A Witch's Path Page 12

  An e-mail from Rodriguez caught my eye. The extra tests he ordered hadn't given them any more information, and he was very sorry they hadn't been more help. I replied, thanking him for the help he had given me. If nothing else, there was an official record of the incident.

  Picking up a set of baoding balls, I rolled them in my left hand. It was difficult to keep the rolling motion smooth in that hand. Focusing on the movement and sound helped me relax, and my neck and back slowly loosened. I switched hands, rolling the balls clockwise, then counter clockwise.

  My phone rang, and I prayed it wasn't another emergency as I answered, "Oaks Consulting."

  "Hi, Michelle, it's Westmorland."

  "That was fast."

  "I was at my desk. Would you be able to give us more information if you examined the bodies?"

  "You still have them? I figured you would've released them to the families."

  "We still have those three. The medical examiner wasn't happy with her findings, so we haven't released the bodies," Westmorland explained.

  "I can take a look. There might be some residue of the energy." Few medical examiners had the ability to look for magic, especially something as subtle as an energy variation.

  "Anything you can do would help. When can you be here?"

  "What time do you get to work tomorrow?"

  "Seven."

  "I will see you then." It would give me time to recharge, and the earlier I had work the better. Between Amber and the dead kids, I was going to have nightmares.

  "Great, I'll see you in the morning."

  I was acquiring haunting memories at an alarming rate. If this kept up, I was going to need therapy. The bodies I'd looked at in Forsyth still bothered me, as did the cut-up dwarf, not to mention the pictures of the mutilated sorceress. I didn't have to see the bodies of these kids to know I would be able to see them every time I closed my eyes for the rest of my life.

  The phone rang again, saving me from my thoughts.

  "Oaks Consulting," I answered.

  "Hi, Michelle. It's Hal."

  I sighed.

  "Don't give me that. I don't have any dire emergencies," Hal scolded.

  "Good, because your last one was a doozy."

  "We have a lead on the T-Rex case. Could you come over here and check it out with us?"

  "When you say 'lead' and 'check it out' what do you mean?" Thanks to recent events I was suspicious.

  "We were able to backtrack the dinosaur—"

  "That had to be hard." I rolled my eyes.

  "Really?"

  "Fine, I'll be nice."

  "It wasn't difficult to follow the path of destruction, but the path ended in the middle of a road. I poked around and found a house reeking of magic. I want you to be here when we investigate the house."

  I bet he did. "Do you want me there?"

  "Yes, please."

  "I won't be for any big spells. Dealing with Ty sucked me dry." I wasn't worried about examining the bodies, that would require more skill than power, but someone had created Ty and they'd used a lot of spells, some of them powerful.

  "I would postpone, but…"

  "But it's a time sensitive, important issue." I finished.

  "Yup."

  "I know it's off topic, but did you get pictures of Ty?"

  "Early this morning. He was good, kinda fun when he isn't blowing up my town."

  "Hey now, he didn't know the gas station would explode." I teased.

  "That doesn't change the result. About this house, when could you get here?"

  "Mid-morning, by ten. I have an appointment to look at bodies in Ellijay at seven. I'll let you know when I'm headed your way."

  "Works for me. Thank you, Michelle."

  "You won't thank me when you get the bill."

  "I was afraid of that."

  Hal hung up before I could reply.

  This wasn't how it was supposed to go. After dealing with the sorceress, things should have calmed down. Nothing about the past few days could be considered calm. Things were falling apart, and each time I did something right, something went wrong.

  I rubbed a few tears away from my eyes. With gremlins, evil energy surges, and suicides in Ellijay, it looked like life was going to get worse before it got better. There weren't many entities that could be responsible for those deaths, and every one of them was bad.

  My hope was that a shifter had been corrupted by an artifact, a magical item from time before memory with the power to change people. Similar events had happened. Most races blamed the humans, who were digging up old towns, graves, and tombs. The other races hadn't found a good way to forbid it, and they couldn't post a guard outside every important spot.

