Healing Hands (The Queen of the Night series Book 2) (4 page)

“Is that why Mom sent him to Camp Morse last summer instead of sending him here with me?”

“She might have been worried about his safety, yes,” Fiona said simply.

“Oh my,” Rose said suddenly.

“What?” The rest of us spoke in unison.

“I just remembered a conversation I had with your Mom the morning after she and Matt eloped. She called me from the road to say goodbye.”

“Okay,” I said.

“And then what did she say?” Fiona queried.

“She said she’d been visited by the Queen of the Night. Arianrhod had threatened her. She’d said if Shannon didn’t leave Matt, she’d kill their whole line…parents, children, even Shannon and Matt. I remember thinking Shannon was making it up so she’d have an excuse for running away. I was so mad at her back then.”

“Maybe she told the truth,” said Evan sadly.

“Now I’m really scared,” I said. Even so, I felt better about not carrying this worry by myself. “We can’t hide Corey forever. Eventually he’ll have to go to school. What do we do to protect him?”

“That’s it,” Fiona looked at me.

“You’re right,” nodded Rose.

“What?” Corey and I said together.

“Protection spells, amulets, everything we can think of that will help Corey…we buy them, cast them, or steal them if we have to…just until we can get the High Council to proclaim Corey as ‘coveted’.”

“What does ‘coveted’ mean?”  I felt a glimmer of hope.

“It’s when the High Council offers sanctuary to someone. If anyone in the clan hurts or attempts to hurt a coveted person, they would be immediately ostracized and expelled from the coven.”

“Will these spells and amulets protect him from Arianrhod?”  I asked hopefully.

“I’m not sure. No one has ever gone up against a goddess. We’ll just have to try and keep him off her radar for as long as possible. I’ve got an idea. I think we all need the reflection of a proper Children’s Day celebration. Everyone else has probably finished at the well by now. Let’s get dressed for the cold and meet in the foyer in twenty minutes. I’ll play the part of the Crone. You three are still technically children.”

Chapter Five

Children’s Day

Twenty minutes later we were all fed, showered and dressed. Corey and I went with Evan in his Jeep. Rose went with Fiona in her truck. We drove the half mile to the gravel parking lot which served visitors to all of the sacred sites on Fi’s property, and then trudged up the well-worn trail that ran alongside the base of Bald Mountain through the old-growth forest until we reached the Well of the Young. The well looked like something from a fairy tale. A cylindrical wall was constructed from natural stones collected from the surrounding forest. A wooden frame with a tiny, shingled roof and a cross brace sat on the stones. A simple crank turned a rope around a spindle to raise and lower a weathered wooden bucket.

Fiona carried one of her quilted tote bags filled with items she’d need for the Children’s Day ritual. I stamped my feet as I waited. My winter coat might be appropriate for Santa Monica, but it wouldn’t work here. I stuck my hands in my pockets because I hadn’t thought to wear gloves.

Fiona pulled an amethyst and clear crystal geode out of the bag and set it on the edge of the well directly in front of her. She put a black pillar candle on the edge of the well to the left of the geode. She placed two more candles, white and purple, on the right. Evan untied the rope to lower the bucket into the well until we heard a splash.

Fiona continued to set up the altar. She placed one clay bowl in between the geode and the black candle, and one in between the geode and the white candle. She filled the bowl on the left with dark herbs that looked like shredded tree bark. She filled the other with dried rose petals. Evan turned the crank until the bucket, which was filled with water, was level with the edge of the well. Lashing the rope to hold the bucket in place, he stepped back and Fiona stepped forward.

She lit the black candle and the bowl of dark herbs. They began to smoke, smelling like cigarette smoke, but not as stinky. It was tobacco.

She started. “Mother Earth and Father Sky, I beseech you.

The longest night of the year has passed. The wheel keeps turning.

Each day will bring a little more light.

We thank you for each new day that we live,

We remember those that have moved on to the great unknown,

And we thank you for our memories.

I am an old woman. I am wise.

I will share my wisdom with our children,

I ask for your blessing to steer them well.

I will use my knowledge to teach them the values of peace, balance, respect and compassion.

I will drink from the Well of the Young

To remember what it’s like to be a child.

And I will call upon the Keeper of the Well,

the Seer of futures, to aid me in my mentoring.”

Fiona pulled a wooden ladle off a hook on the side of the well and dipped it into the bucket. She drank from the ladle. She returned it to the hook and paused dramatically, her eyes closed. When she re-opened them, she took a handful of rose petals and dropped them in the bucket. Then she lit the white candle.

“Mother Earth and Father Sky, bless and protect these children: Evan, Maggie and Corey. Look over them and keep them from harm. Ease their sadness. This I ask for them, O great ones. Blessed Be.”

