Bewitching Bedlam Page 17

  “There were children in that village.” I swerved to miss a dog that was crossing the road. “I was so angry, so furious. I burned them like the witch hunters burned our own kind.”

  “Those children were ruthless hunters. Vampires, Maddy. All of them. I was there. Your memory is tinged with guilt. But I was there. The flames were necessary. And Fata and I, we’re just as responsible. But we knew what we were doing was right—what you led us to do was the right thing. We saved innocent lives.”

  I eased into the Blue Jinn’s parking lot and turned off the engine. “I suppose so.”

  Sandy glanced at me. “You know so.”

  I bit my lip. “I think the Erris excommunicated me from the coven because of what I did. She didn’t think I was right.”

  “The Erris was out of touch. She didn’t see the victims. She didn’t see the fear in the streets when the vampires were starting to rise. Besides, you grew so popular that she was afraid you were going to take her spot. That’s why she excommunicated you. The other Elders didn’t agree with her, but her word was law in the coven.”

  “What? She turned me out, named me pariah because she thought I was going to steal her thunder? Why didn’t you tell me this before? All this time, I thought that the entire council censured me, when it was her own hunger for power? She’s been dead for a century. You could have told me any time during the past hundred years. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  Relief swept over me. I hadn’t actually been cast out for what I had done, so much as for how much people had both feared and cheered me. I gripped the steering wheel.

  “Maddy?”

  “I don’t think I can talk now. I’ll see you at the temple.” I stared straight ahead, waiting for her to get out of the car. Part of me wanted to scream for her to get the hell out, the other part was frantically trying to calm myself down.

  “I’m sorry, Maddy. I should have told you sooner.” Sandy fell silent. Then, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she silently got out of the car. As soon as she was safely in her own, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the temple.

  THE TEMPLE ARIANRHOD where the Moonrise Coven met sat on five acres. With a private grove where we held rituals on the High Holy days, and our Esbats during the summer and early autumn, the temple itself was dedicated to the goddess Arianrhod, the Lady of the Silver Wheel. I had been brought up in a family dedicated to her, so it made sense for me to enter a coven that was pledged to work with her.

  For a temple, it looked a lot like an old brick schoolhouse—probably because that’s what it had originally been: a small schoolhouse that had housed students of a particularly magical system that no longer existed in Bedlam.

  Three families had practiced the tradition, but it was obscure and esoteric, and when the last of the children left the island, the trad died out. The coven had bought the building from the city thirty years before we had decked it out to our needs, transforming the land it sat on into a lush grove, complete with fire pit, ritual circle, and celebratory meadow for community events.

  The building itself was three stories, including the basement. We kept the largest room for community-wide rituals, usually held on the High Holy days during winter and the rainy season. The smaller rooms were divided into administrative rooms, private practice rooms, and one member of the coven—Jonquil—lived here. She cleaned the school and kept an eye on the temple in exchange for rent.

  The parking lot was full. It looked like everybody was here tonight. Which made sense, given we had to discuss Rose’s death. I eased into one of the spots as close to the temple as possible. Still angry at Sandy’s revelation, I also realized that we had to talk before ritual. Never enter sacred space without clearing out anger. If two members of the coven were angry at one another, they were required to either make peace before entering ritual space, or they were barred from participating.

  Stray anger all too often took on form and manifested in scary-assed ways. Like the time I was pissed at Rodger—who had been glomming all over me—and forgot to clear it up before ritual. He had developed a raging erection that wouldn’t go away, and he had ended up in the hospital for priapism. It had been embarrassing to admit that I had been at fault, but I confessed because one thing that was continually driven home among magical families was the necessity to accept responsibility for our actions.

  As I stepped out of the car, Sandy eased into the spot next to me. She slammed her door and marched over to me, hands on her hips. “I have something to say and you’re going to listen to me, Maudlin Gallowglass.”

  I glanced up at the gathering clouds. “Make it quick because it looks like we’re in for another round of snow and it’s coming on quick.”

