'Gone shopping,' Camille said, voice sharp enough to nail wood to a wall. 'That headache still bad?'
She nodded, though in truth, it had ebbed a little. Camille muttered something under her breath, then walked across the room to the urn and filled a mug with water. Into this, she tipped what looked like dried up leaves.
'Drink this tea. It'll ease the immediate effects of the headache. I'll make up some more that you can take with you.'
She accepted the offered cup and sniffed it warily. It smelled faintly of lemongrass and lime, but there were other scents mingled amongst those two that she knew but couldn't name. Helen had used them sometimes in the past.
Camille sat opposite her. 'Did Trina say anything? Remember anything that might help us?'
She sipped the tea, finding the taste wasn't as bad as she expected. 'Not really. But she did shake loose some of my memories. It can't be the real Felicity Barnes who's working for the government. Felicity died that night we formed the circle.'
Camille raised an eyebrow. 'So you can remember that now?'
She nodded. 'Part of it. I have no idea who Marline is. She certainly wasn't one of the five. There was a Mariel, though.'
'Marline and Mariel are awfully similar names,' Russell commented. 'Maybe when you did the reading you just got the spelling wrong.'
'Possible,' Camille muttered. 'Quite possible. Anything else?'
Kirby took another sip of tea, considering all the bits and pieces that had floated through the fog in the last day or so. 'Mariel was a witch. She could make dead things come to life.'
' What?'
She nodded. 'Both Helen and I saw her do it on several occasions. She used to kill bugs then bring them back to life.' And make the dead things chase them. She shuddered, remembering again the horror of it all. But in many respects, if it wasn't for those bugs, neither she nor Helen would have discovered the full potential of their abilities. 'It wasn't a trick, either.'
Camille and Russell shared a glance. 'At least that explains the zombies,' Russell said.
'Yeah, but it's an ability that usually runs in families and has to be taught. These kids were all orphans.'
'Helen and I figured out how to use our abilities,' she said. 'Why couldn't Mariel?'
'She could have taught herself to raise small things like bugs easily enough. There's not much skill needed for that. But raising anything larger requires finesse. It can sometimes take half a lifetime to refine the skills needed to raise something as large as a human.'
'I hear a but in all that,' she said, when Camille hesitated.
'That's because there is a second option. It involves invoking the spirit of the dead and drawing them into your body—making them a part of your world, and you a part of theirs.'
A chill ran through her, and her hands began to shake. She set the tea down and clasped her fingers under the table. It didn't stop the growing feeling of dread, however. 'Felicity Barnes, the girl who died in the quake that hit the night we raised the circle? She was Mariel's best friend. Mariel swore she'd get her back, no matter what it took or how long it took.'
Camille cursed. 'Did you ever see her do it?'
'No. We were all separated a few months after the quake, shifted to various other homes or into foster care. Helen and I were the only ones that remained together.'
'Damn.' Camille looked at Russell. 'Try doing a search for Mariel Thomas and see what you come up with. And do the same with Felicity Barnes. See if you can get a picture of both girls—or at least a description. I've got a feeling they might just be one and the same.'
Russell nodded and moved back into the other room. Kirby stared at Camille incredulously. 'Meaning Felicity's spirit might be living in Mariel?'
Camille nodded. 'If she's only recently performed the summoning, it would certainly explain the sudden need for revenge.'
'But…' Her voice faded. She swallowed some tea to ease the dryness in her throat and tried again.
'How is something like that possible? Felicity died eighteen years ago! Don't try to tell me her spirit has been hanging about all that time waiting to be resurrected.'
'It depends. Some spirits move on and get reborn. Some remain on this Earth, compelled to right some wrong. And a very few are swept into a void some might call hell, destined to remain there for eternity unless recalled by the forces of darkness.' Camille hesitated, blue eyes sympathetic. 'Where do you think the legends of demons come from? They are merely twisted souls who have been in that void for a very long time.'
Kirby rubbed her head. She was having a very hard time taking all this in. Witches she could cope with.
After all, Helen had been one. Vampires and shapeshifters she could learn to handle. But a void containing dead spirits who became demons was going a little too far beyond comprehension. 'I don't think I can handle all this right now.'
'You might have no choice,' Camille said, voice still sympathetic and yet holding a hint of steel. 'You have to know what you're facing in case the rest of us fail.'
She closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about them failing. Didn't want to think about Doyle dying to protect her. She'd sworn eighteen years ago to never be the cause of another death. If it came down to a choice between his life and hers, there would be no contest.
She sipped her tea, but all it was doing now was agitating her stomach. She put it back on the table half- finished. 'Why would anyone in their right mind raise the spirit of a person who'd been dead for eighteen years?'
'She may not have been in her right mind, and if Felicity's spirit is in her, she sure as hell won't be now.'
She stared at Camille for a second, a chill chasing goose bumps across her skin. 'What do you mean?'
'I mean its pretty obvious that this woman is not just after the power of the circle. She wants you all to suffer, as Felicity must have suffered when she was crushed all those years ago. All you have to do is look at the way she killed Helen and her first victim. And remember, Felicity's spirit has had eighteen years in hell to plot its revenge.'
'Oh great,' Kirby muttered, rubbing her arms. 'So, in reality, I have two nuts after me rather than one.
They're just neatly packaged together.'
A tingle ran across her skin, flowing warmth through her entire body. Doyle had entered the other room.
She turned and watched him approach.
His gaze met hers, and relief flicked through his thoughts. He'd been worried about leaving her, she realized then, even if she was with his friends. The thought made her heart do an odd little dance.
'Who's neatly packaged together?' he asked, stopping in the doorway.
Camille rose with a grunt. 'Kirby can fill you in. Grab some names and address off Russell and keep looking for this Marline or Mariel Thomas. But I want you somewhere safe before sunset, understood?'
He nodded and motioned toward Trina. 'What about her?'
'Russell's best suited to look after her. At least he can keep her controlled and quiet. I want you to keep in regular contact, understand?'
'Understood.'
Camille's sharp gaze momentarily pinned Kirby. 'I'll go get those herbs. Just make yourself a tea before you go to bed. It should take care of any lingering after effects.'
Doyle moved to one side as Camille pushed passed. 'You feeling any better?' he asked.
She shrugged. 'I honestly don't think that's going to be possible until this whole mess is finished. Why does Camille want us tucked away before sunset?'
'A dark witch's powers tend to be greater after sunset.'
She frowned, confused. 'But she attacked you yesterday and Trina today. Both times were during the day.'
'Yeah, and it's a sign of her strength, because she'll definitely get stronger with the night.' He walked around the table and held out a hand. 'Come on, let's get moving.'
