Hex to the No Read online

  “Or it could just be hunger that’s eating you up. Speaking of, are you done with those peppers?”

  “I just wish there was something I could do, you know. I don’t like feeling powerless,” said Winter as she handed over cupped hands full of green peppers.

  CONGRATULATIONS LIL, this is what your life is now. Was it worth it? Hmmm? Was it worth...what’s that smell? Moth balls? Lilith leaned back in her chair, hands in her hair, stressed to her limit.

  “I just need a case. All I need is a single case.”

  “What you need to do is stop the Cold Dawn,” Lilith heard the familiar voice of her older self’s ghost. Through some time traveling antics when she was young Lilith managed to pick up a ghost hitch hiker. As it were her witch mother attached the spirit to her without thinking about how creepy that’d be for her daughter. Nothing like having your own ghost whispering in your ear.

  “What you need to do is like announce your presence or something because this voice in my head stuff is not only unsettling but annoying.”

  “Evidence. We need some evidence before we can do anything.” Older Lilith's Ghost, or OLG as she was now known, replied.

  “I know. I know. I’m open to ideas or leads.” Lilith knew her older version’s ghost was right but she couldn’t for the life of her come up with anything they could use against the Cold Dawn.

  “Mom,” answered OLG. “Or your version of, your mom.”

  “Why...what are you getting at?”

  “You need to go see your mother. Talk to her, maybe turn her. If she’s anything like the woman I knew, she loves you. And she wouldn’t let any harm come to you. She might even help you or at the very least-”

  “She might accidentally give me what I need? I wouldn’t bet on that. You know as well as I do that we got our looks from dad but our brains from mom. Anyway I really doubt that she would even want to see me after that stunt we pulled at the Talon House.”

  Lilith felt a rumble in her jeans pocket. It was her cell phone. She fished in the tight little storage space and got it out. When she saw who was calling she couldn’t believe it.

  I don’t believe it. According to the screen on Lilith’s phone her mother was calling her. Can she hear us right now? Did she bug Aunt Rose’s cabin? I wouldn’t put it past her. Or maybe it was some kind of spying spell. She is sneaky, I wouldn’t doubt that she would do that.

  “Who cares why she’s calling just pick it up,” urged OLG.

  “Nope. I’m ghosting her,” Lilith sent her mother, Alizia Blackward, to voice mail. “Is that offensive to you? The term ‘ghosting’?”

  OLG sighed. “I’m dead, nothing is offensive anymore. Except maybe your stubbornness. Call her back.”

  “Nope. Not gonna happen.” Lilith put her phone down on her desk and crossed her arms.

  OLG summoned the energy she needed to become visible. She scared Lilith half to death as she suddenly appeared and slammed her hands down on the desk. Her younger version fell backwards in her chair hitting the dusty floor pretty hard.

  “Call her back!”

  “Alright, alright! You didn't have to scare the life outta me. Oh wait...too late!” Lilith got up off the floor and wiped the dust off her clothes. She set her chair back upright and sat back down. “Just, I’ll do it if I don’t have to look at you anymore. Seriously, it’s freaky seeing the future version of one’s self.”

  “It’s not all that fun looking at the stupider younger version either.” OLG faded back away.

  Here goes nothing. Lilith took a deep breath. She hadn’t spoken to her mother since her father’s high table appointment ceremony at the Talon House. Truthfully she would’ve been fine never talking to her again but that wasn’t exactly emotionally healthy.

  Lilith picked up her phone. Before she could even bring up the keypad to dial it rang again. It was her mother. Crimony! How does she do that?

  “Mom,” answered Lilith.

  “Hello Lily. My little monster, how are you doing?” asked Alizia Blackward from the other side of the line.

  Part of Lilith was comforted by hearing her mother’s voice. On the other hand, she did not trust her. In fact she had a very hard time trusting anyone anymore.

  “What do you want?”

  “To talk to my daughter. Can we maybe do that?”

  “Are you guys gonna turn yourselves in?”

