Witching Fire: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 16 Page 8

But Lenny leaned forward, squinting at me. “I know that Vixen called me over here to set us up. Don’t even think about it, toots. I’m not interested. I don’t need arm candy.”

  I suddenly realized that Lenny—or whoever was manning Lenny’s helm—thought that Vixen was trying to set us up. I could work with that.

  “Busted.” I hung my head and forced myself to blush. “I’m sorry they troubled you. Trust me, given how surly you are, I’m definitely not interested. And don’t blame Vixen. I was the one who pushed them to see if they had any single friends—”

  “Wait a minute. You’re one of them. You’re one of the Ante-Fae, aren’t you?” Lenny’s expression took on an interesting look, one I didn’t care for. He was sleazy and menacing, and that he had perked up when he realized I was Ante-Fae also set an alarm bell going.

  “Yeah, I am,” I said. I wondered if I should come out and confront the creature, but that might not be the best idea. It would surely cause him to run for cover and then Vixen would be out of a website designer and a friend.

  “So, you were looking for a date? Why are you interested in someone who’s human?”

  The Walk-In was testing me. I scrambled, trying to think on my feet. “I’m not, per se. I lost my fiancé a year and a half ago. I’m just now feeling ready to date again and I’m looking to get back into practice.” It wasn’t exactly the truth but it wasn’t an outright lie, either. I had lost my fiancé, and if it wasn’t for Kipa, I probably wouldn’t be dating even now. We had instantly hit it off and that didn’t happen very often.

  “Hmm, what are you?” he asked.

  I had no intention on telling him that I was a bone witch, but I was stuck on what to say. I could stall but—

  “I know Vixen owns the nightclub. Do you work for them?” His interruption gave me a reprieve.

  I quickly said, “I read tarot cards for a living.” I left the exorcisms out of the conversation.

  Lenny pulled back, relaxing. As he did so, I managed to catch a glimpse of something shifting yet again in his expression. And in that moment, I saw the face of a tired, frightened man, staring at me with pleading eyes. That was Lenny. It was so quick that I would have missed it if I had blinked, but long enough to confirm that Lenny was still inside, being held hostage. But it also told me that I had been talking to the attachment. The glimpse also told me that—whatever it was—it was stronger than he was. He couldn’t fight his way around it.

  At that moment, Vixen returned, carrying a canvas bag. They were followed by Camilla, who was carrying another tray with a teacup and saucer on it. “Here’s your blow dryer.”

  I took the bag. “Thanks. I’ll be going now. I’ll call you in a bit.” I turned back to Lenny. “It’s been nice to meet you,” I said, but this time I kept my hands to myself. The entity was on guard and any further touch might give it more information than I wanted it to have.

  Lenny leaned back and stared at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, you too.”

  And on that lie, Camilla led me out of the room and I left, after secreting the bag back to her.

  * * *

  Once outside, I took a long breath to clear my thoughts. It was cold and snowing, fine thin flakes coming down fast with no signs of stopping. I paused at my car, using the device that Yutani—who worked for the Wild Hunt—had created for everybody in the agency. He had also made spares for a few friends, like me. A quick scan of the car told me there were no explosives, magical or otherwise, on my car. It also scanned for other magical traps waiting to happen. We had learned the hard way that when you’re in a war, whether it be against the Dragonni or the Fae, you double check on things like that.

  As I drove home toward the UnderLake District, I decided to stop off at the lake. It was a cold afternoon, but I wanted the chill to clear my thoughts. The light was waning, but I still had time for a brief outing.

  I found a bench that was free of snow—it was nestled under a canopy of fir trees—and sat down, leaning back as I tried to relax. The water was restless today and I imagined the Elementals were having a blast with the weather. Ember would be able to tell, but unless they chose to show themselves to me, most elementals were difficult to see, even for witches. I could see spirits no problem, but then again, I was a bone witch and that was my specialty.

