Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,46

I should know.”

We laughed—the joke was old, but it was a common one in the winter months around Moonshadow Bay. I handed the bottle of liqueur to Ari.

“Want to make some of your famous cocoa? Meanwhile, I’m going to tell my aunt about today and show her the message.”

“Aye aye,” Ari said, heading into the kitchen.

My aunt threaded her arm through mine. “Why don’t we keep her company?”

It was useless to argue, so I just nodded. “Let me get something and I’ll be right in.”

As Teran followed Ari into the kitchen, I retrieved the envelope from the living room and made certain the screen was firmly in place in front of the fireplace, keeping any embers from rolling out. It managed to keep most of the sparks at bay, as well.

Ari was already looking through the cupboards, pulling out sugar and cocoa and milk. She found a bag of mini-marshmallows and added that to the pile.

Teran and I settled in at the kitchen table. I told her about the day.

“Arabella Jones died? I hadn’t heard. That’s a shame. I can tell you that when I was little—I was born in 1957, remember—we were warned to stay away from the asylum. Mother and Father were furious that it had been built so close to the town. Moonshadow Bay was smaller then than it is now, but there were a lot of children. Your grandmother warned your mother and me that she would spank us if we went anywhere near there. We never got spanked, so the threat loomed over us like a dark cloud.”

“Did you ever disobey?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. Althea and I were too frightened. The incident with Psy Schooner happened in 1963. I was six, and Althea was ten. The asylum was open until what…1965, I think?”

“That sounds about right. Schooner supposedly killed himself the next Christmas, and the year after that, the feds closed the place down.” I let out a long sigh. “I think they should just raze the place and seal off that stretch of land. I learned a lot about it today.”

“Such as?”

“Such as it’s been considered cursed land ever since the Lummi people were the sole inhabitants of this particular area. Well, along with a few other tribes. But they never went near the land if they could help it. I’m suspecting that some land elemental has been there since ancient days and is so entrenched in the very soil that it’s tainted the land.”

“Could be,” my aunt said. “While elementals are usually neutral, some of them are old and crafty and they hate anything that walks on two legs—well, except birds. You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. Anyway, something body-slammed me around there this afternoon. But the reason I called you over tonight was because…I found this on the front door about half an hour ago. I have no idea who it’s from.” I handed her the envelope.

She took it and a smile spread across her face as she touched the paper. “I’ve been wondering when this would happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you ever hear your mother talk about the Ladies?”

I froze. “You don’t mean…”

“Now that your mother is gone, that leaves you as the matriarch of our line. They talk to me, too, but your mother was the one they focused on, and while they’ll talk to other women in our family, they only focus on one at a time. This note…it’s from the Ladies.”

I straightened my shoulders, feeling very much under observation. The Ladies were members of my mother’s line—all women—come down through our family history. When they chose you, there was no getting out of it. They were with you, guiding you, and often scolding the hell out of you. I had watched my mother run herself frantic now and then, trying to meet their expectations. They were all witches, of course, and if the note was from them, I knew my life was about to change in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

“What does it mean?” Ari asked.

“It means that they’re about to take January in hand and lead her into a brand-new world,” Teran said. “I have to tell you, when they chose your mother over me, I was a little jealous, but also relieved. They have high expectations, and even though they don’t focus on me, I’ve felt the sting of their tongue before, when I fucked up.”

“What do I do?”

“Nothing. They’ll come to you over time. Just remain alert and open to them.