Chapter 15
As I’d expected, the
cops showed up, took the report, and left without a word. No crime
scene investigation team, nothing. Either Geoffrey had them firmly
cowed or Myst had them charmed. Or maybe a little bit of both. The
rest of the patrons wandered off, looking dazed.
Leo headed for
Geoffrey’s from the diner while the rest of us offered to stay and
help Anadey clean up. She shook her head.
“Go home, kids.
You’ve already helped so much. There’s not much left for you to do
. . .”
“Yes, there is,” I
said, righting a chair. “We can at least clean up and see how much
actual damage there is.”
I began tipping
tables upright, and Kaylin jumped in to help me. Rhiannon and
Peyton pulled out mops and buckets and began cleaning up blood.
Anadey looked like she was going to cry.
I said nothing,
convinced I was to blame. Anadey was my friend. But she must have
noticed my mood because she put her hand on my
shoulder.
“This isn’t your
fault, Cicely. Myst has it out for all of the magic-born, and
remember: She killed my mother to keep her out of the way. We’re
all targets. Never let anybody put the blame on your shoulders,
regardless of who they are.”
Rhiannon heard but
pressed her lips shut. I knew she was torn about Leo’s attitude and
accusations, and I decided that I had to put at least some of the
tension to rest.
“Guys, gather around
a moment.” When they were listening, I took a deep breath. “Kaylin
made a valuable point and it’s one I tend to forget. Grieve’s bite
enthralls me, and I may act stupid because of it. It’s not Grieve
deliberately trying to control me—I’m sure of that. But the fact
is, I don’t think things through. I still plan on rescuing him, but
I told you that I won’t try to keep him at the house and I want you
to know I fully intend to keep my promise.”
“We know that.”
Rhiannon rubbed my shoulder. “And Anadey’s right—this isn’t your
fault. The Shadow Hunters were taking over the town before you
arrived home.”
“Well, Leo’s
certainly pissed at me and while I seriously want to smack him
down, I get it. Though . . . I have to admit, I’m not sure how much
I trust him.” I glanced at Rhiannon and gave her a sad smile. “I’m
sorry, Rhia . . . but after he hit me . . .” I
shrugged.
“I never expected him
to explode like that. I’ve got a lot to think about,” she said
quietly.
“Let’s get this place
back to some semblance of order.” I returned to clearing up the
debris, and with the help of the others and the kitchen staff, we
were done in a little over an hour. It wasn’t spotless, and
Anadey’d need to bleach the place down because of the blood and
call in the health department to check the biohazard level, but at
least she wouldn’t return to a mess in the morning. We waited with
her while the emergency glass-repair guys came out and boarded up
the windows, and then we headed home.
Peyton went with her
mother—Anadey needed her.
As we gathered in the
living room, I looked over at Chatter. “I suppose you’re against me
trying to rescue Grieve, too?”
He surprised me. “Not
anymore. If Myst keeps him there, not only will she destroy what
control he has left, but she’ll be able to hurt you through hurting
him. I think our only choice is to get him out of there. Either
that or . . .”
“I know, I have to
sever our connection—if I even can—and give up on him. And I can’t
do that. I just can’t. And it’s not my hormones or his venom
talking. Grieve and I . . .”
“Cicely’s right. She
can’t sever the connection.” Chatter looked over at Rhiannon and
Kaylin. “I was there when Grieve and Cicely were together, before.
It was a terrible battle—I remember the aftermath when Lainule
found out Shy—Grieve—was in love with Cherish. She flew into a rage
and that just strengthened their resolve. They became so entwined
together that nothing in the world could separate them—not Myst,
not Lainule, not even heaven itself. I died trying. I was Grieve’s
brother back then.”
“I’m sorry.” I stared
at him. “There’s so much I still don’t remember, but if there’s
anything I regret, it’s hurting . . . killing . . .
you.”
Chatter bit his lip.
“I wish I could tell you everything, but Lainule would have my
head. She’s convinced you need to figure this out for yourself. But
I witnessed the devastation the two of you caused in your wake. And
though by then I was dead, I now know that the potion you took was
created by one of the most powerful sorceresses of that time
period. The effects brought you back together in this lifetime,
across time and space.”
“I know that—” I
started to say, but he shook his head, cutting me off.