  Alizia was silent for a moment. “We can’t... it’s more complicated than you think darling.”

  “Is it? I’m not so sure it is. You see, you guys joined a world ending cult, killed a few people so now you need to pay for that. Seems pretty simple to me.”

  “That’s not why I called.”

  “Well that’s unfortunate because it’s kind of a sticking point for you and me. So if you’ll excuse me I got better th-”

  “I’m outside.”

  What the! Ugh! Of course she is. “You’re outside? Whhhy?”

  “To talk to you. Please come out I have someone you should meet. They, we, have a job for you.”

  Lilith hung up the phone. She immediately shot up out of her chair and paced back and forth, boots against hollow hardwood.

  “Should I go outside? She said that she has a job. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m intrigued. It must be important since she showed up here, risking whatever barrier spells Aunt Rose cast around the property.

  “Then again this could be a trap. It probably is a trap or at least a chance to manipulate me. Because that’s what she does. She manipulates. Then again, she did come all the way out here. Damnit! Make a decision Lily!” Lilith talked to herself as she did laps around the small attic/ private eye offices.

  “You’re giving me a headache. And I didn’t even know that was possible in this form. Go outside, listen to what she has to say. Or you can spend the rest of your life in this crummy attic.” OLG had enough of her younger version’s indecision.

  “I COULD TAKE HER DOWN to the beach. It could help clear her head,” suggested Winter. She cleaned up as Aunt Rose kept working on the gravy. “She’d been through so much lately, it would probably be good to have a fun day.”

  “That sounds nice dear. Oh, speak of the devil!” Aunt Rose was excited to hear her niece’s footsteps come down the stairs.

  “Where are you off to?” asked Winter as Lilith walked right past them and headed towards the front door.

  “To talk to my mom,” answered Lilith before slamming the door behind her.

  Winter and Aunt Rose looked at each other surprised and confused.

  Lilith exited the cabin style home to the front porch. It overlooked a forest of pines and other trees that could stand the Southern California weather. Dense, it was hard to see much past about twenty yards. She didn’t see her mother but didn’t expect to.

  Beneath Aunt Rose’s bubbly personality was a very cautious some might say paranoid woman. Even before she took Lilith, Winter and Sir Kain in, protection spells were placed all around her property. No one was getting in that she didn’t want to.

  In order to get to her mother, Lilith had to walk down a decently long dirt driveway to the road. She took in a deep breath of fresh, slightly salty air from the nearby beach, and stepped off the porch. The second her foot touched the dirt the front door opened behind her.

  “If that woman thinks that she can just-” Aunt Rose stood on the porch and cocked the shotgun she kept above the china cabinet.

  “It’s okay Auntie. I got this,” reassured Lilith.

  “Are you sure dear because I never liked that woman. She always looked down on me. Well, I'm cocked and loaded now Missy. I’ll march right over there and put one in her hiney, I will.”

  Lilith laughed. She couldn’t help it. Out of every member of her family, immediate and expanded, Aunt Rose was always her favorite.

  “Really. I’m okay. If I’m not, if anything happens, I promise you I’ll let you know and you can put as many slugs in her behind as you want,” said Lilith after stepping up and hugging her
aunt. “Deal?”

  “Well okay. But don’t you dare take any guff from that woman. Okay?”

  “I won’t be taking any guff off anyone!” Lilith shouted to her Aunt as she made her way down the dirt walkway.

  Lilith loved her mother and father. Despite everything that happened, she couldn’t shake that. So that made her nervous. How would she react to seeing her mom? Would she stand firm and treat her like the criminal she was? Or would she see the woman who raised her, cared for her, taught her, when her dad was off furthering his career in the coven?

  “Hear her out. Please, don’t be...well, you,” urged OLG.

  “Please, for the love of, be quiet. Let me do this.”

  As she approached the end of the dirt driveway, Lilith saw her mother standing at the gate. The reveal of someone so insidious seemed strange considering the wholesome sound of chirping birds and crashing waves all around her. Standing behind her was a very frightened looking young woman.

