the dark, a wordless singing and a hint of guitar. We weaved through the trees and the forest floor, dancing around more than with each other. With each pass the wards meshed together tighter. Despite the cold of the spring night I was sweating by the time the first drops of rain hit my face.
For the initial seconds it stayed a gentle downpour, then I called to Stack and we unleashed the cone of energy we’d been building. A massive boom of thunder was followed by blue-white lightning hitting the tree next to which was buried the bottle holding Stanley Haschall’s spirit, turning the night briefly into day. The sky opened, sending down a hard rain.
I pushed through exhaustion and kept dancing, riding out the storm to complete the spell that sealed the wards. A howl of anger sounded as the spell snapped into place. I felt it as it happened, the final push of magic that finished the working. It left my muscles burning and my vision gray. On unsteady feet I reached the spot where I’d left my bag, cleaning up as quickly as I could under the circumstances.
Stack rarely manifested solid enough to touch but he did then, the weight of his hands guiding me out of the forest and across the border of the ward so Daniel could take over. My legs quit working, Daniel catching me before my knees hit the ground. He was soaking wet.
“Let’s go home.” At least that’s what I thought he said. I was already half asleep.
Chapter 15
After nearly twelve hours of sleep I woke up refreshed but starving. It was the middle of the day so Daniel was still in bed. I didn’t feel like cooking, though. I called Ray and we arranged to meet.
All those years ago we never had a public date. Sitting down with him in a restaurant where people could see us and point and whisper, or not bother to whisper, was beyond strange. I focused on the menu, pretending not to notice the attention.
Ray had no qualms about bringing it up. “It’s starting to get out that you’re back. A few folks have asked me about you. Asked if I’ve seen you.”
“What did you tell them?” I tapped my feet to the mariachi music playing in the background. This place was new, at least to me.
“I said I’d seen you. I said you were doing fine and still trying to rebuild after the flood.”
A waiter arrived and took our order. Ray crunched a few chips from the tortilla chips and salsa appetizer while I tried to casually look around at the lunch crowd. A couple of faces looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t attach names to them.
“Any talk of throwing me in the lake to see if I can swim?” Centuries ago women accused of witchcraft were tossed into lakes and rivers to see if they could swim. Witches were believed able to swim so if a woman survived, she was executed for witchcraft. If not, she drowned. I was only half joking.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “People change. Calm down. Folks may be talking about you being back but no one’s going to throw accusations around.” He reached across the table, giving my arm a quick pat. “Just relax and enjoy the meal. Tell me more about some of the cases you did in Nashville.”
I couldn’t work the knots out of my shoulders but I went back to ignoring the stares. “You know a little about Maple Hill, right?”
“Stanley Haschall?”
I nodded. “I went out there last night. Gave the wards a big shot of power. It’ll be a pretty good while before they need recharging.”
He skimmed the top of my hand with his fingers. “Thank you, Roxanne. I know how important it is to keep him on lockdown. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to go out there, either.”
“It needed doing.”
Our food arrived, the plates hot and loaded down with way more than I’d be able to eat. Maybe. As much energy as I’d expended the night before, I might have been able to clean my plate and part of his. The food was good and we ate in silence for a while. He was on his lunch break after all and only had an
For the initial seconds it stayed a gentle downpour, then I called to Stack and we unleashed the cone of energy we’d been building. A massive boom of thunder was followed by blue-white lightning hitting the tree next to which was buried the bottle holding Stanley Haschall’s spirit, turning the night briefly into day. The sky opened, sending down a hard rain.
I pushed through exhaustion and kept dancing, riding out the storm to complete the spell that sealed the wards. A howl of anger sounded as the spell snapped into place. I felt it as it happened, the final push of magic that finished the working. It left my muscles burning and my vision gray. On unsteady feet I reached the spot where I’d left my bag, cleaning up as quickly as I could under the circumstances.
Stack rarely manifested solid enough to touch but he did then, the weight of his hands guiding me out of the forest and across the border of the ward so Daniel could take over. My legs quit working, Daniel catching me before my knees hit the ground. He was soaking wet.
“Let’s go home.” At least that’s what I thought he said. I was already half asleep.
Chapter 15
After nearly twelve hours of sleep I woke up refreshed but starving. It was the middle of the day so Daniel was still in bed. I didn’t feel like cooking, though. I called Ray and we arranged to meet.
All those years ago we never had a public date. Sitting down with him in a restaurant where people could see us and point and whisper, or not bother to whisper, was beyond strange. I focused on the menu, pretending not to notice the attention.
Ray had no qualms about bringing it up. “It’s starting to get out that you’re back. A few folks have asked me about you. Asked if I’ve seen you.”
“What did you tell them?” I tapped my feet to the mariachi music playing in the background. This place was new, at least to me.
“I said I’d seen you. I said you were doing fine and still trying to rebuild after the flood.”
A waiter arrived and took our order. Ray crunched a few chips from the tortilla chips and salsa appetizer while I tried to casually look around at the lunch crowd. A couple of faces looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t attach names to them.
“Any talk of throwing me in the lake to see if I can swim?” Centuries ago women accused of witchcraft were tossed into lakes and rivers to see if they could swim. Witches were believed able to swim so if a woman survived, she was executed for witchcraft. If not, she drowned. I was only half joking.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “People change. Calm down. Folks may be talking about you being back but no one’s going to throw accusations around.” He reached across the table, giving my arm a quick pat. “Just relax and enjoy the meal. Tell me more about some of the cases you did in Nashville.”
I couldn’t work the knots out of my shoulders but I went back to ignoring the stares. “You know a little about Maple Hill, right?”
“Stanley Haschall?”
I nodded. “I went out there last night. Gave the wards a big shot of power. It’ll be a pretty good while before they need recharging.”
He skimmed the top of my hand with his fingers. “Thank you, Roxanne. I know how important it is to keep him on lockdown. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to go out there, either.”
“It needed doing.”
Our food arrived, the plates hot and loaded down with way more than I’d be able to eat. Maybe. As much energy as I’d expended the night before, I might have been able to clean my plate and part of his. The food was good and we ate in silence for a while. He was on his lunch break after all and only had an
Similar Books
