Meridian. Part 22

"And if one of us isn't there -then what?"

"Reincarnation. Another cycle. It's not as simple as all that, but that's the gist of it. Death isn't the end people fear it is. Everything rises, child."

Tens came back, carrying towels. "I think you two are all wrinkly."

"That's age, dear one." Auntie cackled. "Not water."

"Hey!" I cried in protest.

"We should go before the sun sets and the roads freeze up again."

"Rises," I said automatically.

"Exactly." Auntie kissed my cheek and let Tens help her from the pool.

I gazed up into the sky, trying to see what she saw, trying to find the peace she exuded with each breath. I sighed.

"You coming, slowpoke?"

"That's Madame slow poke to you!" I sloshed from the pool and ran to the car, hoping the heater would drive the chatter from my teeth as the water cooled to the temperature of the air around us.

By the time we made the Turn up the hill, the sun was on its downward slope. "What's so bright? Did we leave that many lights on?" I asked.

"Oh no." Auntie's words hung in the air as we got closer.

128ani *

Chapter 25.

If you live long enough, you learn time is an illusion created by men who fear death. The clocks and watches wors.h.i.+pped by those who deny the inevitable. There is power in acknowledging we are not the ones in control.

-Melynda Laine A giant wooden arrow reeking of gasoline burned on the front lawn. Red and black spray paint covered the porch with words and phrases in a language I didn't recognize. The front picture window was smashed.

"Those a.s.sholes!" Tens slammed the steering wheel with his fists.

"We're not hurt, we'll be okay," Auntie a.s.sured him.

I wasn't sure I believed her. "Where's Custos?"

"I left her inside." Tens and I raced up the steps. As Tens juggled the keys I felt watched. I glanced around and saw black shapes move farther into the cover of the trees.

I grabbed Tens. "Did you see that?"

He followed my finger. "What?"

"I thought I saw something -I guess not." Maybe I'd seen deer.

Custos greeted us from the top of the stairs.

"Good girl. Good girl." I buried my face in her fur.

Auntie followed us in. smiling with relief. "She's okay?"

Tens went out to extinguish the arrow. I began cleaning up the gla.s.s and stoking the fire in the hearth.

"Auntie, what's with the gibberish sprayed on the porch? Do you recognize it?"

She nodded. "The Nocti. They speak a language older than Latin, older than Christ's Aramaic, older than that of the druids or Sumerians."

"Oh."

"I know only a little of their language, but the words I recognized translate as 'watching and waiting.'"

I s.h.i.+vered. What would we do if they came? "Do they attack? Do I need a weapon?"

129ani *"Love is your greatest weapon. Trust your heart. Meridian. Listen to yourself. They're insidious; they prey on uncertainty and insecurity. There is little we can do to defeat them outright without the help of a Sangre, I wish I knew how to solicit their help."

"Yeah, where do we get one of those?"

Auntie wrung her hands. I'd never seen her so upset and unsure. "You can't make a phone call for one. I don't know. I don't know." She fought back tears.

I hugged her. "It'll be okay." I wasn't sure how to help her, but she needed to calm down.

Auntie continued, "I've never seen a Nocti. I hope I never will. To need a Sangre's interference means the world is out of balance. They are the beings we whisper about."

"We'll handle it. I promise." I kissed her forehead. "Custos, stay here." I commanded the wolf as she leaned against Auntie's legs and put her head in Auntie's lap.

Tens came back in. "Meridian. I need help holding the plywood over the window. It's the best we can do until after the holiday."

I left Auntie staring into the fire. "Today was too much for her," I whispered to Tens.

"Maybe."

"Are they going to come back?"

"It's escalating."

"What exactly do they want, though? They want Auntie to move out too?"

"It's not just the Brotherhood."

"When did the attacks start?"

"Soon after I got here. The church was up and running, but it was normal. Then there was a shake-up, a scandal, and Perimo seized control. At first it was little things. A new name. A new board. Quiet gossip that no one could ever attribute but that people believed. Then unemployment skyrocketed with the closings. Perimo attracted more people with work and food. I don't know. If I could just put my finger on it."

"When did the dead animals and slashed tires and stuff start?"

