Yuletide (Matilda Kavanagh Novels Book 3) (13 page)

Cassandra and the other witch tittered in amusement. I gave Ronnie a look of disbelief, but she just shook her head, telling me to be quiet.

“All right, well,” I said, tugging on the tips of my jacket. “We’ll be on our way then.”

Knoll held out his hands to stop us. “Oh no, you have to stay.”

“Why?” I demanded. “I helped. I called you, I told you where he was. I’m not casting with them.” I pointed at the two high witches, and as one, they lifted their chins to look down at me.

“You’re witnesses. We need you to stay,” Knoll said as if that made any sense.

“This is stupid. They don’t even want our help!”

“Your friend can go, but you two have to stay,” Knoll said, pointing at Spencer.

Spencer’s eyes flashed, and his arm went around Ronnie.

“Or you can all stay. Fine,” Knoll said.

“I’m not going to spend my Christmas Eve here.” I planted my hands on my hips to stop the power snapping at my fingers.

“The concert will be over before dawn,” he said, and I snorted.

“No, it won’t.”

Knoll turned on me, all good-natured personality gone from his face and voice. “Ms. Kavanagh, I understand this is a stressful situation, but you need to calm down and be quiet. I don’t want to have to make you.”

Anger boiled inside me at his veiled threat. My eyes darted to the faces of the three witches behind him, and I found them smirking. I wanted to rip off their faces. Then Ronnie’s hand was on my arm again, her calming presence a cool wash against my hot anger.

With a dramatic sigh, my shoulders slumped, and I sat on the curb, happy that my ruffled bustle kept the chill of the cement away from my body. Ronnie and Spencer sat next to me, and Ronnie put him between us so we could share his body heat. Spencer awkwardly patted my back. I ignored the uniformed officer who stepped up behind us.

“Merry fucking Christmas, asshat,” I muttered.

Ronnie had to hide her face in Spencer’s shoulder to stifle her laugh.

Chapter 14

Hours had gone by. My back ached, and my ass was numb. I’d unbuttoned my blazer, hoping to release some of the tension in my shoulders, but I was so tired and so angry, nothing worked. The tip of my nose was practically frozen and starting to run. The first few rays of sunlight were brightening the sky, chasing away the stars, and the concert was finally ending.

The stench of bodies and urine and spilled alcohol filled my nostrils. I wondered if I would ever get that smell out of my nose. Cars shuffled forward, honking and screeching as everyone tried to get out of the parking lot at the same time. Now that the light of a new day was coming, I saw just how dingy and creepy the venue really was. There was graffiti on every wall, the chain-link fence was falling down, and people slept in the corners of the exterior doors.

“Well, this is cheery,” Ronnie whispered.

Spencer stood and stretched his hands above his head, arching his back and making it pop. His height and breadth made the officer standing watch over us step back. That was the first time I’d smiled all night. I helped Ronnie up, and we both stretched and shook out our hair. I couldn’t help being disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy the outfit Joey had helped me put together—I had to admit it was pretty cool. As I dusted myself off, Knoll came over.

“All right, I’ve spoken to the manager of the theater, and they know what’s going on. We’re going to go inside, and you’re going to show us what happened.”

I glared at Knoll, feeling the argument rising up inside me. I had already told him what happened. I had already told him which door Krampus had gone through. Why did everything have to take so damn long when the police were involved? I waved at him. “Whatever. It’s probably too damn late anyway.”

Knoll furrowed his brow at me, but he didn’t say anything. In a group, we turned for the theater. In the light of day, the inside of the theater had lost its charm. It was filthy from the audience, trash and confetti scattered all over the cement floor. The air inside was stale with the scent of bodies and something sour like spilled beer or vomit. Probably both.

The manager was waiting for us on the stage, and I was disappointed to find it creaking and in dire need of refinishing. There were a bunch of broken boards were the light had crashed hours before.

