“That is so beautiful. I’m surprised they chose to move away,” Glenda said.
“Me too. I guess he wanted her to have the finer things. She left us all too soon.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Glenda said.
“Thank you, ma’am. It is appreciated.” William started to fade. “I find myself in need of a rest, so if you will excuse me,” he said and disappeared.
Marilee said, “Make yourselves at home,” before she too faded from sight.
~
Mia moved higher, and Orion pulled up near her. They moved with speed in the security of airspace that was rarely traveled. Mia pointed out the lake, and the two dropped rapidly downward, and landed on the lakeside of an old house. It wasn’t as well-kept as the large mansions that abutted the property lines, but it wasn’t abandoned. Mia moved carefully towards the back patio where an old, weathered man with dark glasses sat at a table, staring out into the lake, enjoying a cool drink.
The man looked at the two petite people approaching him, lowered his glasses and squinted. His yellow eyes evaluated the birdman and a woman, whom he could not classify but looked familiar.
“Wyatt, I’m sorry to just barge in on you. I’m Mia Martin, and this is Orion.”
Wyatt nodded his greeting. “Sit.” He indicated the chairs. “You live, or used to live, across the lake, didn’t you?”
Mia smiled. “Yes, on the peninsula.”
“What can I do for you today?”
“It’s about the old house,” Mia started.
“There is no treasure. Leave the place alone.”
“We are not treasure seekers,” Orion said. “You were once.”
“That folly almost cost me my earthly body.”
“I’m looking for permission to enter the home,” Mia said, flashing her yellow eyes.
Wyatt turned his head oddly, trying to get a read on this crossbreed. “Why?”
“The house is calling to a child. I fear for him,” she said.
“The house protects itself,” Wyatt said. “As long as the child doesn’t deface it, he should be alright.”
“When did the house become sentient?”
“After my father sacrificed my brother and his family.”
“I don’t understand. I was under the misconception that you killed them.”
“No, he killed them when he gave them the house.”
Mia took off her glove, laid her hand on the table, and opened it in supplication.
Orion was fearful of what she was doing.
The demon within Wyatt studied the situation before him. He closed his eyes and laid his hand on top of hers.
They read each other with such speed that Orion barely had time to breathe before Wyatt withdrew his hand.
“Sticks,” he laughed.
Mia blushed. She turned to Orion. “Wyatt speaks the truth. The house killed the Waynes. It poisoned them. The truth of it all is in the manuscript William wrote.”
“Mia, please take this in the spirit in which it is given,” Wyatt said. “You can’t save everyone. You’ll be defeated before you even get started.”
“How far are you into the Cynosura?” Orion asked Wyatt.
“I have no need of their power. I’m an independent demon; I need no issue to make me whole.”
“If there is war…”
“I will weigh the pros and cons at that time.”
“I pray there is no need for either of us to make those choices,” Mia said.
“Am I going to be on a watchlist?” Wyatt asked Orion.
“No, as far as I’m concerned, Mia and I came here to ask you about the house, and you were very cooperative.”
“What are you going to do?” Wyatt asked.
“Try to save your family before I rip that house off the face of this earth,” Mia said through clenched teeth.
“Do you need help?” he asked, smiling.
“Why would you help me?”
“They were my family too.”
“There is a ley line that connects this house with the other. You need to sever the line or the house will escape.”
Wyatt nodded. “It will be done. Mia, Two Face Tony was a thug.”
“Was?”
“He’s gone. Disappeared a few days ago. Someone’s cleaning house,” he said and got up to go in.
Mia reached out once more, and the two shook hands. She turned and left. Orion was amazed at the ease with which his granddaughter had dealt with the strongest demon he had seen in his career.
On the flight back, Mia asked him, “Angelo?”
“I don’t know. It could be Sariel or even Roumain. All are that powerful, but, Mia, there is a wild card.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to need to have terra firma under my feet for this,” she said and landed.
Orion evaluated the forest glade and the privacy it offered before speaking. “You have a half-blood uncle out there. He would be older than Charles. His father was someone so powerful that he took your uncle away from your grandmother and shielded him from all her seeking spells. She never saw him again in her lifetime.”
“Why would my uncle help me?”
“You heard the demon. You’re family.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Burt backed out of the kitchen with the camera. He slowly panned it around, focusing it on the crumbling plaster which wasn’t really that bad. Actually, it was covered in a faded but rich wallpaper that matched the curtains. The lacey sheers rippled from the warm breeze that moved through the room. Burt stepped carefully so he wouldn’t knock off any of the mementos that adorned the highly polished tables.
Two boys sat playing with cars on the braided rug. Burt knelt down and focused in on the eldest child.
“What are you doing?” Timmy asked.
“Filming you.”
Timmy smiled and mugged for the camera. Jimmy put his hand up behind his brother and gave him rabbit ears.
“Burt, would you like to play with us?” Timmy asked.
In the kitchen, Glenda ran her hand along the long enamel sink. She remembered seeing sinks like this when she was a girl. This one was free of chips. Pots and pans rested there upside down, air drying. She smelled something and turned to see a pot bubbling over on the stove. She lifted the lid and reduced the fire. There was a teapot covered by a crochet cosy. She took a cup from the