  Lake Washington was covered with choppy waves, and the seafoam scattered on the strip of dirt and grass that edged the lake as they rolled in toward the shore. Lake Washington was a massive lake, as far as lakes go, and had been known by several different Native American names long before 1854, when incoming white settlers had named it after George Washington. At twenty-two miles long and six miles wide, the lake plunged down to a depth of 210 feet. Fishing was good in it, and motorboats tore along the surface on a regular basis. At this time of year, boats decked out in holiday lights leisurely sailed over the surface.

  Two bridges crossed the lake—the I-90 floating bridge, and the other was the 520 floating bridge, which had recently been replaced. Given the old 520 bridge had a one-in-twenty chance of going down in a big quake, and also given the area was prone to powerful quakes due to the fault zone that wove a web beneath the greater Seattle metropolitan area, the authorities had managed to push through a bill that allowed them go ahead with replacing it. The new bridge, formally known as the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, was both the widest and longest floating bridge in the world.

  From where I was sitting, I could see both bridges, one toward the southern end and one near the northern end. I huddled back on the bench, watching the water churn along, and content to let my mind drift. I was processing what I had seen at Vixen’s. Lenny was definitely carrying an attachment, but I still wasn’t sure what it was. And even more important—could I remove it from him? That depended on what I was facing, so I was still in the dark.

  As I was sitting there, watching the waves, I happened to glance to my left, where I saw a young man. He was wearing an open shirt over an undershirt, and a pair of blue jeans. I couldn’t figure out how he was possibly warm enough. As he turned around and saw me, he froze. I glanced around, thinking maybe he was looking at someone behind me, but there was no one else in the park.

  I tried to return to thinking about Lenny’s case, but the guy was annoying me. He wouldn’t stop looking at me. Then I paused, turning my attention to him again. I stared at him for a moment, then closed my eyes. I could see his aura better that way.

  Oh, he’s dead. Now that I looked closely, I could see the telltale signs.

  The man’s aura flared with purple around the outer edges, and there was no silver cord to be seen anywhere. He wasn’t threatening, though. In fact, I felt sorry for him, though I didn’t know why. Opening my eyes again, I patted the seat beside me. He cocked his head like a puppy, then began to walk my way. When he was standing about two yards away, he stopped again.

  “Are you all right?” I asked aloud.

  He paused, as if listening to something intently. With his left hand, he reached for his shirt and as I watched, he opened it fully and I saw a patch of red there, spreading across the area where his heart was. It wasn’t blood, but an energy residue. He crooked his finger and motioned for me to follow him as he turned to walk toward a thicket of trees in the park.

  I reluctantly followed, knowing and yet dreading what was next. And sure enough, the moment we came to the trees, he pointed toward a mound, recently covered with snow. I knelt beside the mound, still keeping myself alert for any sudden noises or movements, and as I brushed away the leaves and snow, I saw a hand sticking out from beneath the clumps of sodden, icy leaves.

  “Crap,” I said. Just what I needed now—a dead body on my hands. With a low sigh, I pulled out my phone and called the police.

  * * *

  The officers answering the call were Fae. Light Fae, if I was correct. They took down my name and address and I was able to tell them I had seen the spirit and he led me to his body because the Fae, for the most part, believed in—and
understood—the spirit world.

  “Is he around now? Is there anything he can tell you about his death? Was he murdered? Or did he just drop dead?” The woman officer’s name was Deaylia Larens. “We shouldn’t move the leaves till the coroner gets here.”

  “I can try,” I said. I turned back to the spirit, who was standing a ways back, watching. I motioned for him to approach. He slowly inched forward, nervously eyeing the exposed hand on the ground.

  Can you hear me? I projected silently, to see if he could catch my words without me talking aloud.

  He jerked his head up, staring at me. There was a certain puzzlement to his look, and I realized that he wasn’t sure what was going on. Which meant he wasn’t clear on the fact that he was dead. That happened a lot, and it was a pain in the ass to deal with, but it had to be done with compassion as well. When the dead were pissed or startled, they could act out in all sorts of unpleasant ways, even if they didn’t mean to.

