“This is beyond crazy, Kira,” Lena Douglas muttered to her cousin. “It’s too dark to find the exact place. Why couldn’t you have waited until tomorrow?”

Kira Douglas took in a deep, calming breath. She exhaled slowly, mentally arguing with her feet because they refused to take another step. Things rustled in the surrounding bushes, among the dense trees. She’d been fighting her silent demons from the first moment they had stepped out of the car and, now, all the forest sounds taunted her from just beyond the beam of their flashlights, threatening to let those demons run free.

With her right hand she grasped the garnet jewel that hung on a fine, white gold chain around her neck, mentally praying to the Goddess for courage. She needed to do this now, before any more time passed. “We can’t afford to lose this moon’s phase, Lena,” she answered quietly. The full moon was a time for bringing things comfortable in the dark into the cold light of truth, a time for completion, closure. It was time to find out answers to questions, put an end to this mystery once and for all.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Kira?” Lena watched her closely. “The dark aura is still strong even after a month.”

“I’m counting on that power.” Kira closed her eyes for a moment. She held her garnet stone close to her chest. “I have to know what happened, Lena. You tried but nothing came from your seeking spell. If I’m to accept Sonia’s death, I have to know why this happened.”

It was still hard to believe.

She had heard through Lena that Sonia had been growing more mentally unstable. Kira had never suspected the depths of her sister’s torment. Sure, they’d had their own problems, been estranged for more years than Kira liked to think about. But she hadn’t worried when her sister had left their home in Louisiana and moved across the country to Arizona to live with their cousin, Lena. Thereafter, Lena kept Kira current on what was going on in Sonia’s life.

She knew that her sister had lived with Lena and her father until her marriage. Kira had thought things were finally looking up for her sister after her marriage, and the news of the new baby.

Despite opposition from her in-laws, who thought that magic practitioners were to be avoided, Lena had said that Sonia kept insisting things would work out, that she loved her husband deeply.  The two had fought every obstacle thrown in their path and, when they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Marissa, they had seemed happy, whole. At least that was what Lena had kept telling her.

Which was why, when Lena contacted her and told her what had happened, Kira had been stunned... no, shocked.

Sonia and Kyle dead, murdered in a bizarre ritual. Marissa, their young daughter, living with a family whose lives and careers revolved around wildlife conservation, something Kira was sure Sonia had never meant to happen.

All reasons why Kira found herself standing in a dark, foreboding forest, surrounded by Goddess-knew-what creatures, preparing to confront the remnants of the spell her sister had used to kill her husband, then herself.

Doubts assailed her. Did she have the strength? She hadn’t used her powers for years.
Not since that last time.

That horrible day she still couldn’t forget, that bitter reminder of her failure to cope.
Her cowardice.

She’d withdrawn into herself after that day, away from the rest of the world, cut herself off from her heritage. But, in doing so, she had failed Sonia at a time when her sister had needed her most. Perhaps, if she could do this one thing, she could make some sense of Sonia’s actions. Help her sister’s restless spirit find peace.

“It’s right around this bend.” Lena pointed toward a group of bushes with the beam of her flashlight. “It’s so isolated I wasn’t sure I could find it in the dark.”

Kira’s heart rate increased. She could feel the power residue even though the site was still probably yards away. She frowned.

The lingering magical traces remained strong. This couldn’t be right.

Sonia never controlled this kind of power.  She had never been as adept in their witchcraft heritage as Kira, hadn’t bothered to take the time to study and practice the way they had been taught, the way Kira had since childhood. Sonia had always been far more interested in immediate results rather than working toward a goal. Sonia should never have been able to manifest this level of power.

Her unease increased. How could Sonia have become so... adept?

They entered a small clearing where the ground was charred in a circular formation. Around the perimeter Kira could see black pinpoints of hardened wax where candles had obviously been used. She noticed faint red marks blending with the burnt ground, an indication that a dark and dangerous magical rite had taken place. A transparent black aura surrounded the entire circle, wavering like a guarding mist.

