Mother May I (Knight Games Book 4) Read online

  Teeth gleaming, Polina answered, “No. I’ve been, er, buried for most of the last year.”

  “Oh, I know how that can be,” Logan said. “The hours I work at the restaurant are crazy too.”

  Did he just wink? They were still holding hands. Ooookay. “Um, Polina, I need to get cleaned up before we start.” I pointed at my scrubs. “Do you mind waiting down here for a few minutes? Maybe Logan can keep you company.”

  Logan’s distraction melted into confusion, then concern. He retracted his hand from Polina’s grip. “Actually, I…” He scratched the back of his head. “Ah, it’s getting late. I better hit the road.” He tossed his thumb over his shoulder toward the door.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Polina’s face fall. She recovered quickly. “It was good to meet you, Logan.”

  “Uh, you too.”

  “Thanks for listening tonight,” I said, pulling him into a hug.

  “What are friends for?” With a smile and a small wave, he was out the door.

  I was turning the lock when Polina asked, “What is he?”

  “Human,” I said. “A talented human. He’s a medium. Can speak to the dead. Mostly his mother. She seems to be his psychic spirit of choice anyway. Why?”

  She frowned. “Human, you say? He has a quality…” She circled a hand in front of her chest. After a moment, she gave up on finding the right word and dropped her arm to her side. “I thought he was something more.”

  “Nope. That’s it, a human medium. Oh, and Tabetha totally fucked with his head. He fears the witchy world. I try to keep him out of it as much as possible.” I wasn’t stupid or blind. The flash of attraction between them was obvious. But Polina was all wrong for Logan, and he knew it. It was best to make that as clear as possible. “I need a cup of coffee and a shower or this isn’t going to happen. Would you like one? Coffee, that is. You don’t look in need of a shower.”

  “No, thank you. But I would like to get started. The spell takes time.”

  “Poe!” I screamed toward the ceiling.

  Polina jumped back, grabbing the base of her neck at my outburst. It couldn’t be helped. I was not climbing the stairs unnecessarily.

  My familiar swooped down from the second floor and landed on the banister.

  “You don’t have to yell,” Poe said. “I have very good hearing.”

  “Please show Polina to the attic. I’ll be up in just a moment.”

  Poe bobbed his head and took flight. Polina lifted her skirts to jog up the stairs after him.

  Chapter 7

  Gold Dust Woman

  Later, fully caffeinated and smelling less like hospital, I joined Polina in my attic. It occurred to me that the level of trust I had in Polina was extreme and perhaps chancy. I’d invited her into my home and given her unsupervised access to the attic, my most personal and sacred space. My faith in her wasn’t founded on guarantees or sorcery but on good old-fashioned gut instinct. Then again, our short friendship was built on high stakes. I’d dug her out of the ground at Tabetha’s. She’d saved me from binding with Julius last night and brought me to Rick to be healed. I’d found out she’d also created my magic mirror. We had a history, in this life and the last, and I trusted her.

  While I’d been freshening up, Polina had drawn three concentric circles on the sanded wood floor using gold dust. At the center of the circle, a crystal ball was positioned on a metal stand in the shape of a dragon’s foot. It was the typical, theatrical kind of crystal ball gypsies everywhere used to tell the future. Only, the magic coming off this orb was far from make-believe. It raised the hair on my arms and made my left eye twitch.

  “This looks complicated,” I said.

  “It is. I started this spell when I left your caretaker’s home. The preparation was grueling, but I think it’s finally ready.”

  “Last time I crossed over to talk to Mommy dearest, I offered some coffee and wine as a sacrifice. Wham, bam, I went over. Why so much effort?”

  “We need to present a united front to Mother and be prepared for anything. We don’t know what we are getting ourselves into. The orb is leaded glass. A little blood and it will take both of us where we want to go, together.”

  “And the circles?”

  “A type of clock or timer. The moment we go over, the inner circle will ignite. If it burns a complete revolution, the fire will jump to the next ring and the next. I’ve measured it out to give us one hour, although time in Mother’s world can feel different than ours. Once the last ring burns to completion, its enchantment will pull our souls back into our bodies.”

