water, of the west, guard this circle and bathe us in the liquid of life.”
When she rose again, she seemed even deeper into the ritual. She had passed him when drawing the circle and he was sure she was no longer aware of his presence. Red and he had talked about magic many times. She’d told him that, for some, the casting of a circle was merely an act of protection. For others, it was like drawing a curtain around the circle, a curtain that transported them out of this world and into the etheric world. If he had to guess, he’d have said Hunter belonged to the latter.
Hunter positioned the last stone. “Elements of earth, of the north, guard this circle and tread with us the terrain of life.” She rose and Demeter put a wand into her open hand. “This circle is cast and sealed,” she said, making one final ring around with the tip of the wand pointing at the circle she’d swept and danced already. “The elements are present. Lord and Lady, hail! I call to thee. Hear me, Goddess, She who walks alone in the spaces in between, maintain the balance of power we are about to invoke. Aid us to bring your daughter home.”
Vilna-Daluca, Lydia, and Demeter stood around Red, each a point of a wide triangle. As Hunter completed this circle casting, Demeter shuffle-stepped closer to Red, not breaking the water circle around her. Hunter took up the position Demeter had vacated.
“Vilna, since you have far more experience than I with ley lines,” Hunter said, “I defer to you for the sorcery portion.”
With a nod, Vilna accepted the black pillar candle that Demeter offered. When Hunter and Lydia also held their candles and Demeter had lit each one, Vilna began.
She didn’t speak, but she hummed softly. Within seconds, the hair on the nape of Johnny’s neck was rising. As she refined the melody, adding a note here and there, she let her voice grow louder. Lifting the candle to eye level, she stared at it intently and sang. Slowly, her right hand rose above her head, fingers curled as if she held a softball. A blue-purple orb of light swirled between her palm and fingers.
To her left, Hunter joined the melody, following it, then accenting it. She lifted her candle, focused on the flame, then raised her hand. When the flickering orb appeared in her hand, an arc-like lightning sprang from Vilna’s to connect to Hunter’s.
Last, Lydia began to sing. Her addition to the song was bold, fully formed from the first note. She belted her unique tune like it was the chorus of song she’d always known. She copied the position of the other witches and the orb flashed into her hand, followed by the lightning joining hers to Hunter’s. A completing arc joined hers to Vilna’s.
Blue-purple light filled the space within the circle Hunter had cast, shading the witches with a glow not unlike the black lights Johnny had seen at various clubs his band had played in.
He was listening to the witches’ lovely, dark chant, and was rather fond of the strange melody, but he remembered he was to keep his eyes on Red.
Demeter reached into her pocket and pulled out a four-leaf clover. “Here goes,” she said, and placed the clover on her tongue. She reached into her pocket again, and pulled out two stones. One she kept in her right hand, the other she transferred to the left. She slid her foot forward to the edge of the watery circle that protected Red.
With one last glance at him, she breathed deep and pushed her foot through the water.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Goliath supervised Risque being moved onto a stretcher, then two Beholders lifted her and kept her level as they carried her down the steps from the court witch’s suite.
One of the Beholders asked, “The new infirmary, boss?”
“Yes.” When Ivanka had broken her arm, he’d decided it would be to their advantage to have a triage and small infirmary on-site to manage the occasional injuries his people incurred in the line of duty. The space that was formerly used to store stage props was reclaimed for this purpose.
He’d been so busy lately, he had not had time to check the progress. So, he followed the Beholders across the area behind the scrim.
He was only a few yards from the door when a strange smell met his nostrils and he stopped. Glancing around, he sniffed again. It was an oily odor. One present only when the service elevator was in use. “Continue,” he ordered the guards.
Running to the gate, he saw the new hydraulic that had been installed; the car had gone up. To his best guess, it remained one level above the ground floor. He pressed the button to bring the car down. Impatient, he paced as the elevator returned, then entered, shut the gate, and pushed the button to lift him up.
When it dinged softly and stopped, he stood stock-still, listening, sniffing.
Ailo had come this way with Beverley.
He opened the gate and searched the area until he found a broken window.
Goliath rode the elevator down. When it stopped, he walked to the infirmary. Voices were coming from a hallway in the rear. He proceeded in that direction and found the hall had four doors. The voices were behind the last one—but lights were on in both of the rearmost rooms.
He peered into the second-to-last room and saw Mero in the bed. Seven stood to one side, watching as their esteemed guest fed from a Beholder’s wrist. It was clear, even from a distance, that Mero had been severely beaten.
Goliath raised a brow at Seven; she made an irritated face at him and waved him on.
Looking into the last room, he saw Risque—still on the stretcher that now rested on an exam table. Ivanka was holding a compress to Risque’s side.
Seeing him, Ivanka said, “I learn field medicine.”
“The doctor we’ve employed is on her way.”
“We have a doctor now?” one of the Beholders asked.
“Yes,” Goliath answered.
“He give us this hospital,” Ivanka said.
The Beholder grinned. “You’re gonna make a fine Haven Master.” The two Beholders left.
Sil entered seconds after they left. “What is going on?”
He nodded. “Too much to explain just now. You and Ivanka need to stay with Risque.”
Sil nodded and, for a moment, he and Sil stared at each other. Then he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.
When their lips parted, he left the infirmary. It would take Menessos only a few minutes to locate Ailo and verify her getaway path; Goliath guessed his former master had nearly accomplished this task by now. Still, he had time. . . .
Goliath jogged to his own quarters, pulled off his formal jacket, and tossed it on a chair. Unbuttoning the collar of his shirt, he walked to the table near his bed and lit an incense stick. For a long moment he stood before it, focusing on his intention and breathing the sweet scent of juniper. “I will make sure she’s safe, Lorrie. I promise.”
A buzzing erupted from within his bedside table. Light seeped out from the edges of the drawer. He frowned. His phone was across the room in his jacket pocket. He pulled open the drawer and saw an old cell phone, folded shut. Persephone Alcmedi had given it to him.
His dead brother, Samson, had spoken to the court witch via this magical device.
He reached slowly for it, cautiously picked it up, and then turned it over.
The window on the phone’s case face was lit up in a soft green. The caller ID flashing on the screen read: SAMSON.
Opening the phone, he held it to his ear. Tentatively, he said, “Hello?”
“I hope you’re ready for all the shit coming your way, Haven Master.”
“Samson?”
