Nava Katz Box Set 2

by Deborah Wilde

  Was this true? I had no way to tell and Lilith wasn’t volunteering anything other than a pulsing hatred.

  “Damn, you’re stubborn,” Sienna said. “Fine. Let’s stand here while you waste all the magic.”

  I powered down, as did Sienna. “Why would you give me the heads up on that?”

  “Esther cared about you and I’d rather not see you dead if there are other options. Though you’ve got a death wish. The human body wasn’t designed to get this much dark magic this fast. It’s going to kill you.”

  “I don’t have a death wish. Quite the opposite.” I spread my hands in entreaty. “Can’t we find a way to work together? What if it’s a new regime of men who want to work with women?” My head reeled with the possibilities of women with this level of power ruling the world. We could be transformative. Usher in a new age, a new way of being with our male allies.

  Humanity needed all of us, and I could show them the way.

  “That will never happen. Don’t you get it? We witches render Rasha obsolete.”

  “We kill them and we’re no better than the men who tried to do that to us.”

  “We’re infinitely better, but you won’t believe me until you see it for yourself.” Sienna led me to the photos of the compound. She ripped a corner off the map and scribbled down a string of numbers. “Latitude and longitude.”

  I clutched the paper tight. “The compound? If you know where it is, why haven’t you stormed it?”

  “I can’t deal with all the variables inside on my own.”

  “Sucks for you.” I stuffed the paper with the coordinates in my pocket. “Why would you give this to me?”

  Her eyes flashed silver for a second. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and her eyes returned to their usual dark brown. “You have no idea how to manage the magic inside you. You want to save humanity? You want to live? You need me. Make the right choice.”

  She vanished.

  I cast my awareness around the magic box. It shuddered under the force of Lilith’s pounding, a constant buzz against my sternum. My brain throbbed with her sneering certainty that I’d be letting her out soon and then I’d face eternal torture.

  “Bring it.”

  Sienna said I needed her to live. Could she get Lilith out of me, even without the Bullseye?

  I washed out Esther’s Tupperware, because it seemed rude to her memory not to. The water was steaming hot as I soaped up the plastic, turning my skin red, but it couldn’t thaw out the block of ice that my body had become. I’d amassed a lot of regrets in my life, like pushing myself too hard in dance after I was first injured, and how I’d pushed people away, but I didn’t regret doing the deal with Lilith to give Rohan back his magic.

  Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to die for Rohan; I wanted to live with him.

  I thought I’d destroyed that dream last night when I saved Benjy and used up the Bullseye. But what if I hadn’t? What if Sienna could help me?

  Ro and I could take a road trip, staying in cheesy motels, or eat our way through Europe. We’d have a million more of our flirtatious, silly, hilarious conversations, and every night, I’d fall asleep beside him, his hand holding mine, and his even breathing a steadying presence.

  I’d tell him I loved him for the first time and then tell him again every day for the next ninety years.

  I shut off the tap, the container long since clean, and my fingers wrinkled prunes.

  I didn’t regret having finally tapped fully into Lilith’s magic because I still believed that this was how we’d stop all the bad shit from coming to pass. It was just that faced with a dream of quiet, full intimacy, go big or go home had lost its appeal.

  28

  I popped back to our guest bungalow to grab Rohan and a pair of binoculars.

  He was standing outside on the path, but at the sight of me waving at him from the window, abruptly ended his chat with a couple of other Rasha and bolted inside.

  He shoved me back into the bedroom.

  “Not exactly the time,” I said.

  He grabbed my shoulders and spun me to face the mirror.

  My eyes were obsidian black. Shadows danced and slithered in my irises.

  “What the fuck happened?”

  “Oh.” I leaned in, kind of fascinated. “The short version is that I can now tap into all of Lilith’s magic.”

  Rohan let out a stream of Hindi curses, while I held strands of hair up to the light. My curls had gone from dark brown to black.

  “The good news is Sienna may be able to get Lilith out of me,” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be really receptive once you foil her plans.”

