Honeymoon of the Dead (27 page)

“It’s my fault,” Mátyás said suddenly. “I’m sure of it.”

“What? Why?” I asked.

“I didn’t always get along with dear Papa, you know. I could have given something away, especially if I thought they were simply Illuminati Watchers. I know how much those people irritate my father.”

Sadly, we all recognized that it was very much like Mátyás to give over some secret of Sebastian’s to a blogger simply out of spite.

“Let’s not worry about blaming anyone right now,” Dominguez said. “I’m freezing. Let’s do this thing if we’re going to do it.”

 

 

The plan was for Dominguez to hide in the bushes and
keep an eye out for the approach of the Illuminati Watchers/ vampire hunters. William, Mátyás, and I would do our best to make the ritual as flamboyant as possible, even though my real purpose was nothing more than to cement my relationship with Lilith and thank and release Athena from Her service to me.

William, I knew, always traveled with what he called his “magical gym bag,” and I asked him to retrieve it from his car. He pulled out an ordinary, navy and maroon nylon duffel from the trunk and brought it over to the spot we’d chosen near the banks of the small lake.

Frost fogged William’s glasses as he knelt in the snow in the midst of the graves to unzip the bag. From inside, he pulled out four thick pillar candles, a box of matches in plastic Baggie, and a smudge stick of bundled sage and sweet grass tied with a green string. He found a Boy Scout compass after digging to the bottom. After determining the approximate size of the circle we wanted by marching in the snow, we placed the white candles at the compass points.

Mátyás rubbed his quickly reddening nose. I watched him out of the corner of my eye with concern. Only a few weeks ago, Mátyás suffered a pretty serious case of hypothermia after having been buried in snow during a blizzard. Frowning at his light coat and thin, cotton mittens, I wished he’d dressed more sensibly.

Dominguez watched all of our silent proceedings with his usual disapproving expression, his hands jammed into the pockets of his respectable wool trench coat. He couldn’t look more out of place with his precise crew cut and sedate, serious suit and tie, leaning against the smooth trunk of a willow tree—a G-man among witches.

“It’s too bad the rest of the coven can’t be here,” William said, after we had gathered everything. The three of us stood facing each other around the edges of our snow-tracked circle. “Maybe I could get some of the others on a conference call,” he suggested.

“Talk about ‘phoning in’ your performance,” Mátyás said with a shake of his head. The sun shone on his back, but he rubbed his shoulders briskly.

“I think we’re okay,” I said more kindly. “This isn’t going to be that big of a thing,” I reminded them. “Just an affirmation to Lilith that She’s the Goddess I want in my life.

We’d decided that William would cleanse the area with his smudge stick first, walking counterclockwise around the spot we’d marked to banish the negative energy, and then I’d cast the circle. As he moved, William blew on the embers of the incense, sending billows of scent into the frosty air. He paused at each of the candles as though to give the cardinal points extra attention.

House sparrows chatted happily in the nearby branches, despite the chill in the air. The edges of everything seemed crisp and sharp in that way of winter light. The gravestones on the nearby hill slumbered silently under a thick blanket of snow.

Once William had made his way back to the east, he stuck the unlit end of the smudge stick in the snow just inside the circle. Now it was my turn. I used William’s athame—his was a black-handled, steel knife with the head of a stag on the pommel (I recognized it from our spring catalog; it was very popular with men). Taking a moment, I attuned myself to the energy in the blade.

His was a very mellow, thoughtful vibe, almost Zen- like. The aura imprint was a deep, rich indigo. After taking three deep breaths to ground myself, I imagined the energy of the earth moving into me and flowing into the athame.

I visualized a bluish beam of light tracing along beside me as I walked the same path William had, only in the opposite direction.

A beat-up white compact car of some variety drove along the road on the other side of the lake. Though it might have been someone just on a tour or searching for a relative, my eyes followed its slow progress until it turned out of sight.

My feet crunched in the snow. After making one full pass around our circle, I stopped in the spot where I’d started. Facing away from the circle, I addressed the east. “Powers of the east and air, be with us and add your abilities of communication and the swiftness of thought.” The breeze tugged at my hair, and the image of a woman dressed in a cloak of snow white feathers that shifted in a constant wind came into my mind. Her eyes were clear and bright with youth. She held a bright sword, and her long, blond hair fell past her shoulders.

