Evil Spark (3 page)

Their blood magic ebbed away, leaking into the Empty, but mostly coming to me, where I gathered it up, ready to leave them as nothing but desiccated corpses. All their accumulated magic would be gone and their bodies would revert to their true age, where they would long ago have died.

They snarled, revealing sharp canines as they fought me, caught my eyes in my overconfidence and I faltered, not glamored but the will was gone, the madness receding. I let go. The world returned, the emptiness faded, and I gave back what I had taken.

The twins were across the table in a flash, moving impossibly fast as all vampires can, now on all fours and inches from my face, one either side of my head, ready to bite into my neck in a double act of revenge for my abuse.

Before I was lost to the sickness, always a result of strong magic use, I shouted, "No," and purged myself of the vestiges of magic inside of me, directed it at the massive frames of the twins, and they slid back across the table and onto their chairs like a video on rewind.

"More tea?" asked Kate, smiling nervously at me then the twins, who seethed but remained seated.

I leaned to the side and coughed up darkness and pain in gobbets of wispy magic that fizzled and sparked as it returned to the Empty. "That... would... be nice," I managed, staring at the twins with eyes I knew were black and flecked with silver sparks of hate.

The twins nodded then glared at me.

"Right, now you boys have got that out of you system, how about we find out WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO GRANDMA!" We all turned at Kate's outburst. She's a lady, she doesn't shout like that. "Good. Now, what else did Taavi tell you to do here?"

She's a clever woman, and I love her. Even if she is a vampire. Maybe even because she is.

A battle of the stares continued for a while across the table, then I sighed and pushed back my chair. The twins were up in a flash, canines bared and ready to fight.

"I'm just getting a cloth for the spilled tea. Calm down." I pulled a blue and white checkered cloth from the drawer, ran it under the tap, then cleaned up the table until Grandma would have been proud.

I rinsed it then hung it over the tap at the sink. Such a strange act of normalcy; it felt entirely surreal. There I was, feeling sick to my stomach from magic use, black tattoos pulsing and writhing across my bare arms, and I was doing chores. I also realized I'd got tea on my white shirt. Note to self: stick to red. It's safer and costs less for dry-cleaning.

My body was too hyped to sit back down so I leaned against the counter, trying not to act like I was about to lose the plot again. "Okay, let's get this into some kind of order. You guys have had a look around, right?" They nodded, their anger still visible. "And have you found anything?" They shook their heads. "Have you moved anything?" Again, they shook. "So, the place hasn't been messed up or anything like that. Kate, when did you first know Grandma was missing?"

Kate sipped on her tea then said, "It was two days ago. I got a call from Aunt Bethel. She wanted to get hold of you but you weren't answering your phone." She looked at me with no accusation but I felt more guilt than I had in my entire life at that moment. Would I have been able to find Grandma, save her, if I'd answered? "She and some of the other witches were supposed to meet here for one of their usual get-togethers, but Grandma was nowhere to be found. She's always here so they tried you, then me."

"And nobody has seen or heard from her since?"

"No. Nobody I've been able to talk to anyway. I went and saw Aunt Bethel, but she said she hadn't seen Grandma for a week or more, and no one else had seen her for a few days before she went missing."

"God, what a nightmare. What the hell is going on here?" People come and go regularly from Grandma's. Clients that pay well for her counsel and her potions, others that get what they need for free. Friends, other witches looking for advice or a chat in-between whatever they do to make ends meet. But sometimes it can be days and days without her seeing another living soul, although I always try to pop in as often as I can.

She likes the peace as much as she likes company. She can potter about, perfecting potions, tending her stunning herb garden, giving the house a clean.

"Okay, who found the body of Matilda?"

"I did," said Kate. "When I began to worry, I used the key under that fake rock she has. Which is a really bad idea."

"I know. I've told her about it countless times. She wouldn't listen though, always saying that if someone wanted to break in it would be better if they used a key rather than smashed a window."

"When I came inside, the place was like this, all clean and tidy, nothing on the stove. Just the body of Matilda and that was it."