  I pinched my eyebrows together. “Do you think we’ll need that? I mean, I thought we established that if Mother wanted me dead, she could do it in a heartbeat. If she hasn’t killed me yet, why would she kill me on the other side?”

  Polina rubbed her palms together in nervous circles. “I didn’t want to worry you, but I’ve heard our mother has a proclivity for indirect means. For example, she didn’t kill Tabetha herself; she gave you permission to kill Tabetha.”

  “More of a reason to believe I’m safe in her presence.”

  “Hecate is the goddess of crossroads. We could find ourselves in an endless labyrinth or tangled in a massive spider’s web.”

  I remembered Mother’s jungle and the snake that coiled about her arms. “I see your point. Thank you for the spell.”

  “It’s a strong one. We’re drawing on three elements here. Your attic for air, the floor for wood, and my orb for metal. The two of us together are quite powerful. I hope she takes us seriously.”

  I hugged myself, catching a chill. “Uh, Polina?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think it’s wise to look powerful in front of Mother? In the past, I’ve found it’s best to be as unassuming as possible in her presence. If she’s pissed I’m housing two elements, won’t she be threatened that we’re using three?”

  “Right.” She tapped her cheek. “We’ll stress your almost-death and my recovery from being fertilizer. She loves misery. We will go for the groveling angle—throw ourselves on her mercy and beg for her guidance.”

  “Angle? Sounds like an accurate assessment of what we are doing to me,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  Polina tiptoed carefully into the center circle and took a seat in front of the orb. “Come on in, but be careful not to upset the rings.”

  Step by shaky step, I picked my way into the circle without disrupting the rings of gold dust and lowered myself to the floor, sitting cross-legged across the orb from her. My skin tingled with the magic bouncing between us.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked.

  If I hadn’t felt it, I could see it. Her hair had come loose from its bun and floated around her head as if she was submerged in water. “Yeah. Everything tingles.” A lock of my blonde hair drifted to eye level. My body was wickedly light, suspended in soupy magic. “How do we do this?”

  “Blood. I’ve got it covered.” She retrieved her wand from inside the neck of her dress. “I keep her next to my heart.”

  “Smart.”

  “Place your hands on the orb.”

  I did as she asked, placing my spread fingers on either side of the crystal ball. She gripped the jeweled tip of her wand in her fist and dragged it out slowly, slicing the skin of her palm. Blood pooled at the heel of her hand, then dripped onto the orb where a recess in the top of the crystal caught the drop and channeled it inside the sphere.

  The ruby red sank and spread, veining out from the center and swirling in the magic of the leaded glass between my hands. It was beautiful and horrifying, light pulsing behind magnified red blood cells, a glass heart beating beneath my fingertips. Heat radiated from the orb, warming my face, and then a flash of light blinded me. I ascended from the floor, spinning until my legs flung out from under me. I gripped the orb for dear life. From one world into the next, my heart hammered in my throat, and I panted through the surge of power.

  We skidded to a stop on a stretc
h of thick moss, the orb disappearing from our grip. Next to me, Polina pushed herself onto one hip. We were under a canopy of green. Hecate’s garden.

  “We made it,” I said excitedly. Polina did not share my enthusiasm. She stared over my shoulder, her face a ghastly pale color. I followed her stare, rising and turning in place.

  “Welcome, my children.” Hecate’s voice reverberated in the greenery around us. “What brings you to my domain?”

  Chapter 8

  Mother

  Being in the presence of Hecate was always disorienting. She moved like a rattlesnake’s tail, her three forms distorting with her power, alternating forward placement of each aspect—maiden, mother, or crone. I repeatedly blinked in a vain attempt to focus, but the problem wasn’t the clarity of my vision. The force that was my goddess mother sifted through me and weighed my soul before taking the form of the mother figure. Her long dark hair cascaded over one shoulder of a sheer toga that left nothing to the imagination.

