~ Wisty's Lament ~

~ Wisty’s Lament ~

Wisty was finally calming down and thinking straight. Heading north on I-95 with a full tank of gas, she passed a sign that read, “Philadelphia 255 miles.” It had been over an hour since she left Williamsburg and the debacle of a mission that occurred at The Hybrid’s Compound. Feeling a bit lightheaded from a drop in sugar, she rummaged the console and found David E.’s .38 derringer. She still couldn’t believe it. He left her. It almost brought her to tears once more and she dropped the miniature pistol in her purse. She rummaged again and found what she needed, a half-eaten chocolate bar. Two bites and she felt better. A glance in the mirror revealed a face stained and streaked with mascara. No wonder the gas station attendant had looked at her strangely. Steering with her knees, she opened an eight-ounce apple juice and took a deep swig. Pushing the seat back one more notch, she settled in for a long drive and touched the bud in her ear. “Siri. Interchange 14, Wisteria Wix.”

“Stand by,” came the response.

She waited and tried not to think about David E. The emotionless voice spoke. “Secure line is available.”

Wisty took another sip of juice. “729 to base.”

“Base. Go ahead.”

“Oh. Nikki. It’s you, thank God.”

“Hey, Wisty. You okay, Baby Doll?”

“The whole thing went south, Nik. I lost my drone and I have no idea where David E. is.”

“Don’t worry, Honey. Surveillance found the drone on the side of the road and they followed David E. He left a few minutes before you in a gray, late model pickup truck. He’s back at the room in the lodge. No word from him yet.”

The news gave Wisty some relief. “Can you do me a favor, Nikki? Keep me under wraps for a while.”

“Even from David E.?”

“Yes. Especially David E. I don’t think we will be together anymore after today.” She fought back tears again. “I need some time, I need some space.”

“Your carrying his baby Wis. He will come looking for you.”

Wisty sighed heavily. “This is top secret Nikki, but the baby isn’t his.”

“WHAT?”

“Remember when Lucuis and I tracked down and killed that Nagina in the Batu Caves in Malasia?”

“Yeah. That demony, snake thing. That was creepy and Lucuis barely survived.”

“Lucuis barely survived me, not the Nagina. He raped me down there Nik. In that dank, stinking cave, covered in snake blood, he beat me and raped me like an animal. When he turned his back, I stabbed him with a fang full of snake venom.”

“Jesus Christ Wisty. I’m filing charges on that son-of-a-bitch right now then I may kill him myself. Why didn’t you say something?”

“Don’t do anything Nik. Just let it go.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“There is more going on than you understand. It’s complicated. I will explain everything when I see you. I promise. Just leave it be for now...Please?”

“Okay Wis. For now. I see you’re traveling north. Are you coming in to Philly?”

“Yes, I’m heading straight to you. And I need another favor.”

“Name it.”

“Can you put me up for a day or two?”

“Mi casa, su casa, Sweetie. You know that.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Nikki.”

“Just remember that when I try to seduce you.”

Wisty almost smiled. “Do you live in the same house?”

“Yes, Ma’am. What’s your ETA?”

“Maybe five hours.”

“Perfect. Meta will ask for I.D. at the front door and let you in. I have you programmed into the system.”

“You knew I would show up some day.”

“I was hoping. I’ll turn up the hot tub remotely. You can take a good soak when you get there. Sounds like you need it. I’ll be home by 1:00 with a pizza. Pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives. Right?”

“You remembered.”

“Of course I did. It was the best weekend of my life. So the mission went bad, huh?”

“Bad is an understatement, Nikki. Shark and the Scout are dead.”

“I figured that when his earbud went offline. Shark is a bad loss. Hold on a sec. I need to scramble a retrieval.”

“Don’t bother, Nik. He and the Scout are both long gone.”

Nikki was concerned. Wisty sounded worn out. “Well, don’t worry about any of that now, Sweetie. Just get back safe and...”

Nikki’s voice faded into the background. “Mama,” Wisty heard in her mind, “everything is good. We’ll get David E. back soon.”

“But…”

“Mama, listen. Step one of the plan was successful. Step two is unfolding well. The Deep Creekers will soon disappear. In their grief, the Hybrid bitches will drop their guard. When they’re dead and the Blue Crystal Skulls are in Father’s hands, David E. will return to you. It’s time to implement step three. Tell me you understand, Mama.”

Wisty looked down at her belly, rubbed it with slow circles, and thought, “Yes, Mon Petit. I understand.”

The conversation with her unborn child was interrupted by Nikki asking her a question. “Wisty, Honey, when is the last time you ate something?”

“I have a candy bar. Listen, Nikki, I need to requisition some supplies.”

“We can do it tomorrow, Honey.”

“No,” Wisty insisted. “I need to get it started right away. You’ll need a shopper too. Some of it is tricky. You ready?”

“Shoot.”

“Okay. Some white chalk. I need tapers. A couple of boxes. Black and yellow. Other colors are acceptable as long as there is black and yellow on them somewhere. And they have to be made from beeswax.”

“By tapers you mean candles?”

“Yes. I need three amethyst stones. At least one carat each with depth of clarity.”

“And by depth of clarity you mean what exactly?”

“Free of inclusions. The shopper will know.”

“Okay. That’s it?”

“No. A black handled knife. One bottle of Henna. A pound of sea salt. One box of sage sticks, preferably white sage. And a goat.”

“A goat!”

“Yes, a nanny goat. And these are really important, Nikki. I need two bloodstones. One can be whatever the shopper can find. But one has to be mined from the Isle of Rum in Scotland. Understand?”

“From the Isle of Rum in Scotland,” she repeated. “What are you up to, Wisty?”

Wisty’s jaw was set in stone. “Hybrids think they are so badass. Well, I’m going to give them a taste of real power.”

Nikki felt a shiver go right through her body. “You sound scary. I take it this is a witch thing.”

It occurred to Wisty that it might not be in Nikki’s best interest to know the plan. “You’re a baseball fan, right?”

“Go Pirates,” said Nikki.

Wisty patted the satchel on the passenger seat that contained the Tome of Dark Magiks. “Let me put it this way. It’s time for me to start playing hardball.”

**********