RoadBlock Read online

  “No. Why would she? I mean, that’s extreme, don’t you think?”

  “There’s always a price. And with this type of charm, it’s a hefty bill.”

  Dagger was quiet, thinking about the implications. Calvin had always been just a quiet old man, kind and harmless. He kept to himself, and had been grateful when Dagger helped him out with odd jobs. Dagger had mowed Calvin’s lawn every week in the summers since the year he turned fourteen. Calvin had always offered him an iced tea afterwards, and Dagger sometimes accepted, sitting on the porch beside the old man and looking out over the waves, talking about nothing particularly memorable. Calvin hadn’t even been very involved in the coven, attending only the major celebrations, never the monthly meetings. Dagger couldn’t think of any reason he’d have done this. A call to his parents was definitely on the agenda.

  “What should we do with it, Bet?” Calderon’s eyes were concerned as he watched her struggling to puzzle out this little mystery. He wanted answers, too, but they needed more information. And the charm was making him nervous. If it had caused the death of the charm-weaver who created it, he didn’t want it anywhere near his sister. He had no other family left, and the thought of anything happening to Betony was unbearable to him. She looked into his eyes and saw the worry there, and laid her hand on her brother’s cheek. “We’ll throw it in the ocean, burn it, or bury it with the witch…Dagger, you know what was done with his body?”

  “Sure. He was buried in our little cemetery. It’s near here, on the cliffs. We can walk there.”

  “Would you mind showing us?”

  “Not at all! Let’s go. Wait…I’ll run home for a shovel first. Meet you out front.”

  As Dagger jogged across the street, he considered the mystery some more. It just made no sense! Then his mind turned to Calderon and Betony. How had he fallen so quickly into a friendship with them? This morning he was dreading a day of helping them with the porch, and now he couldn’t imagine not being by their side through this grave-digging errand. It didn’t hurt that he was developing a massive crush on Calderon, but even Betony felt important to him, like he’d known her for years already. It was weird, but he’d learned that sometimes things in the coven were weird, and that didn’t always mean they were bad. Still, he liked when he could explain things, find a logical, scientific reason for the weirdness. Calderon’s foresight about their relationship might be difficult to rationalize, though.

  3.

  They walked up the narrow rocky path that led to the old graveyard, weaving around clumps of tall grass and short scrubby pines, until the ground leveled out and they stood on top of the low cliffs overlooking the ocean. A dozen stone grave markers of various sizes and shapes dotted the hilltop, some no more than boulders with crudely etched symbols. Dagger led them to the newest looking one, a traditional headstone with the name ‘Calvin Riley’ carved into its face.

  “Does your coven usually bury their dead? Or was this Calvin’s request?” Betony asked, looking around. All the headstones were old, it looked as if Calvin had been the only person buried here for at least one hundred years.

  “Every family decides. Some bury, most cremate, a few follow older traditions. Calvin had no family, and the coven decided this would be best, since he lived his whole life on these cliffs and loved the view so much.” Dagger shrugged, “Seemed like the right thing to do at the time.” He caught her looking at the old field and added, “There’s a larger graveyard in town, this one was only for our neighborhood and the old light keepers, when there was still a light out there,” he gestured out to the small stony island just offshore where a lighthouse once stood.

  Betony smiled softly at him, realizing he must have had a part in the planning of Calvin’s services. Calderon said nothing, but picked up the shovel and started to dig a small hole. Betony held the impotent charm box and looked out across the water, thinking. She turned her gaze to the stretch of sand beneath them, watching children play in the waves and young couples lounge on the warm sand. The beach to the left of the cliffs was popular, and still crowded on this sunny summer afternoon. But the cliffs jutted out into the water below them, blocking shoreline access to their little neighborhood, making the only way in or out the long, winding cliff top road, and giving them their own tiny private beach. It was a beautiful place to live, and Betony could see why Calvin, a water witch, would love it here.

  “Done.” Calderon had dug a deep, narrow hole, and stood back now to allow Betony to drop the charm box inside. He’d be happy when the thing was covered with two feet of earth. She put it in and he refilled the hole quickly, then stomped his boot over the loose soil, packing it down.

