Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Penn and I booked a room—under my alter ego’s name—at the Hotel Savoy-Elish. It was a small but posh hotel that was more obscure than popular. A number of the Seattle elite chose to stay there when they needed a private getaway. The hotel was fully accessible, even though it was older. The owners had retrofitted it when they bought it.
An underground parking garage allowed guests to park below their lodgings, and the garage was well-lit with security guards stationed throughout. A doorman/security guard watched over the elevator to make certain that no unruly elements decided to crash the parties that were held here. The hotel was complete with gym, pool, restaurant, breakfast café, gift shop, and conference rooms for smaller, elite conferences.
I had called ahead to verify they had vacancies, and so when we arrived at the desk, I asked for a suite, primarily so that the others could hide away from Jet.
“Name?” the receptionist asked.
“My name is Kyann Sarasan, but I need to make the reservation under a different name. It’s for me, but…” I wished I had a natural glamour.
“Ms. Sarasan is a Supe-Nok celebrity,” Penn said, turning on the charm. “She’s here incognito to make some surprise videos.”
The words Supe-Nok celebrity had an almost magical affect.
“Of course. What name would you like on the public registrar? We’ll have to keep your personal name in our files, of course, but the public never sees those.”
Grateful for Penn’s quick thinking, and her Fae glamour, I said, “Estelle Weatherford. And if anybody asks you to describe me, please don’t tell them what I look like. You can never tell with crazy fans.” I slid a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. “You know how it is.” I gave him a little wink.
He discreetly picked up the bill. “Of course, Ms. Weatherford. We have suites available on the first, the fourth, and the tenth floors. Which would you like?”
I thought about it. I didn’t want any distractions from the lobby.
“The fourth, please.”
“Very good. How many days?”
“Two—tonight and tomorrow night. I’ll be bringing my luggage by in a little while.” That gave us plenty of time. I paid for the stay, then Penn and I took the key up to the room and checked out the suite.
“What are you going to do when he gets here, expecting an elderly woman, and sees you?”
“Good point. I might wait outside. We’re near the ice station and vending machines, and I could hide there. I’ll text him to let himself in. I can tell him that I’m in the bath, and when he enters the room, I can run in behind him and lock the door so he can’t get out.” I peeked in the second room. It, too, was spacious. “Do you have the magic dampening grids ready to go?”
She nodded. “Not with me, of course. They’re not a one-use tool or spells. They’re actually gadgets . I always charge them after using so I don’t have to worry about the next use. We’ll need to swing by home so I can pick them up. We can do that before heading to Michael’s, and then come over here afterward.”
“Good gods, the color scheme on this sweet screams sex and money. Lady Marmalade.”
The suite was decked out in pinks and reds, the upholstery was white with black stripes and red hearts. With a mirror over the bed and red velvet throws, all I needed was a pink feather boa and a corset.
“It hurts my eyes,” she said.
“It hurts my aesthetic sense,” I said. “Okay, this will work. Let’s go get ready for tonight’s marathon.”
We locked the door behind us and headed out into the drizzle that spattered against the streets. The snow was melting, it was thirty-six degrees by now, and slush was beginning to line the gutters next to the curbs. All in all, it was a miserable day.
At home, we fed the cats, ate a light dinner—mostly protein with a few carbs—and then, after gathering all the components we would need for both the exorcisms and taking down Jet, we took off for the shop. My nerves were rising. I was worried about Penn, mostly. She was going to be doing most of the heavy lifting, and if we couldn’t keep the shadow man and the revenant at bay, then…well, I didn’t want to think about what might happen.
As we drove toward Michael’s, she said, “If I can’t wrangle the shadow man—or the revenant—we need to get the hell out of there.”
“I know. Err on the side of caution.”
She stared out the side window. “I’m going to prepare, so I’ll be silent for a while.” Which was a polite way of telling me to shut up and not bother her.
We arrived at Michael’s right on time. Everyone else was there, waiting outside. Lazenti gave me a quick bow, then turned to Penn, but one look at her eyes—which were practically glowing—and he backed off. Dante started to say hello to her, but then backed off.
“She’s in trance,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“That’s all right,” she said. “I’m in trance but until I get in there, I can hear and answer. But please, don’t bombard me with questions.”
