A Touch of Death (2 page)

Since everything was dark I cupped my hand, pooling energy into it and then throwing it up in the air. It bobbed in the air before it rested a few feet above my head. It had the same glow as a torch but kept my hands free. All hallways in hotels looked the same, beige carpets and a potted plant at the end of the corridor. Three dark lumps were laid out on the floor, judging from the suits they were the security Zachary had hired. Patrick grinned at me as he moved one of them out of the way.

“You didn’t kill them, right?”

“Of course not, you were very clear that I wasn’t allowed too. I’ll head back to the office and I’ll be back in five. Make sure that you’re ready to go.” He dropped the body with a thud. The man would be waking up with bruises in the morning. I rolled my eyes and waited for Patrick to vanish completely. Since I’d been sharing body space with him, I was acutely aware of him. There was no way he’d be able to hide from me completely. With a deep breath I closed my eyes and spread out my senses like a fisherman’s net. The only person on the floor, besides the three faint pulses of the unconscious bodies, was me. I made my way down the corridor to the office reaching into my pocket to retrieve the chalk I needed. Some items could be enchanted, like my earrings and it would be able to work on a large scale. Other things, like what I needed to do with the door, involved some writing. Zachary’s office was the only one without a number and I ran my hand over it. The ball of light bobbed behind me. It would follow me around until I dispersed it.

Most witches were tuned to the magical energies but I was finely tuned to it. There was no way I could make a rookie mistake after I’d gone through so much to get that far. There had been weeks of preparation. As well as Patricks snide comments to deal with. Really, I should have earned a medal for how much forethought I’d put into this job. The idea behind any job was to make it look easy. At least it was in my mind. Nothing about the door triggered any alarm bells. In some cases, a door was just a door. I slipped the chalk back into my pocket and reached for the door handle. It turned in my hand but didn’t click open.

Bugger and here I was hoping that this would be the easiest part.

I doubled checked my watch, three minutes to go before Patrick would be back. I was cutting it pretty damn fine, I touched the door handle again, needing the connection to work the spell. My telekinesis wasn’t impressive but I could work the pins and tumbler locks, anything more complicated than that and I was out of luck. I closed my eyes and mentally reached into the lock, gently pushing here and there until it all fell into place with a resounding click. With one final look up and down the corridor, I slipped in, closing the door carefully behind me as the ball of light came with me.

There had been pictures of Zachary’s office in the newspaper. It was rather a large if sparsely decorated space, with jade walls and black furniture. The desk was in front of a window, which was a brave move for the vampire. Sunlight and creatures of the night generally didn’t go well together. A large cabinet lined one of the walls; books were slotted here and there, with a random statue. It actually looked normal, like something you’d see in a house and less in a place where a man with fangs did business. On the other side of the room was the glass display case and I made my way toward it. The Gem of Merck caught the light beautifully, the red stone glowed, absorbing and reflecting the orb of light behind me.

I ran my hand back over the case. Since the electrically was gone, it wouldn’t be booby trapped by human means. There, as I trailed my fingers over the lock, it pulsated, magic pushing against magic. So Zachary had hired a witch? Now it was just a case of if I was better than whoever he hired. I retrieved my chalk, using it as a focus for my magical ability. With broad strokes, a few inches away from the glass, I drew the rune of dispel, the curve of the lines and the knot in the center. I poured my energy into it, being careful not to disrupt the spell already woven into the lock. When the rune took hold, I flattened my palm, held my breath, and pushed. The spell fought against me, but it was nothing more than a nudge before it fell apart.

I opened the cabinet door and reached in, picking up the gem. The cut of it was almost hypnotic, pulling in the eye and making it hard to look away. I quickly slipped it into my bag, before turning on my heels and heading to the exit. My time was up, which meant if Patrick was doing what he was supposed to be doing he’d be waiting for me outside.

The door suddenly opened and a strong gust of wind hit me in the face. I stumbled back, losing my balance and smashing into the floor. Instinct had me holding my bag closely to my chest. I wasn’t surprised, just disappointed.

