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At five minutes to nine we were standing in front of the path leading into the ravine. The sky was an odd silver color and the scent of snow-covered cedar hung thick in the air. Everywhere, the glint of light on snow sparkled like diamonds, glistening on the ferns and bushes.
Kaylin had his pack, Leo was dressed in khakis and a sweater that matched the surrounding foliage. Camo, I thought. Rhiannon was carrying a lighter and the firebombs that Leo and I made her bring.
I'd opted for the tough chick look: black jeans, black turtleneck, and my leather jacket. We all wore boots in which we could move through the snow and slush. For my weapons of choice, I'd slid my switchblade into a sheath attached to my wrist, and had stuck my athame in my boot sheath. Both blades were highly illegal to carry, but they did the trick.>"Alive? Where? Can we get to them now?"
I told her what Grieve had told me. "I think we can trust him."
She sobered. "It sounds like we're going to need more help. We don't dare go through the wood at night. It's far too dangerous."
"We have Marta's stash of goodies to go through. First light, we'll see what we can fashion for protection. And you said Kaylin will be over tomorrow? Will he help us?"
"Maybe," Rhia said, her smile flickering in the gentle light from the candle that was burning on her nightstand. Rosemary and lavender, it was enchanted for protection, for peace of mind. I inhaled deeply and held my breath, letting the fragrance work its magic on my thoughts.
"When are you and Leo getting married?" I asked after a few minutes.
"I don't know," she said softly. "I adore him. He's good to me and we get along, and I think I want to marry him. But I don't know if we have what you and Grieve seem to have. Maybe every great love story is different."
"I never thought I'd find him again, to be honest. And now . . . it's harder than it ever promised to be." I propped my back against the headboard and pulled the comforter up over us. "What makes you think you don't have the same level of passion that Grieve and I share?"
"I'm so afraid of losing control--because of the fire. I'm afraid of hurting people. Of hurting . . . Leo. I always hold a part of myself back."
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gave a tight squeeze. "You have to learn to control the flames, Rhia. You can't let your fear overpower you forever. It will backfire and then where will you be? Where will we all be?"
And then, because we were both exhausted and didn't want to talk about vampires or blood or anything outside the walls of the room, we blew out the candle and slid back under the covers. Holding hands like we had when we were young, we fell asleep to the soft sound of the air cleaner.
Chapter 14
We were up before dawn. Leo was still asleep, but Rhiannon woke him up because he was likely to recognize some of the charms I might not. Being on the road and working primarily with the energy of the wind put me at some disadvantage. I didn't do things the way a lot of witches did them, and most of my spells were invocations as opposed to actually working with spell components.
We dug through the boxes and bags, looking for anything that might help. I held up an orange ball the size of a walnut. "This is practically trying to jump out of my hand. You guys know what it is?"
Rhiannon took it, sniffed it, and her eyes widened. "Yeah, it's a firespark charm. Can turn even the most moderate of flames into a raging inferno. I don't think I should touch this."
"Ridiculous. You need to get over your fear of the fire. Just because you're carrying something doesn't mean you're going to set it off," Leo said, glancing up at her. Bart rubbed around his legs; the Maine Coon was dragging around a fuzzy mouse and seemed intent on cajoling Leo into playing with it. "And shouldn't someone be making breakfast? I'm starved."
"Make it yourself," Rhiannon said, staring at him with a hurt look. "I'm not your maid or your mother."
Leo leaned back, squatting on his heels. He rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just . . . things feel like they're spiraling out of control and we have to get a handle on anything that might help us. Like your power over flame. Maybe Anadey can help you?"
I jerked my head up. "He's got a point. She's a shamanic witch and she works with all four elements. If anybody we know can help, it might just be her."
"Fine. I'll talk to her today." Rhiannon frowned. "Do we tell her what Grieve said about Peyton?"
"Not till we confirm it. We want to make certain she's safe before we get Anadey's hopes up."
I ran my fingers through my hair, staring at the massive pile of odds and ends with disgust. "I don't know why Marta left all this to me. I usually just work with energy, not with the actual components. She could have left this to her daughter, or to Peyton--they would be able to put it to better use than me."
"Nope, she had her reasons. Marta never did anything without thinking it through." Leo held up a handful of necklaces. "Bingo--protection charms. Don't know how effective they are, but they feel charged. There are five of them."
"We each get one, then. And a spare." I draped one of the Algiz runes over my head and immediately felt the soft keen of magic shroud my shoulders. "Whoa . . . this is comforting. Okay, let's go eat and then--"
The doorbell rang. Leo went to answer and a moment later returned, followed by a guy who looked around thirty. He was Chinese, thin but muscled, and was dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a black leather jacket over a gray muscle shirt. Combat boots completed the outfit. He carried a heavy backpack, which he dropped in the corner after carefully scanning the room.
"Kaylin Chen, meet Cicely Waters."
Kaylin looked at me. "We've been waiting for you, Cicely--the wind told me you were coming, and to keep an eye out for you."
What the . . . ? "You can speak to the wind?" I'd never met anybody else with my abilities before. But he shook his head.
