covencraft 04 - dry spells (10 page)

“Manners!” Jade exclaimed. Bruce turned to her and stuck his tongue out. “And this is why I can’t have pets,” Jade said, gesturing to Bruce. “Can you imagine if I had a dog or a cat?”

Josef chuckled, getting down on one knee to pet Bruce on the head. “The problem with familiars is that they’re too smart. They know when you mean something and when you don’t.”

Bruce accepted Josef’s pets with a regal air of one who believes they deserve such things. His eyes were half-shut even as his serpentine gaze slid over to Jade to give her the hairy eyeball. Josef pat him a few more times and then stood, following Jade into the kitchen.

“I’ve only got water and some soda at the moment. Unless you take your coffee black. I’ve got coffee, but no cream.”

“Black coffee is good.”

Jade quickly put a pot on and grabbed a glass of water for herself, sitting down with Josef at the table. He sat there patiently, waiting for her to direct the conversation, she realized.

“You mentioned my… my grandmother had a familiar. Cyclo. An owl. Was she like Bruce?”

Josef made a see-saw motion with his hand. “Yes and no. She was like Bruce in that Cyclo took after my grandmother the way Bruce takes after you.”

Jade blinked. “Is this like when people start to look like their dogs? Are you saying I look like a lizard?”

Josef laughed. “No, not at all. Only that familiars are very much like their witches. Bruce likes me because you like me. Bruce is shy at the Coven because you don’t feel comfortable at the Coven. Cyclo was like that. She drank red wine, but only from a crystal glass because that’s what my grandmother did. And she would hoot and scare the neighborhood children on Hallowe’en because she liked to hear them shriek and laugh. That sort of thing.”

It was unnerving to know that so much of her personality was easily deciphered because of Bruce’s behavior.

“I can see on your face how much you don’t like that,” Josef said. “But keep in mind, most people don’t know much about familiars. They’re rare.”

“Did anyone else in the family have one?”

Josef paused, thinking. “You know, I’d have to check our old spell books and grimoires. I only know of my grandmother’s.”

“There are spell books?” Jade asked, perking up.

“Every family has spellbooks. Like recipe books passed down. Sometimes you find a good recipe, but sometimes no matter how closely you follow the directions, you can’t quite get it to work. I can show you a few sometime.”

Jade nodded, fiddling with her ponytail and pulling it tighter for something to do. “I’d like that.”

The coffee pot beeped and Jade poured Josef a cup, grimacing when he did in fact drink it black.

“I can tell by your face that you think it’s too bitter,” he said, putting his cup down. “Your… your mother used to make that face. The same face you have on now.”

Jade felt her chest clench a bit at his words. “Even though… even though I don’t look… I mean, I guess I looked different. Before.”

Josef nodded. “You did. You took after your mother. Smaller.” His eyes roved over her. “Lighter hair. Not blonde, but you weren’t nearly as dark as you are now. Your eyes are hers. The grey. My grandmother’s too. But that expression you just made is like hers.”

Jade fidgeted with her fingers, tapping them on the table, moving them around, drawing circles in the slight condensation from her water glass.

“I don’t mind talking about her.”

Jade nodded, not making eye contact with Josef. Josef was quiet, still patient, waiting for Jade to speak.

“What was her name?”

“Adeline.”

Jade nodded again. When Paris had told her what he knew, about how Jade used to be part of the Coven when she was little, Jade had already known about the young girl that died in the Preserve. After learning it was somehow her, Jade had also recalled what Daniel had told her: the girl’s mother had died. A sort of magical wasting away.

“She died,” Jade said, not sure why she said it other than to let Josef know that she knew. Her eyes darted up to him. He had a calm expression on his face as he nodded.

“She did. I brought a picture, if you like.”

Jade shrugged. She didn’t know if she wanted to see it or not. “Okay.”

Josef reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He was an older guy and had older guy stuff: simple brown wallet, well-creased at the fold. Looks-wise, he reminded her of Patrick Stewart: older, but fit and sharp. He pulled a small photo out of his billfold, setting it down on the table. Jade couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a printed photo. She was so used to everything being digital. Her fingers hesitated over the picture before she dragged it closer to her, her fingertip at the very edge so as not to damage it.

