A Witch's Path (22 page)

"Have you seen that happen?"

He nodded. "Not by my clan. I meant what I said, I want to help you. The Elefant would be honored to have you join us. That's my invitation, not the elders, but we won't pursue that relationship. And I'm from Pennsylvania. I doubt you're itching to get a clan and move a thousand miles away."

"No, that's not high on my list." I smiled. "How pushy will these clans get?"

Grinning he said, "I suspected as much." He sobered. "They can be downright scary. A neighboring clan went after one of ours. By the time the clan had threatened his family, followed him to and from work, and generally made his life miserable, he wasn't going anywhere."

"How did he get them to back off?"
 

"He didn't. Our Minister took a hostage from each of the clans. She wouldn't release them until the other Minister and Elders had made binding promises to leave him alone."

"Oh." I doubted I could get away with the same thing if a clan bothered me, but I'd keep it in mind. "What should I do if a clan comes after me like that?"

"Join a different clan." His voice was flat, and his eyes hard.

"Narzel fart."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I'd rather know the truth."

Cage checked his watch and winced. "I hate to run out, but I'm due back."

Looking at the time, I needed to get going or I wouldn't be able to catch the gargoyles before they left Forsyth. "I need to go too. Thank you for helping me. I won't forget this."

Nodding his head in a sign of respect he said, "It was my pleasure. If you have any other questions, or need a friend, you know how to find me."

With that, he headed out the door. I returned my dishes, quickly used bathroom, and was on the road.

The past few days had been a never ending deluge of events and information, and today was continuing the trend. Having an unknown force decree that I could do something amazing was unnerving. It was equally obnoxious that it couldn't be bothered to tell me what fantastic thing I could accomplish. If I was going to have a destiny, I wanted to know what it was.
 

Given the new information, I had to agree with my mom's paranoia. If clans with no ties to a wizard were willing to invade his life to the point that his loved ones were distancing themselves, there's no telling what her clan would do to get me back. Laying low had been a great plan, until I blew it by being me.
 

Maybe dad had the right idea now. I wasn't a child anymore. It was time to change strategies, protect ourselves and our lives. If they came, they came. I could protect myself. Besides, the clan wasn't motivated to hurt me. They wanted to reclaim me because I had the special scar. A dead witch wasn't much good.
 

With a sigh, I focused on more urgent matters, and gave Det. Wells a call.
 

"Detective Wells."

"Hi, this is Michelle Oaks."

"I'm guessing you want an update on your friend's case?"

"Yes, is there any news?"

"Simon, the pack alpha, is now a missing person. He has not been seen in several days, and communication to him as been redirected to Adder. His disappearance is under investigation. Sadly, I do not have any additional information about Amber. I'm going to tell you the same thing I've told the friend of yours who keeps calling; we are looking into every possibility."

"Thank you." I tried to keep my voice sincere.
 

He gave a gusty sigh. "I am bound by policies and regulations. We are actively searching for evidence that could jumpstart the investigation."

"I understand." I didn't like it, but from my dealings with the police, I knew he was telling the truth. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." The words tasted bad because I knew he wouldn't ask for my help.

"I will. Have a good day." He didn't sound happy about the current state of affairs.

"Thanks, you too." I hung up the phone with a heavy heart. I could only think of one person who would gain from Simon's absence. If Adder had a hand in his father's disappearance, the odds of finding Simon alive and well were not good.
 

The rest of the drive passed in a blur. Thoughts zoomed in and out of my head faster than I could make sense of them. My parents and I needed to have a talk but it would have to wait. Elron and I had a date tonight and I wanted to enjoy it. Amber was missing and I needed to find her. Gargoyles could help combat the evil in Ellijay.
 

It was a relief to get to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and have something to occupy my mind. If I kept thinking about everything I would get a headache. I walked in, waving at the familiar faces. Since the troll incident, I'd become somewhat of a fixture around here, and no one was surprised to see me. When I didn't see Jones at his desk I headed to his workroom.
 

"Jones, where'd you go?"

"In here," he called out.
 

I found him digging through a cabinet under the sink, only his rear and legs left on the outside. "Are you digging for China?" I heard a thump and a muffled curse.
 

Jones popped out of the cabinet, "Michelle, it's good to see you."

"I'm sure it is, since I'm not here fixing an emergency. Can I help you with anything?" I asked.

He wrinkled his brow before realizing he was still on his hands and knees in front of the cabinet. "Oh, that? No, I was trying to find a crock pot so I could make mulled cider for the guys who work Thanksgiving."

"Oh, that's nice."
 

He shrugged. "They enjoy it. A lot of junk gets piled in there because everyone uses that cabinet as spare storage. I'll find it later. I bet you want to know about the gargoyles."

"You guessed right."
 

"I'll tell you on the way over there."
 

We gathered up our things, and I gratefully settled into the passenger's set. I'd been behind the wheel for two hours already and I had another forty miles to go after this.
 

"The Gargoyles landed this morning. I'm sure they thought this spot was out of the way, but the field they're in is the community green for a gated community, and next to the main road. When I heard about them I called you. It's a small flock, only ten adolescents and adults, and five children. Everyone agreed on the number of children, but most people can't tell an adolescent from an adult."

"Understandable, they look very similar and not many people have seen gargoyles." Gargoyles weren't very common, and even to the trained eye, it was difficult to distinguish adolescents and adults. Generally, facial features and mannerisms would give them away, but they were stone during the day.
 

"Have you?" Jones asked.

"Once, a flock stayed with some elves my family knew when I was a teenager. I was lucky enough to talk to a few of them. They are very formal, but nice." I shrugged. They were people, just like elves, shifters, witches, fey, centaurs, satyrs, dwarves, dragons, and giants. From my last interactions, I'd learned most of them took being a guardian against evil very seriously. Since I knew bad things were happening in Ellijay, I figured this was going to be an easy conversation.
 

