Children of Poseidon: Rann (17 page)

Maria waved her hand. “A formality. Once the coven knows about the pregnancy, there’ll be no argument. The majority will support us.”

“The majority?” Jewel found her voice again.

“We met this morning as a matter of urgency. All of us except Gwen and Tom Harrison,” Maria said. “We couldn’t get hold of them.”

“Suppose my mother refuses to appear?” Jewel thought that would be the most likely scenario. “And Gwen’s in the mansion. We saw her yesterday. She doesn’t look well.”

“Trial in absentia.” Maria waved a hand, passing over the subject of Gwen. “The family will ensure the recommendations are carried out.”

Kara only had Jewel. She took a couple of deep breaths. “My mother said she was going to disown me. That negates the blood duty, surely.”

“She can’t do that.” Maria’s tone became patronising. “Not without the full agreement of the covens. Our bloodlines are too precious to be cast aside.”

Jewel took a deep breath. “How do you propose I do this?” She clenched her jaw until her teeth ground together as she fought to keep her temper under control. All those years of exercises with Tamsin had paid off. “You do realise I’ve never made any impression on my mother ever.” She took another breath. “You were both there nine years ago when she asked if the death sentence was appropriate. I don’t remember either of you speaking out.”

A hand touched her arm, a soothing tendril touched her mind, and she relaxed as Lila shifted along the sofa.

“Well . . .” Maria glanced at Charles. He looked away. “That was a long time ago, and it doesn’t change the present.”

Lila squeezed Jewel’s arm and gave Maya a warning glance.

Maya shrugged.

“I think you’re being unrealistic,” Lila said.

Maya snorted.

“Jewel can’t deal with her mother alone. She’s the strongest witch in the coven. None of you have managed to even have the conversation with her.”

“What do you know, Lila Redcar?” Maria’s face twisted with contempt. “Your power is negligible.”

A low roll of thunder echoed round the room. Lila glanced at the end of the room where her husband sat.

“You aren’t even an active member of the coven nowadays.”

“I know enough to say that you need to get your strategy sorted out before you send anyone in to fight Kara.” Lila took her hand from Jewel’s arm and chewed at the nail of her index finger. “And have you forgotten about Alberic?”

Maria opened her mouth but closed it again when Maya spoke. “The only thing you’ve said that makes any sense is that Kara and Alberic must be dealt with.” She moved until she towered over Maria. “You are the most senior witch in the coven after Kara. You should be coming up with a strategy.”

Maria stepped backwards, drawing an angry breath.

Maya didn’t give her time to speak. “My sister may not have much magic, but I have. Be careful what you say to me.” Flames flickered in the depths of Maya’s eyes, and Jewel thought she hadn’t ever seen her so serious.

Lila chewed her finger nervously, but Jewel wasn’t the only one who’d spent years learning to control her moods.

“We’ll meet again in three days’ time. You can come here. Bring your ideas with you.”

“You . . .” Maria’s own face had flushed again. She spoke through clenched teeth.

“You can leave now.” Maya’s voice rang with command, and Jewel twitched with unease. Maya shouldn’t have been using her command voice on her coven seniors.

Charles and Maria were already moving towards the door. Maya followed them, and a second later Jewel heard the door slam.

Maya stalked back into the sitting room as Rann and Lykos rose from their seats at the table.

Lykos sat down in the corner of the sofa and pulled Lila to him. “She’s lucky I didn’t crush her.” His gray eyes flashed lightning up at Maya. “How dare she talk to Lila like that?”

Maya’s mouth relaxed, and she sank down onto the opposite sofa. “I wouldn’t have stopped you. All sound and fury, those two are. They should have reined Kara in years ago.”

“Do you think they’ll come up with any ideas?” Jewel’s voice shook at the thought of confronting her mother again. She was absolutely certain that it wouldn’t end well. For her.

“Don’t be silly.” Maya pursed her lips. “They’re not going to take any risks. They don’t mind sending you in, but they won’t do anything themselves.” She paused. “I bet they know there’s a problem with Gwen and Tom. They just won’t admit it.”

“What—” Jewel tried to interrupt.

“Because then they’d have to bloody do something.”