  “I still can’t think what that charm was about…” Dagger said, shaking his head slowly.

  “I’m hungry.” Calderon’s statement jostled Dagger out of his daze, and he turned to see Calderon standing at the end of the path, waiting.

  “Well…do you guys want to come over for dinner? I know you’re not set up yet at your place.”

  “That’s so nice, Dagger! We’d love to, right Cal?”

  “Yeah, sounds good. You want me to go pick anything up?”

  “I don’t know, let’s go figure it out.”

  They walked back to Dagger’s house, each lost in their own thoughts. Once inside, they took turns washing up and then Dagger began to dig through his refrigerator, searching for something to make for dinner.

  “Okay, I have half of a vegetable lasagna from Whole Foods, some bread, and plenty of things for a salad…do you guys eat meat? I have some shrimp in the freezer I think, but that’s it.”

  Betony laughed at Dagger’s slightly nervous expression, and quickly reassured him. “That sounds awesome, Dagger. Its actually just the kind of thing we usually eat! Let me help with something.”

  Betony and Calderon made the salad, while Dagger set the table, grilled the shrimp, and heated the lasagna. When they all sat down, Dagger opened a bottle of wine and served the lasagna. He was glad he’d made the shrimp, Calderon hadn’t been kidding about being hungry.

  “So, Dagger, if you don’t mind me asking…do you have a special skill?”

  “Well, I’m not the best at it, but I can do telekinesis. Small objects only, or shutting doors, windows, that kind of thing. My dad is better, but I guess he trained more, as well. He always said I didn’t work hard enough at it.”

  “That’s a really useful skill, Dagger. So, tell me about the coven. I spoke on the phone to Adelaide, one of the leaders, and…Cal, who did you say you talked to?”

  “Marcus.”

  “Oh yes, Marcus, and they were both really nice, they said there’s a coven meeting next week we can go to, or they’d meet with us in private if we wanted. But I’m interested to know…how large is your coven?”

  “We have about forty members, plus their children. So pretty small I guess. Of those, only about half have enough power to be considered true practitioners of their skill.”

  “Do you have a seer?”

  “Umm, yeah, actually. My mom. But she and my dad moved to Puerto Rico when they retired. Anyway, no one else really has the power like her. Adelaide has it a little, and my mom still calls her, and me, with weird advice sometimes.” He was quiet a minute, and Betony watched his eyebrows draw together in thought. “Hmm. You know, she called me last night. Talked to me about the house, and told me to keep an eye on Calvin’s place.” He looked up and met Calderon’s eyes. “She knew you were coming.”

  “Probably.”

  “What else is going on? There’s more to this, if my mom called.” His eyes darted between Betony and Cal, silently demanding information.

  “I told you I knew I had to come here, for you. But you’re right, there is a little more... Betony also has someone to meet, a partner. And I know that our partnerships aren’t just…romantic, although they might be that. We need to be together, all four of us, or this coven will be destroyed.”

  “Holy crap! Dramatic much?” When Cal just
shrugged Dagger realized he was serious. “The coven needs us? Us? What is going to destroy the coven? Do you know what we have to do? Why didn’t my mother say anything about this? Why did she even move away if this is such a threat? This doesn’t make sense.”

  “It doesn’t have to make sense, it just is. She moved away so you would stay, and so I could come here, most likely. Two powerful seers in one coven is never good. We don’t work well with others.”

  Dagger ran his hands through his hair, resting his elbows on the table. “Do you think this has anything to do with the charm we found at your house?” He asked without looking up.

  “I do.” Calderon answered quietly.

  Betony’s eyes snapped to her brother. “You didn’t say anything earlier.”

  “I didn’t know Dagger’s mother was a seer. It changes things.”

  Betony sighed. She had long ago stopped trying to piece together the clues her brother used to make his predictions. She just accepted that he was almost always correct. Her thoughts turned to the man he had told her would be her ‘partner’, and she hoped once again he was wrong, this time. She realized, then, that Dagger probably knew him.

