Chapter 1 #3
Silence permeated Leander’s small sanctuary while we enjoyed our tea.
I was right; it wasn’t as good as Momma’s, but it was certainly passable and quenched a thirst I didn’t know I had.
It was peaceful out here in the middle of nowhere.
I could definitely see and feel the appeal.
Not a dead body for miles. Too far away for me to feel them and too far away for Leander to hear them.
In necromancer terms, this little plot of land was paradise.
Leander ended the peaceful silence when he said, “You didn’t answer my earlier question.” At my confused look, Leander added, “Why are you here?”
I shrugged, not truly certain. “I was in the area.” Considering I was normally three or four hours away, being within an hour’s distance seemed like being in the area. “I was on a job. Or at least I was supposed to be on a job.” I gave Leander the rundown on what happened earlier today.
His bushy eyebrows rose. “You really think the husband offed his wife?”
I shrugged again. “I have no idea, but Sheriff Andrews certainly does.”
Leander took another sip of his tea before saying, “You certainly seem cozy with the law.”
I considered his words before answering. “I suppose so. I guess word’s gotten out that my skills are…useful.”
Leander grunted but kept further opinions to himself.
Thinking of a certain detective, I said, “Being cozy with the law isn’t so bad.”
This time, Leander’s grunt held a hint of mirth. “That’s a whole different level of cozy. One I don’t really care to think about.” His eyes strayed to the ring on my finger. “When’s the big day?”
Setting my nearly empty glass on the railing, I twirled my ring.
The colors changed depending on how the light hit it.
“We haven’t really talked about it.” Not that we were putting it off, per se.
“It’s… There’s a lot going on right now and…
” I swallowed hard. Sometimes, if I let it, recent events and the worries surrounding them were overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
Leander shifted, his broad frame more graceful than it had a right to be. “You heard anymore from that creepy Huxley fucker?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“And that’s what has you spooked.”
This time, I nodded. “It’s been too quiet.
I…” I had no idea what to say. While thinking Tenzen Huxley’s attention had shifted elsewhere and wasn’t zeroed in on me was a lovely thought, it was also a fantasy.
Not that I knew that for certain. Call it a feeling or an educated guess.
Whatever it was, my hackles were up, and I felt like I had to be on constant alert.
Shadows had taken on a whole new, ominous meaning.
“You located anymore necromancers?” Leander asked, seemingly switching the conversation gears but, in reality, sending a chilling reminder that Huxley was still haunting my life.
“No. Truthfully, I haven’t been looking. I’m…” I stared off into the distance, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I don’t know what he wants with me.”
“Huxley?” Leander rightly guessed.
I nodded. “I think it’s fair to assume it has something to do with my necromancer abilities and if that’s the case, then—”
“You don’t want to put anyone else on his radar.”
“Exactly. It’s bad enough that he might know about you.” Guilt ate at my soul, turning my sweetened tea sour.
“Bah.” Leander waved me off. “I’ve got nothin’ on you. I figure as long as you’re around, Huxley won’t waste his time on me.” Leander’s teasing grin took the sting out of his words.
“Thanks,” I said, sarcasm thick. “That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Good. That’s a damn sight better than the guilt you were wallowing in earlier.” Leander waved off whatever I might have said to that and asked, “You learn anymore about this shadow borne shit?”
My sigh was long, irritated, and came from deep within my soul.
“Nothing useful. Agent Frost sends me snippets of information here and there, but nearly everything he finds is hearsay with no direct evidence or anyone to corroborate what’s written.
” It was my turn to scoff. “Anything we find is someone retelling what they heard happened hundreds of years before they were even born. Some of it’s so crazy that I don’t know if I should believe it or not.
If even half of what I’ve read is true, then…
” I couldn’t even contemplate how that sentence should finish beyond a nuclear bomb punctuating the end.
“Shadow borne were before my time.”
“Jesus fuck!” Leander jumped back, slamming his back into the doorframe.
As one, his pack came running, ears pinned back, teeth bared and hackles raised.
“Who the fuck is that?” Leander’s hand went to his screen door.
No doubt he wished he had his shotgun with him. Not that it would help against a djinn.