  If I couldn't have that, I wanted it to be a fey. Fey were one of the original races. They mostly kept to themselves, and this area didn't suit them. It was in-between, neither towering mountains, nor lush fields. They preferred to live in the extremes; the Alps, Himalayas, Sahara, and Amazon. I'd heard some lived in the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mojave Desert, and Aleutian Islands. A fey gone bad could rile up the other original races, and they would rush in to save the day.

  There were countless possibilities after that, and each one had its own pros and cons. None of them were fun, but I wasn't hoping for fun. I was hoping for someone else to rush in and save the day. With the way things had gone lately, I'd be lucky to have my wand when I went after the big-bad mystery-thing.

  Since Mom wanted an evening phone call and I wasn't planning on going out again, I dialed her number.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, Mom."

  "Michelle, I'm so glad you called." Her voice smoothed.

  "You wanted to hear from me at night."

  "Thank you."

  "No problem." I took a breath before asking a loaded question. "When did you want to have dinner and talk about the family secrets?" Dad had mentioned explaining things to me, but I hadn't gotten the feeling Mom was willing to share information.

  Seconds ticked by. "What are you talking about?"

  "Dad said I should come for dinner and the two of you would explain things." The dynamic between my parents was clear. Mom wanted to keep secrets and hope things worked out. That had worked for her for more than two decades, and she was sticking with it. Dad wanted to share. He was in favor of treating me like a responsible adult, building trust, and building the father-daughter relationship he wanted. I couldn't tell if honest was his policy, or if he thought it was the best way to my heart. Either way, he was winning points.

  "I wasn't aware of this dinner. Greg and I will need to talk."

  "About what? How much to lie to me?"

  "Michelle, you will not speak to me like that."

  I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." I was. I was sorry that our relationship had devolved into a string of questions and not-answers, I was sorry she couldn't trust me, and I was sorry I was losing my faith in her.

  Mom huffed. "I'm glad you're safe for the night. Greg and I will talk. Goodnight, Michelle."

  "Night, Mom."

  Dad offers answers and Mom takes them away. As a child I accepted her explanations about our lack of family, but it was different now. I was making my own way in the world. I needed to know what I was up against so I could protect myself. Maybe this is what Dad meant when he told me to keep my chin up and keep fighting. He knew I was strong, smart, and able to look after myself. Dad would let me fight my own fights. If I failed, he'd be there to catch me, and start a fight of his own.

  Mom wanted to protect me, to prevent any of us from fighting. That had been a good plan when I was young, but what was done could not be undone. People knew about me, my power, and my skills. The clans would hear about me soon enough.

  Knowledge was power, and being ignorant of clan matters left me at a disadvantage. If I wanted to be a step ahead of them, I needed answers. A gang of witches wasn't going to bully me.

  Inspiration struck, and I dashed into my bedroom, shoving things off my nightstan
d until I found what I wanted; the small medallion with an elephant and a scrap of paper.

  My hands trembled as I dialed the number on the paper. The phone rang and rang. I was ready to hang up when Cage answered.

  "Hello? Who is this?"

  "Uh, this is Michelle. You gave me your number—" I stumbled over the words.

  "I remember. It's good to hear from you. How are you feeling?"

  "A little sore. Asphalt isn't the most forgiving surface."

  "It's not. I suspect this isn't a social call." His tone was light, yet careful.

  "It's not. You said you would answer my questions. I would like to take you up on that." I breathed in slowly, trying to stay calm. This could be a brilliant way to get more information, or it could backfire.

  "I would be glad to. I would rather talk in person."

  "Me too," I cut in before he could finish. The more I knew before I talked to my parents, the better. "I'll be in town tomorrow. Could we do a late lunch or tea?" I held my breath while he thought about it.

  "Tea. There's a shop near the college, Gold Rush Tea, let's meet there. The T-Rex didn't touch that part of town."

