DARKNESS CALLS Chapter Nine
I slept with Joey tight against me all night. I didn't feel horny, and I wasn't about to have sex there in the Estrella penthouse, but I wanted as much bodily contact with him as I could get. I still couldn't get over the feel of his skin. If I could, I'd bottle his scent and bathe in it every day for the rest of my life. My feelings toward him were like nothing I'd ever experienced before, or even imagined. The whole scene was just too weird to get my head around. I'd figure it out later -- if there was a later. For now I just wanted to touch him, to smell him. From the way he burrowed up against me, I'm guessing that Joey was wanting something similar.
We got up and hung around the penthouse the next morning. I went to the gym and worked out again. After lunch we cleaned up and got ready for the drive. I didn't have a suit, but I probably wouldn't have worn one anyway. I wanted something more loose-fitting that would leave me free to move as needed. I went through what we'd bought and chose some grey linen slacks and a black mock-turtleneck. Joey put on a pair of black Levis and a white long-sleeve dress shirt.
We waited for Amber and Opal in the living room. Amber came out wearing a grey cotton pantsuit with a white blouse. Opal was dressed in several layers of black. We seemed to have a monochromatic theme going. Like we were all going to a funeral.
We took the elevator down to the parking garage. Amber walked over to a big silver Mercedes sedan.
She held the keys out to me. "Will you drive?" The car was an S600. Probably cost almost as much as a house in the `burbs.
"Happy to." I took the keys.
It drove like a dream. No one seemed inclined to chat. Amber turned on some light jazz; Opal scowled and put in her earbuds. Joey just looked out the window.
We drove through the little seaside town without stopping and pulled off the FM road onto the private drive. Down in the little valley there were four cars parked outside the Victorian mansion. One of them was the baby blue convertible. There was also another silver S600, a maroon Jeep with chrome fixtures and an older Honda Civic. I pulled in behind the Civic and we all got out.
Amber led the way up the steps like she was a queen ascending her throne. If she was scared, she did a good job of hiding it. I put myself behind her and in front of Joey, keeping close to them both. Opal trailed us like a petulant kid being dragged to Sunday church.
Amber swept through the front door and the checker-tiled entrance foyer, entourage in tow, and continued into the parlor. Inside we interrupted five women having afternoon tea.
The women looked up as we entered. Two of them I recognized: Aunt Vivana and the woman who had picked up the mail from the PO Box. Mail lady was sitting at one end of the large U-shaped sectional. Next to her was a younger woman with short hair sitting cross-legged, ankle over knee, in a posture that screamed dyke. Next to the dyke, close to the middle of the couch, was a petite middle-aged woman dressed in a frilly lace blouse and pleated skirt. There was a doll-like quality to her that made me instantly suspicious. Aunt Vivana was seated all the way over at the other end of the couch. In a wheelchair next to her was an ancient woman with wispy white hair and a senile smile.
"What the hell are those two doing here?" the dyke demanded, pointing at Joey and me.
"They are with me, Brenette," Amber replied calmly. "It's permitted. Technically, Joseph is second line. Daniel is here as my satelles.
"That's crap," Brenette retorted. "This is first line business. There's no way they're going to go --"
"We are not to that point yet," the frilly-bloused woman interrupted. "This is just an informal gathering. There is no reason they cannot stay."
"You're shitting me!" Brenette glared at the other woman.
"It's fine, Bre," the older woman patted the dyke's arm. "Try a lemon cupcake. I made them especially for you."
Scowling, Brenette subsided. She didn't go for the cupcake.
The pint-sized Betty Crocker -- I was guessing that was Sherietta -- gave Amber a little nod. "I made some with vanilla filling for you, Amber. Oh, and I also have a satelles."
I pivoted and saw him in the corner: a big, beefy guy in a dark suit. He was wearing sunglasses and standing very still, one hand folded over the other. I can't believe I missed him on the way in. Cringe.
The old woman raised her hands wide toward us, as if inviting a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Brother Light," she sang out in a surprisingly clear voice, "and Brother Dark. At end of days, you'll be our Ark." She clapped her hands and giggled.
And that would be Grantie Rose. Which meant that mail lady was Katerina. So this was the Estrella first line. Small wonder the family was going to seed.
"Come, sit down," Sherietta nodded toward the couch, "have some tea and a cupcake. Or perhaps you'd prefer a scone?"
"No, thank you," said Amber. "Tell me, Sherietta, did you kill Momma Lolotta?"
For a second everyone froze, like they were all posing for a photo of the witches' tea party. There was a clink in the silence as Sherietta placed her teacup down on its saucer.
"No, Amber, I did not. Did you?"
"No."
Everyone sat there looking at each other.
"Maybe she just died," said Opal.
Now everyone looked at her.
