Chapter 14
Mateo squeezed Jolene”s hand tightly as they walked briskly down the dimly lit side street. His eyes continuously scanned their surroundings, alert for any sign of a tail.
”Remember, this place is secret for a reason,” he said in a hushed tone. ”We can”t tell anyone the location. Not even your sisters.”
Jolene nodded, lips pressed together. Mateo led her through a decrepit brick building to a flaking green door. He rapped three times in quick succession, then uttered a phrase in Latin she didn”t quite catch.
The door creaked open, and they slipped inside. Jolene blinked, eyes adjusting to the dark interior.
Mateo led Jolene down the dank underground tunnel, his footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls.
”Creepy down here,” Jolene muttered, peering into the darkness ahead.
Mateo flashed a grin. ”Scared?”
”You wish,” she scoffed.
They walked in silence for several minutes, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional skittering of unseen creatures. Jolene jumped as a loud screech reverberated through the passage.
”What was that?” she whispered.
”Probably just some bats,” Mateo said. But he scanned the shadows warily.
After a few more twists and turns, they arrived at a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron bands. Again, Mateo rapped three times in quick succession then uttered, ”Aperi ianuam.”
The door creaked open slowly, spilling dim golden light into the passageway. Jolene peered inside curiously, squinting as her eyes adjusted.
The seedy bar”s long, narrow interior stretched into the distance. Dark wood covered every surface, aged to a burnished patina from centuries of use. A lonely bartender in a red vest endlessly polished a beer glass behind the counter. He nodded almost imperceptibly at their entrance.
Mateo led Jolene to a corner booth tucked into the shadows. She slid onto the cracked leather seat, senses heightened. Her eyes darted around, taking in the odd assortment of characters occupying the other booths. She leaned in close to Mateo. ”What is this place?” she whispered.
Mateo”s eyes crinkled with amusement. ”Let”s just say it caters to a very unique clientele. But it”s safe. I promise.”
He waved to the bartender, who brought over two glasses of cloudy amber liquid. Jolene took a cautious sip, feeling the mysterious establishment”s secrets swirling around her in the gloom as the drink”s smoky sweetness warmed her insides.
A woman with waist-length raven hair sauntered over to their booth. Her bloodred lips curled into a knowing smile as she slid in across from them. ”Mateo. It”s been too long,” she purred in a husky voice.
Mateo nodded in greeting. ”Jolene, meet Astrid Nightwhisper. She”s an old friend with a knack for gathering useful information.”
Astrid”s dark eyes gleamed as she turned her gaze on Jolene. ”Charmed, I”m sure.”
Jolene shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of Astrid”s stare. There was something not quite human about the woman that set Jolene”s senses tingling.
Mateo got right to business. ”We”re here because strange things are happening back home. Unnatural occurrences in the woods, disturbances in the magical currents. We were hoping you might have some insight.”
Astrid leaned back, absently stirring her bright-blue drink with one long red fingernail. A spire of smoke wafted up out of the glass. ”Yes, word travels fast in our circles about the coming alignment. Powerful forces are in motion, and your quaint little town finds itself at the center.” She arched one eyebrow. ”Tread carefully, darling. The shadows hold many secrets, and not all wish you well.”
”What can we do to stop it?” Jolene asked.
Astrid leaned back and studied Jolene. ”There are some magical stones. They may be in the hands of an enemy. You will have to find them and mute their powers before the alignment happens.”
Jolene glanced at Mateo. ”Magical stones? Like crystals that jump around and fly?”
Astrid”s eyes widened. ”You have them?”
Jolene looked down at her drink. ”We had them, but they flew off into the woods.”
Astrid let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her dark-lined eyes. ”Amateurs,” she muttered and took a long draw from her smoking drink.
Jolene bristled. She did not appreciate being talked down to by this pretentious woman. She was just about to open her mouth to tell her off when Mateo gave her hand a squeeze. She looked at him, and he shook his head subtly. They needed Astrid”s help, and getting on her bad side wouldn”t be smart. Jolene bit her tongue.
”Can you tell us anything about these stones?” Mateo asked evenly. ”We could use some guidance on how to handle their power.”
