Ghost Light

Had Father Michael sent Kaye to the cemetery?  For some reason, that didn’t make sense.  Kaye’s powers had waned since her role in the each uisge battle last summer.  The black tattoos that crawled up her neck and twined down her arms and hands were evidence of the sacrifice she had made.  No, the priest would not have sent Kaye to our aid.  But then, what was she doing here?

I cracked open one eye to see the witch speaking with someone on the phone.  It always looked strange to see Kaye holding a cell phone.  I half expected her to keep in touch using a crystal ball.

“Yes, she’ll be fine,” she said.  “She can go home today.  Just be sure she continues to rest.  No running off to be the hero—not this week.”

I missed what the person on the phone said, but Kaye laughed in return and hung up.  If I didn’t want to have to answer questions, I’d better not let her see me awake.  My head pounded with a migraine and I was pretty sure that every muscle in my body was bruised.  I just needed a little longer to recuperate.  Maybe after a nap…

I turned my head away from Kaye and startled, fully awake.  Hob perched on the pillow beside my head.  He was leaning forward, hands resting on his knees, and squinting at me with beady eyes beneath bushy eyebrows.  At my movement he rose into the air, eyes wide.

Mab’s bones.  So much for an extra minute of shut eye.

“She’s awake!” he exclaimed.  He clapped knobby hands and landed on the pillow again where he danced a jig.  “How do ye feel, lass?”

I tentatively lifted my arms, and did an inventory of my wounds.  I had plenty of scrapes and bruises and a nasty bump on the back of my head.  I was also pretty sure that my wrist was broken.  But the cuts, broken bones, and throbbing headache were nothing compared to the burning in my side.

I pulled down the blanket covering me and lifted my shirt to see a large poultice wrapped in gauze.

“I’m okay,” I said, forcing a smile.  “But this itches like crazy.”

I rubbed a gloved hand against the bandage and winced.

“Don’t touch that, dear,” Kaye said.

Kaye set the phone down and shuffled over to my bedside.  I used the time to take in my surroundings.  The old stone and wooden beams of the room were familiar.  The welcome smells of herbs, incense, and wood smoke wrapped around me like a blanket.  I’d been in this room hundreds of times before.  I wasn’t lying where I’d fallen in the cemetery.  I was in Kaye’s spell kitchen, near the hearth.

I suppose Hob’s appearance on my pillow should have been a hint.  I chalked my confusion up to a sleep-addled brain.  I yawned and flinched when the movement pulled at my side.  Maybe if I could just get a few hours more sleep…

I started to drift, but Kaye harrumphed and kicked the bed, jerking me awake.  She placed tattooed hands on her hips and shook her head.  Apparently, Kaye’s recent time as a patient hadn’t improved her bedside manner.  If I wanted sleep, I’d have to bust out of here.

I sighed and pretended that the motion didn’t cause me pain.  If I wanted to get out from under Kaye’s care, I’d have to pretend I was well enough to return home.  She narrowed her eyes at me and I blushed.  Right, trying to trick a witch was probably a dumb idea.  Kaye was no fool.

With another penetrating look, Kaye lowered herself onto the low stool beside me.  She took her time settling her skirts and I tried not to fidget.  I didn’t like lying here prone, but I figured Kaye would turn me into a toad, or worse, if I tried to sit up without permission.

I ran a gloved hand over the small wooden frame beneath me.  Since the kitchen didn’t have a bed, I figured they’d set me on a portable cot while Kaye nursed me back to health.  When Marvin had stayed here, he’d slept in a pile of blankets on the floor.  The troll was too big for a bed.

“Is Marvin alright?” I asked.

My heart raced and a cold sweat beaded on my forehead.  Marvin had unexpectedly shown up during the Danse Macabre, but I couldn’t remember if he made it out safely.  I tried to think back to the end of the cemetery battle, but my memories were hazy.

I remembered Sir Torn arriving, leading the cat sidhe to attack the rat horde.  I had uttered the Latin words just as Father Michael had instructed, weakening the compulsion of the endless dance and loosening the hold of the Danse Macabre.  Ceff had battled Melusine, keeping her busy while Jinx tried to rescue children from the circle.  I had fought with The Piper…and Marvin had appeared, joining the attack.  But the details were fuzzy after that.

“He be fine, lass,” Hob said.

The brownie patted the blanket beside me, trying to comfort yet careful not to touch.  My eyes watered and I blinked the tears away.  I must be allergic to something in Kaye’s kitchen.  I didn’t cry over bridge trolls.  It wasn’t my style.

“Your friends and subjects are safe,” Kaye said.