“So you got it then?”

The orb had lost some of its power but there was no mistaking the shape of Patrick as he loomed over me. “You know I have or you wouldn’t be here. So this is why you were so eager to do the job for me. You wanted the gem for yourself.”

“Clever little witch. If you give it to me, I’ll let you go. Don’t give it to me and when the alarms go off, they’re going to find you here. I wonder what they’ll do to you. Vampires aren’t the kind of people who call the police.”

I should have known better. In the grand scheme of things the only person you could count on not to fuck you over, was yourself. I carefully reached into my pocket. The stone was cold, polished and I needed Patrick solid before using it. I clutched it in my fist. “How are you planning to leave if you’ve got the gem? You’re going to have to go down the stairs solid.”

He leant toward me. A smile that I found charming and a little bit sexy before was now as creepy as hell. “I would be a little less worried about me and more worried about you. Hand the bag over now.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” I threw it to him, rolled up onto my feet in one simple move and shoved the stone between his lips. “Dun do chlab. Anois.” The words left me in a hiss and my power slammed into him. Patrick reached for his mouth, trying to pry them open with his fingers.

I snatched my bag back from him. “It isn’t going to be easy for you to pull your little trick now. I transferred the qualities of the stone to you and that little phase? Well, you know Gaelic, figure it out.” I swung around and smashed the bag against his head. The Gem connected with a sickening thud. I jumped over him and headed out the door.

***

Patrick wouldn’t be bothering me for a while. I was pretty sure that the vampires wouldn’t kill him, since he was an Elemental and essential immortal. No, as soon as my spell dissipated he’d been able to go non corporal again. There was also no way he’d be able to stay in the city, especially if Zachary figured he was connected to the thief of the gem. There were also spells I could cast that would make Patrick regret coming to my door in case he had revenge in mind.

I cast a majority of my spells in the basement underneath my home. I kept my spell books locked up in a charmed box. If anyone but me tried to open it, they would go boom. The ingredients for my spells I got from my garden. You could tell a witch from the state of her garden. Not many normal people would grow Wolfbane, Hemlock with Foxglove and Daisies. I like a little variation in my garden. I switched the lights off and stepped into the circle created by candles.

I picked up my wand, a piece of Quartz that I used as a focus, and started to call the corners. “All hail the Guardians of the East. The Element of air who inspire intuition and clear thinking. I call you here to bear witness and protect this circle. All hail the Guardians of the South. The Element of fire who inspire passion and blood. I call you here to bear witness and protect this circle. All hail the Guardians of the West. The Element of water who inspire love and courage. I call you here to bear witness and protect this circle. All hail the Guardians of the North. The Element of earth who inspire growth, nature, and creativity. I call you here to bear witness and protect this circle.” I raised the crystal to the ceiling. “I call on the spirit of the Dead.”

As I’d spoken the words, I felt the power swell inside of me. The invisible threads snapped into place as I became connected with the gem.

“I call on you!” The words left me in a shout. It took a lot of power to channel the gem but I was desperate.

“What do you want to know child?”

I spun on my heels and a woman stepped from the shadows. She was beautiful, dark, and exotic. She wore a tunic of black, with a slit to the knee. A white orb hung from her neck and it didn’t take me very long to realize who she was. I quickly dropped to my knee, my eyes to the floor.

“Goddess Hel, I wasn’t expecting you.”

The woman sighed unhappily. “No-one calls on me anymore and you weren’t specific to who you wanted witch. You should be careful of that. You can look at me, I don’t mind.”

The Goddess Hel had really gotten a rough deal in mythology, the daughter of Loki and a Titan. Most historians portrayed her as ugly, a strong jaw, and unflattering furs. The woman in front of me was anything but that. “I need to know if someone I love is walking the dark paths of the underworld.”

She made her way around the circle. Her black skirt swished around the floor. “There are simpler ways to ask, then summoning a spirit.”

