Page 26 of The Beginning (Covert Moon, #1)

Marigold

The Human Realm

* * *

I killed the engine. I wasn't going to drive right up and broadcast that I'd arrived, but I needed to see what was going on.

I also didn't want to give Calyx any more chances to lie to me.

Or Silas any chance to do... anything . Would he hurt her?

God, I hated not knowing what was happening.

Either way, I wanted to see what they were doing before they knew I was watching.

I hopped out of the car and shivered in the chill, wishing I had thought to take a jacket with me when I left the house.

The full moon lit the way, and I crossed my arms against the brisk wind whipping through the open field.

The narrow lane leading up to the church was tree-lined.

I had plenty of cover as I walked along the drive, careful to keep myself out of view as much as possible.

I inched my way toward the church. The closer I got, the quieter everything seemed.

The wind shifted, blowing from the church in my direction, and I caught the scent. Candles and wet dog. It had been on his car when I'd followed them months ago. It had been all over Calyx's room. Whatever it was that caused Silas to smell like that, I would recognize his smell anywhere.

I knew it. They were here.

I smiled to myself, eager to surprise Calyx. I wanted to see the look on her face when she realized this wasn't going to go as she had planned. I wanted to meet Silas and tell him that I knew his game. That I was going to bring her home.

She would have to face Mother, and the humiliation of being caught up in a bad boyfriend. But at least she'd be safe.

As for any other motives I might have, I left them alone. There would be time enough for me to overanalyze it later, and lay on the appropriate guilt.

Right now all that mattered was finding my sister, and getting her away from whatever it was she was caught up in.

The area in front of the church held a graveyard.

The gravestones were worn and weathered to the point that none of the inscriptions were legible.

I knew from my time visiting here and reading up on its history when I was in grade school that this church and the graveyard dated back almost five-hundred years.

As I walked through the gravestones, an eerie sense of déjà vu overcame me.

Gooseflesh prickled my skin. I shook it off, ignoring the echoes of the vision I'd had earlier today, determined not to lose focus.

The vision had been so clear, but it didn't make any sense to me.

One thing that kept me going was that it felt connected to Calyx.

The chill emanated from the cold stone of the church walls, as though they were made of ice.

The wind whistled along the side of the church.

Here on the top of the rise, at the edge of the clearing with no barrier, it seemed to be under constant barrage from the elements.

And the smell.

There it was again, wet dog. The almost-rotten, sweet scent of musty, wet fur. Jeez. It made me feel bad about all my snide thoughts regarding Calyx's perfume. This was really horrible. I’d wear something strong, too.

An owl called into the night and I flinched at the unexpected breach of the silence.

A zing of fear ran through me, and I felt my body rail against my momentum.

It wanted me to stop, to go back to the car, but I was not going to turn back now.

My breathing had gone shallow as the tightness spread across my chest. No matter the risk, I was determined. I was going to see this through.

The doors to the church, unlike the vision, did not open for me, one of the doors hung only part-way open.

I climbed the steps, the sound of my boots echoing off the stone like a bell, announcing my presence.

I stepped into the church and took in the surreal feeling of moonlight shining into the roofless space.

Several candles were lit at the front of the small church, their flames flickering on the altar.

The priest was there, as in my vision, or dream, absorbed in whatever he was doing with the large book.

I turned and looked over my shoulder to the left, prepared to see the guy with green eyes, since my dream was playing out in front of me. But there was no one there.

Calyx was absent too, and there was no Silas. Nobody was here but me and the priest. I stepped forward and took in a breath, prepared to ask him who he was.

“Welcome, Marigold,” he said. His voice was soft and menacing. He seemed overly calm, confident. It was the voice of someone in absolute control.

I knew that tone.

My mother used it regularly.

And he knew my name.

Why?

I swallowed, unwilling to let him rattle me.

Fighting back the memories from the vision, and the foreboding of this moment, I steeled myself.

