One
Then again,
nobody without Power would see it anyway. And nobody with Power would be
out on a night like tonight. There was the freezing rain, and the persistent
smell of danger in the wet, icy air. Theo slipped her gloves on and held her
long woolen pea coat closed at her throat. Her scarf was wrapped around her
neck, and her grandmother’s ruby necklace was a comforting weight against her
breastbone.
Theo yawned
and started her walk home. Maybe I should stop and get some tea, she
thought, and then smiled at herself. You’re just hoping to find someone to
talk to, Theo. Admit it.
Business
had been good lately, but very little of it had been serious. Some high-school
kids had discovered the Craft, and since most of them were upper-middle-class,
they had to have all the toys. Well, that was good for Theo’s wallet. Good for
a trip to
There were
the regulars, too, and her employees—Mari was busy getting ready for her
finals, and Elise had something special in mind that she’d been stocking pink
quartz and rose-oil for. Another bring-me-love spell. I wonder for who?
Maybe Mark, he’s been moping around lately. Poor man. If Elise would
only look his way for a moment, she might find more than she bargains for. But
then again, he’s too much of a nice guy for her. She likes bad boys…
Theo put
her head down and walked briskly up the dark street, her long chestnut hair
already damp. It would be sodden by the time she reached the Creation.
She took
one quick glance back when she reached the end of the street. Her shop—the
Magick Cauldron—lay dark and glittering faintly in its brick building. The
wards were glimmering to her Sight, and all was as it should be.
Theo
sighed. She loved the shop, and she loved her life, but…sometimes she
wished…
It was
normal to wish, but a witch had to be careful of her wishes. “A little
excitement,” she said, softly. “And maybe…Goddess, would it be too much to
ask to find a decent guy? I mean, the last time I dated was two whole years ago,
and that was such a disaster. Then again, I did it to myself, by wishing for a
man and not being careful about the terms and conditions.”
Theo
laughed. There was nobody on the street, so she wouldn’t look too crazy,
walking along and talking to herself. The wind was uneasy tonight, whispering
between the buildings, but Theo simply walked a little faster, the rain wetting
her hair and her face, soaking into her coat. Danger in the air? Let it come.
Theo was safe enough in the hands of the Goddess.
She began
to hum. Suzanne had written another song, and it was hard to get it out of her
head. Bring me down to the god in the glen, bring me down to the green trees
dancing—
Well, what
would it hurt? Theo lifted her voice, singing. Her voice would be lost in the
wind and the rain. “Bring me down to the god in the glen, bring me down to the
green trees dancing. Bring me down to the Lady’s mirror, bring me down to the
place of the dance…da-da-da-dum, bring me a song, da-da-da-dum, bring me a
stone, da-da-da-dum, bring me along, along to the place of the Lady’s
throne—”
She had a
pleasant contra
Two
“That’s
her?” Dante asked. “That’s the target?” He couldn’t keep the disbelief
out of his voice.
“It
is.” Hanson crouched out of sight, looking dark and miserable in the rain.
They were on the roof of a bank, watching the woman. “According to the intel,
that’s the next one. They think she’s the most dangerous to them. They could
be right, you know.”
Dante
stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and looked down again. His senses were
sharper than any normal’s, and he could see the glimmer in the air around the
woman. She was tall and slim, and moving as if she was dancing down the dark
rain-slick sidewalk. The power trailing her smelled like green growing things,
and she was making enough noise to be heard throughout the entire city. “They
could be,” he agreed. “She’s lit up like a marquee sign. How do they
find them?” he asked, shaking his head. The rain was slicking his short black
hair to his forehead, and he was beginning to feel the cold. He ignored it.
There was so much to ignore in this line of work. “Don’t they care that the
Lightbringers…” He trailed off. He asked the question often, and nobody
seemed to have a good answer.
“Who
knows? They’re on a Crusade, man. They don’t care. Got their own brave new
world to bring.” Hanson blinked, and then looked around again. “I’ve got
to go, I’ve got my own witch to look after. You got the dossier?” He knew
very well that Dante had the slim file and would memorize and destroy it in the
next twelve hours.
“Of
course I got it, quit bugging me. I can do this.” Dante looked back down to
where the woman had stopped and was looking in a shop window. The Darkness
inside him shifted uneasily, and he forced it down, ignoring the fresh bite of
pain. To be this close to a Lightbringer made it more active. “So what does
she do?”
“Runs
that little occu
“All
right, go back to watching your witch, and I’ll go and watch mine. Call if you
need me.” Dante made the offer, knowing it would prick Hanson’s pride.
“I
don’t need you. I’ve been doing just fine at this for a long time.”
“Not long
enough, if you’re still doing it.” Dante gathered himself and leapt lightly
to the top of the brick wall. He looked down at the concrete four stories below.
His coat moved around his legs—a long black leather trench coat, which went
really well with the whole punk-angel fashion trip—and he glanced back at
Hanson. “Honor, brother.”
“Duty,
brother. Good luck.”
Dante
nodded and leapt.
There was a
breathless moment of almost-flight, the laws of physics bending just a little,
and then his boots touched down. He drew the rainy air around him like a cloak
and followed the trail the woman had left in the air.
If the
Crusade was in this city, they were going to move on her soon. It was only a
matter of time. A witch running an occu
Dante
lengthened his stride a little and hurried after the witch.
Text Copyright 2004 by Lilith Saintcrow
Web Copyright 2004 by ImaJinn Books