"And you called the vampires?"

"What? No! I called Rikka, but before he arrived so did Oliver."

"Oliver. Ugh." I'd had a run-in with Oliver recently. He'd been told to follow me around while I dealt with the Armenian and a little mess I'd inadvertently made, and it hadn't ended well. He was Taavi's right-hand man for a lot of day-to-day business, and I did not like him. "Vampire grapevine, right?"

Kate nodded. "He was here when Rikka arrived, in person, and they didn't get on too well."

"I can imagine. Then what?"

"Oliver dealt with the body, before Rikka arrived, and he wasn't happy."

"Wonder why? So the poor girl's parents have no body to bury. Oliver just took her?"

"Afraid so. Rikka was livid, said he could have got Dancer to do his, you know, and bring her back and find out what happened."

"No chance of that now. I bet Rikka was furious. Those poor parents. That poor girl. Has anyone been to see them?" I couldn't imagine what they were going through, and to not even have her to mourn over would make it even harder.

"Aunt Bethel and a few of the others went around and explained. They're all up in arms, Faz. All the witches are seriously annoyed at what Oliver did, and they know it was under Taavi's instruction. Not to mention the fact they think he is covering up something ordered by him in the first place, or one of us at any rate."

"Okay, well, we can rule out Taavi, I guess. He's not so stupid as to kill a girl then leave her to be found and have the finger pointed at him. So it's a rogue vampire, or someone that lost control and now isn't owning up. But what about Grandma? Any clues at all?"

"It's why we are here," said Bret or Bart. They'd got confused in the row, now I didn't know which was which again.

"And you have nothing. It's time for you to leave." I wasn't joking. They were still in the house I spent much of my adolescence in. These men were not welcome.

The twins stood, angry yet knowing that staying would do no good.

"If you hear anything you are to call Taavi," said one.

"When I find Grandma I will do as I damn well please. Out!"

They zipped up their sweatshirts and with a nod at Kate, but ignoring me, they left.

"Ow. What they hell!?"

"What is wrong with you? They could have ripped you to shreds then how would we find Grandma?"

"Sorry, I lost it a little. But don't worry, I can take them if I have to."

"Ooh, big tough guy aren't we?"

"I'm sorry, I got upset."

"You need to get a grip, Faz. Grandma is missing and... Oh, sorry."

Kate wrapped her arms around me and whispered in my ear as I cried and my body shook and I felt empty inside like there was nothing left of my life.

Not Grandma. She couldn't be gone. She was the only constant in my life and I could not lose her. Not then. Not ever.

"It's okay. We'll find her. Don't you worry."

"Why didn't you come and get me sooner, Kate? Why didn't Rikka come and tell me straight away?" I wiped my eyes, and stood back from her, even though I wanted to stay held and warm forever.

"Because we knew you'd react like this, Faz. Look, we did all we could, figured she would turn up and she would be fine. She often goes missing for days at a time, off on one of her expeditions. You know how she is. And, well, to be honest we thought maybe it would be better not to tell you and she would turn up."

"What! Even with a dead girl in the house? And why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd overreact and go nuts, like you just did with the twins. Just because Matilda was found here it doesn't mean anything bad has happened to Grandma. You know what this place is like. People come and go all the time."

"That doesn't include vampires. You know how she feels about them." I saw the anguish, like a slap to the face. Me and my big mouth. "You know she loves you, Kate. I meant the others. Other vampires. Ugh, sorry."

"I know, but it still hurts, Faz. I know what my kind... because they are my kind now, whether I like it or not. I know what they did to your family. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault. It was a long time ago, and she loves you. I do, too." I stared into those beautiful eyes and saw all the pain, the hurt, the difficulty of her being who, what, she now was. It was no easy thing, but she was brave. Strong. Stronger than me. "Okay, you didn't come see me because you thought I'd interfere and make things worse, right?" She nodded. "But Rikka has managed that on his own, and so have the vampires. So you came to get me."

"Right. We have to fix this, Faz. It's gone too crazy. They're all going to get themselves killed."

