NINETEEN

 

“The demons are getting too close for comfort,” Olivia said, drumming her fingers on the dining room table.

“That was just their warm-up attack.” Jared took a bite of salad. “Great Caesar. I love anchovies.”

“How can you eat at a time like this?” I shoved his arm. I watched as a single leaf of lettuce fell off his fork onto the placemat and he grabbed it greedily and put it back in his mouth. “Honesty, you act like you’re having your last meal.”

He shook his head as he munched.

“Lay off him,” Gregory said. “I remember what it was like to be able to eat for the first time in a few hundred years. Everything tastes so dang good. But he’s right about this being just the first warm-up with the Kendra gang. They haven’t pulled out half their demonic power as of yet.”

“That’s not very comforting,” Rae said, shivering. “I’m scared stiff for my grandchildren and Olivia as well.”

I nodded. Rae was actually handling this whole mess well. Especially since she also had to hide it from a husband who must suspect the family had a secret he didn’t know. But he appeared to be okay with that because of his love for Rae. He’d agreed to go on a deep-sea fishing expedition when she suggested it, despite the fact bodies had been swarming around the house the night before like bees around an attacked hive. I guess it helped that he couldn’t see the demons.

“What do we do now?” Natasha asked as she took a sip from her cup of coffee.

“I don’t know.” I strained to see if I could pick up anything going on telepathically, but heard nothing. “I do know one thing. Kendra and Pharzuph spent the night in my bedroom last night.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that earlier?” Jared dropped his fork for the first time.

“Didn’t seem like breaking news. They’re not there anymore. But I am beginning to wonder what happened to the real Uncle Paddy.”

Olivia leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “He’s missing?”

I nodded. “Pokie said he spent the night at our house with his new girlfriend, and they both had red-rimmed eyes. Uncle Paddy never mentioned earlier that he was staying somewhere else for the evening, and he would have. He’s very dependable that way.”

“I hope Kendra and her lover didn’t hurt him.” Jared rubbed my back.

Olivia jumped up. “We have to find him.”

Gregory pushed her back I her seat. “You can’t save the world. Right now, you have to protect our children.”

“Sorry, I got carried away.”

He gave her a stern look. “You do that often. Remember you’re a mother now.”

“It’s okay,” I told Olivia. “Jared and I can look for Uncle Paddy.” I looked over at Hazel. “Have you come up with any white witch spells that can help us?”

“Aglaophotis evokes them.” Hazel sighed. “According to Silenia, head witch of the East Coast Region, it’s the substance taken from the European peony. Of course we don’t want to summon them. We want them to go away. I know ringing bells repels them, but only for a sort while and you can cleanse your house by burning camphor myrtle and nutmeg.”

“The last one sounds like a cold remedy,” Josh said.

“I know.” Hazel hung her head. “The only thing else we can try is my great-grandfather Enon’s great grandfather’s conjure. But to my knowledge, no one’s tried it since his death. I ran across it written on a well-worn piece of paper in Great Gramp’s private book of spells.”

“What does he use?” Gregory rose from the table. “If it’s that old, it may be the real thing.”

“The mixture is quite odd.” She wrung her hands nervously. “And the ingredients seem to suggest a scavenger hunt.”

“What’s on the list?” I asked.

Hazel pulled a small scroll from her pocket. “I wrote everything down. It takes 1½ tablespoons of ground white truffles.”

I whistled. “That’s expensive.”

“And one of the easiest things to obtain on the list,” she said with an arched eyebrow. “The rest are as follows: 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt, 2 teaspoons finely ground abalone shell from a freshly shucked abalone, one half ounce of one hundred percent pure mountain water and one eighth teaspoon of unicorn horn dust. After all ingredients are mixed, you’re supposed to pour two ounces of lamp oil on top and light it. The mixture will keep the demons away within a half-kilometer of where you light it for forty-eight hours.”

“At least that would give Olivia some time to breathe here and actually takes care of my house as well.” I felt a welcome wave of relief.

“I know where we can get the abalone shell,” Natasha said. “It doesn’t have to be natural abalone. It can be farmed. A company, one of many, that does that is in California. I can get it in twenty-four hours Fed Ex.”

“So much for that.” I smiled. “I know where the salt is. I can get it at a national import store in Jacksonville. But what about the mountain water? How do we know it’ll be a hundred percent pure?”

“We’ll have to filter mountain water from a very pristine place.” Jared crossed his arms.

“I’ll get someone from my store to drive up to Central Virginia and get some from a mountain stream and send it to us overnight,” Gregory said. “They’re used to my asking them to do crazy things.”

