Crushed (City of Eldrich Book 2) (11 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

E
ldrich appeared deserted.
Except for the occasional abandoned vehicle, they saw no signs of life. And no signs of the Order. Whatever the dark wizards were up to, it seemed to center on city hall.

That didn’t make Meaghan feel any better. If they were using city hall to amplify whatever they’d already done to Jamie when they carved those cryptic sigils into his flesh, the whole town could be at risk.

And even without the magical boost from the vortex on the third floor, Jamie had been able to blow out the windows. There was no telling how much damage he could cause at the center of a magical geyser with the collective power of the Order behind him. Or what torment they were subjecting him to while they were using him.

As dangerous as Marnie’s love spell had the potential to become, it was ultimately a distraction. To fight the wizards, she needed her troops united behind her. Instead they were acting like a bunch of horny teenagers.

Jhoro and Marnie. They had to be found.

As it turned out, Owen Finnerty had already solved half that problem for her. When they got to the Keele house, Meaghan saw Owen sitting on the front steps of her neighbor’s house.

He walked over, pulled her aside. “I found your Fahrayan houseguest.”

“He’s inside?” Meaghan whirled around to see Natalie rushing into the house with Brian and Annie glowering behind her. “
Shit
. Brian wants to kick his ass.”

“No. He’s next door with Edna. She grabbed his ass a few times, but I think now she’s settled down into Mrs. Robinson mode. Trying to be sly.”

Edna McGinty was eighty-five and had buried three husbands. Meaghan had caught her sneaking peeks, with binoculars, at Jhoro through her lace curtains. Suddenly, it wasn’t so amusing, especially after Sid’s comments about Jhoro’s omnivorous sexual appetites.

“Oh, God. What’s he doing?”

Owen sighed. “He’s weeping. It appears he’s no longer able to screw his way around his grief.”

“Where did you find him?”

“Lying on top of his dead lover’s grave. I assume you know what’s going on?”

Meaghan nodded. “Got a good idea. Love spell gone wrong?”

“Yeah. Maybe that closed gateway hasn’t quite lost all its mojo. By itself, I don’t think it could have made the spell go free-range, but it could have been a contributing factor.”

Jhoro had insisted that Finn be buried in the stone circle that marked the now-defunct dimensional gateway to Fahraya. “How’d you get him to go with you?”

“I took him by the hand and led him to my car. He’s such a hot mess at the moment he didn’t resist.”

“Was there a woman with him? A witch with black hair?”

Owen shook his head. “Not that I saw. She’s the one who conjured up this disaster?”

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t suppose you speak Fahrayan?”

Owen snorted. “Do I look like a Troon?”

Meaghan pointed at her house. “There’s one inside. Does anyone in there know you’re here?”

“No. Well, I suppose they do now unless the pack you arrived with were too love crazy to notice me. You want me to introduce myself?”

Meaghan shook her head. “God, no. John’s in there along with my brother and neither one are fond of leprechauns. Hang on.” She pulled out her phone and called Sid.

“Where are you?” he hissed. “Annie and Natalie are about to claw each other’s eyes out. Unless they turn on Russ first.”

“I’m in the driveway. I need you to translate. Make a quiet exit and get out here.”

Meaghan slid the phone back in her pocket. To Owen she said, “So why aren’t you all gaga? Or are you just playing it cool?”

Owen rolled his eyes. “Please. Love charms? Give me a break. That’s kiddie magic.” He paused a moment. “So, you had a chance to look at my proposal yet?”

Meaghan glared at him. “What do you think? How did you find Jhoro anyway? What made you go out there? And how did you know to come here?”

“Checking a hunch. I can feel magic gone wrong even if it’s not affecting me. And I had to take him somewhere. I figured you’d show up eventually, and Edna and I go way back. The Order’s skulking around town, by the way.”

“Yeah, I know. They showed up at city hall with Jamie.”

Owen’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. That can’t be good. What happened?”

“He blew out all the windows and then the mayor’s secretary dragged me into a magical safe room and we escaped through a secret tunnel.”

“He was in his office when he did it?”

