CHAPTER 6

 

 

Elon parked his Karmann Ghia across the street from the old stone mansion, where he had a beautiful view of the row of houses he couldn’t be able to afford even if he saved for two lifetimes. Aisanna wouldn’t appreciate his coming to check on her. She would appreciate even less the handful of flowers he’d gathered from her stores at the shop. The blush-colored camellias stared at him from his passenger seat. Mocking him.

What are you doing? they asked. She won’t want to see you.

When he’d heard about the car accident, his world came to a full stop. Aisanna couldn’t be hurt. It wasn’t possible. He’d maintained the business for her the best he could before calling it quits and flipping the sign to closed with an apologetic note taped to the glass along with it. This wasn’t something he could handle on his own. And Aisanna wouldn’t appreciate his bumbling efforts if it meant there was more work for her when she recovered.

Elon would have settled for a phone call. Should have, he reminded himself, except something was clearly going on.

Yeah, he’d thought the news stations lately were on their way to insanity with obsessive coverage of strange weather events, crazed predictions from television personalities, and signs of “the end.” Some were blathering on about witches and magic and the apocalypse. He flipped through each station, scoffed when appropriate, and tuned in to the most exciting sports game nine times out of ten.

Then he’d seen something. Something following Aisanna after he found her sitting in her car. It was nothing concrete, nothing he could put a finger on or fit into a nice, logical box. He could feel it, by looking at her. Recognizing the shadow following her wherever she went.

It surprised him as much as it caused him concern.

And now, everything he’d been sure about before, he began to question. He’d come to Aisanna’s parents’ house because he had a feeling that refused to leave him alone. Maybe some of the weird things he’d been hearing lately were true. The most important thing was that Aisanna might need his help. She might be in real danger, if reports of her brake lines being cut were any indication. He wasn’t anyone special to her. But he was still her friend, and he intended to be there when she needed him. Even if it was something as simple as keeping the store open while she was out of commission.

Elon expected to catch a glimpse of her moving around inside the house before venturing his way through the imposing iron gates blocking the driveway entrance. He hadn’t expected to see her walking around the yard, a large red hat blocking her head from the worst of the weather.

He caught sight of her and his heart stopped beating for one second. Two. She stood near the fence, which reached above her head and then some, her hands taking hold of the iron and wind blowing through her hair. She looked ready to burst through. Like she was escaping a prison.

“She’ll catch her death,” Elon muttered to himself. “What is she doing out of bed? Aisanna!”

He was out of the car and racing away from the street toward the gate. Luck was on his side when he reached out and found it wasn’t locked. He yanked on the latch when the pieces refused to budge, frozen together, and wobbled dangerously on the slick sidewalk.

Aisanna glanced over when he called her name a second time. Storm clouds darkened the sky and turned the world to shades of gray. Elon saw a flash of black ink staining her face. Crisscrossing her forehead in symbols he didn’t recognize. Wouldn’t recognize even without the distance.

What the hell was going on? And what could he do about it?

“Aisanna, wait for me.” He ran across the lawn over sleeping gardens and rapidly freezing garden paths. When he got closer, he slowed to a walk. “Wait.”

She stood, her deep reddish-brown hair whipping around her face. Whatever skin was not covered had pebbled with the cold and her face was a mishmash of yellow and purple bruises. No ink, no script. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Elon.” Her teeth chattered together though she kept her hands on the fence.

“You’ve got to be freezing. Here.” He shrugged out of his jacket, holding it out to her before placing it over her shoulders.

“Now you’ll be cold, too.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “For crying out loud, you shouldn’t be out taking a walk. Not three days after you were in an accident. What are you, a superhero? I’m surprised they let you out of the hospital.”

“You didn’t need to come check on me,” she said. “I was taking a walk because I needed fresh air.”

“I wanted to see you for myself, and you don’t have to explain yourself to me.” His hands in his pockets, Elon shrugged against the tiny pinpricks of sleet coming down at a forty-five-degree angle. “How about I walk you back inside?”

She turned to stare at him, and there was something dark in her eyes. Foreign and alien. “I have enough problems without you coming here.”

“I’m a problem, now?”

“No, not a problem. I’m just…I’m sorry, okay? My head—”

Jeez, there he was pressuring her when she’d been through a traumatic experience. Stupid! “The police said someone cut your brake lines—”

“No one cut my brake lines,” she insisted, her voice weak. “The brakes were working fine when I got in the car. The media lies sometimes, Elon. Don’t trust everything they say.”

