Gray tidings, p.17
Gray Tidings, page 17
Or, in her case, a hobbling power walk that left me concerned for her overall health.
“Okay.” She thrust out her bound hands, chest pumping to keep up with me. “I’m game.”
Fingers circling her thin wrists, I pulled magic from Colby and fed it through to the manacles.
Nothing happened.
Intuition told me to draw from myself instead, from my gray magic, allowing the black to seep through.
On the next push, the sharp vines cracked and crumbled and fell away.
“T-t-thank you.” A sob of relief tore through her. “You’re really going to let me go?”
“We really are,” I promised her. “As soon as we get out of here.”
“They’re coming.” Clay pressed a hand into my back. “We need to move, Dollface.”
“She’s doing the best she can.” I heard, seconds later, what had set him on edge. Heavy footsteps thundering toward us. “Do you mind if he carries you?”
“I guess not?” She raised her slight arms with what strength she had left. “I just want out of here.”
“Piggyback is the only way that works,” he warned. “The walls are too close for anything else.”
“O-o-kay?” She cleared her throat. “Okay. Yes. I can do that.”
To get in front, Clay wedged himself between us and the wall. Even then, I had to suck in my stomach and turn my head to give him enough room to squeeze past.
Now I knew how dough felt as it was threaded through a pasta maker.
Clay hit one knee, and I lifted Tibby—who was light as a feather—onto his back. Hands folding against her chest, she pressed her face into the valley between his shoulder blades. He stood slowly, his grip on her twiglike legs gentle. Afraid for her balance, I pinned her to him with a palm on her knobby spine.
“Let’s go.” I popped his flank. “Move it.”
Working together, we cleared the tunnels and returned to the hatch leading to the deli.
Hand pressing to the aged wood, I sank into my magic. “Here goes nothing.”
Familiarity with the process enabled me to open the portal faster than ever, and I stumbled into the same metal stand of potato chips. A quick sidestep prevented me from knocking it over, but I didn’t get out of Clay’s way fast enough. He smashed into it, and it crashed, spilling snacks across the linoleum.
There must be a trick to avoiding the blasted thing, if this was an active route, but I had yet to find it.
“You’re not real.” The same clerk as yesterday stood behind the counter. “Nope. Nope. Nope.” He made himself a sandwich, locked himself in the break room, and yelled through the door, “I expect you to be gone when I get back in twenty.”
“We will be,” I promised him with a cringe. “Enjoy your dinner.”
Poor guy was going to need therapy after this.
Then again, if I didn’t work through my daddy issues soon, I might be right there with him.
14
After settling Tibby into a booth, Clay knelt at her feet and reached into his pocket.
Meanwhile, I cast a barrier spell over the wall to keep anyone from following us.
“Here.” Clay handed her his phone. “Call your people, and let’s get you home.”
Fingers clumsy on the buttons, she made her call, bursting into tears when a strained voice answered.
“Papa,” she breathed. “I’m out. I’m safe. I need you to come get me.”
Mr. Garnier asked a few questions, which Tibby required help to answer, then ended the conversation.
With her coven on the way, I exchanged the phone for a business card with my name and number on it.
“If they come after you again, call me.” I indicated her ravaged wrists. “Do you mind?”
“You can heal?” A faint blush warmed her cheeks. “I smell the black magic on you.”
“I identify as a gray witch.”
Gently, I held her trembling hands and summoned Colby’s magic to heal the worst of her injuries. Since she was too drained to do it herself, I used a spell to scour the area clean of her blood to ensure it couldn’t be used to track her down again.
The whole process took about twenty minutes, and I was wiped at the end of it, so I sat in the booth across from her to catch my breath. “Do you know anything about the sea monster in the lake?”
“There’s a sea monster in the lake?” Her eyes snapped open wide. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve seen it.” I judged her shock to be authentic. “Do you know what happens to the corpses like the one who kept you company?”
Before she could answer, a warm breeze swirled through the shop as an older man with silver-black hair stepped inside the deli.
“Papa.” Tibby struggled to get to her feet, but she made it on her own. “You’re here.”
Mr. Garnier escorted her outside, cutting short my interrogation, but we hung back, giving her a chance to vouch for us before we ended up crammed in a deli full of mad witches demanding what role we played in her abduction.
After five minutes, I stepped outside to find her burrowed against her dad’s side, who held on tight.
Must be nice to have that bond. To know if you called, he came running.
“You brought her back to us.” Mr. Garnier rubbed her arms, soothing her. “How can I ever thank you?”
The wind carried a hint of cologne, and the familiar scent of the black magic I had expected on Tibby.
“Get her out of here.” I glanced over my shoulder. “You don’t have long to reach safety.”
A man stepped forward to lift Tibby, tsking at her weight, then loaded her into the waiting car.
Mr. Garnier slid onto the seat next to her, smiling. As the car sped off, I waved goodbye to Tibby.
“What do we do now?” Clay rested a hand on my shoulder. “Wait for your dad or find the others?”
“Dad will come for us when he figures out what happened.” I stepped onto the street, texting a meeting point for our searchers. “We need to handle the situation with the girls before then.”