“Well, I guess this is it,” I said. I froze as I turned to the house.
Lights flickered in the upper rooms, erratically turning on and off. The entire place was one giant trap, and the two windows on the top floor looked like eyes, watching us from above.
“The heart of the house,” I whispered. “It’s awake.”
“Oh, it’s awake. It’s an old house, and has had time to learn how to hate. With all the anger and death that’s happened within those walls, who knows how dark its soul is?” Penn stared at it for a while. “It knows we’re here. And they know we’re here.”
“What do we do first?” I asked.
“First, all of you except Kyann and Lazenti will go to the attic, and use the crystals the way I taught you. Form a circle, facing out, with your backs as close together as possible. Then, hold the crystals in your left hands, up to the ceiling.”
“Then I begin the chant, correct?” Sophia asked.
“Yes. Don’t stop, whatever you do, until I tell you to stop. That should keep the revenant cloistered. It may try to harm you, but if you don’t flinch and don’t break the chain, you should be all right.” She paused, then added, “Can you please try out the chant for me?”
Sophia led the others in the magical incantation that Penn had taught them.
“Weave the circle, cast it bright,
Let it shine through day and night.
Through hardest crystal, our power grows,
To rise against the darkest foes.
Spirit of Quartz, mesmerize,
Capture now the spirit’s eye.”
“So, what is the order of events?” Dante asked.
“All of you except Lazenti and Kyann head for the attic and immediately begin the chant. Lazenti, from what I can tell, the shadow man hides in Jules’s bedroom. You go there—I showed you which one. Locate him and challenge him.” She turned to the rest of us. “Lazenti and I had a talk, and he’s fought shadow people before, so he knows how to at least keep them occupied.”
“You’ll be okay alone?” I asked.
“I’m willing to chance it.” His eyes glowed, the rings around the irises a brilliant crimson.
Penn continued. “Kyann and I will confront the spirits. I’ll create a portal to the Veil and lead them through. Kyann will protect me in case anything else decides to show up and throw some hell our way.”
I took a deep breath. “All right, let’s do this. Don’t go rogue, don’t do anything because it ‘seems the thing to do’, okay? Penn has this plan mapped out and we need to back her up.”
And so, we headed toward the house, ready for battle.
The moment we entered the house, I could feel the shift. The darkness had deepened, the energy hung in a fog-like veil, with the air so thick it was like breathing water. I gasped, phlegm filling my throat.
“What the hell?—”
“It’s a form of ectoplasm. Try to breath through your nose, rather than your mouth. It won’t hurt you, but it can create a sense of panic because it feels like you’re not getting enough air. The spirits in this house have claimed everything, and this is their mark,” Penn said.
The others headed for the stairs. I watched them go, wishing we could all stay together, but then shook off that thought and turned back to Penn.
“We’ll wait for them to get started,” she said.
I wiped my hand over the back of the sofa. It was covered with a fine mist of pale green droplets. “Ectoplasm?”
She nodded. “Yes, that means the spirits are growing stronger. If we don’t clear this house now, you might as well burn it down and salt the earth.”
I kept my guard as she settled on one of the chairs. She spread out an array of items on the coffee table—a crystal spike as large in diameter as a cucumber, a double-edged dagger with a wicked shine, a crystal wand, several powders and sprays she had made, and a censer filled with salt. She lit a charcoal briquette, then sprinkled some of the powder on it.
At that moment, we heard singing coming from upstairs, and a loud voice—Lazenti’s—echoed down from Jules’s bedroom.
“Ready!” Lazenti called.
“And so, we begin,” Penn said. She stood, holding the dagger. “I want you to focus on me—if anything disrupts me, it will disrupt the spell. So do what you can to stop it.” She held out the dagger and began to turn slowly, in a circle going deosil—clockwise.
“Hecate, Goddess of the Night,
Hear my call as I begin this rite.
Once I turn, Maiden Bright,
Twice I turn, Mother’s Delight,
Thrice I turn, Crone’s Dark Light.”
When she was finished, she turned to the north and raised her dagger to the sky.
“Spirits of Earth, Hear me and take heed,
Attend me in my hour of need.