  She licked her lips. “I should have told you. I know that. I screwed up big time, but after all these years, I wasn’t sure how to approach it. I was scared, Maddy, that you’d think I was in on it with the Erris. But she threatened me. She told me if I ever mentioned what I had found out that she would strip our powers if Fata and I told you anything.”

  I stared at her. The Erris had been more than capable of carrying out her threats. And we had bent our will to hers without question. We trusted her, even though we seldom got to see her. Tom had adored her like a mother. When he was turned, it hit her almost as hard as it had hit me. But where I ran wild, she focused on gathering more power.

  “What? She actually did that?”

  Sandy shrugged. “Yeah. She did. After she died, I thought about telling you a thousand times. Every time I’d start, something would still my tongue. Until tonight. Tonight, it felt like the right time.”

  Still in shock, but no longer furious, I let out a long, slow breath. “Then I guess it’s the right time for me to know. All right. I trust that you wouldn’t deliberately keep something this important from me without good reason. And truth is, I don’t know how it would have changed me. It would have been nice to live without the shame she piled on me. But it’s too late to know what changes it would have made.”

  Sandy held out her hand just as the snow began to fall. The flakes melted against her skin. “Friends? I can’t stand it when we’re mad at each other.”

  I pressed my lips together. We had been through thick and thin. Through centuries. And always, Sandy had been there for me. My best friend. My blood-oath sister.

  I slowly took her hand. “Friends. Always.”

  After all the years, that was all we needed to say. I took her hand and we ran toward the building, trying not to slip on the ice and snow.

  Chapter 12

  LINDA AND THE others were gathered in the preparation room, sitting in a semi circle. The Moonrise Coven consisted of twenty-one members. Thirteen of us were in the Inner Court, seven were Outer Court. Only now that number stood at six with Rose’s death.

  Among the Inner Court, five of us—Linda, Sandy, Terrance, Angus, and me—formed the council. We were responsible for the final decisions of the coven. Everybody was present, except for Rose, of course. And by the looks on their faces, they had all heard the news.

  “Sorry we’re late.” I slid into my place, with the other council members. Sandy sat next to me. I glanced over at Linda who shot me a puzzled look, but when I shook my head, she turned back to the rest of the coven.

  She held up her wand. “If we’re all here, then, I declare the December Esbat meeting of the Moonrise Coven under way. Before we go any further, I have made a decision that tonight we will forgo ritual. With all that’s happened this week, the energy would be far too volatile to practice any magic. But we have several issues to discuss.”

  Shauna, a member of the Inner Court, raised her hand. “What happened? We know Rose is dead but I’ve been out of town and have no clue what went on.”

  Linda let out a long breath, then glanced over at me. “Are you comfortable taking questions? I don’t have the answers to a lot of them and, considering the circumstances, you might.”

  I wasn�
��t, but sometimes we all had to step up and take on uncomfortable roles.

  “I’ll tell you all that I can, but with the case under investigation, it’s limited. I found Rose in my backyard. She was murdered. Ralph Greyhoof is in jail for questioning on the matter. As to anything else, I can’t discuss it, so please don’t ask any other questions about it.” I turned to Linda. “Sandy and I really need to talk to you in private.”

  Looking confused, she led us into her office while the others broke out the post-ritual snacks. Given we weren’t working magic, the food promised an early comfort.

  As she shut the door behind her, Linda cast a quick Silence spell to keep what we said within the confines of the room. Nobody would be able to listen at the door to hear what we were saying. While theoretically that shouldn’t even be a worry, the others were curious and it was better to avoid the possibility.

  Linda motioned to the sofa near her desk and we sat. I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees as I entwined my fingers together.

  “Linda, we need to talk about Rachel and Essie. You do know who Rachel is, don’t you?”

  She slowly nodded. “Yeah, I remember Lena having issues with her.”