I moved to the south. There I called upon the element of fire. “Add your enthusiasm and passion to our workings tonight,” I ended. Here, I visualized a column of smoke forming itself into the shape of a woman holding a staff. She had embers for eyes and hair the color of fire.

In the west, I invited water to join us and bring with it love and insight from the unconscious. I pictured a waterfall becoming the Lady of the Lake with raven- colored hair and robe that wavered and blurred as though underwater. She held a chalice in her hands. Her belly swelled slightly, as though in pregnancy.

Once I stood in the north, I repeated my invitation, this time calling to earth and wisdom. I imagined an old, black woman with tired eyes and steely gray frizz covering her head. Her body bent with age, but with muscles still strong as stone. In the cup of her withered hands, she held a single gold coin.

When I’d returned to where I’d begun, I turned and faced William and Mátyás. William’s eyes were closed, and from the furrow in his brow I knew he’d been adding his energy to my workings. Mátyás had his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat, and he shifted from foot to foot miserably. I scanned for Dominguez but couldn’t immediately see him.

A jogger passed, giving us a curious glance as she huffed her way around the bend of the lake.

Now, it was time to invoke the Goddess. My thought was that I’d call to both Lilith and Athena, so I could explain my choice to them both.

Spreading my feet slightly, I lifted the knife over my head, holding it with both hands. Normally, I didn’t feel the need to be quite so dramatic, but I tried to keep in mind our dual purpose of attracting the attention of the vampire hunters.

Mátyás snickered a little. William opened his eyes to see what the fuss was about and even his lips twitched in a little smile, though I knew from experience that William enjoyed the more dramatic aspects of witchcraft.

Ignoring them both, I concentrated on drawing forth the Goddesses. Lilith, as usual, lay coiled in my abdomen. Carefully, I conjured the picture of Her awakening separate from me. Mentally, I crafted Her image: a desert woman with brown, sun-kissed skin dressed in rich, silken robes. Her feet, I knew, She’d keep hidden, as in many myths they were those of an owl. Her breasts and hips were full and sultry, and Her eyes held a siren’s spell to seduce unwary souls to their destruction.

I knew I’d called Her when I heard Mátyás take in a breath. Again, William cracked an eye open but frowned—apparently he wasn’t as able to see Lilith as well as Mátyás.

For William’s benefit, I said, “Welcome, Lilith, Mother of Demons.”

A weird noise, like the sound of someone moaning, drifted through the breeze. All of us, even William, turned in the direction of the sound. The wind picked up and snow scattered around the edges of the circle. I sensed something that looked to my magical eye like a wisp of smoke curl around the bubble that surrounded us. The guardians of the quarters seemed more alert, as though ready to defend us.

In my head I heard Lilith’s voice. “Dark spirits are drawn to me. Do not fear them.”

Easy for Her to say, I thought, now clearly seeing the hollows of eyes and an open, screaming mouth in the smoky thing that swirled desperately around the circle. It suddenly dawned on me that it was a ghost.

William must have had the same realization because he asked, “Could we hurry it up?”

Mátyás, meanwhile, suddenly seemed to be enjoying himself. His eyes traced the movement of the ghost with a kind of delight. Lilith smiled at him. Sensing Her attention, Mátyás looked at Her and they briefly shared a glance. He paled and dropped his eyes almost instantly, however.

Wow, Lilith scared the bogeyman. I’d have to ask him about that later. Meanwhile, I had another Goddess to call.

My arms were getting tired so I shifted position. I pulled my legs together and opened my arms, like a cup. Now I created the appearance of Athena in my head.

Broad shoulders and a strong, straight back, Athena stood with Her legs slightly apart as though ready for action. Her silvery helmet glinted in the sunlight, as did the sharp edges of the lance She grasped in a muscular arm. She held Her shield off to the side, though I could see the hint of twisty snakes, coiling this way and that over the rim.

