Page 41 of Devils and the Dead
A ward was triggered tonight about six o’clock. It wasn’t until later that I realized it had come from the exact same spot on Savior Mountain the elves had set off when they arrived back in my mother’s day. I’ve spent the last two decades working on adjusting the wards not to occasionally flare when a resident does magic, but haven’t been successful in correcting the problem. Because of this, I wasn’t particularly concerned. Wards are triggered once or twice a month since I’ve been the head witch, and none of those has been cause for alarm. This time I was in the middle of crafting a set of charms, and normally I would have put off investigating until the next day, but in the seventy years the elves have lived here, they’ve never set off the ward to my knowledge aside from during their arrival. If this had been their magic during a festival or celebration, then it would have happened in the past as well.
Thinking it might be a group of their friends arriving to join them, I wasn’t particularly concerned, but something worried me about the breach in the wards, so I put aside the charms and headed for Savior Mountain.
As the elves never leave the area they now call home, the roads up the mountain had become incredibly overgrown and difficult to traverse. I traveled on horseback, but sweet Aspen still had to go around fallen trees and thick patches of brush, as well as up and down a few steep and muddy banks. Luckily the sun doesn’t set until after nine in the evening, but I still found myself arriving at eight and worried about heading home in the dark.
There were no lights, no scents, and no sign of activity when I finally rode into the compound. I dismounted and tied Aspen to a tree, calling out to the elves. Mother had said they’d always appeared fearful the times she’d come to see them, so finding the area empty didn’t seem unusual. None of the elves answered my call. None of the firepits were warm and the houses were empty of all belongings. I activated my amulet and it told me that besides the woodland animals, Aspen, and myself, there were no other beings on the mountain.
The elves were gone. Their personal items were gone. Given the state of the road, I doubted they’d suddenly decided after all these years to relocate closer to town. The signal from the ward was as Mother had described from when they arrived, so my assumption was that they had all left Accident and returned to their homeland.
I’ll admit I was a bit irritated that they had left without telling me their intentions. I’d wasted nearly two hours coming up here, and would waste another two heading back—in the dark as well. Plus I wasted the six charms that I had to abandon mid-spell.
But everyone in Accident has their own ideas of civility and manners, so I brushed off my skirts, let go of my annoyance, and headed back home. Thankfully Aspen and I made better time, and were down the mountain before the sun had completely set for the night.
I closed the journal and carefully packed it away, returning the box to its original location. I’d been blaming my grandmother for the fact that a dozen elves and Tinsel had suffered under a curse, right in Accident and under our very noses, but reading her journal confirmed that she wasn’t at fault.
The elves hadn’t confided in her or anyone else. They hadn’t made friends. For seven decades they’d remained isolated on their mountain. I didn’t blame Grandma for thinking they’d just gone back to their homeland and forgetting about the whole thing. If there had been signs of a struggle or anything suspicious, she would have investigated. But all she’d seen was a group of empty houses and cold hearths.
Grandma wasn’t at fault for what happened, but I was still honor bound to ensure the curse Tinsel suffered under was broken and he was set free. I’d locate this Everbloom and take both it and a gift of Bronwyn’s crafting to the elf queen. I’d do everything in my power to make sure she broke the curse.
Then I’d come back, find a way to give Maude a second life, and hope that none of us ever saw the elf queen again.
Chapter 19
Hades
Iknocked on the door of the house, oddly nervous. Babylon’s sister lived in an old house that had been clearly added onto throughout the generations. It was eclectic, and felt well-loved. But as warm and welcoming as the house was, I had my concerns about how Babylon’s family would feel about me. I knew humans were very protective of the youngest in their families, and I was sure I’d be subjected to some intense scrutiny.
The door opened and a tall, auburn-haired woman stood in the entrance. I saw the resemblance right away.
“You must be Hades.” She opened the door wider. “I’m Sylvie. Come on in.”
I entered to find the large open-space living and dining room packed with people. A long table sat near a doorway that I assumed led to the kitchen. Glancing around, I recognized all of the males present except one of them.
“I’m Aaron.” The red-haired man put out his hand.
“Hades.” I shook hands, noting that he too bore a family resemblance. Ah, this must be the cousin Babylon had mentioned.
Sylvie grabbed me by the arm and hauled me around the room, introducing me to everyone. I’ve got a good memory for details, but I knew I’d never be able to remember their names at this first meeting—or tell the two women apart who were clearly twins. After the introductions, Aaron brought me into the kitchen where Babylon was busy helping yet another sister assemble a salad. Lucien peered at me from around the refrigerator door.
“Hades! Want a beer?” he asked.
“Absolutely.” I needed something stronger than a beer. Babylon’s family was huge and loud, and I found myself more than a little overwhelmed by it all.
“Don’t worry if you can’t remember everyone’s names. I can’t remember their names and I grew up with them,” Aaron said as Lucien handed both him and me a beer.
“Ha ha ha.” Babylon walked up and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek that made my heart speed up. She had a set of onyx earrings on that were pretty against her red hair. I caught a glimmer of magic, and was surprised to notice it wasn’t the witch magic that infused the entire house, but something different.
“I like these,” I told her as I touched one of the dangling onyx and silver drops.
“Thanks.” She laughed and shook her head, sending her bright red hear and the earrings in motion. “I kind of got conned into buying them this morning. Some of the fairies in town own a jewelry shop.”
Ah. Fae magic. I didn’t have much opportunity to encounter fae, so I hadn’t recognized their work at first.
“How was your day?” Babylon asked, taking my hand in hers.
“Unsuccessful.” I forced a smile to my face. Would she ever confess to me what she’d done? I hoped that she’d trust me, but I couldn’t blame her for keeping this from me when we’d only just met each other last night.
“No one seems to have any idea what happened to that lost soul,” I continued. “I’ve spoken to necromancers both alive and dead. I’ve interviewed the other souls who were taken but returned. I’m running out of time to find that soul. The angels are getting impatient, and are still accusing hell of stealing her.”