Silence filled the space until Lykos spoke. “Aren’t you glad I took you away from all this?”

Lila laughed, breaking the tension. “We’re here until this is finished.”

Lykos heaved a huge sigh.

“So what’s going to happen?” Jewel sneaked a look at Rann.

“The coven is paralysed by inactivity.” Maya spoke slowly. “I think it’s up to us.”

Chapter 17

The spell books were archaic.

And handwritten.

And almost illegible. 

Jewel had spent the morning with Lila and Maya examining them, with no success, and now the afternoon was almost over. The three of them clustered round the dining table, the pile of books in the centre. Maya and Lila claimed they’d brushed most of the dust and cobwebs off before they brought them from the library, but the covers still looked unclean to Jewel. An aura of darkness and discomfort rose from them, hanging over the surface of the table.

Lila scratched her arms and hugged herself, wriggling in her seat. If Jewel wasn’t imagining the malevolence emanating from the books, then the atmosphere was probably a hundred times worse for an empath.

Eventually Maya looked up and frowned at her sister. “Why don’t you go and do something else? Join Rann and Lykos. Talk to Seawitch. Make some tea. Something.”

Lila looked as though she wanted to argue but then stood up and stretched. An unconscious sigh of relief left her mouth. “They’ve gone out. For a walk I think. Lykos was going stir crazy. He hates London. I’ll make some tea, though.” She went to the kitchen.

Maya squeezed her eyes closed for a second. “These books stink. They’re making Lila ill.”

Jewel shrugged. They were making her ill as well, and she wasn’t gifted with empathy. It was best if Lila stayed away. Turning another page, she sneezed as something that might have been dust clogged her nostrils. The effort to concentrate on the subject headings and to ignore the body of the text gave her a headache. Mostly she succeeded, but occasionally she turned a page too slowly, and its contents flashed into her awareness.

“I can see why they keep this stuff locked up.” She put the book on the pile of those she had read and reached for the next.

“I think I might have found something.”

Jewel pulled her hand back at Maya’s words. “What?”

“This book seems to be all about making things. It’s got a section on reproduction.” Maya sounded as though she was talking about a biology textbook. “There’s a spell for inducing fertility in barren women.” She flicked the page over and screwed up her face. “I can see why it’s not popular nowadays.” She turned a couple more pages. “Here. This must be it.”

Jewel shifted round to look over Maya’s shoulder. “The restoration of fertility in elderly women.” She read the words out loud. “Why on earth . . .?”

“Don’t ask me.” Maya’s nose wrinkled. “I’ve no idea.”

They skimmed the page in silence.

Maya slouched back in her chair. “Lila?” She shouted.

“Coming.” Lila carried a tray into the room. It had a teapot, a milk jug, and three mugs. She placed it on the table, pushing the old books sideways. One slid from the pile and crashed to the floor.

“Come and see.” Jewel stepped aside so Lila could see the book.

“You’ve found it?”

“I think this has to be the ritual she used.” Maya flicked through the pages. “Yes. It’s the closest, and it might explain Gwen.”

Lila sat down. “Just tell me.”

“We were right.” Maya’s face paled. “Someone had to die to restore Kara’s fertility, and someone had to die to give her baby life.”

Jewel swallowed her rising nausea and sat on the other side of Maya. “Tom?”

Maya nodded. “I should think so. Gwen didn’t seem to know where he was. Didn’t seem to care either.”

“What about the second death?” Jewel wanted to see if Maya had the same thoughts she did.

“Gwen’s baby.” Maya pushed the book away and rubbed her nose. “She must have been pregnant at one time, but there’s no sign of life there now.”

“What will happen to her?”

“I don’t know. There must be something seriously wrong with her. Drugs?” Maya bit her lip. “The idiots. What did they think they were getting involved in?”

Jewel pulled the book over to her side of the table and flipped through the pages. “There’re a lot of rituals here for ensuring a child has gifts. Different ones for different gifts.”

“Like Sleeping Beauty.” Maya forced a laugh out.

“There’s spell casting, powers of seduction, ability to manipulate elements.” Jewel shuddered. She wondered if her mother had cast those spells for her. If she had, they hadn’t worked. “They all involve blood. Some of them death. Human sacrifice.”