  “Mother,” I said by way of greeting. “We need your help.”

  She glanced between the two of us, then reached her hand to the branches above her head. A thick yellow snake coiled around her arm and slithered across her shoulders. “I can’t imagine why you’d need my help, Grateful Knight. Two elements reside inside you and a third stands in support of you.” She bared her teeth as she stroked the snake’s head. “As I recall, your caretaker holds dominion over a fourth.”

  “Rick, er, my caretaker is sick. He can’t remember how to use his power.” I spread my hands in exasperation. “Look, I’d be happy to give Tabetha’s element away. You can have it. I don’t want it.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that so? I seem to remember you signing the scroll to accept the power.” The snake raised its head and hissed in my direction.

  “I… I had to! I needed Tabetha’s spellbook to save Rick.”

  Behind me, Polina cleared her throat in warning. “Grateful has made a terrible mistake signing for Tabetha’s grimoire. If there were a way to undo the deed, she would perform the task forthwith.”

  Damn, Polina was good at this. No questions, just putting it out there for the goddess to contemplate.

  Hecate stroked the snake’s head rhythmically. “My dear Polina. Always the trusting witch. Don’t you remember how things began with Tabetha? Already the power corrupts Grateful’s soul. Air corrodes metal, my dear. Be cautious what alliances you make.”

  I whispered to Polina, “I would never hurt you.”

  The goddess cackled wickedly. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, daughter.”

  “I never wanted the power!” I insisted. “I just wanted a way to set things right with Rick. Tell me how to get my life back.”

  She took an inhumanly graceful step closer until my skin hurt from the energy that radiated from her. “But you see, my dear, whether or not you wanted it, you have the power, and there is only one way to be rid of it.”

  “Tell me. I’ll do anything.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “A witch who unites all five elements has power enough to do almost anything. As much power as me, it is said. She could cast any or all of her elemental powers out of herself. In fact, such a witch can undo even the most permanent of spells. I should warn you, such a feat has never been accomplished. Any witch who has ever tried has met Tabetha’s end. Other witches are not keen on allowing the union of elements, nor am I. After all, what witch would gain such power only to cast it aside?”

  “Me,” I said. “I would.”

  Hecate laughed and narrowed her eyes. “One who united the elements could even challenge me. Do you wish to challenge me, Grateful?” Her cool voice rippled evenly through the space between us.

  “O-of course not,” I said. “I don’t want to be you. I don’t want more power. I just want to be rid of Tabetha’s element and manage my ward in peace.”

  “Is that why you bound a vampire to yourself?” Hecate hissed. “A strange step to take for a witch who believes she has too much power.”

  What? How did she even know that?

  “He drank my blood. I didn’t know. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “I didn’t know,” Hecate imitated sarcastically. “Such a fool you claim to be. As foolish as a fox. I know better, daughter. You are as benevolent as a scorpion, a poisonous pest to be squashed under heel.” The two torches on either side of her stone door flamed to life.

  Was she moving for the door? Leaving us? I couldn’t let her go. I had to know the truth. “Did you send a goblin to try to kill me?” I blurted. Polina audibly inhaled. Above me, the sky exploded with thunder and lightning. I ducked my head from fear of being struck down.

  “How dare you!” Hecate bellowed. Two gigantic black dogs appeared beside her, their growling heads drooling and snapping at me. The door behind her opened, and she backed toward it.

  Polina elbowed me in the side, hard. “No questions, Grateful.”

  I couldn’t keep my big, fat mouth shut. It didn’t make any sense to me. If she was such a threat, why was she backing away? If she wanted me dead, why didn’t she kill me now?

  “You want me dead, but you can’t kill me yourself,” I said. “There’s some reason you can’t hurt me directly.”

  A roar between a growl and a scream parted her lips, and her pupils shattered, her eyes filling with bright red light. “Do not tell me what I can or cannot do, witch.” She pointed at my chest. “Díno̱ ti̱n ádeiá!” A red column of fire flew from her hand and hit me between the breasts.