“As always, your entrance leaves much to be desired, Aurelia.” I ran my fingers through my too long hair, shoving it back and tucking it behind my ears.
My elevated heart rate was slowly lowering back to something akin to normal.
“Leander Dunn, meet Aurelia. She’s a…” A what?
Friend? Associate? Dangerously unpredictable and socially awkward djinn? Roll the dice and pick a number.
“Djinn?” Leander hissed while his eyes darted my direction.
“Shit, you’ve talked about her, but I never…
” Leander swallowed thickly. I could only imagine what he thought.
I remembered the first time I met Aurelia.
She was a striking creature. Bald with ears that were too large and tucked against her head.
Magical tattoos filled nearly every inch of skin and metal hoops pierced those large ears.
Dressed in her typical nineties’ grunge, Aurelia’s green flannel hung off one shoulder, exposing a tank top below and accentuating her large breasts.
Worn-out combat boots covered her feet and met her ripped and tattered camo pants.
The powerful-as-fuck djinn came in an interesting package, but it was her eyes that were the most captivating thing of all. Their Caribbean blue appeared lit from within and damn near glowed.
Those beautiful eyes gave Leander a clinical once-over before landing back on me. “This necromancer is no threat to me.” There was absolutely no inflection in Aurelia’s voice. To her, it was nothing more than a statement of fact.
Relief flowed through me. Just like Navarre.
Leander didn’t have the necromancer juice to pull Aurelia’s soul out of her object of attachment and shove it back into her body, negating any and all of the magical manipulation her witch creator had done to turn Aurelia into an all-powerful djinn.
So far, I was the only necromancer we knew that could.
Leander stiffened at the comment but remained silent otherwise. His pack wasn’t as content and continued growling at Aurelia. A few barked, and one went so far as to snap in her direction.
“Fascinating.” Aurelia crouched beside the snapping dog. “It is a foolish thing.” She cocked her head to the side and didn’t so much as flinch when the dog lunged at her again, teeth snapping right in front of her nose.
“Maggie! Heel!” Leander grabbed the dog’s collar and yanked her back when it became clear she had no intention of listening. Only when she was at Leander’s feet did Maggie back down—eyes still sharp, hackles raised, and muscles tight. The other dogs followed her lead taking on similar stances.
“Since Peaches is still denying my request for a scuttlebutt, I questioned him regarding canines.” Aurelia stood, straightening her form. “Some of them can be quite vicious while others are so benign as to be nearly as worthless as the previous creature.”
At Leander’s confused look, I clarified. “She’s talking about a hamster.” When that only seemed to confound Leander further, I said, “Peaches is Aurelia’s current…master.” Gaia, how I hated that term. “He believes having a pet to care for is beneficial to Aurelia.”
“That…” Leander’s voice trailed off. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing.”
I grunted. “It’s either brilliant or a tragedy in the making. I haven’t figured out which.”
Leander nodded before his lips twisted and he asked, “What’s a scuttlebutt?”
Aurelia answered before I could. “A magnificent creature. They are fiercely loyal, and their teeth are sharp enough to rip through the strongest troll or ogre skin. Their tails are long and strong and can choke the life out of their victims. They are an animal worthy of a djinn.”
“Fucking hell,” Leander wheezed. “That sounds like a nightmare.”
“Indeed.” Aurelia appeared pleased by the assessment.
“This necromancer is much more coherent than the last one.” Aurelia turned her attention to Leander and explained, “I left my first pet, Little Fang, in the other necromancer’s care.
Navarre is surprisingly attentive to her considering he is not in his right mind. ”
Leander’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he managed a brief “yeah? Okay.” Leander’s gaze strayed my direction, but having nothing to add, I could only shrug.
Aurelia’s attention remained fixated on Maggie.
Head slightly cocked to the side; her eyes narrowed as she studied the medium-sized dog.
“It is foolishly loyal.” Tipping her head the opposite direction, she contemplatively added, “Perhaps it does not truly perceive the threat before it. If so, I wonder if she would abandon her caretaker.” It was an interesting choice of words, and I was relieved Aurelia hadn’t accused Leander of being Maggie’s master.
