Witch's Fury

Gilly sighed heavily. “Yeah, we were intimate,” she finally said, and saw Gavril shift uncomfortably in his seat. She didn’t blame him. He was sitting at a table of witches, any of whom could have turned him into a frog or turtle with a kindergartner’s spell.

“Mr. Bender,” Vanessa said, “as you can see, this conversation is getting quite personal. I think it best if you leave us to deal with Abigail, who obviously decided to not heed our advice.”

“He doesn’t have to go,” Taka said.

“It’s best he does,” Arabella said.

“But he’s cute,” Taka said. “Easy on the eyes. And besides, we’re not going to be saying anything he hasn’t already heard or known about. If they were intimate, they were intimate. He already knows that. You think we’re revealing a secret?”

“I’d prefer to stay if it’s all the same to you,” Gavril said. “Gilly is not alone in this. And if I may respectfully add, we came here of our own volition. Vivienne has gone missing, and we wanted to see if you’d seen her or possibly know where she might have gone.”

“I haven’t seen her,” Taka said.

“Me either,” Vanessa said.

“Nor have I,” Arabella added. “Have you tried the compound where Viv kept her Loup-Garous?”

“Yes,” Gilly said. “Her Bender is there looking for her now.”

“You sent a human Bender into the compound?” Arabella said with shock. “Did you purposely want this man dead?”

“He’ll be mauled like ground beef,” Taka said, her brows knitting together. “Surely he’s not alone there, right?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Gilly said. “All of the Loup-Garous are missing.”

“What?” Arabella, Vanessa and Taka said in unison.

Gilly nodded. “They were there one morning, and by the afternoon, not one of them remained on the compound.”

“Oh, Mother Earth and every worm beneath her,” Taka said. “Does that mean they’re all loose in the city?”

“I have no idea,” Gilly said. “We’ve each been taking care of our own. I still have Chenilles in their safe zone, but have about fifteen missing. Evee lost all of her Nosferatu. Same thing with Viv’s. One minute they’re where they’re supposed to be, the next, they’ve vanished.”

Arabella got up from the table and began to pace. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“That we’re in deep doodoo,” Taka said.

“You’re not kidding,” Gilly said. “With them missing, it means more humans are in danger.”

“If more humans start dying at the hands of the Originals, you know what that means, right?” Vanessa said.

“Well, duh,” Taka said. “It means those humans will be dead.”

“Stop being an idiot,” Vanessa told her. She looked over at Arabella. “It means more cops at our door.”

“Why are police coming here?” Gavril asked. “How do they know about you and the Originals?”

“I suspect a leak,” Arabella said. “And I’m almost certain it’s one of the sorcerers.”

“I don’t understand,” Gavril said.

“I’ll explain later,” Gilly said. “We’ve got to stay on task with Viv. She’s got to be our main focus right now.”

“Oh, heck, that’s right about the cops,” Taka said suddenly. “What do we tell the cops when they come back here to talk to us? Do we not answer the door like before? Ignore them?”

Arabella shook her head. “Not this time. Too much has gotten out of hand. We’ve got to let the police know about the Loup-Garous and the Nosferatu. If we don’t, the entire city will soon be overrun with dead bodies when those Originals get hungry and need to feed.”

“What good will the cops be if they know?” Vanessa asked.

“We’ll have to give them information—information we’ve never given any other human,” Arabella said solemnly. “We’ll have to tell them how to kill them.”

“Have you lost your marbles?” Taka asked. “That means, if they see any Original, attacking a human or not, they’ll kill it.”

“I know what it means,” Arabella said. “But with so many Originals loose, it’s come down to a choice. Their lives or the lives of humans.”

“We can’t let them all be killed,” Vanessa cried. “The Triad needs to find them and regain control.”

“I wish it was that easy,” Gavril said. “But you have no idea what trauma and drama we’ve gone through with the Cartesians over the last week just trying to find the Originals.”

“To hell with the Originals,” Gilly said. “What about Viv? We’ve got to find her. Do you have any idea where she might be? Do you have any spells that might give us some direction as to where she might be hiding?”

“You know we don’t use crystal balls,” Arabella said with a huff as if Gilly had used a foul expletive. “Our spells are innate, herbs and elemental. But you already know that. What I don’t understand is why you’ve come here to ask us about finding Viv when you and Evee both have natural talents that can help find her. Haven’t you thought of doing something with them?”

Gilly looked at her quizzically. “I don’t understand.”

