'For now… and for as long as I'm welcome.' He slid a quarter-smile my way. 'The problem, as you undoubtedly have already discerned, will not be keeping me around, but getting rid of me.'
'I can live with that.'
I leaned over and kissed him. When we pulled apart, he adjusted his glasses, then looked at me.
'When I, uh, mentioned the Pacific Northwest, it wasn't a random suggestion. Oregon is one of the few states without a Cabal satellite office. With Kristof dead, on a case in which I was involved, I may need to lie low for a while.'
'What will happen?'
'I don't know. I can say, with certainty, that my presence won't place you or Savannah in danger. I'd never do that. The matter of Kristof's death will be handled through proper Cabal channels. If I'm in danger, I'll hear of it long before anyone comes for me. My father should be able to handle it.' He shook his head. 'It seems no matter how far and how fast I run, I always end up relying on my father to-' He stopped. 'I'm sorry.'
'Tell me.'
He entwined his fingers with mine and smiled. 'Later. I only wanted you to know that I'm not placing you in danger, but that it would be wise for me to keep out of sight for a while. My father may-will summon me home to Miami. I'd prefer to be as far away as possible when that happens.'
Savannah burst from the forest. 'Is it time?'
I nodded. 'Wait here. I'll cast a perimeter spell around the site.'
'We'll have everything set up when you return,' Cortez said, dropping the knapsack from his shoulder.
'No, I'll do-' I bit my lip. 'Sure. Thanks.'
I walked until I could no longer hear the murmur of their voices, then continued another ten feet before casting the perimeter spell. Fighting my way through the thick woods, I circled the site, casting as I went. Then I looped around again, just to be sure. When I returned to the clearing, Cortez and Savannah were kneeling on the ground, laying out the final objects.
Cortez shifted to a crouch. 'Is this correct?'
I took the notes from him and walked around the tableau, scrutinizing it from every angle. Along both the north and south sides of the cloth they'd laid a quartet of tools-a small pot, an athame, a candle, and a chalice. The north candle was purple, for power. The south one blue, for wisdom and truth. Off the cloth they'd left the Baggies of dirt, the juniper, and a bottle of water.
Savannah handed me a necklace, a lodestone on a strip of rawhide, like the one now around her own neck. I put it on, surveyed the tableau once again, and bent to move the blue candle an inch to the left and rotate the northern athame about twenty degrees east. They'd probably been fine to begin with, but I felt better making the adjustments. Control isn't a habit you can break overnight.
'Okay. We're almost ready. Savannah, have you buried the cloth?'
She nodded.
'Good, then you need to kneel on the north side, in front of the purple candle.'
'Shall I move elsewhere?' Cortez said.
'Only if you want to.'
'I'll sit back on the log and watch. If that bothers you, tell me and I'll get out of sight.'
'Thanks.'
When he went to take his seat, I cast a protective circle around us. Then I turned to Savannah.
'Before we start, I want you to know that I really want this to work. It's possible, though, that I might not have the power or the experience to do it properly. If it seems to fail, I'll keep trying, but-'
'It's okay,' she said. 'I'll know you tried. Thanks, Paige. For doing this, I mean. I know it's not what you had in mind for me.'
'It's what your mother wanted. That's good enough for me.'
I laid my notes before me.
'Okay, first the elements. If anything sounds wrong, stop me. Even if you aren't sure, don't be afraid to speak up. Better to restart partway through than repeat the whole thing later.'
She nodded.
'Here we go then. Air.'
I slashed each athame through the air.
'Earth.'
I poured the grave dirt from the baggie into each shallow clay pot.
'Water.'
I uncapped the Evian bottle and filled both chalices, hire.
I struck a match and lit the candles.
I paused then, closing my eyes and clearing my mind. When I opened my eyes, I focused straight ahead, seeing nothing. With a brief Latin invocation, I called on the power of the elements to heed my will. Then I blinked, allowing myself to see again, and motioned for Savannah to watch carefully, since she'd need to repeat the next steps.
'Air to the north,' I said, taking my athame and placing it before me.
'Earth to the east.' I put my clay pot to my right.
'Water to the west.' I moved my chalice to my left.
'Fire to the south.' Taking the blue candle, I twisted, being careful not to fall, and laid it behind me.
I touched each in turn, the athame, the dirt, the water, and the flame. When it came to the last, panic darted through me and I hesitated, then gritted my teeth and forced my finger into the flame.
'Air, earth, water, fire. At their center, I sit in balance. All nature in harmony.'
I turned to Savannah and motioned for her to copy me.
She did, intoning each phrase without faltering. When she'd finished, we repeated the last part together. Then Savannah shifted onto her knees, lighting the candles as I resumed my place. Fingers trembling, I held the juniper branch over my candle's flame.
'With this offering, I beg protection,' I said in Latin. 'Hecate, Selene, Artemis, goddesses three, hear my plea. We ask this in your name. Grant this, your child, all the powers you can bestow.'
I looked Savannah in the eyes, lifting my hands and voice.
'Grant her power without bounds. Give her the strength to wreak vengeance on her enemies.'
The ground beneath me rumbled, but I held Savannah's gaze and kept going.
'Give her the power to overcome and the wisdom to do right by this gift. Give her all that you have to give.'
The earth quaked, toppling the candles and igniting the cloth beneath. I raised my hands to the sky and stood, closing my eyes and pouring everything into the last few words.
'Hecate, Selene, Artemis! Hear my plea!'
For a split second, all went still. Preternaturally still and silent. I could hear nothing, feel nothing. No, I did feel something. I felt peace. Complete peace.
'It worked!' Savannah said, launching herself across the space between and falling into my arms. 'Can you feel that, Paige? It worked! You did it!'
'Yes,' I said, smiling. 'We did it.'
About the Author
Kelley Armstrong lives in Ontario, Canada, with her family.
Visit her Web site at www.kelleyarmstrong.com.
