Loch Nessa (Damned Girl Book 4) Read online

  I'd also told the others that Dick was on the run, I wasn't in cahoots with Ed and I'd never murdered anyone, so it wasn't like it was unusual for them to believe my sub-par cover stories. Of course, there was another Department official who hadn't quite bought my story. My heart raced when I thought about Henry, and not in a good way. (OK, maybe a little bit in a good way, but mostly just because I was afraid he was going to have me executed.)

  So using the Doomstone to fight off the vamp was out. What other options did I have? I'd have to use my magic, but I doubted I was any match for him. I racked my brain, trying to come up with some sort of strategy, but nothing came to me. (Well, I did consider throwing Maude at him and then making a run for it, but I thought the others might frown on that.) I decided that I'd just try to fend off his attacks and go from there.

  Speaking of which... I looked up to see why Pierre hadn't attacked me yet. He was staring down at his chest in confusion, although I didn't know exactly what he was expecting to find there. His eyes were widened in shock and perhaps a little bit of fear. I took a step towards him and the burning in my pocket grew even stronger.

  "Argh!" cried Pierre as he fell to his knees, clutching his heart. His cloak billowed dramatically around him as he fell. Wait, do vampires even have hearts? They must, given that's where you're meant to stake them. But why? It's not like they need to pump blood or anything. I mean, the vamps are already dead. I shook my head and came back into the present moment. This was not the first time I wished I'd bothered to learn more about vampires. I still didn't have an answer as to whether they could transmit blood-borne illnesses.

  It occurred to me that maybe now was not the time to worry about that. Now it was time to figure out what was wrong with Pierre and see if I could use this to my advantage. He was distracted. Maybe I could cast at him now. But what kind of spell should I try? Where should I aim it? Should I try to tie him up with my energy? I took another step forward and Pierre cried out again.

  "Ouch!" called a voice from behind me. I whipped my head around to see what was going on. Daisy was also clutching at her chest. What the hell was happening here? I was completely miffed – until I noticed a warmth spreading through my own chest. It wasn't as hot as the Doomstone in my pocket, but I knew it was connected. The key hanging on a chain around my neck had grown warm as well. Had the Doomstone activated it? Was my Doomstone attacking Pierre on the down low? I panicked. Wait, did Daisy have her companion item on a chain around her neck? Maybe it had grown hot when the Doomstone had been activated. What if she realised I had the stone?

  I took another step towards Pierre and he cried out again. I heard Daisy groan behind me as I felt my own key and stone grow warmer. I was now almost certain that Daisy's companion item was responding to the proximity of my own talismans, but I didn't know quite what was going on with Pierre. All I knew was that I needed to get rid of him while he was weakened.

  "Get out," I commanded.

  Pierre's eyes were slits as he glared at me, still hunched over on the floor. "No," he hissed.

  I felt my eye twitch in annoyance and the stone burned against my leg. My temper flared and Pierre hunched over further with a groan.

  "Get out," I repeated, more forcefully this time. My voice sounded strange, not like my own, and I watched as Pierre's eyes widened and his face went blank. He stood woodenly and turned, marching back to the door like a robot. With no further resistance, he crossed the threshold and walked out into the raging storm outside, and then he was gone.

  As he disappeared into the forest, the candles began to burn brighter as his forcefield of dark energy moved away. There was a collective sigh of relief from the witches, who began to stand up, muttering a lot. I overheard Maude complain about how dry the sandwiches would be by now, sitting out all this time. No one so much as glanced at me.

  I looked over at Daisy and Hecate who were deep in conversation. Daisy gestured at her chest. I frowned and made my way over towards them. They stopped talking when I got close.

  "Are you two OK?" I asked.

  They both nodded. "Are you?" Hecate asked, her face impassive.

  I nodded. "His energy vortex doesn't affect me like it affects creatures of the light," I said.

  They nodded. "Yes, Henry explained that to us."

