by Ruby Raine
“Is Dad here too?” Michael interrupted.
Their mother, Catherine Howard, backed away.
“No. Your father is not here. But your father is why I am here. I could not move on until I had told you.”
“Told us what?” Charlie asked.
She closed her eyes and spoke the words she had longed to say since her death.
“I waited for your father’s spirit, believing that we had died together, but his spirit never joined me. I believe that your father is still alive.”
No one spoke. Each completely stunned by this revelation.
William was first to break the silence. It was the first time they had ever heard him speak with such awe. “Catherine, you are telling us that Jack Howard still lives?” For a normally controlled vampire, heavy emotion leaked into his words.
“Where is he?” Charlie needed to know. “Why hasn’t he contacted us?”
“I don’t think he can, Charlie. He needs your help.”
“Tell us what to do!” Michael begged.
Catherine lowered her head. “I fear I have so little to help you find him.”
“Tell us everything you know,” William urged.
“At the moment I died, I believed your father had died alongside me. But after, I waited. I didn’t move on. I was expecting him, but he did not join me. It took months to learn how to maneuver my new spirit body. By the time I did, there was no trace of what had happened to your father. And unfortunately, the longer I was in spirit form the memories of how I died grew hazier. Now, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot remember what happened. Only that he never joined me. And he would have. Of that I’m certain.”
“Where exactly did you die, Mom?” asked Melinda, her voice unsteady. “Your bodies were never found. Or your body, I guess,” she clarified.
“As I said, that moment is rather hard to remember,” her mother replied apologetically. “I can recall every detail from my life, but not the moment of my death. However, I have a pretty good guess.”
Melinda started shaking, trying to hold back tears. “I dreamed about it,” she choked out, her voice breaking as she spoke.
“I know, My Sweet Girl,” her mother’s compassionate voice whispered.
“First prophetic dream I ever had, I just didn’t know it at the time. I could never remember any of the details other than you both died because I had the dream weeks before it happened.”
Her mother stepped closer and cupped Melinda’s face in her hands. “You must let go of this guilt you carry. There is no way you could have known your gift was presenting itself. My death was unavoidable, and it was not your fault, Melinda.”
“But I should have known. Even after you died, I should have been able to remember something, anything that would have at least let us know what happened.” She paused, wiping her eyes. “I could see it in everyone’s eyes when they looked at me. If only she had known. If only she could remember something. If only.” Melinda could no longer speak.
Charlie and Michael sighed, feeling guilty. They had both thought it, numerous times. If only. But they had tried very hard to hide those feelings around their sister, knowing how guilty she already felt.
Catherine stepped forward, addressing each of them. “You must all move on from this. I couldn’t be prouder of each of you,” she told them. “But I want you to live your lives in the present, never in the past. What’s done, is done.”
Charlie couldn’t help but smile. He would have given anything to hear his mother say those words to him, just one last time.
“The pull to move on gets stronger every minute. I must tell you everything I know while I can.”
They listened intently, hanging onto every word Catherine Howard spoke.
“Your father and I were exploring a cave, one accessed only at the foot of a very old tree, at the base of White Pines Mountain.”
“Old tree?” questioned William. “You don’t mean the one we used to picnic underneath when the children were but toddlers.”
“The very same, William. We never knew back then that this cave existed since it is hidden by ancient magic.” Her words seemed to have more meaning to William than it did her children.
“You mean, The Magic. The Demon Isle’s power source?”
“Yes, William. We believed we had at last discovered its location. Unfortunately, we were not alone in the discovery.”
“If that power source fell into the wrong hands,” Charlie puffed air into his cheeks, letting it out in a huff.
“The man that made the discovery is dead. And seeing as the Isle is not in any more chaos than normal, I am guessing the power source’s location still remains a secret, or that we were incorrect about the location.”
“Hold up a second, Mom. This man that found out about the source, is that the man you shot?”
Catherine sighed in a deeply regretful manner.
“I’m afraid so Michael. We were tracking the man and followed him into an underwater cave. The one you boys were in today. The man had made some arrangement with a Sea Hag that frequents that cave. We were caught off guard though. The Sea Hag gave the man something, something that changed him, turned him into an enraged madman. We presented ourselves, thinking we could kill the Sea Hag and question this man, but whatever the Hag had given him made him crazed. The Hag escaped, and the man attacked your father, knocking him unconscious. Your father is the Howard. Not me. But I did have potions, as always, all of which I used, trying to stop this crazed man’s attacks. Nothing worked. I tried to wake your father but to no avail. The man lunged at me and pinned me to the ground. Somehow, I wrestled him off me and grabbed my backup weapon... the gun. I do not regret my actions, seeing as the man tried to kill me. I deeply regret, however, not being able to question him about who he was, or what he knew about the power source.”
“We killed that Sea Hag today,” Charlie informed his mother with finality in his voice. She already knew this, but understood why Charlie needed to say it. He left out the rest of the story, deciding to fill everyone in later. “And the man in the cave, I think it’s safe to say the secrets he discovered died with him. I’m sure attempts would have been made against the power source had he shared his information.”
