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  “Let’s get some food, and then we’ll chat,” Mr. Dawson said.

  While we were eating, the place cleared out. I wasn’t sure if Mr. Dawson had said something to the others milling about or if they were just finished. Either way, I was thankful for the relative privacy. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust everyone in the pack… But I didn’t really trust everyone in the pack. Not yet. But Teresa’s friends, I trusted. They’d been warm and welcoming.

  Now I just hoped they had some brilliant ideas on how to save my brother. That seemed like a long shot when I wasn’t even sure what was wrong with him.

  I sighed and pushed the plate away. I’d managed half a burrito, but I couldn’t eat one more bite. Nerves made it barely possible to sit still.

  Muraco cleared his throat, and everyone quieted. His white hair was long and shaggy. He was the only werewolf I’d ever seen that actually looked old, which I was pretty sure meant he was ancient. His skin reminded me of Tia Rosa’s—paper thin and wrinkly. He moved slowly, pulling an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and sliding it across the table. “I was gone the last few days, working on something for you.”

  Something for me? Weird. I tore the envelope open and emptied its contents. It was a small navy blue book with the seal of the United States of America on the cover. “You got me a passport?” I wasn’t aware that was something that you could do for someone other than yourself. And where had he gotten a picture of me? “I don’t know what to say.” Thanks didn’t seem appropriate when I was more than a little worried about the ethics of it.

  “I was by to see Raphael today.”

  He was? How many people had been in that room while I’d been asleep?

  “And it looks like you need to find these mages quickly. Faster than before.”

  Right. But was that really the answer? I had to be sure before I went on the proverbial wild goose chase. “Before I jump on the first plane out, you haven’t told me anything about what I’m looking for, who I’m looking for, and how they can help me. I can’t just go there and look around hoping to stumble upon something. Raphael… He’s—”

  “Dying.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. I will not cry right now. He’s not dead yet. There’s still time.

  “I will tell you a little about my country.”

  It was with those words that wolves around the table all took a breath and leaned in. Like they’d never heard anything about Muraco or Peru before. There was something about Muraco that made me want to listen to him, too. To trust him. And I definitely wanted to hear his story.

  “In my country, we don’t separate ourselves from other supernaturals. It’s not normal for us to live the way you do here. All in your own compounds behind your own walls and fighting amongst yourselves. It’s not right.”

  I bristled at that—who was he to tell us how to live—but remained quiet.

  “Long ago, a wolf fell in love with a very powerful witch. She didn’t turn, because she was happy with her life as it was, but they were mated all the same. Together, they formed a new way of living. Witches. Wolves. Fey. All living together. Having families. This is where I am from. This is how it should be. I’ve tried to tell the other packs, but no one will listen.” He looked at Teresa and Dastien, who sat together, their hands entwined. “But they give me hope for peace in this part of the world.”

  He gestured with his hands, and his joints popped. “We lived together for some time before there was trouble. You see, not everyone lived in the villages. Some witches wanted to stay apart. Some packs wanted to roam. Some fey liked underhill better. But we all got along. For a time. Then the magic casters—mages, witches, wizards—whatever you want to call them, it’s all the same—split away from us, breaking into two groups. Good and bad. The good ones practiced a pure white magic. They lived alone, like priests working their magic—meditating and praying. When things went wrong, people from all over the country, from other parts of the Andes, would come to seek their guidance. To receive blessings. It was said that their auras were so pure they glowed in the darkness. And sometimes, a witch from my wife’s coven would decide that they wanted that quiet life and they would disappear to join.” He sighed, and I looked at Yvonne.

  Had she heard of anything like this? I’d have to ask.