His head tilted to the side. “I know you’re shaken up.” Then her eyes rolled back into her head and her knees buckled. Aisanna went straight down, her hands slipping from the fence. Elon lunged forward to catch her in time. “Whoa, there.”

He gathered her carefully into his arms and, without thinking, turned to carry her into the house.

There were no other cars in the driveway, he noted. Which meant introductions with the family would have to wait. There was always next time.

It took a bit of finagling to get the door open using only his pinky and forefinger. He yelled for help, but no one came. An open door to his right revealed what looked to be a sitting room of some sort, so he carried her in and laid her gently on the sofa.

Ten minutes later, Aisanna breathed deep, blinking her eyes open and sucking in a pained gasp when the bruises on her ribs flared up. “What…ouch.”

“I’m sorry. Your head is probably killing you. Do you want me to get some ice?” She tried to roll over, and Elon placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her still. “It’s all right, just stay down.”

“What the hell are you doing in the house?” She twisted around to face him, her features a mixture of worry and agitation.

“I let myself in. You passed out in the yard.”

“I don’t pass out, Elon. Ever. Hand me the bottle,” she said, pointing to the sideboard.

He hadn’t seen the bar until she mentioned it. Now that he took note of it, he saw several glass decanters of amber-colored liquid. “Sure. Okay.”

He felt her watching him as he rose to pour her a glass.

“Why does it feel like I just rode a tornado like a champion in a bull riding competition?”

“Not sure. Maybe because you were in a car accident and your body is trying to heal but you decided it was a nice day for a walk.”

“Funny man,” she said dryly. “It was a rhetorical question.”

Aisanna stared at Elon’s back, embarrassed for showing any kind of feebleness. Worse, he’d been around to witness it, and now she had a feeling he’d treat her differently. Like she was something frail and weak. Something that needed protecting.

He was back in seconds, holding out a snifter filled with brandy. She slugged it down in a single gulp and closed her eyes when her mouth burned and stomach heaved. “Shit.”

The trail of fire leading down to her gut reminded her of her visions. Or whatever the hell they were. They came back to her hard and fast until she nearly lost her breath.

Her family in flames.

A black pit opening in the sky, rogue magic diving into the earth with poisonous tendrils until everyone went mad from the chaos.

The world burning—and her at the center of it.

Laughing.

It was the last thing she’d seen before blacking out in the yard.

“Are you going to talk to me?” Elon asked. He paced in front of the fireplace, twice, before resting his hand on the mantel.

She jerked up, her hands releasing their grip on the decorative pillow she’d clutched, the empty brandy snifter forgotten on the floor. “I’m not sure what happened.” She turned away. “I was…I was outside. Then it went dark. Maybe I wasn’t as ready to be vertical as I’d thought.”

“You were outdoors without any kind of gloves or scarf. You’re lucky your hands didn’t freeze.”

Frowning, she glanced down at her red fingers. And saw that she was still wearing Elon’s jacket. “You can take this back. I think I’ll be fine.”

“You know, there was something odd. When I first pulled up in front of the house…I saw you walking.”

“Creeper.” But the humor fell flat.

“There was some weird writing on your forehead.” Elon gestured to the general area on his own face. “I’m not sure. I blinked and it was gone.”

She stared at him for a moment, silent. Then gave a small test to see if she could call her magic. It came willingly enough, therefore not another death rune. She forced a smile to her face and tried to pin it on her cheeks. “Your eyes were playing tricks on you.” She pointed to her unblemished skin. “See?”

Elon gave his eyes a rub. “I guess they were. You would tell me, right? If there was something going on?”

Aisanna ignored his concern and pushed to her feet, wobbling past him. She turned her back to the mirror. Didn’t want to look over her shoulder to see her reflection. They stood there in silence as the seconds ticked on.

Elon came to stand beside her. “I wanted to tell you, I’ve been taking care of the shop. Called Johan in for a few extra shifts, and got that one girl, what’s-her-face, Olivia. The one you’ve called in to temp a few times.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“It was just a little accident. I’ll be back to work in no time. Speaking of which, why aren’t you there right now?” She looked at the floor instead of at him.

“I told you, I got it covered,” he said. “You could have died.”

It was true. Aisanna shivered with the knowledge. And remembered the face in her backseat. Waiting for her. Calling to her.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d say Elon was angry about it. “Next time you might not be so lucky.”