“No, you still don’t
understand. You’re bound together, and nothing but death can keep
you apart. When Grieve is hungry enough for you, he’s going to tear
through Myst’s guards until either he’s dead or they’re in shreds,
and then he’ll come for you. If we can get him out, so much the
better. Because I’ve done some research. Cicely, that potion you
took? It did more than simply bind you.”
“I know—it brought us
back together this time around.”
“It did more than
that,” Chatter said.
A pit in my stomach
opened up. How many times Grieve and I’d been together in past
lives, I didn’t know and wasn’t sure if Grieve even knew. But our
time together as Shy and Cherish had been strong enough to bond us
forever. At the end, when we were cornered by our enemies, we’d
taken a potion to bring us back together in the next life. But now
something tugged at the back of my mind—something I felt I should
remember.
“What did it do? Tell
me.”
Chatter let out a
long sigh. “When one of you dies this time, it will take the other
with them. That potion bound you together forever. Not just for the next
lifetime.”
“Holy crap,” Rhiannon
said. “Then if we don’t rescue Grieve . . . if Myst kills him . .
.”
“Myst will also kill
Cicely. That’s why Cicely took on
Grieve’s scars from the whip. And if she’s terribly hurt, he’ll be
the one to bear her pain.” Chatter looked unhappy. “When Grieve
first told me—as Shy—that he intended to have the potion made, I
tried to stop him. I tried to persuade Grieve not to go through
with it, but he wouldn’t listen. He was blinded by the venom of
your bite.”
I stared at him,
breathing hard. No . . . no . . . I couldn’t have enchanted him. “We loved each other,”
I said, hoarsely.
“Yes, you did, just
like you love him now. And I’m surprised you’re keeping it together
so well this time. But Kaylin was right—you’re sucked in by the
intoxication; you can’t help it, just like he couldn’t help it.
Another few bites and your common sense may flee.”
That scared the hell
out of me. I exhaled and slumped back into the chair. “How do I
keep my head clear? What should I do?”
“We can try some sort
of counterenchantment.” Kaylin shrugged. “There are some powerful
spells that might counter the venom’s effect without breaking your
connection to Grieve. Leo was talking about the idea earlier to me.
He said that Anadey may know of a way. He asked me to bring it up,
because he thought you wouldn’t listen to him if he
did.”
That was an even
scarier thought, but the more I mulled it over, the more sense it
made. I loved Grieve, but my obsession could all too easily put
friends in danger. “All right. I’ll ask her. But damn . . . I hate
this.”
“I know. But don’t be
afraid of breaking your connection—from what Chatter says, I don’t
think there’s any real way to do that. You guys are linked, like it
or not.”
I picked up the
phone, not wanting to bother Anadey after the tragedy at the diner,
but this was too important to ignore. As I punched in her number, I
realized that I dreaded the thought of countering Grieve’s
enchantment over me. Suppose Chatter was wrong? Suppose my love for
him died away? Suppose I found out that the venom of his bite was
the only true link we had left? What if I emerged from the spell
not caring about whether he lived or died?
Anadey picked up the
phone and I explained what I wanted. “Leo said you could help. Can
you?” I held my breath, hoping she’d say no.
“I think so . . . at
least, I can give it a try. Come over now and we’ll see what we can
do.” She hung up, sounding tired.
I stared at the
receiver. Kaylin was watching me closely, and I realized everybody
was waiting to hear what I had to say.
“Yeah, she says she
can help.” I reluctantly replaced the receiver on the cradle and
let out a long sigh. “I don’t like this, but to make sure you guys
are safe, I’ll do it.” I grabbed my keys and slid into my
jacket.
“Do you want us to
come with you?” Rhiannon asked.
I shook my head.
“Nah. Unless you’re afraid I’m not going through with it.” I gave
her a long look, challenging her to call me a liar. Of course, Rhia
wouldn’t, but I was feeling under the gun and really itching for a
place to lash out.
She gazed at me
softly, then touched my arm. “Come with me.”
I followed her into
the parlor. “What?”
“Cicely, I know you
think we’re against you but we’re not. Leo’s being an ass, and I am
so sorry for the crap he’s given you—if you want, I’ll put him out.
But we all want the same things: Myst dead, the town free, Grieve
home safe. And”—she lowered her voice—“my mother . . . I want her
to rest. For good. I can’t stand the thought that Myst turned her
into a vampire.”