"In October, rumors began about Auntie and she started getting fewer invitations to visit people. The phone stopped ringing -with friendly calls, anyway."

"So October?"

"The phone calls. Someone let the air out of the tires when she went to the grocery store.

The grocer stopped carrying the brands she bought regularly. Our power was cut off."

130ani "I could be wrong, but what if the Nocti and the church are working together?"

*"But why?" Tens sat down and slapped the table.

"What's changed?" I asked.

"That's it -it's you. Auntie said she could sense Nocti, right?"

"Which means Nocti can sense us." I exhaled. "And she's one hundred six."

"They knew someone from the family would come to help her pa.s.s. They knew a young Fenestra would show up. It wouldn't be hard to find out where you were, watch you, wait."

"Try to kill me in Portland before I even got here?"

"Exactly." Tens nodded.

"Why drive Auntie out?"

"When the church couldn't bring her in -"

"They cut her off from support, from friends."

"I bet they don't even know what the bigger plan is."

"Do you think Perimo knows?" I asked.

"He has to. He's not Christian in his teachings -he preaches bloodletting and anger-"

"And the babies? The deaths? The traps -Celia?" I could see the pieces falling together.

"All souls for the Nocti. But in exchange for what?"

I tapped my fingers. "They have to be getting something out of it." My head hurt from thinking so hard. "But I don't know what."

Tens stood. "See what you can find in the journal, okay? I wish she'd let me read it years ago."

"Auntie wouldn't let you read it?"

"Eyes of the Fenestra only." He finished pounding the last nails into the wood. "We'll hang layers of quilts inside to keep out the cold. It'll have to work."

We shut up the front of the house, leaving the graffiti to be dealt with tomorrow. We found Auntie in the kitchen. "It's time. I packed the last of it."' She nodded at Tens.

I'd never seen such a bleak expression on his face. "Are you sure?"

She appeared defeated.

131a His expression turned grave as he pulled on his heaviest hiking boots and coat.

ni *"Where are you going?"' I asked.

"Out." The venom in his tone made me blink.

My expression must have shown the hurt I felt because he softened and said. "Sorry. I need to go check on a few things. I'll be back for dinner. You'll be fine. See if you can't find out anything about what we talked about." He brushed past me on his way to the porch, pausing long enough to plant a quick kiss in my hair.

"I'm in the mood for chocolate cake. Let me teach you the family recipes, okay?" Auntie tugged my hand and I lagged behind.

Tens swung a huge pack onto his back and opened the back door. He whistled and Custos appeared, slipping out the door next to him. "I'll be back." He winked at me, but I didn't get any comfort from the gesture.

"Why does he have to go?" I asked Auntie.

"Can you reach the top shelf, please, dear? That's where I keep the special cocoa powder.

Doesn't chocolate cake sound good to you? Let's make macaroni and cheese, too. From scratch. My grandmother always had the best recipes for comfort food. Write the steps down, you should know how to make these dishes."

She turned the radio to a station that played big band music and old scratchy recordings of singers from the thirties and forties. "Listen. Ella Fitzgerald. She'll make you feel better."

I dutifully wrote down the instructions for the mac and cheese. My stomach rumbled as the aromas of b.u.t.ter and cheddar filled the kitchen. I was hungry, but terribly worried at the same time. We pulled the ca.s.serole out of the oven and put the cake in. Darkness fully settled and I jumped with every noise, moving often to the window to scan for Tens and Custos.

"Are my parents safe?" I asked.

"Safe enough." Auntie pursed her lips.

"From me?" I couldn't help asking.

She glanced up, shocked. "Heavens no. child. From the Aternocti, from the fearful. Why do you think we send Fenestras away from their immediate family? It's not to be mean."

"Will I ever see them again?"

"In time, you can go to them." Auntie grasped my hand and held it with a strength that surprised me. "We have to protect the ones we love. Anyone who is with us is vulnerable, is in danger. In the olden days we had warrior Protectors. There aren't many anymore. You have Tens. He may turn out to be one of the warriors, but only time will tell. There isn't a quick test to see what his destiny is."

132.

"So, I can't have a family?"

ani *"No, you must have a family, but every day of their lives they'll be at risk. It's the way, Meridian."

"Then why can't I have my parents right now?"