It didn’t offer much solace, but it would have to do. Drybones was in the sheriff’s morgue and other than reading the man’s death, whatever secrets he might have discovered, would never be found out now.
“So what do you remember about your death, dear Catherine?” William asked. Somehow, the question sounded more graceful coming out of the vampire’s mouth.
“Sadly, I have only been able to put together little bits and pieces. I know that after I shot and killed that man, we set out that very night for the old tree in White Pines, determined to find out if we had at last found the Isle’s power source. I’m afraid my last memory is entering that cave.”
“Michael,” Melinda started without thinking. “You could,” she did not finish, instantly revolted by what she was asking of him.
“No. You’re right,” Michael swallowed his reply. “As frightening as the thought is to me, I think I’d rather know how it happened. These last four years of not knowing...”
Charlie put his hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Are you really sure?”
Michael nodded yes and stepped toward his mother, bravely. “I don’t even know if this will work. I normally touch bones, or dead bodies,” he explained, pursing his lips.
“Just take hold of Emily’s hand. For all purposes right now, Emily is me. She’s perfectly fine, by the way,” she let him know. “Her body is built for this, and I must say, I could not have wished a more perfect woman to come into your life, Michael.”
Michael nearly crumpled hearing his mother speak so kindly of the woman he really did love with all his heart whether he had admitted it openly or not.
“I know how you struggle. This life isn’t one I’d wish on anyone. I can only plead with you to find your father before you make the choi
ce to leave the Isle. And just know that I love you, no matter which path you choose.”
Ah, shit. He nodded, unable to speak his answer. It was like having her back again if even for just a moment.
“Are you ready?” she asked him.
He replied by grasping his mother’s (Emily’s) hand.
The death reading came instantly.
He saw Jack and Catherine Howard entering a tunnel under the old tree. Once inside, they lit torches to see the way. They took each step cautiously. Michael heard his father say something about ‘traps to look out for’ and no more than a few seconds later, they were accosted by ghostly bodies, flying at them from all directions. The ghostly frames dissipated into darkness moments later.
He saw his parents laughing.
“I guess that might scare away some people,” his mother said.
“Still, let’s be careful. I would bet my life there are very dangerous things protecting this power source.”
“It’s probably not the power source anyway. How many times have we thought we’d found it?”
“You’re probably right, but maybe this time we’ll get lucky.”
Catherine rolled her eyes and they continued forward. Soon the tunnels split into two directions.
“Do we split up or stick together?” Catherine asked.
“I don’t like the idea of splitting up, especially since we don’t know what obstacles we might come up against.”
“So which way, then?”
Jack pointed right, and continued onward. Not ten steps in they sprung another trap. This one, much more dangerous. A pit was opening underneath their feet, Catherine slipped in, losing her footing.
Michael could not see into the dark chasm. But he watched as his father grabbed onto his mother and pulled her out. As her body got free, a torrent of sheeted blackness shot out from the hole.
“Son of a bitch!” shouted Jack, covering his wife’s body with his own. Once gone, he jumped up. “It’s a malevolent force, no doubt. I’m guessing it’s been imprisoned for a long time.”
“How do we fight it?” Catherine shouted over the whirling blackness that now raced for the cave’s entrance and its freedom.
“I don’t know, but we cannot let it escape. Who knows what kind of evil this thing is.” Jack proceeded to chase after the unknown evil. Catherine dragged behind him a few steps, trying to keep up, as she searched her pockets, taking out a few potion vials.
Michael watched his mother’s death unfold before his eyes.
The whirling blackness twisted in circles like a tornado, blowing out his mother’s torch. She screamed, tripping over a jutting branch. The potions flew out of her hands, smashing against the hard cave wall. One of the bottles broke, splashing the contents onto Catherine’s face, leaking into her mouth.
She knew instantly she would die. The potion she’d swallowed included substances no human could ingest and survive. She had no protective witch’s blood coursing through her veins. It took only seconds for her body to weaken. She used all her strength to pick up her head and call out to her husband.
He hadn’t seen what had happened, and even if he had, there was nothing he could have done. He was fighting this streaming blackness with every ounce of strength he could muster. Sending spell after spell at the thing, and watching, horrified as each one simply passed through it like it was made of air.
Jack shouted for Catherine. When she did not return his call, he looked back into the cave and saw her lying on the ground. He raced to her, no longer caring about the evil he could not stop from escaping.
Catherine opened her eyes just in time to see him lean down in front of her.
She, in turn, watched in wide-eyed fear as the blackness followed, surging over him and engulfing her husband’s body. It gyrated its way out of the cave, taking Jack Howard with it.
“Jack,” Catherine whispered with her last breath.
Her head fell to the ground and the death reading ended.
Michael gasped loudly and let go of his mother’s hand.
It took him a moment to remember he was in the bookstore.