She didn’t know what she expected when she looked at the picture. A spark of recognition? A memory to surface? It was a photo of a young woman and a small child. The woman was smiling, trying to hold what was obviously a squirming toddler, anxious to get away.

“Oh,” Jade said, a breath of air punching out of her lungs. “That’s me.”

“Yes. You and Adeline. You were about two and half then.”

Jade didn’t recognize the baby face in the photo, but she guessed that was to be expected. You didn’t know what you looked like when you were little. The woman… Jade was sorry to say she didn’t recognize her either.

“She looks…” Jade trailed off. What could she say? She looks nice? She looks pretty? She looks like she’s happy to be my mom and that’s totally different from what I actually grew up with? “Blonde,” Jade settled on. She made a motion to push the picture back at Josef, but he waved a hand.

“You can keep that one. I have a scanned copy. And yes, she was blonde. You got your hair from your father, I think.”

“Who was he?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. Your mother never said. And to be honest, I never asked. If she wanted me to know, she would have told me.”

“Oh,” Jade said again. “I see.”

“I’m sorry I don’t know any more.”

“No, that’s okay. That’s just the way it is.”

“Do you want to hear about the time she brought home four stray dogs and tried to use magic to wash them outside?”

Jade laughed automatically, a release of tension, even though Josef hadn’t actually said anything funny. “Okay, sure.”

#

Josef only stayed for an hour. He seemed to get that it was overwhelming for Jade, or maybe it was overwhelming for him too. She didn’t know and wasn’t sure how to ask. As he left, he seemed to hesitate and for a moment, Jade thought he would come forward and hug her. She tensed, not sure if she was ready for something like that. Perhaps he read her body language, or felt the same way, because in the end, all he did was reach and clasp her shoulder for a few seconds.

“I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

She nodded. “Yep.”

“Goodbye, Bruce,” Josef called out louder. There was a responding
thump
. The unmistakable sound of Bruce whacking his tail against the floorboards from upstairs. Josef chuckled and then turned and left.

Jade’s phone buzzed with a text. Lily, saying she was going to the hardware store for light bulbs and a furnace filter. Lily was always good at remembering things like that. Jade had been meaning to get light bulbs for two weeks. Seeing her phone made her realize she hadn’t checked in with Paris to tell him about her visit to Gellar. She frowned, not sure what she would tell him. Migraines okay as long as she didn’t use any magical woo-woo with Lily? It wasn’t a for sure thing, and hardly a medically-sound diagnosis, but something in her did suspect it was true. Which she didn’t like. She didn’t want to have Lily back only to not
feel
her around. A knock at the door pulled her attention from her phone and she tucked it in her back pocket.

“Did you forget something?” she asked, thinking it was Josef returning.

It wasn’t. Sakkara stood before her. “Hello, Jade.”

“So you do know how to knock,” Jade replied.

Sakkara frowned, obviously confused.

“I wasn’t sure, what with the dream stalking and the compelling of people and showing up and casting hexes under people’s beds.” Jade shrugged. “I thought maybe you’d forgotten how doors work. Or things like phones. You know, those things people use to ask if they can come over so that other people can then tell them to fuck off.”

Sakkara’s face went flat. “You’re quite crude. It’s unbecoming.”

“Then stop becoming over.”

“I’m here to enquire if you’ve made a decision.”

“You know, between having a migraine and having my own life, I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Sakkara’s lips pressed together. “It’s quite an important errand.”

“Yeah, I got that.” Honestly, Jade wasn’t stupid.

“Is there anything I can say to assist you in making a decision?” Sakkara looked like she’d rather eat rotten pickles than offer help.

Jade tried not to roll her eyes at her tone. “Nope.”

“There are many interesting things on the other side. A witch of your talent could learn a lot.”

Well,
that
was kind of intriguing. Damn it. But Jade wasn’t about to commit to traveling to wherever just because someone said it was interesting. “There are a lot of interesting things in your demon grimoires as well. Is that how you learned them?”

“Some.”