  Of course he did. My heart started a little at his name, but I tried not to let it show on my face.

  "Right," I said. "So, do you know what just happened?"

  I was trying to find out if they'd figured out I had the stone. They exchanged a glance and I felt my heart race again. Any second they were going to break out the handcuffs and lead me away. Daisy had to have been wearing the companion object. She'd felt the stone's energy. She knew I had the Doomstone.

  "What is it?" I asked her apprehensively.

  "I – I'm not sure," Daisy said. She shot Hecate a questioning look. Hecate nodded once in response and Daisy put her arm around my shoulder, leading me away from the main congregation while Hecate walked around among the witches to check that everyone was OK.

  "Did you – did you do something to bring that vampire down?" Daisy asked me quietly.

  I shook my head. "Nothing." I was glad that for once I hadn't even had to lie.

  She frowned. "I didn't think so." Rather than appearing relieved, she still looked concerned.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  She exhaled slowly, staring blankly at the floor. "There was something weird... Something..."

  "Daisy?"

  She looked up at me. "You know that Hecate and I can trace the Doomstone, right?"

  I nodded.

  "Do you know how that works?"

  I opened my mouth, unsure how to answer. I decided to be honest, figuring that I could say Dick had explained it to me before he (cough) fled and (cough) went on the run.

  "I kind of know how it works, yes. You have a companion item."

  She nodded. "Well, something weird just happened with it."

  I frowned as though I hadn't already known that. "Really?"

  "Yes," she said, tension clear around her eyes. She was worried. "But it wasn't like normal."

  "What do you mean?"

  She paused and thought for a moment, choosing her words. "Normally when the stone is used, I get a – a kind of flash of an image, a vision of where it is. Then I'm drawn towards it by the companion."

  "Right," I said, trying not to look too concerned. A vision? I hoped that vision didn't include the user, otherwise I definitely had some explaining to do. "What does that have to do with what happened tonight?"

  "I'm not sure," she said after a moment.

  "Did you have a vision?"

  She shook her head. "No. The item just started to get hot. Really hot, like it was burning me, and then I started to get jolts of pain through my body. It's never done that before."

  I didn't have to fake my confusion this time. "Really? Why?"

  "I have no idea," she replied. "All I can think of is that the vampire was somehow using the Doomstone, but if that was the case then we'd all be dead already."

  Nodding, I said, "Yeah, that seems likely."

  "The way he hunched over like that... It was like he was getting the same feeling I was. The pain." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it. There is one possible reason, but I'm not sure..."

  "What is it?"

  "Well, if he has another companion object, maybe they reacted in each other's presence. But that doesn't make sense, because then it would have reacted when he attacked me in the woods just before Dick kidnapped you."

  I nodded, mulling it over. Could Pierre have a companion item? That would make sense, I supposed. Maybe he'd somehow managed to harness the object's energy and that was why he had such a strange kind of magic these days. It would explain why he'd seemed to experience more pain the closer I stepped to him – my stone and key were reacting with whatever item he had, and Daisy had been caught in the crossfire.

  I realised Daisy was looking at m
e expectantly and replied, "Right. But maybe he didn't have it on him that night in the forest."

  She nodded slowly. "I suppose that's possible."

  "It's the only explanation that makes sense," I said.

  "Seems that way."

  Hecate strode over and joined us.

  "I think it's time for our newest witch to get home and rest up," said Hecate. "It's been a big night for you."

  "So that's it?" I said. "I'm qualified to use magic now?"

  Hecate hesitated before answering. Uh oh. This didn't bode well.

  "Well, yes... but there are certain, uh, conditions on your licence."

  I narrowed my eyes. "What conditions?"

  Hecate shifted uncomfortably. I looked to Daisy and found she was avoiding eye contact.

  "What conditions?" I repeated.

  "Well... you have more of a learners' permit."

  I put my hands on my hips. "Meaning?"

