Chapter Nineteen

Second Sister

Warren Barber wished Leicester had assigned someone else to the task of disposing of Joseph's body. Perhaps Leicester didn't trust Hall or Conroy not to do something foolish and sentimental. Like what? Saying a Rosary over the corpse? The kid was dead, after all.

They'd carried the body down the path, through the woods past the grove to the far side of the island, where a low cliff descended directly into deep water. It was as far as possible from the dock and winery complex. Although the body wasn't heavy, it made a long and awkward package, difficult to maneuver through the undergrowth and over the uneven terrain. They were hot, sweaty, and exhausted when they finally set their burden down at the edge of the cliff.

Now what to use for weight. They'd brought a coil of rope along but couldn't find anything suitable at the top of the cliff. Then Warren remembered the concrete blocks that had been used in the restoration work. “Go get a couple of those cinder blocks from the back of the winery,” he ordered the other two. “One for his head and one for his feet. I'll keep an eye on Joseph, here.”

“Why do we have to go?” Conroy whined, smacking at a mosquito.

Hall stood over the corpse like he was ready to pick a fight. “We'll stay with Seph. You go.” He'd been sullen and uncooperative all the way across the island. Warren hadn't forgotten that Hall had pulled a knife on him at Christmas when Warren had gotten into it with McCauley.

Warren sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look, idiots, he's not going anywhere. We'll all go. We can get something cold to drink while we're down there.” They dragged Seph's body into the underbrush next to the cliff face, and headed back toward the winery building.

They returned forty-five minutes later, each carrying a block. Cutting two lengths of rope, they threaded them through the concrete and tied them securely. But when they went to retrieve the body, it was gone. Warren searched the underbrush in all directions, just to make sure.

“D-do you think some kind of animal dragged him away?” Peter asked. Sweat rolled down his fat face, and he took a puff from his inhaler.

“How the hell should I know?”Warren said peevishly. “Do I look like Tarzan?”

“I don't think there's anything that big around here.” Martin had this earnest look on his face, like they were discussing some remotely interesting topic. “Coyotes and eagles and ospreys, maybe.”

For a moment, the only sound was the wind in the trees and Peter's wheezing. Then Warren said, “Look, not a word about any of this to Leicester. I'm not catching hell for losing a corpse. The story is, we threw McCauley in the lake. Understand?”

Hall and Conroy nodded, wide-eyed.

Seph came awake with a start, aware only of someone hovering over him. He swung out awkwardly with his fist, and his wrist was captured in a tight grip. “You'll be sorry if you punch me with that hand,” Jason told him. When Seph relaxed, he released him. “About time you rejoined the living.”

Seph lay in a muddle of blankets on a dirt floor. At first he thought he was still in the cellar, since the walls and ceiling of the room were made of stone. But light trickled in from an unseen source around a corner, and cool, moist air brushed his face. He sat up.

He was in a cave that had been made over into living quarters. Cans and boxes of food were stacked against the wall, and a Coleman stove stood in one corner. Clothing was piled on top of a wooden crate, out of the dirt. Three large kerosene lamps lined the perimeter. Books and more boxes were heaped to the rear.

“Nearly as posh as your old room at the Havens,” Seph said.

Next to him, in contrast with the rest of the mess, was a neatly rolled bedroll, with a Cincinnati baseball cap on top.

“Good morning, Witch Boy.”

He turned so quickly, he slammed his elbow against the wall of the cave.

“Madison!”

She was dressed in a man's shirt and blue jeans rolled at the bottoms. Her hair was caught back in a rubber band, and a red bandana was knotted at her neck. That was all he had time to see, and then she threw her arms around him. “Don't you ever scare me like that again, or I'll have your hide off in little bits,” she said.

“Scare you?” He gripped her shoulders, holding her out for inspection. “Scare you? You disappeared. What happened to you? Where've you been?”

“What happened to your hand?” She pulled his gauze-wrapped hand closer for inspection. “You treat me like I'm helpless, but you…”

He heard Jason's voice from behind him. “Will you two stop flirting? You're making me feel like three's a crowd. Not that I don't approve. If you're going to wash ashore on an island, best to bring a woman along.”

Maddie gave him the eye. “For…?”

Seph rubbed his elbow. “I'm serious. How did you and Jason find each other?”