Red circle. Black fire marks. Black aura.

Kira shivered, despite the heat of the night. Oh, Goddess. She didn’t need Lena’s confirmation that this wasn’t normal residue from any spell Sonia would have cast.

Black magic!

She shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

Lena nodded, agreeing with Kira’s unspoken assessment. “When I tried to cast a visual spell, the aura defeated my power. It thickened, and I felt something dark, evil... threatening.” She shuddered visibly. “I was afraid to push it any more, afraid of what I might call forth.”

“Why is it still here?” Kira questioned, her gaze searching the surrounding area. “What purpose would be served for the residue to remain in place after the rite had been completed?”

“And how do we get past its barrier to find the answer?” Lena asked.

Kira knew there was only one way and it wasn’t a path she wanted to contemplate. Born into a powerful family, generations of witches, her powers had once been immensely strong.

Perhaps still were.

But she didn’t trust her abilities any more, hadn’t used them in more years than she cared to remember. She’d come here tonight hoping Sonia would show her the way. Tell her what she needed to know.

She’d hoped against hope that she wouldn’t have to call up her power.

“You have to try, Kira. It’s the only way.”

Kira shook her head. There had to be another way.

An invisible blanket of quiet suddenly settled over the clearing. The forest had turned ominous, eerily silent. Kira and Lena looked at each other and their hands met, sweaty palm to sweaty palm.  Their inner senses spread out.... seeking...

And found a threatening aura of immense power and strength.

Menacing. Angry. Potentially dangerous.

And it wasn’t coming from within the clearing. It came from the forest.

It wanted them gone.

Now.

Kira gazed intently around the area, moving nothing but her eyes, feet locked in place. Something hovered just beyond her sight, hidden in the concealing shadows. She suppressed an involuntary whimper at the thoughts running rampant in her mind. What if it was a wild animal?  Lena had warned her that there were wild animals living in the woods. Had told her they should wait.

But... noo... I just had to push the issue...

Kira had insisted they would be fine, that they needed to find out what had happened. She had wanted to see... hadn’t wanted to wait. She had never thought she would be proven so wrong. And in spades! Wanting nothing more than to run for cover, she admitted to herself that they had been foolish to play detective during the darkest hour of the night rather than waiting for the safety of daylight.

She and Lena waited, wondering. They barely breathed, not daring to move. Their tangible tension had Kira clutching her power stone tightly as she whispered a prayer to the Goddess for protection. Her overwhelming terror was almost surreal. She’d gone out of her way to avoid these types of situations for years and now, in one stubborn moment, she found herself in the middle of one, in the last place on earth she had ever thought to be.

In the woods. Far from city lights. Far from the safety of locked car doors. In the dark.
She sensed, rather than heard, an unseen presence move slowly toward them, as if stalking them. Fear threatened to close her throat and she knew she must gain control over it or she would lose it... start screaming and never stop.

Concentrate. Stay calm. Breathe. Slow. In. Out. In. Out.

Barely audible, her lips only slightly moving, Lena whispered, “Kira, be ready. I can distract it if you’ll cast a freezing spell.” When Lena released her hand Kira shook her head in disbelief. It was happening the same as it had so many years before.

Her mind went blank.

She couldn’t. She wanted to protest the idea as a bad one, but her vocal chords refused to work.

A startling huge cougar glided from the bushes.

Over seven feet in length, blacker than the darkest night, he faced them as if he owned the forest with head high and eyes shining as if daring them to move. His fur bristled, heavy muscles rippling as he moved into a crouched attack position. His feline lips drew back to reveal sharp, glistening teeth and his ears lay flat against his head.

“Kira, it’s okay.” Lena breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the animal. “It’s one of the Calhoun ‘guard pets’.”