Taka rested her elbows on the table. “Sure you do. You know how Evee can talk to the dead? Channel them? If she can contact one of the Loup-Garous, Chenilles or Nosferatu, like Pierre, one of them who’s already died, they might be able to give her some valuable information. Once she gets that information, you can use your astral projection thing that you do and bring your energy to whatever place the dead might see Viv. Then you’ll know if she’s there. The dead see more than we do, you know. They’re not stuck with two feet on the ground like we are.”

“For once, I think Airhead over here is right,” Vanessa said, referring to Taka.

“Who you calling an airhead?” Taka asked. “I’m the one who came up with the idea, while you were over there checking for chips in your fingernail polish.”

“I was not,” Vanessa claimed. “I was listening closely. Just because I’m not looking at your mug doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Both of you stop bickering,” Arabella said. She looked over at Gilly. “Taka speaks the truth. You and Evee have natural talents that don’t involve spells that may or may not work. Has Evee tried to communicate with the dead? Have you tried astral projection, since that’s your specialty?”

“No, neither,” Gilly said. “But...the idea has some promise to it.”

“It certainly does,” Gavril said. “Not only in finding Viv but locating the missing Originals, as well. I say we give it a shot.”

Arabella scowled at him. “It’s not your business to say whether or not they attempt to use their powers this way.”

Gavril cocked his head to one side and eyed Arabella. “Ever since I walked through that door, you’ve treated me like I have lice. All I’ve done since coming here is try to protect the Originals and the Triad. We’ve managed to destroy many Cartesians while here. What problem do you have with me?”

Arabella held up a defiant chin. “Although we do appreciate what you have done to help the Originals and the Triad, I’m afraid that the attraction you Benders have for the Triad has caused more problems than anything. This entire situation might be solved right now if you would have kept certain parts of your body in check.”

“Arabella!” Gilly said, appalled that her Elder had confronted Gavril that way. She got up from the table and signaled Gavril to follow her.

“Taka, thank you for your advice,” Gilly said. “We’ll certainly give it a try. Arabella, if I were you, I’d do a conscience check. You might be my Elder, but when I see you headed in the wrong direction, as a witch, I have an obligation to let you know. You’re way off here. Gavril and the other Benders have been nothing but gentlemen. And, if you remember, you’re the one who wanted to get the sorcerers involved, which would have been a far bigger disaster than what we’re dealing with now.”

“I didn’t say the sorcerers weren’t getting involved,” Arabella confessed.

“You...you didn’t go to Cottle with any of this,” Gilly said. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“Cottle? No. But I have spoken to Gunner Stern about it. If you remember, Taka was the one who got him involved in the first place. I simply followed through.”

Gilly glared at her. “And?”

“There is no ‘and.’ He’s doing some snooping around. Seeing if there’s anything he can do to help.”

Gilly shook her head. “Look, as much as we warned you about getting the sorcerers involved, you did as you pleased anyway. You know the sorcerers have always thought us to be an inferior, bothersome species. I’d call that even when it comes to your accusations regarding the Benders. If anything, we owe them our gratitude. You have no idea how hard they’ve been fighting for us.”

With that, Gilly walked out of the kitchen and headed for the front door, Gavril by her side. When they’d made it outside, Gavril grinned. “Really. Do you always talk to your Elders that way?” he asked.

“Only when they’re going way off track.”

They walked a ways, heading down to the French Quarter to meet up with the others as promised. Luckily a trolley came to a stop fifty feet away, and they were able to hop a ride on it all the way down Canal. They then got off where it intersected with Royal.

Gavril got off the trolley and held out a hand to help Gilly down the metal steps. She took his hand and made her way to ground level.

As they walked to the hotel, Gavril kept turning to look at her.

“What?” Gilly finally asked. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

“Just think it’s cute.”

“What is?”

“The set of balls you have is undeniable. You say what you mean and mean what you say. Elder or no Elder. Hell, it could have been the President of the US, and I think you’d have shot him down the same way.”

Gilly shrugged. “I get a bit carried away sometimes.”

“I’d say,” Gavril said. “But I love it. Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Gilly gave him a strange, shy look, and it was then that Gavril realized he’d used the L word. Although he hadn’t actually said the words I love you, it had been close enough to give her pause.

“Good,” Gilly finally said. “I’m glad you like it. ’Cause I only come in one color.”

“What’s that mean?”

She stopped and gave him a long, soulful look. “It means, Mr. Gavril Hyland, that when it comes to me, what you see is what you get.”

“And that’s supposed to be a bad thing?”

