I stood on the back porch with my now empty cup of coffee. I'd had two, and a semi-good night's sleep, but the exhaustion still pulled at my eyes. That spell had been a beast.
Staring at the waves as they crashed on the white sandy beach, I thought about last night. I’d told the ladies, Bryan, and Daniel about what happened with the witches and the cave. They’d all heard about the cave before, but it wasn’t something they wanted to mess with unless there was no other choice. I'd given them a bit of an earful about not telling me about it already. They'd apologized profusely and promised if they thought of any other magical little tidbits in the future, they'd clue me in.
They didn’t want me to go to it today, but they didn’t understand. They didn't get it. No one was coming after their powers or abilities. No one was going to turn them back into boring humans with boring lives and take away the thing that had brought them back from the brink.
My need to keep my powers bordered on desperation, which I didn’t like one bit, but it was what it was. If I didn't do something, this stressful feeling was going to squeeze me until I broke.
Behind me, the back door opened, and Daniel stepped out. I knew it was him without even having to turn around. His strong, warm arms wrapped around me from behind, and I leaned against him, setting my empty mug on the railing.
“Bryan and Carol are pulling up outside.”
I grunted in agreement. They were coming with us to the cave. Beth and Deva had planned to go too, but something had come up for each of them. I'd woken to texts from both.
Beth: Got an emergency call about pixies infesting an attic. I can handle it but can't go with to the cave. I'm so sorry and sending you all my love and luck.
Deva: Small flood in the kitchen right before close. Nobody hurt, not too much damage but prob can't come. Will meet you there if at all possible. XOXO x 10.
I’d miss them, but I understood. We all had responsibilities, and me getting my powers back were mine and mine alone.
Poor Deva needed a break in her luck. I'd already tried to give her some good Karma, but it hadn't wanted to work.
“You know, whatever happens, you’ve still got me,” Daniel said, kissing the side of my neck.
His kiss was everything I needed and more, but tension sang through me. “Do you think I’ll lose my powers?” It was like he was trying to reassure me that he'd love me even though they were going to go away.
He sighed. “I think everything will be okay, whether that means you have powers or not. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger for something that isn’t a necessity.”
“Like your bear?” I couldn't get him to understand that although I hadn't had my powers all my life like he'd had his bear, I was no less attached to them.
He stiffened, then sighed and relaxed against my back. “If I had to choose between my life and my bear, I’d choose my life, even if it meant going the rest of it missing a piece of myself. As long as I had you.”
I turned and pressed my lips to his, long and deep. Some of the tension inside of me eased, but the feeling of being constricted didn't go away.
For some reason, in my mind, I’d linked my powers to my happiness. Emma-With-Powers had her home with her brother, Daniel, and amazing friends. Emma-With-Powers wasn’t lonely and miserable. She was everything I'd wished for years to have. Despite that, Daniel was right. It wasn’t my powers that had changed my life, not really. It was making the choice to be happy. To return to the place and the people I loved.
The desire to keep my powers still burned through me.
Our kiss broke, and over Daniel's shoulder, through the window in the back door, I spotted Bryan and Carol. I sighed. “It’s time to get going.”
We'd had the same idea, dressing for the occasion. Carol and I had on hiking boots, thick leggings, and long-sleeved t-shirts. She had a jacket tied around her waist, and I'd planned to do the same.
Daniel had on a heavy flannel shirt and jeans. Bryan was in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, but he had a thick hoodie tied around his waist and boots on. I spotted two backpacks by the front door. I had one packed for Daniel and me on the kitchen table.
“I guess we’ll start our first double date.” Carol joked, but there was excitement and worry in her eyes.
Bryan looked uncertain. “Honey, they never said that this was—well, they were nice enough to include me, so—”
I gave him my brightest smile. “I’m pretty sure this double date's long overdue.” I looked at Daniel. “Can you imagine the four of us in high school on a date?”
He grinned. “Man, we studs would have knocked you off your feet?”
“Studs?” I said, practically shrieking with laughter. “We both know you guys would've been weak in the knees while we strutted around.”
Daniel and Bryan exchanged a look, then both burst out laughing, though Bryan's sounded a bit forced. “You're right." Daniel squeezed my arm. "We would’ve been lucky to keep up with you two.”
Bryan shook his head. “Come on, let’s get going. I want to see this cave before the sun sets.
We finally made it to the car, although now we were all giggling like crazy. Our nerves were making us a little silly. Daniel had our bag with possible offerings thrown over his shoulder, and the rest of us carried our smaller backpacks with our supplies and jackets. We climbed into my little car, and then away we went.
When we reached the outskirts of town, Daniel turned onto a winding road to take us into the mountains. I'd been more than happy to relinquish the keys to him as we'd walked out the front door. I was way too nervous to navigate. I rolled my window down and breathed in the clean mountain air. The air was crisp and cool, and the sun was just starting to peek over the trees as the morning progressed.
We were all more than a little relieved when we reached the end of our destination, and he killed the engine. We stared through the windshield at the beginning of the trail. Somehow, the trees were a bit more ominous here. The woods were darker.
It was almost definitely my imagination, and yet...I shuddered.
Climbing out of the car, we put on our jackets and checked our packs. We had everything we needed, but none of us made the move to be the first in the woods. Carol led the way down a tiny dirt path that almost looked like it was there more by accident than on purpose. We hiked in silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts. My chest was tight. This was sort of my last shot. If this cave-spirit-witch-lady couldn't help... I didn't know what.