I hung my head,
trying to swim up through the depths of depression. Everything was
so fucked up that I couldn’t see the bottom from where I was
standing. Enfolding my cousin in my arms, I patted her back and
kissed her hair.
“I’d give
anything—even Grieve—to be able to give you your mother back again.
Remember: I loved her, too. She was the only steadying force I ever
knew in my life, aside from Ulean. Please, never think I’m angry at
you. I hold my anger for those who deserve it. Myst—Lannan . . .
even Leo. Right now, I could take them all out. Well, maybe not
Leo, but I’d like to give him a bruised butt. But you . . .
chica, we’re family. We’re twin
cousins—remember?”
She smiled then,
tears in her eyes. “I remember when we were young. How much fun we
had. Life seemed so full of promise, until Krystal took you away.
After that, I still had fun, but there was always something
missing. And that missing piece was you. Cicely, we’re solstice babies; I’m the light,
you’re the dark. We balance each other out.”
I nodded. “Wipe your
eyes. Get some dinner. I’ll be back later. We’ll see what Anadey
can do.”
As I let go of her
and moved to the door, she clasped my hand. “I know this is hard
for you—”
“The hardest thing
I’ve ever done.”
With that, she let go
and I headed over to Anadey’s, to see if she could release me from
something I’d give anything not to let go of.
Anadey was wearing a
long black robe when she opened the door, and she looked as tired
as I felt. She stood back and I entered the house. Peyton was in
the corner, curled up with a book, and waved when she saw
me.
“Are you sure you’re
up for this, so soon after . . . what happened at the diner?” The
last thing I wanted was to cause Anadey more pain.
“It will help me take
my mind off today.” Her voice was grave. She motioned for me to sit
down. “Tell me everything.”
I did, including our
plan to rescue Grieve and hide him in a safe house. Anadey said
nothing while I spoke, just blinked her way through what I had to
say. After I finished, I sat back, waiting.
“I think I can help
you. In fact, it won’t be that difficult. But you have to trust me.
Do you trust me, Cicely?” She gazed at me with those brilliant eyes
of hers. Anadey: the daughter of the most powerful witch who had
ever lived in New Forest. Anadey: Peyton’s mother. Anadey: one of
our only allies. And I was about to put myself in her hands, to let
her work her magic on me.
I paused, holding her
gaze. After a moment, I slowly nodded. “I trust you.”
“Then go into the
bathroom and bathe—I’ve set up a ritual bath for you. After you
finish, return, naked. Peyton—you must leave. You shouldn’t be in
the house while we’re working. Be careful, though—the Shadow
Hunters could be anywhere.” She gave her daughter a long
look.
Peyton bit her lip,
then turned to me. “Are you sure you want to do this, Cicely? Think
about it . . .”
“Don’t you trust me
to treat your friend right?” Anadey turned to Peyton. “After all
we’ve been through, do you doubt my word? Is that your father’s
doing? Did he lie about me to you in that letter he sent?” She
sounded bitter.
“No, damn it! I just
want to be sure Cicely realizes what she’s doing. This has nothing
to do with you—or my father!” Peyton grabbed her jacket, then
turned back to me. “Give the word and I’m out of here. I will
support whatever you choose to do, but I want to hear it from your
own lips. I just have a bad feeling about it.”
I gave her a faint
smile. “I love you, too, Peyton. And thanks—for caring. But I have
to do this. If I don’t, I put everybody I love in
danger.”
She nodded. “That’s
all I needed to hear. I’ll see you later, lady.” To her mother, she
glowered, but said, “I’ll be careful. You better be,
too.”
When we were alone,
Anadey let out a long sigh. “I wish she’d quit blaming me for being
angry about her father. He’s a sleaze and a drunk. He ran out on
us, leaving me to cope with a young girl, and never once checked in
to see how she was doing. Never once did he send support for her—I
had to fend for the both of us on my own. And now he wants back in
her life? I’m convinced he’ll try to take her away from
me.”
I lightly put my hand
on the older woman’s arm. “Don’t do this to yourself. You know
Peyton adores you—she loves you so much. How can you believe that
someone who’s a relative stranger could come in and destroy your
relationship with her that easily?”
She wavered, and I
could see she was thinking about what I’d said, but then she shook
her head. “It’s just too dangerous . . . I can’t chance it . .