“Let me just get someone to do it from Star Realm.” Seth grinned. “I can even tell them I need it to ward of demons and they’ll believe me. And I know just where to send them, just west of the James River at the head of Goff Mountain. The water will come from Hunting Creek.”

“For crying out loud,” Olivia screamed. “Here we’re talking about things we can really obtain. How are we going to get our hands on unicorn dust? They’ve been extinct for thousands of years. That’d take a miracle.”

Suddenly a pink ball of light whizzed around the room and exploded in front of us.

Clarice stood there smiling and holding a small vial. “You called?”

* * * *

 

We planned the demon warding ceremony for day after tomorrow. That gave us enough time to receive all the ingredients and assemble for the lighting. It also gave Rae enough time to persuade Herb to take her on a side trip to Florida’s Sanibel Island on the west coast, thereby getting rid of any questions he might have. Meanwhile, Jared and I were combing the area for signs of Uncle Paddy.

“I was thinking he may be near here.” I drove the convertible into valet parking at Selva Marina Country Club. “At least we can look around the greens.”

“And down on the beach where I found you and Farley.” He gave me a sideways glance.

“I told you it wasn’t what you think. Besides, we also saw Uncle Paddy there, if you remember.”

“How could I forget? That was where I got my first good kiss.” He winked.

“Make that great.” I smiled and felt my cheeks burn. “I should have known who you were then.”

Handing the keys to a valet attendant, I gave him a stern glower. “This car better be parked a long way from car doors. And no repeats from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on the streets of Neptune Beach.”

The young man nodded. “I understand. My dad’s got an ’82 DeLorian.”

Jared laughed at me as we entered the club. “These members aren’t destitute, you know.”

I sighed. “I know. I also know no possession is worth worrying about. Only relationships make a difference.” I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go to the golf shop and talk to the pro. Maybe he can give us some info.”

We made our way through the grille and onto the back part of the property. Outside the pro shop, the young suntanned pro walked up, apparently just finishing a lesson. “Hi, Raleigh,” Jared said with a hearty slap on the back. “How’re the greens today?”

“Pin placement’s tougher than most, but at least there isn’t a high wind like yesterday.”

“It was windy here yesterday?” I faced the south and felt just a whisper of a breeze.

He nodded. “Yep. Came out of nowhere around four and the waves were high, almost like when a squall comes through.” He looked at me. “I told your uncle, who’d been playing slower than normal, he better not venture out to the last hole. You know the one near the dune? We’ve had water spouts wash out that part of the course. The clouds looked like a monstrous rainstorm was brewing and conditions were ripe.” He cocked his head. “Funny thing, but the wife said it didn’t rain a drop at the house quarter a mile away. But it poured here for about fifteen minutes. And we had horrendous lightning.”

“That’s the thing about this time of year.” I stared out to the greens. “You never what kind of storm will be brewing.” Or what kind of a demon is lurking.

“Paddy’s okay, isn’t he?” he asked.

“Why’d you ask?”

“His golf cart showed up back here, but I never saw the old guy. It’s not like him. He usually comes in and jaws about his hole in one nobody saw and how he made an impossible shot out of the bunker for an eagle, that kind of stuff. He didn’t get hurt on our course, did he? If so, he needs to turn in an accident report.”

A shiver ran down my spine. “We haven’t seen him, but I’m sure we would have called or at least texted if he had any trouble.”

“I hope so.” He wrung his hands together. “Maybe I should have alerted security.”

Jared shook his hand. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. I’m sure he’s just partying with his girl.”

I wish I felt as sure as he did. Truth be told, I was very scared we’d find him washed up on the beach from a fight with Poseidon. “Where should we look now?” I whispered to Jared as we walked away from the pro.

“Let’s start at that point we talked about and fan out from there.”

As we started toward the links, a strange banging sound came from the dumpster out back of the club. I grabbed Jared’s arm. “Listen!”

He nodded. “I heard it too. Let’s see what garbage this holds.” He hoisted a huge tree limb off the lid, then lifted it and looked inside. There was Uncle Paddy, a piece of duct tape across his mouth. Jared ripped it off.

“Holy Mary and Saint Patrick. Leave me a few whiskers, min’ ye’. Where have ye’ been, for Go’ sakes! I was suffocatin’ in refuse!” Uncle Paddy stood up unsteadily with a lemon slice and a cherry on his head and his hands tied behind his back. He had a red scald mark next to his mouth.

“How did you get in there?” I asked.

“I was drivin’ the cart back, for Go’s sakes affer bein’ almost swept away from a wild wave on the eighteenth. Then a frickin’ wild thing attacked me, seven feet tall he was, there on the greens. No one was out cause of the storm. He kep’ sayin’ ’ow dare a mere incog come out here and threaten me! What e’er that may mean.”

