covencraft 04 - dry spells (34 page)

A woman who had no choice but to do just that.

Thinking of Medusa made her think of herself. Made her remember a woman who, after it was all over, clutched her clothes close to her. Who tried to triage the damage. Who tried to fix her clothing and hair and find a way home. Who had to wake up the next day and pay the electricity bill and brush her teeth and get dressed and go to work. A woman who realized the world kept on turning and nothing,
nothing
would ever be the same. She felt one last tug of Lily’s mind against her own and she ignored her.

Jade opened her eyes.

Medusa was beautiful. Long, dark hair falling in waves on her shoulders and sinking to a glorious end at her waist. Her eyes were dark crystals, almond shaped; like a box of chocolate goodies you purchased from a Girl Scout. Her lips were full and plump, an intense pink. She was young, so young. Perhaps only eighteen. Still with baby fat on her cheeks, still with the dewy skin tone of youth. She looked like she hadn’t quite grown into her lovely bone structure yet.

The Gorgon.

Her visage shimmered, flickered. Jade heard the hissing of snakes and thought she saw them writhing and twisting around Medusa’s head. At the same time, a sharp stab of pain flared across Jade’s neck and she gasped, raising her hand to her skin. Instead of the pliant feel of flesh under her fingers, she felt the cool press of marble. Stone. She was turning to stone. Medusa’s hair was transforming before her. Turning from the dark, lustrous black to the serpentine green of a common garden snake. A hissing rang in Jade’s ears. Medusa’s dark eyes changed from their warm, rich chocolate into black holes. Unending. Ceaseless. A cracking filled Jade’s ears and she could feel the marble veining forming on her skin, pushing its way through her soft tissue. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t turn her head. She was turning to stone. Medusa smiled. Her teeth, sharp and pointed, replicating themselves like a Mandelbrot set, going ever deeper and remaining the same.

“A waste. You could have been such a creature. A companion.”

Medusa’s voice rang in Jade’s ears as she felt her skin hardening beneath her fingers. But something in her tone made Jade’s heart lurch.

Loneliness.

Disappointment.

A woman. She was still only a woman. And she was lonely. She had no one. No Lily, no Josef. No Bruce. No Callie and Henri. No coffee dates at ten in the morning at the cafeteria. No one forcing her to strange and incomprehensible exercise classes.

No Paris. Though she didn’t know what he was to her, he was something. No chance of him. No friends, no small cozy cottage. No warm cups of coffee in the dark morning hours.

Again, Seth’s voice repeated in Jade’s mind.
You don’t hurt the people closest to you and take pleasure in their pain - glad to see someone hurting as much as you had.

Is that what Medusa does?

Yes.

Was that what Jade had been doing too? Since Lily, since
him
, since forever. Pushing people away. Eschewing comfort. Hurting people with words and attitude before they hurt her.

For a second, the snakes in Medusa’s hair disappeared and changed back to her cascading locks. Soft, supple hair falling across her breasts. Hair that Jade would kill for. Beautiful. Then, they turned to snakes again, but the after image of Medusa’s hair remained - an imprint on Jade’s eyes.

“I don’t want to be like this anymore.” Jade’s own voice was foreign to her - small, shaky. Like a child.

Belatedly, she realized she was crying. Lily’s presence clawed at her brain - a tippy-tap against her consciousness. But Jade couldn’t let her in. Lily couldn’t help her now. Only Jade could help herself. She was the only one facing the Gorgon. Medusa. And she wasn’t a creature from the dark, she wasn’t a horrid thing to fear. She was a woman who’d been hurt and scared and was trying to ensure it never happened again.

“No. No. I am a monster!” Medusa shouted at Jade, as though she’d heard Jade’s very thoughts. Her voice was sharp and shrill. “All who look upon me fear me and tremble.”

Medusa’s eyes shifted from the black holes back to the warm dark chocolate color. The snakes receded from Medusa’s hair and again, Jade saw only long, flowing locks. She looked just as terrified as Jade felt.

