Witch's Fury, page 14
Evee nodded. “I’ll channel anyone to get Viv back.”
“Great,” Gilly said and got up from the table. “Let’s go into the sitting room, where we’ll have more room to form a circle.”
Evee, Lucien and Gavril followed Gilly, and when they reached the center of the sitting room, they held hands as they had done before, leaving Evee in the middle to call upon the Nosferatu.
“Instead of just focusing on them and repeating what you see or hear, try a spell to go along with it,” Gilly said. “Maybe that’ll throw more power at it.”
Evee sighed, closed her eyes and spread her arms out wide, while the three remaining encircled her.
Come hither, mine Nosferatu.
Your mistress calls.
Pierre, tune thine ear.
To mine voice; that is all.
If death has claimed thee.
Rise above its chains.
Open thine eyes and speak to me.
Everyone held their breath, waiting and watching Evee as she stood stock still, her arms still outstretched. After a moment or two, she opened her eyes. “Pierre must still be alive. I hear and see nothing from him.”
“Try Moose again with a spell. That might help him speak more clearly,” Gilly said.
Evee pursed her lips, looking unsure. Then she closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly.
Come hither, Moose.
With clear head and mind.
Tell me, show me.
What I seek to find.
Let thine words be strong.
And they direction true.
Show me now that I may follow you.
With her eyes still closed, Evee cocked her head to one side as if to listen more closely. Blindly, she held out a hand in Gilly’s direction, and her sister immediately broke the circle and held Evee’s hand.
“A lot of water all around,” Evee said. “Tall building. Giant heads with bright colors. Clowns, devils, animals. The heads don’t move. The heads don’t talk. They’re simply there.”
Holding tightly to Evee’s hand, Gilly closed her eyes and followed the sound of her sister’s voice with her mind’s eye. She felt her body lighten as if it was filled with air instead of blood and bone. Soon she found herself standing near the shore of the Mississippi River, overlooking it. Nothing in sight but water and faraway bridges.
The sound of Evee’s voice made her want to turn around and face the opposite direction, but for some odd reason, she wasn’t able to move. Gilly knew in her heart of hearts that if she could only turn around, they’d have the answer to where Viv was. But her feet felt sealed in concrete, her body stiffened by rods of steel, her head like that of a concrete statue. She felt molded, held, imprisoned in place. She strained to hear sound, anything that might give some indication as to what lay behind her. All she heard, however, was the lapping of water as it hit the shore. Seagulls cawing.
Then, from somewhere far away, she heard a tapping sound, like someone knocking on a door. It came from behind her, though, and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t turn around to investigate what might have been making the sound.
Frustrated, she let go of Evee’s hand and opened her eyes.
Evee’s eyes were already open.
“I saw water,” Gilly said. “It was the Mississippi River—I know that for sure. But all I heard were seagulls, the lapping of water and a tapping sound like someone knocking on a door.”
“Could you make out where the tapping was coming from?” Gavril asked.
“No. I was frigging stuck in place. Really stuck. I couldn’t twist my body around, not even my head.”
“I didn’t get much more than the first time,” Evee said. “He kept talking about big heads with a lot of color. Clown heads, devil heads, animal heads. He did mention the water, though, which is what you picked up on, I guess. I don’t know why you couldn’t see the rest of what he was talking about.”
Gilly started pacing the sitting room, thought about Trey Cottle and Shandor Black. “Because some son of a bitch doesn’t want you to get too clear a picture by words and doesn’t want me to see it at all.”
“You’re talking about Cottle and Black, aren’t you?” Lucien said.
“Damn right I am,” Gilly said. “We pissed them off by denying their help, so they’re going to make it as hard as they can for us to do this on our own. They want us to call them for help.” Gilly kicked the leg of a chair. “I’ll lay eggs before that happens!”
“Can they actually stop you from seeing when you astral project? Or keep Evee from hearing clearly when she contacts Moose?” Gavril said.
“With the right spell, and Cottle knows plenty, they can do just about anything. I’d bet anything that they’re involved in this.”
“Can’t you do a protective spell or some kind of binding spell to keep them from affecting you?” Gavril asked.
“Of course we can,” Gilly said. “But it would be like children shooting at each other with water guns. We do a binding spell or protection spell, they’ll come up with something stronger to make our lives and our efforts more difficult.”
“Even if they don’t know you’re putting a spell on them to stop their antics?” Lucien asked.
“That’s right,” Gilly said. She saw the question still in Lucien’s eyes. “Look, I’ll show you.”
I bind thee now.
Enemy of mine.
Powerless unto your kind.
Powerless unto mine.
So—
Gilly felt her lips still moving but heard no words coming from her mouth.
“Why didn’t you finish it?” Gavril asked.
“Because they shut me down before I could finish,” Gilly said, satisfied that she’d proven her point.
“Holy crap,” Lucien said.
“Can they hear everything you say?” Gavril asked.
“Only spells directed at them. Then again, where Cottle is concerned, it’s hard to tell. He may have a spell that allows him to eavesdrop on us from anywhere.”
