Page 37 of Air Of Mystery
Orion shifted his gaze to me. “Do you suppose Kenna managed to blast whatever entity was here completely out?”
“That’d be great if that was true,” I said, pointing down the hall. “The entrance to the basement is this way. We need to check down there.”
I started toward the basement door with Orion and Grandma trailing behind me. There was no working overhead light, and it was dark in the stairwell. Taking a deep breath, I clicked on my flashlight and started down the stairs.
As soon as I hit the floor in the basement, I noticed a few things right away. One: my meter stayed quiet. And two: the basement also felt empty—or perhapsblankmight be a better word.
Whatever had been lurking down there was now gone. There were no roiling shadows—as Kenna had described to me—and nothing paranormal was skulking around either. In fact, the basement had been thoroughly scrubbed down. The windows had been washed too.
“I smell bleach,” my grandmother said as she surveyed the stone walls of the basement. “Is there a wash machine down here?”
“No,” I told her. “I think someone came in and cleaned.” I turned and focused on the wall where I had cast theconcealment spell. Briskly, I removed the spell, and the real surface of the stone wall was revealed.
Only the barest of burned outline remained. In fact, if you weren’t looking for it, a mundane would likely assume that it was simply a stain on the old stone. I blinked in surprise and moved closer for a better look.
Orion followed. “Whoever was here, Skye, they were professionals. Like the guys you hire after a flood or fire. Because there’s no cobwebs above.” He pointed to the rafters before walking over to swipe a finger across the top of the HVAC system. “Andnodust.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “They scrubbed it hard...not unlike a crime scene.”
It should have made me feel better, discovering that the house had been professionally cleaned, and was empty—except for a few paint cans—but instead, it made me twitchy.
Still, I went ahead and made sure there were no lingering traces of Kenna’s elemental magick or my concealment spell. Once that was done, I blew out a long cleansing breath and rolled my shoulders in an attempt to dispel my unease.
The three of us went back upstairs, and while Orion and my grandmother waited below on the first floor, I walked through the second floor doing a sweep with the meter. But again, I couldn’t pick up anything, not from my equipment or from my senses. As downstairs, everything had been painted, and the bathroom had been scrubbed. The chemical smell was strong as I passed by the open door.
Shaking my head over the suspicious lack of paranormal activity in a once violently active house, I returned to the living room in time to overhear my grandmother and cousin speaking.
“Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t contact the guardian after all,” Orion said.
My jaw dropped. “Wait.What?” I stared at my grandmother. “You didn’t contact them?”
My grandmother folded her arms over her chest. “Typically, I prefer to deal with things in my own territory as needed. You know that the Guardian isonlyto be called upon for the most dire of magickal problems or emergencies.”
“You saw the shape Tyler was in!” I fought to not shout, but I was shocked and angry that she hadn’t done as I’d asked.
She merely inclined her head. “Yes, I did.”
“I know that you spoke to Kenna in detail about what she saw, and how hard she fought against that entity.”
“Correct,” she said calmly.
“And do you think I exaggerated, or made up all of the problems my team has had from our long-term exposure to this property?”
“No, I don’t,” she said. “However, the house is currently clear—”
“For now!” I interrupted her. “Who knows how long it will stay that way?”
The sound of the front door opening stopped our argument instantly. A middle-aged woman walked in and blinked in surprise to discover the three of us standing in the living room.
“I was told the cleaners would be gone by now.” She impatiently checked her watch. “I have the house reserved for showings for the rest of the day.”
“We’re leaving right now,” I told her, not bothering to correct her assumption we were the cleaning crew. As one, Orion, my grandmother and I left the way we came in, straight out the back door.
Wordlessly, we walked across the brown grass of the back yard, and I remained silent on the drive back to BlackthornManor where I dropped my cousin and grandmother off. I was steaming mad, and honestly afraid to open my mouth, because I had no idea what might come out.
“Sorry, Skye.” Orion patted my shoulder as he climbed out of the car. “Look on the bright side—it all seems clear now.”
My grandmother hesitated for a moment. “You should be happy that whatever paranormal problem was in the house, has been removed. Instead of sulking that there was nothing left there for you to battle against.”
