A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums (Lilith and Co. #1)

Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

“ W e need to head to County Cork. That’s where Agatha’s relation is located,” I said, in awe of the fact that I actually stood in Ireland. Both feet on the ground. Here. “Do we know where we are now?”

Connor pulled my phone out of my pocket to check our location. “It looks like we're in County Kerry. Cork is the next county over to the southeast.”

“But Cork is a big county.”

“We’ll make it work. We don’t have a choice.”

No truer words. We had to make it work. Period.

As I still felt sluggish, I had Connor remove his clothing and drop down into his hound form in order to carry me. I ended up compromising with myself, manifesting the directions we needed to go to get us to Agatha’s relation rather than just trying to manifest us there because I just didn’t have it in me. It took extra juju to cloak myself from the non-supers we passed because explaining how I zipped across a field faster than most humans could run, and doing it not touching the ground because only supers could see Connor in his hound form, might’ve gotten a little tricky.

Turn by turn, directions sped through my mind, but they gave me enough time to relay them to my mate before leaving. I was my own personal GPS. How cool was that?

Connor, for his part, didn’t act at all winded. But if anyone got a look at his physique, they wouldn’t question why. The man had it going on in all the ways.

The directions headed us toward an old town called Youghal, which upon our arrival, we found to be a quaint seaside town. But we weren’t done. We needed to find a section of town called Moll Goggin’s Corner.

How did I not know this place existed? Clearly, my worldly education lacked, if not in all the ways, then definitely in this one. What wasn’t lacking? The power that radiated off of one little stone home in particular. The front of the home had been decorated with a plethora of plants, unlike all the other homes surrounding it. And as I made money from plants, I knew that these had special powers. To keep away evil. Disease. Unwanted guests. Rue, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, just to name a few. A cook wouldn’t hang their herbs outside the front door, so far from the kitchen.

“This is it,” I said to Connor. He stopped, allowing me to climb off his back. It seemed too big a risk to uncloak myself in broad daylight. Hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake, I walked up to the front door and knocked. The plan was to slip inside and uncloak then. Though as a super, she’d see Connor. I hoped he didn’t scare her out of opening the door enough for that to happen. From what I understood, it wasn’t usual for a death hound to show up on your front stoop.

The door opened to reveal a wrinkled, old woman, possibly arthritic, as she hunched over, her hands mangled. She had a wild, dried bird’s nest of hair and a mole bigger than her nose under her left eye. She stood in the doorway, her eyes traveling from where I stood still cloaked, as if she saw me, then behind me to Connor.

In an accent almost too thick to understand, she ushered us inside. “Best come in before any sense you out.”

We stepped inside and I turned to shut the door. When I turned back, the woman who’d been withered seconds ago now appeared as young as Agatha. I stepped back, shocked. Her deep-auburn hair shimmered like strands of copper flowing down her back. She looked at us through eyes of buckwheat honey.

“The protector can go in there”—she pointed to a small half-bath—“to change.” She knew I stood there? How?

I handed off Connor’s clothing to him, well, I laid them on his back, and he walked into the half-bath. I pulled the door shut.

“You may reveal yourself now,” she said. Mind totally blown. No one, not even Luc or Satan, had been able to truly sense me the way she did.

Part of me wondered if I needed to be cautious, but the more dominant part knew that she was the one I needed to see and so I manifested myself to be seen again.

“I’m Ainsling,” she said. “You are?”

“My name is Simone.”

“And your protector?”

“Connor,” I answered for him because he was still in the bathroom dressing. “We were sent to you by Agatha?—”

“I know of Agatha.” She cut me off. “She’s a powerful witch, indeed. I knew to expect a visitor, though the winds didn’t tell me who.”

At that point, Connor walked out of the half-bath. He draped his arm around my waist to pull me in close to his body. Ainsling watched us.

“Your protector is very protective, I see.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of a lug, but he’s growing on me.” I laughed as Connor kissed the top of my head.

“We don’t get mated protectors around here often.”

“But you do get them?” Connor asked.

She nodded. “The last one was a couple of years back. She and her mate needed my help.”

“With what? If you don’t mind me asking,” I asked.