“It’s been known to get me into trouble from time to time.”

“Good,” Gavril said with a chuckle. “A woman after my own heart.”

Chapter 5

When they reached the Benders’ suite at the Monteleone, everyone was waiting for them as expected.

“You’re late,” Evee said.

Gavril glanced at his watch. “Only by five minutes.”

“Still, it had me worried sick,” Evee said. “I feared something had happened to the two of you.”

“Well, worries over. I’m here,” Gilly said. “I take it, since all of you are here, except for Viv, that none of you had any luck locating her.”

“Nothing,” Lucien said. “Evee and I searched our assigned territory and more. Not even a sign that she’d been around.”

Gilly turned to Nikoli, who sat on the edge of the bed, just outside of the living room area of the suite. It looked as if he’d purposely distanced himself from everyone in the room. His face looked haggard, his eyes dull.

By the look on his face, Gilly felt stupid for asking, but she had to know. “Nikoli?”

He looked over at her.

“Anything?”

“No,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Not even a clue. What about you and Gavril?”

Gavril went over to Nikoli, sat on the edge of the bed beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. “We’ll find her, cuz. Somehow, someway, we’ll find her.”

Nikoli turned to him, a faraway look in his eyes that could be seen by everyone in the room. “She was under my watch,” he said. “I screwed up, Nik. She was under my watch.”

Gilly went over to Nikoli and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She might have been under your watch, but the bottom line is, stuff happens. I pray to the universe that we find her. I know she’s still alive. I can feel her. I just can’t feel where she is. If she were dead, there’d be a hole in my heart the size of this planet, and thankfully I don’t feel that.”

Nikoli looked up at Gilly hopefully. “Did either of you have luck with the Elders?”

“Well, yes and no,” Gavril said.

“What’s that mean?” Lucien asked, joining them in the bedroom.

“It’s either yes or no, right?” Evee asked, joining them. “How can it be both? You either got some info or you didn’t.” She looked at Gilly. “Well?”

“No, we didn’t find her,” Gilly said, “but the Elders came up with an idea that might be useful.”

“The Elders?” Evee said. “All they’ve done since this started is perform spells that don’t work and contact the entire clan of Circle of Sisters for intercession spells, which didn’t work either.”

“Yeah, I know, I know,” Gilly said.

“What possible idea could they have come up with that made you pay attention?” Evee asked.

Gilly looked at Gavril and he gave her the slightest nod of encouragement.

After clearing her throat, Gilly said, “They brought up the fact that you and I have innate talents that don’t involve spells that could be used to locate Viv.”

Evee looked at her questioningly. “Huh?”

“You have the ability to contact and hear from the dead. I can astral project. The Elders suggested that you focus on one of the Originals that’s already dead and see if he has a better view behind the death veil than we do here, stuck as humans. Witches but humans. Once you lock onto one of the Originals, I can attempt to follow its voice and your trance, and astral project to the location it’s seeing and attempting to describe.”

“Hmm,” Lucien said. “Can the two of you do what the Elders claim?”

“Duh,” Gilly said.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to question you or them. Habit to confirm, is all,” Lucien said, looking Gilly in the eye.

For a moment, Gilly felt like a stupid schoolgirl. Duh? Where in the hell had that come from?

“No need to apologize,” Gilly said. “Yes, Evee can contact and speak to people and the Originals that have passed on.”

“If they’re willing to talk,” Evee said. “The way it seems to work is, if they crossed over to wherever we cross over to after death, it’s less likely they’ll communicate. If their spirits are still hanging around on earth, for whatever reason, they’re much easier to contact.”

“And what’s with the astral projection?” Gavril asked Gilly. “Do you just zap yourself to some other location?”

“Not physically,” Gilly explained. “My mind goes there, and although my physical body is still in the place where I began, I see myself in my mind’s eye when I’m in the place I’m tracking.”

Gavril, Nikoli and Lucien frowned simultaneously.

“Think of it like daydreaming,” Gilly said, trying to give them a clearer explanation. “In your mind’s eye you see whatever it is you’re daydreaming about. With astral projection, it’s more specific. I can focus that so-called daydream to wherever I want. Only in that situation, I have a dream body that goes along with it. I may still be here, but I can see, hear, react, feel in that astral projection state. The only thing I can’t do is alter what I see. The best shot we have is if I pick something up while Evee talks to whatever or whomever she connects with. Astral projection will give us more details, so we’ll at least know what direction to head in. Make sense?”

“Got it,” Gavril said.