"She was old. Old people do that, you know."
"Such wisdom," Sherietta sniffed, "from one who would be our next matriarch."
"Opal," Amber turned to her sister, "you told the others that you wanted to be mistress?"
"Sure." Opal flushed. "Why not? Mother doesn't want to. You don't really want to. Why should it be one of them? Why not me?"
"She claimed her Darkness was deeper than my own," said Sherietta. She picked her tea back up and took a delicate sip. "And that her craft was stronger."
"So you sent the grendel against her?"
"I had it pay her a visit. I thought that would settle the matter. I wouldn't have lost control if you hadn't stepped in. Are you backing her bid for the matriarchy?"
Amber ignored the question. "I didn't step in."
"Oh, please." Sherietta regarded Amber over her teacup. "Do you think I'm a fool?"
"I knew nothing about the grendel until Opal showed up on my doorstep, after it had broken into her condo and killed her familiar. I'm willing to say that again under conditions that will verify the truth. And you?"
Sherietta blinked. "I did not send it to kill anything. I had complete control until someone snapped the leash. That someone was certainly not Opal. Yes, I am willing to say that under the conditions you are referring to. Do you deny that your satelles destroyed it?"
"No. He did, after it broke into his house and attacked him."
Sherietta's eyes narrowed in thought. "Someone set it on him?"
"Or his brother. Or both."
The petite woman set her teacup back down. Her eyes swept over the others on the couch; beneath that frilly lace lay the steel of the CEO of Eveningstar Investments.
"Ladies," she said, "does anyone have anything they'd like to contribute regarding the matters of our matriarch's death or the grendel's unusual behavior? Anything you'd like to say now, before we continue under conditions which will compel honesty?"
"I have something I will say." Vivana spoke up. She clutched her rosary. "Something you all should hear. We are a family splintered by malice. That we can calmly sit here and listen to you accuse each other of murdering your own grandmother says how deeply we have descended into corruption and madness. Whatever the cause of her death, Mother died a bitter and unhappy woman. Her Arts brought her nothing but sorrow. What good have they done for any of us? Darkness and all its workings are evil. Is this very discussion not proof of that?"
The room was silent again.
Grantie Rose reached over to pat Vivana's hand. "That's real sweet, honey," she said. "You should talk at the service."
"I don't think there's room for all of us in the convent, Mother," said Opal. Brenette chuckled.
Vivana sighed and dropped her head to stare at the rosary in her lap. Apparently the Estrellas weren't big on Christian family values.
"Has no one done a divining?" Sherietta demanded.
"As a matter of fact," Amber replied, "I have. And you?"
"Of course. What have you kenned?"
Amber turned to look at me and Joey. "Daniel and Joseph Meltzer are the key."
What the hell?
"Yes," Sherietta nodded, "the Child of Wind and the Skin Brother. I agree."
"Wait a second," I broke in. "Are you saying that we caused Momma Lolotta's death?"
"No," said Amber, "but you are the connection." She turned back to Sherietta. "When she met them, Momma Lolotta kenned that Joseph was possessed by an indweller. She sent them to Dr. Fellers, a many-in-one. You knew this, didn't you? Katerina was there."
Sherietta glanced at mail lady and nodded. "I knew it.
"Forty-eight hours ago," Amber continued, "Fellers was killed when he fell and an iron bar pierced his heart. Did you know that?"
"What?" Sherietta stared. "I did not. Why was I not informed?"
"You're being informed now."
Sherietta exchanged looks with her sisters. "None of you knew of this?"
They shook their heads. Mail lady looked worried.
Sherietta turned back to Amber. "If what you say is true, this is serious. I had thought you and Opal were acting in concert, but even I doubted that you were a murderer, and you'd never be party to something that would jeopardize our relationship with the Communality. Nor would Opal, and there's no way she could have killed Momma Lolotta or one of the Chalice-gifted alone."
Opal started to say something, then subsided. Rather than being pleased that she wasn't suspected of a double homicide, she looked pissed that she wasn't deemed capable of it. That girl was so not matriarch material.
"It is time to find out what is going on," Sherietta ignored Opal, "and we urgently need a new mistress. I propose we proceed to the convocation."
"I agree," said Amber.
"What do we do with the men?" Brenette glowered at the three of us like she was hoping for permission to do a group sacrifice to some bloody lesbian goddess.
Sherietta gave us a bright smile. "We feed them all dinner, of course."
I looked at Amber. She nodded. "We'll be in convocation for a number of hours. You can wait for us in the main kitchen. Someone will feed you. It's safe, for now. Breaking bread is a sacred thing to us."
"So are our homes," said Opal in a sullen voice, "but that didn't help me any."
"Yes," Amber's voice was firm. "Which is precisely why we need to get to the bottom of this."
