A Little Rhine Must Fall (30 page)

“Witches have no imagination,” Cecily sneered and drove down the long driveway to the huge house.

There were about fifteen cars parked in the circular driveway and we left the car directly in front of the steps leading up to the front door.

“Last stop,” Cecily announced, “Emerald City.” She opened the door on the witch’s side and jerked him out of the car.

“Please,” he begged, falling on his knees. “Please. I did everything you asked. Please let me go.”

I stood higher on the steps, Bastet riding on my shoulder again, and watched them. Pity had died with Mark. Cecily looked at me in question and I kept my face cool and indifferent.

She pulled the witch up to his feet. “Your coven might have mercy on you,” she told him. “I will not. You can die right here, right now, or take your chances with your little witch friends.”

He staggered after her, tears running down his cheeks. Funny. I felt nothing. If she really had torn him to pieces there on the steps I would have shrugged and said, “Eh, he got what was coming to him.” I didn’t like the person I was becoming, but I didn’t really have time to sit and navel gaze at the moment.

Alien/Karen’s brain upload was starting to settle better into my neural pathways and I felt able to focus on more than one thing at a time. Perhaps I would even be able to string together a coherent sentence by the time we reached the WAND coven. That would be nice, since my vocal powers would probably be in demand.

I still didn’t feel like me. I was floating behind Cecily, detached and emotionless. Part of me was huddled in a corner of my brain, weeping and reliving Mark’s death over and over again. The rest of me harshly told that part to shut up and deal with it later. We had work to do.

Bastet’s claws dug into my shoulder as I trotted through the double doors into the mansion. Far from annoying me, I actually appreciated the sensation. It kept me tethered to reality. The countdown clock in my brain was ticking off the seconds and the temptation to give up and wait for the end was overwhelming.

“What …Who … Stop!” a witch was startled into sentence fragments as we burst through the door.

“Take us to your leader,” I commanded with the first phrase that popped into my head. It was hardly original and Bastet sniggered in my brain.

“This way,” the witch agreed and led us through the house into what must have been the formal living room.

It was huge, with a two-story ceiling, wood-paneled and lined with bookshelves that made it seem warm and intimate. It was also filled to the bursting point with witches. Big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones, ones with hats, ones with—

Bastet bit my earlobe,
:Stop it!:
she ordered.
:You’re going all loopy:

A tall man rose as we entered the room. He was wearing a long black robe covered in gold symbols. His chin sported a pointy goatee and his eyes were cold and empty.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded. Every head in the room turned to us in surprised silence.

Cecily threw our captured witch the ground. “Please,” he stammered, holding up his hands in supplication. “They made me bring them here! Please!”

The head witch ignored us for the moment. “You were supposed to bring back confirmation of the Rhine Maiden’s death.”

“Not dead!” I chimed in cheerily, glad that I could finally string some words together. Bastet bit my ear again and I swatted at her head.

“You have failed the coven,” the witch intoned and sketched a symbol in the air with his fingers. “The penalty is—”

“Excuse me,” I interrupted, stepping forward. “I don’t mean to be rude, but time is short here. Deal with him later.”

The witch ignored me. “The penalty—”

Now I
did
mean to be rude. “Deal with him later,” I commanded with the Voice.

The head witch blinked and his eyes wandered around the room until they came to rest on me. Creepy. “Kill her,” he said.

Drat. When I said “deal with him later” I didn’t mean for all that homicidal-ness to be turned on
me
. “Stop!” I commanded. “I have a request.”

“A request?” You would have thought I’d asked for them all to put on bunny ears and dance the Macarena.

“Yes. A request.” I took a breath. “I need to get to the moon. Now.”

The man with the goatee sat back down and steepled his hands under his chin. He probably thought it made him look wise and powerful. He’d be right. “This very evening I sent a team to your compound to kill you and your kin. And yet, you come here, unprotected,” Cecily growled at that, “and ask for my help. You are either very stupid, or very desperate.”

“A little of both,” I agreed. “But, like I said, time is running out. Get me to the moon and we can talk about my stupidity later.”