“Ms. Kavanagh?” Knoll said.

I spun, realizing I’d been zoning out on the décor, or lack thereof, of the theater. “Right, so this way.”

I led the group up the stairs, but Spencer stayed behind. When I got to the catwalk, my stomach lurched. I’d managed to get across it last night, but with all the lights turned up and knowing what disrepair the theater was in, I didn’t know if I could do it again.

“I’m right behind you,” Ronnie whispered, reaching to take one of my hands.

I gripped the railing with my other hand and edged onto the catwalk. It was rickety and shifted when the rest of the group stepped out behind us. I wanted to scream at them to get off, but I just bit down on my cheek and kept walking. I wondered if any part of my body didn’t hurt. My hand trailed behind me on the railing, but I found it difficult to loosen my fingers to slide my hand. I kept going, one foot in front of the other, wondering if Ronnie had any feeling left in her hand.

“That’s where he cut down the light,” I said around the lump in my throat as I passed under the frayed wires.

There was a flash, and I jolted. Looking over my shoulder, I saw one of the uniformed officers had a camera. Ronnie gently patted my back to calm me down. I shook my head and blew out a breath, sending my bangs fluttering as I continued across that endless catwalk. When I got to the last few feet, I managed to find some courage and rushed forward to the platform in front of the door. Already I knew we were too late.

I touched the door, feeling nothing emanating from it. Sliding my hand to the frame, I tried to discern any trace of lingering magic, any supernatural signature, but I felt nothing. We’d waited too long, far too long. Anger pinched the muscles between my shoulder blades, but I kept my mouth shut. Ronnie squeezed my hand, and when I looked at her, she shook her head. She couldn’t feel anything either.

I shrugged. “Okay, so then he went through here. When he opened the door, it was all snowy and white and freezing. But when I got to the door, it just led to the fire escape.”

When the rest of the group pushed forward, Ronnie and I shuffled to the side, stepping down onto the matching circular staircase. Althea and Cassandra stepped up to the door and slid their hands along the wood, their foreheads pinched in concentration.

“We’re too late,” I said, leaning on the railing and watching the two high witches.

“Please,” said the third, silent as of yet, witch. Her mouth was pursed, and she glared at me through her black-framed glasses.

“What’s the plan, ladies?” Knoll asked.

“Nothing. We’re too late,” I said again, earning a glare from all three witches.

“We must perform our magics,” Althea said.

“Great, what do you need?” Knoll asked.

“Space,” Cassandra said. “All of you.” She shot a look at me and Ronnie.

“Fine. I wanted to leave hours ago.” I started down the stairs, Ronnie following right behind. The staircase shook under us as the three cops followed us.

When we made it to the stage, Knoll stopped me. “I need you to wait.”

“I hate you,” I said. “I want you to know that.”

Knoll blinked in surprise, but then a laugh burst out of him that made Ronnie jump. “Ladies,” Knoll called, craning his neck to look up at the three witches, “just let us know when you’re done.”

No one answered him, so we all just stood there, waiting.

And we waited.

And waited.

Knoll paced back and forth, and my knees started to ache as much as my back. Knoll took a few phone calls, and the other two cops moved around the theater, taking pictures and making notes. Spencer and Ronnie sat together, Ronnie dozing with her head on his shoulder. I wished I had someone to doze against. Finally we heard footsteps on the metal staircase, and everyone scrambled forward. I stood back, arms crossed, and waited for the inevitable.

“Well?” Knoll demanded when Althea stood in front of him.

“I’m afraid he covered his tracks too well for us to follow,” she said.

“Oh shut up,” I said, unable—or unwilling—to stop myself. “You waited too damn long and the signature faded, just like I said it would.”

“Matilda.”

“No!” I yelled. “I warned you, and you blew it because you’re so damn high and mighty no one can watch you do magic. It was a simple tracing spell. It should have been done hours ago. You could have had him! You could have saved those children!” My voice echoed against the walls, and I didn’t care.