"Katerina," Sherietta turned to her other sister, "would you be a dear and show them to the kitchen?"
Mail lady stood up. She walked to the doorway, then turned and waited, arms crossed. Coming?
Sherietta's satelles was looking at his boss. At least his dark glasses were facing her direction. She waved her hand. "Go with her, Roland, and wait for me. Don't empty the pantry. And don't kill anyone, please." I think she was joking.
There was a bit of jockeying at the doorway, because neither Roland nor I wanted to go first. Joey stepped in front and I followed him. Roland came last. Katerina led us all downstairs to a large room. One half of the room was a modern restaurant-grade kitchen; the other half was occupied by a long wooden table with over a dozen chairs. There were a couple of women working in the kitchen, one middle-aged, the other younger.
The women looked up as we filed in. Katerina tilted her head toward us. The middle-aged woman nodded. Katerina turned and left.
"So," the woman gave us an appraising look, "you boys hungry?"
It really was like a restaurant kitchen. The woman offered us a couple of choices and started cooking. Her assistant set the table for three, two on one side and one on the other. She brought us iced tea with mint sprigs and we settled down to wait. I took the chair opposite Sherietta's satelles. Joey sat beside me.
"You going to wear those all night?" I nodded at his sunglasses. He sat didn't respond.
"I don't think you'll be able to see what you're eating very well," Joey said.
A grin tugged at the corner of the guy's mouth. "What the hell." He took the glasses off and slid them into his vest pocket. "I guess I can always kill you later." He gave me a hard smile.
"I guess you can always try," I returned the smile.
There, we'd achieved détente. We all settled back to wait. The women served dinner in several courses: appetizer, salad, entree, dessert, coffee. The food was excellent. Under other circumstances -- like wine, conversation and lack of murderous threats -- it would have been delightful.
Since they were mostly cooking as they went, each course took a while. Still, dessert was long behind us and it was late in the evening before the witches reappeared.
They were preceded by the sound of their footsteps. I turned. A few seconds later Roland's head turned. We both stood up and he slid his shades back on. Détente was over.
One by one the members of the Estrella Family first line stepped through the doorway into the kitchen. Amber was in the lead. She was smiling. A wave of relief washed over me. Sherietta came next and she was wearing a self-satisfied little smirk as well. What the hell? Opal and her dyke cousin came in looking pissed and Aunt Vivana seemed dazed. Katerina, mail lady, was as unreadable as always and old Grantie Rose looked batty as ever.
They gathered before us.
"Roland," Sherietta said to her satelles, "would you please go back up to the parlor and wait for me there?"
He nodded and left the room.
Amber stepped forward. "A number of things have become clear," she said, "while some others still await clarification. We have some questions for you."
She turned to Joey. "Your indweller is gone. How did you accomplish that?"
Joey looked at me and I nodded. "Dr. Fellers made a deal with it," he answered.
"Obviously. What was the deal?"
Joey shifted uncomfortably. I think all the eyes on him was a bit much. "You can tell her, Daniel."
"Okay. Just before Charolotta killed our father -- " I was glad to see Sherietta wince " -- he completed the Project. He found the answer that he and Joey's mother had been looking for. The demon agreed to leave Joey once we found and gave it the answer. So we did."
Amber was staring at me. "You mean that you know why the Darkness is dwindling?"
"Yes." Now everyone in the room was staring at me.
"It's going to all come back." Damn it, Joey. I really needed to talk to my brother about not just handing out valuable information.
Opal laughed. "You are both so full of shit." She looked at the others. "I hope none of you are falling for this."
"Shut up, Opal." Amber's eyes never left my face. "So far they've been more forthright than you."
Opal flushed.
"So the demon left?" Amber continued.
"Yeah."
"And you've seen no sign of it since?"
I glanced at Joey. His head had fallen forward and he was staring at the floor.
I turned back to Amber. "Nope."
"When's it coming back?" Brenette interrupted.
"The damned thing's not coming back."
"The Darkness," she snapped. "When is the Darkness coming back?"
"Oh," I shrugged. "That's the billion dollar question. Don't know, but there may be some clues to that in Mercedes' notes. Joey and I might be able to find out, if someone doesn't kill us first."
"What did you do with her notes, Daniel?" Joey asked me.
It was such a foolish question to ask right then that I almost laughed. Things might be all chummy among the Estrellas, but something was going on, and I had no guarantee that Joey and I were safe. I shook my head. Not answering, bro.
Amber looked at Sherrietta. Sherrietta nodded, and Amber turned back to us.
"Joey, Daniel," she said, "I'd like to introduce to you the new matriarch of our lineage, Mistress Katerina Estrella."
Now that was unexpected. I looked at Katerina. She looked back with that level, unreadable gaze.