“Why should I not have the job finished right here and now?” he inquired gently.

Cecily’s fangs flashed and she stepped in front of me snarling.

He waved his hand dismissively. “Chain your beast, please, Mrs. Cavanaugh. We are attempting to have a rational conversation here.”

“Cecily,” I said calmly. She pulled herself together and took a step back, still ready to leap to my defense.

“Now,” he continued. “You intrigue me. Why should I let you go to the moon?”

“Because,” I replied. “Your idiot witches killed my alien.” It had been Matthew, not the witches, but no one here was going to dispute what I claimed.

The man jumped to his feet. “They did
what
?”

I nodded. I had guessed that even the witches weren’t so hungry for revenge that they would risk blowing up the moon. They hadn’t known that the alien was with me, or else they hadn’t planned on her getting killed.

“Tick tock,” I reminded him. “She delayed the ship’s self-destruct sequence and told me how to turn it off. But you have to get me to the moon, now.”

He sat back down and frowned. “If, and I say
if
, what you say is true, a Zipline to the moon requires a considerable amount of power. We would need compensation for our losses.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “Hey, bub,” I said. “You’re butt’s on the line here too, unless ya’ll know how to breathe under water. The moon goes ‘boom’ and the ocean’s going to be in your living room.”

“Nevertheless,” he said calmly. “We need compensation.”

“Fine,” I snapped. “Name your price. Just get me to the moon.”

He smiled, his eyes gleaming with cruel joy. “Our price is this: You will give us your unborn son.”

Chapter Thirty:

… Tock …

My heart stopped and I stared like an idiot. “What?” I croaked.

“Your son,” he pointed at my belly to make it crystal clear. “You promise to give us your child when he is born, and we will set up the Zipline to the moon.”

“No.” What a stupid request. They couldn’t possibly be serious.

He went on as if he hadn’t heard my refusal. “We will draw up the documents and you will sign, in blood of course.”

“No,” I said louder.

“Mrs. Cavanaugh,” he purred the words, “It’s not as if you have a choice. This is not up for negotiation. You
will
give us your child.”

Cecily laid a hand on my shoulder where Bastet was hissing and growling. “Let’s go, Piper,” she said.

“Wait.” All eyes were on me. I gulped, not truly believing that I was saying the words that were coming out of my mouth. “What do you want with my son?”

The witch smiled, convinced that he had won. “That is not your concern,” he said. “Perhaps we will use him in a sacrifice.”

“You have your abortion clinics!” I protested. “Why
my
son?”

“Infant blood given unwillingly by the mother is much more powerful,” he shrugged. “But sacrifice is not the only possibility. Perhaps we wish to use him to insure your future cooperation. It doesn’t matter. The outcome is the same. If you desire to save the world,” he sneered when he said the words, “you will sign over the life of your child.”

I could barely hear him over the snarling that Bastet was emitting inches from my ear. “Hush,” I told her.

“Let’s go,” Cecily said again, certain that I would never sell my child in exchange for the lives of everyone on the planet.

I looked at her, and my sorrow and pain must have shown in my eyes. “No!” she gasped, taking an involuntary step back. “No, Piper! There must be another way!”

“There’s not,” I shook my head sadly. “Time is almost up.” I felt my throat start to close with tears. “I don’t have another option.”

The head witch clapped his hands and smiles ran about the faces of the other witches. “Capital! I will have the documents ready within moments, and” he smiled benevolently, “to show my good will, we will begin to prepare the Zipline now, before you even sign the papers.”

Cecily stepped in front of me, “No. She’s not signing over her baby.”

I touched her arm, “Yes, Cecily. I am.”

The witches erupted in a bustle of activity, ignoring the little interpersonal drama that was going on in front of them. Cecily shrank back from my touch as if I had burned her.

“Why, Piper?” she cried.

“It’s the only way,” I said.

She was angry and upset, “No, It’s
not
the only way. It
can’t
be the only way. How could you
do
this?”