  "Thank you."

  "As I said before, it is a privilege."

  "You'll have to explain why. I don't understand."

  Cage laughed. "I'm sure you don't, but I will explain tomorrow. Goodnight, Michelle."

  "Goodnight."

  I got off the phone, relieved and confused. This should have made me feel better; I was finally getting what I wanted. Instead, countless scenarios marched through my head. Everything from Cage being exactly as he seemed, to him being an agent for the clan my mother feared. He would answer my questions, but at what price? In my experience, nothing was free.

  Cage hadn't mentioned a cost, and that made me suspicious. Either he was preying on my desperation for answers, or he was a good, generous man. It was another question I could get answered tomorrow.

  My phone chirped, and I read the message from Tiffany. She'd called the police department again, and they still didn't have any news. I thanked her for the update and plopped onto the couch.

  I was tired, both physically and mentally. My body ached, and the trickle of magic I'd regenerated wasn't enough to banish the empty feeling. The parts of me that weren't tired and empty, where frustrated and angry. My friend was out there and I couldn't help her.

  In the morning, I should be recharged enough to try a tracking spell. I didn't expect it to yield anything, but I had to try. When I failed, I'd figure out my next move. Right now, I was crossing my fingers and toes, hoping the police would find something.

  I curled up on the couch with a book. I wasn't up to disenchanting the items from Union County, and fretting wouldn't fix anything. In my hands was a book I'd been meaning to read for a while, but hadn't gotten around to.

  It took a few pages for me to lose myself in the story about a boy and the magic beans he found. He was being scolded by his mother for selling the family cow for the three magic beans when I noticed something black on the ceiling.

  I tried to focus on it without moving the book. The part I could see around the book was as big around as my pinky finger, black, and slightly fuzzy. Tilting my head and squinting didn't make it any clearer. I tipped the book towards my lap. Before my brain had comprehended the sight of a spider, a shriek escaped my lips. With the book clutched protectively against my chest, I sprinted off the sofa to huddle against my bedroom door.

  Hyperventilating, I took a second look. Yup, there was a spider the size of a large dinner plate clinging to the ceiling directly over my sofa. It was big, black, fuzzy, and shouldn't be in my room. It wasn't a native spider since none of the ones in this part of the world were that large. Though, the better question was how it arrived in my apartment since I'd spelled the perimeter to repel all kinds of bugs. I didn't like finding them, living with them, or killing them. Nothing about bugs appealed to me. My spells were a secondary defense. Landa had brownie magic preventing most unwanted things from entering the lodge, and spiders were on that list.

  The door opened with a crash and I froze, huddled against the wall with my eyes darting between the spider and the doorway.

  "What happened?" Elron demanded.

  I gasped for breath "You scared me half to death." My eyes locked on the spider, which had moved in our direction.

  "You didn't answer my question. Oh, never mind. That's a big spider."

  "Yup."

  "How did a spider get in here?"

  "I don't know."

  He stared at me, clearly expecting me to have a better explanation.

  The spider shuffled around, not coming closer to us, but moving around above the sofa.

  "Well?" Elron asked.

  "I don't know! I was lying on the sofa, reading this book, when I noticed something black over the top of the book. I moved the book to see what it was, and I saw that thing over me so I bolted for this side of the room. What more do you think I can tell you?"

  "How did it get here?"

  "Aren't you listening? I don't know. My rooms are spelled to prevent bugs from coming inside. That's on top of the magic Landa has that keeps bugs out. That Narzel blasted thing shouldn't be here."

  "Alright. I get it." He studied the spider for a moment. "Is it writing something with it's silk?"

  I studied its movement for a moment before answering. "Can we kill it now? I'd rather not know what creepy message it's sending."

  "Michelle, we must honor life. It could be friendly. We can't kill something just because it upsets you." He scolded.

  "Then what should we do, oh smart one?"

  "Wait and see what it says. If it's friendly it may leave on its own."