“I’m up for it if you are,” Evee said to Gilly. “Anything to find Viv.”

Gilly nodded and asked Nikoli, Lucien and Gavril to step away so she and Evee had room to concentrate. Too much energy from too many people in one area would tone down what Evee needed to hear.

The men did as they were told, moving to the doorway that separated the bedroom from the living room suite.

Gilly sat close beside Evee and took both her hands into her own. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. I’m just not sure who to try and contact.”

“Try Chank, since he was a Nosferatu and one of your own. Even in death, given that he hasn’t crossed over somewhere unreachable, he should still recognize and respond to his mistress’ voice.”

Evee nodded and closed her eyes. Gilly concentrated on her sister’s face and watched her lips move silently, until she felt she was inside Evee.

After about a half hour, Evee opened her eyes and looked at Gilly woefully. “I’m not picking up anything from Chank. Not one word. I can’t even feel him around me.”

Giving her head a slight shake to disconnect from Evee’s mind, Gilly said, “I didn’t pick up anything either. It was like your mind was nothing but a black hole.”

“That scares me,” Evee said. “Not knowing where he is, I mean.”

“I know, honey, but we’ve got to keep trying, for Viv’s sake. What about any of her Loup-Garous, the ones who died in the first massacre? Were you familiar with any of them? Can you bring any one of them to mind?”

Evee stared at her sister, but Gilly knew she wasn’t seeing her. She was concentrating on the Loup-Garous that had belonged to Viv.

“I remember Moose,” Evee finally said. “A big Loup. Kind of slow, though. You know, in the head. He wasn’t at all aggressive like the rest of the pack. He had a gentle spirit about him.”

“Okay, then try Moose,” Gilly said. “Focus on what he looked like. See if he comes to you.”

Still holding on to Gilly’s hands, Evee closed her eyes once more. Her lips began to move just as they had before. Only this time, Gilly noticed her eyes moving behind her lids, like she’d entered into some sort of REM sleep.

Gilly concentrated on her sister’s face, felt something move in the pit of her stomach. Evee had evidently connected with Moose; only, for some reason, when Gilly tried to connect to their conversation, all she saw was the Mississippi River, wide and winding near the city. She couldn’t make sense of it.

With her eyes still closed, Evee said, “Big heads. Lots of big heads. Color, too. Fun colors.”

Gilly felt herself frown. What she saw when trying to connect with Evee and Moose didn’t make sense. It was like she’d entered a carnival, and they were standing, talking in the middle of a midway. She heard warped music, saw clowns with big heads, and, of course, every color of the rainbow decorated the rides that made up the carnival.

“People walking, talking,” Evee continued, eyes still closed and moving beneath her lids. “Surprised voices. Excited voices. Wheels. Lotsa wheels and big heads.”

Still seeing the same setting, Gilly opened her eyes, frustrated. She let go of Evee’s hands, which immediately broke the trance her sister had been in.

“Anything?” Evee asked hopefully.

“Nothing that made a damn lick of sense,” Gilly said. “Moose kept saying big heads, colors, surprised voices and something about wheels. The only thing I saw when attempting to connect to you and his voice was a carnival. You know, midway, rides, clowns, the whole bit.”

From the doorway, Nikoli asked, “Are there any carnivals in town right now?”

“Not that I know of,” Gilly said. “But that’s not something I’d usually track. If anyone would know about a carnival being in or around town, it would be Taka. She goes to all of them. Sort of like a big kid. Rides all the rides, eats cotton candy until she pukes. The whole ball of wax.”

“Then we should ask her if she knows of any,” Evee said.

Gilly groaned. “I’ve had my row with the Elders already today.”

“What?” Evee asked. “Did you get into an argument with them?”

“Kinda,” Gilly said. “I told Arabella off.”

“Gilly!”

“Well, she’d asked for it. They all did, except for Taka, I guess. She was on the fence during the argument, like always.”

“What was the argument about?” Lucien asked from the doorway.

“Nothing that means anything right now,” Gilly said and shot a quick look at Gavril, who lifted a brow.

“Abigail François,” Evee said with a look of incredulity. “You didn’t.”

Gilly gave her an innocent look. “Didn’t what?”

“You know what. The last time we were all together with the Elders, they reamed Viv and me for being intimate, sexually or otherwise, with our Benders. They warned us that the intimacy might very well be the cause of all the catastrophes we’ve been experiencing.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Don’t and me,” Evee said. She looked from Gavril to Gilly. “The two of you had sex, didn’t you?”

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