Leaning back in the booth, Astrid tapped one long, ruby-red nail on the tabletop. ”Those stones amplify magical energies tremendously. Without them contained, you”re looking at a catastrophic paranormal event when the alignment peaks.”
Jolene and Mateo exchanged alarmed glances. This was worse than they had anticipated.
”The ideal scenario would have been to neutralize the stones before the alignment,” Astrid continued. ”But now, you”ll have to deal with them at the focal point. And it won”t be pretty.”
She leaned across the table, fixing them with an intense stare. ”You need a three-tiered magical solution—sticks, stones, and spells. Layer your defenses. Anything less won”t withstand the forces you”re dealing with.”
Jolene met Astrid”s gaze unflinchingly. ”Looks like we”ve got our work cut out for us. But we”re used to challenges.”
Astrid”s red lips quirked upward. ”I hope so, darling. Or your quaint little town may not be so charming after this alignment runs its course.” She downed the last of her drink in one long swallow then slid gracefully out of the booth. With a parting wink at Mateo, she disappeared into the hazy darkness of the bar.
Jolene let out a breath. ”Well, she was cheerful,” she muttered sarcastically.
Mateo laughed. ”Astrid likes to dramatize. But she knows her stuff.” He grew serious. ”If she says we need three-tiered defenses, we should listen.”
Jolene nodded slowly, wondering if she could trust Astrid. She didn”t like the way she”d winked at Mateo. But was that just because she was jealous?
Jolene swirled the remnants of her smoky drink, avoiding Mateo”s gaze. She knew she shouldn”t ask, but the question slipped out before she could stop herself. ”So... how do you know Astrid exactly?”
Mateo laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ”We go way back, but nothing romantic if that”s what you”re worried about.”
Jolene felt her cheeks flush, but Mateo”s words rang true. She decided to change the subject.
”Anyway, we should talk about Astrid”s warning. She mentioned a three-tiered magical solution using sticks, stones, and spells. I assume the sticks refer to herbs, the stones to crystals.”
Mateo nodded, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. ”You”re right. That”s the pressing issue here. Clearly, we need some serious magical firepower to contain those stones when the alignment peaks.”
Jolene nodded thoughtfully. ”It”s a good thing Morgan is so skilled with herbs, Fiona with stones, and Celeste with spells.”
Mateo made a face at the mention of Celeste and spells.
Jolene laughed. ”Okay, Celeste is fairly decent with spells. She”s still learning.”
Mateo chuckled. ”I”m sure Celeste can rise to the occasion, especially with stakes this high.”
Jolene pulled out her cell phone, intending to message her sisters right away about everything they had learned from Astrid. But when she woke up the screen, it was completely blank.
”Ugh, no service,” she muttered, waving her phone around, trying in vain to get a signal.
”There”s no reception down here,” Mateo said apologetically. ”Too many things blocking the signals.”
Jolene sighed in frustration and slipped her useless phone back into her pocket. ”Then let”s get out of this musty old bat cave. I need to tell Celeste, Morgan, and Fiona everything we found out as soon as possible. If Astrid is right, we have a major magical disaster to prevent once that alignment hits.”
Mateo nodded gravely as he slid out of the booth. ”You”re absolutely right. There”s no time to waste.” He helped Jolene out of her seat. ”Let”s get back above ground so you can call your sisters. We”ve got a lot of work to do.”
Jolene followed Mateo back through the seedy underground bar, giving the lurking patrons suspicious glances as she passed. She quickened her pace once they were in the dank stone passage, eager to leave this place behind. Their footsteps echoed rapidly as they retraced their path through the winding tunnel.
Jolene breathed a sigh of relief when they stepped out into the cool night air. She immediately pulled out her phone again, relieved to see full signal bars. Her thumbs flew as she typed out a group message to her sisters.
Met a contact of Mateo”s named Astrid. She confirmed the magical stones are dangerous. The contact said we need herbs, crystals, and spells to get to and contain them when the alignment peaks. Let”s gather everyone for supper tonight. Someone get takeout.
”I sent them a message. We”ll meet tonight for supper.” Jolene stuffed the phone into her back pocket.
”Sounds good. Who’s going to bring takeout?”