Beneath An Ivy Moon (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 4) (14 page)

“Is she breathing? I don’t think she’s breathing,” I heard myself say.

Cypress reached down. “Jessica?” Her voice was broken.

“I got through to 911, they’re coming!” Genie said from behind us.

“I can’t find a pulse,” Cypress said.

“Let me,” Leann said as she stepped in and knelt down. She dropped her ear to Jessica’s chest, and to my surprise she competently started to do CPR. Another girl, a resident named Carrie moved in to help. Cypress and I stepped back out of their way.

“I brought these up for you.” Genie handed me my purse and camera bag.

I nodded. “Thanks.”

The girls were all gathered together in the hall, and I could hear a few people crying. I stared at Jessica, while Leann and Carrie valiantly tried CPR. Poor Jessica was covered in white dust from plaster. She still wasn’t responding or moving.

I knew she never would again.

I clutched Cypress’ hand in mine, staring at the spot where the ghost had been, and felt a chill run down my back. I leaned close to Cy’s ear, as not to be overheard. “
Calamity will continue to fall
, the entity said. What the hell did she mean?”

“I don’t know,” Cypress said in a wobbly voice.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and hung on. Now that the energy the Loa had lent her had fully dissipated, I knew my friend would be weak and shaky. “You sure that you’re okay?” I asked her.

“I will be.” Cypress squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and held it. She blew out her breath slowly.

I started to tremble myself, and my gaze was drawn up to the undamaged, creepy portrait above the mantle. With her black hair formally styled, and her eyes dark and full of secrets; Victoria Crowly gazed coolly down at us all.

***

They moved all of the surviving residents of Crowly Hall directly across the street to the old Hyde Theater. With no cell service it was a chaotic scene. You never realize how dependent you are on your cell phone until a tornado takes out a tower or two.

Word had gone out about a storm fatality on campus at Crowly Hall. The media had descended almost as quickly as the emergency responders. Frightened and concerned parents began to show up to come and pick up their daughters. The girls who were from out of state were taken to the administrator’s office where they were able to contact their relatives and let them know they were uninjured.

I sent a psychic message to Great Aunt Faye to inform her that Cypress and I were okay. Bad weather didn’t affect psychic abilities, and I was grateful for Aunt Faye’s telepathic talents— since she could both receive and send messages. She in turn communicated to me that they had ridden out the storm in the manor’s basement and were all fine. Cypress hadn’t gotten any word from her family. I had a hunch they were on their way and quietly, I told Cypress that so she wouldn’t worry too much.

Leann, Carrie, Cypress and I stayed together. The paramedics had taken over for them once they’d arrived, but Carrie and Leann were devastated at not being able to revive Jessica. Especially Leann, who was a nursing student. The four of us sat in a row at the theater that was lit by a backup generator, talking quietly.

Leann ran a hand through her short blonde hair. “Would you pray with me?” she asked. “Would you mind?”

I stopped fiddling with the gauze the EMTs had wrapped around my hand. Cypress had a few bandages on her hands too. Funny how you never notice cuts and scratches until someone else points it out to you. “Of course I will.” I took Leann’s hand in mine.

Carrie blinked at Cypress and me. “I didn’t know that Witches prayed.” She cringed. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”

Cypress reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Yes, of course we do. And no offense taken.”

We all joined hands as carefully as we could. Finally Leann spoke up. “Ivy, will you lead us?”

“Ah...” I mentally stumbled for a moment. “Sure.” I blew out a breath.
Goddess help me say the right thing.
“Lord and Lady watch over and guide our friend Jessica as she travels to the other side. May she be welcomed by her ancestors and be at peace. Thank you for keeping so many of us safe from harm. Blessed be.”

It was silent in the theater for a good twenty seconds after I finished.

Carrie, her eyes red from crying, tried to smile at me. “Well, that was beautiful. I never thought of it that way. Traveling to the other side and being welcomed by your ancestors...”

Cypress put an arm around her when she sniffled. Carrie and Leann’s parents had finally arrived. They jumped up and went to their folks.

“Cypress!” A deep male voice called out.

I watched Cypress’ face light up. “Uncle Rene!” The remaining girls and parents jaws dropped open as Cypress ran to her gorgeous uncle. He scooped my friend right up off the floor and held on tight.

