Authors: Vicky Burkholder
Cass glanced at the wall behind them. Several rocks wobbled and fell. Nic bent to pick up a sizeable rock as the ceiling caved in, raining dirt and stones on them.
Weapon forgotten, Nic jumped forward, yanking Cass with him. Both covered their mouths and noses with their arms, coughing as the dust billowed around them.
Before the dust could settle, Cass lifted her hands and the rocks and dirt moved aside, forming a solid arch that kept their escape route open and held up the remaining loose dirt. She brushed dirt off her face and hands. “Sorry. I’m not very good with focusing.”
Nic picked up a loose rock and bounced it in his hand. She had a strong power, but not much control. He had his doubts about all this crap, but he couldn’t deny what his eyes told him.
“It’s a cinch whoever caused that scream knows we’re coming.” Nic tucked more rocks in his pockets and nodded when Cass grabbed a couple for herself.
“Or they think we had a cave-in,” Cass said.
“Let’s see.”
They crept forward. Nic shielded his flashlight, giving them enough light to see by, but not enough to alert anyone ahead of them. At one corner, he turned it off completely as dim light shone on the opposite wall. They hadn’t heard any screams beyond the first two.
Nic peeked around the corner, quickly drew back, and then looked again. “It’s clear.”
They continued. A very long few minutes later, they paused at the end of the tunnel looking at an empty cavern.
Nic played his flashlight around the walls. Two torches burned in sconces on the far end of the large space. The entire room took up roughly the space of a basketball court. In the center of the cave stood a crystal pedestal on a rocky base in the middle of a clear pool.
Nic didn’t see anything in the cavern that would have made the scream, but after what he’d seen and experienced the past two days, he wouldn’t take anything for granted.
“There’s nothing here,” Cass said. “But there was.”
“You know that how?”
“I can sometimes tell if someone has been in the immediate area. They leave a kind of shadow of themselves behind. It only lasts a few moments though.”
“You can ‘sometimes’ tell?”
Cass shrugged. “I haven’t exactly practiced honing my skills—at least, not all of them.”
“All of them? You have more?” Even in the dim light, he caught the redness in her face. Exactly how much had she not told him? And did he really want to know? “Skip that. I’m not sure I want to know.” He stepped into the cavern, followed closely by Cass.
“Is that the base Aunt Minerva told us about?” Cass pointed to the central stand.
“I think so. But there’s no way to get to it. The pool’s too wide to jump.” Nic tossed a stone in the water. A flash of flame followed by bubbling sizzle as the stone sank had them both taking a step back. “I don’t think swimming is a good idea.”
Nic studied the room. He knew this place. “I’ve been here before.” His soft voice echoed off the rocky walls. He studied sets of chains attached to the walls, holding back a shudder.
Cass nodded. “I have too. But not recently. A long time ago.”
“Lifetimes ago.”
She and Nic stared at each other for several heartbeats. He lifted his hand to her hair. “My lady, Cassandra.”
“My lord, Nicodemus. Pray remember thy vows.”
“Which? To thee? Or to those who would keep us apart?” Nic frowned, let his hand drop, and stepped away from Cass. “What’s going on? Are you doing this?”
*
“No!” Cass’ gaze strayed to a dark corner to their left. “Nic?” Her voice emerged as a bare whisper, but still echoed in the room. Something dark and horrible lay in that direction. Something she didn’t want to see, but knew she had to.
“What’s wrong?”
“The light. Shine it over there.” She pointed to an area in deep shadow to their left.
Nic did and Cass gasped as she saw the altar from her e-mail nightmares.
A set of stone steps led from where they stood to the altar. A dark, wet trail stained the floor leading from the altar to the pool. “Nic?”
“I’m here to protect you, Cass. It’s just stone. It can’t hurt you.” He took her hand and skirted around the trail. “Come with me. Face your fear.” Dirt showered down on them. He had to get her in control or they could be in real trouble.
The chill and shivers coming from her weren’t due to the cold. He led her over to the altar and touched the black stone. When he did, a jolt hit him, as if he’d stuck his finger in a light socket. Screams echoed in his head—Cass’ screams as a hooded man chained her down on top of the altar. He’d been likewise chained—unable to help her. He lifted his hand from the stone, half afraid that what he saw in his mind existed here and now. His hand came away from the stone dripping red. He’d been around enough blood to know the feel and smell of it. He tried to shake off the feeling that it belonged to Cass.