Evee shook her head, rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers. “We need help, Gilly. Big-time. I just don’t know where to get it.”
“Since we’re dealing with the sorcerers, I think we need to get the Elders involved again,” Gilly said. “Arabella was the one so set on getting Gunner involved in this mess. Maybe he let something slip to Cottle or Black. Maybe that’s what led them here. I mean, I seriously doubt they pulled it out of their ass. Visiting us, I mean.”
“Didn’t they claim they heard word on the street about all those humans dying on Bourbon, and that’s what sent them here?” Evee said.
“Yeah, but when have you ever known Cottle to tell the truth?”
Evee shrugged. “Problem is, I don’t deal with him enough to know when he’s lying either. We confirmed the deaths, so that’s a given. It’s the part about him and Black coming here that’s the question. It makes more sense to me that those two would have been celebrating all the chaos we’re dealing with instead of offering to help.”
“My point exactly.”
Gilly looked at Gavril for confirmation.
Gavril frowned. “All I know is what I saw when he was here. In that brief visit, I wouldn’t trust the guy with his own mother. But I could be wrong. This witch-sorcerer animosity has gone on for generations, from what you told me. If that’s the case, then the cards do seem stacked against them.”
“I think getting the Elders here is a good idea,” Lucien said. “Maybe they can help with your mediumship, Evee, and Gilly with your astral projection. I don’t think the sorcerers would think the Elders would get involved at this point, unless Gunner told them different, so having them here helping might just take them by surprise.”
“It might be easier for us to go to them,” Evee said. “You know how long it takes the Elders to get dressed just to go to the supermarket.”
“Yeah, but if we go to them, we could very well be leading the Cartesians to them, as well,” Gilly said. “At least we can bring them here in the Camaro, then get them back. The entire time the Cartesians will know we’re here. They wouldn’t have a reason to track the Elders. Not now, anyway. I’m sure once we’re out of the way, they’ll be the next target, but until then, we should try to keep them as safe as possible.”
“I don’t know,” Evee said. “The Cartesians have sprung more than one surprise on us. I’d hate to see any of the Elders taken. Even if we bring them here, what’s to keep the Cartesians from following the Camaro back to their house and seeing where they live?”
“Because the Cartesians are single-minded,” Gavril said. “If their leader wants them to get the Triad, that’s where their focus is going to be twenty-four-seven, especially now that they know where you live.”
“That’s why we bring the Elders here,” Lucien said. “If we all piled into the car and headed to the Elders, the Cartesians might follow simply because you’re in the car.”
Gilly let out a long, frustrated breath.
“What keeps them from breaking into our home?” Evee asked. “If they know we’re in here, why don’t they just crash the place and take us?”
“Remember, they only come out of their rifts up to the waist,” Gavril said. “I’m not sure what would happen if one fell out and wound up on the ground in full sight. Rumor has it, and those rumors come from other Benders, that they’d lose some of their strength because their legs can’t hold the bulk of their bodies and heads.”
“Well, that’s pretty friggin’ stupid,” Gilly said. “Whoever created those creatures sure didn’t think past his ass if he or she created the Cartesians to be limited to the waist.”
Lucien shrugged. “Stupid, sure, but it’s in our favor. Can you imagine what would happen if they were able to fully drop out of those rifts and start chasing whatever or whomever they were after?”
“True,” Gilly said.
“Who exactly created the Cartesians?” Evee asked.
“From what we’ve been told,” Gavril said, “one man was turned into a Cartesian for having defiled a witch’s secret meeting. Once it turned, from what I understand, anyway, it figured out that killing anything from the netherworld gave it more power and allowed it to create more Cartesians.”
“How?” Gilly asked.
Gavril shrugged. “Stories vary too much on that account. I really don’t know. I haven’t seen it happen. Something about the power a Cartesian brings to its leader strengthens the leader, and it is able to birth another Cartesian due to that additional power.”
“You mean birth, as in a baby?” Evee asked.
“Birth as in waving a hand and another Cartesian appears—at least, that’s the best I can put together from the stories I’ve heard,” Gavril said. “No Bender has actually seen it happen, so we’re all working on hearsay.”
Gilly frowned. “So are Cartesians kind of like the Originals, only they have to eat from the netherworld in order to survive?”
“Yes,” Lucien said. “But before they can consume it, they must bring the essence of that netherworld creature to the leader so it can drain it of its power. Then the Cartesian is allowed to feed on the rest of it.”
Gilly started pacing the sitting room again. “In order to destroy the Cartesians and be done with them, we have to get to the leader.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Gavril said. “The only problem is, no Bender has been able to detect where it hides. Its minions do the work. The leader only oversees their work, but from where, we don’t have a clue.”
Gilly suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Evee. “We’ve wasted a few Cartesians since the Benders have been here. I don’t know what happens to them when they’re pushed back to other dimensions, but what if you try to communicate with one, and I’ll astral project to where its voice is coming from?”
“Absolutely not!” Gavril said. “I don’t know what happens to the Cartesians that are pushed back to far dimensions, but I do know, if you attempt to astral project to whatever one you wind up communicating with, you’ll get stuck in that dimension, as well. And we wouldn’t have a clue as to how to get you back or if we could ever get you back. Out of the question.”