I saw Autumn and Cypress’ Aunt Marie standing with Rene. I went to my cousin who held out her arms to me. “I’m so glad you are safe.” She pressed a kiss to my hair.

I wrapped my arms around her. “One of the girls from our Hall didn’t make it,” I said, and only
then
did I start to cry.

Cypress dropped her head on her Uncle’s broad shoulder. “Ivy and I tried to dig her out. Leann and Carrie even tried CPR... it didn’t help.”

“Oh,
cher
. I’m so sorry.” Rene held her close for a moment, and passed her over to his sister.

Marie rocked her niece from side to side. She met my eyes over Cy’s head. “We’re taking you girls back to the manor.”

I nodded in agreement and let go of Autumn. Rene reached out, cupping my face with one hand. “Ivy.” He tugged me towards him. I sniffled and moved into his strong arms for a bear hug.

“Let’s get these girls home,” Marie said.

Rene escorted us out. We had to walk past Crowly Hall to leave the campus. Even though I felt safe with Rene on one side, and Autumn on my left, I shivered at the much cooler temperatures the passing storm had brought in. With Rene at the center, Cypress and then Marie on the other end, we made quite the human chain.

“Look at us,” I said, trying to make them all smile. “Aren’t we the fabulous bunch of Witches?” My comment had the desired effect. Everyone chuckled.

However, getting the full view of the front of Crowly Hall made any laughter I’d had wither in my throat. A huge oak tree had come down on top of the columned porch of my dormitory. The tree had snapped, taking out half of the porch and an entire corner of the first floor. Poor Jessica had never stood a chance.

***

Great Aunt Faye, Bran and little Morgan were waiting for us at the Manor. Lexie had been called in and was out working with the rest of the police department. I saw a few downed trees and power lines on the way home, shingles and lots of stripped foliage in the streets, but for the most part the town had been lucky. Aunt Faye fussed over us when we arrived to the darkened manor. She got us fresh clothes, while Marie made us some sandwiches, and my great aunt personally inspected our cuts and scraped hands.

After eating, I sat in the candle-lit family room in Aunt Faye’s preferred chair, with Morgan on my lap. He was sound asleep, and even though Bran had offered to take him, I felt better holding the toddler. With the power out, Bran had built a fire and it made the room both cozier and brighter. Merlin stretched out on the hearth rug and basked in the warmth of the flames. Cypress was tucked on the couch between Marie and Rene, while Autumn sat on the floor by me.

Autumn leaned against my leg in support. “So glad you’re safe, Shorty,” she said, again.

A loud banging on the front door cut off my response. Bran went to answer the door, and to my surprise Nathan Pogue burst into the manor.

“Is Ivy here? Is she okay?” Nathan demanded, grabbing Bran’s arm.

“Yes,” Bran said. “Calm down, Nathan.”

“What about her friend, Cypress?” Nathan said. “I heard there was a fatality at Crowly Hall.”

“Ivy and Cypress are both fine,” Bran said, trying to reassure him. “A few scrapes but otherwise uninjured.” Bran gestured towards the family room.

Nathan swung his head around and gazed at the family all gathered together in the room.

“Come in, Nathan,” Bran said.

Nathan seemed to realize he was already in. “Oh.” He looked a little embarrassed. “Thank you,” he said, and stepped down into the family room. He went directly to me. “Scared me,” he said, stopping next to my chair.

“I didn’t know you cared.” I meant to say that sarcastically, but it came out as more of a question. I felt my face go red, and hoped that the candlelight would cover it.

“Of course, I do,” he said.

Bran stood, with his arms crossed over his chest. “Nathan take a seat. Cypress was about to tell us what happened tonight.”

Nathan chose the empty chair next to me and sat. Merlin woke up from his spot on the hearth, regarded Nathan with one eye, and went back to sleep.

Cypress cleared her throat. “When the sirens went off we evacuated to the basement of Crowly Hall,” she began. She explained to everyone how we’d huddled in the basement, and the moment we’d all realized that Jessica had stayed upstairs. When Cypress reached the part about finding Jessica, she stumbled over her words.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Tell them all of it.”

Bran dropped his arms to his sides. “What do you mean... tell them
all
of it?”