  The young woman behind Alizia Blackward, peered out from behind the witch. She had along greasy looking stringy brown hair. Her eyes were large, almond shaped and a steely gray. With both hands she gripped onto Lilith’s mother’s sides.

  This should be good. Keep calm, hear what she has to say. Resist your urge to curse her and storm away. Lilith stopped about ten yards away from the front gate that also served as a boundary for Aunt Rose’s protection spell.

  “Thank you for coming out Lilith. It’s...you don’t know how good it is to see you.” Alizia greeted her daughter with a cautious smile.

  “Mother. Who’s this?” Lilith pointed at the nervous looking young woman.

  “She’s part of the reason I’m here. Come Eve, there’s nothing to be scared of. This is my daughter, who I told you about. She’s the one that should be able to help you.” Alizia tried to coax the nervous young woman out from behind her. But to no avail. She kept peering at Lilith from behind Alizia.

  “You know I really didn’t want to come out here. Especially after what you and dad have...why am I out here? What do you want mom?” asked Lilith.

  The look on Alizia’s face was one of hidden pain. She knew her daughter probably wouldn’t trust her. She knew that her daughter would be angry. But to be facing her, hearing her words, it hurt. How did she allow herself to lose the little girl she raised?

  “Besides wanting to see you, see my daughter, I have a job for you.”

  “You came all the way out here for a job?”

  “You weren’t answering my calls.”

  “Yeah, I wonder why.” Lilith inherited a lot from her mother. Among her traits, she was able to visibly control her emotions. To anyone who didn’t know any better, she appeared cold and unaffected. Inside the whole interaction with her mother was tearing her apart. Seeing her in person made it harder to equate her mom with the misdeeds she knew her mother took part.

  “Please. Hear me out. We can talk about us, later. But right now this job, it would help the coven. You can make up for the damage you’ve already done.” Alizia lost control and cringed after saying that last sentence.

  “Damage? Damage!? The damage that I did? I’m not the one that-”

  “People are going to die!” Eve, the nervous young woman, cut Lilith off. Or she stopped an argument from erupting, either way.

  “What’re you talking about?” It got Lilith’s attention.

  “My father, he’s gone missing,” said Eve.

  “That’s horrible but what does that have to do with the coven or people dying?”

  “Her father is Armando Lobos,” answered Alizia.

  “Member of the high table Armando Lobos?”

  “Yes. And now that he’s gone, we have no pack leader. We need our pack leader,” Eve still wasn’t comfortable enough to come out from behind Alizia.

  Pack leader? What’s with this woman?

  “Don’t do this for me or your father. Do it for your home, your coven. We need your help. You’ve obviously proven how good of a detective you can be. So be one for your coven. Find Armando Lobos or what happened to him. Avoid what could be a civil war among the skin changers, among Eve’s people.”

  “What’s in it for me?” asked Lilith.

  “Besides saving lives?”

  “You’re asking me to completely forget about what you and dad have done, to help you after you almost killed Winter, almost killed me, your own daughter?”

  “You almost killed her?” asked Eve as she looked up at Alizia from behind.

  “Not now,” replied Alizia.

  “You’re asking me to forget all that and not only trust you but help you? And you want me to do all that for what? The greater good?”

  “Like it or not Lilith. You’re my daughter, my little monster. I know you’ll take the job because I know you’re a good person. You always have been. You always make the right decision. But, if it helps, I guarantee your, Winter and Sir Kain’s safety if you wish to return to the coven. All will be forgotten and you can come home again.”

  Lilith laughed with laughter tinged with an undercurrent of sadness. “What makes you think I’d want to come home?”

  “Ok, then we’ll give you whatever money you need to go out there and make a life of your own.” Alizia conceded.

  “However much will I need then so I don’t ever need to see, talk or hear from you or dad ever again?”

  Alizia nodded while fighting back tears. “I promise.”

  What’re you doing? You can’t trust her. Don’t take this job. Why are you taking this job? Lilith took a second to consider the offer.

