On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 (3 page)

“Great.” So Legion wasn’t a fictional cliché who wanted to rule humanity—this demon just wanted to play around with us.
I can’t let this happen.
“So, that’s what’s in the encrypted document?”

Sally shook her head. “That file contains the actual ritual used to conjure Legion into this patch, as well as the one that will allow it to send its demonic entities through.”

The small bell above the door chimed.

“Why do I need to read about this?”

“Actually, you need to figure out the password and then
decipher
it.”

There was no way I could do
that
. “So you don’t have the password?”

Sally shook her head. She stood and headed for the young woman examining the bowls filled with crystals on the front counter. “Hello, dear. How can I help you today?”

“Yeah, hi, I’m looking for my birth stone.”

“Sure,” Sally said with a beaming smile. “When were you born?”

“I’m a Sagittarius.”

“That’s great, but when were you born? I need the date and year…”

“I know it all sounds like hocus-pocus, but she knows what she’s talking about,” Lavie whispered near my ear. “Everything I know I learned from her.”

I turned to look at her. It seemed like we had that in common—we’d both been raised by someone other than our parents. Though I really wanted to know her story, I couldn’t bring myself to pry. Instead, I stuck with what I was here for. “Do you think you can help me figure out the password?”

Lavie half-shrugged a shoulder. “I can try, but it would just be a stab in the dark. Did you try guessing?”

“To be honest, I didn’t even think of that. I thought maybe it would infect my laptop with a virus or something worse.” I chuckled, but it came out dry and sounded more like a cackle. I raised the tea cup to my lips and swallowed the contents.
 

This whole situation made me uncomfortable. The Grye women didn’t know why this group was targeting me, but Professor Spooker, now a wraith I’d met while trapped in the ghostly patch, told me a few hidden truths about my bloodline. I knew exactly why they wanted me, and it wasn’t because I was special. No, the different incarnations of the
Obscurus
had long ago set their sights on spook catchers because we could wander between worlds. Until the other night, when I’d been jotting all the relevant details into my grimoire, I hadn’t put it all together.

Being a spook catcher, I could enter a ghost’s zone. As the granddaughter of a witch, I could learn to use magic to my advantage. And as the descendant of the strongest Catcher familial line, and because my grandmother had taken precautions to help empower me, I served as a tool, able to open and close pathways. It also allowed me to drag the demonic into a dark patch that I could control and astral project into. Not all catchers could do this, but my line had gotten stronger with each generation.
 

This makes me the perfect, blended target.

The bell chimed again, drawing me away from my thoughts.

I turned in time to see the young woman walk out the door with a brown paper bag in her hands. She smiled at whomever was holding the door open for her, and then a familiar witch stepped inside in all his black-suited glory. I placed the cup on the coffee table and stood.

“Oren, did you follow me here?” I asked, only half-joking. He liked to keep an eye on me and had good intentions, as most biological grandfathers did. But unlike most grandkids, I hadn’t even known about Oren McKee’s existence until a few months ago. And he also happened to be a very powerful witch who hunted evil witches in his spare time. “Because if you did, I could’ve used your help a little earlier when someone tried to run me over.”

 
He released the door and turned to face me. The grin on his very charming face vanished. “I didn’t expect to find you here, Sierra.” For once, his black, dressy clothing fit the season. “But what happened?” He stepped closer.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m okay—just got a little shaken, that’s all.”

He opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Sally. She approached him, took both of his hands into hers much like she’d done to mine, before leaning over to give him a kiss on each cheek. “Oren, it’s been too long. You have to visit more often, especially now.” She glanced my way before looking back at him.
 

“You know each other?” This was a surprise.

Oren squeezed Sally’s hands and nodded. “Of course we do. Actually, Sally knew your grandmother too.”

My eyes widened and I couldn’t help but wonder when my life would stop dropping random surprises. I was starting to feel like my existence was just one long pretense after another. Sometimes I wondered if I needed a manual. “You did?”

Sally nodded and smiled. “She was a very special woman, and you seem to have inherited every one of her best traits.”

Damn, how could I be angry with her after saying something like that?
 

My grandmother was one of the most positive role models I’d had growing up, and her death hadn’t ended her influence. So when I was in my teens and her spirit mysteriously stopped appearing, I was devastated. Now I knew exactly why she was gone—and why the ghost of the man I’d grown up thinking was my grandfather had also been taken. The shadow ghosts—also known as shadow monsters or shadows—had them. Mace made sure of that.
 

Once Grandma moved onto the afterlife, I would receive the full extent of my powers. Mace and his freaky
Obscurus
friends wanted to control the exact time this happened.

“You’re here to pick up the Hands of Glory, aren’t you?” Lavie jumped off the couch and made her way towards the back of the store. She pushed the beaded curtain aside, disappeared into the back, and returned only seconds later with two cardboard gift boxes. “Here they are, especially prepared. I followed every one of your instructions.”

Oren took them and smiled. “Excellent! I’ll be putting mine to good use.” He glanced my way before heading towards the cash register.

Lavie stood on the other side of the service counter, where they continued with their transaction.

“So, do you think you’ll be able to decipher the code?” Sally asked, sidling up beside me.

“I thought I just needed to work out the password.” Something I’d hoped Sally and Lavie would be able to help me with. But nothing ever turned out to be easy. There were complications with just about everything in my life.