“I’m sorry.” Jade’s words were soft and low. She meant them. She was sorry. Sorry for Medusa, sorry for coming, sorry for having to be there. Along her neck, under her fingers, she could still feel the hard, stiff patch of skin that had started turning to stone. While it wasn’t going away, it wasn’t getting worse and there was no pain. Jade dropped her hand down to her side. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

Medusa lunged forward, her hands clutching at Jade’s shoulders before she had time to flinch. “No, you will fear me. Everyone fears me. All despise and hate me and they never, no one ever…” Her face crumpled. Her fingers dug into Jade’s flesh. “This is who I am. This is who I wanted to be. This is all I wanted. This is what I am owed.”

“I’m sorry,” Jade said again, watching in horror as Medusa’s face crumpled and she started crying. Fat, rotund tears falling from her perfect almond-shaped eyes. She was so lovely, so beautiful. Her monstrosity was only surpassed by her beauty. Medusa fell to her knees, the weight of her dragging Jade down until they were both on the cold, hard floor. Medusa sobbed and Jade tentatively raised her hands, hesitating before wrapping them around her.

“All who look at me fear and tremble,” Medusa repeated, her voice quiet and soft.

Jade held her tighter, pulling her close. She could imagine wanting the same thing. Perhaps she did want the same thing herself, even though she’d turned Medusa’s offer down. The power to be a thing feared, the power to know that you were safe, that you would turn to stone anyone who looked upon you. Lily’s presence tickled at Jade’s grey matter; no longer a frenetic scratching for entry. Instead, it was a soft, hesitant knocking.

“It’s all right,” Jade said, both to Medusa and to Lily. “Everything will be all right.”

She thought perhaps she was speaking for herself as well.

#

Jade didn’t know how long she and Medusa stayed on the marble floor of Medusa’s court room. Time felt strange and elastic. But she heard Seth’s approach as he came closer - heard the
swish-swish-swish
of his tail behind him as he walked. Medusa pushed herself away from Jade as he approached. She wiped her eyes, dashing away her tears. She was one of those beautiful criers, Jade thought. While Jade looked like something out of a National Geographic special when she cried - tears, teeth and snot everywhere - Medusa looked lovely and fair. Delicate. Her skin was a creamy olive, not a blotch in sight.

If Jade hadn’t just faced her as the Gorgon and won, she’d be pretty pissed about it. As it was, Jade was just fucking happy to not be a statue.

Medusa smoothed her hair - her beautiful dark brown hair - so dark it was almost black - and rose gracefully to her feet. Jade didn’t fare as well, pushing and lurching to her feet like a hunchbacked companion.

“Come to retrieve your mortal witch?” Medusa asked, her tone dripping with anger and hurt toward Seth, as though he hadn’t just come upon her crying in Jade’s arms.

“She was sent her for an item. We’re bound in the Dearth until she gets it.”

“Yes. Your sister’s trinket.”

Jade turned accusing eyes on Seth. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that.”

Seth shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t tell you about demon deals, Possum.” At Jade’s look he rolled his eyes. “I probably could have told you I took something from my sister and gave it to Medusa, however.”

“So basically, I’m here because of you?” Jade took a step toward him. Seth, annoyingly, didn’t balk at her approach. He only smiled.

“Oh, Possum. We’re all so intimately connected. Live as long as I have and you’ll learn that.”

“I hate you.”

Seth winked at her. “I’m flattered.”

Medusa murmured a few words in a language Jade didn’t know and an object appeared in her hands. A rectangular wooden box, covered in runes and markings.

“Is that it? Is that what I’m here for?”

Medusa held it out for Jade. “Take it. It means nothing to me.” She looked at Seth pointedly while she said it. Jade took a moment to glance at Seth and saw his jaw work as he ground his teeth together.

Jade reached out and took the box, feeling its worn, smooth wood under her fingertips. As soon as she had it in her grasp, the runes Sakkara burned into her skin turned cold and painful. She arched her back, trying to curl away from the pain. The cold settled deep inside her, past her skin, into her bones. The ache of it travelled from her shoulder, to her elbow, then her wrist and fingers and she almost dropped the very thing Medusa had just given her. It was as though someone had found her radial nerve and was worrying it between their strong, spiny fingers; digging into it and sending shocks of cold down the length of her arm.

Then it was over and Jade sagged in relief. The memory of it lingered in her bones and she cradled her arm close, as if she could keep it safe that way. Something rattled inside the box as she moved her arm and she shook it slightly, hearing the sound again. A bone, if she recalled. She was sent her for a bone.