“What about if I just try to communicate with one,” Evee said, “and Gilly doesn’t astral project? Would that be safe enough?”
Lucien chewed his lower lip and threw a glance Gavril’s way. “I honestly don’t know. I would think communicating with them wouldn’t put you in harm’s way, but the problem is, no one has ever tried it. Suppose you do wind up communicating with one, and someone, while you’re talking with it, winds up pulling you into the dimension it’s stuck in.”
“Since you’re not a hundred-percent sure,” Evee said, “I’d take the chance. Especially if it can identify the Cartesians’ leader.”
“That’s going to be the key,” Gavril said. “If it identifies the leader. For all we know, all Cartesians could have sworn some kind of destructive oath never to reveal who their leader is.”
“Another thing,” Gilly said. “I’ve never heard a Cartesian talk. They only make growling, grunting, howling sounds. How would you understand what any one of them would be saying, Evee?”
“Just a feeling,” Evee said. “Their grunting and growling is their language. I might be able to interpret it. I might not. But don’t you think it’s at least worth a try?”
“Not if it puts you in danger,” Gilly said. “If you start communicating with one and you suddenly start disappearing piece by piece into some other dimension, what am I supposed to do? Tackle you?”
Evee rubbed a hand across her forehead, and then suddenly looked up. “Hey, what if I try to communicate with one and use an illusion spell? That way, they’ll see multiple images of me and not know which one to go after.”
Gilly stared at her, contemplating. She had to admit, her sister could be right. “That might work, but we need a fallback position if it doesn’t and they wind up with the real you.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Evee said. “I can have all the images of me speaking at the same time, while the real me is hiding away somewhere. Either upstairs or in a closet. They’d be expecting me to be one of my illusions that’s standing out in the open.”
Lucien glanced at Gavril, who looked at Evee and then Gilly.
“Could that really work?” Lucien asked. “Would that help keep Evee out of danger?”
Gilly squinted her eyes, thinking the plan through. Finally she nodded. “I think it has some potential. We have a lot to gain by finding out who the leader is, but I have more to lose if something happens to my sister. So all I ask is that Lucien and Gavril be on standby with their scabiors. Since we’re only going to be dealing with a voice and not a body, I’d say, aim an ear for their voice if one happens to come upon the real Evee.”
“No problem,” Gavril said.
“You’ve got it,” Lucien agreed.
“Wait,” Gilly said suddenly. “Before we attempt this, I think we need to get the Elders here. If we’re going to do this, find their leader, I mean, then we should gather all the power we can to make it happen.”
“Good idea,” Evee said.
“I’ll contact them,” Gilly said. “Lucien, would you mind going to the Elders, picking them up, bring them here?”
“Not at all, if you think it will help.”
“I’m not sure of anything,” Gilly said. “Only that, the more power we can throw at this, the better.”
Chapter 15
A couple of hours later, when Lucien arrived with the Elders, they seemed harried and nervous as he all but shoved them through the front door.
“What’s going on?” Arabella said. “Lucien came rushing over and said you needed us right away.”
“We do,” Gilly said.
“Yeah, Lucien came pounding on our door,” Taka said. “We thought it was the cops at first. Arabella checked the peephole, saw it was Lucien and let him in. He all but grabbed us and shoved us into the car like we were convicts or something. Then, when we got here, he did the same thing.”
“Sorry,” Lucien said. “We’ve had some major issues with the Cartesians, and I didn’t want any of you endangered in any way.”
“Cartesians?” Vanessa asked. “Where?”
“Had I not rushed you into the Triad house as quickly as I did, you would have seen them overhead. They’ve figured out that the Triad lives here, and I think they’re bound and determined to wait them out so they can catch them. Kill them.”
Taka slapped a hand to her heart. “Why would they want to kill them?”
“Because they’re Triad, and the Cartesians’ leader wants their power, just like he wants the power from every Original. And I fear, once they’ve accomplished that, they’ll come after the three of you, as well.”
“Not if I’ve got anything to say about it,” Taka said, hefting her purse so it hung in the crook of her arm. “How do we help?”
“We want to try something,” Evee said. “I want to channel one of the Cartesians and see if we can find out who their leader is. It stays well hidden. No one, not even a Bender, has seen it. Maybe if I can connect with one of the Cartesians, I can get him to talk.”
“That’s dangerous territory,” Arabella said. “You have no idea what kind of power they possess. Suppose you summon one and it suddenly drags you into the dimension where it’s stuck?”
“We’ve thought of that,” Evee said. “That’s why we wanted you here. I’d like you to do a protection spell over us. Then we’ll do an illusion spell. The Cartesian will hear me, but twenty or thirty of me, and won’t know which is real. In the meantime, I’ll be hiding in the closet beneath the stairs.”
Taka blew out a breath. “I don’t know. You’re talking about some dangerous crap here. We can’t afford to lose you, too.”
“Talking about being lost, have the three of you tried to contact one of the Originals to see if they have any idea where Viv might be?” Arabella asked.