Though regally beautiful, Her face, what could be seen of it under the nose plate, could only be described as fierce. Her expression was stern and forbidding, as dark as the coiled locks that spilled from beneath Her helmet. Seeing the hard look in Her storm gray eyes, I began to wonder if I might have miscalculated how easy it would be to bid Her “hale and farewell.”

Again, for William, I said, “Welcome, Athena.”

Once Athena had fully materialized, Lilith hissed, clearly unhappy to be sharing the stage with Her.

Mátyás shot me a look as if to say, “This is your other Goddess? Are you insane?” I just shrugged.

William, meanwhile, kept a fretful watch on the churning wisps of ghosts that encircled us. There were more of them now, and their pace increased, dancing around us like oily reflections on a soap bubble.

Everyone waited for me to speak, and I sort of wished I’d prepared something more than “Hey, thanks for your efforts, but Lilith is my one and only gal pal.” As usual, I was forced to fake it.

“Mighty Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom,” I said, bowing slightly as I addressed Her. “No one could ask for a better protector. You saved Teréza from the snow and me from my enemies. I’m deeply grateful.”

“But it isn’t enough,” the wind, or maybe the ghosts, whispered in my ear.

Clearing my throat, I continued, “Please accept my humble thanks.”

“No.”

This time the voice was much clearer. Even William’s attention was pulled from the ghosts by the sound of it. I looked at the two images of the Goddesses. Athena’s knuckles whitened as She gripped the spear tighter. One foot had moved forward, as if She might be preparing to strike me dead.

Lilith fairly twinkled with an I-told-you-so smile.

I had no idea what to do next. Gods and Goddesses were always supposed to go when you asked them nicely. Of course, I didn’t exactly have the greatest track record when it came to getting rid of the ones I’d called.

“Breaking our contract demands sacrifice,” the voice said again. It was weird how Athena’s lips didn’t move, but I now knew the words came from Her.

“What sacrifice?” I asked.

“What is a Goddess worth to you, mortal?”

That’s when Lilith kicked Athena in the shin. Goddess, I loved that . . . er, Goddess.

“No blood shall spill today,” Lilith said. “Except yours.”

It didn’t seem like a fair fight, a short, stocky woman with owl legs versus a fully armored warrior. Yet when Athena turned to face Her attacker, Lilith clocked Her with an undercut that snapped Her head back with an audible crack. It was satisfying to see the taller woman sent reeling.

Athena recovered swiftly, though, and swiped at Lilith with Her lance. Lilith easily leaped over it, Her purple robe fluttering in the wind. I could see talon marks in the snow where She’d stood.

“Uh, we need to chant or something,” Mátyás suggested nervously. “Pick a side. Help Lilith out.”

I’d been so stunned to actually see my Goddesses fighting I’d totally forgotten that we could aid Lilith in Her battle. We just needed to weave a spell to banish Athena.

I started a slow march in the counterclockwise direction. As for words, I decided to stick with the general rule of “Keep it simple, stupid,” so I said, “Lilith will stay; Athena will go.”

Even though Mátyás rolled his eyes at my lack of poetry, he started moving in the same direction and at the same pace. Picking up my chorus, he repeated the words, “Lilith will stay; Athena will go.”

William, alerted that something new was going on, joined in. Soon, we were slowly circling the battling Goddesses, chanting my simple phrases.

Lilith made another attack. She jumped and tried to give Athena a kick to the head, but Athena brought up Her shield just in time.

At that same moment, Athena lifted Her lance. I thought Lilith might be speared, but She spun out of its reach like some Hong Kong film star on wires.

I might have been mistaken, but I think our words were giving Lilith extra speed and strength. Encouraged, I started stepping faster and spoke the chant a little quicker. William nodded, as though to let me know no matter whatever else he missed, he “got” this part. I smiled back at him. I had no doubt that he understood what we were doing, which was raising energy—a basic step in any working ritual.

The only bad part seemed to be that the ghosts seemed affected by it too. Their soft moans increased to a howl. Wind whipped at my clothes as we continued to tramp around the circle chanting.

Mátyás stomped his feet in rhythm with the chant, but started singing something else entirely, something in Romany. I hated when he went off script like that! The song was beautiful, haunting, and a little sad, but I had no idea what spell he might be casting.