up, then answered Jack’s call before it went to voicemail. “Jack.”

  “I was hoping you’d answer. I know you don’t trust me,” he said in a rush, “but don’t hang up. I need to tell you something important.”

  “What?”

  “I received a letter at the church while I was at the bank.”

  “And?” I asked, feeling like a bitch. The thing was . . . I still wasn’t sure I totally trusted him. Hell, I’d doubted my own grandmother a few minutes ago.

  “It’s addressed to me, but it says I’m to give a message to you.”

  “What?�
�� I asked, steeling my back for dire news.

  “It says the demon has your friend and you’re supposed to go get her.”

  Fear stole most of my breath, but I pushed out, “Rhys.”

  “I don’t know who this is from, but it was hand-delivered. There’s no postmark and no address, just my name—Jack Owen, not Father Owen.” I started to say something, but he added, “I suspect this note is from the Guardians. Valvad doesn’t seem like he’s a high enough level to pull off something like this in daylight hours. And no. I had no part of this.”

  The level stuff grabbed my attention, but the question would have to wait for another time. “I haven’t heard from Rhys all afternoon, and she won’t answer her phone. You think the Guardians took her?”

  “If they want you to use the daggers, this seems like the perfect way to ensure you do it.”

  Then Abel was on the suspect list too. “What else did the note say?”

  “It says if you want Rhys back, you need to be at Helen’s Bridge at ten o’clock tonight.”

  I was terrified. What if I couldn’t save her?

  “What are you going to do, Piper?” he asked.

  “Go get her, of course.”

  “You can’t go alone,” he said, sounding worried.

  He was right, but I wasn’t about to call Abel. He’d sensed my reluctance earlier. What if the Guardians hadn’t set up this meeting at all? What if he’d orchestrated it to force my hand? “I’m not doing this alone,” I said. “You’ll be going with me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Were the daggers in the safe-deposit box?” he asked.

  I ignored the seeds of doubt. When it came down to it, I needed to trust someone, and as much as I wanted to trust Abel, I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not without knowing what he wanted from me. Besides, Jack was a priest and I’d met his family . . . He was easily the more trustworthy of the two. “Yes. Along with a family tree and a letter from my father.”

  “That had to be hard to read.”

  Hot tears burned my eyes, which only pissed me off. “It was, but right now I need to concentrate on getting Rhys back. I’ll meet you at the bridge at ten.”

  “Piper. Wait.” He paused to make sure I was still there. “We need a plan. We won’t just be facing a demon or two. We’ll likely be facing the Guardians as well.”

  Crap. He was right. Whoever had set this up would want to stick around and watch. “It might not be the Guardians,” I said. “It might be Abel.” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was unlikely. Why would he have told me he’d pick me up at midnight? Why would he have spent so much time trying to convince me to face the demons?

  “Abel? Why?” He released a sigh. “To force your hand.”

  “I’m not convinced this was his doing, but I don’t trust him. And you’re right that someone else will be there. We need to be prepared.”

  He was silent for a moment. “We should have a weapon that can fight humans.”

  I released a short laugh. “A week ago, I never would have considered such a thing. But I don’t own any guns, Jack. The only weapons I have are the daggers.”

  “Max might have something.” I heard the hesitation in his voice. Hurting or killing had to go against his beliefs as a priest.

  “Jack, on second thought, maybe you shouldn’t be part of this.”

  “I’m coming, Piper, whether you want me there or not. I want to help Rhys, and I want to help you. And if I’m entirely honest, I want to be there when you kill that demon.”

  “Then we’ll figure out how to deal with the human component when we get there.”

  “You’re planning to just wing it?” he asked in disbelief.

  “How can we plan for something when we have no idea what to expect?”

  He hesitated. “I know, but we can’t just go in completely blind.”

  “Then we go early and try to do some surveillance.”

  “Oh!” he said, sounding more hopeful. “I have an idea, but let me talk to Max first. Are you at your house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll borrow Becca’s taser to deal with the human component, but I have another idea too. I’ll be over in an hour.” Then he hung up.

  I stuffed the papers back in the envelope, then pulled out my underwear drawer and dumped the contents onto the bed. I ran downstairs and found mailing tape in the kitchen, surprised Hudson wasn’t still working at the table. The sound of the faucet in the powder room filled me with relief. It dawned on me that I couldn’t tell Hudson what was going on. I couldn’t risk another friend. He’d be pissed when he found out the truth, but he’d be alive—that was what mattered.