“Well, he had great powers, like the ones I sense in you. And like you, his felt bound.”

“His? The person like me was a man?”

“Please, come sit. You need refreshment before we continue.”

Connor looked a second and a half away from going all hound smash on her, but I reached up to scratch behind his ear and he shook his head at me instead. At least for now, these antics worked on him. Though I couldn’t say for how long.

We followed her into a sitting room with air thick with incense just like Agatha’s place. What was it with witches and flowery incense? She already had tea and cakes waiting for us, as she’d known we were coming.

I accepted the tea and a buttery cake and I scowled at Connor, who tried to refuse. The cake made the trip worth it. It was that good.

“What can you tell me about this other who had bound power?” I asked after swallowing the bite.

“He was strong, but yours is stronger. The bindings bound tighter. Someone really needed you not to have access to them.”

“Agatha had me go back in time to my birth, but it felt like lifetimes ago. Can you help me figure this out?”

“His name was Simeon. I could never forget him. He reminded me very much of you Simone. And his mate, a beautiful woman. Different name. A surname here.”

“Madigan?” Connor asked and he looked ready to puke doing it. His sister. Wow. His sister had a protected mate, too. Just like Connor. I knew this whole thing was connected somehow.

A feeling of dread swooped in fast almost overwhelming me. What were we about to get ourselves into next?

Whatever we were about to face, Ainsling sensed it as she nodded once solemnly. Immediately, I set my tea and cake down in order to move to Connor’s lap to best give him comfort. He held me close.

“Where did you send them?” I asked.

“Before I tell you, you must know, that like the protector mates Simeon and Madigan, you have an air of destiny about you. His, as yours, comes from a far-off place. One I cannot put a lock on. But I can give you a tea to talk with my most powerful ancestor long departed. She can guide you in a way I cannot.”

“No,” Connor said at the same time I said, “Yes, please.”

Another tea. I already wasn’t at my full strength yet. But if this was my only option, then I had to take it.

“Connor, baby—I have to. You know I do.”

“You haven’t recovered from Agatha’s tea yet.”

“I get that, but it’s the only way. I’m agreeing with Ainsling and you have to let her do her magic.”

He kissed me, pressing his forehead to mine, and hugged me tight. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered. “I can’t let you be hurt.”

“I won’t be hurt. Just drained.”

“You don’t know that.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to make a dog joke, but I held back. The situation simply didn’t abide any levity.

Finally, he gave in, sighing. “Yeah, okay.”

He gave his permission even though we’d both known I wasn’t asking for it. I simply wanted him to be okay with the decision I’d come to. Ainsling stood up and hightailed it to her kitchen, my guess in case he changed his mind. But I wasn’t planning on changing my mind.

While she was gone, Connor took my hand, squeezing it gently while placing our linked fingers on my knee. Dare I say, lovingly? “ Please . I don’t want you drinking that tea. I can’t protect you while you’re under.”

I pressed my head to his neck to snuggle in further. “Think about it, babe. Really think about it. We have people trying to kill us. Your sister and her mate, a mate I’ll add she never even told you about, showed up here then went missing?”

“I know.” He huffed out a breath. “But I can’t lose you. We’re tied together, Simone. It hurts, but I can live without my sister. I can’t live without you. As fucked-up as this is, I wouldn’t want to.”

“Wow, Connor Baghest, I think you do like me.”

He kissed me. One of those power-packed, giving you everything he was feeling without saying a word kind of kisses.

Way too soon, we heard a throat clear and he pulled out of the kiss. I was simultaneously ready to meet this ancient ancestor and ready to punch Ainsling for interrupting such a monumental moment.

“Can I ask you to sit over in this chair?” Ainsling pointed to a ratty, old, well-worn, well-loved brown leather chair similar to Agatha’s but not a recliner. This had an equally ratty, old, well-worn, well-loved ottoman moved in front of it for me to prop my feet up on.

Giving Connor’s hand one more squeeze, I moved from his lap to the chair. The soft cushions enveloped me as I sank down into them and I set about getting comfortable by propping my feet up on the ottoman while I waited for Ainsling to pour the hot brew.

“You must drink it all down,” she said while handing me off the cup.