Meaghan shook her head. “No. He did that coming in the front door. We have to get this love-spell crap dealt with fast. As dangerous as it might get, it’s still only a sideshow.”

Sid trotted up, in his usual assortment of trendy boys’ and girls’ clothes. Today it was plaid cargo shorts, orange Chuck Taylor high-tops, and a powder blue T-shirt featuring a glittery butterfly and ruffled shoulders. On top of his blue head sat a pair of neon green sunglasses. “Sorry that took so long.” He looked Owen up and down and with a sly smile said, “Who’s your handsome friend?” He stuck out his small blue hand. “I’m Sid.”

“I’m a leprechaun,” Owen replied.

Sid pulled his hand back like he’d been burned. “Uh . . .” He glanced up at Meaghan. “You know this guy?”

“Owen Finnerty, meet Sid. Sid, Owen Finnerty. Yes, we met earlier today. He’s not the typical leprechaun.”

As soon as Sid heard Owen’s name, he took a big step backward. “Owen Finnerty? Oh, dear.” He nodded at Owen. “Mr. Finnerty, I’ll skip the handshake. You understand.”

At least now I don’t have to ask Sid if there’s any dirt on Owen,
Meaghan thought.
All I need are the details. Which I don’t have time for right now.
She decided to trust Owen on a provisional basis until she had evidence otherwise.

Owen sighed. “Screw up one time and it’s like you’re radioactive.” He looked up at Sid. “I haven’t struck a single leprechaun’s deal since my little misadventure. Don’t believe everything you hear. I’m a legitimate businessman now.”

“Yeah, you and Michael Corleone,” Sid said. “Meg, do you know anything about leprechauns?”

“Yes, Sid. I do,” Meaghan said. “Enough to know that whatever Owen may have done or may currently do, he’s not a typical leprechaun. That doesn’t mean I trust him.” She gave Owen a pointed look. He rolled his eyes again. “But it does mean I’m willing to listen to what he has to say. And, in case you haven’t noticed, the three of us appear to be the only persons in Eldrich not under the influence of magic. So, no drama, please. We’ve already got more than we can handle.”

Sid frowned but dropped it. “Who am I translating for?”

“Jhoro. He’s next door.”

“Jhoro?” Sid squeaked. “He’s
here?
Do you have a mirror?”

“A mirror?”

“Yes. Look at me. I haven’t seen him since, well,
you know
, and I need to look my best.”

Owen laughed. “Oh, you’re one of
those
Troon. Relax. He’s in such a state I doubt he’ll notice.”

Sid looked glum. “Because he’s all hot for Marnie now?”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Meaghan said. “C’mon. We need to figure this out.” She marched over the lawn to Edna McGinty’s front door with Sid and Owen in tow.

She knocked on the screen door before stepping inside the foyer. “Edna? It’s Meaghan.”

Instead of Edna McGinty, Jhoro hobbled into view. Owen hadn’t lied. Jhoro was a mess. Eyes swollen from weeping, he wore the same clothes, now muddy and torn, that he’d left the house in the previous evening. Angry red scratches covered his arms and his bare feet.

“Mama,” he choked.

Meaghan opened her arms, and he went to her. She hugged him while he sobbed into her shoulder. She felt her own tears try to well up again and she shoved them back down.
Not the time
, she told herself sternly. For once the sensible voice stayed quiet.

When he’d calmed a bit, she steered him into Edna’s living room, and led him to the sofa. “Sid, ask him what happened.”

Hiccupping like a child from too much crying, Jhoro choked out his story as Sid translated.

Marnie had taken him for a drive in her car, as Russ has suspected. She drove them into a clearing about a half mile from the spot where Finn was buried, although she took a roundabout route and Jhoro didn’t realize at first where they were. She pulled a blanket from her trunk and spread it on the ground. While Jhoro lay down to look at the stars, Marnie puttered a bit and then appeared with a plastic shopping bag.

He pulled her down on the blanket and they kissed a bit. Then she said some words, moved her hands, and that was the last thing he remembered until he woke up later, alone.

The remains of a small fire smoldered a few feet away. A sweet, cloying scent hung in the air. Marnie’s car was there, but there was no other sign of her. He felt a bit dizzy at first, but otherwise normal, until he heard a small pop from the fire.