  “She will if I’ve got her stuffed in the Tomb and am holding her magic hostage. Here.” I dug in my pocket for the co-ordinates. “I know where the compound is. Wanna check it out with me?”

  “All I ever wanted was a peaceful life,” Rohan said. “And then I met you.”

  I grabbed a pair of sunglasses and slid them on. “You’re welcome.”

  We landed along the side of the compound next to a chain link fence complete with signs proclaiming it was electrified and that this was private property and trespassers would be prosecuted.

  “There.” Ro pointed to the high ridge of rock about a hundred feet from the back of the compound.

  In a blink, I repositioned us. Crawling on our bellies in the fine yellow dust, we peered out from between two boulders, while I told Ro everything I’d learned.

  The compound was a two-story, U-shaped building, painted a dull gray. A small militia guarded the place, their weapons magic, not guns. Some were patrolling the roof with clear sightlines. Others manned the gates in the front and back of the fencing, as well as the three doors we could see from our vantage point.

  We’d caught a lucky break and hadn’t been seen when we’d showed up.

  Rohan adjusted the binoculars. “I recognize some of those men. I’ve fought with them.”

  “You think they’re always standing guard or is this something new?” I said.

  “Because they’re expecting an attack?” Ro peered through the binoculars.

  “Possibly. Ours or Sienna’s?”

  He passed them over to me to have a look. “No clue.”

  The more we watched the men, the more we got the sense that while they were there to guard the compound, it was more of a routine thing. There was no urgency in the way they strolled the flat roof and the grounds.

  Until one of them checked his phone, pulled out a walkie talkie, and spoke in to it. All the Rasha ran to containers that had been placed around the property, donning protective helmets and gloves before taking up specific posts. Most manned the fence, while a few remained on the roof.

  “No way.” I stuffed the binoculars into Ro’s hands. “Three o’clock.”

  An unlikely pack of mountain lions, rangy coyotes, and sleek bobcats prowled their way toward the fences.

  “There’s more.” Rohan lowered the glasses and pointed at the flock of raptors careening out of the sky.

  It was an awesome and terrifying sight. Dozens of falcons, vultures, eagles, and owls swooped down at breakneck speeds.

  The animal attacks hit more or less simultaneously. The compound may have been warded up against demons, but there was no way to ward it against wildlife.

  “Sienna’s training them,” Rohan said.

  “She’s compelling them,” I corrected.

  “Not the animals,” he said. “The Rasha. They were expecting it. She’s conditioned them so that they expect attacks at certain times and relax at others.” He whistled. “Gotta hand it to her, it’s pretty brilliant. Fucked up, but brilliant.”

  Between the large cats attempting to shred the chain link fence with their teeth and claws despite the voltage pouring through their bodies, and the raptors dive-bombing the men, the hunters had their hands full.

  At some invisible signal, any remaining animals still alive trotted or flew back to their desert homes.
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  Taking the binoculars, Rohan paced the length of the ridge we were on, careful to stay out of view as much as possible.

  “Well?”

  He dropped down beside me, brushing dust off his pants. “If we turn off the main road a couple of miles back, we can approach this ridge without being seen. Especially if we come under cover of night. It’s the last hundred feet that expose us.”

  “Unless we time it with one of Sienna’s attacks. She’s not powerful enough to take on all the Rasha and whatever’s inside on her own. She needs us.”

  “It’s got to be demons in there,” Ro said. “We know Mandelbaum was experimenting on them. But we still don’t know Sienna’s endgame. Does she want to kill the demons or turn them on us when we’re conveniently in one place for her attack?”

  I stood up, stretching out my cramped knees and held out a hand. “We’ll have to be prepared for every eventuality.”

  Back at the bungalow, sunglasses firmly in place, I sought out Baruch. “How come you’re not at the rabbis’ meeting?”

  “There’s no Executive to force out, and until we’ve gotten inside that compound and gotten proof against Mandelbaum, I’m holding off speaking to the other rabbis.”

