her chin with her free hand. “Could be she needed his heart’s blood. Potent stuff that, and it plays a significant role in several of the most powerful spells that I know of. Hattie would never have been strong enough to make a spell like that happen on her own. Likely she was working with or for someone else. A stronger witch, or warlock. She wasn’t one to come up with ideas on her own.”
I didn’t look at Corb, but he’d been working with Hattie undercover for the council, and maybe he’d learned a thing or two about her plan he hadn’t shared with us yet. I waited for him to say something, and grimaced when he didn’t. “That’s a guess I’ve had too. But . . . Penny, what was it that got my gran and my mom killed? I know they were killed by the same kind of creature.”
“Same as me,” Alan grumbled from my bag.
Penny tipped her head and looked at my hip. “That I don’t know, not any more than you apparently.” She paused, “Who is that in there?”
“Ex-husband,” I said. “He was killed in the same manner as Gran.”
Penny gave a short, sharp laugh. “Good place to keep one of them. In a bag that is. Ex-husbands can be a right pain if you don’t bury the body deep enough.” She snorted and the mirth fled quickly. “It’s a story I’ve got for you, so you should come to my place. You can stay for what remains of the night. It may help you throw off some of those looking for you. My place here has a tendency to repel those who mean harm, and draw in travelers who are looking for help.”
With that, she turned and limped away, leaning heavily on her walking stick. I looked at my friends, and Sarge was the first to nod. “She’s a good one. She smells right. I trust her. Besides, we easily outnumber her.”
Kinkly fluttered about and settled herself on top of my head. “I’m tired, so whatever you want.”
Feish shrugged. “Fine by me. Another woman means we outnumber the men.”
I started after Penny, avoiding the graves wherever possible. Glancing at Robert, I wondered what he thought. “Robert? A penny for your thoughts?”
“Friend,” he whispered softly.
Good enough for me.
Penny had gotten rid of the wraiths, so that had to count for something, on top of her history with me and Gran. And I remembered her. Gran had been happy and smiling in the graveyard that day. She’d liked Penny.
My memories of Gran had brought me to this place, to Penny. I couldn’t discount that.
Then again, Gran’s other friend, Hattie, had tried to kill me, and a third friend, Missy, was a right bitch. While I had no proof, I had a niggling feeling she was somehow involved in Gran’s abduction by the master of the (now dead) blood-born demon in the Sorrel-Weed House.
Which meant Missy was on my shit list.
Which also meant I needed to be careful with Penny. Besides, even if she’d been a peach twenty-five years ago, people changed.
“We won’t stay long,” I said. “No point in bringing the heat down on you if we don’t have to.”
Penny wove through the grass that had grown up between the grave markers, some large and ornate, others low to the ground and perfect ankle twisters. But I didn’t have to worry about tripping if I followed in Penny’s footsteps: a well-worn path wove between the graves as if she walked it multiple times a day.
Another bit of memory rolled forward—that was how she kept the spells protecting her and her place intact. She walked this way daily, refreshing them the same way Gran had weeded and fed her garden to keep her house safe from evil.
We circled to the far side of the cemetery, and a small house appeared in front of my eyes, wavering into existence like a mirage in the desert.
“I keep it shaded from the eyes of the world,” Penny said over her shoulder. “I like my peace and quiet. Only those who truly need help can find me.”
The house had two stories, and I idly wondered if she was able to get to the second floor anymore given the way her limbs and body were bent. Penny grabbed the balustrade next to the stairs and pulled herself up the two stairs to the porch. A few more steps, and she turned and sank into a thickly padded chair. “There, that is much better.