A Cold Day in Spell, page 19
Hours had passed while we drank tea and talked, and night falls early in the wintry northeast. What’s more, days had passed while I was incapacitated and unable to counter Diana’s match un-making. We might not have a plan, but at least I could go out and, if she was around, buy us some time.
Or maybe I just wanted to show the puffed up, evil-queen wannabe that she hadn’t beaten me. Either way, I pushed back from the table and went upstairs to change into an outfit that made a statement—something along the lines of, come at me, Diana. I dare you.
The unrelieved black I’d worn as Alexis would work just fine for issuing a challenge, but I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin, so I dug through the closet to unearth a cable knit sweater in white. Kin walked in just as I yanked on a red boot with a line of buckles running all the way up to the calf-high top, and the only thing I wanted to do was let him peel it right back off along with everything else.
“You’re not going alone.”
I loved him. From the fire that kindled behind his eyes when he figured out what I was planning, to the feet planted so his body blocked the door. I loved him.
But he would not keep me from my work and I wouldn’t put him in danger, so we were at an impasse. Or about to have our first fight and in less than twenty-four hours since getting back together.
“You’d be a dangerous distraction. I’ll be safer if you stay here.”
Arms coming up to cross over his chest, he repeated, “You’re not going alone. It doesn’t have to be me, but you’re taking someone or you’re not going.”
Despite there being only one person in my skin, I had to bite down on an Alexis-worthy retort.
“Is Delta still downstairs?”
If it came down to the physical, she’d be my best ally in a fight. Lightning fast, deadly with her weapon—of all the people in my life, she was the one I considered indestructible. Kin might as well have saved his bravado for another time, because when I hit the bottom of the stairs, there was an entourage at the ready, and they were all packing magical heat. Even Aunt Mag, bundled up in a vintage polyester snowmobile suit that made her look like a toddler, had her fierce face on. Diana would have to be unbelievably stupid to think she could take us all on and walk away unscathed.
Notably absent from the outing was Garrick and Fritzroy. According to Terra, the two men were in the sanctum “doing research” (her air quotes, not mine) to see if there was something they could do to tone down Kaine’s effect on the unwary.
“You know it lessens the impact of shoving my fearless lack of deadness in Diana’s face if I’m surrounded by a posse, right?” I selected a puffy white jacket with fake-fur trim on the hood from the coat closet and resigned myself to the inevitable. It was easier to let them all come along than it was to deal with the flack if I ditched them.
Still, it put a whole new spin on the concept of girl’s night out.
Spinning back at the door, I grabbed Kin and soundly kissed him just because I could.
“Will you wait for me? We have some catching up to do.”
He returned the favor, left me breathless and wanting, and then whispered an answer in my ear that made my face flame along with a few other parts of me.
Diana never showed her face, and neither did her minions, but two of my arrows unlocked hearts while my companions discussed all the things they’d do to her if she did. My personal favorite came from Gran, because the mental image could not be beat.
“I’ll curse her so hard her boobs will wrap twice around her neck and still drag on the ground.”
Laughing in the face of danger does great things for the body. It’s impossible to remain tense while doubled over and wheezing. Plus, if the Balmorrigan were skulking around, they’d be able to go home and tell her we weren’t running scared.
“Remind me to stay on your good side. I’d rather let age and gravity run their course if it’s all the same to you.” I scanned the area one last time for symbols, and seeing none, directed the troops back home.
I made it up all of three stairs before Fritzroy called my name.
“Can it wait?” I gazed longingly toward the top of the staircase, pictured Kin in my bed, gloriously naked, and shivered. “It’s been a long day.”
The man tsked at me. Who does that to another adult?
“You did indicate the situation with Kaine was of the utmost importance, did you not?”
Of course I had, so I sighed and followed him into the sanctum behind the fireplace. During my time as Alexis, I had avoided going in there, and now that I was my whole self again, it felt like returning home after a long absence. The sanctum, built by my grandmother Tempest, had been hidden until I gained my powers. When I’d found it, all those long months ago, I’d been in awe of the huge casting circle inlaid with what I now knew to be living gold—the same material used to create the Bow of Destiny.
Above the dais rested a domed glass roof encased in an elaborate wrought iron frame. Three stories of shelving lined the walls, and at night, you could climb up a complicated ladder system and gaze at all the stars in the sky surrounded by the musty scent of thousands of old books. Since my Awakening, the space had reconfigured itself to my preferences, with sections suitable for alchemy, meditation, and research. In my absence, it appeared to have become somewhat disheveled, and it seemed as though the coven-worth of witches currently taking up shop within it hadn’t helped matters much.
When this was over, I was looking at two days’ worth of cleaning and reorganizing, since half the contents of my bookshelves had been emptied to form piles on the floor.
“What we doing? Recreating Stonehenge out of books?” I asked
My little joke teased a grin out of Garrick. “I think we found something,” he said.
“You did? You mean this kind of thing has happened before?” Had it happened to me? No, I didn’t think so. The faeries wouldn’t have seemed so surprised by Kaine if his behavior was similar to mine as a baby.