  “Speaking of the compound.” I slapped the coordinates into his hand. “Ro and I scoped it out.”

  He put two fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-shattering whistle.

  There must have been three dozen men crammed into the bungalow. All chatter and activity stopped. Either they’d been briefed about who I was or I’d been gossiped about. Either way, I was glad to be spared a bunch of questions right now.

  Ari frowned and tapped his finger next to his eyes, cueing me to take off my sunglasses.

  I didn’t.

  “Listen up,” Baruch said. “We have the last piece of our plan. The location of the compound.”

  Excited murmurs broke out.

  “Nava, what can we expect to find there?” he said.

  As one, the men turned to me expectantly. Sienna had been wrong. Witches and Rasha could work together. We didn’t need to make them obsolete, and there were those who would work with us without relegating us to nursemaid.

  I rubbed my breastbone. Lilith’s incessant banging around my body was really tenderizing my organs, and she didn’t let up her insidious whispering.

  I’m looking forward to our reunion. Lilith’s power flared up inside me and I absorbed it like the most refreshing water.

  I also clasped my hands behind my back because my fingertips had turned black.

  You think you’re so clever with your plans, Lilith whispered. You have no idea what’s in store for you.

  Shut up, I silently told her. This is how we save us all. Together. Lilith seriously needed to watch some Sesame Street.

  I cleared my throat and began my presentation. I’d only gotten as far as what Rohan and I suspected was inside the compound before Kane raised his hand. “Yes?” Okay, that was teachery and weird.

  “Let me bring up a visual.” He rose from the laptop and flicked on a projector. One of the aerial view photos of the compound flickered onto one white wall. “Where exactly was everyone stationed?”

  I spoke for the next twenty minutes without pause, including Sienna’s possible agendas in regards to the Brotherhood.

  “Why did she let you live?” one of the hunters asked.

  Ro shot me a worried glance but I shook my head. It was truth time. If I meant what I’d said to Sienna about Rasha and witches working together, then it had to start with me.

  I fingered the arms of my glasses, took a deep breath, and whipped them off, bracing myself for a mass exodus at the sight of the black-eyed female with the insane power. “I’m a witch.”

  At the sight of my eyes, pandemonium broke out. There was a lot of furious debate, some curious looks, though some indifference, too. Cisco slapped a ten into Bastijn’s hand.

  “If we have Rasha, what do we need witches for?” The black Rasha didn’t sound antagonistic, merely curious.

  “The Brotherhood has been around for centuries,” I said, “and there are certain demons that get away time and time again. Why? Because Rasha aren’t strong enough to kill them. Witches have that power.”

  “I’ve seen it firsthand,” Ari said.

  “The world needs both Rasha and witches in this fight,” I said. “Just like in any war, we need all kinds of abilities, all kinds of brainpower to defeat the greater threat. We need balance, peace, and co-operation between Rasha and witches, or humanity is doomed.”

  “Witches should have shown up before now.” This Rasha had Mediterranean coloring and a Spanish accent. “Not left us to be the only ones fighting. They have an obligation to use their magic as well.”

  “Get on that and mansplain it to them, Xavier,” Cisco said. “I dare you.”

  “Just because you don’t know what witches have been up to,” I said, “doesn’t mean they haven’t been part of the fight all along. We have, and believe me, it’s our power that is going to tip the scales.”

  I had more to say but was drowned out by the Rasha arguing amongst themselves.

  “Hey!” Everyone ignored me, busy discussing this turn of event. “Yo! Shut it or I’ll turn you all into frogs.”

  You could have heard a pin drop.

  I grinned at them. “Look. A female Rasha is one of those things…” I snapped my fingers a couple of times. “Like jumbo shrimp.”

  “All you can eat?” a blond Rasha called out.

  “It’s not an oxymoron,” Ari said over the laughter, “it’s just incorrect. A woman with magic is a witch. It’s reductionist to call her Rasha.”

  “You are such a nerd,” Kane said. He looked away before Ari could see his smile.