We didn’t have to wait long for Aedan to arrive with a scowl cutting his mouth.
Clay, reading his expression, made his excuses to hit a nearby vendor selling dirty rice with shrimp.
“They took my key.” Aedan unslung a backpack from his shoulder. “And they dumped my clothes in the road.”
Townhouse A was far enough from Bourbon Street, I wasn’t worried they had landed in pee, but it was still in the area where the streets were washed nightly, and there was always vomit around this time of year.
“How about we burn all that and buy new?”
“Give me a second.” He retrieved his ID and a few other items then scanned the crowd. “Excuse me, sir.”
A man with dark skin and graying hair slowed his walk. He wore a tight purple crop top over the tattered remains of a Mardi Gras flag he had fashioned into a skirt. The gold ballcap he wore bore the Saints logo, and it was pristine. The man stood taller for wearing it, and I wondered if tourists had dropped it earlier.
When he set eyes on Aedan, and then me, he clutched the handle of his shopping cart until his swollen knuckles turned white.
“What?” He shook the cart, rattling it loudly, trying to spook us. “You got something to say to me?”
“I have some clothes here. They’re not all clean, but they’re in good shape.” Aedan held out the backpack. “Do you know anyone who can use them? I’d hate to throw them away just because I don’t need them anymore.”
“I might know someone.” He crept forward slowly then snatched the bag lightning fast. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Once the man had rolled away, I smiled at Aedan. “That was nice of you.”
“Yeah, well, this black witch I know taught me to pay it forward.”
Tears pricking the backs of my eyes, I knew exactly how the Grinch felt when his heart grew three sizes.
“Gray witch,” I corrected him, voice wobbly. “Maybe if I use it enough, it’ll catch on?”
“Or maybe you’re one of a kind.”
A fist clenched around my throat and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe for a second. “Maybe.”
“I called around to some hotels.” He switched topics before I was reduced to a blubbering mess. “Still no vacancies. Are you sure you need me?”
The wound the girls had dealt his pride, Arden’s jab in particular, was as tender as fresh bruises.
“You can stay with us.” I did my best to make the RV sound ritzy, but what really sold him was the access to the water. “We still have to relocate Pontchy. Know any aquatic daemons with herding experience?”
Wildlife relocation was the job I blurted out when pressed for why he was staying with me, and like most of my lies told in Samford, it had stuck.
Thankfully, locals only asked for his help with squirrels, raccoons, and possums. Things he could handle without breaking a sweat.
“I might know a guy.” A smile crept across his face. “Let me know when you need me.”
There was an entire speech I had to give him about why he didn’t want to work with or for Black Hat, but I was starting to see that wasn’t the appeal. He wanted to help me. Not the organization. He was determined to pull his own weight, as if he would wear out his welcome otherwise, or like I wouldn’t claim him as family if he couldn’t keep up with the rest of us. Arden-specific tasks aside, I suspected that was why he was so quick to volunteer for any assignment, no matter how dangerous.
“It’s your choice.” I slid my arm through his. “You don’t have to do it.”
“The creature might be innocent in this,” he countered. “Plus, after talking to Derry and Marita, I worry they’re going to get eaten. They’re betting who can ride it the longest. Like it’s a bronco that will buck them off. Instead of, you know, swallowing them whole.”
Humans must be to Pontchy what a raw leg of lamb was to a dog.
A tasty treat.
Even if the corpses weighed two hundred pounds each, that might account for one fifth of the food it required daily. The only reason I could see for the creature jumping through so many hoops, or lakes, in this case, wasn’t the lure of free food but of a delicacy.
“They’re crazy,” I agreed, thinking back to their aquatic aerobics, “but I like them.”
“Me too.” He gave my arm a squeeze, encouraging me like I was the kid always standing alone on the playground and a peer was finally showing interest in me. “I’ve heard some of the stories about your mom and Meg. After meeting her descendant, I can definitely see how Meg got her into so much trouble.” He burst out laughing. “Marita and Derry have so many bad ideas.”
“A veritable bad idea factory,” Clay mouthed around a spoon behind us. “They truly are kindred spirits.”
“They’re something all right.” I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder, but I scented the cherry tobacco scent of Asa twined with green apple undercurrents before I turned my head. “Hey.”
“The Mayhews are on their way.” Asa fell back to walk with Clay. “They should be here in five.”
Despite the show of deference, Aedan untangled from me quickly, still wary fascination might get his butt handed to him. I wanted to reassure him that Asa and I had that under control, but I would be lying.
Big time.
Much as it pained me to admit, Asa wasn’t the one to look out for. No. That honor fell to me.
“Hurricane for the lady.” Marita appeared before me like magic. “Drink up while it’s still cold.”
“Thanks.” I accepted the hourglass-shaped cup that must have been three feet tall. “I think.”
“Rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice.” She had several tucked under her arm and gave one to Clay and Asa, leaving her with three. “They’re delish.”
Five minutes later, Derry found us and passed out shrimp po’ boys, holding back four each for him and Marita.
I won’t lie.
I was impressed.
Both by their generosity and their appetites.