“Enough!” Knoll yelled, his voice bouncing against mine. “Ms. Kavanagh, you have done nothing but be antagonistic, and I’ve had enough.”

“Antagonistic?” I demanded, reeling on him. “I called you! I didn’t have to do that. I could have just gone home, pretended I didn’t see a damn thing. How dare you!”

His hand moved, and I heard metal scraping. After a moment, he dropped his hand and glared at me. “I could bring you in for obstruction.”

“Are you serious?” I shook my head at him. “Is this the kind of cop you want to be? The kind who threatens and collars? You can’t understand why my people might not want to help you, but you threaten me like I’m a wild animal when I try to help. You want people to trust you, but we can’t.”

Knoll stared at me, and I watched as his rage and frustration melted out of his shoulders. He dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what to do. My job is on the line. The mayor is losing his shit over his kid.”

“Understandable,” I said.

“I know.” He lifted his face to look at me. “I don’t want to spend my Christmas Eve like this either, you know? I’ve got a wife, two kids, all at home without me. My wife is probably baking my favorite pecan pie right now. I promised my boy I would help him wrap his mother’s Christmas present, and where am I? Here.” He flung his hands out to indicate the theater at large.

I stepped forward so I could speak more softly to him. “I know. None of us want to be here, but you can’t do this with red tape and procedures. You’re dealing with an insane demigod. They aren’t going to help you.” I nodded toward the Collar witches, and Knoll flinched. “Why is it just you and two guys here?”

“There’s a taskforce, but we’re trying to be quiet and discreet. Can’t let the public freak out about this, you know?”

“No, I don’t,” I said. “They’re already freaking out. You need to move. You need to do something fast.”

“Yeah,” Ronnie said, stepping forward. “It’s too late for discretion.”

“What do you think he’s doing with those kids?” Knoll asked.

Ronnie and I exchanged a look.

“It’s hard to say,” Ronnie said.

“He’s been locked up for so long he’s lost his mind,” I said. “He could do anything with them.”

“What did he do with them in the first place?” Knoll asked. “I’ve heard talk about beatings and torture and taking them to Hell to eat them.”

Ronnie and I stared at him for a moment and nodded. Knoll blanched, nearly falling forward when we didn’t contradict him.

“But it’s been so many years since he’s done this, who knows, right?” I said, looking at Ronnie. “I mean, he might be trying to make up for lost time.”

“Right,” she agreed. “He may draw out their punishments or enslave them.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Knoll said, losing what was left of the color in his face.

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” I said.

“How’s that?” he asked.

“It gives us time,” I said. “If he does try to hold them, then he’s not killing them.”

“What kind of fucked up holiday tradition has a monster coming after kids to beat and kill them?”

“Most holidays have blood and sacrifice in them,” I said in a soft voice. “Humans just forget—your memories aren’t as long as ours. Just sometimes that blood and sacrifice came from animals, so you know, you guys were okay with that.”

Ronnie nodded. “Right, and maybe this will remind kids to behave better the rest of the year, not just because they’re trying to get presents.”

Knoll slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced at the floorboards before lifting his eyes to us. “You know, most bad kids aren’t bad. They’re unhappy or scared or sad. They’re just trying to get through whatever is happening to them, and maybe they act out when they do. That doesn’t make them bad. Punishing them like this takes away their chance to change, to become the people they’re supposed to be or might be.”

Something twisted inside me when his words hit me. He spoke softly, but his words held power, and I felt terrible for never thinking of it like that.

“I’ll help you,” I said.

Knoll’s bushy brows lifted. With a nod, he said, “Thank you.”

Chapter 15

Despite everything, Cassandra and Althea had gone back up to the doorway and were trying to force the portal to open. They’d been trying for a good half an hour, and even Knoll was losing his patience with them.

“I mean, can they really get it open if they’ve failed this long?” he asked.

