To Build A Veil Between This Plane And The Next.
“That’s it. It has to be,” I said.
“I think you’re right.”
My thoughts scattered. This was what I’d been searching for, it was what I’d wanted since my conversation with Octavia.
“When do you think you’ll feel comfortable to do it?” Benji asked.
I opened my mouth to answer his question, but a blinding pain shot through my skull before I could, blurring my vision. All the air left my lungs in a hiss as the pain intensified. I pressed my fingertips to my temples and squeezed my eyes shut.
“What’s wrong?” Benji asked.
“Whoever’s on the other side trying to reach me is being persistent as hell.” My words were distorted sounding. I opened my eyes, and the room spun. Nausea crashed through me.
Holy crap, this one was bad. My head felt as though it was about to explode.
Was the spirit pissed I’d found a way to block him or her out? Was this my punishment for even considering it?
Before I could think more about it, my room faded away. This was another vision. I held my breath as the watery image of a little girl appeared. As she came into focus, I noticed she was close to Rose’s age. Her skin was dark and smooth, and her hair hung in glossy corkscrew curls that fell just past her shoulders. She shifted to face me, and the look on her face had my heart stalling out.
She was afraid of something. Deathly afraid.
Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open as though a silent scream were pushing its way past her lips. What was she scared of? I couldn’t see anything except her... Until my view shifted and I could see more. The same amulet I’d been shown before—the one that had sucked the blond man into it—was being held out to this little girl. Panic like I’d never felt before hit me as I noticed its turquoise glow activate.
The fate of the man was going to be this little girl’s, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
Unbearable pain and suffocating fear rocketed through me as I watched her become pulled toward the amulet. Where was the pain coming from? Was I feeling what she was? Was it possible to be connected to her in such a way? This hadn’t happened with the man.
I swallowed roughly as ragged breaths escaped my parted lips. It felt as though my soul was being ripped from my body by the amulet. As though that was what it wanted.
A soul.
Did it feed off them? Because right now, it seemed to be feeding off the little girl’s.
Her hands came up to block herself from the amulet, but it did no good. She was still being sucked into it. Nausea rolled through my stomach and my heart beat triple time.
Why was I seeing this? It didn’t make sense. This wasn’t how being an anchor was supposed to work.
Once the little girl had been completely sucked into the amulet, the vision faded. The images of what I’d witnessed still lingered though. As did the little girl’s essence. I felt a connection toward her.
Was she a witch too? Could that be it?
The nausea in my stomach built and I doubled over, in an attempt to not vomit on my bed. Benji’s hand moved in small circles along my back.
“Hey. You’re okay,” he said to soothe me. “It was another vision, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you see?”
I pulled in a shaky breath. “It was horrible.”
My eyes squeezed shut as the vision looped through my mind again. Benji wrapped his strong arms around me and held me tight. I let him.
“There was a little girl,” I tried again. “She looked like she might be close to Rose’s age—eleven, maybe twelve—and she was being sucked into the same amulet I saw before. The one the guy was sucked into.”
“Are you sure it was the same one?”
“Positive. It even looked like it was being held by the same person.”
Benji’s body tensed against mine. “How are these vision gettin’ through to you?”
“I don’t know.”
My body trembled. I was shaken from what I saw, but I was also drained from the vision. I untangled myself from him and pulled my knees to my chest, then wrapped my arms around them to secure them in place.
“Are you going to do the spell?” he asked.
My gaze drifted to the book. The solution to never having to go through something like that again was written on its pages. The question was: Could I turn my back on the other side now that a little girl had reached out to me for help?
Her face floated through my mind. She was Rose’s age. And, she’d been terrified.
My stomach twisted. Had what I saw already happened? Maybe not. Maybe saving her from that outcome was still on the table. Nothing like this had ever happened before, so I wasn’t sure what the rules were.
“Ridley,” Benji prompted.
I lifted my eyes to meet his. “That amulet is hurting people. I don’t understand why I’m seeing it, but I know that much.”
“Okay, so. Do you think it’s because you’re supposed to find it?”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. All I’d been focusing on was the chance I might be able to somehow save the little girl.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I whispered.
I pulled the vision to the surface of my mind again—it wasn’t hard—and focused on how it felt, trying to ignore the feelings and emotions coming from the little girl.
All I felt was a desperate need for help.
“You don’t have to find it.” Benji nodded to the book. “You found the spell you were lookin’ for, which means you don’t have to do anythin’ you don’t want to. The spirits don’t have control over you like that anymore. Not if you don’t want them to.”
I knew he was right, but I couldn’t just forget about what I saw. Maybe it was harsh of me to not feel this deeply about things after the vision of the man being sucked into the amulet, but now that it was a kid it was different. Plus, it was clear whoever was wielding the amulet wasn’t stopping anytime soon in feeding off people’s souls. I needed to figure out what the heck was going on because deep in my bones, I knew I’d never be able to live with myself if there was a psycho out there hurting people with a magic amulet and I could somehow stop them.