  “Hey…Dagger? Do you know a guy named Wade?”

  “Wade Johnson? Yeah. I know him well, we grew up together. Why? Wait, is he the guy you’re here for?”

  “Calderon thinks so.” She sniffed, looking disgusted.

  “He’s a good guy, Betony. He looks kind of wild, and I know he sometimes gets a bit rowdy at the bars in town…but he’s got a good heart, and he’s a pretty powerful witch.” At Betony’s cocked eyebrow, Dagger continued, “He can heal, not just himself but others as well. Minor physical regeneration, moderate healings, increased strength. It’s a good skill, and rare. Probably the reason he’s not afraid to ride that motorcycle everywhere.”

  “Hmph. Well, he didn’t impress me very much when we met. I think he was drunk. Or high. And he was rude.”

  “He wasn’t rude,” Calderon interrupted, “he liked you. And he was drunk.”

  “Whatever.” Betony huffed and looked away. Dagger watched them both, not sure what was more shocking- the fact that his mother had known Calderon was coming for him, that he was going to have some important job to do to protect his coven, that old Calvin had somehow been involved in all this, or that Wade Johnson was going to be dating Betony. Once again he was struck by how much his life had changed since that morning.

  “So, we need Wade. And what do you mean we need to be together? Like, we need to be friendly, or like we need to live nearby? Wade lives across town, with his cousin I think.”

  “Yes. He needs to move here. Either with you or with us. We need to stay physically close. Separating would be…bad.”

  “Uh, okay. Does he know this? Will he accept it? And what if he doesn’t?”

  “I haven’t told him yet. He was actually pretty drunk the other day. We invited him over tomorrow night, for dinner. We were hoping you’d come, too, and we could tell him then.”

  “You knew I’d help you today, didn’t you?”

  “No.” Calderon looked down, his cheeks flushing a little. “I…I can’t get much from you. I can see what we should do as a group, but you and me, our interactions? I’m blind.”

  “Is that weird? Are you worried about that?”

  “No.”

  Dagger let out a long breath. Calderon was a man of few words, which he had found sort of hot earlier, but now it was irritating. He wanted answers. “Can you explain it to me?” He asked slowly.

  “Seers don’t usually read their mates, or their spouses. It’s a protection, of sorts. We actually can’t foresee much relating to anyone in our immediate families. I can’t read Betony, either. But with spouses, its impossible. My father said that he knew he was supposed to marry my mother when he stopped knowing what she was going to do next.”

  “So you’re saying that you and I are meant to be mates, or spouses.”

  “I think so.”

  Dagger flicked his gaze to Betony, and found her sitting stiffly, arms crossed over her chest, jaw tight. “You don’t like this, do you?”

  “I like you, Dagger, it’s not that. I just don’t like the idea of a pre-destined mate. It’s…I don’t know, It’s just wrong. But Cal is hardly ever wrong, and if he thinks you two should be together, maybe you should try it.”

  “I have no problem with that.” Dagger smirked, making Calderon’s blush deepen. “What about you and Wade?”

  “That is what I don’t like.”

  “Bet, I told you. It doesn’t have to be romantic.”

  She just let out a little huff and got up, clearing her plate and a few others as she walked into Dagger’s kitchen. Calderon chanced a look across the table at Dagger and found him watching Betony walk away. What must he think of them, Calderon wondered? They show up, dropping all these crazy premonitions into his life, expecting him to believe them, to befriend them. But he had believed them, and he had befriended them. To Calderon, this was proof his vision had been correct. And watching Dagger process it all was exciting, in a way. His brow was crinkled, his gaze unfocused. He was relaxed, and clearly accepted what Cal had said as truth, but was still trying to make sense of it, explain it somehow. It made Cal smile to realize this was how Dagger was, he was an analyzer. It was cute.

  “Dagger, what do you do for work?”

  “Oh…I fix computers. Hardware, mostly. It’s a small company though, so sometimes I have to do some software stuff, if it’s basic I can handle it. How about you?”