“Probably not,” I said, leaning on the rail and staring at the catwalk.

“Probably?”

“Never say never,” I said with a shrug.

“Are you willing to come up with me and see what they’re doing? I know the delicate geniuses didn’t want anyone watching them work, but…” He shrugged.

“Are you actually asking me and not ordering me?” I lifted my brows at him, feeling Ronnie titter next to me.

Knoll chuckled and held out his arm to lead the way. “Yes, I am asking you.”

“Then yes, I’m willing. After you.” I bowed slightly at the waist.

Knoll sputtered slightly before getting his wits about him and moving for the stairs. “You two stay down here,” he said to the uniformed officers.

They looked as tired as the rest of us. Though it was their time to be awake, having been up all night must’ve exhausted them as much as us. I tried not to think of my big warm bed waiting for me as I took the first step up behind Knoll. Not to mention the pissed off cat that was probably pacing in front of my door. I wondered if I could call Kyle and ask him to have Frankie let him into my apartment to check on Artie.

Just as I reached for my phone, the staircase rattled underfoot, and I jolted to a stop, gripping both railings. Knoll looked down at me, and I looked down at Ronnie, who was right behind me. Spencer had rushed to the bottom of the stairs, letting us all know that rumble wasn’t the stairs but the whole theater. A lower growl rumbled from Spencer.

Ronnie leaned over the railing to look at him. “I’m okay. It’s okay.”

She didn’t sound very convincing to me, and when Spencer started up the stairs, I knew he didn’t buy it either. When he reached her, he placed one hand on her waist. He wasn’t going anywhere without her now.

I looked up, past Knoll, to try to see the three Collar witches. I couldn’t get a clear look at them through all the black railing and twisting stairs and hanging lights.

“What the hell are they doing?” Knoll asked, but not as though he expected an answer.

We all started up again. A rock formed in my stomach the higher we got, and it had nothing to do with the distance between me and the floor and everything to do with the static I felt in the air, making my hair float. The witches were pushing the limits of their magic.

“What are they trying to prove?” Ronnie asked from behind me.

“That their magic is infallible,” I said.

“It’s not the same as portal magic.”

“I know that.”

“Then what the hell?”

“They’re just trying to prove something in front of the humans.” My fingers tingled as the kinetic power inside me snapped and popped in response to the static. If I touched anyone before releasing some of that power, I would blast them hard enough to make their fillings burn.

“Ladies, really,” Knoll said as he got to the top of the stairs and stepped onto the platform with them, making the assistant witch step back onto the catwalk to make room for him. “You can stop.”

“Please, detective,” Cassandra said, holding out a hand to stop him. “Do not interrupt.”

Knoll looked at me, his eyes wide and mouth slack as he shook his head.

Althea had her hands braced on the doorframe, eyes closed, and head bent forward. Her knuckles had long since gone white as she pressed her weight into her hands. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of her face, and I saw a muscle jumping in her jaw. If she tried much harder, she’d shatter her teeth.

“Althea?” I reached out only to have static bite at my fingers, making tiny flashes of power snap at my fingertips.

“No,” Cassandra snapped, putting herself between us and the Grand High Witch.

Behind her legs, we saw Althea falter, her knees almost buckling, making her bow before the door. A pained noise came from her, and the staircase shook under me again. Knoll cursed and reached out to grip the railing. The assistant witch yelped in surprise and dropped her folders and clipboard to grab the railing. Papers fluttered to the stage like dead leaves, and one uniformed officer dodged out of the way of the metal clipboard.

“She’s going to kill herself,” I said, meeting Cassandra’s eyes and finally seeing some concern in their green depths.

But she sniffed at me, and when the shaking stopped, she turned to face the door and Althea again.

Frustration bubbled inside me as I stared at her back. “You’re like children, you know that? You can’t just admit that you made a mistake by waiting, and now you’re going to kill yourselves proving you weren’t wrong.”

