Beneath An Ivy Moon (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 4) (21 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

As the waxing moon rose in the eastern sky my family, the Rousseaus and Dr. Meyer all gathered around the dining room table. Great Aunt Faye sat at the head with Bran on her right. Dr. Meyer, who appeared to be having the time of his life, was seated on her left. I wasn’t sure if he was simply excited from being in the middle of a bunch of Witches, or if the manor’s over-the-top Samhain décor had him put in a more bewitching mood.

Autumn sat at the foot of the table and Rene was to her left. Cypress and Marie sat between Dr. Meyer and Rene. I sat to Autumn’s right with Nathan beside me. Bran had brought the old surveyor’s maps to the manor. The maps of the campus were now spread out across the table. Autumn sat, quietly fidgeting with them.

“You okay?” I asked her. “Are you weirded out? Sitting at the family table, discussing all of the paranormal craziness with your boss at the museum?”

Autumn shrugged. “I gave up hoping for normal in this town, years ago.”

“Ivy,” Cypress said, catching my attention from across the table, “I wish you would have called me today. You’re my best friend. I should have been there.” She held Merlin in her lap, and I had the uncomfortable experience of having two sets of amber colored eyes staring at me.

You hurt her feelings,
I realized. “I’m sorry Cy,” I said. “I wasn’t trying to leave you out. It all just sort of happened.”

Cypress gave my foot a light kick under the table. “I could have helped you. Did you ever think of that?”

I reached across the table for her hand and was about to apologize again, but when our hands clasped I got the strongest precognitive impression that I’d had in years.
Cypress was in danger.
I knew it like I knew my own name. And I had to make sure she stayed away from all of this ghost business...
Otherwise the next ‘calamity’ would involve her.
“You’re my best friend,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even. “You’re as much my sister— as Holly is.”

A ‘sister’,
I realized with a sinking feeling. I felt my heart trip in my chest as my intuition revealed a truth to me.
Prudence had called Cypress and me sisters before— and what had she said today?
I held my breath and tried to recall it word for word. ‘
In the quiet place where she rests, surrounded by an iron gate; bind her with blood to protect another sister from her rage and hate.’
I gazed across the table at Cypress. There she sat; my gorgeous, witchy BFF, and the sister of my heart, all rolled into one.

I’d lost one sister to magick gone wrong. I’d be damned if I’d lose another.
I fought back tears and gave Cypress’ fingers a light squeeze. “I’d do anything for you,” I said.
Even lie to you, to keep you safe.

Cypress held my hand for a moment longer, then let me go. “The next time you decide to face down ghosts,” she said, “I want to be there.”

I nodded, but said nothing. I slid my hand into my lap. I was surprised and relieved when, under the table, Nathan threaded his fingers through mine.
He knows
.
Nathan had figured out that my other ‘sister’ to protect was Cypress.
I glanced over at him.

Using the conversations all around us for cover, Nathan leaned closer to my ear. “I’ll help you keep her safe,” he murmured in my ear.

“Thank you,” I said to him, as Lexie strolled into the room to join the family. I made a conscious effort to act as normal as possible.
Well, whatever normal was.

Lexie pulled out the last empty chair next to Bran. “Finally,” she said, and sat. “I got Morgan down for the night.” She smiled politely at the historian across the table. “Hello Dr. Meyer.”

“Please,” he said, “call me Hal.”

Marie, seated to the right of the man, grinned. “I have to say, you’re taking all this remarkably well... Hal.”

“I’ve known quite a few magickal practitioners in my time,” he said to Marie. “My wife was one.”

“Was?” I asked.

“She passed away several years ago,” Hal said quietly.

Aunt Faye put her hand over his. “I lost my husband ten years ago.”

I watched my great-aunt and the doctor exchange glances.
What’s this?
I thought. Aunt Faye was beautiful, but at least ten years older than the man. And if I was not mistaken... there was a little spark, a little
something
brewing between them.

Lexie leaned back in her chair, catching my eye behind Nathan’s back. She wiggled her eyebrows.
So, Lexie sees it too,
I thought.

Nathan turned in his chair. “Dr. Meyer, what was your wife’s family line— if you don’t mind me asking?”

I tilted my head towards Nathan. “He’s big on lineage.”