.”
“Chance
what?”
“Never mind.” Her
smile returned and she pointed toward the bathroom. “Here, drink
this. It will put you in the right mood. Go immerse yourself in the
bath and clean with the soap I put there. Then return here,
naked.”
I downed the drink—it
tasted like apple juice—and then excused myself and went into the
bathroom. The walls were soft rose-petal pink, and the bathtub and
fixtures were painted porcelain. The tub was filled with steaming
water and a froth of bubbles that immediately calmed me down. As I
stripped down and slowly lowered myself into the water, the heat
seeped through my muscles and I leaned back, letting the magic of
the herbs work their wonders.
All my angst and
worry seemed to drift away, out of my muscles, out of my heart, and
I relaxed for the first time in days. The blood fever felt like it
had worked its way out of my system, and I slowly bathed with the
soap that Anadey had left. It was a golden brown, and as I smelled
it, I recognized honey and oatmeal, valerian and comfrey, lavender
and newly mown grass. I lathered up and then, holding my breath and
closing my eyes, slid beneath the surface, letting the water cover
my head before breaking through again. I gasped, then wiped my eyes
on a hand towel.
Cicely, something doesn’t feel right.
Ulean? I didn’t know you’d come with
me.
I think you need to get out of here right
now.
I bit my lip,
wavering. What do you sense? Is there anything
riding the slipstream?
A pause, then:
No. But I just have an uneasy prescience about
this. Please, leave. Go home.
Wondering what was
up, I slowly emerged from the tub and wiped off. As I draped my
pendant over my head, I began to notice that I was feeling
lightheaded. I sat down on the bench to the side of the vanity and
tried to collect my thoughts.
Ulean, I don’t feel well—I’m feeling
woozy.
Cicely, get out of here. Now!
I stumbled up and
tried to gather my clothing but kept dropping pieces. Finally, I
tried to shove myself into my jeans but couldn’t manage the legs. I
threw on my jacket, ignoring my bra and top, which were somewhere
on the floor. As I opened the door and staggered out, Anadey was
there to meet me.
“Anadey—something’s
wrong. I don’t feel so good. I think I’d better go
home.”
“Nothing’s wrong,
Cicely. I just had to make certain you were relaxed. This is a
delicate spell. Now, take off your jacket and let’s get on with the
casting. We don’t have all day.”
Everything seemed
terribly normal, but when I stared into Anadey’s eyes, I saw a
flickering light that I didn’t like. It was the light of betrayal.
I pushed past her, attempting to make my way to the door, but once
again I stumbled, and this time she grabbed me by the arm and
jerked me back. She was horribly strong against my drugged
state.
Off balance, I
crashed to the floor. The room was spinning now, and I was
blinking, trying to clear my sight, which had gone blurry. “What
did you do to me, Anadey? What did you put in the
drink?”
She tugged my jacket
off me and then, grabbing me beneath both arms, half-lifted,
half-dragged me into a circle of salt and herbs that she’d laid out
in the middle of the living room floor. When we reached the center,
she dropped me onto the floor, then stepped out of the circle and
whispered a few words.
I forced myself to my
hands and knees, crawling slowly across the twisting floor, to the
edge of the salt. But try as I might, I couldn’t force myself to
cross the barrier. I tried to scatter the salt, but my hand met an
invisible force field as it neared the edge of the
circle.
“You might as well
quit trying,” Anadey said, glancing down at me. “The drink I gave
you will last through the ritual. I’m sorry, Cicely, but I cannot
chance having my fucking ex come here and take away my daughter. He
tried, you know, once before. He tried to kidnap her when she was
still young, and I stopped him. He still bears the scars of that
lightning bolt. But now he’s gained powerful allies, and I have
been offered a choice. I won’t lose her.”
I forced my gaze up
to meet hers and saw stark fear emblazoned across her face.
“Anadey—what are you doing? Are you going to kill me? Hand me over
to Myst?”
She stopped, her eyes
wide. “Oh no, my dear. I’d never do that to you—please, don’t think
I mean to hurt you. I’m just going through with the spell we agreed
on, with a twist. I’m going to take away your love for Grieve.
Forever.”
As she lightly
stepped in the circle again, I tried to catch her by the hem of her
robe, to trip her up, but it didn’t work, and I let out a little
cry.
“You can’t break the
connection—you’ll kill us both.”