  “The bad ones,” Muraco continued. “Well, they made evil things. Very evil things. We tried to stay away, but they attacked the village. We couldn’t stand for that. For a few years, there was war. Light and dark. We helped fight these dark casters. The light won, but at a high cost. So many lives gone. And in the end, those white mages… They disappeared. The fight had taken too great a toll. I’m not sure if they lived on. If they had a quiet life in the wilderness or not. But their magic lives. At night, during the new moon, you can see it lighting up the mountain. This magic is what you all need now. Their white energy is the only thing that can fight the coming darkness.” Muraco took a drink of his coffee. “This is the hard part. The finding of them. They might have left behind magic. Books. Or they might themselves be there. It was so long ago that I doubt they live now, but there’s no way to be certain save to look, Claudia de Santos.”

  A shiver rolled down my spine at my name, and Muraco continued. “Your power may let you find them where I and others could not. All that is certain now is that dark magic was used to bring back your Daniel. I haven’t seen the like of that in more years than memory recalls, but that is very much what those evil mages did. It took many years before the white mages found a way to fight such power, but they did. We do not have years this time. So you must go. Now.”

  Mr. Dawson cleared his throat. “What about her oath to Luciana?”

  “What about it?”

  “Do you think they can break it?”

  He sighed. “As I said, they might not be there. She might find bits of their magic left behind. And I hope that is enough. From what I know of oaths, what the girl needs to break the bond is already inside her. She gives the oath more power by believing in it.”

  He was wrong. Dead wrong. “No. She has a hold over me. She made me—”

  “Oh, I’m not saying that the oath has no power. I’m saying that to break any oath you need either good magic to override it or the sheer force of will to overpower it. That’s why some are easy to break. If the witch who did the binding didn’t make it so strong, when the person leaves… Poof.” He motioned with his hands. “It’s gone.”

  “He’s right,” Shane said. “That’s why I’m no longer bound.”

  “Exactly. Others, the witch wants to hold tight,” Muraco said. “You have to overpower her. Or find some way to override it.”

  “Override it?” If this was the whole mating thing again…

  “A bond like theirs will do it.” He waved his hand toward Tessa and Dastien.

  Yeah. Like that was going to happen. “So how do I find the temple of these white mages?” If they had a temple. I suspected it would be more of a ruin by now.

  “Come with me if you want to go. I’m heading home tomorrow to gather others who might be willing to join the coming battle. When we arrive, a member of my pack will take you to where I last saw them. It’s now a busy village, but you have the sight. If there is magic hidden in the forest, you will see it. Trust your instincts and follow them to find what you need.”

  “And what if I don’t find it? What if there’s nothing to find?”

  “It’s there. Believe it to be so, and it will be so.”

  I closed my eyes, barely able to contain a groan. I just had to will things into existence. Fine. Easy-peasy.

  “I think this might be your best option,” Teresa said. “And it would get you away from Luciana. Maybe that’s far enough away that you can actually rest without her draining you. Just that might be enough to break the oath.”

  “Peru could hold all the answers,” Beth said.

  “Nothing is ever that easy,” Elsa said. As usual, her few words cut right to the truth.

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nbsp; Everyone started talking at once. Witches debated with the wolves, and I leaned back in my chair, tuning it all out.

  It wasn’t their decision to make. It was mine. I had to figure it out.

  The only other one at the table who was quiet was my cousin. Something told me she knew plenty about these tough decisions. She gave me a little nod, letting me know that she’d support my decision either way.

  But I knew she didn’t want me to go back to Luciana.

  That was the easy route. Maybe not in the long term, but it would solve my immediate problems. Ultimately the cost of going back to her was high.

  Peru, on the other hand, was the much harder route. The road less traveled. Literally. It could end up costing me everything, or if it worked, and I found what we needed, I could save us all. Save my brother. And stop the witch I’d helped to create.

  “I’ll do it,” I said it softly. The wolves heard me and froze. Turning to me. But my fellow witches didn’t have their good hearing. They were still arguing.

  I stood up from my chair, and its legs scratched against the floor. “I’ll go to Peru with you,” I said the words much louder this time so that everyone could hear. The last of the talk quieted.

  Muraco nodded. “Wise decision. The journey will be difficult, but you will overcome.”

