The Sorceress (25 page)

“Speaking of human form… Yours is not holding up very well.”

She cast a worried glance downward. Her legs had practically disappeared. They were transparent. She let out a frightened yelp. “It's happening so fast, you have to help me, Xavier!”

A wheezing sound filled the boy's bedroom. But the telepathic sound that reached Eris's ears was a harsh chortle, a clear indication
that her dire predicament provided the demon child with extreme and wicked pleasure.

She held out her arms and witnessed the fading process that was beginning at her fingertips and swiftly moving down the length of fingers and to her wrists. “Do something, Xavier!”

“I'm at a loss,” Xavier replied.

She glared at Boozer; her eyes roving up and down his dark frame. “His body is still intact. Why isn't he fading, too?”

Boozer stepped backward as if her words might curse his human form and cause him to start fading as well.

“Your oaf was once human. You, my dear, are a goddess. Isn't that what you proudly proclaim?”

“I am a goddess.”

“What a pity. Your goddess status doesn't seem to serve you well on the Earth Realm. If you recall, you always had trouble keeping your human form.”

“You're right and I need human essence to survive. Help me, Xavier. There's a girl in there with you. I need her. Get me that girl!”

“Get her yourself,” Xavier taunted.

“Boozer tried! He couldn't get in.”

“And you believed him? Isn't he a known thief? A murderous rapist and liar?”

Eris narrowed an eye. “What happened up on the roof?” she asked Boozer. “You told me you couldn't get in?”

“The girl screamed.”

“So what?”

“When womenfolk scream, men come running to save 'em. If I woulda had a chance, I woulda choked her scrawny neck to shut her face up!”

“You are despicable. I brought you here to help me, not to change my predicament from bad to worse.”

“I coulda got in. But that there girl wouldn't keep her trap shut.” Boozer lowered his head in contrition.

Eris tried to punch him, but her hands had vanished. “You deceitful, lying piece of crud. Wait until I get my hands on you. I'm going to…” She tried to think of human punishment and recalled what the slave master's wife had done to her during her slave incarnation. “I'm going to string you up and whip you good. Nine and thirty lashes aren't enough for the likes of you.”

“That's enough bickering,” Xavier groused. “You're wasting time. You brought that miserable oaf without permission. Dispense punishment later; right now you need to concentrate on getting inside the house.”

“How?”

“The front door has been left ajar. Slip inside. Make haste! Do it now, while that idiot who thinks he's my father is outside exploring the grounds in search of a prowler.” Heavy wheezing filled the child's bedroom as Xavier snickered.

Eris and Boozer began slithering across the lawn, rustling the autumn foliage, but were quiet enough not to alert the man. Moments later, they slid through the partially opened door.

Inside the foyer, going in confused circles, Eris and Boozer bumped into walls and crashed into each other.

“Hurry!” Xavier shouted. “Walk straight ahead. Swiftly!”

They obeyed. Naked and crouched, the pair of unsightly ghouls skittered along, following Xavier's directions.

“Through the pantry. Turn right.”

Boozer turned left and banged into a steel rack. It clanged violently.

“Be quiet!” Xavier hissed. “Tell that oaf of yours to tread lightly.”

Without the assistance of feet, Eris crept along slowly and unsteadily. Boozer, on the other hand, possessing both sets of limbs,
should have handled the task with ease. But he didn't. He slipped and slid and skidded around the high-polished floors like a car spinning out of control on a road covered with ice.

Xavier sucked his teeth at the spectacle. “Open that door on the left. Take the stairs. And hide out in the wine cellar. Quickly. Scurry, you beasts. The man is returning. Get out of sight.”

Tiptoeing down the stairs, Boozer sniffed the air, taking in the smell of wine. He licked his lips and smiled in delight at the thought of being confined with libations.

Disgusted at Boozer's outward show of lust, Eris tried to kick him in the shin, but her transparent foot went straight through bone and flesh.
Drats!
“No drinking, Boozer! You have lots of work to do.”

“Aw, why you wanna be like that? It's been so long. I only want a little taste.”

“No! You have to stay sober until we get my body repaired.” With great disgust, she perused her vanishing body parts.

Brooding, Boozer poked out his lips. He gripped his chin, his claw-like fingernails furiously digging into his flesh.

Jen listened intently, thinking she heard movement downstairs. When she heard an unmistakable clang, her heart leapt. She ran inside her bedroom quickly clicking the lock on the door. She was too frightened to come out of her room and trek down the hall to check on Ethan. His father would have to handle that task.

Shaking in terror, she looked around for some type of protection. The only thing that could possibly serve as a weapon was a rather weighty alarm clock, which she snatched up, planning to wing it like a baseball at the misshapen head of that waxen-faced
monster. She kept her eyes fixed on her doorknob, her heart knocking inside her chest as she imagined the beast turning the knob and then banging against the door, trying to force its way inside her bedroom.

Oh, God. I need to talk to Rome.
She raced across the room to grab her cell phone. She had to let Rome know what had happened. He'd believe her.

Just before she picked up the phone, there was soft rap on her door. “All clear,” the senator said and knocked again—this time slightly harder. “Open the door, Jen. It's okay.”

She cracked the door open. “Are you sure?” Jen wrung her hands. “I thought I heard noises downstairs. A loud clang.” She wrinkled her brow in thought. “Maybe it was the sound of the ladder. You know…the metal scraping against stone.”

