Authors: Jamieson Wolf
"Let's hope that you find her," Jose said. "Now, I believe your mother has something to show you."
Honey showed David the birthmarks on the twins. He shook his head. "I don't know anything about birthmarks or the like. Karma will be busy making sure that Orlando, Lucia and Alicia are alright. I could ask Chip, he studied mythology in high school."
"It wouldn't hurt to talk to Poppy's mother, Lucy," Honey suggested. "You said she had studied mythology.
David's cell pHone rang. He moved into the dining room and answered it. "Hello?" he said.
"David, it's Karma."
"Hey, we were just talking about you."
"All good I hope. Listen, we've had a problem."
"What would that be?"
"Lucia doesn't want to go into the house."
"What?"
"She doesn't want to go in, even though she received a Buddha, she won't listen to reason. It's been preordained, it is her destiny."
"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to. Nothing is preordained. Magic isn't logical and won't listen to reason; I'm sure you know that already."
"But what about the bone, David? She was given one."
"But you can't force her to go into the house if she doesn't want to. She's afraid. Why don't you go?" he asked.
There was silence on the other end. "Me?" she said, unbelieving.
"Why not you?"
"Because I'm head of the Coven."
"I'm sure Naomi and Cecelia will hold down the fort while you're gone."
"I'm surprised you're even talking to me after what happened."
"If I want my friend back, I don't have a choice, do I?" he said viciously.
"I deserved that," She said.
"Yeah, you did. You and Orlando and Alicia were playing us like pawns. I think it's only fitting that you three are the ones to get her out."
"There is some perverse logic in that," she said. "Done. I'll tell Lucia the good news. She really was very scared."
"As well you should be. You're going to be messing with a house older than any of us and full of magic. I'd be very afraid." He cleared his throat. "Do you know anything about prophecies concerning birthmarks?"
Karma thought for a moment. "Nope, but I know Lucia does. She ordered a few books through Strange and Unusual. Alicia mentioned it to me. You should go see her."
"That's quite the coincidence. Lucia and Lucy knowing about mythology," David said.
"There is no such thing as coincidences, David. There is only chance. Everyone is meeting at the house tomorrow night to send Alicia,
Orlando
off. And now me, I guess," she said. "Could you be there? Bring your parents," she said. "It would mean a lot to
Orlando
."
"I'll be there." David said. "It would mean a lot to me too."
Chapter Twenty
Bed Sheets and Glass
Chip had begun to see changes in Roz. Not anything he could really put a finger on, but there were differences. Her hair was lacklustre, faded to a dull brittle red. Her eyes had lost their shine and she seemed far away. She was a different person. He figured that her being pregnant would have changed things, would have made things slightly better. But it didn't help. She was lodged securely in her depression and he wasn't able to pull her out of it. Chip had taken a leave of absence from Calliway publishing. They would be sending the books in the slush pile to their home so that he could continue to work, but from home instead of an office. He needed to be with Roz right now. He was thankful that his work understood that.
Honey called periodically to check on Roz, as did David and Jose, but nothing could drag Roz out of her frump. He had tried calling everyone, but there was no answer at anyone's home. They all seemed to be busy and he and Roz seemed to be left out to fend for themselves. He wished he had someone to talk to about all this. Sighing to himself, he got Roz's lunch ready and took it into the bedroom. What he saw when he opened the door shocked him, which he thought was impossible after all that he had been through. Roz was on the bed, thrashing around on top of the sheets, completely naked and sweating buckets. Loud guttural sounds were coming from her mouth that he had never heard before. Not sure what to do, he put the tray down and sat on the edge of the bed. He shook her slightly, hoping to wake her.
"Roz?" he said. "Roz Honey, wake up, you're having a nightmare."
At the sound of his voice, Roz stopped thrashing. She opened her eyes and blinked at him. "What's going on?" she said. She stretched and sat up. "Why am I naked?" she asked.
"You were having a nightmare." At her blank look, Chip explained. "I brought you a tray of food for lunch and found you on the bed, naked, thrashing about. It looked as if you were having a nightmare." He touched a finger to her brow and showed it to her. It was wet. "See, you were sweating buckets. Are you alright?"
Roz smiled to herself. "I'm fine," she said. "I was dreaming, but I don't know what about." She put a hand on her stomach.
"I've been feeling better, better than ever. I'm going to be a mother." She stood up and went to her wardrobe and pulled out a short, flowered dress. She turned to see Chip looking at her strangely. "Stop looking at me like that!" she said. "I'm fine, really."
Chip nodded and watched his wife get dressed for the first time in months. Despite her assurances that she was alright, Chip could not shake the feeling that there was something very wrong with his wife.
* * * * *
Daphne McGowan was happy to be out of prison. The Boss had paid bail and she was now a free woman. It felt good to be out of the jail cell; she had been surrounded by four walls for far too long. A week was a long time to wait. She knew why The Boss had kept her there that long; she was being punished. She was wary of seeing The Boss tonight, but she had been summoned and there was little she could do but go. She needed to get paid. There was a cute pair of high heels that she had seen and she was flat broke. The money would be welcome. Daphne let herself into The Boss’ house and went down to the back office. The Boss was waiting for her. "Mistress." Daphne said, curtsying slightly.
"You know the rules, Daphne," The Boss said. "When we are alone, you are to call me by my name. It is only when you are away from me that you must keep my identity secret."
"Yes, Mistress, sorry Mistress."