Leander stiffened, and I placed what I hoped was a placating hand on his shoulder. Clearing my throat, I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “Dogs are very loyal creatures. There are countless stories of them sacrificing their lives for their human…companions.”
Aurelia hummed. “An interesting, if foolish trait, especially given how fleeting their lives are.”
“Now wait just a damn minute!” Leander pulled away from me, his chest pushed out and shoulders thrown back. “Is that a threat? Are you threatening my dog?” Leander’s anger pushed away any and all fear. It looked like dogs weren’t the only foolishly loyal creatures standing on Leander’s porch.
“It is not a threat. It is a fact,” Aurelia calmly answered.
“She’s not a danger to them.” Gaia, please let that be true.
I stepped forward, placing myself between Leander and Aurelia.
“You have to understand that Aurelia has lived centuries.” I don’t think any of us knew for certain when Aurelia was created.
The civilizations she’d alluded to made me dizzy just thinking about it.
“All life is fleeting in her eyes. Yours, mine—hell, I bet fairies even seem short-lived to her.” Aurelia didn’t verbally agree or disagree.
Evidently bored with the current interaction, Aurelia said, “Did you know there is someone called the Master of Beasts?”
“I… What?” My scrunched eyes and pursed lips indicated my confusion.
Aurelia ignored my mental grappling. “Wendall’s mate spoke of him. That is where he procured Wendall’s scuttlebutt.”
Dear Gaia, Aurelia was fixated on scuttlebutts. “No. I’ve never heard of such a…person?”
“Fairy,” Aurelia corrected. “The Master of Beasts is of Fairy.”
I supposed that made sense given that scuttlebutts were of fairy.
“Who the fuck is Wendall?” Leander asked, his voice indicating he’d moved closer to me at some point.
I waved him off. “It’s a long story, but the short of it is that he has a fairy mate and—”
“Bonded,” Aurelia corrected me. “Fairies term it bonding. I still am uncertain why it is done. The activity does not appear to be something anyone can explain to my satisfaction.”
My mouth slipped open, closing before any sound, let alone word, could form. Quiet descended as Aurelia continued staring at Maggie, her gaze flicking to another dog now and again. Finally, I managed a short “I don’t think I have anything to add.”
“Ditto,” Leander said.
Aurelia didn’t respond. She continued her odd staring competition with Maggie. At some point, Aurelia must have been satisfied. With a smirk, she stated, “You are a far more interesting creature,” before she vanished.
“Never a proper goodbye,” I said on a sigh. I wasn’t always relieved when Aurelia flitted off to parts unknown, but today I was.
“Fucking shit. That was… I don’t have the words.” Leander leaned against the outer cabin wall.
“Aurelia can be a little frustrating.” I wasn’t certain that was the correct word, but it fit well enough for now.
“That’s what you’ve got? Frustrating? What a load of shit.
” Leander gave a full-body shudder. “I might just be a pathetic necromancer, but even I can feel the juice she’s packing.
” Leander shook his head before his trembling fingers pulled at his beard.
“It’s weird, like a shaken can of soda just waiting for someone to pop the tab. ”
“I know she’s scary, but—”
“Rattlesnakes are scary. Great white sharks are scary. Ebola’s scary. That”—Leander pointed to where Aurelia had been a moment ago—“is an apocalypse waiting to happen.”
“That’s a bit of a stretch.” It was a poor attempt to defend Aurelia.
“If so, not much of one.” Lifting the dog out of the single porch chair, Leander practically fell into the chair, the dog plopped on his lap. “And they say you’re the sane necromancer.” Leander blew out a disbelieving breath. “I’m beginnin’ to have my doubts on that one.”
Running my fingers through my hair, I nodded.
“You’re not the only one.” Sanity was in the eye of the beholder, and right now mine was on a winding road with red, flashing warning signs around every bend.
The problem was, there was no turning back.
No side trail where the road smoothed and the sun shone brightly.
I was stuck on this pockmarked road, and all I could do was hold on to the wheel with both hands and pray to Gaia the road eventually led to greener pastures.