Jared and I exchanged knowing glances.

“They didn’t see him knock me out. Then I woke up here, mouth taped and hands tied right here in this damned metal coffin. Burns, blister marks I had near my ties and I could feel one near the corner of my mouth. I tried to stand, but somethin’ was on the lid.” He looked at the ground. “Then I had to lie in this thing all night and into today. Din’t help I was slammed when I got shoved in. I’m thirsty for water now. Lots of it.”

“Of course. We’ll get you some immediately. Uncle Paddy, you never get drunk.” I knew that was true, especially since that’s what Pokie’d told me.

“’Twas Goldie who persuaded me.” He looked at me pitifully. “She has red eyes, she does, sometimes.”

* * * *

 

Jared and I sat on the back patio watching the sunset. The sky filled with orange and purple streaks as the huge ball of fire sank below the horizon. “Who do you think attacked Uncle Paddy?”

“I don’t know. Allocen was in Amelia Island. Besides, whatever demon did that to Paddy had fire leaping from his body.”

“How do you know?”

“The burn marks. That limits our choices, but I’m willing to bet it was either Xaphan or Ukobach. They’re both nasty critters.”

I shifted in the loveseat. “Tell me about them.” I snuggled down into his body smelling his fresh musky smell.

He pulled me close. “Xaphan is an hellacious inventor, comes up with all sorts of contraptions for the Dark Prince. He has a bellows emblem on his shirt or whatever he’s wearing. He can make fire come from his hands and mouth and was thrown out of heaven because he threatened to set it on fire when Ms. C made him angry. He usually fans the flames of the furnaces in hell, but the Dark Prince may have assigned him up here this time. If its Xaphan, he must be desperate.”

“What about Ukobach? Is he a less ‘precious’ demon to the Dark Prince?”

“He is. His rank isn’t as high. He breaks into full blaze and can’t control it. He’s said to have invented frying and fireworks, both of which are far more controlled than he is.”

“Oh, my. Neither sounds very pleasant to be around.”

“They aren’t.” He tapped his chin with his forefinger. “Interes-ting choices Kendra’s made this time. Banshees by the air, a fire demon, a water demon and three Raksashas known for terrorizing land.”

“Don’t forget Lilith.”

He hugged me closer. “She’s in a league all her own. No, I haven’t forgotten about her, and I doubt Gregory and Olivia have either.”

“I wish I didn’t feel so powerless, like they could strike any moment and we weren’t prepared.” I looked over at Jared. “I’ve gone over and over the angel clues we had at our angel circle, and it seems like I know what they all mean. The only one that hasn’t played out is the last one in which Ariel talks about Olivia needing to wait on the shore.”

“You had an angel circle?” He frowned. “I haven’t heard the clues. Maybe I can pick up something you missed.”

I shrugged. “Okay. Like I said, the one about Olivia goes:

Olivia wait upon the scene

Until the beach is all washed clean.

Miranda swims so fast and true

That between the two of you

Light of day will come upon

Both of you—Darkness is gone.”

“You’re right. That one sounds like the festival day at daylight. What else did you all get from the guardians?”

“One from Neil. ‘Beware of giant shells. Pearls of wisdom come in small ones.’ That one of course refers to your bookstore being small instead of a large chain store.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be too sure of that. Seems like a waste of a perfectly good clue. What else do you have?”

“Mandy gave us one about going to a beach with a gorgeous view and evil creeping into the bed chamber.” I recited her part. “And there was one by Caterine for Merle.” I recited hers as well.

“They both sound like our experience on Amelia Island. Anything else?”

“Just Clarice’s, but that was about you too. She said,

‘Clouds above and sand below,

Stars peek through and try to show

What is real and what’s not true,

Don’t forget to take your cue

From the things the guy does say.

In his eyes you’ll find your way.’”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that one’s about me either. It was a given you’d find out who I was without help. This has to mean something else entirely.”

“You don’t think it’s talking about you as the guy?”

“Nope, and I’m not sure he’s anyone from our group either.”

“So what do you think the two clues, the one from Clarice and the one about shells from Neil are telling us?”

“I think they warn us to watch out for deceit, illusion and urge us to cut through demon crap.”

“Oh, well, I feel so much better. Now I really know what direction I’m going.”

He leaned back and groaned. “Okay, call it intuition, but something isn’t as it seems right under our noses. We just have to be more alert.”

“I’m so alert, I’m not sure if I’ll ever fall asleep tonight.”