  What do you want? He mouthed the words but I could catch them because even though he might think he was talking aloud, he was projecting them with his mind.

  What happened to you?

  He frowned again. What do you mean?

  I glanced at the hand sticking out from beneath the leaves and pointed to it. What happened?

  I don’t know. I found him like that, whoever he is.

  Okay, so he didn’t realize that was his body. Now came the hard part. What’s your name?

  Josh Fine. Who are you?

  I’m Raven BoneTalker. Um, Josh, what’s the last thing you remember before you saw me in the park?

  Well, I was walking through those trees. I like taking an early morning walk when it’s snowy. I… He paused, looking confused. I remember thinking that today was going to be a good day because…there was something I was going to do, but I can’t remember now. And then I must have pulled a muscle because something hurt and…then…I saw you.

  Josh, where did you feel the pain?

  My chest. Why?

  That made sense, given the red energy spreading across his heart area. I turned back to the officers. “His name is Josh Fine. He doesn’t remember what happened to him. He doesn’t even know he’s…”

  “Dead?” The male officer blurted out the word so loud that Josh jumped and turned to me, a panicked look on his face.

  I’m dead? What’s he talking about? I’m standing right here!

  “Idiot,” I said to the cop, then turned back to Josh. It’s all right—you’re still here. But…yes…he’s correct. That’s your body. You led me to it because your subconscious knew that you needed for us to find it. Did you have any heart trouble that you know of?

  He began to blink in and out, which could happen when a spirit was startled. But he seemed to gain some control after a moment. My doctor said that I was asking for trouble. I smoke. And he keeps badgering me to stop. My blood pressure’s too high and I forget to take my meds most of the time.

  I sighed. Poor man. There was no reason to chastise him for not taking better care of himself—that was a moot point. Well, you’re all right now. Do you have information for your family in your wallet, so we can get hold of them?

  Looking more morose than I had seen anyone look in a long time, Josh ducked his head. Yeah, I do. My wife lives a couple blocks over. Damn it, today was our anniversary. This is going to kill her. Would you tell her I love her? That I’m so sorry? That I’m okay?

  I promise. What’s her name?

  Suzette. Suzette Fine. I hope she’s okay. He paused, then added, Tell her to ask Morty about my hidden stash. When we got married, I was worried, so I created a secret account. My buddy Morty knows about it. He’ll be able to help her get situated. She may have to pay taxes on it—I haven’t yet—but there will be enough to keep her comfortable for a while.

  Josh began to fade at that point. Now that he knew about his condition, he seemed to be making the transition toward the Veil well.

  I raised my hand. Have a good journey, Josh. I promise to tell your wife you love her and about the money.

  He started to say something, but the next moment, he vanished.

  I turned back to the cops. “He’s gone. Once he realized he was dead, he started fading out. His wife’s name is Suzette Fine, and today’s their anniversary. He asked me to talk to her—to tell her that he said he loved her. But I can’t do that until you notify her.”

  “We can’t notify her till the coroner examines the body and we find some evidence of what killed him.” Officer Larens pulled out her notebook. “If you’ll give me your contact info, I’ll call you and tell you after we’ve talked to her.”

  “Raven BoneTalker.” I gave her my number and address, and then, seeing Josh was truly gone, I headed back to my car. I was getting cold and the clouds were socking in for a good blow. The fine mist of snow had turned into a snow shower, and the flakes were bigger, and I wanted hot chocolate and cookies and the cheer of the Yule tree.

  As I eased out of the parking lot, back onto the street, it occurred to me that all over the world, the dead were wandering. Some might not know they were dead, but others were going about their days and nights as usual. The world was a crowded place.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time I got home, my spirits had dipped again. Everything seemed topsy-turvy, and I wasn’t sure why I was depressed—whether because of my father’s betrayal, getting kicked out of the Ante-Fae world, seeing the malignant force that had taken over Lenny, or the incident with Josh. At least Josh had managed to transition once he learned he was dead and I promised to talk to his wife. The other three, I had no clear answer for.