  After a moment, Elron stopped focusing on the basketball sized spider and started staring into space, lost in thought.

  "Hey, can we kill it now?"

  "Huh?"

  I pointed at the words the spider was still working on. "Anything that leaves death threats on my ceiling, and comes in the shape of a spider, deserves to die."

  Elron focused on the words. His body stilled, and his inhuman beauty sharpened, leaving his skin whiter and his hair a more vibrant silver. A shivery feeling filled the air for a moment, fleeing before I'd determined the source. A black powder sprinkled off the ceiling, landing in a pile on the floor. The words, "You Will Die" remained above the sofa.

  "Did you kill it?"

  "Yes, I'd still be careful when disposing of the remains, but they should be harmless."

  "Oh, thank you." Then my mouth got the better of me and I blurted out my thoughts, "How did you do that? Doesn't matter. Thank you. I hate bugs."

  The elf was staring at the remains of the spider.

  "Elron?" I asked. "Are you alright?"

  "Yes, I'm fine." His stiff posture relaxed as he focused on me. "Would you like assistance cleaning the rest of this mess?"

  "Please. I'm getting tired of things threatening to kill me, and leaving nasty messages in my apartment." I started rubbing my arms.

  Elron studied me for a moment before walking over and wrapping his arms around me. I nestled against the warmth of his chest, and after a moment his chin came to rest on top of my head. We stood together, touching, feeling, and after several minutes I found my arms around his waist and my head resting on his chest. There was a rightness to his touch that I hadn't felt in a long time. Without warning my lips were dry, and thoughts of kissing were dancing through my head.

  Whoa, I was thinking about kissing Elron; the elf who could make me laugh and rage in the same conversation. However, there was no mistaking the desire to turn around and do naughty things with the nearly immortal Elron.

  Immortal. Elron was sixty times my age, bringing an entirely new meaning to dating an older guy. I'd made fun of my girlfriends when they'd dated guys who were thirteen years older than them, never mind more than 1500 years their senior.

  When I stepped back, his arms dropped away. I cleared my throa
t nervously. "Thank you. I feel much better now. I'd like to have help cleaning up the rest of the mess."

  "Shall we dispose of the message?"

  "I don't know. The police might want documentation of it since it could be considered a death threat."

  "Are you sure it's from the power behind the sorceress?"

  "No."

  My sheepish answer had him studying me again. "Why not?"

  "Adder could've sent it. It's unlikely though, since he's isn't known for using magic," I finished.

  "He still has Amber?"

  "To the best of my knowledge. Why?"

  "I'd hoped she would be rescued by now."

  "Well, she isn't, okay? I know I should have her back by now. She's one of my best friends. The police should be finding her, but they're not. They're looking into all the possibilities. Besides, she's not the only thing I'm thinking about. Ellijay is having trouble with nuisance critters that often precede evil to an area. My Mom is worried about suicides that have been happening, the power behind the sorceress is still after me, I spent the day dealing with a recreated T-Rex bent on destroying a town, and another day recovering from that effort. I'm stressed. I'm drained. All I wanted to do was relax tonight!" Panting, I stopped.

  "Shhh, calm down." Elron turned me around and rubbed my shoulders. "No one is blaming you for wanting to escape for an evening. Why don't I help you clean up? Then we can have a glass of wine and talk about the rest of your troubles."

  "Okay," I sighed. He was here to help, not deal with an emotional woman. The problems in my life weren't an excuse to be rude. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

  He waved his hand at me. "If I kept finding threats in my home I would be overwrought. An outburst is understandable. You are not in this alone, Michelle. You have friends who will help you."

  Elron went outside to start a fire so we could destroy the spider and any magic attached to it. While he did that, I retrieved a dust bin and short broom from under the sink. Normally, I'd pick up a spill like that with a bit of magic, but I didn't want my power anywhere near that thing. I carried the remains of the spider outside where I dumped them into the fire. We watched it for a moment, but nothing happened.