"And the rest of us, too."

"Exactly. Come on, I have an idea."

I looked questioningly at Kate. She just nodded and smiled as if to say, trust me. I trusted her with my life.

Slow Down

"This was your idea?"

"No, we'll get to that in a minute. Just lie back and close your eyes."

"Um, okay." We were in my old bedroom upstairs at Grandma's, and as Kate led me by the hand up the stairs I fought a battle inside myself. Part of me was dog-tired, mind whirling with thoughts of horrible things happening to Grandma, the other part of my brain, well, I say brain, I mean something else entirely, was thinking, wondering, maybe hoping, that Kate was leading me upstairs to you-know-what. When we went into the bedroom I honestly didn't know what to think. Talk about bad timing, but was she serious?

"Close them," she said in a husky voice.

"They are closed." What was I doing? What was she doing? This was wrong, but I couldn't help it. I was being led like an obedient pet, mind lost to everything but worry, yet still desire refused to leave me.

I felt ashamed for thinking of Kate at a time like this, but she has a hold on me, this effect I can't, don't want to, shake. Is it the vampire charm, her and her alone, or just me being a weak and pathetic man who thinks of sex even when their dearest relative could be dead?

But closeness is important, holding someone is important when you are sad or scared. That's my excuse anyway, for my base man thoughts that left me ashamed, yet horny.

"Slow down, Faz. You're acting manic, out of control," Kate said, soft, gentle and caring. She looked at me with concern, with understanding. This beautiful woman knows the depth of my feelings for Grandma, that she's all I have, apart from her. She's my family. I love her.

"Okay, sorry. I know I'm getting crazed but I can't help it. It's Grandma. I'll tear the world to pieces. I'll beat every last—"

"Hush, hush, it's okay." Kate put a cool hand to my fevered head and stroked my stupid, hacked blond hair like I was a child again.

I remember when my mother used to soothe me in this way after I woke from bad dreams or was ill and bed-ridden. A hand full of love, an act of giving more powerful than any magic, and I let the hate go, just a little. Shoulders knotted with pain, fury, and despair relaxed a little. Kate brought me back to myself, and I knew I had to act rationally or I'd never find Grandma.

This was better than sex—okay, it was nice—and what I needed. It also made more sense than us getting naked at that moment. I should have known as much. Kate's the better person. I'm just weak. She can lead me to the pits of hell and I'll look into her eyes and ask if I should jump first.

"We have to go see Stanley. He'll know what's happened to Grandma. Have they been on their date yet?"

"What? Oh, yes, they had a great time." Kate stroked my head while she talked and I wanted it to last forever. I wanted to be with her, let her wrap me in her arms and promise everything would be okay. But I couldn't lose Grandma, I just couldn't. She's all that remains of my family and I love her too much.

"What happened, on the date?"

"Not now. Think of the good times. Think of Grandma and that we will get her back again."

"Okay." I close my eyes, I think of my life, of what I am, and what I could have been without the only woman in my life that meant anything to me since a teenager, apart from Kate.

After my parents were killed when I was fourteen, I moved in with Grandma. She loved me, cared for me, and helped me heal in her own unique way. I was not a fun adolescent for many months, but she showed amazing patience and understanding even though she was grieving terribly, probably more than me—parents aren't meant to live to see their children pass.

Stoic as only Grandma can be, she soldiered on, and tried to uphold my parents' wishes even though I knew at that young age she had never agreed with their decision—as far as Grandma was concerned we were a family destined for magic.

My mother and father were both a part of this Hidden world, the same as Grandma, and had been together for longer than Regular human lifespans.

They weren't like Grandma though, not totally immersed in the world the same as her. Grandma is a full-on witch, well respected and as sweet a lady as you could hope to ever meet.

My parents were what I guess some would call dabblers. Neither one of them went as deep as Grandma or me. They were on the fringes, made their living through their dark magic, because that's the only magic there is—magic was never meant for humans, so use it and you pay the price with pain and sickness like you wouldn't believe—but they never immersed themselves in it. Magic was never what defined them as people.