  “Hey love,” Kipa said, swinging me into his arms for a kiss after I’d taken off my coat. “What’s going on? How was Vixen?”

  “Their friend is possessed by a very nasty spirit. I was able to ascertain that for a fact. Then, on the way home, I met a ghost who didn’t know he was dead and I had to break the news. I promised to tell his wife he loves her and he’s sorry about their anniversary, which was today, and that there’s a stash of money he hid from her. Oh, did I mention that I found his body? Or rather, he led me to his body but he didn’t know it was his until some damned fool cop blurted out that he was dead in front of him?”

  Kipa arched his eyebrows. “Sounds like you’ve had more than enough to fill one day.”

  I sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder. “It is, and it’s not over yet. I’m trying to remember if we had anything on the calendar for tonight.” The holiday season was usually jam-packed with parties, and I prayed that I hadn’t agreed to anything tonight because I was exhausted. “I feel like I’ve been body slammed. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m coming down with something?”

  “Last night’s activities are catching up to you,” Phasmoria said, peeking around the kitchen corner.

  I was about to answer when my phone rang. I answered. It was the officer from the park, telling me they had located Suzette Fine. I took down the information and made a note in my calendar to talk to her as soon as possible.

  My mother waited till I was off the phone and then said, “Sit down. I made your favorite from when you were young.”

  I cocked my head, confused. “What favorite? I don’t ever remember you cooking.”

  “This, your father made. But I remember how much you used to love this, so I looked up a recipe for it.”

  The moment she said that, my heart sank. My mother was one hell of a fighter, and she could Bean Sidhe with the best them, but a cook she was not. She would make a great sous chef, as long as you told her what to do, but she had no patience for cooking.

  “And what was that? I honestly don’t remember.” I settled in at the table, bracing myself for some gods-awful combination of cabbage and fish or some such food. But when she carried in what looked like a perfect lemon meringue pie, my salivary glands set to work in overtime.

  “You made me a lemon meringue pie? That looks delicious.”

  My mother placed it i
n front of me, then started to laugh. “I give up, I can’t keep up the charade. You know perfectly well that if I made a lemon meringue pie it would be soupy and have a soggy crust. I bought it, though, and I hope that counts.”

  “You remembered,” I said with a smile, staring at the pie. “That’s all that matters.”

  She was right. When I was a little, I always asked for “lemmy ming pie” and my father would make the best lemon meringue pie in the world for me. And Phasmoria had remembered.

  I teared up, thinking about how things were so askew. My father had always been my rock, and now the positions had reversed. Phasmoria was cushioning the blows and my father had abandoned me. But in all the time I was young, I never felt like Phasmoria didn’t care.

  “Why did he do it? Why did he let Dougal bully him? I’m his daughter.” The words burst out before I could stop them and I started to cry.

  Phasmoria pulled up the chair next to me. “I’m sorry—I didn’t want you to cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  “You didn’t,” I said. “My father’s the one who made me cry.” I looked over at her. “Why did he do it? Is he that weak-willed? Does he not care? Was my entire life a lie?”

  Phasmoria glanced over at Kipa, who took the chair on my other side. “I don’t know, child. But I plan on finding out. I intend on having a long talk with Dougal and Curikan, trust me.”

  Frustrated, I said, “I want to know why the Banra-Sheagh picked on me. Surely other Ante-Fae have been friends with someone who killed one of our people. And surely some Ante-Fae somewhere has killed another? I mean, our hands can’t all be clean of blood against our own kind.”

  “Oh, they aren’t. Trust me. Why she’s targeting you is also a good question.” Phasmoria stared off into space for a moment, then told Kipa, “Take care of her. I’ll be back, hopefully by tonight, but if not tonight, then tomorrow.” She stood, kissed me on the forehead and said, “Enjoy your pie,” and then headed for the door.