“My wife’s maiden name was Wardwell,” Hal said.

Nathan thought that over. “There were several Wardwells imprisoned for witchcraft in Salem.”

“Here we go,” I groaned and sat back in my chair. “Autumn, do something quick before he launches into the ‘my glorious ancestors are from Salem Village’ speech.”

“So are yours,” Nathan said, sliding our joined hands to his lap.

I was so caught off guard by his move that I didn’t verbally retaliate. Which made me wonder:
Had he done it on purpose?

“Dr. Meyer?” Autumn spoke up, pulling the surveyor’s maps closer to her. “How long have you known about us?”

“I didn’t know— not for sure. I speculated. That is until today.” Hal glanced at Aunt Faye. “And I kept my theory to myself, I assure you.”

“Besides witnessing Ivy’s telekinesis, what tipped you off?” Autumn asked him.

“Hey! I was defending myself from a psychotic ghost,” I said. “At least I didn’t bean him with the book.”

“Girlfriend,” Cypress laughed, and scratched Merlin’s kitty ears, “you’ve got to learn to keep things on the down-low.”

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Subtlety, thy name is Ivy.”

“Being subtle is vastly overrated,” I said.

Hal chuckled. “Actually at first it was Autumn’s uncanny knack for locating items at the museum archives that made me wonder. I began to notice that she had a horrible time with electronic equipment.” He raised his eyebrows at Autumn. “I’ve seen lights blow out around you when you’ve stressed,” he said.

On cue, right above us, the chandelier currently draped in fake spider webs and orange silk leaves for the holiday began to flicker.

“
Cher
.” Rene covered one of Autumn’s hands with his. His touch seemed to have a calming effect on my cousin. She closed her eyes took in a deep breath, and blew it out. The flickering stopped.

I poked Autumn in the ribs, making her jump. “Who’s
subtle
now, Witch?”

“Hey!” she laughed and jerked away.

“Girls,” Aunt Faye warned, “behave yourselves. We have company. ”

Hal pulled an antique watch out of his pants pocket. “I actually started carrying this around. Autumn’s personal energies have fried several digital watches of mine. This one seems to be safe.” He held it out. “You have to wind it up, you see.”

“So, Autumn is a SLIder,” Nathan said, considering. “Makes sense.”

“And
Autumn
is sitting right here,” my cousin said, crossing her arms.

“Yes,” Hal agreed with Nathan, “the phenomena of Street Lamp Interference... I’ve yet to see her blow up a street lamp though.”

“Oh, she can,” I said, grinning at the man. “I’ve seen her do it.”

“Really?” Hal beamed right back at me.

I gently tugged my hand free of Nathan’s. “You wanna see
slide
?” I asked, tapping on the maps with my fingernail. Taking Hal’s hopeful expression for a go-ahead, I focused, and quickly turned my hands over, palms up. I raised my hands up a few inches and the surveyor’s maps shot up, hovering in mid-air directly over our heads.

Hal jolted and began to laugh. “Wonderful,” he said, watching the maps as they slid on top of each other.

Aunt Faye huffed out a breath, sending me a withering stare. “Ivy dear, simply because you
can
do something, doesn’t mean you
should
.”

I batted my eyelashes and tried to act innocent. “I only wanted the rest of the family to see what the maps looked like when they were overlaid and backlit.”

Lexie whistled as she tipped her head up. “Wow. The orchard
was
right where the construction site is today.”

Bran cleared his throat. “Okay Ivy, show’s over. Now I think we should focus on the task at hand.”

I sighed and let the maps go. They dropped down on their own. They gently fell to the floor, causing Aunt Faye to glare at me. “Even if you
can
do something...” I reminded her.

Cypress hopped up and retrieved the maps. Merlin scampered away, and my friend set the large pages back on the table. I could see she was biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Autumn spread her hands over the maps again. “So you want me to dowse and see if I can find the location for the next paranormal event?”

“Do you want me to help?” I asked her. “I could lend energy.”

Autumn pulled a crystal pendulum out of her pocket. “Sure, I bet your energy would help, since you’ve been at the center of this.”

