Flight From Death Read online

  Chai patted my arm. “Little Sister, it’s okay. I’ll protect you, you know that.”

  Alex and Ralph moved restively around the edges of the table. Werewolves didn’t like magic to begin with, and Alex seemed to be uncertain as to whether the whole idea was a good one, and he voiced as much.

  “You certain you want to try this? Patrick, this could stir things up worse than before.” Alex frowned, turning to his friend. “I’m willing to go through with it, but make sure it’s what you want.”

  Patrick shrugged. “What choice do I have? It’s either this or just hand the house over to the spirit and walk away. I doubt if I could sell it—or maybe I could, but then I’d constantly wonder what plight I handed over to the next poor owner. We might as well give this a try.”

  Tonya took that for a cue and motioned for us to gather around the table. “In a circle, please, and hold hands.”

  Luckily the table wasn’t that big, so the five of us—Patrick, Alex, Ralph, Chai, and I—were easily able to stretch around the perimeter. Tonya picked up the broom first and began circling us counterclockwise, sweeping the air with the broom. As she passed me, I could feel the energy stir and swirl.

  “With my besom, circle round, declaring this sacred ground.

  Sweep away the shadows nigh, I call upon the Eastern sky.

  Wind and breeze hark unto me, clear this space, so mote it be.”

  Her voice lilted over the words as she sang, and the melody wove in a sinuous rhythm, pulling me in. A breeze ran through the room, and I thought I heard murmuring on the wind as it passed by.

  Tonya replaced the broom and picked up her dagger. Her arm outstretched, the blade pointed straight ahead, she circled the other direction—clockwise. Starting in the north, she walked the circle three times around us, again her voice trilling over the chant as she wove her magic.

  “Maiden weave this circle tight, weave the web of glowing light.

  Mother weave this circle strong, let it hold the whole night long.

  Old crone weave this circle true, none unwelcome enter through.”

  Tonya stood at the north again, right behind Chai, and drew a large pentagram in the air.

  “By powers of earth, water, fire, by the winds of strong desire,

  I seal this circle and this room, protected by my witch’s rune.”

  A hush fell through the room and I could feel her energy weaving through the air. I hadn’t encountered much human magic before and was amazed by the soft flow as it worked its way around us. It wasn’t flashy—not like other magic—but there was a strong foundation in its quietude. Impressed, and feeling a little calmer, I squeezed Chai’s and Alex’s hands. Chai gave me a soft smile.

  Alex blinked, and it suddenly occurred to me why he might be nervous. He had incurred the anger of a sorcerer—now a vampire—many years back. Human magic might just scare him as a matter of course.

  Tonya set the dagger down and motioned for us to drop hands. She moved in between Ralph and Chai and picked up the chalice of wine.

  “I call upon the great goddess Hecate, triple goddess of the crossroads. Guardian of the dead, I call to you, asking your guidance as we seek to free the spirits trapped here this night. We seek to evict the shadow spirit holding the others hostage. Be with us, if you will.” She drank from the chalice, then handed it to me. I took a sip, and then she handed it to Ralph and to Chai in turn and they followed suit.

  Afterward, she set it back on the table and picked up her dagger in one hand and the broom in the other, then turned to us.

  “As we walk through the house, I will be chanting. The rest of you follow with a contra-chant. As I finish each stanza, you will chant, Hecate, so mote it be. In unison, please.”

  We began in the basement and slowly worked our way to the attic. The chant she used for exorcism was a long one, to the point of where I lost track of anything but her words and the refrain we answered her with. Tonya’s voice was hypnotic—as much as any vampire or Fae I’d ever met. She wove magic with her words, she infused her will into every note that she sang, and I found myself focusing solely on what she was saying, binding my own will to hers.

  “Spirits of the earth and sky, spirits of the fire and water,

  Free all trapped within these walls, I command as Hecate’s daughter.”

  We walked the perimeters of the house, along each wall, skirting the furniture but leaving no corner untouched by the energy. We walked in single file, with Tonya at the helm, her dagger pointed toward the wall as she swept the air with the broom. Behind her came Patrick, then me, then Alex, then Ralph, and Chai brought up the rear.