Aisanna let her hand rest on her shoulder, fingers grabbing hold of her hair. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I can make sure you’re comfortable while you recover, at least.” Elon smacked his head. “I have flowers for you in the car. I should have brought them inside. They’re probably icicles by now.”

Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came. She needed to solve her problems. To make them go far away before people like Elon got hurt. People who were determined to give their care and time even when it wasn’t necessary.

She would keep Darkness where it belonged, before it came for her again. Before it came for Elon. She hated believing it was real, believing it wasn’t just some nightmare where she could snap her fingers and wake up, problem solved. There was no easy solution for what she faced. She’d seen the consequences of the fraying veil with her own eyes.

Her limbs still shook.

“Did you get the flowers from the store?” she asked him.

Elon ducked his head in a jerky movement that was the opposite of graceful. “Maybe.”

“I’ll give you the employee discount. Put it on your tab.” When he chuckled, she continued with “Thank you. It’s the thought that counts.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes chatting about work before Aisanna knew the limits of the visit were pushed, exhaustion turning her limbs into lead. Not to mention her parents would be home any minute and she would rather avoid any awkwardness. She pushed Elon out the door with promises to keep him posted on her progress, then breathed a sigh of relief.

The big orders were filled, while lesser orders were pushed further down the schedule. He had it covered, she thought with a laugh. She would have never thought it under normal circumstances. It helped knowing he could handle the responsibility if something happened to her. When something happened to her, she corrected.

Aisanna used her time with him to get her head out of a pit of self-pity and focus. It was more difficult than before when she’d had all her brain cells and used them for other things. The only conclusion she came to worth any weight was that she needed to talk to her sisters in private. Without Varvara and Thorvald hanging over her like they expected her to shatter.

She called Astix. As angry as Aisanna was about the accident, she knew she couldn’t do this alone. She trusted her sisters. Neither one of them would look at her like she was a raving lunatic when she voiced her concerns. Especially not after what had happened between the three of them last time. She remembered waking up after the kidnapping, the ropes digging deep into her skin, and a pale, towering madman with the power to kill.

Aisanna shook her head to banish the image. She forced her fingers to send the text message, the big guns of her magic allocated toward healing her broken body. If Astix believed they would win, then they needed to believe it, too.

Thirty minutes later, Astix pulled up right on time in Leo’s black Lincoln Town Car. “Hurry up! Get in!” she called through the open window.

Aisanna stood on the curb, staring at it for the longest time. “I wanted a place where we could talk. Not an escort to the funeral parlor.”

Astix caught her expression and grinned unrepentantly. “We can’t talk on the back of my motorcycle, can we? Unless you’ve suddenly developed telepathy. In which case, stay out of my head. There are certain things in there you’re better off not seeing.”

“Heaven help us if I develop the ability to read minds. I’d need to be committed.” She opened the door and slid into the front seat. Within seconds they were down the road, the engine purring and windshield wipers ticking away against the steady rain.

Despite the comfortable heated leather, Aisanna shifted. She still felt like crap no matter how she twisted her body.

“The accident?” Astix asked.

Aisanna shot her an irritated look. “I don’t want to talk about it. I have bruises in places I didn’t know existed and none of them are healing quickly enough. My magic took care of the worst of the damage. Think how bad off I would be if I didn’t have healing abilities. Mom and Dad are practically shoving food down my throat to help the process. Mom’s done what she can but it’s not enough.”

“We’re going to get that bitch.” Astix tightened her grip on the wheel. “No matter how strong she gets, we’re getting stronger, too.”

“What if we don’t get to her in time?”

“Then we find the one person who can.”

“You mean, you?”

“It’s not me! I’m not the Harbinger,” Astix maintained. “I held Darkness off. Period. If I were the Harbinger, then I would have been able to stop her the first time and we wouldn’t be dealing with…I don’t know. Whatever we’re dealing with now.”

“This is the worst,” Aisanna moaned. She closed her eyes and remembered the screech of metal, the crunch of her car slamming into oncoming traffic.

“Correction. It could be worse. This is just the beginning.” Astix glanced over briefly and caught the hint of panic on her sister’s face.

They picked up Karsia from a boutique downtown and continued the drive toward the park.

“You know,” Karsia began, shivering, “I heard someone say today it’s colder in Chicago than it is on Mars. And I think I believe them.”

“It’s because of the leakage.” Aisanna nodded her head decisively and regretted the motion in an instant.

“Duly noted. I’ll have to add another pair of wool socks to my wardrobe.”