Flames flared up and belched a cloud of smoke, this time acrid, and when the smoke cleared, Finn was standing before him.

“Or at least the image of Finn,” Sid explained. “But he was still Fahrayan. He had his wings. When Jhoro tried to touch him, his hand passed through him. Then Finn turned, unfurled his wings, and started to fly. That’s how J got so cut up. Running barefoot through the trees trying to follow.”

Edna appeared with a pitcher of lemonade and plate of cookies. Jhoro slouched listlessly beside Meaghan on the sofa, his head on her shoulder.

“Watch it, girlie,” Edna said. “Don’t you steal my new boyfriend. I’ve had my eye on Blondie for a while.”

“Yes,” Meaghan said. “I’ve noticed. That’s a nice pair of binoculars you have, by the way.”

Edna threw back her white head and laughed. “And lately there’s been a lot to see.” She leered at Jhoro. “Owen here told me that he suspects a love charm gone awry?”

Meaghan raised an eyebrow. “You’re aware you’re being hexed?”

“Honey, I’m feeling things right now I haven’t felt in years. No way this is natural. I’d be comforting him in a totally different way if I didn’t have bones like Cheetos. One good thrust and he’d crack me in half. But what a way to go.”

“Edna,” Owen said, in mock condemnation. “You naughty girl. You’re making me blush.”

“Ha, as if I could, you little stinker.” Edna turned her attention back to Meaghan. “Never trust a leprechaun, particularly one as charming and handsome as this wee bastard.”

“Can we resume our story?” Sid said, frowning at Owen. “Still have a crisis on our hands, remember?”

“Yes, Sid,” Meaghan said. “You’re right. So, Jhoro was running through the woods. Then what happened?”

Sid buzzed something to Jhoro. With a shuddering sigh, Jhoro slumped deeper into the sofa cushions, a look of despair on his face, and began to speak.

“He says that Finn finally landed and he realized that he was standing on Finn’s grave. He had no idea how close he and Marnie had been to it.” Sid listened intently for a moment and then grimaced. “We’ve got big trouble if we can believe what the Finn apparition said. Finn told him that the witch had tried to use magic to make Jhoro forget his grief and then the wizards came. The wizards in the gray robes. They took her.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“
T
he good news,”
Owen said, “if you can call it that, is she’s still alive or the spell wouldn’t still be going.”

“How do you know that?” Meaghan asked.

“Love charms are personal magic.”

“But this has blown way past Marnie and Jhoro,” Sid said.

“No, it’s merely been amplified,” Owen replied. “Someone talks into a microphone and everybody hears it. But if the speaker shuts up, then the sound stops, you know?”

Sid gave Owen a sullen look. “Not if it’s recorded.”

Owen ignored him. “Love charms are about creating an intimate emotional connection with someone. But it’s not real, at least not at first. It’s basically a magically induced crush. Sometimes it can grow into real love. But the magic dies when the spell caster does.”

Meaghan nodded. “Edna, you still want to jump Jhoro’s bones? More than you did before today?”

Edna smiled. “Yesterday, he was mere entertainment. Today—if I was forty years younger . . .” She giggled as her face grew pink. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for an estrogen patch and denser bones. I think it’s safe to say I’m still under the influence.”

Jhoro stared at the ceiling, bereft, tears leaking out of his deep blue eyes.

Meaghan leaned away from him toward Owen. “This,” she gestured back at Jhoro, “is being caused by the spell, too?”

Owen shrugged. “Hard to say. If her intent was to make him forget, she clearly didn’t accomplish that. But love magic is fussy stuff. Lots of ways for it to go wrong—as you already know. Maybe all Marnie did was force him to finally feel his grief instead of trying to screw his way around it.”

“Which I bet wasn’t her intent,” Meaghan said. She leaned back against the sofa. Jhoro slumped over and put his head on her knee like a small child. Even curled in a ball, he was so tall his feet hung off the end of the sofa. She stroked his hair distractedly.

“So,” Meaghan said, “what happens if we take him to my house? Edna seems to be able to control her impulses.”