  "Meaning that you need to be supervised while performing magic," Maude said. I bit back the urge to tell her to stop eavesdropping. There were bigger things afoot.

  "Supervised?" I repeated. "You mean I'm meant to try to convince my clients that I'm a professional psychic while I have a babysitter watching over me?"

  "Exactly!" said Maude.

  "Thank you, Maude," Hecate snapped. Maude didn't seem to pick up on the icy atmosphere.

  "You're welcome," she said.

  "I have a client appointment tomorrow morning," I said. "Are you honestly telling me I need –"

  "I'm available to watch you," said Maude.

  "Excellent," said Hecate. "It's settled. Maude's available. Have fun!"

  And she hurried away before I could question her further.

  CHAPTER 4

  MY CLIENT SAT across the table, looking less than convinced in my ghost-whispering abilities. The fact that Maude was sitting in the corner knitting and occasionally whistling didn't help. I'd told the client in a whisper that she was my grandmother and I was looking after her for the day, but he didn't seem to buy it. The fact that Maude kept questioning everything I said didn't help.

  "Are you sure you don't need to light another candle, dear? I'm happy to help you form a full circle if you need a little extra boost. After all, I do have faery lineage, you know."

  I gritted my teeth. "No thanks, Maude. I'm perfectly capable of summoning a ghost without your help."

  Ordinarily I'd be glad to accept help from other magical folk in summoning a spirit – it meant less work for me if I could sponge someone else's energy – but I didn't want to give Maude the impression that she was needed. Not only was I more than capable of doing this by myself, but I was also far more skilled in magic than my supposed supervisor.

  I couldn't believe that Daisy had talked me into joining the coven only to later tell me – after I'd made a blood pact – that it didn't actually mean I could use magic alone at all. I'd thought Daisy and I were closer friends than that. How could she lie to me? (Yes, I know I'm a hypocrite, but we're not talking about my betrayal now; we're talking about Daisy's. Shush.)

  Finally Maude stopped butting in and I was able to call my client's grandfather as he'd asked. Grandpa hadn't hung around earth in ghost form and it took a little while to call him from the world beyond, but eventually I managed it.

  "This little worm wants to talk to me?" growled the ghost, an elderly moustachioed man who I imagined had spent a lot of time fishing when he was alive. I instantly liked him more than his grandchild, possibly because his grandson seemed so skeptical of my abilities.

  "What's he saying?" asked the grandson.

  "He called you a worm," I said.

  His jaw dropped. "How dare you? I didn't come here to be insulted."

  "If you didn't come here expecting to be insulted, you little toe rag, then you must have forgotten how much I always disliked you."

  I relayed the message. The grandson's face grew red and he began huffing, obviously struggling to keep his temper under control. I was used to this kind of reaction from clients. For some reason, people seemed to think that when their relatives were dead, their spirits would be friendly towards them even though they'd hated them when they were alive. If anything, a ghost's animosity towards their living relatives grew after death because their shitty grandsons and nieces and second cousins were still living. They were able to eat and touch things and go on as normal, and they almost invariably only tried to contact the dead to settle a will dispute. In all my time working as a medium – which had been a couple of years before The Department started interfering – I'd never seen a ghost decide to change their will after a rello called them up from the grave. Why did people even bother trying?

  "Tell him that if he doesn't pay you right now and leave, you'll tell his wife about what happened with Susie Bennet in the parking lot behind McDonald's."

  The grandson visibly paled at that.

  "How – how could you possibly know –"

  "Your grandfather told me, you idiot. He didn't like you when you were alive and he doesn't like you now. There was a reason he left you out of his will," I said. "Now give me my money and be on your way."

  The man, who was now shaking more with fear than anger, pulled a wad of cash from his wallet, flung it on the table and scrambled to the door. I picked up the money and counted it. He'd accidentally given me an extra fifty, but I wasn't going to tell him.

