Beasts and Burdens (23 page)

60

Ethan wasn’t sure if he should follow Annette and Adrianna into the altar room, or try to find Levi to get his interpretation of what had just happened. When it became clear that the conversation between the ladies was going to take place behind a veil of magic, Ethan decided to go where vocal chords were still required.

Ethan gave Levi’s curtain a gentle waggle that alerted him with the rustle of the grommets.

“Go away!” Levi snapped from within.

“Okay,” Ethan mumbled surrendering without an argument.

“Wait. Ethan? Come in.”

Ethan pushed back the curtain and found Levi sitting on the edge of his bed staring at the floor. He glanced up at him and they exchanged a look of mutual embarrassment.

“Look man, I’m not sure I quite understand what just happened, but I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“What did you see last night? Did you just see her leave?”

“No, Levi, I heard the both of you. It was unmistakably a mutually pleasurable evening.” Ethan sat down on the bed while Levi mulled that over. “Do you seriously not remember any of that?”

“No,” Levi said disgustedly. “To my knowledge, I’ve never touched her, except hands and lips, and never to anything but my hands and eyelids.”

“What does that mean exactly? I mean I assume she was making you forget, but why?”

“I don’t know!” Levi grimaced and shrugged apologetically for his tone. “I guess I don’t even care why. I mean what excuse could she have for…” He looked at Ethan with wide eyes. “This is like rape or something isn’t it?”

“No,” Ethan said quickly. “Rape is brutal, ugly, and without any love. What happened here last night may have been influenced and erased, but you were not being brutalized in any way that you weren’t enjoying.”

“Still, she can’t just do with me as she pleases and then erase me.”

“No, but she must have had a reason. She cares for you too much to intentionally hurt you.”

Levi scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“You don’t see it, do you?” Ethan smiled, but Levi didn’t join him. He stood up and leaned against the wall across from him. “How many people around here does she touch? I mean without necessity of spell work.”

“None.”

“She touched your hand to get into the pool.”

“That’s different. The floor was wet. She’s a klutz.”

“She stays pretty close to you when you’re together.” Ethan could see Levi thinking hard about that, but he didn’t say anything. “You’re pretty hard on her most of the time. Do you think anyone would just put up with that if they didn’t care about you?”

“Fine, whatever, it still doesn’t give her permission to do that.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Annette said as she pulled back the curtain, surprising both of them. She glanced at Ethan before sitting down beside Levi. She tucked her hand under the crook of his elbow and forcefully held his hand. He drew away slightly surprised by the intimacy. “I owe you an apology. Multiple in fact, but hopefully you can accept a blanket one.”

“What do you mean? For what?” Levi asked almost suspiciously.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t see what she was doing to you. I knew that you two were having sex. I assumed consensually. However, instead of suspecting any wrong doing on her part, I interpreted your dismissive behavior to her, as insensitive and semi-abusive.”

“I wouldn’t…she’s just so…I’m not trying to be a dick, but…”

“I know, Levi.” Annette caressed his cheek. “You are frustrated with her, and given the influx of magic she has been directing at you over the last few months, I can’t imagine—”

“Months?” Levi looked to Ethan as if he might be able to define the word as something other than a really long time. “She’s been doing this for months?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Why?”

“To balance her powers.” Annette released his hand and leaned onto her knees so she could speak to both of them equally. “As you know, Adrianna is very powerful, but her powers are ever changing within her. That is why she always appears so weary and frail. It isn’t her true form, but it is how we view her, because it is what our mind sees when we look at her. Much like my youth, but mine is entirely intentional. When you came to us, Levi, I saw a way to help balance her power. That is why we use you in so many of our rituals. You are a microcosm of stability.”

“I am?”

“Yes.” Annette smiled warmly at him. “You may not feel it within yourself, but you demand it in others around you without even knowing it. We could stop wars simply by placing you in the right room at the right time.”

“Really?” Levi said again.

“Yes, Levi. Unfortunately, Adrianna has been taking advantage of your gift through a sexual ritual. Even if you were a willing participant, I wouldn’t condone it. Magic of this nature is short lived and addictive—for obvious reasons. She was desperate to get control of her energies, and she used you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t see this sooner, but of course, she is very powerful.”

Levi paused taking in her words before looking up at her. “I thought you hated me.”

“Oh, Levi,” Annette nearly broke into tears at hearing that. “My beautiful boy, please forgive me.”

When Annette didn’t move to embrace him, Levi pushed himself into her arms for a hug. “Of course I forgive you. You saved my life. There is nothing you could do that can erase that in my eyes.”  

61

Ethan stepped out of the room to offer Annette and Levi privacy while they discussed Adrianna’s indiscretion in a little more detail. After a few minutes, Annette came down the stairs dragging her hand along the wall for support. Ethan offered his hand for the last few steps.

“Ethan,” Annette sighed, “How uncomfortable for you? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m used to drama. I’m just glad for once not to be involved in it.”

Annette grabbed a lantern and headed back down the tunnel toward the main entrance. Ethan followed a few steps behind. “Annette, if Adrianna is imbalanced, why haven’t you tried to balance her?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than a woman with an overdose of unstable magic.” Annette paused in the main entrance—aka the garage—and looked back at him. She seemed annoyed that he was questioning her. “I’m just trying to understand,” he said softly. “Adrianna doesn’t exactly look…healthy.”