I tried to put it into words that she would understand. “Cecily, it’s not just about me and my baby. There’s a whole world of people out there. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

“Sacrifices?” she spit the word out. “Sacrifices? Exactly! They are going to
murder
your baby! You can’t let that happen! I don’t care who might hypothetically die in the future! Your child will die now!”

“Not right now,” I corrected her. “He won’t be born for months yet.”

“It doesn’t matter, Piper!” she yelled. “What’s the point of him being born if you’re going to kill him?”

“I
have
to!” I yelled back at her. “I have to get to the moon and stop that ship!”

“What would Mark say?” she shot at me.

I drew myself up straight and cold. “Don’t you dare use his name against me,” I hissed at her.

“You’re not thinking straight,” she begged. “You’re going to regret this! You’re hurt and grieving over the loss of your husband and you think that a little more pain doesn’t matter, but when the time comes to hand over your baby
you’re going to regret this!
”

“You have no idea what I am feeling,” I told her harshly.

“You’re right,” she pleaded, “I don’t know. I’ve never had a husband, or a child. But I see you and Mark together and I play with Megan and Cassidy, and I
know
that you have something special! I would give
anything
to be like you! Please, please,
please
don’t do this!”

The tears were pouring down my face now. “Mark is gone,” I said and my voice sounded foreign to my ears. “And this is the only way to save the world.”

“Bastet,” Cecily turned to her for help. “Talk to her!”

Bastet leapt down from my shoulder, leaving a trail of scratches behind.
:Is this truly the way?:
she asked seriously.

“Yes,” I answered.

:Then we stand with the Rhine Maiden:
she told Cecily.

“I can’t stay here and watch you do this,” Cecily said.

“Then leave,” I told her. “I don’t need you.”

“They’re
witches
,” she pleaded. “You can never trust a witch!”

“So you’ve told me,” I said dryly. “My mind is made up.”

“Perfect!” the head witch said from behind me. “I have the documents. Just your signature and then a small pinprick to get your thumbprint in blood and you can be on your way!”

Cecily stood apart and held my gaze intently. “You’re really going to do this?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know you anymore.” She turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance.

“So tragic,” the witch sympathized. “It’s touching to see a vampire with a heart. Unfortunately her heart doesn’t seem to be in the right place.”

I blinked back my tears before turning to him with a blank face. “Do you have the paperwork?” I asked coldly.

He laughed. “Straight to the point. I like that in a woman.”

I gave him a look that questioned his right to like or dislike anything about me.

:You’re sure about this?:
Bastet sounded like she was having second thoughts. Join the club. I was burning bridges behind me left and right and all on the strength of information I had received in a mind-link from a dying alien. If this was an alien’s idea of a cosmic joke then, after I failed to stop the explosion, I was going to bring that alien back to life and then kill her again … slowly.

:Whoa!:
Bastet said.
:Feeling a little homicidal are we?:

The witch laid out a document on the fancy, cherry desk that sat in the corner of the room. I refused to sit in the leather swivel chair and instead left handprints on the wood as I leaned on the desktop to read the deal I was making with Satan. It was a simple contract:

I, Piper Cavanaugh, will turn my currently unborn child over to the Witches and Necromancers Deputation within 48 hours of said child’s birth, and waive all rights to aforementioned child. In exchange, I will receive a safe trip to and from the moon via Zipline. Should the child die before his/her birth, I will give the body to the WAND instead. If I fail to honor this contract, my body and the bodies of my living children will legally belong to the WAND for whatever purposes they so desire. Signed,
and there was a line for my signature.

:We need to come to the moon with you:
Bastet said.

“Why?”

:How are you going to breathe?:
she pointed out.

“Does the ‘safe trip’ involve air to breathe on the moon?” I asked the witch.

“Only if you stay in the immediate vicinity of the Zipline entrance.”

“Can you really keep me breathing on the moon?” I asked Bastet.

:Yes:

I had a horrid thought. “Can you get me to the moon without a Zipline?” If she could, and she had let us come all this way for nothing, wasting the precious seconds that were quickly slipping away, I was going to throttle her.