Cypress grimaced. “I’ve never
seen
an actual ghost. Standing there— right in front of me before.”

“Full body apparition,” I said. “She was corporeal one minute and sort of transparent the next.”

“You two saw a full body apparition, tonight?” Nathan asked.

After the research I’d done for the past few weeks, I knew what terms to use. “It was sentient. An intelligent style haunt, I’m thinking.” I glanced over at Nathan. “It interacted with us.”

Marie frowned at her niece. “Was it the campus ghost of Victoria Crowly?”

“No.” Cypress shivered. “I wish.”

Rene ran a comforting hand down Cypress’ arm. “Could it have been Jessica’s spirit? Perhaps you saw it leaving the body?”

“No,” I cut in quietly, shifting the sleeping Morgan on my lap. “No. It wasn’t Jessica. And it
wasn’t
Victoria Crowly. This didn’t look anything like the portrait hanging in the lobby... This was another spirit. A
different
spirit, or entity. And honestly, she freaked me out.”

Autumn gave my leg a supportive squeeze. “You’ve seen our grandmother’s ghost before. She helped us during the search for the grimoire. So why did this frighten you?”

“Because this ghost made me feel so sad, she was crying,
and
I felt her touch my hair,” I said.

“I didn’t like that she could touch us,” Cypress said. “Not one bit.”

“I’ve never seen you whip out your Hoodoo on someone quite like that before,” I said to Cypress.

Cypress shrugged. “It was instinct.”

“What did you do?” Marie demanded of Cypress.

Cypress straightened her shoulders. “I invoked Baron Samedi.”

Rene raised his eyebrows. “Did he come to your aid?”

“He did,” Cypress said, and quietly told the family what we’d done. When she finished, Bran was silent. Autumn and Marie seemed concerned, and Rene crossed his arms over his chest and studied his niece.

Great Aunt Faye tapped her manicured fingernails against the wooden arm of a chair. “Fascinating...” She broke the silence.

“A few days ago the girls shared some of their recent experiences with me,” Bran announced to the group. He briefly described what Cypress and I had been encountering at the dorm in the weeks before the storm.

Marie shook her head. “I don’t like the way this has been ramping up. The psychic implosion that you all described on the day the remains were found. The surge of negative energy on campus.” Marie started to tick points off on her fingers. “Everyone in town knows about the accidents on the archeological dig. Now you’ve got flashing lights, disembodied voices, shaking furniture, the poltergeist activity in the girl’s dormitory,
and
now an interactive, intelligent entity?”

Autumn wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “I’d like to know what the entity looked like.”

“Her dress was long,” Cypress said. “If I could sketch worth a damn I’d draw you a picture of her.”

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. “It happened so fast. I only have impressions of her. But I think the sleeves were long too—”

“Her dress was dark,” Cypress interjected.

“Yeah, it was,” I agreed.

Autumn pursed her lips. “Were the sleeves full, or more slim fitting? What was the shape of the skirt?”

Oh, I got it.
“You’re trying to figure out
when
she’s from by the clothing style?”

Rene grinned at Autumn. “Very clever
cher
.”

Autumn laid a hand on my knee. “Here, let me see,” she said. Before I could even blink, she was in my head scanning my recent memories.

I felt the tug on my mind. I shut my eyes, and let her have full access. A few moments later, she patted my knee, signaling that she was finished. I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re damn good at that now.”

Autumn tilted her head towards Cypress. “May I?” she asked.

Cypress held out a hand to Autumn. “Sure, read away.”

I watched when Autumn took Cy’s hand. Cypress stiffened a bit and then tried to make herself relax. Autumn’s eyes shifted back and forth as she read Cypress. Almost like my cousin was speed reading a book.

I checked to see Nathan’s reaction. He’d been sitting very still, and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head as he watched the family.

Autumn shut her eyes, released her breath slowly and gave Cypress’ hand a little squeeze. “All done.” Autumn dropped Cy’s hand and sat back, rubbing a hand over her chin as she considered what she’d
seen.
“I saw a dark dress with a full skirt. Slim fitting sleeves, an apron maybe...”

“Her hair was red,” Cypress spoke up.

I nodded. “And tangled all around her face.” Morgan whimpered in his sleep. I automatically rubbed his back, and he quieted.