Blood Moon (26 page)

“Nice save, Bat Boy,” Dean said.

“Anyway, boys...” Darby smiled as she looked at Blake.
 
“This is to repel any wood that may come your way.”

Then she held up a little tub of what looked like body butter or lip-gloss and said, “This will attract all metal in a room.
 
Mark a ‘T’ on the wall or the floor, wherever you want the metal to stick and stand back.
 
No incantations are necessary.
 
Just dip your finger in the goo and mark a ‘T’ with it. It won’t last forever, but it will last long enough for our purposes.
 
It will be strongest if you put it on the north wall of wherever you are.”
 

Dean asked, “A ‘T’? Why a ‘T’? Why not an ‘X’ for ‘X’ marks the spot or ‘M’ for metal?”

“Well – I don’t know. ‘T’ rhymed with my incantation so think of it as ‘T’ for tools.

“Lastly are these little blue vials.
 
This is for all of you but since you werewolves don’t have pockets, the rest of us are going to have to help you with this one if you come around fire.
 
I’ve set up a hibachi in the backyard so that I can show you how it works.”
 
They all followed her outside to the backyard. She motioned to Devon to start the fire.
 

“Okay, if you encounter fire being used against you, grab one of these vials and throw it to the ground between you and the fire like this.” Darby threw the vial down and a mist immediately appeared and doused out the fire.

“Cool,” Dean said.
 

“So if one of you sees Rowan or Dean in combat with some kind of fire, you’ll need to throw one of these for them.”

“This is great stuff, Darby.
 
Thanks,” Blake commended her.

“It seems so little to give to you all when you are putting your lives in danger,” she said.

“It’s actually a lot. These are all our biggest threats.
 
If we can avoid these things with the help of your charms, the rest we can certainly heal from. This is a big help,” Devon said.

“Definitely, Darby,” Blake added.

“Thanks, D,” Rowan said.

Dean came over and gave her a big kiss and hug.
 

“No one has ever given me anything to protect me. This means a lot to me, Darby.”
 
She thought she saw his eyes well up a bit, but he nipped that in the bud, before she could be sure.
Can’t be looking vulnerable in front of the vampires,
she supposed.

Rowan asked, “So have you finished the spell to vanquish the power for good?”

“I think so.
 
It needs a little polishing, but I think it will work. I’m hoping to get them somewhat immobile when I cast it. The only thing I still have to make is the anti-cloaking.
 
We know that Rachel can make herself invisible to vampires and very likely werewolves.
 
I’ve come up with a spell that I think should counteract that spell.
 
I need some dried fern, poppy seeds, slippery elm powder, myrrh, dried marjoram, and dill weed, still.”

Rowan said, “I’m pretty sure we have all that.”
 

“Good, then I will work on that today and I guess we just wait.”

“What time do you think they will perform the ceremony?”

“I don’t know for sure, but probably at the rise of the full moon.”

Dean said, “It’s supposed to rise tomorrow at 8:57.”

The day of the battle was probably the longest day ever.
 
It was kind of like being a kid and waiting for Christmas Eve to arrive, so you can open some presents.
 
But of course, dinner has to be eaten, the dishes cleared away, the eggnog made, until you are about to burst from anxiety. But this wasn’t the same kind of anxiety as Christmas and gifts.
 
This was in wanting it all to be over with. Hoping and praying you are prepared so that no one you love perishes.
 
This was the worst kind of anxiety.

In the morning, Darby made the last item for their arsenal - powder to counteract Rachel’s invisibility spell. She ground together the dried fern leaf and poppy seeds, then added the slippery elm powder, myrrh, fresh dill weed, and ground them into each other until she produced a very fine power. When it was the right consistency, she intoned,

“I long to see what can’t be bound

No scent, unseen and with no sound

This spell of dust, my enemy be found

In sea or sky or solid ground.”

Then very carefully she filled a bunch of clear vials with the powder and labeled them “anti-cloaking.”. She explained to all that the vial could be thrown to the ground and broken like the anti-fire vials, but if there was time, opening the vial and pouring the powder into one’s hand and either strewing it into the air or blowing it into the direction you wanted would be more effective. The powder should be attracted to that which is cloaked and then will outline it in powder so that it can be seen.
 

There was some practicing the day of the fight, but for the most part, everyone just relaxed to conserve their energy for the night.
 
Devon and Darby played some cards to get their minds off of the coming events.
 
Soon, Dean was in on it.
 
Blake saw that Dean was playing and the competitive nature between the two made it impossible for Blake to pass up the chance to play.
 