Round, wire-rimmed spectacles perched low on Garrick’s somewhat long nose as he peered over them, and somehow, I knew I’d failed to live up to his expectations. Again. Seemed like a pattern.
“Not exactly. Such a pity we were dragged out of the house without ceremony. Your book collection is lacking in the areas of inter-breeding, specifically among deities.”
Considering the hours I’d spent futilely scouring the musty old tomes for useful information about my own abilities, I couldn’t even argue the point. Besides, I didn’t want to argue, I wanted to go upstairs and finish making up with my boyfriend.
Maybe that’s why I was a little short with the brothers. “Look, until just after Beltane, I had no idea there was such a thing as a Fate Weaver, let alone that I was one. The only people left in the world who could fill in the gaps of my knowledge are the two of you, and we all know where you’ve been all my life. So if I didn’t pick up the nuances by osmosis, you’ll just have to forgive me for not being as nifty as you’d like me to be.”
That shut them up, but then I felt bad. “Look, just tell me what I need to do to help Kaine, and I’ll do it. Gladly.”
My sincerity diffused a situation well on its way to becoming a family squabble.
“We found this balancing spell,” Fritzroy brandished a book that just happened to be my family grimoire; the one book in the sanctum he should have asked my permission before opening. I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from saying so. “It’s meant to—”
“I know the spell.” I’d used it to level out a few magical bumps in the early days of gaining my powers. “It’s self-oriented, which means it can only be performed by a witch who has gained his or her majority. Even if Kaine’s already exhibiting powers, he’s too young to speak the spell.”
“If you’d let me—” Fritzroy’s mouth snapped shut when Garrick jabbed an elbow in his side. He winced and then continued in a less strident manner. “We think we can adapt it into a charm. I hear your grandmother has a knack for crafting them. Is it a talent she passed on to you, by any chance?”
I allowed I could probably get the job done, and if not, Gran would be only too happy to help. “How do we go about adapting the spell?” If Salem were here, he’d be grumbling about my lack of focus on basic spellcasting, but I’d come late to the magical party, and he’d never offered to teach me about going off-book with spells. A stickler for protocol, was my familiar.
“It’s a simple matter, really. Shouldn’t take more than a jiffy once we have a suitable item of focus. The child is too young for jewelry unless you think his mother would allow us to pierce—” I held up a hand to stop Garrick right there.
“No.”
“Okay, then a toy perhaps. Something he’d carry with him at all times.”
I had a mental image of my nephew carrying a teddy bear to high school, and shook my head. We wanted to protect Kaine, not set him up for the sort of ridicule that would scar him for life. My fingers fiddled with the row of buttons on the sleeve of my sweater, and that was what gave me the perfect idea.
“Wait right here.” Leaving them staring after me, I went to retrieve a glass canning jar filled with buttons in all sizes, shapes, and colors. “Couldn’t we use a handful of these? Then Serena can sew them into his clothes.”
Even Fritzroy had to admit the buttons were a stroke of genius.
Ten minutes later, a pile of buttons occupied the center of the casting circle, and the ritual candles flickered merrily at the four corners. It was time to cast the spell.
Except for one minor hitch—my Fate Weaver brothers pulled out their fancy wands, and all I had was the one I’d borrowed from Gran.
“You can’t use that thing.” Substitute piece of poo for the word thing, and you’ll have an idea how much revulsion old Fritz aimed at me.
“What?” I held up the polished wood. “It’s not as fancy as yours, but it will get the job done.”
“Where’s your Fate Weaver wand? You can’t cast a spell meant for a Fate Weaver with that thing.” There was that tone again. Fritzroy was bucking for the position of my least-liked brother. “Don’t tell me you don’t have one. You’re supposed to be powerful enough to take on Diana and you don’t even have the proper wand?”
Calming breaths, Lexi. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He lost his sister, just remember he’s hurting.
“Clearly not, and if it’s something I can only get from our father, then the chances of me ever having one are smaller than…well, they’re small.” At the last moment, I figured a comparison to his anatomy would be unkind.
“Wands are witch tools, our father is not a witch.”
What was it with Cupid anyway? I’d never met the man, or god I guess, but I was beginning to wonder what everyone saw in him. I wanted to ask why, if I was the best hope for saving the world from Diana Diamond, our father had walked away from me without a backwards glance. But Fritzroy wouldn’t have an answer to the question.
No, that wasn’t entirely true, Fritzroy was the type to have an answer for everything, but it wouldn’t be the right answer, it would only be the one that pissed me off.
Garrick shot his brother a dirty look. “Your mother would need to complete a ritual to create your wand.”
Seemed simple enough, so why was he looking at me like this was bad news? “Okay, I don’t see a problem with that. Do I need to call her now, or can she come back in the morning?”
“Lexi, it’s blood magic.” Again with the weird tone.
And again, I wasn’t seeing the problem, but then, I hadn’t done a lot of blood magic, so maybe I was missing some key piece of the puzzle.
“What am I missing? You both have one, right? So your mother did the ritual at least twice. Sylvana will do what she needs to do.” Being certain of that gave me a case of the warm fuzzies, but Garrick just stared at me like I’d said something stupid. I knew that look. It was the same one I got from Salem when I didn’t know some nuance of magic.