Thankfully, it didn’t take us long to reach the cave. The instructions the witches had provided had been spot on. Unfortunately, the cave looked unbelievably creepy. Like the kind of place a serial killer would hide the bodies.
I glanced at Carol. “You sure this is it?”
She attempted a smile. “It looks like I remember it, though it's been a very long time since I've been here. You see why not many of us come here for answers.”
“It smells bad too,” Daniel said, and then when he seemed to realize he’d spoken out loud, he continued, “Most shifters come to this cave when they’re young. It’s like a game of truth or dare to see who's tough enough to enter it. I knew where it was, but I never went in. The smell is, I don’t know, like a mix of death and bad magic. Like the scent of something rotten, covered in flies and maggots.”
“That’s reassuring,” Bryan muttered, but then turned his flashlight on. "My sense of smell is advanced, but all I smell is woods. It must be the magic causing the odor."
He couldn't have liked any of this either, but at least he still planned to go in with us. That was something, right? Being a vampire, he was familiar with death, so if it was a danger he could sense, he’d tell us. Wouldn’t he?
I didn’t speak any of my questions out loud, as Carol and Bryan led the way. We entered the cave, and I shivered.
The cold air inside was oppressive like I was walking into death itself. I kept my arms to my side and away from the rough stone walls. The stone floor was uneven. We had to be careful not to trip over the rocks that littered the cave floor. Everywhere we looked small alcoves had been carved out and each held some small object or another.
The offerings.
We switched on our flashlights as we walked farther away from the entrance.
The cave stretched on forever, with no end in sight. It was like entering a different world, one full of secrets, mysteries, and powerful magic.
We’d been walking forever when Carol whispered, “This is it.”
She walked straight into the side of the wall and disappeared. Bryan made an alarmed sound, then followed her, also vanishing. Daniel gripped my hand and went first, but now that we were closer, I saw a small opening in the wall. Daniel huffed and puffed, managing to squeeze through, barely, and then hauled me in after.
Ignoring my goosebumps, I stared in awe. Carol and Bryan stood in front of a large wall. Black candles flickered all over the room, chasing away the darkness, and yet something was wrong with the room. It was beyond unlikely that someone had brought fresh candles into this room each day and lit them. The back wall looked strange. It bunched in the middle, reminding me of the face of an ancient man or woman, a face so overwhelmed by wrinkles that there wasn’t much of an actual face there. Heck, maybe it was all in my head. I wasn’t sure.
“Let’s give her our offerings,” Carol whispered.
I nodded and Daniel handed me his backpack. My hands shook a little as I crept forward on nervous legs. Kneeling in front of the strange wall, I unpacked, moving slowly. First I unwrapped a large batch of Deva’s magical cookies and set them on the ground. Next, I pulled out the plant from Beth’s. Deva and Beth had bespelled it to survive, even in the dark cave. Finally, I took out the scarf Carol had made. It would change colors at random.
I rocked back on my heels and looked at the creepy face, but nothing happened.
Looking at the others in frustration, I asked, “What now?”
Bryan came forward and pointed at a dark stain on the bottom of the wall. “I hate to say this, but that stain makes it look like the wall needs a blood sacrifice to work.”
“Blood?” Daniel asked, and he didn’t sound happy.
Bryan shrank back a little but continued. “This smells like blood, like a lot of different kinds of blood.”
Daniel didn’t look any happier. “That’s why this damned place smells like death and bad magic.” He pointed to the side of his bag, which I still had beside me. “Emma, hand me the knife on the side. I’ll do it.”
I pulled out the hunter’s knife from the side pouch, then slid the blade free from the sheath. The metal reflected in the light of the candles, and my stomach flipped, but I knew what I had to do. This was my mission, not Daniel’s. It had to be my blood.
Clutching the handle tighter, I drew the sharp edge against my palm and watched as my blood bubbled free. It was unsettling, painful, and scary, but this was better than watching the man I loved hurt over my crazy mission. Even if he wouldn’t have ever agreed to me doing it.
“Emma!” Daniel shouted.
Yep. He wasn't happy. I ignored him as I pressed my palm to the dark stain on the stone.
Like magic—heh, just like magic—the wrinkled spot on the wall transformed into a face. Something ripped behind me as I inched back from the wall and climbed to my feet. Someone, Daniel, I was pretty sure, grabbed my hand and wrapped it while I stared at the woman’s face on the wall. To my surprise, she looked kind, not at all what I'd expected.
“You have given me an offering, and your offering was pure,” she said, her voice aged but clear. “What do you wish to ask the great Cyrene?”
I released a slow breath. “I need to know if I’ve been spelled to give up my powers.”
She didn’t hesitate before she answered. “Yes. You have been spelled, but nothing can force you to give up her powers. They can, however, be forcibly taken.” I tried to absorb her words as she continued. “You must find the true karma the thief deserves. Look past the deceit. Before the full moon.”
As I gaped at her, trying to figure out which of the dozen questions flashing through my mind I should ask, the face in the wall faded away.
I turned to the others, hoping they had a clue what the witch’s words meant, but they looked at me with sadness. We had four days. Four measly days to find out how to look past the deceit and save my powers.