Not wanting to be left out, Rowan joined in.
 
They all sat around the big, round coffee table in the living room and actually forgot their cares for a couple of hours.

Around 7:30, they started packing up the SUV.
 
Darby checked her pocket for the spell she had written and for her arsenal. Everything seemed to be there.
 
She also packed a box with the first aid kit, bottled water, blankets, and towels.
 
It’s hard to pack for something when you’re not exactly sure what may happen,
she thought.

With the Paine incident, they’d had a good idea what they would be walking into, but this was new territory.
 
Dealing with two very gifted witches, one with a focus on achieving an evil power, frightened Darby.
 
Aside from the expected attacks for which she’d made the arsenal, Darby had no idea what they were walking into, especially in a graveyard on a full moon, conjuring evil powers, and dealing with the possible deaths of thirteen innocent women.
 
But hey, no pressure!

Rowan walked up to Darby who was gazing into a box, seeming to be about a gazillion miles away.
 

“D? You okay?” she said.

“Oh sure!
 
Just thinking!”

“Thinking about tonight?”

“What else?
 
At least when we went to deal with Paine, we pretty much knew what to expect.
 
I’m feeling a bit at a loss here.
 
I mean, we have no idea what we are walking into.
 
Have they prepared for us?
 
Sally asked me if we would be trying to stop them, and I told her we would most definitely try.
 
Does that mean that we are walking into a trap?
 
You know me. I like to be prepared, but I don’t know how to prepare for this.”

“It’s okay, Darby.
 
We’re in this together.
 
All of us.”
 

“Yeah.
 
That’s another problem.
 
I wish that weren’t the case.
 
I mean if anyone’s going to get killed tonight, I sure as heck don’t want it to be any of you.”

“I wish I could tell you that no one will die and no one will be hurt, but I can’t.
 
But I will tell you that we are doing it for the right reasons, and sometimes that just has to be enough, D. Here.” She handed Darby a necklace charm.
 
“You made something to protect everyone here but yourself.
 
So I decided I would make something to protect you. Mostly it will heighten the powers you have.
 
It’s just a general protection; being just human, you are susceptible to all kinds of ways of being hurt.
 
At least with us, you could be pretty specific as to what would kill us.
 
I love you, sis.”
 
She hugged her.

“Thanks, Rowan.
 
I love you too. It’s perfect. I guess there’s nothing else to do but get this show on the road.”

Devon walked up.
 
“That box ready to go, Love?”

“Yeah.”

“What about you? You ready?”

“As much as I will ever be.”

The ride to the graveyard was quiet.
 
Darby checked her pockets to make sure she had her arsenal and the necklace, assuring herself she was ready.
 
She fiddled with the charm Rowan had made her. Devon saw that she was fidgeting; he grabbed her hand and held it in his tightly then brought it up to his lips and kissed each finger. It did settle her down.
 
Just his touch had a calming effect on her.
 

Hoping to avoid any booby traps that may have been placed in the area where they had previously parked, Devon opted to park the SUV near the chapel and walk in.
 

The moon hadn’t risen just yet, but by Rowan’s glance to Dean, Darby suspected it would be very soon.
 
Dean was soothing Rowan with some kind of relaxation technique he had taught her.

Darby said as she walked, “The very first thing that needs to be done is for you to keep me from harm until I can get to the north wall and mark it with the balm to attract all metal to the floor there. The rest, I guess, we wing it, covering each other’s backs, especially if fire is used against the werewolves once they turn.”
 

Everyone nodded as they got to the mausoleum. Devon took Darby’s hand and held it tight.
 
Darby made eye contact with each and every one of them in silent confirmation. Then she said, “Okay.
 
Let’s do this!”

Chapter 24

Darby and Devon went first and Devon opened the unlocked mausoleum door. One by one they all followed.
 
Darby pulled Rachel’s necklace from her pocket and placed it in the indentation of the Coat of Arms on the wall.
 
A horrible grinding noise echoed through the room and the heavy door slowly swung open.
 

“Well, I guess there is no chance of surprise after that?” Dean said sarcastically.

They all smirked at him.
 
Devon looked at Darby and they both headed down the steep, slimy steps into the darkness. Darby wasn’t sure if it was just her nerves, but the stairs seemed endless.
 
How far down could they go?
she thought and then finally they did stop and the group was faced with a torch-lit corridor. Darby tried to get her bearings and figure out which way was north as they headed down the creepy, dark corridor.
 
It looked like it ended in a large room, but it was still too early to know from this distance.