“Figuring out the password won’t be the hardest bit—try something obvious,” she said. “They might think they’re clever in their manipulations and plans, but they’re pretty stupid. Deciphering the dialect will be a lot harder, though I know just the person who might be able to help you with that.” She dipped her chin, clearly pointing at Oren.

“Oren can help me?” I asked. “What dialect is it?”

“It’s an old witch script—I’m pretty sure he knows it.”

“You’re pretty sure I know what?” Oren stepped up beside us. “Sorry, ladies, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.” We were practically whispering, so there was no way anyone could have overheard a single word unless they were intentionally listening. “Is it true? Can you help me read an ancient witch script I’ve got on a file?”

“Sure.” He cocked a white eyebrow. “What is this file about?”
 

“It’s about the
Obscurus
,” Sally answered, lowering her voice.

“Now, there’s a bunch of idiots right there!”

“You know about them?” Why was I surprised? Oren seemed to know everything about everyone, and was usually a step ahead. Still, having this conversation made me feel a little awkward because I hadn’t opened up about any of this yet. It wasn’t that I wanted to keep this situation a secret, just that I didn’t want to talk to him about the
Obscurus
until I had some cold, hard facts.

“I already know they’re after you, Sierra.” A smile quirked the edges of his mouth, and he shook his head. “I really wish you’d learn to confide in me without all the secrecy.”

“I wasn’t being secretive,” I said with a derisive snort.

“Yes you were.” He rubbed his bristly chin. “Did you figure it out after the Slevani brothers or Mauricio?”

“Somewhere in between,” I lied. I’d figured it out after reading the information on the USB drive. That’s when everything Travis, Jonathan, and Mauricio said—or didn’t say—clicked into place.

Oren sighed, whipping his long white braid behind his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. And yes, I could probably help you.” He exchanged a quick glance with both Sally and Lavie, which made me wonder if they had something to do with him knowing rather than his sixth sense.

Any more questions would have to wait. Right now, visiting Lavie felt like a step in the right direction.
 

“Are you busy right now?” I asked him.

“Actually, I’ve got something to take care of…but could come over tonight.”

I shook my head. “I’m busy tonight.” A sudden surge of excitement flowed through me because Papan and I were having a date night. He’d texted me just before I arrived here, saying:
Can’t wait to see you tonight. I’m almost done, and you’re not going to avoid me anymore.
 

The meaning was obvious, and I couldn’t wait.

Oren smiled. “Okay, how about tomorrow morning?”

“That’s perfect. Can you come over early, before I head out to the office?”

“I’ll be there at six,” he answered.

“Make it eight.” It
was
Saturday.

“Eight it is.”

“Great, thanks.” I turned away from Oren and his packages to concentrate on Lavie and Sally, who both watched the exchange with matching smiles. “Do you mind if I have another cup of tea?”

“Of course not, dear.” Sally headed back to the coffee table. “Will you be staying, Oren?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Like I said, I’ve got some business to attend to but I’ll certainly take a rain-check.”

“You know you’re always welcome here,” she said with a smile.

I looked between them, wondering if they knew each other way back when supernatural hunters worked together. Oren had mentioned it once or twice, but I didn’t ask too many questions because I knew my grandmother had been romantically involved with him at the time. Their love affair was easier to bear nowadays. I’d come to terms with their connection and the fact my grandmother, Pepita, had been the holder of many secrets.

Sally leaned over my cup and her smile faded.

“Aunty, what’s wrong?” Lavie asked as she rushed to her side.

Sally fell onto the couch, her fingers wrapped tightly around my cup. She was still looking inside it with a grim look. “The leaves never lie.”

“What do they say?” Oren asked, taking a step.

“They’re filled with death,” Sally whispered.

Her words sent a chill through me, penetrating deep into my bones. My whole life revolved around death. That’s what spooks were—the spirit of the dead, the energy those who passed away left on our world. So I shouldn’t have been scared of her prediction. Yet, she knew all this about me and still paled to the point of looking gaunt.

Lavie remained by her side, touching her elbow and kneeling in front of her. “Aunty, it’s okay. Put the cup down.”

Sally’s fingers tightened around the handle, turning white. “There is death waiting for you in the wings.”

“Death is always around me,” I finally said.
 

Oren stepped up beside me and draped an arm around my shoulders. I was glad for the contact and pressed closer to him. Nothing like the mention of death to make me crave the proximity of life, and my biological grandfather always seemed to know when I needed human contact.

Sally shook her head and her hair swayed in one thick motion, frizzy strands coming loose from their combs. “No, this isn’t the death of others.” She looked up, and her irises had become completely white. “This is
your
death. You will die very soon, Sierra Fox.”
 

“No,” Oren whispered, tightening his grip on me.

I was glad for the pressure because my legs were suddenly weak. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to stand. Yet, after hearing such a prediction, all I wanted was to get the hell out of this once-comfortable store.

Sally stared at me for another few seconds that felt like hours before she dropped the cup onto the saucer, causing both to shatter against the coffee table. She fell back against the couch, but Lavie caught her before she slid to the floor.

“It’s okay, it’s over now,” she whispered over and over, while wiping the sweaty strands of frizzy red-gray hair away from her aunt’s face.

“This isn’t good, is it?” I whispered the question on an exhale.

“No, it’s not.” Oren squeezed me closer to his side. “Sally is one of the most powerful psychics I’ve ever met. Her predictions always come to pass.”

“That’s awesome news.” My insides were quivering. No matter how many times I’d been attacked, or how close I’d come to death, hearing this prediction from someone with the second-sight made me ill.