I nodded, blowing on it to cool down the surface, and whispered, “Bottoms up,” before gulping it down. Two gulps and I’d emptied the cup. My mouth tasted heavily of licorice, which I was sure she’d added to aid the flavor, which otherwise tasted heavily of rosemary, mugwort, and passionflower. There were other herbs in the brew; those just came out the strongest.

It only took a second for me to begin feeling the power coursing through me. I closed my eyes, though I didn’t have to because the tea lulled them closed to allow me to travel. I left my body, flipping back through history until reaching the correct moment in time. A beautiful woman of maybe forty waved me in exactly like those men with the orange vests and flares on an airport tarmac did for the jets.

And when I landed, she smiled, speaking to me in a tongue I didn’t know yet fully understood again. Magic was trippy.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Simone Lamia. I am Sirona.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

She graciously dipped her head in a thank you. “You seek the other.”

“Yes.”

“Then he did not succeed in finding you.”

I snapped my head back. “Me?”

“Yes. The other came to me looking to seek you out.”

“What? How? Did he say how he knew about me?”

“The other, his powers were bound as are yours. Your protector is key. He will help break the binds.”

“That’s why I’ve started getting more powerful since we met? He’s supposed to help me break the bindings?”

She nodded. “There is evil in the works, Simone. Pure evil prepared to destroy the beauty of the world for greed. They sought you out years ago. Should you fall, the world has no chance.”

“Then why did they go after Simeon? We never met. I grew up in foster care.”

“You are him. He is you.”

“That makes no sense. What does any of this have to do with the amulet from the dagger of Lilith?”

“Reunite the amulet with the hilt. The blade will appear. Only those gifted the powers from the mother of witches may wield the dagger.”

“The mother of witches? Lilith?”

She nodded again.

“What is my connection to Lilith?”

“The answer you seek has been blocked from me. I fear the evil follows you to keep you ignorant. Knowledge is power. Seek out the knowledge.”

“Where?”

“There are witches' archives located far out on Orkney. You must head for the Knap of Howar. The Knap of Howar. This is important. Speak the words: Cuir isteach mar chara . A stone staircase will open for you. Only you and your protector will be able to enter because he is connected to you. Follow the steps down. If you are safe, the archives will present themselves to you.”

“Okay. God, I hope I can remember those words.”

“We are not finished. To close the archives, you must speak the words: Fág mar aon ní amháin. It is vital that you close the archives, Simone. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Devastation and death will come to all witches should you fail to close the archives. The balance of power will shift to the darkness. Those who seek the light will perish, for once the witches fall, one by one, all supers will fall.” She shuddered.

“But I thought you said only Connor and I could enter because of our connection.”

“Evil has attached itself to you. I feel it even now. Your power keeps it in check. It cannot act, only watch, but if you forget to close the archives, evil may leave a piece of itself behind without your magic to fend it off.”

As if life wasn’t complicated enough before. I let out a slow breath. “Okay. Knap of Howar, Orkney. Cuir isteach mar chara to open the archives. Fág mar aon ní amháin to close them. And make extra sure no matter what to close them. Yeah?”

“Yes. You must return to your time now. I sense the protector growing agitated even through the loop.”

“Connor’s a little overprotective.”

“You will be glad of it in the coming weeks. Blessed be, Simone. Until we meet again.”

“Will we meet again?”

“Blessed be,” she repeated, then she swiped her hands in the air as if shooing me off and disappeared from view.

My eyes popped open to find the beautiful Connor squatting down next to the chair, holding my hand. “Hey, babe,” I said groggily through a half-smile.

He audibly relaxed. His taut shoulders melted back into a position of calm.

“You were gone an hour, Simone. I thought… I thought…”

I brought my hand up to hold his cheek. “I’m back. I’m fine. Sirona had a lot to say.”

“Well?” he asked.

“We’re headed for Orkney.” And our impending doom , but I thought better of relaying that bit of information for now.

I had a connection to Simeon. I am him. He is me. Whatever the hell that meant. We both had a connection to Lilith.

Dread filled me.

I literally carried the fate of the world.

But Connor, Connor carried me.

We could do this.

We had to.