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"Possibly. But one thing you should remember—the Michael you meet in Hartwood will not be your Michael. He will be rougher, harder."
How much rougher and harder could he be than when she'd first met him? He'd been so close to edge, so close to becoming one with the darkness, back then. And though he'd only really threatened her once, it was something she was never likely to forget.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Plenty. But Camille will fill you in on the rest of it.” Seline paused and added softly. “Bring him home safely, Nikki."
She intended to.
After all, they had a wedding planned.
Chapter Four
Nikki squatted on her heels and studied the ramshackle town sitting in the heart of the windswept hills of sagebrush that surrounded them.
Hartwell was bigger than what she'd expected and better maintained, though, in many ways, that wasn't surprising. The town and surrounding hills were a California State Historic Park—though what had happened to the rangers living here was, at this stage, anyone's guess. Maybe Weylin had forcibly enlisted them into his mad schemes.
There were probably a good fifty or sixty houses down there that could be described as being in a reasonable state—at least from this distance. There were another thirty or so that had either half or fully given way to the elements. Most of the buildings were wooden and the streets dirt, though a couple of the streets still had wooden sidewalks that snaked past the buildings. What was surprising were the people—there had to be at least twenty visible—some walking along the streets, some tending to horses, and others walking back from the skeletal mining structure situated halfway up one of the hills. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn this town was still functioning rather than having been abandoned a hundred years ago.
What she couldn't see was any form of a barrier.
She glanced at Camille. The older woman was standing several feet to her right, her red shirt clashing brightly with the clear blue sky.
"Looks like I can walk right on down there."
Camille sniffed. “You can try, but I doubt you'd succeed. See them black stones down near that sign below us?"
Nikki nodded.
"If you follow it along several feet either way, you'll see more black stones. They're warding or protection stones, and will ring the whole town. When placed in certain sequences they can provide protection against either magic, evil, or, in this case, good."
"These are a hell of a lot bigger than any of the stones we've been shown in class."
"That's because the circle of protection needs to be a whole lot bigger." Nikki studied the nearest stones for a minute, noting the way the black surface seemed to swallow rather than reflect the sunlight. “So why can't we just go down there and scatter the stones?" Camille raised an eyebrow. “Didn't you just say you took the class on that?"
"Yes.” But she'd been half asleep, because Michael had whisked her off to San Francisco the night before to celebrate her passing the first section of the course. They'd partied, and then they'd made love all night...
Swallowing the anguish that rose swift and fast, she let her gaze search the streets again. No sign of Michael anywhere. No sensation of where he might be. She clenched her fists, resisting the temptation to just go down there and start looking. There were still twenty minutes to wait before the so-called door opened.
"Then you'll know that a circle this size cannot be destroyed by brute force. And it'll take time to do so by magic."
Meaning she was on her own for longer than any of them wanted. She bit her lip for a moment, then rose, her long skirt swirling around her booted feet, stirring dust. “I'd better grab my packs and head down there, just in case the door opens early."
"It won't."
She knew that, but she couldn't stay here, doing nothing, for another second. Lifting her skirt a little, she walked down the long slope to the small camp that had been set up in the hollow between two hills. There were probably a dozen people and tents down here, but there was really only one other person she wanted to see right now.
Jake glanced up as she approached. “I've packed everything that's on the list. I just hope the weather doesn't close in, because the sleeping roll may not keep you warm if it does." Nikki shrugged and picked up the first of the packs. It felt like she was slinging a load of rocks over her shoulder. “Then I'm just going to have to convince Michael to keep me warm with body heat." Jake gave her the sort of look a parent does a wayward child. “Don't expect too much at the beginning. Remember what—"
"I remember,” she cut in tartly. “But I just don't think magic can ever entirely erase what we share.”
Recognition would be there, even if it was buried deep. And come hell or high water, she was going to bring that recognition to the surface as soon as she could.
"There's one thing that's got me puzzled,” she added, glancing at Camille as she adjusted the straps. “If Weylin needs to follow what happened a century ago for this ceremony of his, how come everyone in town is wandering around in reasonably modern clothing?” Or at least, the men were. The one woman she'd seen had been wearing an outfit that looked as if it belonged in a bordello. She'd been mighty glad to have been allowed a skirt and shirt once she'd seen that outfit.
"Except for Hartwell itself, it is the events that are important rather than the environment.” Camille held out her hand. “Better give me that ring."
Nikki glanced down at her engagement ring. Somehow, the act of taking it off felt like a betrayal, yet she could hardly wear it when doing so might give away who she really was. She tugged it off and placed it in the old witch's palm. God, her hand felt naked without it. “I'll be back for that in four days."