I would not be a victim like I'd been in my vision.

I would control the outcome of this encounter.

Maybe that was why the vision had come to me.

Maybe it was a warning, meant to protect me.

“Who are you? Where's my sister?”

“Thank you for coming, Marigold. I wasn't sure if my message had gotten through to you.”

“Message?” My stomach tightened as I realized my mistake.

The vision wasn't my doing. The lack of clarity should have been my first clue.

I should've recognized that by the foggy nature of it, by the lack of focus and the distortion.

All of those things were the hallmarks of a vision sent .

A beckoning, not a conjuring. Sweet hell on a popsicle stick.

“Where is my sister?” My voice sounded small. I hated it.

He arched his eyebrows. “Yes, Calyx. I thought, to my chagrin, that it was your sister I was after. But when Silas brought her to me, I knew instantly that she was not who I was seeking. She is a witch, like you. But you, Marigold, are the one with the power.”

“Power?” Dread was an iron ball in my stomach. It settled there and weighed me down from inside. What was he talking about? What was I doing here?

“Yes, power. Don't play coy with me, dear.

I've spent many years searching for the descendants of the Original Vessel.

It's such a difficult task when women marry and take their husband's names. It muddies everything. But I knew when I found your family, and found your mother in particular, that either you or Calyx held the vessel power. And I need that. So thank you for coming.”

I stopped. Frozen in place, suddenly feeling trapped. How could I have let myself get fooled so easily? I'd been lured here, into a trap. Whatever this guy was planning, it wasn't good for me.

“Where is Calyx?”

He waved a hand absently as he moved something on the altar.

“Oh, your sister is fine. It's just a harmless fling. No doubt Silas will return her home in a day or two, and everything will be just fine. For her. It was necessary for Calyx to disappear for a few days in order for me to get you here.” He smiled. For a moment he almost looked kind.

He reached out a hand to me, as if I were a child and he wanted to lead me away. Suddenly I was seeing two of him, the priest in front of me and the one from my vision.

“Are you ready?” His voice was soft and smooth.

I felt myself move toward the altar, without any effort, as though I had been lifted off the ground by two invisible wings. The air around me grew very warm, and I saw something shift in the darkness to my left.

I couldn't move, couldn't do… anything. I whispered a defense spell but I didn’t feel my magic engage. What the hell was going on?

The priest blinked, and waited, his arm out and his hand open, palm up.

It was just like the vision. God, how stupid I'd been to come here. Unable to help myself, not in control, just like the damn vision , I reached my hand out to him.

The priest recoiled, stepping back against the altar.

Okay, that was new.

A mass of black fur flew out of the darkness and landed on me. The sour scent of wet dog overpowered me and I was surrounded by throaty growls and wet snarls and gripping claws.

What was this? Did the priest have this animal waiting to attack me or was he surprised too? What the hell was going on?

I spoke a freezing spell, hoping to immobilize the beast, but it was no use. My magic wasn’t working. I tried to fight the animal, free my hands, get out from under it… but it was too big. I was powerless under its weight.

The creature tore at me, and moved so quickly I could barely make out the breed. It was like a wolfhound or something, but much heftier, with thick, wiry fur. Its fluffy tail swung out to the side, curled and silver in the moonlight.

I scooted back on my hands, trying to put some distance between me and the animal. The dog shifted its weight, taking one giant paw off my chest, allowing me to get my arms out from underneath me. I managed to get to my knees. Then I pointed my hands at the dog, intending to curse it.

The animal lunged at me, throwing me to the floor again.

Its jaws clamped down on my hand and shook like it was tugging on a rope.

As its teeth pierced my skin a flood of power surged through my body, like a wave of fire starting at my toes and rippling up to the top of my head.

Was I being drugged? Did this thing have venom?

My shoulder popped while something in my hand cracked audibly. White hot pain shot through my entire body, clouding my vision and threatening to overwhelm me. I could not pass out now. Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake!