“Okay . . . anyone mind cluing me in? I’m a little lost here.” Lita looks from me to him.
“They must be using it to enhance the building. It’s impossible to get a good look at it what with all the barriers they’ve set up around it. But that”—I nod toward the cap now placed on Axel’s lap—“it’s definitely not your usual construction material, which means they’re building a bigger, better, more powerful Rabbit Hole.”
“By using black onyx they’ll add immense power and strength,” Axel says. “Not only will onyx provide support and staying power, it’ll increase the energetic vibration as well as retain the memory of all that went before.”
“So . . . what you’re really saying is that we’re doomed to bad food and watered-down drinks forever?” Lita grins, trying to add a bit of levity to a room gone suddenly somber. But it’s only a moment later when her smile fades and she settles into the grim reality that awaits us.
“They’re ensuring that the memory and strength of the Richter ancestry, along with the legacy of their magick and power, stays forever retained in those walls,” Axel says, and when his eyes meet mine, he looks as worried as I am.
The Richters have found a way to harness the power of their ancestry and the countless acts of evil they’ve wrought.
In other words: We are greatly outmatched.
Though it may prove worse still. They may have found a way to turn the entire town against us.
I look among my friends and say, “And let’s not forget the tourmalines they included in the New Year’s Eve swag bags. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until they come into play. There’s no way the Richters would ever waste such a valuable resource.”
“But why do you think they waited so long to exploit them?” Lita looks at me. “I mean, nothing out of the ordinary has happened for months.”
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Xotichl says, fiddling
with the glasses she’s still not used to wearing. “Though try as I might, I can’t get a read on the energy.”
Despite the heat, I’m left chilled by her words. She’s been saying things like that so often, I wonder if she has any idea just how frequently she’s come to repeat herself where her failing abilities are concerned. Then again, I’m probably overreacting. Maybe she’s so excited by the novelty of seeing, it’s distracted her from her more mystical gifts.
I return my attention to my friends. “Okay, so the bottom line is, from this moment on, until we come up with an actual plan, we need to be on high alert for signs of anything out of the ordinary.”
“And, I have to go buy a new party dress,” Lita says. “Which definitely calls for a trip to Albuquerque since it’s not like I’ll find anything in this fashion-challenged town. Xotichl—you in?”
Xotichl nods eagerly, as Auden says, “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a wrap. Anyone up for pizza?”
“I was thinking maybe we could hang in the Lowerworld instead,” Lita says. “It’s gotta be cooler there, than here.”
“Maybe so, but last I checked, there was no pizza to be had in those parts.”
“True . . .” Lita purses her lips, trying to decide which holds greater appeal.
“Was there pizza in the Upperworld?” Xotichl looks at Axel, but Axel just laughs and shakes his head.
“Poor baby.” Lita leans in, ruffles his hair. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Which means we shouldn’t waste a single pizza-ordering opportunity.” She pulls her phone from her pocket and scrolls through her speed-dial list as Auden grabs his keys.
“You’ll need to pick up some drinks too.” I head into the kitchen and peer into the fridge, if only to confirm that other than a nearly empty tub of cream cheese and a package of week-old bagels, it truly is empty. “I’m way overdue on food shopping.”
“No worries, we’re on it.” Lita grabs her purse with one hand and Axel with the other. “We’ll take supermarket duty. Xotichl and Auden, you’re responsible for fetching the pizza, and Daire and Dace . . .” She looks over her shoulder and centers her gaze on mine. “Whatever’s brewing between you, get it settled before we return. This may prove to be our last fun Friday night for a while. So I’d rather not waste it on relationship drama.”
TWELVE
DAIRE
“Since when did Lita get so insightful?” I tip onto my toes and reach into an overhead cupboard. Glancing over my shoulder, waiting for Dace to react, but he remains frustratingly silent. “Hello? Anyone home?” I drop onto my heels and unload an armful of glasses onto the counter. Poking his shoulder, I say, “Dace. Hey. You in there?”
He squints. Shakes his head. Requiring a handful of seconds to travel from his private world of faraway thoughts to the tiny kitchen in Enchantment, New Mexico, where we both stand.
“Sorry. Guess I’m a little preoccupied.” He swipes a hand through his hair, pushes his bangs from his eyes.
“A little?” I quirk a brow, make a face. But when he fails to react, I say, “Anything you want to talk about?”
He meets my question with a conflicted look.