  "Did his grandfather really say all those mean things?" Maude asked.

  I rolled my eyes. Of course they'd given me a supervisor who couldn't even see ghosts.

  Later that day, I decided to head out to pick herbs while the sun was still up. There were certain herbs that were best collected under the light of the full moon, but I would go out with the entire coven to do that in a couple of nights' time. There were all sorts of magical weirdos running about the forest around the full moon, and it was best not to try to make your way around alone. That was at least one benefit of being in the coven – there was some safety in numbers. (Well, unless Pierre decided to show up again.) Even so, all the plants and other supplies that could be collected in the sunlight I would pick up now so I could minimise my time exploring the forest with the witches.

  With a basket slung over my arm and my heavy cloak hanging from my shoulders, I felt like Little Red Riding Hood making my way through the woods. I grimaced when I thought about running into wolves on my journey. I was more than a match for them, but I was hoping for a quiet supply collection trip today.

  I should have known better.

  I'd just found a nice patch of bush flowers and started harvesting when I heard a noise from behind me. I stood and whipped around, bending my knees and raising my hands, ready to cast. When I saw who it was, I realised I probably wasn't in danger, but I still didn't lower my hands. If any ghost deserved to have a spell cast on him, it was the ghost standing – or floating – before me.

  "Hi," said Ed. "Been a while."

  I took a deep breath, wondering what spell exactly to use. What could I do that would hurt a ghost? Or at least inconvenience him for a while?

  "Cat got your tongue?" he asked.

  "Shouldn't you be locked up somewhere for murdering two people to steal a rock?"

  "It's a special rock," he said with a smile. "Doomstones are forever, you know."

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  "What?" he said. "Why are you so cranky?"

  "I'm not cranky!" I snapped.

  "Right, that's why you're standing there trying to decide what curse to use on me."

  I glared at him for a moment before lowering my hands. Turning back to the plants, I began plucking them with far more force than was required.

  He sighed. "Is this because I ditched you in the forest that time when the police were trying to arrest you for murder?"

  I looked up at him and pulled at another plant, reefing it towards myself so hard that instead of just taking the flower like I'd meant to, I broke off the whole stem.

  "I
'll take that as a yes, then," he murmured. "I'm sorry. But come on, you were innocent. At least in that case. I knew they'd let you out in no time. Me, on the other hand... Once I'm in prison, I'm there forever."

  "If only."

  "Come on. Who would help you out of trouble if I was in jail?"

  "I don't know, Ed, but anyone would be better at it than you. It's not like you actually helped me out of trouble the last time," I said through gritted teeth. "Seeing as you ran away the instant things began to get sticky."

  He rolled his eyes. "Come on, you and I both know that's not true. I stuck through a fair bit of stickiness."

  "You wouldn't know sticky if it hit you in the face."

  We both paused, grimacing at that mental image.

  "You have such a way with words," said Ed finally.

  "Shut up."

  "Really, it's almost like you try to –"

  "I've never tried to kill a ghost, Ed, but if there's anyone who can do it, it's going to be me."

  One corner of his mouth turned up. "You wouldn't kill me. I'm too useful."

  "You might be safer if you were reliable along with it."

  "I'll work on it," he said.

  I turned back to the patch of flowers and continued to pick, hoping Ed would get the hint and stop trying to talk to me.

  No such luck.

  "I hear you've joined Green Wattle," he said.

  I didn't answer.

  "The coven."

  Silence.

  "Of witches."

  I groaned. "Fine, yes. Yes I did. I joined a coven."

  "What on earth possessed you to do that?"

  "It was that or go on another quest."

  "Or just embrace your renegade nature and do magic illegally."

  "Some of us don't want to go on the run, Ed," I said. "Some of us want a normal life."

  "Yes, because bonding yourself to a coven for eternity definitely sounds like the key to living a normal life."

  I gritted my teeth. "Do you think I care about your opinion, Ed?"