“I knew this was a very bad thing.” Lila took the book from Jewel and closed it.

“So, if my mother really is pregnant, then she’s been involved in some seriously forbidden magic.” Jewel’s stomach cramped.

“I’m afraid so.” Lila raised her hand to her mouth, wincing as Maya slapped at it.

“So what do we do?” Jewel had never heard of such a thing before. The people-trafficking affair had been her only contact with criminal mages. Or any sort of criminal really. And she’d played a peripheral part in that.

“The coven must convene and call on Kara to explain herself.” Maya pushed her hair back from her face. “Like that’s going to happen.”

“If she won’t?” Jewel thought it highly unlikely that her mother would obey a coven she’d made it plain she had no respect for.

“Then she’s arrested and sent for formal trial.”

“But they’re going to depose her anyway. Wasn’t that what Maria and Charles were talking about?”

“I’m not sure how lawful that is?” Maya rested her elbows on the table. “I’ll make a few calls later. I’m pretty sure they can’t condemn her to death in absentia. And how they think they’ll strip her magic . . .” Her voice trailed off.

Jewel closed her eyes and rested her head in her hands.

“Don’t worry,” Lila said. “We’ll think of something. You won’t have to do it by yourself.”

“You know what I’ve always said about witches?” Lykos strode across the heath, ahead of Rann, hands in pockets and head down. He hated London even more than Rann did, and Lila had suggested that he go for a walk on Hampstead Heath while the witches were checking through the spell books. It was obvious he wasn’t impressed.

When Rann said nothing, Lykos elaborated. “You can’t trust them. They’re just trouble.”

“You married one.”

“That’s different.” Lykos stopped and folded his arms. He stared at the bathing ponds, now empty of swimmers. The surface of the water swirled as restlessly as the air. “Lila’s not a typical witch.”

“Mmm.” It wasn’t worth commenting on that statement. Lykos had obviously convinced himself.

“Did you hear how that woman spoke to her?” A flurry of wind blew round Lykos’s head and whipped the water into wavelets.

“It didn’t seem to bother her.”

“It bothered me. I don’t like witches.” The wind died down, and Lykos paused to look at his brother. “How long do you think this is going to go on?”

Rann shrugged. He meant to go back home within the week and, hopefully, take Jewel with him. “Until it’s sorted.”

“Sorted.” Lykos shook his head.

“Lila’s not going to want to go back until she knows what’s happened to her father,” Rann pointed out.

Lykos grunted.

“And then there’s Seawitch, even if you ignore all the drama with Jewel’s mother.”

“I could just kill them all.” Lykos’s eyes swirled dark gray, and Rann suspected he meant it. He quite liked the concept of killing Alberic and Kara himself, but Kara was Jewel’s mother, and she had the right to handle it herself. He knew she could do it, but he was ready to step in if there were problems. After all, she had Maya for a friend, and her strength was probably twice Kara’s already. He wished there was an easy way to remove Alberic from the equation.

“What did you think of the mage?” He glanced at his brother.

The wind picked up again, and gray clouds massed overhead. “The world would be better off without him.”

“More power than the witch, though.” Rann pushed his hair out of his eyes. “And together they might be dangerous.”

“Not to me.” Lykos’s voice was a growl.

“I meant to Jewel.” Rann closed his eyes in exasperation. “And by extension, to Maya and Lila. You’re delusional if you think they won’t get involved.” The wind gusted, and again Rann pushed his hair away from his face. “Will you stop doing that?”

“We’ll deal with the mage.” Lykos started walking again. The wind subsided into a light breeze. “If it comes to it, you and I will deal with the mage.”

“Right.” Rann liked that idea. “What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing fancy.”

Rann heard the smile in his brother’s voice.

“Kill him. I suspect he deserves it.” Lykos spun round. “Let’s go back.”

Dusk had crept over Hampstead by the time Rann and Lykos arrived back at the flat, and the scent of cooking reached Rann’s nostrils as soon as he stepped into the hallway. He followed his nose to the kitchen where the three women were gathered, stirring, chopping, and sharing a bottle of wine. Lykos pushed past him and wrapped his arms round Lila. She hugged him back.