Bring mountain and cave, crystal and stone,
Rock and grass, tree and bone.
Protect this space, and hold me firm,
As the Wheel ever turns.”
Once again, she turned, this time to the east, her dagger still raised high.
“Spirits of Wind, Hear me and take heed,
Attend me in my hour of need.
Bring gust and gale, breath so calm,
Bring lightest breeze, and strongest storm.
Protect this space, and hold me firm,
As the Wheel ever turns.”
To the south, she incanted:
“Spirits of Fire, Hear me and take heed,
Attend me in my hour of need.
Bring sun and flame, kindled bright,
Bring blood and bonfire, in darkest night.
Protect this space, and hold me firm,
As the Wheel ever turns.”
And lastly, to the west, she called:
“Spirits of Water, Hear me and take heed,
Attend me in my hour of need.
By nymph’s sweet grotto and river wild,
By lake and pool, and Ocean’s child.
Protect this space, and hold me firm,
As the Wheel ever turns.”
When she was done, the room felt vastly different. We were in a bubble, secure and out of reach. I kept a close watch, but I couldn’t feel the shadow man or the revenant. Hopefully, the others were managing to keep them at bay.
Penn picked up her dagger and drew a door, then set down the blade and—using her wand—ran the tip along the edges of the invisible opening. A faint purple line began to appear, shining around the portal that she was creating.
“Now, we lead the spirits here to us, then cross them over,” she said.
She stepped back from the opening of the portal and held out her wand, pointing directly in front of her. “Spirits of this house, all who wander lost…In the name of Hecate, Mother of the Night, I command thee to appear before me.”
Her voice was stronger than I’d ever heard it, and it was then that I realized I had never seen Penn in action. I’d seen her cast simple spells or ward things. But in this, she was different. She looked far taller than she actually was, and I could barely keep my eyes off her. She was powerful, commanding energy on a scope that I had never realized she had.
As we waited, the energy thickened around us. This was no ectoplasm, no greenish ooze, but an energy that reverberated, vibrant, alive, and beckoning.
Then, I saw them—a line of spirits forming in front of Penn. Men and women, children and a few animals—there were more of them than I expected. I was about to ask why there were so many, but decided to mind my own business until she finished the spell.
Softly, the spirits stepped up to her, one by one. Some were crying, some seemed off in a dream world, a few were resisting, but each one obeyed.
“You must all go to your rest, now,” Penn said, holding their gaze. “You are free, the Veil awaits. Let go of your fear and let go of your anger. You will not be forgotten. You will not be cast into the past, but instead, you go to visit your ancestors and then, to take your place on the Wheel, to be born again into the future. Come, follow my voice, go into the Veil.”
At that moment, I could see through the portal she had created. A great curtain swept back, revealing a road that led into a misty cloak of stars that covered the landscape beyond it.
One by one, the spirits stepped through the portal, looking neither at Penn, nor me. They walked through the opening and vanished. Each time, the house shivered as the energy began to clear. There must have been twenty-five spirits in line, and they all obeyed Penn as she sent them through the Veil. Finally, the last stood in front of her. He turned to her, and simply said, “Thank you,” and then…he was gone.
Penn looked around, making sure there were no others, and then she closed the portal and sat back, staring at the tools on the table.
“That’s it, for them. The last one? He was the stockbroker who murdered his family.”
I sat beside her, taking her hand. “Are you up for the rest?”
“I have to be. Once you start an exorcism, you need to finish or it can strengthen those spirits you’re trying to release. The ghosts are gone. Now we have to take care of the shadow man and the revenant. And as cooperative as these spirits were, I guarantee you, those two will fight me.”
“What now?” I asked.
“We head into Jules’s bedroom, to fight the shadow man.” With that, she stood, and we headed toward the stairs.
We crept up the stairs. The others were still singing, though I could hear the strain in their voices. But we needed them to continue. We didn’t dare chance the revenant trying to break in while she took on the shadow man.
As Penn and I entered Jules’s bedroom, Lazenti was standing there, hands out, fangs down. A shadow skulked in the corner, biding his time.
Neither moved, like a frozen tableau created for the stage.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but Penn gestured to me and I held out the dagger she had given me. It was enchanted, the silver blade glimmering in the dim light of the room.