“We’re in the waning phase of the moon.”
Like that explained everything.
Sighing, Garrick elaborated. “Blood magic should always be done under a full or at least a waxing moon or it costs the spell caster more power and strength. It would take an inordinately strong witch to complete the ritual during this moon phase.”
If that was all, my brothers were in for a surprise. Balefire witches kick butt.
Grinning, I asked, “How long do you need to get everything ready? I can have her here in half an hour.”
“No. No need to call tonight. It will take a day to assemble the ingredients for the spell, and we need to charge the wand-stone under running water for a full twenty-four hours. You do have citrine points of a suitable size, right?”
The waning moon rode high enough to shine down through the glass skylight before we had assembled all the necessary items. “Are you okay to bunk in here for the night? We’re a little short on beds at the moment.”
With a smile, Garrick pointed a finger at one of the sofas, and converted it into a nice, four-poster bed complete with privacy curtains. It was a sweet piece of magic. “We’ll be fine, and thank you for your hospitality.”
I left them to it, and finally made my way upstairs to get reacquainted with Kin. Naked-style.
Chapter 27
During the time it took for my new wand to be assembled and properly charged, I fought the urge to return to the streets and simply take Diana out once and for all. I’d started to wonder if killing her would also neutralize the twins, or maybe somehow weaken them enough to minimize the threat they posed to me and the rest of the remaining Fate Weavers.
Salem deigned to speak to me long enough to tell me that was a stupid idea, and remind me that he was on his ninth and final life, and if I happened to die during the battle he’d also be headed straight for kitty heaven. Or, wherever it was familiars go to meet their maker. I’d heard his diatribe before, and I let him know in no uncertain terms that it was beginning to lose its effectiveness. After all, if I were dead, and he as well, there wasn’t much either of us could do to retaliate against the other.
Not that I had any intention of dying, mind you, but I did heed Salem’s advice and decided to wait until I had all possible weapons at my disposal. And that meant I had to endure long enough for my mother to complete the ritual for my Fate Weaver wand.
With two rituals to complete including the one for Kaine’s balancing, the sanctum was packed with witches and faeries. Evian stood by Serena’s side while she completed the relatively simple task of charming the jar full of buttons that she’d later sew into all his clothes. As she spoke the words, I remembered my last experience with the same spell.
Serena held Kaine in her arms, stroking his cheeks while she chanted,
You have Seen
And now you know
Where the Balefire burns
Your powers grow
You listened well
And braved the flame
But still must work
To earn your name
When at last
You know your way
This spell you cast
Shall fade away
If balance be
Your heart’s desire
Then speak your wish
Unto the fire
Kaine couldn’t speak his own wish, but after mouthing along to the words I murmured my own into the flame. I’d found balance, finally, and no longer needed the assistance of a spell to dull my powers. With a silent whoosh, I felt the vestiges of it trickle away, leaving me feeling fresh and clean and completely in control. Just the way I liked it.
Serena spoke for her son, and for a moment the buttons glowed with magic before returning to their former appearance. Whatever Fritzroy and Garrick had done to alter the spell seemed to work, and the overwhelming charisma Kaine possessed lowered a few notches until he felt more like a regular baby. An inordinately adorable, and still quite compelling baby, for sure, but I doubted he’d be able to affect anyone like he’d affected Katie in the coffeehouse.
“Will he still be able to weave fates in this state?” I asked. It seemed unfair to take away all of his abilities without giving him a choice in the matter, even if it was the right decision for his and Serena’s safety.
Garrick’s smiling face turned from Kaine to me, “He still possesses power, yes. Just to a lesser degree. It should take the edge off and allow Serena to live a relatively normal life until he’s old enough to make informed decisions. And I promise we won’t disappear again. We’ll assist you both to the best of our abilities.” Garrick turned to his brother, who nodded in agreement.
“Now, for your wand.” Fritzroy announced. “We’ll need everyone except Lexi and Sylvana to clear out for this one.”
My entourage filed out of the sanctum, leaving the four of us to complete the process of making me an official Fate Weaver wand of my very own.
“Lexi, the bowstring?”
Garrick held out a hand, and I pulled the bow from my flesh and into its solid form. “If I give you the string, I won’t be able to shoot.” The thought hadn’t occurred to me before that very second.
“No worries,” He replied, “Just give it a tug, you’ll see.”
I did as instructed, and pulled on one end of the string. A low keening noise assaulted my ears, but the string turned all glowy and grew to an appropriate length before snapping in half and reattaching itself to the bow. The piece I held in my hand was dull and nicked in a few places, evidence of the work I’d done since acquiring it.
“This will work, right? It’s not bright and shiny anymore.”
Garrick nodded, “There’s powerful magic in that piece of string now, and it’s only going to make your wand that much stronger. Sylvana, it’s your job to bind the citrine. Your godmother fetched us the perfect length of a willow branch from the backyard. Willow signifies intuition and femininity, and of course citrine is—”
“An element of power.” Sylvana cut in impatiently, “We are all witches here, and we do know the basic properties. It’s the perfect combination, and the bowstring will act as a conduit. Let’s not waste any more time.”