The woman smiled, holding Daphne's chin in her left hand. "Some habits are hard to break, I see?" She smiled, running a red finger nail down Daphne's face. There was no happiness in that smile and the nail left a line of blood along Daphne's jaw line. "That is alright, I don't mind if you call me Mistress. I rather like the sound of it, don't you?" She walked to the chaise lounge that was in the corner of the office, beside the small oak desk that housed her computer.
Mistress preferred the chaise lounge to a couch, it was much more personal, she thought. "Do you have any idea why you are here?" she asked.
"Because I failed you, Mistress."
"Yes, not once, but twice. You failed me twice, Daphne."
"How did I fail twice?"
"By letting that girl walk out on you. She is the first Shape Shifter in a thousand years, she can take any form she wants, smoke, air, any thought is her whim. I wanted to house that power," Mistress said.
"I told you what happened at the gallery, Mistress, I didn't want to hold her against her will, and she would have suspected if I had done that."
"I understand, but it still does not excuse you being arrested by the police while you were supposed to be watching the house. I can't afford this to come back to me," she said.
"I was smoking and the cop thought I was smoking pot. They had to test my urine and make sure there were no drugs in my system."
"Did they discover what you are?"
"No."
"Good." Mistress smiled to herself. With a movement that was more graceful than quick, Mistress took a gun out of the pocket of her blazer and shot Daphne squarely in the chest.
The shot rang loud in the small office, light glinting off the metal of the gun, the glass of the window. Daphne still stood, a shocked look on her face, a dry cough coming from her mouth. Blood oozed from the wound in her chest even as she began to change.
"I do not tolerate failure, Daphne." She smiled again. "I do not give three chances. You were lucky to get two. You have displeased me and so I shall dispose of you."
". . .why. . ?" Daphne said.
"Why did I shoot you?" Mistress laughed; the sound was like nails on a chalkboard and it sent shivers down Daphne's spine. "Because I can. Because you failed me. Because I wanted to. Are those good enough reasons?" Daphne could not respond. "I thought so."
Daphne's change was almost complete. Gone was her human body, which had been shed like a skin. Daphne's real form crawled out of the mouth of her now defunct human body, stretching the mouth until it stretched as far as it would go. A scaled head showed itself, purple and black, shining in the dim light of the office, glowing. Mistress watched claws appear, a beak, talons. Soon, Daphne was unfurled on the floor, the world's only remaining dragon. McGowan was the most beautiful thing to be seen for thousands of years and she was dying.
"You were supposed to be this great beast, this mythical being. Now look at you, not fit to lie under my feet. You were supposed to be invincible, filled with magic, you told me. You are useless. The world will be glad to be rid of the last dragon, of that I have no doubt."
The Mistress’ words only served to anger McGowan. Instead of remaining on the floor, she stood, as much as the pain would allow her and flapped her wings. "The world will not be rid of me."
McGowan's voice had dropped to a low, guttural growl and the room began to fill with smoke. Mistress laughed again, longer this time. "Oh, I don't think so. Look at you, you're dying. Even being a mythical creature, you can't deny that." She laughed again, high and loud. The sound pleased Mistress, made her think of the last person she had killed. She had not wanted to kill Daphne, but needs must.
McGowan let out a ear splitting screech at the sound of Mistress’ laughter and spread her wings. She launched herself out the window, glass shattering like diamonds all around them. The Mistress ducked, covering her head and started brushing the glass from her hair, trying not to cut herself. When she looked up, McGowan was gone. She went to the window and looked out. There was no sign of her. No matter, though. Mistress eyed the trail of blood on the carpet and the window sill. A silver bullet straight to the heart would kill Daphne in minutes. She would not make it far. Daphne would be dead within an hour. The Mistress sighed. Murder was such a messy business. She sighed again and took the phone book out of the bottom drawer of her desk. She would have to get someone to fix that window, she thought. Humming to herself, she picked opened the phone book and started to look for a repairman.
Chapter Twenty One
Unforeseen Developments
The night howled around them. It was dark out and the wind whipped at the trees, their branches slapping at the windows of the House on Harrow Hill. David could hear them, loud whipping sounds that cracked into the air. They were in the living room. Karma, Alicia and Orlando were seated on one couch, Lucy and David on another. Naomi and Cecelia were seated on the love seat. Lucy clutched his hand. "I'm so scared," she said.
"Don't worry, they'll find Poppy."
"But what if they don't?" she said. "I mean, no one knows what's inside the house, do they? Did you ever do your quest, Cecelia?"
Cecelia shook her head. "It was no longer required to go on vision quests by the time I was old enough to take one. I have spoken to those who have been inside and they are not able to tell me much, except that it is whatever it wants to be. Poppy could be anywhere."
"We will find her," Karma said. "We have no choice. Without us, she may never succeed."
"Oh, I doubt she'll do that badly," Naomi said. "She's a strong one, her, the magic runs strong within her too."
"She'll need all the magic she has," Cecelia said. "Are you sure this is going to work?"
"We have no choice but to try," Karma said. "Are we all ready?"
* * * * *
They all stood in front of the area where the door had been. Lucia and Alicia had remembered its location from when the bone Buddhas had appeared. Karma and Cecelia were busy outlining the door for their spell when David felt someone behind him.
Orlando
was there. "I don't want to talk to you," David said.
"This may be the last time we see each other,"
Orlando
said. "Please, understand I was doing what I did for reasons of my own. I may never see you again. Please don't leave things like this. I love you, David." He was crying, tears streaming down his face. David could tell by the bags under his eyes that he had not slept for days. David leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "We'll talk, just not now. Now's not the time." He kissed him again. "I love you too. We'll talk when you get back."