River of Bones (22 page)

Wolf frowned. “Your mom must be cooking something. Smells good.”

“Yeah, too good,” I snorted. “Hopefully it's not the sheriff.”

We climbed down the stairs, through the living room and into the kitchen. Mom stood with her back to us, stirring something on the stove. I saw she was boiling beans and frying bacon. I stopped short. How weird. I had never in my life seen my mother eat anything that resembled pork.

“Wow,” Wolf said. “I didn't know that old stove even worked.”

Mom lifted a burner and stuffed it with kindling. “Wood burning stoves are the best to cook on because they heat evenly.”

I snorted. “When did you ever cook? Let alone on a wood stove?”

Mom whirled around, a metal spatula in her hand dripping with grease. “Don't you talk back to me, young lady! There's a lot you don't know about me.”

“Yeah, like where you've been for the past few days.”

“Been?”

“Yeah, Mom! I was worried sick! You were gone for days. I thought someone had kidnapped you…or worse. Then you finally come home like you've just been to the store or something.”

Wolf shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe I should wait outside.”

“No, stay,” I said. “Please.”

Wolf shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away.

“I think you're being silly, Dharma,” Mom said. “All this fussing over a few days.”

Anger surged inside me. “I was worried sick and you promised…”

“I just got a little turned around. It took me a while to find my way out of the swamp.”

I looked at her legs and feet. I didn't see any mud, and she wore a new dress with soft brown flats. “I see you did some shopping while you were in the swamp.”

“Don't be rude, Dharma,” Mom said, changing the subject. “Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?” She swaggered over and stuck out her hand to Wolf.

“Glad to meet you, Ms. Moore. I'm Wolf Bodine.”

Mom batted her long eyelashes. “I would invite you to stay, but I need some time with my daughter.” She leaned in close to him and lowered her voice. “I'm sure you wouldn't mind coming back later. Would you?”

I stepped in between them. “We
were
going to see a movie. But I guess that will have to wait.”

“Sure, no problem,” Wolf said. “We can go tomorrow.”

I glared at my mother. “So, are you going to tell me where you've really been, and stop lying to me?”

Wolf shuffled his feet. “I better run. Nice to meet you, Ms. Moore.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mom said, huskily.

“Wolf, wait. What about Benny?”

“I'll go and get him.” Wolf hurried out the door. The screen door banged shut behind him.

I clenched my hands into tight fists and scowled. “Aren't you even going to ask about Benny?”

Mom gave me a confused look. “Benny? Oh, of course. How is he?”

“He's at Wolf's house. His mother has been taking care of him because I almost died! Not that you care. A lot of other stuff has happened, too. Bad stuff.”

Mom turned around, stirring the beans. “Well, I'm sure a lot has happened while I've been away.”

“Did you hear me? I said almost died!”

“Well you didn't die—did you?” She picked up a butcher knife and stabbed it into the cutting board. “If you'd stop yapping, we could talk things over! Believe me, you and I have a lot of things to sort out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you'll see,” she said, humming.

I froze. What was she singing? I listened closer. My throat went dry. I knew that song! It was the same one I'd heard coming from the skull. I glanced near the sink. Something lay in a heap—something green. I walked to it, slowly. Mom whirled around and snatched it from the counter before I could touch it, and pulled it onto her head. A green turban.

“How do you like my new hat?”

“Where did you get that?” I asked, staring in disbelief.

“What, this old thing? I've had it for years, Dharma…YEARS!”

I edged out of the kitchen, making a break for the door. She leaped forward and grabbed my wrist in her skeletal hand.

“Where are you going, Dharma? You can't leave. We have so much to discuss!”

I jerked away and bolted from the room. Mom's hands clawed at the back of my neck as I flung open the door and ran down the gravel drive. Behind me, Sabine's terrible laugh cracked across a darkening sky. The awful sound repeated, but quieter, repeated again more distantly, echoed a third and fourth time as I cleared the plantation gates.

I hurled down the path to Sassy's house, arms and legs pumping. Gravel crackled beneath my thin soles, pitching me forward. I regained my footing, running hard. Tearing up the path to Sassy's, I leapt onto the front porch and ripped the door open.

Sassy jumped from her chair, eyes wide. “Lord, child! What's the matter?”

I bent over, hands on knees to catch my breath. Sassy shut the door and locked it. “Come, sit down. Before you fall in a heap.”

I sat while Sassy hobbled into the kitchen. Seconds later, water and ice crackled and my mouth watered. She made her way to me, her pink slippers shuffling across the dingy plank flooring. “Drink this child,” she said, handing me a big Tupperware cup. “Then, when you can, tell me what happened.”

Sassy lowered herself back into her worn rocker, wincing as she settled in. I gulped half the liquid in one giant swallow. “My mother,” I gasped. “She's been taken over by Sabine.”

Sassy sat forward, her eyes held me in her gaze like two black bobby pins. “What's that you say, child?”

“My mom! She's possessed by Sabine!”

Sassy clutched the handles of the rocker, staring at me, her old face working. Finally she forced herself up, a grim twist to her mouth, and shuffled to the fireplace. She collected two white candlesticks from the mantle. “Here,” she said, giving me one. “After I light my candle, I want you to light yours from my flame.”

I frowned. “Why?”

Sassy paused and lowered her voice. “Most folks say its bad luck to steal a candle's flame. But my people believe that by taking the flame, it keeps a white light burning deep within you. A light of goodness to keep the devil's darkness away.” She reached into the pocket of her housedress and pulled out a booklet of matches. She lit her candle and leaned toward me. “Now use your candle and take the flame.”