“Don’t be
ridiculous,” she said, kneeling down. She stretched my arms and
legs out, tying me to four pegs that she’d hammered into tiny holes
in the floor. After that, she began to draw on me with a brush
dipped in red ink. Dragon’s Blood ink.
I shivered as the bristles tickled their way over my
skin.
“It’s true, Anadey.
Please, believe me. Talk to Chatter—”
“He’d just make up a
story. He misses his friend. No, we have to go through with this
and then you and your cousin will be safe, and so will my Peyton.
It will work out best for everybody.”
“What are you doing
to me?” I whispered, my voice falling mute even as she drew.
“Peyton—does Peyton know what you’re planning?”
“No, she doesn’t, and
I’m doing what I was told. This is the only way I can ever ensure
that Rex won’t get his hands on Peyton. You have to trust me,
Cicely—please trust me. I won’t hurt you, I promise. I would never
hurt you.”
But even as she
continued to emblazon the symbols across my body, I knew that what
she was doing would hurt me far worse than any beating I would ever
endure.
Ulean, Ulean, help me. Can’t you please help
me?
But no answer came.
Ulean couldn’t hear me—or I couldn’t hear her.
“Just a little more,
and then I can begin the ritual.” Anadey stood, and, eyeing me,
gave a little nod. “Done.”
As she stepped out of
the circle, I felt a rush of energy surround me, and for the first
time in a long while, I felt totally isolated. There was no one
here to help me. I focused on my wolf, calling to Grieve, but he
was nowhere to be sensed. Truly alone. I am
truly alone.
Anadey waved her
hands as she began to circle the ring of salt. A faint bluish mist
seeped out from her fingers and drifted lazily into the circle with
me, filling my lungs with the scent of ocean waves and salt
brine.
Water to water, wave to wave,
Love built through time, I seek to stave.
A flush of energy
rushed over me and I was breathing water, choking on the liquid as
it rushed through my body, cleansing me fully, seeking all corners
of my heart and soul, looking for inroads to fill me full with its
briny depths. I began to cry as it dislodged feelings and thoughts
and began to buoy them up on its ever-encroaching
currents.
“Anadey—stop—you’re
stealing my memories!” I tried to scream, but my words were so many
bubbles floating up to the surface of the flood that flowed through
me.
Anadey returned to
the beginning of the circle and began a second sweep.
Earth to earth, stone to stone,
Sever connections that have been sown.
The mist turned to
green, and as it flowed into the circle, it felt like a landslide,
rumbling. And then I was looking up as a billowing cloud of mud and
rock towered over me. I gasped but there was no air to breathe,
only the deep gases of the earth, only the dust and soot-laden
clouds that swept around me. As the energy began to seep through
me, it uprooted connections and bonds, and I felt numb. Empty, and
so truly alone.
Anadey returned to
the beginning of the circle, to commence a third
sweep.
Fire to fire, flame to flame,
This questing love, the sparks shall tame.
Crimson . . . the
mist was a crimson cloud and smelled of bonfires and graves, and
hearth fires. It burned as it neared, chafing my skin, and brought
with it the crackle of embers. And it ate—gobbling up the will of
my heart, the love I felt inside, my desire to be with Grieve. As I
felt my need for him seeping out of me, I opened my mouth to cry
out but there were no words. My lips were silent.
Anadey paused,
staring down at me. I looked at her, pleading. After a moment,
tears in her eyes, she began her final sweep.
Air to air, gale to gale,
Travel now, beyond the pale.
As the mist faded
into white, I felt myself melting, as a rush of air buoyed me up,
and then—a sudden jolt and I was gloriously free, rising up in owl
form to hover near the top of the ceiling. Anadey gasped, and the
mist began to retreat.
“Cicely—get down
here! You can’t break the spell, not this way—it will backfire in
hideous ways if you don’t allow me to finish it.”
But I didn’t give a
fuck what she was saying. As far as I knew, Anadey was my enemy, as
surely as Myst. Even more so than Lannan.
At that moment,
Peyton broke through the door.
“Cicely! What’s going
on! Mother, what the fuck are you doing?” She gasped. “What’s all
this?”
She’d no sooner
spoken than I took a chance and dove for the door, winging my way
out and up into the sky, and then headed for home, free and
wondering just what the hell Anadey had done to me.