A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) (7 page)

"Get your food; the rest of the guests will be down soon." Landa pushed a plate into my hands and headed back to the kitchen.

I filled my plate with chips and piled on toppings to make nachos. There I was, sitting at the table and taking a bite out of a nacho when a gargoyle, werewolf, weretiger, and brownie walked in.
 

Mander smiled at me. "'Tis good to see ya."
 

Grabbing my water, I took a swig to help push the half-chewed chip down my throat. "It's good to see you too. Hello, Baden." The weretiger nodded back at me, and I continued, "Liam, this is an unexpected pleasure."

"I'm staying here until things settle down. It's good to see you lass." Liam patted my shoulder.
 

I glanced at the gargoyle, who was still in the door and looking at all of us. The gargoyle was an elegant cross of a human and lion, giving him the haunches of a cat but the torso and arms of human. His fingers were that of a human with curved talons rather than nails, and his feet more closely resembled those of a cat. Wings sprouted from his shoulders, and horns curled out of his head. His face matched the rest of him, with pointed ears that protruded from his head and swiveled to pick up sounds, heavily ridged brows, and a shortened muzzle of a lion complete with nose. To top off the package, he had heavily textured grayish skin and was wearing cutoff jeans and a loose V-neck T-shirt.

He shook himself, much like a dog, and walked over to me. "Excuse me, miss, but would you be Michelle Oaks?"

Turning in my chair, I got a good look at him. At nearly seven feet tall, he towered over me. His wings were tucked against his back, his horns spiraled as they curved over his head, and his hands were taloned.
 

"Yes, I'm Michelle."

He dipped his head. "I am Julius, cousin of Horst. He invited me to this area because of the recent unrest."

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Julius." Horst was the leader of the flock of gargoyles I'd talked into moving to Ellijay. Since gargoyles fought and repelled evil, it was a good match. "Will you be staying here or moving to Ellijay?"

"For the time being, I shall remain here. Some of my relatives will be residing in Ellijay."

"Oh good. I know Horst was worried about the youngsters."

"Julius," Landa said, interrupting us, "why don't you get some food and continue this conversation over dinner?"

"My apologies." Julius quickly turned to the sidebar and filled his plate.
 

"Michelle, how have you been? I haven't seen you since…" Liam frowned. "Since the night I assumed leadership of the pack."
 

With Liam's question, I abandoned eating for the time being. After conversation slowed down or shifted away from me, I could return to my food. "I've been all right. For the most part things have settled down, though I don't expect that to last. How's the pack?"

Liam winced. "It will take time to settle everyone. They are grateful to be free of Adder, but they don't know me, and they've seen too much instability lately."

"I'm sorry." Really, I didn't know what else to say.
 

"Don't be. If I'd waited any longer, there wouldn't be a pack."

I looked at him and tilted my head, hoping he got the message. This was a conversation we needed to continue when we were alone.
 

Julius sat down next to Landa, who winked at me and started talking to him. Grateful for the reprieve, I started on my food. I made it thought half my nachos before Julius resumed our conversation.

"Miss Oaks, Horst wanted you to know that in light of recent developments, the children have been temporarily relocated."
 

I looked up and we locked eyes.
 

"Instead, gargoyles such as myself will be staying in the area."

Horst knew about the demon. There was no other explanation. "I'm glad the children are safe." What could I say? I hadn't known about the demon when I invited the flock.
 

"As are we. After assessing the situation, Horst felt that it was a better area for more experienced gargoyles."

"Yes, you did mention that relatives of yours would be in town."

"Not just relatives of mine, but any gargoyles who are seasoned. It has been many years since we have encountered such an adversary." Julius was grinning.

"You're enjoying this?"

"Of course. It is an honor to aid one who has injured our enemy. Horst thought you could use some help at home." He gestured with his hand, indicating the lodge.

"Yes, help would be good." Considering the threats the demon had already made, I had a feeling we wouldn't be exchanging Christmas cards.
 

The rest of dinner was much less eventful. Easy, casual conversation flowed around the table as we demolished the oversized basket of chips. After we finished the main course, Landa brought out a tray of churros, and I ate until my stomach protested.

Liam caught up with me as I was leaving the dining room. "We need to talk."

"We can talk in my apartment."
 

He followed, and didn't speak a word until my front door closed behind him.

"Most of the pack is sick," Liam said.
 

"What? They're sick? What would sicken that many people?" As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I had an idea—a horrible, terrifying idea.
 

"What was Adder into? Why would my pack feel like they've had the worst flu of their lives?" Liam loomed over me.

I stepped closer to him and tipped my head back so I could look him in the eye. "I don't have the answers you want."

"You have some of the answers or one of the most decorated gargoyles alive wouldn't be camped out in the garden. What is going on?"

"I don't have all the answers." I protested as he growled. "Stop that. I'll tell you what I know, but growling at me won't get you any more information."

He took a deep breath and stepped back. "Sorry."

"Oh, please. I know you'd kill for your pack. They may not know what type of a man you are, but I do." I sat down at the dining room table and motioned for him to do the same. Once he was settled, I continued, "I have more suspicions than facts right now. I'll answer your questions, but be careful repeating my words."

"I know when to keep my mouth shut," Liam grumbled.

"I'm aware, but this is different."

He nodded, not like he understood, but that I should continue talking.
 

"Adder had an agreement with an elven woman. She was at the house that night. There is some indication that she is not elven anymore. Whatever she is now feeds on death, destruction, and pain. Adder might have needed her, but she had to be getting something in return. Perhaps energy from the pack?"

Liam paled and his eyes unfocused. He came back to himself with a shudder. "That's why they're so sick. They've been drained."