“Nic? Are you all right?”
“Yes.” He moved a step away from the altar and wiped his hand in the dirt, finishing the cleaning with a tissue. The fear on Cass’ face struck him. She needed to deal with her emotions before they grew too powerful to contain. They stood in a cave, surrounded by earth. He’d rather not contemplate the consequences.
“This is nothing more than rock. Fear the man, not the tool.”
“I don’t fear him so much as hate him, for what he did to us and for what he might do to our world—to both worlds. But all that happened in another lifetime. We’re here now. Does that mean he is also?” Cass stared at the altar, her eyes wide.
“You know he is.”
“So how do we beat him?” she asked.
“We learn from the past. He had us, but screwed up. He didn’t have the keys. He lost then, he’ll lose again.”
“But will we die again?”
“No. We have more knowledge this time. And you have more power. I don’t think our earlier selves had the strength we do now. This time, we have the edge.”
When Cass took a deep breath and let it out, Nic knew she’d dealt with the worst of her fears. But her hand remained clasped in his. They continued their walk around the pool.
“Do you think Aunt Minerva wanted me to leave the key here?”
“No. She wanted you to see this place, but that’s all. I think she wanted you to face the altar and to deal with the emotions it raises.”
“I hate it.”
“That’s fine. How much?”
“A lot—but I’m in control.”
“I wonder what would happen if you shattered it?”
Cass glanced around them. “Much as I would love to, I don’t think I could focus my control enough to shatter just the altar. I’m too angry, too emotional. I’d probably destroy the entire cavern.”
“Not a good thing. Especially with us in it.”
“Nope.”
Nic found a second path opposite where they’d entered. “Then I think we’ve done what we needed. Let’s keep going. Okay?”
“Yeah. But what if we run into whatever left that blood trail?”
“You saw the blood?” Her observation didn’t really surprise him, but her calm acceptance of it did.
“Yes. It’s fresh. But the trail doesn’t go anywhere. It leads from the altar to the pool, then stops.”
“If we meet either the person doing the bleeding, or whoever caused it, we’ll deal. But I have a feeling both are gone—one alive, and one dead.”
Cass nodded. “I agree.” She glanced back at the altar. “Let’s get out of here.”
The path sloped upward and in a few minutes, they reached a narrow wooden door set into the rock wall. Nic listened at the panel.
“I can’t hear anything, but stay back just to be safe.” He pushed at the door, surprised when it moved easily and silently. He shone his light around, revealing a low cellar nearly identical to the one they’d left. A quick look showed him only empty spaces. He inched out, making sure of their security before he moved aside for Cass.
Cass followed close behind. “Oh! I know where we are. This is Aunt Minerva’s place.”
“How can you be sure?”
She grinned and pointed at a table full of broken crockery, some badly mended. “One of my youthful fits of anger. Minerva punished me by making me mend all the china I broke.”
Nic’s scarred eyebrow rose. “Doesn’t look like you finished.”
“With my temper, I kept making the breaks worse, but Minerva made me keep at it for days. That’s when I learned control.”
“Ah, that strength of control I saw earlier today?”
“I never claimed to be perfect. Sometimes it gets away from me.”
“I’ll bet you led her a merry dance over the years.”
“And then some.” Cass mounted the first step in the flight leading out of the cellar.
Nic yanked her to a stop. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Upstairs.”
“I’ll go first.”
“Nic, this is silly. Nobody would attack Aunt Minerva’s. They wouldn’t dare.”
“Like they wouldn’t dare attack the store? Or your apartment? Even when they know what you are to Minerva? Wait here.” He climbed the stairs, pausing at the top to listen. When he heard nothing, he stepped into what appeared to be a kitchen. A nearby streetlight gave him enough light to avoid a center island and stools. He heard nothing in the room, but that didn’t mean anything. Sometimes the worst enemy lay in silence. He grabbed a knife from a block on the counter. It had a nice long, sturdy blade. He spun around when he heard a noise, relaxing when Cass joined him.
“I told you to wait.” He’d never admit it, but her presence—and her nerve—comforted him.