Lazenti knew better than to touch it—vampires and silver didn’t mesh well.
He darted to my side, so fast that the shadow man wasn’t prepared. Penn immediately sent a cloud of powder toward the shadow man, tossing an entire jar his way. The shadow man froze, unmoving, while Penn began to draw a complex pattern on the floor. But she must have miscalculated because the shadow man shook off the powder too early. He lunged for her and I raced forward, the tip of the blade out.
The energy weighed on my chest like a weight, and as I struck the shadow man with the blade, piercing deep, he turned to me. It was then that I saw what was behind those dark, veiled eyes. Twin skulls, searing white, rose out of his eye sockets.
Their threat hung in the air like smoke from a chain-smoker. They sailed toward me, mouths open as though they were screaming. But I heard nothing, except a deep vibration through my body that rattled me to the core.
I was suddenly falling in the center of a dark void. I started to panic and frantically searched for a place to rest my hands, but there was nothing to catch myself on. I could see neither top, nor bottom. Struggling, I flailed my arms and legs as I fell in slow motion.
Once again it felt like I was swimming through water. Somewhere, a faint light glimmered from within the tunnel I was in, but I couldn’t find the source of the illumination.
Am I going to fall forever? Will there be something to stop me? How fast am I falling?
All these thoughts and more raced through my head, but there was still no sound as I spiraled down. I tried to stretch out, to feel for the sides of the chasm, but there was nothing there. The harder I tried to edge my way to the side, the more I began to believe that I wasn’t falling, but instead, was suspended in air, frozen.
I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my throat. I gasped for air, but couldn’t tell if I was breathing. I couldn’t feel anything. It was like being in a sensory deprivation tank.
Did anybody know where I was? Did Lazenti and Penn even know I was gone? Or was this an illusion, trapping me within the depths of my mind? I forced myself to cling to the memory of who I was. But, deep within, my inner demon clawed at the corners, desperate to break through the fear that was holding me hostage.
Back, back, back, I thought. Please, don’t do this. I can’t even scream. Don’t come out now, please don’t.
Let me free, I can help you , she whispered back, the words forming in my mind. Free me, and I will free you from this place.
The offer was too strong. Even as I struggled to keep her chained, she began to break free. My anger began to swell, and my fury, as she struggled for control.
But before she could emerge, I heard a sound—it was like a popping, or maybe a puncture, and I jerked my attention away, looking for what caused the sound.
The next moment, I realized I was levitating, I was near the ceiling of the bedroom. The moment I realized that, I started to fall. Immediately, I called on the skill that Devon had taught me, and right before I crashed to the floor, I slowed, landing gently seconds later.
Lazenti was on his ass, across the room looking like he’d battled a force from hell. His clothes were ripped, his eyes were full on crimson, and he had a vicious stab wound in his arm. I knew this by the hilt of a dagger sticking out of his bicep. Penn was washing the marks off the floor with holy water, frantic to get the hardwoods clean.
“What happened?” I asked, my throat sore, as if I’d truly been screaming for hours.
“I sent the shadow man back to his own plane. Where did you go?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m back now,” I said. “Lazenti, whose dagger is that?”
He stared at the hilt, disgust on his face. “I don’t know, but it wasn’t yours. Don’t worry about that.” He reached over, took the hilt, and yanked it out of his arm. “The shadow man stabbed me. And whatever those skull things were, they’re the ones that made you vanish.”
I slid back to a seated position. “Is the shadow man dead?”
“No, but he’s gone.” Penn smiled. “He’s been banished back to his realm. He won’t be able to return to this plane for a long time.”
Lazenti offered me a hand and I accepted, grateful for his help as he pulled me to my feet.
“All right,” Penn said. “Let’s get upstairs and clear that sucker out. I’m tired and I want this finished and over.”
As we headed for the stairs, I flashed back to wherever it was that the shadow man sent me. My inner demon had almost broken out. Now, I realized why Devon and Seton were correct. I had to gain control over her powers and integrate her into me. If I didn’t, the day would come when she’d break free, and this time there might not be anybody there to stop me from doing whatever she wanted.