Page 43 of Wicching Hour (The Sea Wicche Chronicles #3)

FORTY-THREE

A Fox in the Hen House

W e watched me swim toward the rope. Declan moved to help me up.

“Darling, I still don’t know what this plan is. Bracken hasn’t told us,” Mom said.

I looked up at Declan from the water, forcing the other me to jump off the deck. I didn’t want to disappear in front of Mom and scare her to death. When he started pulling me up, Mom leaned over the railing.

“For goodness sake, Arw—how did you get to the rope so fast? He was pulling before you went over?” Clearly confused, she kept looking between the two of us.

Declan gave the rope a final tug and then grabbed hold of me and lifted me over the rail. “You good?”

I nodded, scared witless about what was coming.

Looking around Declan’s shoulder, I noticed Gran standing in the doorway, watching us. Her expression was strange, almost calculating.

“They’re getting close,” Declan warned.

I turned and held out a hand, imposing my will on the water. I need you calm so my family is safe. It will only be for a brief period and then you can rage as you wish.

The strength and speed of the waves slowed, allowing Robert to steer his boat beside the deck. I added an invisible bumper to the deck so it wasn’t wiped out if the ocean decided to ignore me. I saw a seal head pop up and knew Wilbur had come to find out what was going on.

“Dad knows what’s happening,” I called. “It might get stormy tonight. Please keep an eye on things for me.”

He nodded, barked, and dove under the water.

“Your father knows, but I don’t?” Mom looked both outraged and hurt.

“I told you that man would be trouble,” Gran said.

When Mom’s head whipped around, Gran ignored her. “I’m the head of this family, girl,” she said to me. “What is it you’re trying to do?”

Any answer was cut short when Robert called, “Coming alongside.”

Declan grabbed the rope Frank threw. The ocean had calmed but I was pretty sure more than one wicche was working on making sure that big sailboat didn’t smash into the deck.

“Let’s get everybody on,” Robert shouted.

Declan turned back to me. “You need your coat.”

“I’m okay,” I said.

“You’re shivering now, and we’ll be sailing for a while before you go back in.”

I flicked my fingers, drying myself off and giving myself horrible, static-filled curls. Blech. “Mom, you go first. Declan can help you.”

“I’m fine on my own and I don’t appreciate all the secrecy,” she said, stepping up on the bench. Frank gave her a hand and she stepped up on the railing before leaping over onto the deck.

“Oh!” A new thought hit me. “Bracken, put the maps in a plastic baggie so they don’t get wet.”

“I was ahead of you on that one.” He held up his journal in one bag and the maps in a smaller one. He also had my coat under his arm. “No need to get sick,” he said, handing it to me. He was also wearing a heavier coat himself.

“What map?” Gran demanded.

“One of the bay,” I replied, being purposely vague. To Bracken I added, “And the other?” I was worried he’d forgotten the demon blade in his tweed jacket.

“Don’t be stupid,” Gran interrupted. “The boat’s navigation system already has the area mapped out.”

Bracken nodded wordlessly, patting the front pocket of his coat. Good. He knew not to say it either. He was all about patterns and he was noticing what I had. Gran was not herself tonight.

I waved her forward. “You’re next, Gran. Declan, can you help her on board?”

He moved forward but Gran walked past him, climbing first the bench and then the railing, as Mom had.

Bracken went next, a little unsteady in the wind. Declan was there to grab his arm and help him up.

“It’s just us,” Declan said. “Do you need anything?”

“Courage would be good,” I muttered, knowing he’d hear me. “Also, keep an eye on Gran. Something’s off there.”

Nodding, he took my hand and we stepped up onto the bench. Declan hopped to the railing with the balance and ease of a mountain goat. Before I could move to the rail, he was picking me up and leaping across before putting me down on deck.

I looked back at my beloved gallery, worried about what Cal might do before I returned. Flicking my fingers, I locked up and dropped the shutters. Robert put the engine in gear—or whatever the correct term was for a boat—and got us away from the gallery.

I closed my eyes and reached out for my connection with the sea. Thank you for your help. Please continue as you were.

The boat rocked as a huge wave hit the deck, sloshing over and washing up the side of the gallery. Robert, Frank, and Faith did all the work while the rest of us tried to stay out of their way. Bracken stood with Robert, showing him the map and discussing the first stop.

I sat beside Gran, with Declan on my other side. Mom and Elizabeth sat on the opposite bench.

“Why the rush?” Mom asked. “We could have taken tomorrow to talk and plan and then headed out, once we all knew what was happening.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but I gave a quick shake of my head. This wasn’t the time for explanations, especially when it felt like the enemy was listening.

“We’re approaching the wicching hour, Mom. There’s powerful magic in that.” As casually as possible, I pulled my glove down, exposing my wrist. “Gran, do you remember where I got these earrings? Faith was asking.”

Faith and Frank turned sharply at that, watching me while still pulling ropes and putting up sails.

“What?” Gran asked, sounding annoyed. While she looked at my ears, I moved my hand as close to hers as I dared without actually touching her.