Maddie sat back and wrapped her arms around her knees. "After you left me in that hiding place, a half dozen witch men started poking around, so I had to sneak away. I saw them grab you, but there was nothing I could do against all of them.

Jason sprawled onto a pile of blankets. “I found your friend here creeping up on the castle after I left you last night. And wasn't I surprised to find out she could see unnoticeable me. I figured out who she was, based on Hastings's description. So I invited her to be my guest in the villa, here.” He rolled his eyes. “It wasn't easy to convince her. What were you thinking, Seph, taking up with a vampire who sucks magic from innocent wizards?”

“I don't trouble the innocent,” Madison drawled. “Keep your magic to yourself and we'll get along.”

“Where are we?” Seph whispered. He felt stiff and sore all over, and he was all scraped up, as if he'd been dragged through brambles. “What happened?”

Jason grinned. “The portal stone worked like, well, like a charm. Just like back in the cove. Cold blooded, really, a father killing his own son. If I didn't know better, I'd've been crying myself. Leicester was so pissed. You keep slipping out of his hands, one way and another. Dying and such. Leicester sent the guys to throw your body in the lake. I intercepted them.”

Seph looked up, alarmed. “You what?”

“I thought I might have to fish you out of the water, but they left you alone while they went to get drinks.”

“When Leicester hears about it, he'll know something's up.”

“Trust me. He won't hear about it. Leicester ain't that forgiving of screwups.” Jason grinned, stretching out his thin body. “I don't know why I can't be the kind of hero who gets to live in the castle. It's always the basement or the cave for me.”

“But where are we?” Seph asked again.

“We're on the north side of the island, in a cave on the cliff face. Before the Civil War, they hid slaves here who were escaping to Canada. Then bootleg liquor during Prohibition. Now us. Take a look if you want.” Jason gestured toward the doorway.

Seph rose shakily to his feet, hobbled to the entrance, and peered out. The opening looked straight out over the lake, toward Canada, he supposed. Far below, waves crashed against the rocks. There was a sheer cliff on either side. It was a dull, gray day, and the air was full of the smell of rain.

“How'd you get down here?”

“There's sort of a path,” Jason said. He and Maddie had joined him at the entrance.

“If it's such a historical spot, aren't you afraid someone else will find it?” Seph asked.

Jason shook his head. “It was described in an old manuscript at the Great Lakes Museum. I stole it.” He leaned against the rock face. “Listen. There's a boat coming from Trinity bringing reps to the conference today. That means it's going back later this afternoon.”

Seph shrugged. “So?”

“We're going to make you unnoticeable and put you on it, and then you're out of here.”

“Why me?”

“I promised Hastings.”

“What about Maddie?”

“Well.” Jason scratched his head. “We can't make Maddie unnoticeable. So I don't know how we could sneak her on board, right in front of the winery.”

Seph looked from Jason to Maddie. “You think I'm going to go and leave her here? It's my fault she's here in the first place.”

“I jumped in the raft after you.” Maddie touched his arm. “I made a choice.”

“Drowning in the lake is one thing. Gregory Leicester is another. You didn't sign on for that.”

“And you did?” Tendrils of hair had been ripped free by the wind and were spiraling about her face.

Jason held up both hands. “Seph. In my book, saving somebody is better than saving nobody. They all think you're dead. Just like me. Believe me, it's very freeing. You can go wherever you want. No worries about Leicester and the others hunting you down.”

“No.”

“This could be a massacre. If you leave now, you can avoid it. Later, you can take your revenge. They won't be expecting it. They won't know what hit them.”

Seph scowled. “I don't want to take revenge for a massacre. I want to stop one.”

Jason stared out at the horizon. “Easier said than done.”

“Couldn't we meet the boat when it arrives and warn them?” Maddie suggested. “Then we all leave together.”

“What's to keep Leicester from conjuring up another little storm?” Jason said. “He could bring the boat back here, or torch it, or send it to the bottom of the lake. Very tidy.”

“Well.” Maddie thought a moment. “Then let's call them and tell them to stay away.”

“My cell phone doesn't work. I haven't seen any land lines on the island, not even in the winery.” Jason fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette, and sent a stream of smoke into the wind. “Tell you true, I don't know if we can stop him. We have to split him from the alumni somehow. As long as he's linked up with them, he'll win any contest involving magic. We'd have to outsmart him.”