  “Fine. I’ll do it. But if I even get a whiff of something funny, that you aren’t being honest with me, I swear we will blow the whole lid off the Cold Dawn and you guys. I’ll make it my mission to bring you down. Understood?”

  “Fair enough honey. I’ll leave you be. You know how to get in contact with me.” Alizia made her self turn and walk away. But Eve didn’t follow.

  “Aren’t you going to take your friend here with you?” asked Lilith.

  “No, you’re going to need her help. I hope...one day you’ll see. Everything I did, good or bad. I did it for you Lilith. Always for you.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Where's Sir Kain?

  Sir Kain hated leaving Lilith behind. Sure, he knew she was in good hands. Her Aunt Rose didn’t always look like it but she was a fierce woman. If anything was to happen, she was more than capable of keeping her safe. But at the same time he felt like it was his duty to watch after her. In fact, that was why he was going to the Midnight Bar.

  Hidden from the mundane, the Midnight Bar was not only a drinking establishment but a place where those touched by magic and the paranormal liked to hang out. It was where he hoped to find Basil Augustine, the man who restored his memory. His hope? That Basil Augustine could do the same for OLG. Perhaps if OLG could remember the events leading up to her murder, Lilith's murder, maybe he could prevent it from ever happening...if that was possible. Sir Kain had to try.

  Answers and the pursuit of that was what life as a private detective was about. It was new to Sir Kain...usually Lilith took care of all that. He was normally just the muscle. But now, given their new circumstances, he needed to pull his weight as an investigator too.

  The Devil’s End Public Library was about a block off Main Street. Like most modern libraries it was usually barren. Who needs books when you had smart phones? Its most common visitors those days were the homeless looking for a public bathroom. That made it the perfect host for a door to Midnight.

  Sir Kain walked into the Devil’s End Public Library. Predictably it was just about empty. The only person he could see was one employee behind the front desk. They were who he needed to talk to.

  “Good evening sir. How may I help you?” asked one of the librarian’s at the front desk.

  “Good evening. I was looking for a book and was wondering if you could help me out.”

  “I’ll do my best. What were you looking for?�
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  “I am looking for a book of poetry. ‘Leaves of Grass’ by Walt Whitman. Seventh edition if you have it please.”

  “Leaves of Grass, Leaves of Grass, Leaves of Grass,” The librarian raised one eyebrow as she searched through the library’s computer. “I’m not seeing that here. But we’re in the middle of trying to update the system to computers. It might not be in here yet. Hold on one moment.”

  Sir Kain stood patiently with his hands intertwined behind his back.

  “Fred? Fred? You downstairs? I have a gentleman up here that could use your help.” The librarian behind the front desk tried to reach her fellow employee on a walkie talkie. Then they addressed Sir Kain. “It should only be a moment. My co-worker should be able to help you, he loves poetry.”

  Sir Kain was taken aback upon hearing loud booming footsteps that shook the floor. They got closer and closer. He looked at the librarian who seemed oblivious to the mini earthquake that occurred with each step.

  A massive beast of living stone, with devil’s wings and the face of a demonic pit bull came walking down the library aisles towards Sir Kain. It’s claws were long and sharp, teeth bigger and sharper. At over eight feet it had to duck in order to not scrape the horns on top of its head on the drop ceiling. It wore an argyle sweater and glasses.

  “How may I help you?” asked Fred the gargoyle in a deep, eardrum vibrating voice. He stared at Sir Kain with burning coal like glowing eyes.

  “He’s looking for a book of poetry by Whitman,” explained the librarian.

  Does she not see this massive beast? It must be a glamour spell.

  “Leaves of Grass,” said Sir Kain, understandably nervous. There was a reason why places like the Talon House used gargoyles for security. Incredibly strong and nearly indestructible, they were more than formidable and usually had bad tempers.

  Fred adjusted his glasses, pushing them further up the bridge of his nose. “Ah, yes. I can definitely help you with that. Please, follow me sir.”