  As we slowly ascended the stairs toward the main floor, I thought I felt things begin to shift and move—and a crash behind us told me I was right. But Tonya kept firm control of the situation. She didn’t acknowledge the noise—didn’t even turn around. The rest of us took our cues from her.

  On the main floor, we began making our way through the rooms, one at a time, with the same pattern. Circling each room, Tonya swept with the broom and used the dagger to channel her energy. I’d figured out that was what she was doing—infusing her energy through the blade and into the walls.

  “Hecate on you I call, free the spirits within these walls,

  Give them wings, let them fly, by the powers of moon and sky.”

  Again, a couple of crashes rang through the living room as vases toppled and a picture hit the ground. I tried to ignore it. Tonya’s focus was absolute, and she needed us backing her. The fact that we were getting a rise out of the ghosts—most likely our nasty one—had to mean that something was working.

  As we headed toward the stairwell I noticed shadows beginning to grow along the wall, moving on their own without anything there to cast them. Shivering, I pulled my attention back, pouring it into the energy of the chant, into my voice as I echoed the refrain.

  The energy began to press down, heavily, as if attempting to muffle her song, and the air felt thick in my lungs, almost like I was breathing water vapor. Alex, who was right behind me, let out a low growl. Behind him, I could hear Ralph’s breathing quicken, growing deeper as if he were trying to gulp down more air. The oppression grew thicker as we ascended the stairs to the second and third floors, and with each room, the shadows weighed heavier. We were being followed by a legion of spirits, it felt.

  Where had they all come from? We hadn’t encountered that many in the house. But they were there, watching us, following us, joining us as we moved from room to room. My nerves jangled, I tried to keep my focus from wavering. Tonya needed us and right now, I didn’t want to see what might happen if things came unwound.

  As we came to stand beneath the attic, Patrick moved forward silently and, once again, opened the door and brought the folding staircase down for us. I did not want to go back up there—that was the last place that felt safe—but we didn’t have much choice. Tonya started up the steps, cautiously easing her way up the flimsy ladderlike structure.

  As we entered the attic, the room seemed illuminated from something more than just the lightbulb. Everywhere, flickers of light dashed and darted across the walls, through the air. I realized that faint orbs were glowing. We were surrounded by them.

  Tonya fell silent. She stared at the bubbles of light that were everywhere. “Spirit orbs,” she whispered. “Look at all the spirits. They can’t all be coming from this house—there weren’t that many here.”

  “From the land? Is there a graveyard near?” Ralph’s voice was hushed, as he slowly inched closer to Alex and me. I could tell the Were was afraid—werewolves really weren’t fond of magic as a whole. And spirits? A little too close to magic for most of their tastes.

  “I don’t know.” Patrick turned to Tonya. “What next?”

  “Next, we do our best to send them packing.” As she readied her broom and dagger, a brilliant streak of lightning cut through the night, illuminating the attic through the windows. Following right on its heels, thunder shook the walls,
rumbling through like a freight train. The weather had broken, and the town was right below storm central.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Crap, we’d better get moving.” That was the most nonlyrical thing Tonya had said since we’d begun. She motioned for us to form a circle around her. “Join hands and don’t let go. Keep the circle tight at all costs.”

  The storm began to rage outside, with lightning striking right and left, followed by deep rumbling bursts of thunder. Tonya began to chant something and this time I didn’t recognize the language. It could have been dwarven for all I knew. But the energy behind the words was incredibly powerful.

  Tonya’s voice dipped, low and forceful, and as I watched her, I noticed, in my peripheral vision, the spirit orbs were beginning to swirl and spin. They darted through the air, as though they were bubbles in water, churning at a full boil.

  The temperature in the attic suddenly plunged, and a loud laughter rebounded off the walls as books and old dusty plates and cups sitting around began to fly through the air. The freestanding mirror suddenly toppled, crashing to the floor.