“It’s not control, honey,” Edna replied. “It’s physical infirmity. If I could do him, I would. I’m not sure you’ll be able to pry the youngsters off him.”

“And if he rejects them,” Owen chimed in, “which he will because he’s sick with grief for his dead boyfriend, things will turn ugly. Hell hath no fury, right? And that’s regular women. Natalie Segretti could turn him into hamburger with a few words and a wave of her hand.”

Meaghan sighed. “Only if Brian doesn’t beat him to death first.”

“In which case, Natalie will turn Brian into hamburger. We have to keep Jhoro with us and under wraps.” He turned to Edna. “Sorry, doll. But you can’t be trusted, either.”

“Don’t I know it, sugar pie. You better get tall, blond, and handsome out of my house. I’m close to stripping down and doing the hootchy-kootchy for him, and nobody wants to see that, not even me.” She glared at Meaghan, eyes narrowed. “I’m also feeling like I want to tear your hair out, dear, you being so close to him. You ever taken him out for a test drive?”

“Edna!”

The old woman snorted. “Don’t act all innocent with me. He’s a short tiptoe away from your bed every night. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

Meaghan started to answer but stopped. Had she thought about it? And if not, why not? And why had everyone else been so giddy? “I fell into mommy-mode with him the moment he got here. But the witches . . . they went nuts about him. More nuts than you’d expect even for a guy this handsome.”

Owen nodded. “I see what you’re getting at. Maybe there was some magic at work before Marnie’s charm was cast.”

“Exactly. I found a trio of witches in my kitchen yesterday, watching him and they were mesmerized. Then Marnie came in and he kissed her. I thought the witches were gonna blast them both into cat chow, but then he smiled at them, and the witches sighed and smiled back. They didn’t even notice I was there until Jhoro saw me, and the looks I got when he hugged me made me very glad to be impervious.”

Owen took a long look at Jhoro. “Maybe that’s why Marnie’s spell went wrong. Somebody else took a shot at him first. So, what do we do next?”

“Find Marnie,” Meaghan said. “Even if she’s still alive, the Order hates witches and there’s a lot of ways they can hurt her short of killing her.”

“So where do we look?”

“City hall’s a good bet. We know there are wizards there.”

Sid rejoined the conversation. “There’s also a lot of broken glass, and Jamie manifesting big poltergeist activity. We need to get him back, too.”

Jamie. Meaghan had been so distracted by all this other crap she hadn’t had time to worry about him. She felt a bloom of panic in her gut. “I know. But I don’t think we can do that until we get everybody’s head clear. I need Natalie in her right mind.”

“But we can’t shut this mess down without Marnie,” Owen reminded her. “And if she’s with the wizards, we’re going to have to deal with Jamie, ready or not.”

Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to figure out what to do next. What she really wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for twelve hours. She wanted to hide. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to ignore her fear.

“Okay,” Meaghan said. “We have to treat this as the same problem then, but I’m not leading us into city hall blind. We need to talk to Finn—if the thing Jhoro encountered really was him—and see if he knows anything. If Finn’s a ghost, Annie’s our best bet. She hates Jhoro at the moment because she thinks he’s trying to steal Russ, but on the plus side, she can’t hurt him with magic.”

“How do we get her here?” Sid asked.

Meaghan stared at him.

“Oh, no. I’m not going back in that house with the love-crazy witch, the jealous cop, and your sexually confused brother. Russ kept asking me how to be gay. How should I know, I told him. Troon don’t think that way. Gay, straight, male, female—those kind of labels are a human thing.”

Meaghan sighed and pulled out her phone. “Fine. Let’s do it this way.”

Russ picked up immediately. “Where are you?” he hissed. “Natalie keeps threatening to hex me if I don’t give up Jhoro. I keep telling her it’s not my fault, I was born this way, but she won’t listen.”

“You weren’t born this way, Russ. You didn’t even wake up this way. Now, shut up and put Annie on the phone.”

Russ sighed. “I know she’s hurt, but I can’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

“Whatever. Put her on the phone.”

“What?” Annie snapped at her. “Your brother’s going to get hexed by Natalie and it will serve him right. Lying rat bastard pretending to like girls.”