“There was no ladder. I'm positive.” He draped an arm around her shoulder. “And there's no one inside except you, me and Ethan.” Senator Provost drew in a deep breath. “Jen, you're seriously overworked and I know you don't want to hear this, but in my opinion…well, I honestly believe you're experiencing sensory overload. You know, like someone who is sleep deprived.”

“But I'm not sleep deprived.”

“I know. I know. I'm simply using that as a comparison. You need a break. That's all I'm saying. I can't leave you here in charge of my son while you're in such a distressed state. Catherine's not going to like it, but I'm going to speak to her and let her know that I have to stick around at home for an additional day. I'll tell the agency to send over several applicants. I'm going to personally interview and hire the first nanny that arrives. There's no time to be picky…at this point, any qualified nanny will do.”

Jen nodded. The senator was right…any nanny would do. The woman would not have to be a rocket scientist to sit and watch
Ethan navigate the internet and to remind him to use the potty, point him toward his bath water, and then put him to bed.

However, she'd have to possess the patience of Job to watch him revisit the same websites. Bridges. And more bridges. Hour after hour. And nerves of steel to endure his wheezing and his horrific episodes. Dealing with Ethan was enough to drive anyone batty.

“After the new nanny is situated and comfortable, I want you to take a few days off. Get out of the house for a while. That's an order. I'll pay for you to stay in a five-star hotel. I want you to take advantage of room service and any pampering services the hotel offers. Deal?”

Jen had been lost in thought. She came out of her reverie and nodded. The senator seemed completely sober now and was back to his normal, kind self. His generous offer was probably exactly what she needed. Acceptance washed over her. Once again, she'd hallucinated.

She'd gone from imagining seeing a naked woman to a vicious and snarling, fur-covered ghoul crouched in the skylight. She shook her head. Caring for eerie Ethan was pushing her to the brink of insanity.

“I'll check on Ethan. Why don't you get some sleep?” Senator Provost spoke softly, using the cautious tone one would reserve for the mentally unstable.

Jen felt guilty for shirking off her responsibility to her charge. “I'll go with you to check on Ethan. I heard him wheezing like crazy while you were outside, but I was too afraid to come out of my room,” she admitted.

Together, they peered in on Ethan, who seemed to be sleeping soundly.

“No wheezing,” the senator said.

“Good. I feel so sorry for him when he's breathing like that,” she lied. What she actually felt when Ethan started wheezing was agitation and, most often, fear.

“There's no explanation for the occasional labored breathing. He doesn't have asthma or any upper respiratory problems.” Perplexed, he shook his head.

“It's a mystery,” Jen agreed, shaking her head as well. She laced her fingers fretfully. Though the child appeared to sleep peacefully, the atmosphere in his bedroom seemed charged with something malevolent.

“Senator Provost, uh, this is going to sound silly…”

He gave her a patient smile and waited for her to continue

“Well, I was thinking…since you're going to hire a new nanny, why not let her have my room? She'll be closer to Ethan. I'll move into that vacant room further down the hall.”

“Shouldn't you two nannies be in adjacent rooms?”

Jen gave him a pitiful expression. “Just for awhile until I get over this irrational fear.”

“Okay. Sure, but after the election…Catherine will be home from time to time and I can assure you, she won't appreciate rooms being changed without her permission.”

“I know, sir. The change will be temporary.”

“I understand. But don't start moving your things tonight. Let's wait until we have a new nanny assigned and her belongings moved in.”

She tried to give him a smile of gratitude, but feeling miserable, her lips turned down.

In her own bedroom, she finally got around to calling Rome. No answer. She thought about texting him, but she had too much
to say to fit into a text message. Weary from a busy day and terror-filled evening, Jen undressed and eased her tired body into bed. Jen lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

She refused to look around the room at the furniture and other objects that had taken on a scary look in the dark bedroom. Jen sat up and considered turning on the light. No! With the light on, she'd be forced to look at her bathroom and, even with the door closed, her eyes would stay focused in that direction, revisiting the hallucination of the skylight and the ghoul she imagined had tried to force its way inside.

Jen shuddered. That thing had seemed so real and so brutal and murderous. The thought of ghosts and even terrorist attacks seemed almost laughable when compared to her delirious vision of a brutal monster trying to get at her and seeming to have the single-focused, killing instincts of a vicious, wild animal.

She lay back down, but sleep wouldn't come. Fear knocked her knees together beneath the blanket. She yearned to feel Rome's protective arms wrapped securely around her, comforting her throughout the long and scary, dark night.

From Ethan's bedroom, she thought she heard a voice murmuring.
Oh, God.
Jen dove under the covers, too petrified to go and investigate. She hoped she could make it through the night without having to pee. No way she was going inside her bathroom with the menacing skylight and she'd be damned if she'd wander out of her room to use any of the numerous bathrooms in the Provost household.

For Jen, sunshine and morning light couldn't come soon enough.

T
oo weak to intercede, Eris watched helplessly as Boozer, too sorry a creature to have the wherewithal to uncork the wine, broke off the bottle by the neck, spitting out shards of glass as he downed the pungent spirits. He belched boisterously and then wiped off his mouth with the back of his furry hand.

A dim glow of blue emanated from her eyes and roamed the darkened cellar, looking for an escape route other than the stairs. She spotted a false floorboard and directed her weak beams of light beneath it.
Drats!
There was only a small dark room without an exit.

She'd have to depend on Xavier for further direction. Xavier was such a trickster with a twisted and deviant mind, he didn't know the meaning of the word “loyalty” and Eris doubted if she could completely trust him.

But she was fading fast and could only hope the little menace had hatched a plan to get his female caregiver down the steps and into her clutches. Eris would take it from there.