Page 13

Chapter 13

The wraith crouched in the treetops, waiting for Rowan’s car to pass. He must come! I must see him again after last night! Its skin stung, body still recovering from last night’s beating. The house had shown no mercy when it detected its presence, battering it into pieces. But it had been worth it, just to experience Rowan’s despair again.

After days of drinking Threnody’s bitter essence, it finally had the strength to slip into Rowan’s dreams and it wasted no time going to its prize. He had dangled on the edge of sleep last night, letting the wraith sneak into his room with ease. He was so beautiful in his terror, so perfect. The wraith had longed to whisk him beyond the veil, to change him into a wraith so it could be with him forever. It had to claim him. Alas, the house had other ideas and the wraith spent another night feeding off Threnody to regain its strength.

The afternoon sun was blinding off the snow but it only squinted through the pain and waited. Rowan couldn’t lock himself away forever but there was so sign of his car. He’s with that satyr, the one you spied in his dreams. It hissed at the thought.

That satyr. It had seen him before, fleeting memories of the huge slab of scarred flesh swimming in Rowan’s thoughts. The wraith thought nothing of the beast, thinking he was another passing wound it could torture Rowan with later. But last night there was a strong emotion behind the vision of the satyr, one that made the wraith choke in disgust. Happiness. Love. The wraith gritted its teeth. No, that wasn’t possible. Rowan belonged to wraith alone. I need my strength! I must claim him!

A dark flicker swooped between the trees. The gargoyle had returned. The wraith tensed, watching him make his trip towards the house. Rich essence trickled from the beast, teasing the wraith with its richness. Oh, the sadness, the anguish. It could sense it all the way from its perch If you could get to that King of Shadows, you would be unstoppable. With that kind of power, it could pass the wards. It could claim it’s Rowan.

The wraith flew as fast as the wind could take it, the gargoyle’s swirling trails of its black fog almost in reach. So close to its prize, to close to having its Rowan. The air rippled around the gargoyle as he soared. The wraith scrambled back with a screech, snaring a branch to stop itself before slamming into the house’s ward barrier. It hissed as the gargoyle landed, folding its wings around his shoulders like a cloak before creeping through the shadows. What is his secret?!

The hum of an engine pulled the wraith free of its rage. A shiny blue car headed down the winding mountain road. Rowan. Finally! It swooped down through the cracked window, pouring itself into the passenger seat. A cheerful song blared on the radio, heat blasting from the dashboard vents. Rowan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Its beautiful prize was in such a good mood. Well, it would change that.

The wraith threw itself onto Rowan, sinking its teeth into his skull. Rowan shivered with a shocked gasp. A flash of the accident hit the wraith’s tongue, the grief delicious and rich. A moan vibrated its shoulders. Gods, to sip his nectar again, to bond with its prize.

Rowan’s hands tightened on the wheel. He took in a deep breath. “I’m not alone.” he whispered. “Not anymore.”

Visions of the wreck faded to a warm living room. A fire crackled. Muffled snow fall fluttered from the windows. Rowan sat with that damned satyr, the two embracing and talking low. A smile peeled across Rowan’s mouth at his new thoughts.

Acid poured down the wraith’s throat, burning like molten iron. It tore itself away, swiping essence from its throbbing lips and recoiling at its pink glow. Happiness. It oozed from Rowan’s every pore, melting its flesh as it’s aura filled the car. It threw itself out the window, desperate to stop the agony. Vomit spewed from its lips like a geyser, cutting its mouth like broken glass.

This couldn’t be. It had worked so hard, manipulating his dreams, reminding him of his failings, molding his essence when he had crossed the veil. How did it vanish so easily?It caught its wind, steadying its fury to a low boil. It couldn’t panic now. It had to replenish before that dreaded emotion dissolved it into ether.

The wraith dragged itself back to Threnody’s barren cabin. The hiss of a propane camp lantern was underscored by soft weeping as it squeezed itself under the door. Threnody was right where it had left her, curled in a fetal position on her bed, cheeks still wet with sorrow. Good, she wasn’t going anywhere.

It cloaked her with its body, sinking its teeth deep to pull her bad thoughts to the fore. “You have no one,” it whispered. “The one you called sister, is dead. Your family abandoned you. Even Arabella is plotting your demise.” The door opened. Judith stomped her boots, free of icy crust, one pale brow arched.

Threnody sat up quick, whipping her cheeks dry. “You’re tracking snow all over this already freezing hell house.”

Judith slapped a stack of notes down on the book cluttered table. “More findings. These wards are complicated. Much more than just witch spells.”

Threnody rubbed her face, shoulders curving under the wraith’s weight. “Arabella told me the house was previously owned by a warlock when she called today. So that explains it.”

“Mother,” Judith corrected. “We don’t use her name, sister.”

Threnody made a sour face, ignoring Judith’s reprimand. “Whoever’s in there probably built off his work.”

“So, you talked to Mother without me?” Judith asked. There was a knife in her voice.

The sharp tone didn’t shake Threnody, only swelled her anger that the wraith gobbled up eagerly. “She called me while you were out.”

“I don’t want Mother to think I’m not doing my share,” Judith replied.

“I’ll make sure she knows.” The implied “bitch” was heavy in her tone. They continued their boring bickering, the wraith nibbling at each annoyed morsel.

Soon the sun had set. Threnody fell asleep. Night rose and finally the wraith felt strong enough to try again. It knew what possibly awaited it if it crossed Rowan’s dreams again, knew the pain that would come. But Rowan’s happiness was too strong. It had to quash it tonight, had to destroy that wretched emotion before it overcame him and he was lost to the wraith forever.

The wraith hooked its fingers into reality and pulled the veil aside to endless blue fog, pulsing with a soft light. Gentle voices sang a tuneless soothing drone, peaceful spirits floating about their business. It slipped inside and it wove its way through the dead, souls giving its foreboding presence a wide berth. “Patience, my Rowan. I’m coming. I will save you from this fate.”

The golden horizon of dreams appeared, humming with the buzz of thoughts, memories, and desires. The wraith inhaled deep, catching the familiar scent of Rowan. He was there in the dreamscape, sleeping soundly, the familiar buzz of magical wards faint around him. The wraith wove its form around the magical threads that surrounded the witch, their fire burning its flesh. It growled but kept moving. It couldn’t stop now.

It peered into Rowan’s dream. Thoughts floated freely, ones beyond his anguish. Someone else was with its witch. The satyr. Their bodies were entwined, mouths sealed together as they moved as one, panting and moaning. Jealousy lit the wraith ablaze. Its eyes flashed as it let loose a roar that echoed throughout the veil.

“Miiiiine!”