We ate on the run, my team and I, but we disposed of the alcohol before reaching the SUV.
And by disposed of, I mean Marita drank a gallon of hurricane in the span of two blocks.
Despite the brew in her system, she didn’t even wobble. She must have been serious about giving up the Downward Dog after Derry used her tipsiness to scare her silly in the lake.
With a full SUV, Aedan ended up sitting with Clay in the backseat, I rode shotgun, and the wargs cuddled in the cargo area. At least I hoped that was all they were doing back there.
“Well, you’ve managed to piss off Luca and your dad.” Clay got comfy. “What’s next on your agenda?”
“The Mayhews go back to tracking the troll, we set up surveillance on Townhouse A to watch the girls, and then we figure out what role Pontchy plays in all this.”
No sooner had we parked at the marina than I caught a whiff of trouble.
“I’ll handle this.” I got out, shut the others in, and went to join Dad at the picnic table. “Hello again.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” He sat on the bench, back to the table, staring across the water. He didn’t, or couldn’t stand to, look at me. “You set her free, didn’t you?”
“She’s a scared kid who hasn’t come into her powers.” I lowered myself across from him. “She couldn’t help you.”
“She manipulated you.” His laughter was rough and tired. “Those thorn manacles? Luca didn’t put them on her. Her own coven did that.”
A bitter taste flooded my mouth. “Her family…”
“Not her family.” He put his head in his hands. “She called the Toussaint patriarch. That’s who you gave her to, and now there’s no stopping what comes next.”
Toussaint.
I should have known that incident with the Toussaints would come back to bite me on the butt.
Now that I thought about it, her “papa” hadn’t introduced himself as Amaury Garnier. I had assumed, and he rolled with it to avoid another tumble with Black Hat like the one that killed his predecessor.
I had let too much slip through the cracks on this case. I had too many personal ties to keep a level head. The trick Tibby played on us shouldn’t have worked, but it did, because I failed my team.
Oh, how the Toussaints must have laughed all the way home knowing they got one over on Black Hat.
“Care to enlighten me?”
“The Toussaints hired the rock troll to do the heavy lifting and the technomancer to cover its trail. They’re responsible for the morgue thefts.”
A technomancer. Lovely. Colby would have a conniption when I told her.
“What does that have to do with Tibby?”
“The beast is the sacrifice required for any Lazarus witch to ascend. She must cut out its heart and consume it to unlock her powers.”
More lost than ever, I didn’t know what to say. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“I did, yes, but she’s too young. I didn’t realize my mistake until after I arrived.” His despair was genuine, though I was more than a little surprised he let her age thwart him. “I would have left none the wiser to Luca’s scheming if you hadn’t contacted me.”
“How did Luca know what you were after?”
“I wasn’t as careful with my inquiries as I should have been. There wasn’t—isn’t—time for subterfuge.”
“What does that have to do with the Toussaints? Why did Tibby call them of all people?”
“She was dating the patriarch’s eldest heir. Eliza. That was how Tibby ended up in chains.”
“Do the Toussaints know their technomancer acquired Tibby for Luca and not them?”
By hiring Nan, the Toussaints had unwittingly granted Luca access to their coven. Through Nan, Luca could track their progress in locating Tibby, beat them to the punch, then hand her over to Dad.
“The Toussaints have no idea who Luca is or how she’s involved in their current plight. She’s careful to always keep her hands clean. That’s why she travels with Nan, so she leaves no trace behind. Father would crucify her if he caught her.”
Knowing the director, it was a safe bet Dad meant that literally.
“I thought I was saving Tibby from you.” That wasn’t entirely true. “I thought I was saving Mom from you.”
If I hurt or offended him, he didn’t show it. His focus was too singular to allow for me to dent him with my doubts.
“Tibby will never come into her full power if she accepts the mantle too early. She’ll burn out within days.”
Ah.
There it was.
The reason he marked her off his list.
Not because Tibby’s premature awakening meant she would die after depleting her nascent reserves, but because it meant she was too weak to trade a life for a life. Her death served no purpose. For him.
Always, it was about him.
“Why destroy a weapon that powerful, if she’s already in their pocket?”
For decades, the Toussaints had been running things, but a functional Lazarus would tip those scales. People would come from all over with their dead and beg her to bring them back. They would offer her tribute, and her coven would grow wealthy off her labors. But if she was with them of her own free will, they would be the benefactors.
“Tibby is the last, and she’s young. Eliza won’t be her last fling, and she wasn’t her first love. Tommy Far, a warlock from Metairie, was her boyfriend for over a year.”
“The Toussaints worry the girls will break up, and Tibby will end up with a boy.”
One who could get her pregnant if the young lovers weren’t careful, thus passing on her rare gift. A boon to her family, but not so for the Toussaints.
“They’re more worried the Garniers will steal her back and breed her to beef up their stock after she ascends, or she might fall into the hands of other covens who would use her to enrich their blood, but yours is a kinder version of her potential futures, yes.” He rose with painful slowness, or perhaps regret. “Her life is, and always has been, destined for betrayal and misery.”
“You’re leaving?” I hopped up and ran to face him. “You’re just going to let them get away with it?”