  “Then we need to know if you’re aware that the vamps may be trying for a coup.”

  She pinched the top of her nose, between her brows, and let out a sigh. After a long while, she nodded. “A coup? What are you talking about?”

  Linda was lying—it rang in her voice. I glanced at Sandy, who shot me a “WTF” look. “Surely you know or heard what Delia had to say? She and I talked today.”

  Linda’s shoulders sank. “All right. Yes, I know that Essie and Rachel are vying for control of the throne. And yes, Essie assassinated Lena, although nobody will ever be able to prove it.”

  “And you never said a word to us because—?” Sandy’s eyes narrowed.

  “Because it’s ancient history. Lena’s dust. Essie agreed to abide by the treaty. End of story.” Linda frowned. “As High Priestess of this coven, it’s up to me what information to disseminate to the group.”

  “The full coven, yes, but the Inner Court Council? No.” Sandy scowled. “What gives you the right to keep an assassination silent? I remember when that happened. You never said a word about Essie being responsible for Lena’s death.”

  “You’re questioning my authority?”

  I broke in before Sandy could respond. “Enough. Linda, this is personal. Delia thinks that Rose was killed by mistake. That whoever murdered her was after me instead.”

  Linda paused, breathing deeply as she straightened her shoulders. “I’m sorry about that, Maddy.”

  “So, you know they’re vying for the throne. That means you knew Rachel was back in town even though Lena had barred her from returning?” I asked, trying to piece together the puzzle. There were still several gaping holes and Linda seemed to know some of the answers, but she was resisting and that made me terribly suspicious.

  Linda inclined her head, but said nothing. The pinched look on her face was growing stronger.

  Sandy suddenly snapped her fingers. “I think I’ve figured something out. What if Essie’s behind Rose’s death? What if she enthralled Ralph and made him believe she was Rachel. That way she could take out one of the members of the Inner Court and her rival for the throne at the same time and Rose was the unintended victim.”

  I cocked my head, trying to follow her reasoning. “How do you figure?”

  Sandy sounded excited as she laid it out for me. “What if Essie thought, why not kill you and make it look like Rachel’s fault? Ralph was quick about giving you info on who put him up to sneaking into your bathroom, wasn’t he?”

  I nodded. “Too quick. I see your point. When a vampire enthralls someone, they usually put a gag order on them to protect themselves. But he told me right off, full description, and that he thought she was a vampire.”

  “Then you get the text telling you where Rachel is hiding. Not overly obvious but enough for you to put two and two together. Essie had to know that Aegis would go after Rachel if you were hurt, and he could easily win. He’s stronger than Rachel by a long shot.”

  I was beginning to see where she was going with this. “And if somehow Essie’s plan didn’t work, then I would assume Rachel was after me and take care of her myself. Which would leave Essie in the clear, her rival out of the picture, and there would be one fewer member of the coven to worry about.”

  Sandy reached over and laid a light hand on my arm. “Maddy…you were Mad Maudlin, one of the scariest vampire hunters in history. Essie’s bound to know that. While you were living in Seattle you weren’t such a threat, but you moved to Bedlam. If she’s out to stage a takeover, then you are a serious threat to her and her people.”

  I felt a shiver race over my back. “Damn. I never thought of that, but it makes sense.”

  “Are you sure about this? Rachel sounds like the most likely suspect. Plus, she has a grudge against you.” Linda’s voice was shaky.

  I turned to her. “Linda, what aren’t you telling us? You know full well we’re on the right track, so why are you clamming up? What do you know about Essie?”

  Linda paused and I thought she wasn’t going to answer, but then she finally crossed to her bookshelf where she withdrew a thin volume.

  “Here.” She handed me the book. “Page fifty-two.”

  I opened the journal to find that it was hand written rather than actual print. “It feels old.”

  “It is old. It’s five hundred years old and the only way it’s managed to make it this far is because it’s been magically enchanted to stand through time.” Linda reached over to lovingly stroke the leather. “Whoever takes over as coven leader will inherit this and be responsible for its upkeep.”