Kira slowly shook her head in disbelief at her cousin’s calm, accepting demeanor.  Guard pets? They were facing a wild beast!

A huge, fierce-looking, ‘I’m-going-to-eat-you’ beast.

 ”Just don’t make any sudden moves,” Lena cautioned quietly. “He’s never threatened me before so, if we don’t startle him, maybe he’ll just go away.”

Kira realized her knees were shaking so hard she felt wobbly. Don’t startle him? Ha!
Her gaze froze on the big cat, watching every powerful muscle ripple under the coarse black fur, concentrating on every twitching whisker. Lena needn’t have worried. She had no intention of doing anything that could possibly make the situation any worse than it already was. A low sound, all the more threatening because it was so quiet, rumbled from the cougar’s throat and she almost forgot to breathe. Unable to close her eyes, she stared straight into the searing intensity of the cat’s silver-gray glare. As the fleeting moments stretched into eternity, Kira’s nerves coiled tighter and tighter.

Lena’s chiding voice broke through the unbearable tension surrounding them, her hands moving slightly in a slow pushing motion. “Shoo. Go home. Get.” The cougar’s gaze released Kira’s and he turned his head slightly, blinking several times at Lena, refocusing his attention.

Kira found her voice and croaked out, “I don’t think he likes you ‘shooing’ him, Lena.” Her fear was formidable, near debilitating, and she fought the nervous giggles threatening to erupt. She was almost grateful for her cousin’s droll sense of humor as Lena tried again, and concentrated on watching her try to persuade the large animal to leave.

“Scat, cat.” Lena kept her voice low and non-threatening. Aside, she whispered to Kira, “I’ve been around him before, at the Calhoun estate. He’s usually very stand-offish. He’ll get bored any moment now and leave, I’m sure.”

With jaw clenched Kira fought back the hysterical giggles. The situation was more than surreal; it was almost comical.

The cougar must have thought Lena’s shooing was entertaining as well. He slowly shook his big head as if incredulous at her feeble attempts at commanding him to leave. With an almost human sound, he sighed and sat back on his haunches before slowly crouching down to lay on the ground. His eyes never left them as he flopped down on his belly and crossed his paws in front of his massive chest. He appeared to be settling in for the duration of their stay, his head tilted to one side as if waiting to see what they would try next.

“Just great. Now what do we do?” Lena frowned at the seemingly unconcerned feline.
Kira couldn’t believe they were remaining in the clearing, a wild animal lounging not ten feet away. This was the very last thing she’d expected to confront this night.

“If I can get my feet to move,” she informed Lena, her voice sounding far more confident than she actually felt, “we’re leaving.” She suppressed her shivers, eyeing the cat cautiously. “We obviously can’t do what needs to be done tonight. Not now, with him there. I don’t want to take the chance of harming him if something goes wrong.” The spell she needed to use was a powerful one, and she didn’t want to take the chance that it could break free. If it did it could possibly harm any creature in the immediate vicinity and she didn’t want that to happen. No living creature deserved that, not even a big scary cougar. She shivered at the thought of what the injured cougar might do in retaliation.

“I’m sure I can help you contain it, Kira,” Lena cajoled, “if you still want to do this. I think he is far enough away to be safe.”

Dare she even try? Was she strong enough to control the potent spell she would need to use?

No. She wasn’t. It had been foolish to come here tonight.

Kira needed to talk to Sonia’s spirit, force her to explain, give them more answers. It seemed that waiting was their best course of action for the time being.

At least it looked like it was the safest solution.

“If I can’t get Sonia to talk to me some other way,” Kira gritted, her mind made up, “then I’ll come back and do the spell.”

As she uttered the word ’spell’, the cougar growled low in his throat.

She bit back a small, terrified squeak as he rose on his enormous paws and took a menacing step toward them, teeth glittering in the moonlight. She didn’t wait for him to decide his next move.

Branding herself a coward ten times over, she grabbed her cousin’s hand and fled.