Nine

The Stranger

I didn’t stop walking until I reached the front of the house, which was blissfully void of guests. Without Duely watching me closely, I could sit and digest the issue of my caring that Rathe was having a quaint chat with Leanne. Because he made me care should be reason enough for me to just let him sink into her dark pit. If only I were evil, life would be so much easier.

That thought made my sour mood intensify. “You’re a Kamlock,” I said aloud. The disgust in my tone was evident, as I admitted something I normally tried to forget. Evil was there hidden deep inside me. It was in my blood. The darkness had always lurked there; yet, I had never wanted to give into it. I abhorred it, feared it. I could feel it at times, but I was always quick to fight it off. The memory of my father and his goodness was all I had ever needed to keep the evil buried.

“Damn cursed lot to be from too.” An abnormally deep raspy voice came from the darkness. My attention snapped to the shadows behind the gazebo. I didn’t recognize the voice, but it did sound as if someone had smoked one too many unfiltered cigarettes in his lifetime. A strange man hiding in the night didn’t scare me, but his words said he wasn’t just a man. He knew the name Kamlock and I would guess from that one statement he knew what we were. That was enough for me to have my guard up.

“I apologize, I thought I was alone,” I said, as I took steps around the ornate wooden structure standing between us.

“A Kamlock female who apologizes. Curious.” There was a light teasing in the thick roughness of his voice. I halted a moment then and thought through the situation. A man hiding in the shadows, very likely knows who we are, and isn’t moving into the moonlight which would be the polite thing to do

“Luceat lux illa minantur in obumbratio.” My cast was whispered, and when no light glowed in the shadows on his face, I relaxed.

“Nice choice. Smart and subtle.” His voice expressed approval.

“Who are you?” I asked, stepping closer. If he was a threat, the light would have illuminated the darkness. However, he knew the spell I cast, which meant he was, in fact, charmed or cursed himself. He was also still in the shadows. Why wasn’t he stepping out into the light? None of this felt right to me.

A small orange flame lit the tip of a cigarette and I watched as the small light moved. He didn’t come forward, though, he only moved left until he stood under the moonlight. But that was enough for me to see him. I didn’t want him coming closer. I just wanted to see who it was I was talking to. His decision to move only into the light and not toward me could be a considerate choice on his part. I wasn’t sure just yet.

The man was older. With a caster, age was a difficult thing to measure. If he were a normal human, he looked to be in his mid-fifties. If he was a caster, however, especially if he was a warlock, he could be nearing eighty years old. Magic was better than Botox or face lifts. He had allowed his hair to silver some, but most of it was still a dark brown or black. I couldn’t be sure in the limited lighting. His eyes were bright blue, and his tall lean body was not dressed for a formal wedding. Instead he wore ripped skinny jeans, black combat boots and a leather biker jacket. The cigarette hanging out of his mouth added to the older rock star appearance. I wondered if that was what he was going for, a Kurt Cobain look possibly.

“Is this better, Catalina?” he asked, without taking the cigarette from his mouth.

He knew my name. He knew who I was. I knew nothing about him. I kept my distance and studied him carefully before saying more.

“You’re not here for the wedding,” I stated the obvious.

He laughed then, after taking his cigarette from his mouth with his left hand. A loud rich cackle that sounded truly amused. “Another Kamlock witch getting married? Fuck no, I’m not here to see that shit,” he replied then shifted his weight to his right leg.

“Who are you?” I asked again. I was beginning to think I should be more concerned about this man’s identity. I was almost certain this was a warlock and an old one at that. They could be very powerful. This one especially appeared to dislike my family as much as I did. His reason for being here could not be for a friendly visit.

He glanced at the house behind me briefly, before turning his attention back to me. “I was here to… assess someone, but it appears this is as far as I can go… interestingly enough.” It looked like he grinned, but I couldn’t be sure. The moonlight was being hindered by a cloud. Lifting my face, I locked my gaze on the bothersome cloud and moved it with a small whisper sure he could hear my words anyway.

The cloud evaporated, and the illumination from the night sky was once again surrounding the stranger. He smirked at me, but the gleam in his eyes was almost… proud. It was an odd response to what I’d just done. I took a quick pause to feel the barrier he claimed was in place, keeping him from coming further into the yard.

I hadn’t known of any barrier cast around the house tonight. Yes, there was one in place most of the time for simple privacy, but tonight, with the guests coming, it had been lifted. It also was basic and wouldn’t hold off another caster. I felt nothing out of the ordinary from where I stood, so I moved forward, toward him, until I could feel the power simmering in the air around me. I froze then. Fear slowly creeping up my body from my toes to the top of my head. I rarely experienced fear. However, this spell, it was hot… sizzling in intensity and it was stronger than anything my mother or aunt could cast alone.

“Who are you?” I demanded this time. This was no ordinary spell. I’d never felt something like it. Something this dark had to be here for a purpose. If this man was the being it was keeping away from the house, then he was far from harmless. Who or what could he be after?