  I opened it to page fifty-two and glanced at the writing. In clear, concise cursive was a description of Essie, along with a careful drawing of her. I recognized her right off, even though the style of dress had changed and her hair was different.

  Essie Vanderbilt: Essie Vanderbilt was born in New Orleans in 1844. She was part of the Voudou community, and studied with Marie Laveau, the Queen of Voodoo, and later with Marie’s daughter—also named Marie—who was also a practitioner. Essie was considered one of the most powerful Voudou priestesses ever, and people far and wide feared her as well as flocked to her for help with their problems. At the height of her career, when she was 33, Essie made the mistake of walking down a back alley. Where no human in the area would dare harm her, vampires didn’t have the same qualms.

  A vampire named Philippe, originally over from Paris, ruled as the Vampire King of the Southern States. He had fallen for Essie and also saw her a potential business partner, decided it was time to stop taking “No” for an answer. He dragged Essie into the shadows and forced her to drink from his veins, then drained her dry. When she rose, he expected her to succumb to his will, but he had no clue how powerful Essie was. She had managed to retain some of her powers, though she would never again be accepted in her Voudou House, and she set out to destroy Philippe for what he did to her. The two waged war, dividing both the vampire community and the Otherkin community, and in the end, she threw him down, staking him in front of his court, and took his crown. When she later decided to move north, she forged an alliance with her successor and moved up in the hierarchy of the Vampire Nation, a loose alliance of regents.

  She later moved to the Pacific Northwest, and supplanted Lena Verda as queen.

  I silently handed the book to Sandy, who quickly skimmed the passage.

  “Crap.” She set the book on the coffee table. “So, Essie would certainly know what to do with your hair, all right, if Ralph got away without you finding him. Rachel doesn’t have a magical background, does she?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Aegis certainly didn’t mention anything of the sort. So, we have Essie, a Voudou vampire who apparently enjoys her power. Given her reaction when Philippe tr
ied to assert his authority over her, it’s clear she doesn’t play well with others.” Turning to Linda, I added, “All right. You knew Essie’s a Voudou priestess. Why on earth did you allow her to stay on the island?”

  Linda stared at her feet. She began to rock back and forth, biting her lip. I had the strange feeling that we were about to enter territory that would shift everything.

  “Linda, Rose was murdered. I’m a target and—apparently—so is our entire coven. If you know anything, you owe us an explanation. I know you’ve been our High Priestess for decades, but you can’t hide something that might put us all at risk.”

  “I know that!” A shower of sparks sizzled around her. Linda ran heavy fire energy and it flared when she was upset.

  Sandy tapped the coffee table. “So, out with it.”

  “All right. I guess I can’t hide it anymore. Essie has something on me. She’s holding some information over my head and I’m terrified to cross her.” Linda looked so miserable that I wanted to reach over and give her a hug, but I refrained.

  “What is it? You can tell us.”

  “Apparently, I have no choice.” Sounding bitter, Linda crossed to her desk and retrieved a picture frame from a locked drawer. She returned, handing it to us. We found ourselves staring at a lovely young woman with an innocent look on her face. “This is Patricia. She’s my daughter.”

  That was odd. Linda had never mentioned a daughter before, or a husband. “You’re married?”

  “No, I’ve never been married. But I used to live with a man named Ryan. I got pregnant and he left. Patty is the result of that union. He was human, so she’s mixed blood. But Patty is a special-needs child…woman now. She’s developmentally disabled. She has the emotional age of about a ten-year-old, even though she’s seventy-two. She inherited my longevity, but few of my other powers. I realized early on that she would be a target for my enemies, and I have more of them than you want to think. So I took her to Kali, my best friend at the time. Kali always wanted children but couldn’t have any. She welcomed Patty in as her own and has raised her from the first month.” Her voice was wistful, and I could see both regret and relief in her eyes.