“Get a room.” Maya gave them a disapproving look. “How long have you been together?”

Lila laughed.

Rann inspected Jewel, who stood by the cooker poking a saucepan with a large wooden spoon. She’d greeted the two men when they’d walked in but hurriedly returned to her cooking. Rann joined her.

“Did you get anything from the spell books?”

“We found the details of the ritual, if that’s what you mean.” She stared down into the Bolognese sauce she stirred. “It’s unpleasant.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do with the information?”

“We need to check if Kara really is pregnant.” Jewel shook her head. “Although if what she told me about my father is true, that’s enough to condemn her by itself.”

“I still want to talk to her about that.” Maya interrupted, her voice expressionless. “I should think Lila’s pretty keen, too.”

Lila made some sort of stifled agreement. Rann looked round; his brother was kissing her.

Rann hesitated. “I heard the old witch tell you that it was your duty to deal with your mother, but—”

Jewel cut him off. “Don’t worry.” She looked up from stirring the pan. “I’m not stupid enough to confront her myself. I think even the coven realise that’s not going to work.”

“So . . .”

“I’ll form a circle.” Jewel winced. “We’ll have to combine our strength to contain her.”

“How strong is she?” Rann knew she was a powerful witch, but not exactly what that meant.

“Maya could take her.” Jewel stirred the pan again. The tremble in her voice was almost undetectable. “But she’s probably the only one in the coven who’d be able to do it alone. I think I have to be involved, though, so we’ll use a circle. I’ll channel the combined magic. Tamsin showed me how to do it.”

“And what about the mage?” As far as Rann was concerned, Alberic was the real threat.

Jewel put the spoon down on the counter. “I don’t know.” She picked up her wine glass and swallowed half the contents in one gulp. “We’re going to think about that. Just in case the coven have no ideas.”

Maya joined them. “If they’d had ideas earlier, we wouldn’t be having anything like the problems we’ve got now.” She picked up the spoon and stirred the sauce. “The whole coven hierarchy needs overhauling.” She licked the spoon. “I think this is ready.”

The phone rang as they were finishing dinner, and Maya got up to answer it. When she came back, she poured herself another glass of wine. “That was Annis.” She sat down again.

“What did she want?” Jewel leaned forward.

“She’s found a tracker. A witch.”

“Is she willing to look at Seawitch?”

“Yes.” Maya sipped her wine. “She knows about the death magic. Annis said she’ll charge accordingly.”

“I’ll pay.” Rann stretched back in his seat. “She’s my responsibility.”

“So are they coming tonight?” Jewel asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Maya said. “Annis said the tracker works better during the day. They’ll be here at ten.”

The doorbell rang at exactly ten o’clock the next morning. Jewel had been expecting it, but she jumped anyway. Maya leapt up from her position on the sofa and headed for the hall. She came back with Annis and a stranger. Small and fragile, the woman had short flyaway hair that was too gray for her face. She wore a heavy pair of stylish glasses that made her face look even smaller and a red knitted dress. Jewel stood up to greet her. The woman shook her hand. She had a surprisingly strong grip.

“Olivia, this is Jewel Vargas and Maya Redcar.” Annis waved at Jewel. “This is Olivia Preston.”

Rann strolled in from the kitchen.

“And this is Rann. He found the seawitch.”

“Call me Liv.” She smiled, a wide smile that made her look younger than Jewel had first thought. Her eyes lingered on Rann with an expression that might have been curiosity.

“Liv is a freelance tracker,” Annis explained. “She has no affiliation to any coven.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” Rann examined the woman.

She reminded Jewel of a crow, for reasons that had nothing to do with her appearance, and more to do with the way she tilted her head to one side to examine her surroundings.

“I trace magic signatures.” Liv looked round the room before concentrating on Rann. “I can tell what sort of spells have been used by the residue they leave. I can tell what sort of magic is used by any practitioner and what sort of practitioner worked what magic. And I can sometimes trace the spellcaster or the practitioner through their work.”

“So you’ll be able to tell us who was responsible for what happened to Seawitch?” Maya loomed over the small witch.