Catherine had seen everything along with Michael, and a great sadness spread across her face.
Michael could not speak. His mind blank other than the images he’d just seen rolling through, like a movie projector replaying the scene of her death over and over.
“Now that I have seen it, it is a wonder that I could have forgotten,” Catherine spoke thoughtfully. “Perhaps I just didn’t want to relive the moment.”
The others, of course, wanted desperately to know what Michael had seen, but dared not ask upon seeing his distraught face.
Michael was in disbelief that a potion had taken the life of his mother. Such a stupid thing it seemed. A fucking potion.
A simple thing like tripping and smashing open a vial. They used potions all the time. Never once had it occurred to him they could potentially be harmful. Of course they had witch blood, his mother had not. Like Emily, he couldn’t help but think. Or even Eva Jordan. They had handed her a few vials while in the cave, not even thinking about the consequences. They would need to be much more careful in the future.
And just what exactly was the streaming blackness that had taken his father? He had never seen such a thing before. Was his father still alive? A prisoner somewhere perhaps. He could only speculate and already dreaded the moment that would soon come when he would need to explain what he had seen to his family.
Catherine Howard looked upon her children and William, with great love and sadness. “My business here is finished and I’m afraid the pull to move on is stronger than I can fight.”
William stepped forward and took hold of Catherine’s hand, kissing it gently in farewell.
“Thank you for watching over my children, William.”
“Until I am no more, I will protect this family.”
“You’re a good man, William.”
“And you are always too kind,” he replied, at her use of the word, man.
“I don’t know what this family ever did to deserve you, but I am forever grateful.”
Her voice lowered suddenly, so only William could hear her speak.
The siblings had no idea what she told him, but he let out a shocked exhale, a horrified look flitting across his face. “No. I could never, no...” he tore away from her abruptly acting as though her words had cut him open. Shocked him to his core. He turned away from them, hiding his face.
What could their mother have said that upset him so badly?
Something she wanted to keep from them? Some piece of terrible news she could not handle telling them in person? Or was it something more personal. Either way, they’d never seen William react in such a fashion.
Catherine turned to her children.
Charlie stepped forward and embraced her before she could disappear. “I won’t stop looking for Dad, however long it takes,” he promised her.
She cupped his face. “I know. And I don’t want you to. But Charlie, don’t forget to live a little in between your duties. I know us leaving you so suddenly put a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and for that, I’m sorry.”
“I’d always rather have you here, Mom. But I don’t mind the job. I like what I’m doing, it feels right for me.”
“You are so much like your father,” she chuckled. “Just promise me you’ll try to have a normal life, too. I may not be here with you, but I’d like to have grandchildren to watch over.”
He lowered his eyes, cheeks set aflame. “I’ll do my best,” he promised, stepping back. “After I find Dad,” he clarified with a stubborn smile.
She sent him a stern, but proud motherly look.
“That sentiment goes for you all,” she told her children. “You are the future of the Howard line. You must live. It cannot always be the job. If I learned anything during my life, it was to take the time to live.” At that moment, Catherine’s voice flickered, Emily’s surfacing. Their mother’s voice return
ed as the Howard siblings looked on, frozen and helpless. They could not stop the inevitable.
“Melinda,” called out their mother. She joined her. “I always thought I’d be here to help you through these years. And since time is short, I’ll give you this advice. Young hearts are fickle. They don’t always know what they want.”
“You can say that again. Minute to minute, I don’t even know.”
Her mother smiled, understanding. “Just know that one day, Melinda, it could be next month, it might not be for years, but one day you’ll just know. With such absolute certainty you’ll be willing to bet your life on it. And when that happens, don’t let anything stop you from taking what makes you happy.” Her eyes grazed over to William, who could not look Catherine in the face. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Your brothers. Your friends. Even what you believe I, or your father, would think. If it makes you happy. Do it.”
“Okay,” Melinda squeaked out. Tears flowed freely.
Why couldn’t that moment of clarity happen now? She wasn’t sure she could survive through months, or potentially years, waiting for her heart to make up its mind.
How was it, even dead, her mother knew exactly what she needed to hear? She hugged her a final time. “I love you so much, Mom. I miss you every minute.”
“I’ll always be looking in on you.” Catherine’s spirit body pulsed inside of Emily’s human body. Her time was running out and she could not keep possession of Emily’s body any longer. She faced everyone, her voice now a distant echo.
“Michael, Emily’s coming back to you now. Take care of her. She is very special.”
He wrapped his arms around his mother, saying a silent goodbye.
The siblings joined each other, William turned to cast a final farewell, his face hardened stone. They wondered if he’d ever share what their mother had told him.
“Be good to each other,” Catherine called out, her voice an echo. “I love you all so very much.”
Her spirit pulsated and left Emily’s body, dissolving into nothing.
Then, the final part of Melinda’s prophetic dream came true.
Emily’s body slumped to the ground; her eyes open wide, unblinking, as if frozen in complete terror.