“Shut up,” Cassandra said, biting off each word.

There was a long whining sound that put my teeth on edge, like metal ripping, and the stairs swayed under me. Spencer barked something, but his voice was lost in the rumble. My hair floated around my head like a black dandelion, and I thought my fingers would make dents in the railing if the shaking didn’t stop. The officers downstairs yelled something, but we couldn’t make out their words as something big cracked, the noise like a crash of thunder through the empty theater.

“Althea!” I screamed as the stairs rolled, making me lose my balance and come down hard on my knee. Black spots drifted in front of my eyes as pain arced through me, my black tights not offering the protection my usual jeans would have.

Spencer was growling, and when I looked behind me, I saw his eyes flashing yellow as fear and anger brought his wolf to the surface. Ronnie was looking at me, her face so pale that her freckles stood out against her skin. The officers below rushed toward the stairs, and I yelled at them to stay back. Then I was thrown to the side, the railing slamming into my torso hard enough to crack a rib.

The lights in the theater flickered, struggling to stay on. Electricity flashed ahead of me, and sparks of light rained down on the stage, winking out as they hit the floor. We were caught in some strange storm of magic, and if Althea didn’t stop, she’d kill us all.

With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I took another step and another until I was level with Knoll. “Cassandra, enough!”

“Stay back, Matilda,” Cassandra yelled, catching her balance before she toppled over. Her green eyes were wide with fear, as if she’d finally realized something might be wrong. She looked from me to her leader, who was trembling with the effort of holding herself up.

“Stop! Althea, stop!” I yelled, reaching for her with one hand. The static electricity around her was like something alive that bit at me. After a flash of light and a bright spark of pain, I snatched back my hand. When I looked, I saw little black half-moons on my nails as though I’d stuck my hand in an electric socket.

“What’s happening?” Knoll yelled over the rumble of thunder and breaking plaster.

“She’s going to kill herself,” I yelled back.

“No,” Cassandra yelled, “she’s going to open the portal!”

“Althea,” I tried again, feeling the press of energy and watching as her aura flashed white.

A fine line of blood trickled out of Althea’s ear. We had to stop her. I lunged forward, trying to push through the energy field she’d built around her. Cassandra screamed to stop me, but Knoll grabbed her and pulled her back. When my hand touched Althea’s shoulder, my arm felt as if it was on fire. I called my kinetic power to the surface and let it fill me and race down my arm, combating the power Althea was exuding.

“Althea,” I whispered, sure she could hear me over the storm of power she’d created. “You have to stop. You’re killing yourself.”

Her head bowed, and the whole world shook. Dust rained down, and the riggings of lights swung until they clashed together, threatening to shatter and break. I stumbled back, my hand leaving her shoulder, and I caught myself on the railing in time to see everyone stumble. The assistant witch screamed, her feet tripping over each other, and her hand slipped from the railing. I screamed—I know I did, I felt it rip from my throat—but it did nothing to stop her fall.

She fell from the catwalk, her glasses floating away from her face as she screamed. She seemed to fall forever, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her. I threw out my hands, willing some magic to come forward and stop her momentum, but I knew of nothing in any world that could do that. Her body shattered against the floorboards of the stage. Her dead eyes stared at the ceiling as blood trickled out of the corners of her mouth. Her glasses fell a few feet away from her, one lens breaking. I couldn’t seem to look away from those black-rimmed glasses.

“Mattie!”

Ronnie’s voice cut through the din and brought me back to reality. I tore my eyes away from the broken girl and her glasses and saw Knoll lose his footing. He was falling. I screamed and scrambled forward, Ronnie right behind me and pushing me faster. Knoll fell, his body flipping, and I knew Ronnie and I wouldn’t be able to catch him even if we got there in time.

A roar ripped through the air, louder than the shaking building around us. A hand shoved me down, pressing me into the hard edges of the stairs. I shook my hair out of my face in time to see Spencer, half shifted, launch across the distance to the falling man in less than a second.

