Chapter 3

As I ranfrom the car up the steps to May and Bran's house, Fancypants frantically beat his wings, following me. Once we were under the shelter of the porch, I relaxed. It was chilly, but at least the power had held through the unexpected thunderstorm, and now the storm had turned into a steady rain.

A few of the roads would be flooded by morning, but they always took a beating during the rainy season, and the town council was in the middle of discussing whether or not to elevate them. It would cost money that the town didn't have, but it would make it easier to get around during the autumn. Though it had occurred to me—and I hoped a few others—that elevated roads and overpasses during the winter accumulated ice, which would put them out of commission during the coldest parts of the year.

May answered the door in her apron. She was wearing an old Laura Ashley floral dress that was faded but perfectly serviceable, and a matching sage apron over the top. Her hair was caught back in a long ponytail, as silver as the moon.

Together with her son Bran, she owned Brambleberry Farm, the last house on our road. The two were my closest neighbors, and together they farmed their suburban farm, selling vegetables, fruits, honey, and magical charms year round. May was the product of a bygone era, and her house reflected that.

A large farmhouse, at one time a hundred years before, it had reigned over twice the acreage. By the time May and her late husband bought it, the land was down to five acres. While he had gone to work, she had slowly reclaimed the farm, creating a fairyland out of a wild tangle. Now, the house shined under the loving care of May and her son, and the land prospered under their loving but firm hands.

"Come in, you look like a drowned rat," May said, waving us in. "Both of you."

I brushed the rain off my jacket before entering the house, and Fancypants gave his wings a good shake. As we entered the living room, the smell of fresh bread hit me, as well as the scents of cinnamon, beef, and apples.

"What's for dinner? Whatever it is, smells wonderful." My mouth watered, the sandwich and soup all but forgotten.

"Elphyra and Fancypants are here," May called toward the kitchen.

"Good," Bran's voice echoed back.

"Roast beef, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, green beans, and an apple pie straight out of the oven." She headed toward the liquor cabinet. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Lemon tea with honey, please." I seldom drank. It wasn't that I disapproved of alcohol, but I had a lot of emotional baggage attached to feeling tipsy, and it was just easiest to avoid it.

"Bran told me about your cousin. I'm so sorry," May said, pouring herself a glass of wine. "Come in the kitchen and I'll fix your tea."

I followed her through the dated living room—it was neat as a pin, but the furniture was thirty years out of date—and we entered the massive country kitchen. Bran was busy at the stove. He crossed the room to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. Fancypants decided to play the smartass and licked Bran's nose as he went back to the range.

"Hey, I didn't expect that," Bran said with a laugh, waving him off.

"I know," Fancypants. "Elphyra says to keep ‘em guessing."

"Well, she's right about that." Bran stirred the gravy with a whip, smoothing out the lumps.

"Can I help?" I asked. But as I looked around, the table was set, and the rolls, pie, and butter were all on the table, as well.

"No, just another moment and the gravy will be ready. The roast is plated but in the warming oven. You can scoop the potatoes into the tureen if you like." He motioned to the gorgeous burgundy and ivory tureen that sat on the counter. It was part of a complete set of Royal Stafford china that May had received as a wedding gift.

I transferred the potatoes into the tureen and carried it to the table as Bran poured the gravy into a matching gravy boat. Then, using oven mitts, he lifted the platter of roast beef out of the warming oven and set it on the table. May carried over the green beans and we were ready for dinner. As we settled in around the table, I made up a plate for Fancypants. I had brought his personal dishes that were easier for him to use, and he sat propped up on an old booster seat so he could reach the table.

"I talked to Bree earlier and she told me that Kaiser Thornton is in the hospital. He got the crap beat out of him," I said, as Bran carved the roast and placed a thick slice on my plate.

May stared at me. "What? Kaiser Thorton is the one in the hospital?"

"Go figure. Apparently, he met someone bigger and badder than he is, and he's paying for it, this time." I filled my plate, drowning the potatoes and meat in the gravy. As we dug in, the topics shifted gears, changing to our businesses.

May and Bran were looking to add on several new hives of bees and they needed to order them now to ensure receiving them during the spring. I knew little about the world of beekeeping, but word of their honey was spreading—no pun intended—and they either needed to expand their operations or end up turning away orders if business kept climbing.

"Bran tells me your wards were broken?" May asked, as we finished up the main course and switched to dessert plates for the pie.

I nodded. "Yeah, I was going to ask you about it." I explained to her what I had seen when I went out on the web. "The threads were broken in several places."

"That shouldn't happen. Your magic and mine are both strong," May said. She had helped me, along with Grams, in setting the protection grid. "And Morgance's magic is even stronger than both of ours combined. Whatever broke through has to be stronger."

"Could it have been an accident?" I asked. "Some wayward energy that happened to bounce against my house?"

May thought about it for a moment, slowly forking her pie up to her lips. She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. For one thing, there are a lot of powerful witches around, but together with your great-grandmother, we created a masterful piece of work. The spell that created that grid was one of the most powerful ones I've taken part in. I don't see how anything accidental could have disrupted it."