Annette looked down ruefully before continuing into another passageway that Ethan had not been through—one of the many exit options from the garage.

“She isn’t well, but there is nothing I can do about it. I can’t reverse what has happened to her.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what exactly did happen to her?” Ethan asked as he clumsily climbed a set of stone stairs dimly lit by the residual light from her lantern.

“She was supposed to absorb earthen magic, but she…reached too deep, as it were. She took in mortal magic,” Annette stated it as if the mention of it should make Ethan mourn for her.

“What is mortal magic?”

“Mortal magic is the magic of man.” Annette paused in her ascent and he heard more than saw her unlatch a door. “Some would call it black magic.”

Light flooded the stairwell and Ethan followed Annette into the room beyond the door. Within the room were the same moisture steeped stone walls that offered claustrophobic ambience. A massive hearth on the back wall afforded the room warmth and soft light. Wooden shelves lined another wall, housing what Ethan could only assume was ingredients for medicinal tonics and other such
potions.

There was a table and chairs in the center of the room near, but not too near the fire. Tucked in a corner away from everything was a small bed. Ethan assumed this was Annette’s version of living simple, but something about the tiny mattress made him wonder if Annette had ever loved a man.

“Many,” Annette answered his thought and he snapped to face her.

“How did you know I was…” He gaped hoping she wasn’t secretly psychic.

“Because you’re young, and still wildly in love.”

He took a breath in relief and smiled. “And you? Were you wildly in love with any of the many, as you put it?”

“Oh, yes, all of them I imagine. I’ve lived a long time, Ethan, don’t confuse being alone for being lonely. Not everyone is cut out for pairing.” She sat down at her table and lit a candle.

He joined her at the table, and glanced at the label on the scented candle she had lit. He expected something floral or woodsy, but it was Tahitian Breeze. “You were saying about black magic.”

“Ethan I know you see Adrianna and you want to fix her, but you need to trust that I know what is best for her.”

“And you need to trust that I don’t speak out of turn unless I have something to say.” Ethan could see Annette debating on how to handle this unexpected show of authority. “I know you don’t know me well, but when I ask you questions, it is not to usurp your authority, or disrespect you. It is to exchange knowledge. You,
as you put it
, have lived a long time. I would not patronize your wisdom; however, youth isn’t without its fresh perspective.”

Annette stared across the table for a moment before a smile spread on her face. “He chose well, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did, now if you would be gracious enough to bestow your knowledge.”

“If I were only a jubilee younger, boy, I might add you to my many.”

“I…ah…” Ethan flushed unsure of how to respond to that.

Annette cackled raucously at his reaction. He was pleased to have humor back in the situation, but he couldn’t help but wonder if that was her way of regaining control of the situation. She was definitely a sweet and wondrous woman, but she hadn’t become a powerful earthen witch by letting people step all over her.   

62

“Black magic is drawn from the energies of humans,” Annette continued to explain.

“But black magic is evil right?” Ethan asked cracking open a peanut from the dish Annette had offered him when she was through teasing him—returning his image of her back to the grandmotherly woman who desires nothing more than to fatten him up and pinch his cheeks.

“Not necessarily. There is dark magic, that is drawn from negative emotions, which by rights is very powerful on its own, but the truth is good or bad still depends on how you use it. Dark magic can be used to kill, but depending on who you are killing…” Annette weighed her hands. “Murder or justice.”

“What about positive emotions?”

“White magic can be just as dangerous, but it is harder to come by. The only time you can get a draw of positive emotions is when a large group of people feel happy simultaneously together, like a holiday. Negative emotions tend to cluster more often the positive, which is why any magic drawn from humans is generally considered dark magic.”

“Adrianna draws from dark magic, that’s why she is unstable?”

“Yes, but she isn’t drawing on it as she needs it, as a true witch does. She…” Annette repositioned to raise her hands for emphasis. “I reach out to the heavens to wield the power of the earth like a tool. My goal with Adrianna was to open her up, so she could take in the power.”

“She houses the power.”
“Yes, well no, she funnels the power. She is constantly connected to it, but it flows through her. If she tried to hold onto it, it would kill her.”

“She isn’t exactly bubbling with life now.”

“She is a reflection of the love, hate, and indifference in the human race.”

Ethan nodded. “The world weeps, and she feels it.”

“Oh, yes, that’s why you can’t touch her. That much pain can’t be contained without great concentration. She can draw on the positive energy when she needs to, but it is hard for her to maintain.”

“You said she was using Levi, to balance herself. How…” Ethan wasn’t sure he should be getting into Levi and Adrianna’s personal life, but since it was just as misunderstood by Levi, he thought it should be okay.

“Adrianna drew on her power to appear to him in a healthy form. She claims that she didn’t use any exterior magic to seduce him. I believe her. I don’t doubt that Levi is offended that she made him forget the encounters, but Adrianna is a beautiful woman. I can’t image he would say no to her in her true form.”

“Why sex? I mean couldn’t she just draw from him in a ritual.”

“A ritual of that caliber would drain Levi. Sexual magic creates and exchanges power. The effects can last days or weeks.”

“How often was she doing it?”

Annette looked into the fire. “Levi’s been with us for almost a year now. She started six months ago, increasing in frequency to weekly.” Annette frowned. “How do I begin to reprimand her for this? It’s laughable to assume I have control over her. As much as her behavior displeases me, I know that she is in this situation because of me.”

“There is only one thing that you can do. Finish the ceremony.”