Spencer’s body slammed onto the platform, and his clawed hands swiped out, catching Knoll’s wrist. Knoll screamed as his shoulder dislocated, but he stopped falling. Spencer strained against Knoll’s weight, but only because of the odd angle. I knew he could lift three times Knoll’s weight. Spencer’s feet struggled for purchase on the grating as he leveraged himself up, pulling Knoll with him.

I remembered how to breathe when Spencer pulled Knoll back onto the platform.

Then the world went silent but for one echoing laugh.

I felt trapped in warm honey as I tried to turn toward the sound, but I was moving too slow. Fear gripped my spine, trying to stop me, but I forced myself to look.

Althea was on her knees, and the door was open. Beyond, where there should have been sunshine and warm winds, was snow and darkness. The chill rushed inside as the portal reopened, and as the world beyond the door shimmered into focus, the face of a devil grinned at us.

Knoll screamed something, reaching for his gun with his good arm, and Spencer gnashed his wolfish teeth, hunched on all fours in front of Ronnie.

“Someone’s been naughty, so very naughty,” Krampus said, stepping on to the threshold and looking at the exhausted witch.

Althea’s hands slid from the door frame. She was barely strong enough to keep herself sitting upright. Krampus laughed again, and chills ran up my spine. A binding spell rushed to my lips, and I was lifting my hands to cast it when Krampus moved, crouching to grab Althea, who was too weak to fight him. I rushed toward them and managed to grab Althea by the ankle before he pulled her through the portal into the snowy world beyond.

Something sharp hit me, biting into my face. I looked up to see Krampus holding Althea with one arm and striking at me with his bundle of switches, the birch wood cutting into my cheek. I didn’t have it in me to scream as welts broke out over my skin. Closing my eyes, I turned my face to tuck my head into the well of my arms as I held on to Althea’s ankle. Krampus pulled and I pulled back, my feet hooked on the edge of the platform, but I felt myself slipping.

Teeth clenched, I grunted. My fingers ached as I clung to her ankle, and power pressed at my hands, needing release. I held it back, knowing I would just burn Althea. The switches whipped against my back, and once again I was grateful for the extra layers of clothing from the costume Joey had put together for me.

Then I felt hands on my legs—heavy, clawed hands. I didn’t need to look to know it was Spencer. His furred claws reached past me and grabbed Althea’s claves, allowing me to let go of her ankles.

When I looked up, I saw that Krampus’s deranged smile had turned into something wholly angry, pure evil. His eyes flashed red as he bared his sharp fangs, and snow swirled around him, rushing over me and making the cuts on my face sting. His eyes met mine, and his arm drew back the bundle of wicked switches, ready to let them fly again.

Spencer pulled at Althea’s legs. His strength was a match for Krampus’s, so she moved, drawn back half a foot, and Krampus stumbled forward. His fierce look became confused as he stared past me at the monster helping me. But Krampus’s grip didn’t slacken around the witch. I would have to force him to let go, and I only had one weapon at my disposal.

I crawled over Althea’s body. Ronnie screamed behind me and Knoll yelled something, but I ignored them both, trusting Spencer and his supernatural strength.

Krampus struck with the switches. I lifted my arm to shield my face, blocking the worst of them, and before he could pull his arm back, I snatched at the bundle, feeling the switches snap under my grip. He cried out wordlessly, pulling on the bundle and witch at once, but neither I nor Spencer would let go. He grunted and growled, jumping in place, his red eyes glowing with anger and hate.

In my free hand, power and energy built and built until my hand snapped and glowed with electricity. Krampus’s eyes slid to my hand flashing in the shifting light. His eyes darted to the bundle of switches and the witch he clung to. My free hand was inches away, the wind around him pushing at me and making me fight for every inch. His arm went slack around the switches, but he didn’t make his decision fast enough. I touched him, and I let the power explode from me.