  Tonya’s voice rose and she was suddenly speaking English. “Leave this place. Leave this house. Go and never return. I command you in the name of Hecate the Mighty, Hecate the Goddess of the Crossroads, Hecate the Guardian of the Dead. Hear me and obey! Be gone now, I command thee—so mote it be!”

  Objects whizzed past faster than in a centrifuge, but then—as the orbs vibrated to the point of being a blur of motion—there was another huge flash of lightning, the thunder echoed through the room, and everything . . . was suddenly silent, all motion stopped. The orbs were gone. Every object that had been suspended in the air was on the ground, dropping from where it had been. The room felt silent. I glanced around, warily looking for any sign that we were in for another round of ghostly attacks.

  Tonya slowly broke the circle, standing back. “Is he . . . are they . . . gone?” She closed her eyes, searching for something.

  I tried to send out feelers but was bombarded by the energy of the storm. “I have no idea. I’m caught up in the storm. The rain is coming in fast now, behind the lightning. It’s going to be one hell of a blow tonight.”

  Ralph edged back toward a chair and gingerly sat down on it. “I guess we have to wait and see? Unlike Diablo 2, there aren’t any pinging lights racing through the room to indicate we cleared it.” He pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose and brushed back the tangle of curly hair, looking more like a frightened and tired geek boy than a world-wise werewolf.

  Chai frowned. “I cannot tell. I don’t think . . . I can’t see through the storm, either. The lightning in it calls to me.” He leaned down to me. “Little Sister, you’re in need of food.”

  Tonya plunked herself down on the ottoman next to Ralph. “We’re all in need of food. Patrick and Alex, you might want to . . . drink up. Even for a vampire, exorcisms will take it out of you. There’s no telling what we’ll be facing when the storm clears, but for now, I am going to cautiously advance the hope that we have booted his ass out the door.”

  “How will we know?” Patrick asked, glancing around as if he were expecting the bogeyman to jump out from behind one of the armoires or dressers.

  “We’ll know. If he doesn’t return, it worked. I’ll come back later after I’ve had some sleep and check on things. Shimmer, Ralph—you’ll be around at . . . oh, say . . . one or two in the afternoon?”

  Ralph slowly nodded. “I don’t see why not. Until we figure out whether this has done the trick, there isn’t much for us to do.”

  “He’s right,” Alex said. “Shimmer, feel free to go swimming again if you like. It’s . . . what . . . nearly five thirty. Patrick and I will be retiring to our beds in less than two hours. Meanwhile, I think we can all use a breather.”

  I was wound up. The energy had left me strung on a wire and I realized that I was not only antsy, but also horny. I enjoyed sex and it had been several months since Carter and I broke up. I’d gotten used to it on a regular schedule. Now, the hunger hit me like a fork of the lightning going on outside, straight out of the blue. I stared at Alex. But just then, Chai gently touched me on the shoulder.

  “Your thoughts wander in dangerous directions, girl.” He gazed down at me with those gorgeous eyes and once again, I wished that he and I could feel more for each other than the brother-sister energy we had. Chai would be safe and simple.

  I turned my thoughts away from sex and cleared my throat. “It seems danger is all around me. It always has been, you know.”

  “Perhaps so, but vampires?” He kept his voice low, but I saw Alex dart a quick glance in our direction.

  “Hush. And yes . . . even though it sounds bizarre. We’ll talk about this later.” I turned back to Tonya, who was wearily heading back to the ladder. “Wait for me. I’m hungry, too.” I scampered over to her, eager to push away both my thoughts and Chai’s observances.

  Downstairs, the place looked like it had been ransacked. Not a lot was broken, but there were a number of things out of place, scattered on the floor or on tables and chairs. Several vases were smashed, and a number of plates, but thank gods Patrick said none of them were too valuable. All in all, we seemed to have gotten off easy.

  Too easy, my gut warned me, but I was too tired to listen to my fears. I pushed the voice away and pulled out bread and cheese and sliced meat. Ralph grabbed the condiments, and Tonya found some plates and utensils. Chai helped Patrick and Alex sweep up the broken glass. By the time we had a stack of sandwiches made and a package of cookies opened, they’d cleaned up most of the living room and kitchen.