  Pain channeled through me, crushing my spine. I screamed and thrashed my arms at my sides as the smell of my burning flesh stung my nostrils. Had she blown a hole right through me? With a sharp withdrawal of her hand, she pulled me toward her, tractor-beam style.

  “Polina!” I cried, but what could she do?

  When the goddess let me go, I found myself with her, on the wrong side of the door, panting and wet with perspiration, but still breathing. I clutched my throbbing chest and turned my head to stare at Polina through the open door. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands in horror. The stone slammed shut between us.

  Quivering with fear, I instinctively reached for Nightshade. Not there. I’d been wearing her, but she must not have passed into this realm.

  Hecate peeled her lips back from her teeth, stroking the heads of the hellhounds at her side. “Do you wish to challenge me, Grateful Knight? If you do, survive to reach the center of the labyrinth and prove yourself worthy.” She dissolved into the shadows.

  The dogs remained, heads low and ears back. They stalked me as I backed away slowly, both hands raised in front of me. “Good doggie. Easy. I like dogs, really.”

  The beasts did not return my feigned affection. They attacked. I crossed my arms in front of my head to protect my face. Claws scraped through my flesh, and teeth sank into my head. I struggled, pounding my fists and kicking away the dogs’ claws. Then, a miracle. An invisible force yanked me backward by the waist.

  I crumpled into the fetal position, the world swirling around me in a disorienting array of color and light. Gold dust scattered as I slid into my attic, knocking the crystal ball off its pedestal. It rolled across the floor into Polina’s shaking hands.

  Disoriented, I raised my arms, finding them bloody. The flesh was shredded and the bright red drip cruising down my nose was indication that my head wounds were similarly real.

  “I’ll get Rick,” Poe said from his perch near the window. He took flight out the pet door before I passed out again.

  * * * * *

  “You need me,” Rick said.

  I opened my eyes to find him sitting on the side of my bed with Nightshade in hand. Behind him, Poe nested in one of my T-shirts on the dresser, his raven eyes fixated on me. Polina waited nearby, her hands folded in front of her hips. Other than her hair coming loose from its bun, she still looked fresh and princess-like.

  “You’re lucky to be alive. Those wounds won’t heal on their own.
” Polina nodded toward Rick.

  “Come, drink.” Rick scored his wrist with Nightshade and brought it to my lips.

  I didn’t wait for an invitation. I latched on to his wrist.

  “Now that I know you’re not dying,” Polina said, voice shrill, “I am going to kill you! Do you have a brain in your blonde skull? You could have gotten us both killed. What the hell were you thinking, taunting Hecate like that?”

  I broke from Rick and sat up to respond, although I cradled his arm in my lap in case I needed more. “I wanted to learn her limitations.”

  “She’s a goddess; she has no limitations.” Polina tossed her hands up.

  Poe bobbed his head. “I have to agree with Polina on this one. Hecate could strike you down at any time.”

  “No. I don’t think she can.”

  Every eye in the room fixated on me. “She obviously wants me dead. She blasted a ray of energy through my chest.” I pulled the neck of my shirt down to reveal a scabby burn mark. “If it were possible for her to kill me directly, she would have.”

  “Do you know that for sure, or are you speculating?” Poe asked.

  “It’s an educated guess. When she pulled me into her labyrinth, she said I could challenge her if I reached the center. Why? Why couldn’t I challenge her in the jungle? Behind the door? And then it occurred to me that she must have rules of engagement.”

  “Rules,” Polina said, hands on her hips. “You believe the goddess has limitations, and you felt it was your duty to test them out at the possible expense of my life?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you at risk, but she admitted as much to us. She said if a witch collected all five elements it would make her as powerful as Hecate—powerful enough to challenge her for her role.”

  Polina nodded. “You’re right; she did. She also said no one who tried has ever succeeded or lived to tell the tale.”

  “She invited me to challenge her today because she knew I would lose. In fact, without your spell to draw me back into my body, I’d probably have died in that labyrinth.” I laced my fingers into Rick’s, and he didn’t pull away. His touch was comforting.