She took the ladle again. She dipped it in the water and poured a little over Evan. She did the same thing to me. I shivered, and so did Corey after she’d doused him. Finally, she lit the purple candle. She intoned.

“I call upon the Keeper of the Well.

Share your wisdom with these children.

Steer them in the right direction.

Blessed Be.”

She stepped back from the well and said, “Okay Evan, you first.”

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulder. Then he stepped up into the spot in front of the geode. He bent over the well and looked in the bucket. For a couple of tense moments nothing happened. Everyone was completely silent. Evan stepped back and looked at me.

“What?” I said, confused.

Fiona answered, “Step up to the altar, child, and gaze into the water.”

I stood in front of the geode. I craned my neck and looked down into the bucket. What I saw there took my breath away.

Dariene, or at least her face, looked back at me. Her mesmerizingly beautiful eyes captured my attention. Her long, silver hair flowed around her heart-shaped face and she wore the tiara with the huge cabochon of amethyst centered right in the middle of her forehead. She spoke, “Child, listen to your heart. Your love will always lead you in the right direction.”  Then her face faded from the water.

“Okay,” I mumbled distractedly. I wondered,
what’s that supposed to mean
?  I stepped back and let Corey have his turn to be hypnotized by the Queen Fairy. He had to stand on tiptoes to look down properly into the bucket.

On the way back to the vehicles Evan asked me what she’d said. I’d assumed it was like blowing out the birthday candles; you were supposed to keep it to yourself, but since he’d asked, I told him. Then I said, “Does she always sound like a Chinese fortune cookie?”

From in front of us Fiona chuckled.

Evan answered. “No sometimes she says very specific things. One year she told me to clean my bedroom and find my rubber boots because I was going to need them soon.”

“And did you need them?”

“Yeah, I did. About two weeks later I had to wade into Dry Run to save a little girl who’d gone walking right into the brook. She’d gotten her foot stuck between two rocks. She had to be treated for hypothermia, but I was fine ‘cause I wore my boots.” 

I laughed. “So what did she tell you tonight?”

“It was also like a Chinese fortune cookie. She told me not to be afraid of my feelings.”

“What about you Corey?”  I turned my head and looked over my shoulder at him.

He hung his head and mumbled under his breath. “Nothing, really…she said nothing.”

“You know what?”  Fiona interjected brightly. “All this talk of fortune cookies has got me craving Chinese food. Evan, take my debit card. Why don’t you three go into town and get some take-out.”  There was no opportunity to try and figure out what she really said to Corey.

Chapter Six

House Warming

I woke up early on Christmas Eve. Normally, this would have been a happy time for Corey and me, but since we’d already opened our presents, I didn’t expect much excitement. We’d spent our day in between Children’s Day and Christmas Eve mostly sleeping and inspecting our presents. Evan had gone back to his family after the Chinese food dinner. We’d baked cookies and made cocoa in the evening. Fiona tried to keep us from having too much idle time, because during the quiet hours I felt the grief press in from all sides. It was a relief to be busy.

I heard voices in the dining room, so I wandered out to see if I could help. Fi sat at the table drinking coffee and piecing squares for one of her quilts. Rose had tea, a clipboard and the handset for the cordless phone.

“Well, what did they say when you told them we were in mourning?”  Fiona asked her.

“You really don’t want to know. The man was very rude.”

“Did you tell him it’s Christmas Eve?”

“He said he was Jewish.”

“Oh, for the love of Macha. What’s the answer?  Do they really expect us to take delivery today?”

“I’m afraid they do. The man quoted a section of the contract. Apparently, if we refuse to take delivery at the time they specify, they will return the truck to their storage facility in Baltimore and put all of the contents up for auction.”

“That can’t be legal!”

“I looked in the contract. He’s right.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Please gather the gang. We need a family meeting. When will the truck arrive?”

“They’ll be there around noon.”

“And what time is it now?”

“Around 7 AM…”

“Lovely…Oh, hello dear, I didn’t see you standing there. Did you sleep well?”

It took a second for me to register that Fiona addressed me. “Yeah, I slept great. What’s going on?”  Could they really be talking about the truck carrying all of our possessions from California?  The truckers must have driven day and night to cross the country in five days.

Instead of answering me, Fiona said, “Go wake your brother. I’d like to discuss the situation once, with everyone present.” 

I left to get Corey. When we made our way back to the table, all the Brownies had joined us.

Corey still wore his pajamas. His dirty blond hair stuck straight up on one end. I went to the kitchen and got him a glass of orange juice and a mug of hot tea for myself. We sat down at the table and waited.

“Well, then,” Fiona began, “I know you are probably not ready for it, but we have to talk about what happens next. First off, the truck with all your belongings has arrived.”