“What are you thinkin’?” Benji asked. He tucked a stray curl behind my ear.
“That I should allow whoever’s been trying to contact me a chance to say what they want.” I swallowed hard. “I think I need to tap into the other side. It’s the only way I’ll know for sure what the spirit wants, and if they’re reaching out because they want me to help stop whoever has the amulet.”
“Do you think that’s what they want?”
“I think it’s a possibility.”
Benji leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Okay. What can I do to help?”
“Stay here with me,” I whispered. “In case something bad happens.”
I waited for knots the size of my fist to form in the pit of my stomach like they did each time I thought about tapping into the other side, but they never came. A sense of calm washed over me unlike anything I’d ever felt before instead.
My gaze drifted to the candle still burning. Was what I felt a byproduct of the spell I’d done for strength or because of something else?
It didn’t matter. I’d decided to tap in and that was what I planned to do.
“Of course, I’ll always be here for you, Rid. In whatever way you need me.” A slow smile pulled at the corner of Benji’s lips. His words warmed my heart.
“Thank you.” I exhaled a deep breath and slipped off my bed. “I need to get crystals from the attic first.”
“Why?”
“Because, if I’m wrong and this spirit happens to be a tricky, evil one, I want protection against it,” I said. “We can put them in the windowsill and in front of the door so the spirit can’t get out.”
I stepped to the door and glanced back at Benji. He was still on my bed.
“You don’t
have to come. You can stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I knew how much he hated the attic. It was his least favorite room at Caraway Inn, but it didn’t use to be. It had only become tainted with negative emotions during his transition into vampirism.
The attic was where he’d been kept so we could keep a close eye on him through that time without any of the guests knowing he was here. Aunt Rowena had spelled the room with crystals that forced him to stay inside until we were sure he could control himself and his bloodlust. It had also been spelled to absorb noise at the time, to which there had been a lot of when he woke.
Aunt Rowena was smart.
Now, I planned to take a page out of her playbook and use the same crystals as a backup plan in case things went haywire when I tapped into the other side.
“No, I’ll come,” he said even though it was clear he didn’t want to.
We made our way down the hall to the door at the end. It creaked on its hinges when I opened it, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else around to hear. It sounded as though Rose was still chatting with her friend in her bedroom. While I had no idea where Aunt Rowena or Raven were, I assumed from the lack of light peeking out from under their bedroom doors that they must be downstairs.
I flicked the light on. The wooden stairs and cream-colored walls of the attic stairway became illuminated in a dull yellow glow from the single bulb hanging from the ceiling. I padded up the steps. They were cold against my bare feet, but I darted up them without a second thought. I needed to grab the crystals and get back to my room before whatever sense of calm I was feeling disappeared.
Benji closed the door and started up the stairs behind me. I glanced at him from over my shoulder. Unease tightened the area between his brows.
When I reached the top step, I switched on another light. It lit up the large attic space, revealing a bed opposite us. It was the same bed Benji had completed his transition on. Other than that, the space was filled with typical junk you’d find in an attic—a few old trunks scattered throughout, a rickety dresser in the corner, and a few cardboard boxes stacked on top of one another. I made my way to the bookshelf at my left. Dusty books graced its shelves along with a few small wooden boxes.
One of them held Aunt Rowena’s crystals.
I grabbed the closest box and opened it. Inside where candles of various colors and sizes, but no crystals. I put it back and moved on to the next.
“I haven’t been up here since my transition,” Benji said. His voice was low and controlled, as though he was afraid to show too much emotion.
I glanced inside the box I held. More candles. As I put it back on the shelf, I shifted to look at him. Pain had etched its way into his features.
Was it because he was remembering how he’d felt when he’d been trapped in here, or had memories from the moment of his death pulled him under?
“This is where I died and then came back as what I am now.” His hand smoothed through his hair. “It’s strange to think about.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I’m sure.”
“Who am I kiddin’?” A sideways grin spread onto his face as he met my gaze. “Of course you know. You were by my side every step of the way.”
It was true. Until it wasn’t. Until I couldn’t be by his side because it was too hard during the first few hours after he’d woke.
Benji had been trapped in a state of bloodlust. I’d thought he’d hated me for deciding his fate the way I had. At that moment I’d been walking a tightrope between regret and relief.
“I always will be,” I said with more conviction than I’d ever felt about anything in my life.
“I know.” He winked and then nodded to the box in my hand. “Found what you’re lookin’ for yet?”
“No. Just more candles.” I put the box back on the shelf.
“Maybe they’re in the big one on the bottom.”
I bent at the waist and pulled it out. The weight seemed right. I lifted the lid off and smiled. Tucked inside were six crystals I recognized as ones Aunt Rowena often used for protection. “Found them.”
“Good. Let’s get outta here. This place gives me the heebie-jeebies now.”
He crossed to where I was and took the box from me before starting for the stairs. I followed him, flipping the lights off as I went.