  “We’ll finish the rest of the house after we take a break,” Patrick said, pulling a couple bottles of blood out of the refrigerator. “I need a drink.” He looked at Alex. “You’re looking pale. When’s the last time you actually fed on someone?”

  Alex blinked, staring at him. “Come on, mate, don’t ask about that among . . .” He paused, glancing at Tonya, Ralph, and me, waiting to see what we’d say.

  Ralph shrugged. “It doesn’t bother us. I know you’re a vampire—so does Shimmer. While she might not be used to it yet, I’ve worked with you for enough years to know that you need to drink from humans now and then.”

  Tonya cleared her throat. “I don’t know much about vampires. Mother never said much when she was dating you. I thought you could go for years on bottled blood?” She sounded genuinely curious, not revolted like I’d expect her to be.

  Alex, however, was obviously uncomfortable with the line of questioning. “All right. Here it is: Yes, we can subsist on both animal blood and bottled blood. But the hunger is there, the urge to hunt. Giving in to it every now and then can help to control it, unless your inner predator takes over and sends the hunting instinct into overdrive. Luckily, I’ve got a pretty good hold on mine.”

  I had the impulse to ask how many people he had turned, but then stopped myself. First—it wasn’t my business. Second—that could be a very touchy subject and I didn’t want to stir up any more tension than we already had.

  I made another sandwich and then asked Patrick if I could heat up a can of soup. Hot food comforted me when I was tired and stressed.

  He immediately jumped up to do it and when I tried to protest, he waved away my objections. “I’m your host. You’re doing me a huge favor and I have no intention of making you wait on yourselves.” He opened the cupboard. “What kind do you want?”

  “Do you have cream of chicken?” I’d come to love the salty canned chicken soup that plopped out in the pan like a lump. I never mixed it with milk, just water, and I bought it by the case at this point.

  He laughed. “Yes, I have cream of chicken. I’ll make you some. Anybody else want a bowl?”

  Ralph cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t mind some of that.”

  “Me, too,” Tonya said, laughing. “I haven’t had cream of chicken for a long time.”

  In the end, Patrick opened five cans and made a huge pot,
and we devoured all of it. Tonya finally pushed herself to her feet. “I need to go home. I’m exhausted. I’ll be back around two o’clock to check on how things are going.” She had already gathered her things together, before we ate, and so she carried her bag out to her car and drove off into the still-raging storm.

  I yawned. “I’m tired, too. I want to go swimming but maybe I’ll wait till morning. I’m pretty sure I can sneak out there without anybody noticing, and right now the storm might make it problematic. Once I shift into dragon form, it won’t matter, but until then getting out into the strait might be an issue.” Glancing over at Ralph, I asked, “Did you want to sleep in my room again?”

  He frowned, then shook his head. “I think it will be okay. Get up around one? That will give us six hours of sleep and we can always catch a nap later in the afternoon if we need one.”

  “Sounds good.” I wiggled my fingers at Patrick and Alex. “Be sure to tuck yourselves in before morning light. Night, guys.”

  They waved back and went back to talking. I hoped they were mending their friendship. They truly seemed to like each other, and Patrick seemed like a good guy. Hoping we had seen the last of the ghostly intruders, I took a quick shower and climbed under the covers, immediately falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  • • •

  Ralph was up a little before I was, and waiting for me downstairs. He’d made toast and eggs and was setting the table. Even after the meal we’d had before bed, I realized I was hungry again. I glanced at the clock. One fifteen. There was no way I had time for a swim before Tonya arrived, so I’d go later.

  Chai, on the other hand, was ready and raring to go. “I thought I’d pop back to your place and check on your fish. I have a couple other things I need to attend to, if you don’t mind. I’ll be back later.”

  “Fine. Go talk to my fish and make sure they’re okay.” I hugged him. “Thanks, Chai. Don’t you run off on me, though, you big lug.”

  He chuckled. “No chance, Little Sister.” And then, with a wave to Ralph, he vanished. Ralph blinked over the plates he was arranging on the table.