  “I hope so.” I pushed down the fear that chilled my skin. “I really hope so.”

  Chapter Seven

  After I decided to go, the group sprang into action. Mr. Dawson ran off to make travel plans for me. Getting a last minute plane to Peru wasn’t an easy feat, especially since I needed to get on Muraco’s flight. I didn’t much care if I had to sit in the cargo hold. Now that I was going, I wanted to get there. Right away.

  Then Meredith brought up the fact that I had nothing to wear but cut off skirts, flip-flops, and peasant shirts. I’d been in such a rush to leave the compound that I’d only brought essentials. Shopping was the last thing I wanted to be doing. I needed to spend as much time with my brother as possible before I left, but I had to be prepared for this trip. I couldn’t hike the Andes in worn-through leather sandals.

  After a quick trip into town, I had a fancy new backpack, running shoes, thick socks, and all the warm clothes I could foresee needing. Now I sat on the floor back in my room at St. Ailbe’s, trying to pack. The werewolves didn’t restrict Internet access like the coven did, so I’d read a quick article on how to best pack a backpack. I’d never done anything like this before. Hell, until a few days ago, I’d hardly left the compound.

  Apparently, rolling the clothes was the best way to get everything to fit. It seemed like a good idea, but the way I did the rolling, it wasn’t working. If anything, the lumpy rolls took up more space. I let out a frustrated growl as I shook out the pair of pants in my hands and tried rolling them for the fourth time. Everything seemed lumpy this way, but what did I know about packing and going on trips?

  I just needed to get this done already so I could go check on Raphael. I didn’t have time to pack and repack this stuff over and over.

  Someone knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said, and looked over my shoulder.

  Teresa peeked in. “Hey. Thought I’d see how it was going.”

  I dropped the pants I was trying to roll. “Horribly.” I surveyed the mess in front of me. “I’m not sure I can fit all this. I’ve tried to whittle it down to necessities, but…” The plan was a little on the vague side, so I had to be ready for almost anything.

  Teresa settled down on the floor next to me. “Can I help?”

  “Please.” I waved my hand over the pile of stuff. “I’m getting nowhere.”

  Teresa took the pants and started rolling them. Somehow they ended up in a tight log without a single lump.

  “How’d you do that?”

  “Practice. Axel was a Boy Scout for a hot minute.” She snorted. “Anyhow, Dad worked long hours and couldn’t take time off to go on weekend camping trips, so Mom went with him. I was too little to be left alone, so I was forced along. Not that I wanted to go. Nope. I like bathrooms with running water and bug-free beds. But some things stuck with me. Mostly packing and marshmallow toasting.”

  Wow. Boy Scout. I hadn’t pictured her brother as someone who’d get into that kind of stuff. “So you went camping but you didn’t like it?”

  “Exactly.” She paused. “You’re right. It’s not all going to fit, but you don’t need all this underwear.”

  Was she nuts? One week gone meant nine pairs—just in case I wanted to freshen up at night. And that was shorting myself a few pairs. I wasn’t going around dirty. “No. I need these.”

  “This may sound gross, but if you’re at a hotel, wash ‘em in the sink. And if not, wear each pair twice. Once inside-out.” My face must’ve shown my disgust with her proposition. “Trust me. You don’t want to carry more than you have to. Every ounce counts.”

  I nearly laughed at how ridiculous this was. Even when it came to something as simple as packing, my cousin was so much better than I was. I’d feel more confident if she were going with me. “Are you sure you don’t want to go, too?”

  “No way. I got cornered into staying at the compound, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving St. Ailbe’s again. I feel safer when I’m here. Even if we’re constantly on watch, I have my pack. And there’s no way I’m going anywhere without Dastien. Not only would he flip, but I don’t want to be without him. He’s my safety blanket, and after what happened, I need him.” I’d been so caught up in everything that had happened, I kept forgetting to check how Teresa was faring. When she was around Dastien, she seemed fine. Strong. But then times like this, she looked so fragile. Like if I breathed on her too hard, she might break.