"Nice. I've never seen them before." Jones said.

I smiled. "Then this should be fun."
 

A few minutes later, we pulled into an upscale subdivision. Twenty feet down the road, I could see a playground next to a grassy field covered in gray statues. The gargoyles were grouped to one side, as if trying to protect one another even when they were stone. There was some debate as to how stone like they really were during the day. There were documented occasions when a gargoyle had awakened from its stone state and moved around during the day. However, there was also documentation of their similarities to stone. Having spoken to gargoyles in the past, and being allowed to examine them, I agreed with a different theory. Their skin, which was normally thick and rough, changed composition during the day, making them look and feel like stone. This thicker skin made it difficult for them to move, so gargoyles slept during the day.
 

"This flock has a lot of youngsters. I hope they're willing to move somewhere with evil brewing," I said.
 

"As a parent, I wouldn't want to take my kids to a dangerous area, but I'm human." Jones was still staring at the gargoyles. "That is one impressive sight."
 

He was right, each of them was frozen in a different position. Even from a distance, it was easy to see the different shapes of horns and ears. Some were heavier, thiner, taller, or shorter. Their wings were as unique as the rest of them, coming in different shapes and sizes.
 

"They are compelling." Armed with my wand, and a ball of yarn, I headed over to the group. I walked a circle around them, infusing the yarn with power as it trailed behind me. When I reached my starting point, I tied the ends together. The magic fluctuated, traveling the length of the yarn without structure. I quickly sketched the runes to form the spell. A transparent wall rose from the yarn, forming a dome over the gargoyles.
 

When the sun hit the dome, you could see a shimmer.
 

"What did you do?" Jones asked.

"It's a type of barrier spell. They can come and go, but it will alert me if any of them leave. Part of the spell will inform the adults that we would like to talk to them, and assure them of our friendly intentions." I explained.

"What do we do now?" Jones asked.
 

"We wait for them to wake up, and hope they are willing to talk to us."

"Oh, do you want to wait in the car?"

"Please, it's chilly." It wasn't much warmer in the car, but we were protected from the wind.
 

"How have you been? It's been a while since we had a chance to talk."

"I've been better. It's been a rough week." I studied the man next to me. Jones had helped me through the thick and thin. "We're friends, right?"

"Yes, why would you ask?"

"I need to talk to a friend, not a cop."

After a moment he nodded.
 

"There's been so much going on. Most of it's little stuff, the threat on my window, a spider who left a threat on my ceiling," he opened his mouth, but I kept talking. "I didn't report that one, it was late and I didn't want to deal with it. There's a strange family and witch matter that I don't understand, and my best friend was abducted."

"Who was taken and when? I haven't heard about it."

I quickly explained Amber's situation. "The worst part is I know they are trying to find her, and they can't. I want to go after her. I know it's wrong, but I think I can find her. If she's alive I can save her."

"Michelle, do you know what you're saying?" The worry in his eyes was touching.

"Yes," I said softly. "And I know what I said before, about leaving the danger to the police. Things have changed, Jones. There is an evil killing people in Ellijay and my friend is missing. I looked at the bodies of children this morning. They died from something humans can't fight."

"Not all police are humans."

"Not all, but enough. Shifters, humans, and vampires are drawn to this life."

"That's true, but do you think you have a chance against a force that kills children?"

"I don't know, but I can't look at another dead child knowing I did nothing. I can't do it, Jones." I bit my lip, the pain forcing the tears back. Don't cry.

Jones patted my hand. "You give us an edge. Every clue or hint you give us gets us one step closer to saving a child. The best thing you can do is be strong enough to fight against the bad."

"What if I can't do that with the police?"

"Are we talking about the kids or Amber?"

I shrugged.
 

Jones leaned his shoulder into the seat, and drilled his eyes into mine. "As a cop, anything you do outside of aiding us with an investigation could be criminal, resulting in the loss of your business and time in prison. As a friend, you need to figure out if helping them is worth the price you may pay. You need to do whatever it takes for you to look in the mirror and be happy with the person looking back."

I gave him a tight nod, turned and looked out the window. He'd squished any doubt I had. No matter what the cost, I was going after Amber and I would find whatever murdered those kids. If I could do it with the police, I would. When I couldn't, I would pray that when the dust settled they knew I was on their side. And I'd pay the price for breaking the law.
 

"Jones, I've got one more question."

"Shoot." He looked at me, his eyes bright.
 

"Had anyone figured out who or what killed Carrie? Or who turned her into a sorceress?" My best guess was that the person behind her was behind the deaths in Ellijay and the threats on my life.

"No and no. The FBI knows magic was involved in her death, but that's all they've shared with us. We've been over the evidence a few times, but we don't have anything."

"Narzel fart." It had been a long shot. Jones would've called if they had any useful information. Since she died in a federal prison, odds were the locals never got a complete file. Her death was the key to what was going on in these mountains.
 

"Are they waking up?" Jones asked.
 

I stopped staring into space, and started studying the gargoyles. I noticed a leathery look to their skin and one or two of them seemed to be twitching, slowly moving into a different position.
 

"I think so. Let's get a closer look," I said. We got out of the car and walked to the edge of the field.
 

One by one, their posture relaxed, and they began to move. At first, it was slow; a few fingers or a change in the angle of their head. A few minutes later, some of them were opening their eyes, and stretching as humans would after waking. The adults seemed to be the first to awaken, and the children curled up on the grass were the last. The first gargoyles studied us, ears and noses twitching. If they were anything like dogs, they were curious rather than alarmed.