“All right!” said Corey. Then after a moment, he said, “where are we going to put it all?”

“That’s one problem.”  Fiona continued, “There’s not enough room for everyone in this cabin. We have a solution, if you agree. Rose owns a house in the heart of Berkeley Springs. It’s not far from the store and is walking distance from Corey’s new school. Rose and I thought it might be easier for you two if you and Rose lived in that house.”

“It sounds more convenient, and honestly, it doesn’t matter where we live, as long as we’re together.”  I was being very reasonable as I thought through the possible pros and cons of living in the quaint little town versus living on the farm. Then it hit me.

“Wait a minute,” I queried, “is there a TV in the other house?”

Corey frowned, the wheels turned in his head as he digested the information. Things had been so hectic he hadn’t noticed the lack of a TV.

She nodded. “Yes, Maggie, the house has access to cable, satellite television and high speed Internet.”

“When do we move?”

“Okay, that’s settled. There are two problems we have to work out before you can move into the house. First, the house hasn’t been occupied in a while so you will need to thoroughly clean the place. The movers want to deliver your things around noon, so you have only a few hours to make it livable. I’d like to ask Ginger and Rock if they’d be willing to go with you guys to help out.”

Ginger looked at Grog for approval. He nodded his assent. She looked at Rock. He smiled. She smiled as well and squeaked, “We’d love to help.”

“You’ll have to stay out of sight of the Romans.”

“What are Romans?” asked Corey.

“It’s what they call non-magical people,” I answered.

“We can do that,” Rock assured her.

“Okay. The second problem is Corey. We have to keep him out of sight as well. We haven’t had time to find any amulets or prepare any potions so it’s better if he doesn’t meet anyone from the clan while you are in town. I would suggest the three of you hide under a blanket until Rose can park her car in the garage behind the house, but Corey still has to walk through the back garden to reach safety.”

I couldn’t imagine why this would be a problem, but Rose seemed concerned.

She said, “Oh, you’re right. The moon garden is in the backyard.”

I’d heard of moon gardens. They sounded pretty. In a moon garden you plant flowers which reflect light easily (like white flowers) and flowers that open their petals at night instead of in the day. I still didn’t grasp the issue. “What does that mean?”

“We’ve suspected for a long time now that at least one of Arianrhod’s spies lives in the garden,” said Fiona matter-of-factly. She addressed Corey directly, “When you walk from the garage to the back door, wait for the sun to be shining over as much of the garden as possible. Wait for the clouds to drift by, if necessary. Walk fast, don’t veer off the paving stones and don’t talk. Your voice will draw attention.”

A light bulb went off in my head. “Arianrhod’s worried about a boy, right?” 

All around the table heads nodded in agreement.

“Why don’t we just dress him up like a girl?”

“OH NO…NO WAY!” Corey didn’t like the idea. I didn’t care.

“This is an excellent idea,” acknowledged Fiona.

“I think he’d fit into a few of my clothes.”  Rose scrutinized him. She walked around to look at his backside. Corey followed her movements, turning to keep facing toward her.

“Don’t look at my butt. I’m not dressing like a girl.”

Daisy interjected, “Mistress Fiona, you have an old wig in the garage.”

“That’s true. I do. Lard, could you fetch it, please?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Corey groaned.

***

Unlike everyone else I’d met in West Virginia, Rose did not drive either an SUV or a truck. She drove a common, mid-sized sedan. The tiny Brownies didn’t need a blanket. They shared a seat and camouflaged themselves. I sat next to them. Giving Corey the shot-gun position seemed to be the least I could do to make his journey less miserable. He kept poking at his wig, trying to scratch underneath it. At one point, Rose smacked the back of his hand and told him to cut it out. I thought he looked cute as a long-haired brunette.

The wig was necessary, but I’d supported him in other decisions. Instead of pumps he wore an old pair of Fiona’s flat-heeled knee-high boots. I’d also nixed the need for pantyhose or make-up, but we’d forced him to pull on one of Rose’s old knit dresses. He also wore an old winter coat. At least he stayed warm. I thought we were pretty lucky. Mom had said several times his voice would change by Spring. It wasn’t Spring yet.

He grumbled non-stop about the whole thing. We’d even invented a cover story to go with the disguise. If anyone stopped by the house and asked, Corey was now Hailey, a friend from California who visited me for the holidays to offer support during my time of grief.

***

When we arrived, Rose drove down the street so we could see the house from the front first. The neighborhood sat a couple of blocks back off the main commercial strip. Stately old trees lined the road, now barren of leaves, and the sidewalk looked as if it hadn’t been altered since the fifties.