“Was that it? Was that the banishment breaking?” Jade asked, turning to Seth. He had an unpleasant look on his face, like he’d just had a bad pickle.

“Yes. Brutal, crude magic.” He wrinkled his nose. “After all that time, you think she’d have learned better rune magic than that. Effective, but messy.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her that the next time I see her. That you think her magic is gross,” Jade deadpanned.

Seth smirked. “You do that, Possum. And tell her to pass it along to her mistress.”

Jade turned back to Medusa. “So, thanks,” she said, gesturing with the box.

Medusa dusted her hands as though cleansing herself. “I care nothing for it. It makes no difference to me.” She looked at Seth again, as though driving home a point.

“Riiiiight,” Jade drawled, looking between Seth and Medusa. They were staring at each other with a frightening intensity. She wasn’t sure if they were about to start fighting or fucking.

She really didn’t want to be there for either.

“Uh, how do I get home? Now that my curse thingy is broken.” Jade gestured to her shoulder with a jerk of her thumb.

Medusa shrugged. “You’d have to ask Seth. He’s more proficient in binding runes and curses. Portals and the like. He finds things on this side of the veil distasteful.”

Okay, there was clearly a story there by Medusa’s tone. One Jade wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Seth made a low sound, some kind of cross between a snort and a growl. “You want to click your heels three times and go home, Possum?”

“Yes?” Jade said, not sure of her answer given the way Seth had barked out the question.

Seth finally looked away from Medusa, turning his dark, glittering eyes on Jade. “Do you remember when I first tried to take us back when we arrived?”

Jade winced. Seth tried to use Jade’s power like a battering ram to punch a hole through the two worlds. “Can’t we,” Jade waved her hand around, the wooden box still in it, “like, find a portal. Or something?”

Seth smiled and Jade shivered. “You want to travel for a few more days with me, Possum? Cross the Dearth again? Road trip,” he sing-songed.

Jade shivered and shook her head. No. Home, she wanted to go home.

“I thought as much. Come here, witch.” He snapped his fingers at her impatiently, like she was a truant dog.

Medusa cleared her throat and both Jade and Seth turned to her.

“I have no interest in watching you play with your toys. Send the mortal child home and then show yourself out. You know the way,” Medusa said icily, turning and heading for a grand archway at the back of the room. It was only now that Jade could take stock of where she was. A grand palace. Large columns. White marble veined with dark grays and blues. 

A Greek temple. Jade had only seen pictures of them in ruins and even then they were impressive. Now, with no crumbling stone, no broken fragmented statues, it was stunning.

“You love to watch me play with my toys,” Seth called after Medusa.

She looked over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. “A thousand years and you’re still the same.”

“Yes,” Seth agreed. “And so are you.”

Medusa raised an eyebrow, perfectly arched, like a Vulcan on Star Trek. “That was always your problem, wasn’t it?” She paused, letting her words sink in and then turned away from him again, sashaying away. “Show yourself out. I’ll be counting the spell books after you leave.”

Seth laughed, turning away from Medusa’s retreating form and back to Jade. Jade felt uncomfortable and embarrassed; like she was watching old people flirt. She wanted to go home.

“Now,” Seth said as he gripped Jade’s shoulders. “Try not to vomit. It’s disgustingly mortal.”

Jade clutched the wooden box close, steeling herself.

There it was again, that awful yanking sensation. Just as she’d thought before, when Seth had tried to pull them back through to the other side, she felt like a sea cucumber about to expel her insides. Like her internal organs would spill out before her, all soft and fragile. She pulled away from Seth, or tried to, on instinct. He yanked her closer, his claws digging into the fleshy part of her arm. Her ears roared. The demon rune on her shoulder burned and the box in her hand lit up. Seth pulled more power from her and Jade gasped. It was too much; he’d rip her in half. She could feel something inside her pulling and tearing.

“If you want to go home, Possum, this is the way.”

She did; she did want to go home, but not like this. This was like eating glass, like drinking something too hot and feeling it burn its way down your esophagus. This
hurt
.

Seth sniffed, annoyed. “I told you. Fixed portals are rare. If you want to get home, this is how we do it. Power. More and more power.” As he said the words, he tore more magic out of her. She was losing herself; she could feel everything about her slipping away. Her power, her feelings, herself.