Mom moved. My eyes darted to her but instead of saying anything, she was staring intently at my wrist with a look of horror.

“These earrings. I got them for my high school graduation. Do you remember who gave them to me? There are conflicting reports.” Under my words, I paid very close attention to what I was sensing. Dark, roiling evil and the smell of sulfur made my stomach twist. Chants echoed in my head. Fuck.

She rolled her eyes. “It sounds like you should be paying closer attention, then doesn’t it? I can’t keep track of every gift given and received in this family.” She shook her head on a huff of annoyance.

I pulled up my glove. “I guess getting old has messed with your memory.”

Gran turned slowly, a very un-Gran-like grin plastered on her face. “What was that, dear?”

I called up a wave to knock her off her bench. It capsized over the side, knocking Declan and me down and drenching us all. Hand out, I used my magic to hold her in place. “Help me!” I said to Mom and Elizabeth. “Don’t let it move. Declan, hold it down.”

I held my other hand up, shouting “Bracken!” but he was ahead of me again. The blade was already flying toward me. I swept it out of the air and came down just as Declan was thrown off in a burst of flames. His clothes were on fire but I was already slamming down, the blade in my hand and then in its chest.

Gran morphed into a hideous man with boils on his neck. He wailed as his skin broke apart in fissures of fire. One ear-piercing screech and he popped out of existence. In his place, he left a scorch mark on the polished deck.

Bracken was beside me. I handed him the blade and crawled to Declan. The front of his shirt was singed, sections burned off, and his skin blackened beneath.

No, no, no . Anguish rolled through me. “Robert!” I shouted. “We need you! Declan’s been hurt.”

The pain had him scowling. “I’m fine,” he said, pushing up to a seated position. “You know I heal fast.”

Robert was beside us, pushing Declan back down. Faith took over at the wheel as Frank finished bringing up the last sail. We started flying across the water as Robert held his hands over Declan’s torso. I sat on the deck beside him, worrying over him and getting in the way. Declan, for his part, bore it all stoically.

Faith kept turning around and watching us. “Did we just kill Gran?”

I shook my head on a sudden laugh. “No. That was a demon wearing a Gran suit.” I looked up at Mom. “Is that who came out of Gran’s house?” I was sure I’d feel it if one of the three died. I hadn’t felt anything. If he’d been in Gran’s house, though, how could she be okay?

Mom paused, her brow furrowed. “I’d told her on the phone that we were in a hurry. When I drove up, she was standing outside the door, locking it. At least, that’s what it looked like she—he—was doing.” She pulled out her phone and tapped Gran’s number.

“Put it on speaker,” I told her. We’d have a hard time hearing it, but Declan would know if it sounded like her.

It rang and rang. When it switched to voicemail, I patted Mom’s knee. “We’ll reach out to her.”

“Do you think…” Mom began. Her voice caught on the thought of her mother being killed by a demon.

“I didn’t feel anything,” I told her. “Did you?”

She shook her head.

“Then we’ll try to reach her,” I said, slipping a glove off my hand before holding it out to her.

She took it. Goddess, please show us our third. We’re afraid she’s been hurt by dark forces . My stomach swooped and then my mind felt like it was racing through the night sky. My consciousness hovered over Gran’s house. It was dark, no light shining out from her windows. Gran? Are you here?

Mom? My mother called.

Mom and I were in here together, our thoughts entwined.

Sybil? Gran’s voice was reedy and tentative. It was like she didn’t really believe she was hearing us.

Mom, where are you? Are you okay?

The perspective dropped and we were looking through Gran’s back window, into her darkened living room. And there she was, looking smaller and more frightened than I’d ever seen her before. Barely lit by the moonlight, she looked pale. Arms wrapped across her chest, she was visibly shivering.

My Gran, who didn’t have a frightened bone in her body, was shivering. What happened?

Tears rolled down her face. That big dog has been pacing in front of the window all day, staring, howling, whispering. She tapped her head. His voice has been in here, reminding me of every mistake I’ve ever made, highlighting every character flaw, telling me exactly how he’d already killed everyone in the family, saving me for last. The images were in my head. Each and every one of you tortured and killed. A sob escaped before she put a hand over her mouth. Are you both really there? Are you alive?

I never thought I’d see my grandmother broken.

Yes, Mom. Arwyn and I joined to find you. The demon posed as you. I picked him up and took him to Arwyn’s. We got on Robert’s boat to go find Calliope. Arwyn knew it wasn’t you. I was so worried about what we were walking into, and that damn wolf of hers yelling at me, that I didn’t notice it wasn’t really you. Arwyn did, though, and she killed it. It went out screaming, fire consuming him from the inside.

Something was niggling, trying to get my attention. It was like a mosquito buzzing near my ear and I wanted to swat it away.

What? Gran rubbed at her mouth, her fingers trembling. She killed him? How in the world did she do that?

She had ? —

I tugged hard on Mom to keep her from answering. No!