“He’s already hexed,” Meaghan said. “As are you and Natalie and Brian. I need you to get your shit together, like you did getting us out of city hall. Come over to Edna’s house. We need your help.”

“Should I bring Russ before Natalie turns him into something? Why does he keep calling her ‘sis’?”

“I have no idea,” Meaghan lied. “Leave him there. Tell him I need your help and you’ll be back soon. Then get over here.”

She called Natalie’s phone next. “Don’t hex Russ,” Meaghan said before Natalie could say hello. “Or Brian.”

“Like I’d waste the magic on either of
them
. What about Betty Bleach?”

“Annie’s leaving. When she’s gone, go lock yourself in Jhoro’s room and leave the boys alone.”

“Don’t let her hurt Jhoro,” Natalie said.

“I won’t.” On impulse, Meaghan added, “And put up a barrier around the house. Nobody gets in, nobody gets out.”

“But what if Jhoro comes home?”

Meaghan rolled her eyes. “If he shows up, you can let him in. But we need to keep you safe from the wizards, okay?”

“All right. Bring him home safe, okay? I can’t live without him.”

Meaghan slapped her hand quietly against her forehead. “I promise. Now do what I asked you.”

She ended the call and heard a couple of gentle knocks on the screen door. “Wait here,” she said to the others. “Let me head her off.”

Annie had changed into a pair of Russ’s jeans and one of his T-shirts. “Boyfriend jeans,” she said with a wan smile. “A girl can still hope, right? That’s not too pathetic, is it?”

Meaghan pulled her into a quick hug. “It’s not pathetic at all. Trust me. You can do more than hope. As soon as this thing is over, you’ll be the only one Russ has eyes for, I promise.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. But until then, I need you to be the strong, sensible woman you were getting us out of city hall. There’s somebody here you aren’t going to want to see.”

Annie stepped back. “
Him?
That yellow-haired, over-sexed, man stealer? Here to gloat?”

Meaghan shook her head. “No, not to gloat.”

Jhoro stepped into the hallway. Meaghan grabbed Annie before she could lunge at him.

But Annie merely gazed at him, taking in his scratched arms, his muddy clothes, and his tear-swollen eyes. “He’s been crying?”

“Yes,” Meaghan said. “This is what Marnie’s spell did to him. Or maybe it’s not even the spell. He’s grieving for someone he lost when Fahraya was destroyed.”

Annie nodded, her rage spent. “The guy with the dark hair. The one buried in the forest.” She stared at the space around him. “But it’s not only him he’s crying for. There are others here with him. He’s grieving for all of it.”

Please let it be this easy.
“Finn—the guy with dark hair. Is he here?”

Annie shook her head. “No. These aren’t ghosts I’m seeing. They’re . . . memories? I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like his memories are so strong, he’s manifesting them.” She shivered.

“Still mad at him?”

“God, no. There’s no room in there for Russ. Or Natalie, or anybody else.” She nodded. “I can feel the hex now. I still feel jealous, but it’s . . . I can feel it isn’t real.” Now her eyes filled with tears. She opened her arms. “Come here.”

Jhoro let her hug him.

Meaghan drew in a sharp breath waiting to see what would happen.

After a few moments, Annie patted him on the arm, stepped away, and dug a tissue out of her pocket. “Waaah. Now he’s got me going. I’m usually only a little empathic, but he’s radiating grief like a forest fire. I feel like the world just ended.”

“Like it did for him. You aren’t going to get all mushy about him instead, are you?”

Annie shook her head. “No. Not now.”

Meaghan sagged against the wall. “That’s a relief. You think seeing him like this would be enough to break the spell for Natalie?”

“I don’t think so. I’m . . . like I said, something about him is amping my psychic radar off the charts. I haven’t been this empathic since I was a kid. And even with that, I can still feel the spell nibbling at me, trying to find a way in. Have you found Marnie yet?”

“No, but we think the wizards took her. At least that’s what something that looked like Finn told Jhoro.”

“And if it was Finn, you need me to see if I can talk to him.”

Meaghan nodded. “It’s not a great plan, but right now it’s all I got.”