Page 75 of Dead Rockstar

“You don't know the half of it,” she said with a rueful smile. “Men never take it well when they find out their women are more powerful than them. And yet, so often, it's true.” She paused. “Oh, once he knew I was legit, he tried to get back in touch, tried to reconcile his relationship with his son. I told him where to shove it.”

“Lee didn't, though.”

“Lee loves his father, despite knowing his failings. He's young and can't be blamed.” Lydia’s mouth was pursed and uncomfortable. I could understand why she felt so protective of her son. Any mother would but added to the mix was the fact that Lee was like Phillip, and therefore even more in need of her protection. Still, from what the woman had said, Guthrie was an opportunistic, manipulative shithead who had never taken her powers seriously. I could see why Lee would feel forced to do his father’s bidding, but why had Lydia helped if she hated Guthrie so much, if he’d disrespected her so?

Phillip looked at me with a grim smile; he was thinking the same thing. He leaned over and kissed my forehead, his hair tickling my face. His lips were cold. “So I think we’re up to speed - the spell is yours, Guthrie is an asshole, I’m an asshole, Stormy tapped into the magic by accident, blah blah – poof, here I am.” He tapped at his knee impatiently. “Why is Guthrie hiring goons to follow us around, and if you hate him so much, why are you helping him? Because we insulted your magic or the goddess or whatever? Because we stole from you?”

“No,” she said. “I’m not helping him. I’m trying to set things right. Because you've upset the balance.”

“How?”

“I was so angry when he gave that spell to you,” she said, her face taking on a dreamy quality as though she hadn't heard us. “But even I figured it wouldn't be a problem. I never dreamed that anyone would be powerful enough, or smart enough, to decipher it.” She glowered at Phillip and turned back to me. “It's so rare an ability in a witch that we figured there was no chance someone would find it, know what it was, recite it and actually have the power to bring it to fruition.”

“But Stormy did it,” Phillip said in a low voice.

She nodded. “Yes, she did. As I've said, there is only a finite amount of this magic available. You can't just repeat that spell willy-nilly and bring back a dozen people. I don't know why that is, if it's the universe trying to regulate or balance its energies or what, but there can only be so many reanimated people at one time.”

“So?” I said.

“So,” she said, looking at us as if we were the dumbest people alive, “I was planning to bring myself back. Now I can't. Because of you two.”

I stared at her with my mouth wide open. Phillip's hand in mine had started to sweat.

“I'm in very bad health – I have cancer, in case you didn't realize, though I figure you can see it in my aura – and I doubt I'll last another month. I've hung on as long as I can, but I can't hang on much longer, and after I die, Lee is going to bring me back. I've been training him for that very purpose.”

I stared at Phillip in horror. His face was grim, but he didn't speak.

“Only there's not enough magic left in the spell now. And because of this unexpected...” She gestured at Phillip again. “...snag...well, I'm in a bit of a dilemma.”

Phillip was quiet for a long moment, but I could feel his anger coming off him in waves. She must have felt it too. He was quietly seething. After another moment, he said in the same low voice, “So let me get this right. Your husband stiffs me out of some cash and gives me a spell in payment because he has such little respect for his wife or her powers that it's immaterial to him. Turns out the spell actually works, and here I am, brought back, alive and well, and somehow you seem to think it's Stormy's fault? For doing a spell she had no idea came from you with no real feeling behind it? This total fluke is all at her feet? Even though you've used it already to bring somebody back? You were going to be so greedy that you were going to use it again?”

“It's my spell,” she said defiantly. “I wove it, I wrote it. It's my magic, and I-”

“You allowed it to be given away. It's not Stormy's fault that this happened,” he said.

“I never said it was her fault,” Lydia said, for the first time seeming less sure of herself. “But she's opened up something that can't just be shut again. And that's what she's trying to do. She's borrowed on my magic and now refuses to pay the debt.”

“The debt?” I shook my head. “Are you serious?”

“I can't very well bring myself back,” she said. “And Lee isn't experienced enough to write a spell on his own. He's very green, even more than you, Fee. He can borrow on my magic now, but once I'm gone, he won’t be able to.”

I was confused. None of this made sense. “You could try and pool your energy with mine to see if we can't build the banks back up.” Even as I said it, it sounded ludicrous.

She made a face. “That's not how it works. You don't even know how. I can see how green you are from here.”

“So we know what you want from her,” Phillip thundered. “What is it that Guthrie wants?”

“To use her magic for his purposes, I assume,” she answered calmly. “I believe he sees her as just another potential ‘friend’ to do his bidding. He has so very many, including my son.”

“Every time I’ve seen Lee, he’s just urged me to go back home to Jekyll,” I said angrily. “He’s never said one word about you or the spell or using my magic to help you. Or about helping his father, either.”

“I know,” she answered, stubbing out her second cigarette. “He doesn't care about building up my magic. He worries, thinks it'll exhaust me too much. He doesn't want me to suffer.” She fixed an eye on me. “He wants to see you safely away and hidden so I can't beg you for help and so Guthrie can't bother you. He thinks he can do it on his own – save me, appease his dad, keep you safe, save the world.” She smiled wistfully. “But he can't. He can't do any of it. I love my son, but he's useless in this, and he’s putting himself in danger. I need you to help him, Stormy.”

“No.” Philip stood up, still holding my hand. “You all have some fucking nerve. As if she asked for this. As if I asked for it!”

“You may not have,” she answered him calmly. “But Fee did, when she recited that spell.”

“Stop calling her that.”

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