Chapter 10
I placed the crystals in front of my bedroom door and along the windowsills with the intention of keeping everything contained inside the room. Until one of those crystals was moved by me, even Benji couldn’t leave. Which was a thought I happened to like more than I should.
Once I was finished, I sat on my bed and readied myself to tap into the other side. The red candle still burned in the middle of my bedroom floor, and because of it, I knew I could do this.
“Good luck,” Benji said. He moved to sit on the edge of my bed. “I’ll be right here with you.”
“Thanks.”
I folded my legs and placed my hands on my knees, palms facing up. As I inhaled a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I exhaled and then focused solely on my breathing.
In and out. In and out.
Every muscle in my body grew slack. The little girl shifted through my mind’s eye. Determination to help her pulsed through me. When I felt as though I couldn’t build myself up anymore, I tugged the pendant Aunt Rowena had made me from my neck and set it on the bed beside me. Pushing my mind, I focused harder on the little girl. She was who I wanted to learn about first. I pictured her tiny frame, cocoa skin, wide eyes, and glossy curls. I imagined her walking toward me. I welcomed her. It was the first time I’d ever attempted to call someone to me—they’d always come on their own—but this time was different.
The bluish-white light I’d grown accustomed to seeing each time I tapped into the other side lit the back of my eyelids, signifying I was connected.
So then, where was the little girl?
Time ticked away. I couldn’t be sure of how much passed but I could feel the sensation of it slipping by.
Where was she?
Maybe I should shift tactics and focus on the man instead. Maybe he was waiting to speak with me first.
I conjured up an image of him, paying close attention to the details I remembered—his dark blond hair, greenish-blue eyes, and dark clothing. When he didn’t step forward either, I started to worry.
Something wasn’t right.
As soon as the thought surfaced, the presence of another made itself known. I fought against the new spirit reaching out as best I could, but whoever it was, they were strong. The familiar coldness I always felt stemming from the other side trickled through my veins as the spirit grew stronger still. There was no way I’d be able to fight against them much longer. My head ached trying.
The bluish-white light glowed brighter. I focused on it hard, making sure my connection with the other side was as strong as it could be. Then, I tried again to reach out to the guy. When nothing happened, I thought of the little girl once more. Still nothing.
What the heck was going on?
A sharp pain stabbed through my skull, causing my breath to hiss from my lungs in a rush. Whoever the other spirit was, they were tired of waiting. Benji said something. I could hear him, but he sounded too far away for me to make out his words. I shifted my focus back to my breathing, trying to center myself again. The silhouette of someone took shape behind my closed eyes, and I knew the spirit I was trying to ignore did not intend to go away. They were stepping forward, whether I wanted them to or not. Unable to fight any longer, I let them.
Shock vibrated through me when I realized it was an elderly woman.
I focused on her until she came through clearly. Her skin was dark like the little girl’s, and her hair had been piled high on top of her head. She wore a faded yellow dress that pooled around her bare feet and a cardigan sweater. A warm, friendly smile stretched across her face, showcasing the tiny gap between her front teeth, as I wondered who she was.
“Child, I’ve be
en tryin’ to get in touch with you,” she said, her voice soft and slightly raspy as it entered my mind. The tension building inside me melted like butter. “I’m glad you finally let me through.”
“You’re the one who’s been trying to contact me?” I asked.
Confusion scattered my thoughts.
“I was looking for a little girl. She’s the reason I opened the door,” I admitted.
A mischievous glint entered the old woman’s eyes. “I knew she’d get your attention when nothing else seemed to be able to.”
I didn’t understand.
“Are you the little girl?” I asked.
I didn’t know enough about how the other side worked to know if a spirit could choose which age they wanted to show themselves to me as.
“No, child,” the old woman said. Her eyes took on a somber look. “The little girl is my granddaughter, Hazel.”
The more I talked to this woman, the more lost I became.
“Is she here somewhere, then? In trouble?” I attempted to look around the old woman, but all that stood behind her was the bluish-whiteness I was used to seeing while tapped into the other side. “Does it have anything to do with the man I saw or the amulet?”
The woman’s eyes darkened. “She is in trouble, yes, and it has everythin’ to do with that man and the amulet. That’s why I called out to you. I need your help, child.”
“What can I do? How can I help her?”
Tiny tremors worked their way through my muscles. Holding a connection with the old woman was beginning to take its toll on me. I wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer.
“First, tell me what visions got through to you?”
“There was a man who looked as though he was being sucked into the amulet, and then I saw the same thing happen to the little girl. I mean, your granddaughter, Hazel.”
“I sent more, but that’s okay. At least somethin’ got through.” Her full lips pinched together, and she placed a hand on her hip. Things were about to get serious. I could sense it. “The guy you saw, the handsome fella, his name is Bram and he’s evil, honey. Real evil. He’s not just a vampire, but a vampire-witch. A hybrid. One who siphons powers from other witches as he feeds from them. It’s temporary, but if he feeds from an entire coven or bloodline, he gains their powers for a longer period. Sometimes years even.”
Gray Magic Page 9