Jade waited for her to continue, leaning forward slightly. Sakkara remained silent. “Okay, well this has been not fun. So. Goodbye.”

“My mistress will be wondering what your answer is.”

“You know who else will be wondering stuff? Your son. He’s probably wondering where you are because I’m guessing you didn’t tell him you were coming here.” Jade pulled her phone back out of her pocket, opening her texting app and looking for Paris’ number. “That’s a pretty shitty thing you did to him. Pretending to be dead.”

“Being Coven Leader is fraught with difficult choices.”

“So far Paris is managing without having to deal with demons or fake his death, so you know. Choices.”

“My son is able to make the choices he does because of the ones I’ve made.”

Jade looked up from her phone, text to Paris composed and only waiting for her to send it. “Well, that’s not at all vague or creepy.”

“Think about the errand, Jade. Don’t be obtuse or short-sighted. You’ve seen things, experienced things, that have taught you there are hard choices to be made. Make the right ones for you and this Coven.”

“I don’t know where you’re going with this.”

“A witch of your power is an instrument of use to this Coven, to my son.”

“Getting higher on the creepy scale, seriously.”

Sakkara glared at her with disdain. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts, such as they are.”

“Ouch.”

Sakkara turned and walked down down the small cobble-stone path. Jade’s thumb hovered over the SEND button, but she didn’t press it. What would she say to Paris? Your creepy mom was here, but now she’s gone? It didn’t really seem worth the effort. She tucked her phone back in her pocket and shut the front door, tapping her fingers against it as she thought. She wanted more information. She groaned, realizing that she kind of knew where she might get it.

Seth.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jade waited until Lily was asleep. Lying next to her, it was easy to listen to the sounds of her breathing and track when they went rhythmic and deep. She also got a sense of white noise from Lily’s brain while she slept. Though Jade was loathe to try and test their connection in case it set off another migraine, if she kept it superficial, she found she didn’t get any resulting pain points in her own brain. Lily had told Jade the white noise was similar for her. When Jade slept, it wasn’t so much she was absent from Lily’s brain, more like she was an old TV channel showing only static. Quietly, Jade pushed back the covers and slipped out of their queen sized bed.

Jade knew Paris thought it was hella weird that they shared a bed. Not that Jade had told him explicitly, but she’d mentioned at one point she and Lily shared a room and Jade swore she could see the little, tiny, British hamster in his brain pause, blink a few times and then try to nonchalantly go back to walking on his little, tiny, British hamster wheel. Sharing a bed with Lily was comforting. Jade liked having her close. For so long, they’d lived in the same body and shared their minds. To have Lily back now but be physically apart from her was strange and discomforting. Jade liked having Lily within touching distance during both the day and night. Jade wanted to be able to reach out and touch Lily’s arm, or press her knee against Lily’s leg. Lily would do the same thing in return. Jade imagined they were like wild dogs, forming a small, feral pack in the woods. The touch of one another was an easy way of saying, “I’m here. Don’t worry.”

Since realizing she wanted to talk to Seth, Jade struggled with keeping the thought at the back of her mind. It was like putting a bright, shiny light in her view and telling herself not to look. Several times during the day, Lily had turned to Jade, her eyes narrowing, knowing there was something Jade had on her mind, but not knowing exactly what. Given their visit with Gellar, Lily had been unwilling to push or prod. Jade had pointedly avoided Lily’s gaze, pretending she didn’t see it.

Jade also kept Sakkara’s recent visit a secret: from both Lily and Paris. She didn’t want either of them to worry. Plus, when she thought about telling Paris, she remembered the look on his face when he’d seen his mother. Gutted and raw. Jade didn’t want to contribute to the reappearance of that look.

Making her way downstairs, she went to the cupboard in the living room where she kept one of Sakkara’s demon grimoires, saying a quick revelation spell to unhide it from its location. Jade was careful with Sakkara’s book, always making sure to both physically and magically lock it up. Paris found demon magic distasteful, but he trusted Jade with his mother’s grimoires and Jade wasn’t about to let something happen to one and betray that trust. Flicking on a light, Jade sat down cross-legged and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She had an excellent memory for printed material: not photogenic, but pretty damn good.