“So, when are we going to talk about what happened? We can’t help if we don’t know the details,” Astix prompted.

Outside, the wind whirled viciously, with sleet pelting the glass and windows rattling ominously. A wintry mix began to blanket the ground and the road. Astix’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Aisanna took a deep breath and nodded. “I suppose it’s time to tell you. Although at first I thought it was a figment of my imagination, because I haven’t been sleeping well. Kind of a rough past couple of days, if you know what I mean. It took me too long to realize she was here. Terrorizing me this time. She’s getting inside my head, and I thought I could handle it by myself. I can’t.” She shook her head. “She’s real. And she’s back.”

“Yeah, everyone thought the guy prowling outside my house was made up, too. Until he kidnapped us and stripped our powers,” Astix commented, keeping her tone purposely light.

“Herodotos. He’s gone.” Karsia shivered. The long-dead accomplice of Darkness with the ability to control minds wouldn’t be hunting them anymore.

“He was not the problem. He was just an errand boy until she became able to make contact on her own.”

“I thought we’d gotten rid of Darkness,” Karsia said. “Didn’t you wiggle your fingers, draw up some powerful shit, and put a cork on her bottle?”

Astix scoffed. “Are you kidding me? I told you, she wasn’t staying down for long. What I did was a temporary fix for a larger problem. I for one have been living like a hermit inside the layers and layers and fucking layers of wards Leo’s helped me put in place. We’ve been trying to plan our next move. What have you two done?”

“Nothing, okay?” Aisanna didn’t want to get into it. Not when she knew her sister was right. She caught a glimpse of Astix’s satisfied yet oddly disappointed smirk before she said, “Darkness has been following me. I saw her in my rearview mirror the day I crashed the car. The closer we get to the eclipse, the stronger she gets, and I don’t feel like finding out what she can do at full blast.”

Karsia was more reserved and took the statement in stride. “What did she do to make you crash?”

“I don’t remember. She said…she said something creepy and bad.” Aisanna wanted to slap herself for the lapse. Her memory came in spurts, usually while asleep. “She spoke to me before, when I called you to come and get me, A. I saw her in the shadows. Look at me, I’m jumping at shadows now.”

Astix pounded her fist on the wheel. “I knew it. She wants one of us, but I can’t figure out why we’re the targets. Unless we find the Harbinger witch, we’re sitting here waiting for her to kill us. She’s like a damn supernatural hitman.”

“Wait,” Karsia began, “I thought you were the Harbinger witch.”

“Please. I made my choice, and my choice is to stand with you and help the Light win. Since I obviously failed, that means someone else is the Harbinger and we need to find him, or her, fast. You get it?”

She was using sarcasm to push through, trying to keep it simple and easy and pretend nothing serious was happening. Aisanna knew they were scared to death. Was sure it showed on her face.

“I know I had a vision when I was asleep in my car. Then another one when I was unconscious.”

Aisanna debated for a long time whether she wanted to divulge the information. For some reason, the words lodged in her throat before she knew what to say. And then they suddenly became un-lodged. These weren’t just her sisters—they were her allies.

“She was coming through the windshield reaching for me the first night. And I was frozen, immobilized. I couldn’t do anything to stop her.” Aisanna remembered the feeling of helplessness, the way her body seized and nothing she did could break the spell. “Then, right after the accident, I remember a man. He was inside my head.”

A man with dark hair who spoke as though he knew her.

“Vane,” Astix murmured. “That was the name of the dude who spoke to me when I almost died. It must be the same person.”

Aisanna growled. “Are you kidding me?” She stared at her sister. “You saw him, know his name? And you never told anyone about it?”

Astix shrugged. “I didn’t think it was important. I should have died, and probably would have if you guys hadn’t been there. Who’s to say that what I saw wasn’t some kind of hallucination? In my vision, I was in a park, and he came over and spoke to me. I thought I was crazy so I kept it to myself.”

“Yeah, I thought I was crazy too, and look where it got me. Goddammit, Astix, you should know better. After everything we’ve seen—”

“I’m sorry, okay? You know I’m not good at this.”

Karsia interrupted, ending the quarrel. She leaned between the two front seats. “Let me see if I understand what’s going on. You both saw the same man in separate visions. Vane, right?” She looked to Astix for affirmation.

Astix nodded. “When I talked to him, I got the feeling he knew more about what’s going on than he told me. He was alive once, I think. Thousands of years ago.”

“I’d ask how you know that, but I’m not sure I’m ready for the answer.”