  Guilt weighed me down. Luciana had used some really dark magic to strip Teresa of her powers. She’d drawn Teresa’s magic into little jars, using the energy to fuel her spells, and summoning demons from the underworld. I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I’d needed her help, so I’d manipulated her to get her back on coven land any way I could.

  I’d told Luciana about the planned Full Moon Ceremony.

  It was my fault she and Dastien weren’t fully bonded. My fault her powers had gotten stripped. My fault she didn’t feel safe anymore.

  I hadn’t intended for her to get hurt. I thought I had it under control. I thought I was looking out for her, but I’d never thought Luciana would go so far.

  But I’d been wrong. And Teresa had paid the price. “You shouldn’t second guess yourself.”

  “I could’ve done a lot of things differently, but I was so focused on taking Luciana down, that I didn’t stop to think everything through like I should’ve.” She grabbed a shirt, and started rolling it. “Anyway, even with all this baggage, I thought about going with you, but right before I went to bed last night, I had a little premonition. Vision. Whatever.” She huffed. “I guess talking to you about being blocked loosened something. I was laying there with Dastien, thinking about everything, and… Well, it was a little one, but it was just enough to show me that if I go to Peru, bad things happen. It has to be you.” She grinned and I was suddenly scared. That grin meant nothing but trouble. “Plus, I have a feeling you’re going to meet someone there.”

  She had to be joking. “Please. I’ll be too busy trying to find some possibly non-existent mages—who might have the answer to saving my brother and defeating whatever Luciana conjures next—to breath, let alone time enough to flirt with anyone.” The idea was ludicrous. “Trust me. Romance isn’t anywhere on my radar.” Especially when I was wearing my underwear twice.

  “Are you saying that because of the douchebag?”

  “No.” That hadn’t even entered my mind. Even after talking to him last night. “Honestly, there’s only so much room in my brain. All I can focus on right now is finding the mages and getting back here as quickly as possible.” Sure, I wanted what Teresa and Dastien had, but that was a useless daydream right now.

  One day, it’d be my t
urn. But I had a lot to accomplish before then.

  “I still say keep your eyes open. You never know what you might find.”

  “Maybe,” I said to appease her and end this pointless conversation.

  Another knock came at the door. “Can I join you?” Cosette said as she peeked around the doorframe. Her aura shone so bright I could almost see her pearly sparkle through the wall. “I need something to do.”

  I wished that lending me some of all that power was considered ‘something to do,’ but I couldn’t waste time wishing for the impossible. Cosette had her own problems and as tempting as it was, I shouldn’t expect her to put everything aside to fix mine. “Have a seat,” I said.

  Teresa’s gaze followed her as she moved across the room. “Getting bored under the constant threat of attack?”

  “Hardly.” Cosette waved a hand as she plopped down on my bed. “That part makes me feel right at home.”

  “Well don’t get too comfortable,” Teresa said. Her tone was surprisingly firm. “Mr. Dawson and the rest of the Seven have been looking for you all over campus. They want to talk.”

  “Which is why I’ve been avoiding them.” Cosette tilted her head to the side as if brushing off the most powerful alpha wolves in the world was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

  “Why? If you can help us—”

  “When the time is right.” Cosette gripped the edge of the bed so hard her knuckles whitened. She was finally showing a little of what must be her real thoughts.

  “You can’t stay on the sidelines forever.” Teresa crossed her arms as she stared Cosette down. She looked more than a little annoyed with the fey. “Not with what’s coming.”

  That thought made me swallow hard. The evil wasn’t coming. It was already here. Daniel was proof of that.

  So was Raphael.

  “I wasn’t planning to.” Cosette let out a heavy breath. “But I do what the queen says or I pay the price. For now, just think of me as an objective observer. Later…” She waved her fingers, letting us interpret her trailing words how we wanted. “Well, we’ll see about later.”