  After I hurried upstairs, I taped the envelope to the bottom of the drawer, then returned all the contents to the drawer and restored it to its place. Next, I turned my attention to my closet. Abel was right about covering my skin with thick clothing to protect myself, but the thickest thing I owned was a pair of jeans. I didn’t even have a leather coat.

  I sent Jack a text. We need to cover our skin as much as possible. Weird question: Do you own a leather coat I can borrow?

  He answered a few seconds later. Leave it to me.

  I thought about Hudson downstairs. If Jack showed up and we left together, he’d be full of questions. I texted Jack again. Change of plans. I’ll meet you somewhere.

  Meet me at St. Philip’s at nine. I’ll be in the sanctuary preparing.

  Preparing. Icy dread washed over me. This was a dangerous game we were playing, and I’d most likely be dead before it was all over, but I had to save Rhys. The only reason she was involved in all of this was me.

  I pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top, hoping Jack would pull through on the jacket, but I took out a long-sleeve black T-shirt just in case. I also grabbed a pair of brown leather boots out of the back of my closet. They had a low heel, but at least they weren’t stilettos like my black pair. Just as I grabbed a bag off my closet shelf, the doorbell rang. I didn’t put them on yet. Hudson would be full of questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

  Hudson was answering the door as I descended the steps. He glanced up at me with a grin. “Pizza’s here.”

  I forced a smile. “Good. I’m hungry,” I lied, surprised my fear hadn’t leaked through.

  “Did you ever hear from Rhys?”

  “She said she had to work on a group project.”

  Confusion wrinkled his brow. “I thought she was coming back here right away.”

  I shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. “She said she forgot in all the excitement.”

  The look on his face suggested he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t press.

  “I’ll get some plates and something to drink. Want a beer?”

  “Sure.”

  I grabbed the items from the kitchen as Hudson cleared off a spot to set the pizza boxes.

  “I ordered a vegan pizza for Rhys. Maybe she’ll want some when she gets here,” he said as he opened the lid of one of the boxes. “Was she planning to come over after her study group?”

  “Yeah,” I said absently as the realization that Rhys was being held captive sank in. Had she already been hurt?

  “I haven’t had any luck looking up the designs on the daggers. One of the engravings looks to be a demon, and the other, I think, is the archangel Michael. He’s a fairly common symbol in Christianity, so that doesn’t get us too far.”

  “That’s okay,” I said.

  “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

  “It’s been a rough day. I’m tired, is all.”

  He leaned over and rubbed my arm. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. After everything else . . . I’m just sorry.”

  “Thanks.”

  My phone rang, and I half expected it to be Jack, but I didn’t recognize the number. I considered letting it go to voicemail, but with everything else going on, I worried it might be someone with information about Rhys.

  “Hello?”

  “Pi
per Lancaster?” a woman asked.

  “Yes,” I said hesitantly.

  “This is Detective Olivia Powell with the Asheville Police Department.”

  “Oh . . . ,” I said, my heart hammering in my chest. “Hello.”

  “I’d like to ask you a few questions about Gill Gillespie.”

  I shot a wild look at Hudson, even though I hadn’t taken the call on speaker and he had no idea what was going on. “I don’t think I should be talking to you without my attorney.”

  “Well, part of the reason I’m calling is to let you know that forensics says Mr. Gillespie was killed by a wild animal. Many of the cuts looked like knife wounds, but upon further inspection, they determined the cause of death to be an animal attack, despite the fact he was inside the house.”

  “The same animal that attacked Father Jack Owen?” I asked.

  “Father Owen?” She sounded confused.

  “Look up his report. He was attacked about a month ago on Beaucatcher Mountain. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t know him then, so I couldn’t sic my wild animal on him.”

  “We don’t think you let an animal loose on Gill Gillespie, Piper.”

  “Really?” I asked sarcastically. “Then someone forgot to tell Detective Lawton.”

  “He won’t be bothering you again, but I still have some questions about Mr. Gillespie.”

  “Okay. I’ll make arrangements with my attorney to meet you at the station tomorrow.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Her voice softened. “You’re no longer a person of interest. I just need to know if Mr. Gillespie ever worked with animals.”

  “Only if you consider his two best friends as animals. He took his ghost hunting seriously.” I instantly felt badly about besmirching them. They were definitely a little on the kooky side, but they’d always been nice to me. Which begged the question: why hadn’t I reached out to make sure they were okay?

  “I’ve met them.” I heard the grin in her voice. “I know. Do you know what kind of wild animal could have killed him?”