I touched the wick to hers and fire sizzled onto the tip of my candle. I stared into the tiny orange flare, flickering and dancing on a dozen drafts seeping through gaps in the log walls.

“Freeing your mother won't be an easy task. It's a long process. What we need to be concerned with is that Sabine has a hold on you through her, so you are linked telepathically. You may not be able to save your mother right now, but you must break the bond that Sabine has between the two of you.”

“That won't be hard. My mother and I never really got along.” I focused on the candle. “I'm not sure she's ever really loved me.”

“Oh I wouldn't say that, child. If she didn't have such a strong bond to you, you wouldn't be in the mess you are now.” Sassy's eyes softened. “If she didn't care for you so much, Sabine wouldn't have been able to use her to get to you. Your mother had a weak spot when it came to her children.”

“Yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And she has a weak spot for men.”

“Through your mother, Sabine can read your thoughts.”

“Even now?”

“Not as long as you hold that candle but the second it goes out she will. But you can't go around holding a candle all your life. You have to break the psychic hold she has on you first. Then later you can go back and save your mother. Because, child, if you don't break this bond, she'll know where your baby brother is. She will come to fetch him and not even the law can stop her. Because to the public, Sabine appears as your mother.”

“How can I break this bond or hold she has on me?”

“I don't know for sure. I've had you try everything I can think of. But I know someone who might be able to help. You'll need Wolf to take you there right away, before nightfall.” Sassy handed me the phone. “Call him now to come fetch you.”

“But…I don't know his number,” I admitted. “I've never had to call him.”

Sassy's eyes twinkled. “Good thing the boy left his number for me then.” She shuffled to her chair, rifled through a stack of papers and selected one. Sassy dialed the number on an old rotary phone hanging on the wall. She stretched the long black cord and handed it to me.

I filled Wolf in on everything over the phone. He arrived twenty minutes later. “Are you okay?” he asked, crouching in front of my armchair. I nodded, smiling grimly.

“Wolf,” Sassy said. “You need to take Dharma to see Ms. Magda. Do you know where she lives?”

“Yeah,” Wolf said. “I think so. Place used to creep me out as a kid.”

“Only Ms. Magda will know what to do about Sabine.” Sassy lowered her voice. “Ms. Magda is a spirit medium, and a powerful one at that. She's crusty on the outside but she's good people.”

Sassy stared at me, her face full of concern. “Once the candle burns out, you need to be very careful of what you think. Sabine will hear all your thoughts. Try to confuse her if you can.” Sassy dropped her voice to a hushed whisper. “If you hear voices, I want you to ignore them. Pay them no never mind—you hear? The candle should last most of the ride or far enough away it will confuse her as to your whereabouts.”

I followed Wolf to his truck, protecting the candle flame with a cupped hand. Each step I took, the flame flickered. Wolf held the truck door open while I climbed inside.

The idea of someone reading my thoughts made my skin crawl in a whole new way. I hated being invaded, my thoughts and memories combed through. The more I tried to clear my mind the more it filled with racing thoughts.

Wolf drove quickly into town, hung a sharp right and headed into a run-down section filled with narrow, twisting alleys and tin shanties. He brought the pickup to a halt in front of a crumbling Victorian shack. Yellow lights glowed from its grimy windows.

My candle, now just a waxy stub, winked and burned out. Wolf tossed the remains into the bed of the truck as we climbed out. He took my hand and led me up the cracked sidewalk. We ducked under a clothesline strung near the front porch and knocked on the carved door.

Moments later came the shuffle of feet and the swish of curtains. With a groan the door opened. A pale woman stood in the shadows, hunched over in a severe brown dress with a mass of white hair pinned in place by ivory combs. She inched closer, standing in silence, staring out at us with hard, expressionless eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she held up a hand and motioned us in. “I know why you have come.” The woman spoke with a thick accent. A mixture of old French and something else. “Ms. Sassy called me, told me of your troubles.”

We entered into a massive hallway decorated with ancient looking pictures in oval frames. She led us through a maze of rooms into a dingy sitting area. We sat on a faded sofa while she pulled up a folding chair and gathered my hands into hers. Her fingers felt like the claws of an eagle, thin and brittle as they worked over mine.

“Have you heard of the circle of six?” she asked. I looked at Wolf and we both shook our heads. “The circle is used for protection. Six items, all the same, planted in the earth to form endless roots.”

“Is that what we have to do to protect ourselves?” I asked.

Magda shook her head. “No. This is how the evil one keeps her spirit grounded. So that no spell can drive her from the land. It is ancient witchcraft and very strong.” The old woman clasped her hands and her eyes softened. “I feel her inside you, my dear, trying to whittle into your soul, meld and become a part of you like she did your mother.” She shook her head. “I'm very sorry, but there is no way I can be of help to you. It would be impossible for me to know the objects she planted.”

Wolf stood. “But we can at least try to find them. Right? If we start digging around that place, we should be able to figure out where the objects lie. They have to be near the house I'm guessing.”

Magda peered up at Wolf. “What you don't understand is that she wasn't foolish. She would have planted a dozen decoys. Remember, she had lots of time to do this as she grew up there.”

“Great,” I mumbled.

“But there is some good news.” Madga rose to her feet. “You will only need to pull one of the objects from the earth to break her hold over this world. This is an important task. It's very dangerous to have her in your unconscious mind. Polluting your soul. As time wears on, she will slowly take more and more of you until she consumes you altogether, and anyone else in her way.” She smoothed the creases in her dress. “Never forget, she can, at certain times, read your mind and know what you are up to. She will attack with a ferocity far greater than you've ever experienced.”