What Sylvia said in my dream came back to me. Killing Adder had hurt the demon. If what Liam said was true, I'd cut the demon off from a source that would be difficult to replace. On the other hand, what the demon could accomplish with the power he'd already gained was chilling.

"Will they recover?" I whispered.

"Given time, yes. Now that I know what happened, I can help them." He rubbed his chin. "Why would someone need that much energy?"

"I don't know. I'm not even sure how much energy could be pulled from a shifter; I've never tried it." And really, I didn't want to be pulling energy from people. It could damage or kill the person, and there was no good reason to risk that type of harm.
 

"From what I've seen alphas do, it's more than enough energy for someone to do something very bad."
 

I didn't like the way his eyes unfocused, as if he was seeing something horrible unfold. "Liam," I called.
 

He came back to the present and refocused on me.
 

"I can't help your pack."

"No, but I can." He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Does it get worse than what you've told me?"

"Maybe."

"Why is Julius here?"

"He said he was here because Horst sent him. You seem to know more about Julius than I do." I nearly growled the last part. Regardless of what Liam thought, I didn't have all the answers. In fact, I had a pile of questions taller than Ty, my pet T-rex, and a pile of answers that wouldn't fill my trashcan.
 

"Julius is old. I don't know how old, but old enough to have battled evils that most people have forgotten."

My ears perked up.
 

"Rumor has it that he and the other old ones have been feeling out of place. They haven't been facing the types of evil they used to and feel somewhat useless."

That was fascinating and potentially useful, especially if Julius knew there was a demon on the loose. "I didn't even know gargoyles could live that long."

"Most of them don't, and none of them talk about why some of them live so long." Liam sighed. "That's the extent of my gargoyle knowledge."

"Thank you."

Liam stood up. "Lass, thank you for being patient with an overworked man."

I shrugged. "You've helped me out. I wouldn't do less for you."

"Not everyone sees it that way. Have a good evening." He stood in the open door for a moment. "Keep your eyes open. I suspect you're hip deep in this mess and sinking." He closed the door, leaving me alone with his all-too-accurate words running through my head.

*******

The morning was sunny, and a shower eased the lingering sore spots from yesterday's adventure. After eating a slightly stale microwaved waffle, I went downstairs to pick up my mail. I pulled a stack of letters out of my box and started sorting them on my way back to my apartment. There was a bill, advertisement, smooth cloth-like envelope, another bill, another expensive envelope without a return address, yet another bill, and three more spiffy envelopes with my name in curly letters.

My breakfast formed a solid block in my stomach, and I hurried back to my apartment and locked the door behind me. The five mystery letters taunted me from the table as I made a cup of tea. Sitting down, I forced my hands to let go of the comforting warmth of the mug.

I probed the letters for spells but came up empty. Picking a random envelope, my fingers ripped it open before I could second-guess myself. A soft, heavy piece of paper flopped onto the table, and my hands trembled as I unfolded it.
 

Ms. Oaks,

We of the Haedus would like to extend an invitation to join our clan. To further that end, we would like to arrange a meeting between you and our elders. This is a seldom-extended invitation, which you have earned through your efforts to aid the community and the skill you have demonstrated.
 

This would be a mutually beneficial relationship, giving you the support and security of a clan. In addition, this invitation has been extended with the understanding that you are currently free of any clan ties. If that is not the case, forgive our intrusion. Should you wish to pursue a relationship with us, please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Blessed Be,

Latasha Farrer

Haedus Minister

Taking a deep breath, I tried to slow my pulse. Out, in, hold, and try to calm down. It didn't work. I ripped into the rest of the letters.
 

Miss Michelle Oaks,

On behalf of the Aap, it brings me great pleasure to offer you a place in our clan. Based on your power and skill, we feel that you would find the Aap to be a welcoming environment that would assist the development of your power and help you reach your full potential.
 

To ensure that we are the right home for you, I'd like to meet with you posthaste. Please contact me to set up a meeting.
 

Blessings,

Kim Scotcher

Aap Minister
 

The next three letters read much the same way, with offers to join the Tructa, Maus, and Zarafa. Some of the offers were more demands than requests, but the basic idea was the same: come join us; we are your future.
 

I sat there with sheets of paper strewn across the table and the letters dropped haphazardly around my tea. Mom was going to freak; there was no way she would take this calmly. Frankly, her hope that I would pass under the radar had been in vain. Considering the cases I'd been on lately, there hadn't been a chance that I would go unnoticed. If the trolls and sorceress hadn't brought me to the attention of the clans, the live television coverage of the raging dinosaur demolishing a town would have.

My door rattled as someone knocked. I flinched and yelled, "Who is it?"

"It's Landa—you need to come outside. Now!"

I shot out of my chair and yanked open the door. "What happened?"

She glared at me and huffed. "Nothing yet, but you need to see this." Landa turned and started down the hallway without mentioning what I needed to see.
 

I followed her, too confused to ask any questions.
 

Before she opened the front door, she looked over her shoulder. "Be careful."

Nodding, I tried to get a feel for what was outside. There were little bits of magic, but nothing alarming. I mourned my dead wand, in part because if there was trouble, I would be at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, nothing was going to bring it back, and I hadn't gotten around to finding a temporary replacement. I stepped onto the porch, swung the door shut behind me, and didn't see anything.
 

There was movement at the edge of my vision, and I twisted around in time to see a blue sphere move away from a pink sphere. The glittering sphere glowed, leaving a trail of pale blue light behind it as it glided to the bottom of the stairs. It paused for a moment before flattening into an oval and stretching. At first the center was the same shimmering blue as the rest of the oval, but once it was about two feet tall, the center flickered and an image of a gray-haired woman with thin lips and dark eyes appeared, leaving a thin blue line around the edge.