“I’ll tell you one thing. I’m done relying on dreams for answers,” Karsia replied. “Your visions give me the creeps. I hope I’m not the next one to see some thousand-year-old sicko inside my head.”

“That’s one thing I can say. At least I never experienced any waking hallucinations.” Astix rubbed along her arms, staring out at the storm. She tapped the brakes and pulled to a stop inside the empty parking lot. The lake was a gray sheet reflecting the sky, the wind whipping the water into a frenzy of tiny waves. She stared out at the empty horizon, heavy-lidded eyes designed to keep secrets. “My demons were flesh and blood.”

“Is there something you can give me? An amulet, a gemstone? To keep her away from me?” Aisanna pleaded with her sister. “I barely sleep anymore. I can’t get my head in the game if I’m not able to sleep. I’m worse than useless.”

The sisters shared a look and Astix knew what Aisanna kept to herself. Nightmares. Nightmares that felt so real they were hard to shake off in the morning.

Karsia shook her head. “We can’t block her out. We need to see what she wants.”

“We’ll find a way without opening our minds to her metaphysical invasion, thanks.” Astix sighed and drew on her power. A slight purple hue surrounded her fingertips as she delved into the depths of the earth’s crust.

Working with Leo, she’d been able to better harness her abilities, her magical affinity for gems and minerals. She didn’t need to rely on theatrics anymore. No more broken windows to prove she had a gift. Undeniably, her power had grown by leaps and bounds.

As they watched, a raw nugget of orange agate materialized within her open palm.

Astix swiveled her fingers in a complex pattern until molecules rose from the stone. She manipulated them into a pseudo-chain and handed the cluster to Aisanna. “Agate is the best for protection against evil spirits. Carry it with you, against your skin. There’s no guarantee it will act like a fix-all, but any little bit should help.” She touched her index finger to the center of the stone, igniting a deep red light within. “It’s ready to do the job for you. I can feel it.”

Aisanna quickly pocketed the gem, already feeling a measure of calm flow over her. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

The stone helped soothe the aches of her muscles, the cramps in her body from sitting in one position too long. Or maybe it was part of her overactive mind.

Aisanna was about to speak when the dashboard shook, vibrations from the ringing telephone sending a shockwave out. “Saved by the phone,” she said without looking down. She touched her fingerprint to the screen and answered the call without checking the caller ID.

“Oh, thank God you picked up!” Elon’s frantic voice assaulted her ears, overly loud.

“Elon, I literally saw you an hour ago. There’s no way you could have gotten into trouble this soon. Please tell me you didn’t burn the shop down.” Aisanna sent an apologetic look to her sisters and held her hand over the speaker. “Work. I have to take it.”

“Be nice to the poor fellow,” Karsia said in a whisper. She blinked, her eyes wide and innocent. “He does love you, and you keep shooting him down.”

“I’m not making any promises.” She lifted her palm from the phone. “What’s the problem?”

“You need to get down here. We are having a crisis!”

Aisanna held a finger up to the puzzled gazes of her sisters at the hysterical tone, Karsia on the brink of interruption. “Elon? Talk to me rationally. What’s going on?”

“Problems. Massive problems. I went in today like you told me, to finish up a few things, and there were... I can’t even tell you. No one else could come in to help me finish the orders. The Peterson wedding needs four extra centerpieces we don’t have. Also a water pipe froze. Get it?”

She started. “Frozen pipes? The Peterson wedding—”

“Yeah, exactly. And the freesia did not come in. I repeat. Did. Not. Come! I need you.”

She practically tasted his anxiety over the phone, her own rising in response. And in a small part of her, those words echoed. I need you. She felt an odd tingling beneath her ribcage.

“What do you mean, the freesia didn’t come in? Are you kidding me? The shipment was supposed to be delivered two days ago.” She was becoming quite familiar with headaches over the last few days. Already one pounded beneath the surface and she rubbed her temples rhythmically. “I need to come in right now.”

“That’s about the gist of things,” Elon replied.

Aisanna hung up before he had the chance to speak further. “I have to go.”

“Are you kidding?” Karsia gestured out the glass. “It’s getting terrible out there. We should go home before we have an accident.”

“Thanks for the confidence boost, Karsia. Really helps me with this decision. My business and my reputation are on the line and I can’t sit here and do nothing. I have a wedding to save.”

“I’ll take you there,” Astix said.

Aisanna nodded and tried not to give in to her mounting frustration as they drove off.