I stood up and walked around the table to stand behind Autumn’s chair. Cypress sat quietly, and appeared very unhappy. “Cypress,” I said, holding out my hand to her, “I think you should help with this.” I silently prayed that I was doing the right thing.
How was I supposed to keep her safe, and not hurt her feelings in the process?

Cypress’ smile lit up the dining room. “I’d be happy to.” She rose to her feet and ranged herself on the opposite side of Autumn. “We’re in this together, after all,” she said.

***

By the time we had finished, we’d identified three potential “hot spots”. Cypress and I had each gently rested a hand on one of Autumn’s shoulders. Autumn took a deep breath and stretched her right arm out over the map, the pendulum dangling from her fingers on its silken cord. She waited until the pendulum was at rest, and then began to sweep her hand slowly over the map.

The pendulum reacted the most strongly at three locations. The problem was, we’d already had encounters at each of the locations before. The first had been Crowly Hall. The second had been the archeological dig/ Prudence’s cabin/ future construction site, and the third was at the campus cemeteries.

The last location had made my heart jump to my throat.

There.
I realized.
It would be at the little cemeteries that I would have to face down Victoria Crowly’s ghost— and hopefully for the last time.

It was late by the time Dr. Meyer and the Rousseaus had left. Now, a single lamp burned low in the family room. The flickering light from the fire and the decorated mantle lit up the room in a warm orange glow.

After Autumn had said goodnight, and Bran and Lexie had gone up to bed, Nathan seemed in no hurry to leave. Nathan slouched on one end of the couch, and I curled up at the other end, opposite of him, as we sat discussing the day’s events. Aunt Faye had finally retired for the night, and Nathan and I were alone.

I confided quietly to Nathan that I’d figured out what Prudence had meant today.
In the quiet place where she rests,
had to mean her grave. It was surrounded by an iron fence. Then the ‘
bind her with blood’—
was using magick to accomplish it obviously. All to ‘
protect another sister from her rage and hate.’
That other sister I had to protect, being Cypress.

Frustrated and afraid for my friend, I got up and added another log to the fire in the fireplace. I stood at the hearth listening to the snap and crackle of the fire, and watched the flames lick at the logs. “So what do you think?” I asked him.

“I think you are right about the cemetery being the correct location,” Nathan said. “Plus with the veil between the worlds being at its thinnest now, we have a better magickal chance of success for the binding.”

I crossed my arms. “I wonder what is different this year that it’s making it easier for so many ghosts to come through?”

“When Prudence’s remains were disturbed and we excavated finding the foundation of her home, it opened up everything. The accidental discovery of human remains, and or dramatic changes to the landscape, often kicks off a haunting.”

I nodded. “When they first clear cut the old orchard, to begin construction of the new museum, that’s when I discerned the sour energy on campus. Everything else flowed out and picked up speed after that.”

“I think we can set things right,” Nathan said. “I’m starting to believe that you and I were
meant
to be the ones to do this.”

“A couple of Witches from very different backgrounds and traditions taking on campus ghosts... What could possibly go wrong?” I groused.

“It’s those differences that are going to make us successful.”

I blew out a breath. “So much for a quiet Samhain.”

“You know, I’ve never seen a house decorated for Samhain like this before,” Nathan said.

Thrown by the change of topic, and ready for an argument, I arched a brow at him, “Is that a snide comment, Pogue?”

“No.” He sat up and focused on me. “It’s amazing. Especially the big black decorated tree in the foyer. Makes me think of one of those magazine photo shoots for Halloween.”

I considered the mantle over the fireplace. This year a trio of black metal lanterns, holding flickering LED pillars, rested on the left end of the mantle. A clever stack of old books was centered, and a decorated velvet Witch’s hat rested on top of them. A porcelain figure of a black cat was beside the books, and at the opposite side of the thick mantle, a large Cinderella type pumpkin was displayed resting on top of an urn. Clusters of raffia peeked out from under the big fat pumpkin, while an assortment of other orange pumpkins were arranged around the base of the urn.

“It’s my favorite time of year,” I said, running my fingers across the lush, silk garland of orange, red, and brown oak leaves that draped across the edge of the mantle. Autumn had worked tiny orange fairy lights into the garland, and they twinkled ever so slightly. My mother’s old willow broom rested along the side of the fireplace, and I had tied the big orange and black ribbon on the handle myself.