The sphere seemed to glow from within in the dancing candlelight. Next to me, Seth leaned forward and stared at the ball. The black fabric absorbed extraneous light and minimized distractions. The candles provided just enough light to see the future in the crystal. I glanced across at Alex, who appeared a bit ill.
Seth’s eyes started to bulge. I leaned over and told him he was allowed to blink. I stole a glance at the ball and it already looked foggy to me. I rubbed my forehead again and blinked. The light fog had become a swirling mist and I watched in fascination as the tendrils parted. A figure stood in the distance and I leaned forward to get a better look. It was a man, backlit, so I couldn’t see his face. He was big, with broad shoulders, and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I was about to pull away when his face swam into view. Lucan. The room felt like it was spinning and my stomach flipped over. My head exploded in pain and I leaned back in my chair, almost forcing it to tip over.
“Clyde, are you okay?” Alex knelt next to my chair. Dad stood behind with a hand on my shoulder.
I shook my head and the pain cleared. Vi was across the table, grinning. Mom had her hands clasped under her chin; her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I knew you could do it,” Mom whispered.
“What did you see?” Vi asked. “We know you saw something. You spaced out for ten minutes.”
Seth was holding the ball with the velvet wrapped around his hand. He held it close to the candle flame and looked through it. “I still don’t see anything,” he said.
Vi rapped her knuckles on the table and glowered at us all.
“Give her a minute, Vi,” Dad said. “She doesn’t look so good.”
Alex slipped a glass of whiskey into my hand. I set it on the table, sure my stomach would rebel if I tried to drink it.
“I’m okay.” I shook my head to clear it. “I didn’t see much.”
“You saw something, though, right?” Vi said.
I nodded. “I saw Lucan.”
“What was he doing?” Mom said.
“Nothing. He was just there. I saw his face and that was it.”
“I knew it!” Vi said, and punctuated with a sharp clap of her hands.
“What did you know, Vi?” Dad said, with barely disguised annoyance.
“I never liked him,” Vi muttered. “He looks like an invading Viking warrior.”
“Invading who?” Seth asked.
“Invading anyone.” Vi flapped her hand, summing up a thousand years of history. “That’s all they did. Invade. He looks just like them.”
I glanced at Mom, wondering how to handle this latest proclamation. She darted glances between Dad and Vi, ever on the lookout for another dustup.
“I didn’t know Lucan was a Viking,” Seth said. “He seemed pretty nice to me.”
“I don’t know him very well, but I’m sure he doesn’t command an invading army,” Alex said and stood up. He rested his hand on my back. “I think Clyde should get home now.”
Vi nodded. “Okay, this is very helpful. Now we have a name to investigate. Rose, get your cards and we’ll see what we can figure out.”
I stood up and tilted my head toward the door to signal Seth that we were leaving while we still had the chance. He reluctantly replaced the ball in its box and snapped his fingers at the dogs. They jumped up and came to his side, waiting for further instructions.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?” Dad asked.
“It’s only a few blocks, Dad, I can make it.”
Alex, Seth, the dogs, and I moved toward the front door. Mom waved good-bye but Vi was already mumbling about pendulums and tarot cards and didn’t seem to notice when we left.
24
The early morning sun slanted through the trees as we trudged out to the site of the Halloween ceremony. Normally, I loved walking in the woods this time of year, the smell of old leaves and a distant wood fire mixing with nostalgia would leave me feeling relaxed and content. Not this time.
I wished for a moment that I had brought my guns. Target shooting always helped clear my mind, but I kept them at the local shooting range now, locked up. It wouldn’t be safe with the dogs along, anyway. After last summer, neither one tolerated the sound of a gunshot.
The dogs had no pressing concerns about murder or friends in prison and bounded happily through the leaves, exploring all the scents of the forest. Seth dragged his feet to punctuate how very exhausted he was from getting up before ten. Once we were a good distance from the road, we unclipped the leashes to let the dogs explore without pulling us along.
Seth trailed after me into the forest as I tried to find the path that led to the small clearing where Diana had set up the ceremony. That night I’d followed her without really paying attention and she’d set up helpful lanterns along the way for the attendees to follow.
After about ten minutes of trying to find the clearing and keep track of the dogs, I stopped to get my bearings.
“I thought you knew where you were going,” Seth grumbled.
“I do,” I said. “Just give me a second.” I held up my hand.