  “Teach online college courses. Literature, folklore, this upcoming semester I have one on Celtic legends and fairy tales, which should be fun. It’s all video casts and remote Q&A, so I can do it from anywhere. Maybe you can help me get my computer set up here, though?”

  “Yeah, no problem. How about Betony? What does she do?”

  “Makes herbal lotions, soaps, beauty products. She has an online shop, it does pretty well.”

  “Nice.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until Dagger thought of something. “So, did you always know you’d have to move someday? Is that why you both have jobs that you can do anywhere?”

  Calderon studied him closely. Having a mother who was a seer had taught him some things, it seemed. “Yes. That’s why.”

  Dagger just nodded. “Where did you live before?”

  “New York. Queens.”

  “And before that?” Neither of them had a New York accent, Dagger knew they weren’t from there originally.

  Calderon smiled. “Hartford. We were born there. Moved to New York for Betony’s training. She interned with an herbalist there.”

  “You’ve always stayed together?”

  Calderon’s smile faded, but he answered. “Our parents died in a car crash when we were both in college. We don’t have any other family, except for a few second-cousins in California. We’ll always stay together.”

  “I’m sorry.” Dagger reached out across the table and placed his hand over Cal’s, an automatic gesture of comfort he didn’t even think about. When their hands touched, though, a little shiver passed through them both, and their eyes locked. Betony walked in then, and Dagger pulled his hand away, getting up to help her with the dishes.

  “I’m sorry, Betony, you shouldn’t be doing this. Here, sit down and I’ll open another bottle of wine. I can clean up in my own house!”

  “I don’t mind, Dagger! You made us dinner, and helped with the porch. It’s fine.”

  Calderon got up and helped Dagger clear the last of the dishes, and they all walked into the kitchen. When Dagger had refilled their wine glasses he rolled up his sleeves and began rinsing off dishes and loading the dishwasher. They talked easily, about their jobs and the work that still had to be done on the house, about the coven and the town. Soon it was full dark, and Betony was yawning.

  “I think I’m going back home. I still need to unpack a few things and I’ve got to get some rest. We have a big day
tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. We should both go.”

  “Thank you for dinner, Dagger, that was really nice.”

  “Hey, no problem. Do you need help tomorrow?”

  Calderon and Betony exchanged a glance. “I feel bad asking you, but yes, actually, we can use all the help we can get. Tomorrow is furniture day.” She said the last part with a groan, and Dagger chuckled.

  “I don’t mind. Come over for coffee when you get up?”

  “Sure, thanks!”

  Dagger walked them to the door, and Betony gave him a little hug before she trudged across the street. Calderon paused, and Dagger used the hesitation to pull him into an awkward kiss. He startled, but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around Dagger’s waist and returning the kiss. Dagger moaned against Cal’s lips, feeling him respond, and deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and sweeping his tongue inside, exploring. Dagger’s thigh pressed between Cal’s legs, and Cal felt himself growing hard. Dagger’s hands were everywhere, groping his ass, running up his back, squeezing his hip, every touch making Calderon’s stomach flip. He tried to reciprocate, but his hands seemed stuck on Dagger’s back, holding him tightly against him, as if Dagger might try to break away. Cal became aware of Dagger’s erection against his hip, and the knowledge of that increased his arousal even more. He was panting, and the kiss had grown sloppy. Dagger pulled his lips away, and leaned in to whisper into his ear, still pressing his thigh insistently against Cal’s aching hardness, rubbing slowly.

  “Fuck, Cal. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. All I could think about today was kissing you. Goddess, you have me so hot.” Dagger punctuated his soft words with kisses along Calderon’s neck, and Cal had to concentrate so he didn’t explode right in his pants. “You’re close, aren’t you? I can tell. Mmm, Cal, I’d love to see you cum.” Calderon’s head was spinning, and he knew he was on the brink of orgasm. He was relieved when Dagger moved his thigh away from his groin, and thought he might get out of this with his dignity, until Dagger shifted his body, pressing their hips together, and Cal felt Dagger’s stiff cock against his own. The thrill and shock of it was too much, and Cal shuddered and gasped, still trying to hold off the inevitable release.