Her power pushed against the circle. I might have had a lot of faith in my spell casting but as a Goddess, she still had plenty of strength to tear through the circle as if it was tissue paper. “All those avenues are closed to me. She was the most powerful witch I ever knew. If she doesn’t want to be found on the earthly plane, then she won’t be found.”

“So you think that she might be dead?”

“I need to know.” I took a deep breath. “Will you still answer my question?”

The Goddess tilted her head slightly. “For a price, if it is in my power to answer it. You will own me a boon. I shall call on it later.”

A bargain with a Goddess, I was truly desperate even to consider it. I was close though. The closest I’d ever been. “I agree as long as it does not end in human death or suffering.”

A smile graced her lips as if I’d earned her approval by not agreeing so quickly, “Agreed, now ask me your question. Who do you seek?”

“I search for Meredith Sweetsong. She was a water witch.” I intentionally used her chosen name. Witches traditionally had two names. One which was their given surname, the one passed on to them by their parents. The other was given in a ritual. Hecate, the Goddess of all Witches decreed them. Mine was Fire-Tongue. That taught me to sass a Goddess.

The Goddess frowned. “I will have to check the Book of the Dead. It’s a book which holds the names of everyone who passes through my realm.” She took a step toward the circle and instinct had me stepping back until I felt the barrier pressing against me. It was warm against my skin, like dipping into a heated pool. She smiled at me as she stepped through the barrier and it fell. Oh crap, why had I thought that it would keep her out? I’d been expecting a spirit not a Goddess. “Interesting barrier, you’ve got some talent.” She held out her hand. “Take it, carry my mark.”

I didn’t like the sound of it. “What does it mean to carry it?”

“You’ll be my envoy on this realm while I look for your answer. It won’t hurt, but it is the price of my help.” Her hand was smooth, white, and looked harmless enough. You should never trust one of the Gods. That was why I’d been very specific; I would only help her if I didn’t have to hurt anyone. For a God to break their oath was a big no no. It didn’t mean she couldn’t hurt me and since she walked through the barrier as it wasn’t even there, well there wasn’t anything stopping her from hurting me if she really wanted too. I reached out and took it. Pain, hot and searing exploded against the palm of my hand. I tried to pull away but she held on tight.

“You said it wouldn’t hurt.” I forced out the words through gritted teeth.

“You wouldn’t have taken it if I told you the truth. Anyway I said it didn’t, I didn’t promise.” She pulled her hand away and I glanced down at my palm. A pattern had been burnt into my flesh. The pain faded quickly. “It’ll allow me to track you. You won’t have to cast a spell to get my attention either. Though I suggest you don’t do that very often, since I have my own duties to attend to as well. When answers make themselves apparent, I will get in contact with you. Someone in my realm cannot hide from me.”

Of that, I had no doubt. “Thank you for helping me.”

“It isn’t for entirely selfless reasons but you’re welcome little witch. I will find your sister for you.” Hel stepped out of the circle. The barrier was already shattered beyond repair. The Guardians hadn’t been much help but what where they compared to a Goddess?

I tried not to show the surprise or the sadness that hit me like a tidal wave. “I never said that she was my sister.”

“You didn’t have too.” Hel turned and her skirt swished around her ankles, bare toes peeked out. The shadows in the corner reached out thin tendrils that curled around her wrists, waists, and face, like they were pulling her into a dark embrace. “You are now a Death Witch, with everything that comes with it. He will come for you.”

I took a step toward her. “Wait a minute. Who’s coming for me?”

A smile curved her black lips. “Who else but Death. He’ll like you. I can tell.” The shadows finally covered her completely and she disappeared into the portal. My limbs were heavy. The powers of a witch weren’t limitless and I used a lot in a few short hours. I fell to the floor, pain flared across my knees as they connected with the concrete in my basement.

What the hell had I managed to get myself into? A deal with the Goddess of the Dead and now my path would be crossing with the skeleton dressed in robes. There was a chance he didn’t look like that at all but I preferred to focus on the worst case scenario, less surprises that way.

The lengths I was willing to go to track my sister down were scaring even me. After all, she did murder our parents and I’d waited a long time for vengeance.

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