“You need me. I know the house. You don’t.”
He had to admit she had a point. He grinned when she also grabbed a knife. “A knife? Witches don’t have powers to stop would-be muggers?”
“Hey, I told you I never really practiced with what I can do. And when I did, I came here. Minerva has all sorts of wards around this place so I couldn’t hurt anyone or anything, except myself and the china. Not sure I want to try something new when I’m stressing out.”
“Uh, yeah. Good point. Especially when I’m with you. So, where do we go?”
“This way.” Cass led him through a swinging door into a long, narrow hall. To his left, a set of stairs led up to a second story. At the end of the hall, a wide foyer opened on both sides to other rooms. Using his flashlight, Nic made a quick circuit of all the first-floor rooms, then led the way up the steps.
“Watch the third one from the top,” Cass whispered. “It creaks.”
Nic stretched over the step to the next one. A quick search of the second floor and attic revealed no intruders.
“Is it okay if I turn on some lights?” Cass asked.
“I’d rather you didn’t. We know the inside is safe, but there may be someone waiting outside.”
They’d stopped in a bedroom. Though he couldn’t see much in the dark, the sweep of a flashlight showed him a mix of little girl grown to teen, to young woman. Her favorite color showed in the deep green carpeting and lighter accents in earthy tones. He stood by the door refusing to go farther. Cass sat on the edge of the bed and he wanted very much to join her there. He feared if he took one step in, he wouldn’t be able to stop. She’d been his once; she could be again. But not here. Not now. And what of her boyfriend? How would he feel if someone tried to take her from him?
Hell, he knew how he’d feel. Exactly how he felt now.
“Nic? Is something wrong?”
“No. Yes.”
“Ah. I understand.” She rose and approached him. Her hand clasped his. “I don’t understand this connection we seem to have. I don’t know where it comes from and now is not the time to explore it. I know we both sense something but once we’re safe, we’ll see what happens. Right now I need to know one thing.”
Nic swallowed hard. The warmth of her skin enveloped him; her soft voice drew him. He briefly wondered how hard a person’s heart had to beat before they had an attack. “What’s that?”
“Is it okay if I take a shower and change clothes?”
His shoulders shook as he bit back laughter. “Can you make do with just a flashlight?”
“Yes.”
“That’s fine then. While you’re cleaning up, I’ll put together a snack. You want anything in particular?”
Cass’ ringing cell phone interrupted them. She glanced at the lit screen. “It’s Aunt Minerva.”
“Put her on speaker.”
“Aunt Minerva? Are you okay?”
“Cassandra! Get out of the house! Now! The others are gone. But you are not safe there. Protector, keep her safe!” The phone cut off on a scream.
* * * *
She’d been in the cavern. His Cassandra and the Protector. If he hadn’t listened to Sheila, Cassandra would be his. Thanks to the old one, he had some power. He could have controlled the Protector and taken Cassandra. Rage overtook him and the shelves and furniture in their room shook. Had the woman been there, she’d have been dead.
Calming himself, William opened a locked box he carried with him and took out his knife, four pieces of rope, a bowl, packets of herbs, and three candles. He tied one end of each of the ropes to the posts on the bed, making a loop in the loose end. Like the other things in the room, he’d had it shipped in special, though he hadn’t anticipated this particular use. But having a bed with four sturdy posts instead of the generic hotel fare worked to his definite advantage. He checked his knots, making sure they could not be pulled loose no matter how hard one yanked.
He glanced at the clock. He had a few minutes before Sheila would return from her shopping spree. He sprawled in the plush chair he’d had brought in for him. The ancient wood felt smooth and cool under his hands, the velvet pads worn, but still soft, cushioning him in a way no modern piece could. His fingers tapped the carved arms as he waited.
By the time she arrived, his anger had cooled, but she still needed a lesson, and he knew the perfect way to impart it.
“Hey, what’s with the stuff?” Sheila dumped several bags in the corner.
William smiled and held up the end of one of the ropes. “I thought we’d try something new.”
She grinned and licked her lips, her eyes lighting, as he knew they would. She was a true wanton.
“Now you’re talking. You or me?”
“You, my dear. Just you.” He could barely contain his glee as she stripped, sashaying in front of him before she climbed onto the bed.