My heart swelled when we parked in front of our new home. It sure beat apartment living. The inviting, sunny yellow, two-story house was classic Americana; reminiscent of Victorian architecture. Stairs rose up from the street level to the wide porch, which wrapped the length of two sides of the house. The house had lots of windows. I liked a lot of windows. We drove around the block. The garage looked more like a large shed in desperate need of a paint job, but the old doors had been replaced with a new garage door. Rose clicked a remote and it opened. The car barely fit. We squeezed ourselves out of it and walked into the back garden. Corey followed instructions and kept his mouth shut while we were out in the open.

Once inside, though, he stripped off the boots and threw them in a corner with disgust. Since I followed right behind him, I didn’t get a chance to check out the back yard.

“Girl’s shoes suck,” he complained.

“Pretty much…” Rose entered behind me carrying large box of cleaning supplies. Ginger and Rock brought up the rear. We closed the back door and I felt a little safer. I took a look around the kitchen. Clearly, it had never been renovated. The ancient refrigerator and stove had curved edges like those from the World War Two era. The double farm sink was made from that really old, thick porcelain. Instead of a kitchen island a small pine farm table with two benches sat in the middle of the space. As we walked through the house, Rose pointed out the basic features. The powder room, foyer, and three other rooms made up the first floor besides the kitchen. All of the floors were bare hardwood. A fireplace dominated the living room. A huge newel post decorated the bottom of the staircase.

As we went upstairs, Rose said, “There are three bedrooms. All of them are the same size so it doesn’t matter which one you pick. One faces the street, one faces the side and the last one faces the backyard. Grab a broom or a floor sweeper, choose a bedroom and get to work. There’s an inch of dust on everything so try to do the best you can. We have an hour and a half before the truck gets here. Don’t forget to sweep the cobwebs off the ceiling. Oh, and Corey, you should put on an apron so you don’t ruin that dress.”

Corey mumbled under his breath, “What I
should
do is take off this fire-trucking dress and put on real clothes…like I need this sherbet. You can take your apron and…”

I gave him one of Mom’s ‘you’re pushing it’ looks.

He put on the apron.

“Okay,” said Rose, satisfied, “Ginger and I will work in the kitchen. Rock, the entrance to the basement is in the garden. Can you go down there and light the pilot for the furnace so we don’t freeze?  Thank you.”

***

After nearly an hour, we’d cleaned all three bedrooms, the living room, foyer and the dining room, which Rose intended to use as her home office. Ginger was finishing up the kitchen by herself. Rose came upstairs with the box of cleaning supplies. She and I set out to tackle the bathroom.

“Oh my gosh,” I gushed when I saw it. A real, old-fashioned claw-foot tub dominated the room. A pedestal sink and an old-fashioned toilet completed the ensemble. The only storage, a tall, narrow, free-standing cabinet, sat in one corner. The radiator was exposed in this room and the pipes clanged. Rock must have gotten the heater to work.

At a quarter to twelve we took a break. Rose ordered pizza and soda delivery from her cell phone. The movers were late and the pizza delivery was fast so the truck and the pizzas arrived at the same time.

“Oh, hello Kyle, how are you?  Thank you dear, I’ll take them. Here, keep the change.” Rose spoke briskly so she could finish with the pizza guy and deal with the movers, but Corey must have smelled the pizza, because he chose that moment to bound down the stairs, barefoot, and still wearing the wig and apron. He stopped to take in the scene on the bottom step.

I watched events unfold in slow motion. I scanned Kyle, and sensed gold in his aura. This meant he had magic and obviously belonged to the clan. He had tomato red hair, blue eyes and lots of freckles. When he saw Corey, a look of pure rapture graced his face. It was a match of freckled people made in heaven.

Inwardly, I groaned.

“Hailey, are you finished upstairs? The pizza is here.”  I jerked my head toward Kyle to try and give Corey a clue. Thankfully, he caught on quickly.

“Uhm, yes, I just finished.”  He tried to sound dainty. I almost blew our cover by laughing out loud.

“Hi,” said Kyle. He couldn’t take his eyes off my brother.

I followed his gaze.

For a second, I thought Corey was going to deck him, but then he did something surprising. He offered the back of his hand out to the love-smitten delivery guy.

Kyle took the proffered hand with great care.

Corey batted his eyelashes and said, “I’m Hailey, Maggie’s friend from California. How do you do?”

Pizza-and-freckles nearly fell over his own feet. He stammered. “Uhm…uhm…I’m g-g-good. Are y-you m-m-moving in?”

“Unfortunately, no…I return to Los Angeles in a few days.”  Corey pouted. He actually pouted. Where the hefalump was my camera phone when I needed it? 
There
, I found it, capturing the moment in digital eternity.

Corey slowly raised his gaze to meet mine. His eyes snapped like piercing blue daggers. He really did have fantastically long, thick eyelashes. With the wig, I understood Kyle’s infatuation.