Could my sisters have been able to cast something like this with my aunt and mother? I didn’t just doubt that, I knew it was impossible. The depth of energy at its core was more than any single witch in my family possessed. That much I could tell. One Kamlock alone couldn’t do this… and I wasn’t sure even four could.

“I’m the only motherfucker who can’t come to this party, sweetheart.” He sounded more amused than annoyed. His deep chuckle was gone as quickly as it had come. I expected him to say more, to explain what he meant, or ask questions. I expected several things, but what I hadn’t expected was for him to just vanish. Like a puff of smoke. Like the cloud I’d removed.

The cigarette lying on the ground where he had been standing was the only sign of his having been there at all. I stepped back staring at the vacated spot he had been in seconds before. Was that even possible? To disappear so easily? I’d never seen it, but I’d heard tales and that was what I always thought they were… tales. Stories made up to scare children. Charmed children had their own set of fairytales that were more like cautionary tales.

“Cat,” Heath’s voice called out into the darkness, reminding me I wasn’t alone here. There was a backyard full of people. Some I knew, most I didn’t. So many innocent people. Whatever this was keeping the stranger out no longer seemed enough. A caster that could vanish… that was the epitome of evil. He could have no soul, at least according to what I knew of those who had that power.

Turning, I ran toward Heath’s voice. I didn’t want Heath or Margo near here or the stranger. I didn’t know who he was or what his intentions were. What I did know was that the ability to move through space with magic was rare. And it always belonged to those who were to be feared the most.

Heath’s presence made me feel safe. Normal. He was what I clung to and wished for daily. Margo and Heath were my connection to a world I knew wasn’t mine; yet, I craved to belong to.

“Hey! There you are. We’ve… or rather, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Margo is dancing with Duely and is already past tipsy,” Heath rambled on until I reached him. I started to speak when I realized Mary was there beside him. Her gaze was fixed on the darkness behind me. I wasn’t sure what she could see or feel, but I knew she was with him for a reason. She was protecting him. Her eyes seemed hollow as she kept her gaze on the place I had fled from. I shivered slightly at her expression. It was as if she felt it. The danger.

I glanced back over my shoulder to make sure the darkness was empty. It was the way I’d left it. Taking Heath’s arm, I forcefully nudged him back toward the party. “Sorry, I needed a moment of peace. I’m good now,” I said, not sure that sounded believable.

I didn’t make eye contact with Heath, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions. I could lie, but I hated to lie more than I already had to. When I saw Margo bent over at the waist laughing and Duely looking genuinely pleased with himself, I let out a relieved sigh. They were accounted for and safely in the confines of the party. Keeping them from leaving the safety ring around the property was my goal. They didn’t need to go anywhere without me. Without knowing who the man was and why he was being kept out, they were in danger. I had to assume everyone was in danger. If I could get Duely alone then I could question him to see if he knew anything, but right now, he was entertaining Margo, and I preferred she be with him than to decide to leave.

“She’s going to be sick,” Heath said, as we stopped just outside the tent. I turned to him and saw Mary was gone now. The danger must also be gone. That gave me a slight sense of ease.

“Yep, but we did warn her,” I reminded him. I didn’t want to ask about Rathe and wished I could forget when he’d been with Leanne earlier, but I also needed to be sure he was safe. He was my friends’ guest. I had to protect them all. It was the right thing to do. Or that was what I was telling myself to feel better.

“Where’s Rathe?” I asked.

Heath frowned and glanced around. “Last I saw him he was with Leanne. They were going inside, I believe.”

He wasn’t in danger from the stranger; however, there was another danger he was dipping his toes into. My sister. She was an evil most men couldn’t resist. It hadn’t taken her long at all to get his attention. I was sure she’d give me all the details I didn’t want to hear about their alone time together. He would be under her spell, literally, and she’d crush him because I doubted he was wealthy enough for her to do more than play with for a moment.

“I’m sure they’re lost in the priceless editions of literature in my father’s library,” I suggested with sarcasm evident in my tone.

“Uh, I’m gonna doubt that,” Heath said and started to laugh, but something in my expression stopped him. I needed to do a better job of showing I didn’t care about Rathe and Leanne. “I told him your sisters were… bad news. Sorry,” he added with an unsure tone in his voice. It was possible he was taking my concern the wrong way while I was, in fact, jealous about Rathe being with Leanne. I couldn’t be jealous. I knew better to entertain the idea of jealousy. I had known he would be drawn in by Leanne. I’d prepared myself for it. The sting it caused was a reminder that I had no rights where Rathe was concerned. He wasn’t an option for me. He never could be. No one could be an option, though the sting didn’t ease because of it.

“You can warn them, but they all have to find out for themselves,” I said, forcing a smile and patting Heath’s arm as if there was nothing to be worried about.

He didn’t look convinced.