Amber was smiling. "This is fine, guys," she assured me. "Really."
"Joseph and Daniel Meltzer," began Katerina. I'd almost forgotten she could speak. "I have forbidden vendetta against you by any member of the Estrella lineage. Joseph Meltzer, I recognize you as a member of the Estrella third line."
The others looked surprised. "Shit, Kati - " Brenette began.
Katerina whirled to stare at her sister. Brenette's mouth snapped shut. I could hear the molars grinding. Katerina surveyed the others. "Before you all," she continued, "I also vow that he will never be advanced the second line."
Brenette still looked steamed, but the others relaxed.
"That's good, Sweetie," Grantie Rose beamed.
"Thank you." Katerina turned back to me. "Our previous matriarch and the Chalice-gifted helping you were both killed by a demon; it was a demon that set the grendel against you. We believe it is the same demon that possessed Joey. If so, it is the enemy of everyone in this room. You can help us. Please do."
So this was the new matriarch of the Estrella Lineage. I didn't particularly like her, but I also didn't dislike her. She seemed reasonable. And what she said sounded right. If the demon had killed Momma Lolotta and Dr. Fellers, and had turned the grendel loose on us, it was definitely our enemy. But why was it still hanging around?
"Why is it doing this?" I asked.
The witches looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Daniel," Joey answered, "it's a demon."
Brenette chuckled and shook her head.
"Actually, it's an interesting question," Amber said. "Demons are possessive and vindictive. It made the bargain to leave Joey, but perhaps it still wants him. Or it may want revenge."
"You're speculating," snapped Sherietta. "What do we know for certain has motivated it in the past?"
"It wanted to know why the Darkness was dwindling," I answered.
So what else would it want? Easy. It would want the answer to the question Brenette had just asked. It was the same answer Uncle Walter was searching for in Mercedes' papers. If anyone could find that answer, it would be him. So much depended on Walter's help. Uncle Walter was crucial. He was key.
Shit. He was in terrible danger.
"I took a deep breath. "There is a man," I said, "who was a good friend of my father, and is also a physicist. He deciphered my father's notes and helped us understand what they meant. He is going through Mercedes' papers right now, trying to figure out how soon the Darkness will return."
"Uncle Walt?" asked Joey. "He has them?"
Grimly, I nodded. Joey's gaze fell back to the floor.
"He's in danger," said Amber. "If he is not himself possessed, the demon will be lurking nearby."
"Yeah. Just got that."
"Where does he live?"
"The city. He teaches at the state university."
Amber looked at Sherietta. "Tomorrow morning?" Sherietta nodded.
"What?" I asked.
They looked me. "Will you give us the directions to his house?" asked Amber.
"What are you going to do? Can you kill the demon?"
"No. It cannot be destroyed. But it can be neutralized and contained."
"Contained?" Joey looked up again. "Like a genie in a bottle?"
"Yes." Katerina held up her hand. She was holding a small crystal pendant, the kind you'd see for sale in a new-age bookstore. "Like a genie in a bottle."
The Estrella witches were all smiling. They were not nice smiles.
"I've got a better idea," I found myself smiling back. "I'll drive you."
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This is just so typical. Blame it all on the demon. I'd like to point out that I never would have gotten involved with the Estrellas if Charolotta hadn't come looking for me. She offered me certain favors in exchange for assistance penetrating the protections Mercedes had placed around her husband. In other words, Charolotta Estrella fed me Darkness-laced sex and I helped her kill Jonathan Meltzer.
When Mercedes figured it out she contacted me with a new deal. There are oaths, Darkness-powered oaths, that stop first line members from direct magical attacks against each other. Because of my previous relationship with Charolotta, I was able to help Mercedes circumvent those oaths. There was still a backlash. Mercedes wasn't able to shield herself from all of it. But she was strong and would have recovered ... if I hadn't used the opportunity to move in and start redecorating.
Wrestling the grendel away from Sherietta and sending it after Daniel hadn't been that hard. Certainly not as hard as killing Momma Lolotta had been. She was the biggest challenge, but by the time I got to her I'd had a fair amount of experience dealing with Estrellas. Plus I was turbocharged on her grandson's Darkness. Still, if the old lady hadn't been so eaten up by years of grief and remorse she probably would have been able to defend herself. How Shakespearean.
Compared to the others, offing Fellers was easy as pie. Of all the shadowkin, vampires have the greatest direct power over the lightblind, but their precognitive sense is nil. They're pretty defenseless against my kind. The good doctor should have remembered that.
So there you have it, the whole sordid story. And it's actually the truth. Wow, I feel tons better having gotten that off my chest. Now I can turn my attention to more immediate matters, like preparing for tomorrow's visitors.
The peasants are coming to storm the castle. They're in for such a surprise.
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