  “It makes sense,” Bastijn said. “Witches are the original hunters and the magic is passed down genetically, so why would any woman with powers merely be Rasha?”

  “Hey,” Danilo said. “We’re not ‘merely’ anything.”

  I patted his shoulder, relieved to note that my fingertips were no longer so much evil magic tainted as looking like I’d smudged ink on them. “I know, it’s hard being the most badass person around, but I’ve handled it well.”

  He tipped his chair back with a cocky grin. “My manhood is feeling threatened.”

  “Both inches?” Rohan said.

  The men hooted.

  “Stay with me, people,” I said.

  They didn’t listen to me, so Baruch whistled once more, shutting them up.

  “Right now, I have this window where I have mad power,” I said. “Let me use it for good. Let me be the weapon to turn this fight to our advantage. I can take out Mandelbaum’s men without any loss of life and I can stop Sienna. I want to stand beside you all and make this a better world. Are you willing to stand with me and my kind as well?”

  Rohan and Ari were the first to stand, followed quickly by Baruch and Kane and the Los Angeles crew. The rest of them varied in how fast they got up, but in the end they were all standing.

  I flailed my hands in front of my face. “Well, shit, boys.”

  I handed the floor back to Baruch and returned to my seat by Ari.

  He stared at my eyes, his mouth in a grim line, then he tugged his ear lobe. “Your mascara is smudged.”

  I wiped a finger under my eyes. “Shut up.”

  We discussed strategy for the next two hours.

  Baruch broke down what needed to be destroyed and what needed to be saved as proof to force Mandelbaum out once and for all. He assigned one of the Rasha to videotape every inch of the compound, a couple of others to find any sensitive documents, and the rest to find the demons or destroy dangerous equipment.

  Finally, Cisco begged for mercy. And beer.

  Rohan stood up. “After you drunks finish happy hour, my parents are putting on a spread for us at the main house. Meet there at six.”

  Baruch checked his phone. “Discussion with the rabbis broke up an hour ago and M
andelbaum left the premises, saying he couldn’t meet tomorrow,” Baruch said, “Assume he’s headed for the compound. We hit it up tonight.”

  “It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive,” Kane said.

  “Meet at the trucks at twenty-one hundred hours.” Baruch paused. “Take care of any unfinished business.”

  “Kiss your loved ones goodbye,” Ari murmured as the meeting broke up.

  “I can’t call Mom and Dad,” I said.

  “Write them a letter. That’s what I’m going to do.”

  “I’m not writing you one, okay?” I crossed my arms. “Because, no.”

  “We don’t need letters. Whatever happens tonight, we’re gonna be fine. We all have each other’s backs.”

  Yeah, but I also had Lilith and if the power of her whisperings was relative to her growing strength, I didn’t have much longer before she was free.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you more,” he said.

  “Impossible and ridiculous,” I replied, repeating the phrase our grandmother had always used when we said we loved her more.

  He chuckled. “You have to survive because you still owe me a waffle breakfast.”

  I punched him in the arm. “I paid up months ago.”

  “Did not.”

  “Did so.”

  He shot me a smug glance. “Then you’ll just have to stick around and argue with me.”

  “Guess I will.” I cut a glance at Kane. “Are you going to write anyone else?”

  “No.”

  “You’re hopeless.”

  I went back to the bungalow I shared with Rohan. I must have started the letter to my parents a million times but in the end, all I was able to write was “I love you both and I’m proud that I was your daughter.”

  Leo’s letter was a bit longer because I rambled on telling her that if I was dead she should drown her sorrows in orgasms with Drio so I had some pervy thrills in the afterlife.

  Rohan entered and glanced at the envelope to my parents. “Ah. Yeah. Billie has mine.” He massaged my shoulders. “I checked the dark web and spoke to Leo. Hybris is public enemy number one. The demon realm has been closed to her. If the spawn don’t get her by the time we’ve dealt with the compound, we’ll marshal the troops and find her.”