"Then it was deliberate. But who would target me, and why? Why would someone want to disable my wards?" I had money, yes, but the protection spell had been more about keeping vampires out. Specifically, one vampire in particular, but it also encompassed protection against anybody who meant me harm. That sparked off a thought. I paled. "What if it's the Butcher? What if he's around? What if he's come back for me?"

The Butcher, the vampire who had murdered my fiancé and who had left me forever changed, had an MO of murdering one member of a couple in front of the other. Then, years later, he returned for the remaining victim. It had only been one year since I had survived his attack, but maybe he was stepping up his timing.

May pushed her dessert plate aside and reached for the cards she kept on the corner of the table. She handed them to me. "Shuffle five times, and focus on the grid."

I closed my eyes, picturing my protection grid firmly in my mind. The cards were big in my hand, but I was adept at handling decks of all sizes. As I shuffled, the energy of my thoughts surrounded the cards. On the fifth shuffle, I tapped the deck on the table and handed it back to May.

She began to lay out the cards into a Star Spread—five cards, each one the point of a five-pointed star. The reading read from lower left, to central right, to central left, then lower right and finally, to the center point at the top. However, two cards stuck together when she placed the central right card on the table. She left them both there.

She turned over the bottom left card. "The Five of Swords. Betrayal. Either you're being betrayed by someone who you thought was a friend, or somebody is attacking you because they feel like they've been betrayed. The battle lines have been drawn, but you might not realize you've been included in a war. I don't think you've met this person. My first sense is that it's not the Butcher. However, whoever is behind this considers you a rival and they're striking first."

"A rival?" Could Faron have stepped on some hearts when he began to see me? Did I have an unknown rival for the wolf king's affections? I frowned, leaning back in my chair. "What kind of a rival? Maybe some woman who's in love with Faron?"

May turned up the next two cards—the ones that had stuck together. They were the Ace of Pentacles and the Queen of Cups. "Well, this is interesting. The Ace of Pentacles is a money card—a card of career and ideas. Those ‘aha' moments when you, out of the blue, think of something that's going to work stupendously well. It's the primal source of career and all things monetary. It can also represent new business endeavors, like your shop. As for the Queen of Cups, it's reversed. I believe this represents an actual person. A woman, perhaps over-emotional, buried under the weight of her emotions. I feel like she's drowning in her feelings, surrounded by a misty view of the world that may not be true vision. She's…I'd say she's somewhat delusional."

I frowned. "Maybe I'm right. It could be that some woman has the hots for Faron and is angry at me. But she has to either be a witch or she bought a spell or has a friend who was able to break my wards."

"Shifters don't tend to use magic," Bran said.

"True enough." I pondered the cards. There were three more cards to go.

May turned over the fourth card. It was the Tower. "Dissolution. Failure, paving the way for new beginnings. Crash-and-burn situations. Something is crashing down in your life but it may pave the way for something new. Not all disasters are for the worst."

Disaster?I didn't want to hear that word. Was it about Faron's condition? Or was this about my cousin Owen? But though I loved Owen, his death wouldn't fundamentally change my life. Faron…that could be it. Which way Faron's condition went could easily change my future.

"Do you think…I don't know what to ask. What's the advice card?"

May turned over the fifth card. "The Magician. The sooner you repair the grid, the safer you'll be. And don't just use simple kitchen magic. You need to formally go in and work on this. I can help, but my magic's geared towards garden-based. I think you should call your great-grandmother to help you."

I nodded. "You're probably right. She's the most powerful witch I've met. I didn't expect her to still be so strong, given her age."

"You know that magic grows with age and experience. All right, let's see the outcome card, if you take my advice and rebuild those wards." She flipped over the last card. "The Moon." She didn't look happy.

"That's not encouraging," I said. I knew the cards, and I knew that the Moon was as nebulous as the night—difficult to travel through, obscuring all sorts of things in the shadows. Even things right in front of us could be hidden in the dark. "What do you think?"

"You're right—it's a nebulous outcome. I think…there are too many variables that we can't see, that will affect the outcome of the reading. I'm trying to connect all the cards, but there are pieces of the puzzle missing. I don't have all the information. The cards aren't telling me everything—and I think, if I did another reading, it would be the same. This may be something you just have to walk through."

I thought about it. "I'll fix and reinforce the protection grid again, and then maybe we can do another reading and the situation will be clearer?"

"It can't hurt to try," she said, as she shuffled the cards again and slid them back into their box. "Okay, at least we know that somebody's angry at you. For what, I don't know. If I were you, I wouldn't jump to conclusions as to why they're mad. Not until we know more. But the first step is to beef up your wards."

I thanked her, then we settled down in the living room to watch an episode of Witch Island—a reality show where Otherkin with magical blood schemed their way through a month of living on an island, with nothing but their magical powers to help them survive. It was a huge hit, though somebody always ended up hurt and medevacked out. After that, Bran walked Fancypants and me home, through the woods, and he stayed till I was safely inside.