Part 6 (1/2)
He gave me that look again.
Hey--you're the one with the disappearing tattoo on your hand, not me. Cult?
”Well I didn't think it was a cult.”
Rhonda gritted her teeth. ”Stop that. Now. I hate it that I can't hear Zoe and you can.”
”I really can't hear her--”
Rhonda held up her right hand. Careful--she'll zap you! ”I know that. You've already explained it. Just get on to why you stupidly have summoning markings on your palms.”
He looked worn out. Really worn out. Maybe he'd looked like that before we started this little pointless adventure (forget the almost being nailed by little Shadow Folk Brownie People), but I hadn't noticed.
”I was stupid--and full of learning magic. Real magic, not the white light Wicca c.r.a.p--”
”Watch it.” Rhonda said.
”Sorry. But that's how I was thinking at the time. I thought it would be great to be a magician, you know? Wield some power.”
I looked at Rhonda. She looked up at me. We both looked at Dags. ”You wanted to learn Ceremonial Magic?” Rhonda asked.
He pursed his lips. ”Yeah. I mean--controlling demons, conjuring spells, defeating enemies--”
”You've been watching too much anime.”
I smiled. My stomach growled. I backed away and meandered to the bar again in search of peanuts. Maybe some pretzels. Anything!
”It's really not like that, Rhonda,” Dags sounded sincere. ”There's a lot more to it that I just don't want to go into right now. Needless to say I got into a group in North Georgia. They also spread into Tennessee and parts of South Carolina.”
I got behind the bar again. Okay, I already looked at that drawer and that cabinet. So, how about the ones closest to the brick wall? Couldn't hurt. And to be honestI wasn't that interested in ceremonial anything.
I don't mean to come off so flippant. I didn't want to be here, and it was a little weird watching Rhonda geek out over a boy--even after she knew I'd seen him half naked. Eh...I decided to look for food.
”Now, these people were serious. We're not talking college hazing or pranks--but serious business people. Everyone wore robes, and everyone wore masks.”
”Masks?”
I looked up. Masks? Like in Halloween? Nixon? Carter? I got a really weird bank-robber image of a bunch of masked men in like, bad horror B-movies.
”No,” he shook his head. ”More like 'Phantom Of The Opera' masks, only just the upper half. Over the eyes and nose. All black. All the same. The only way we could tell each other apart was because we had symbols st.i.tched on our robes.”
Sounded wacko to me. No--that drawer only had utensils. What? No food?
”Try the far right cabinet, beside the mini-fridge,” Dags spoke up.
Okay--so he was hearing my thoughts too?
”Only when you think loud.”
a.s.shat.
”Okay--that had a bad visual,” Dags said.
I went to where he mentioned and hit the jackpot! All sorts of paper cans of peanuts. Cashews, almonds, pretzels--oh manna from Heaven. Now I just needed a c.o.ke.
”Aren't you diabetic?”
”Would you ignore Zoe and tell me about this group?” Rhonda's tone was a bit more intense than usual. Though she could be pretty intense. I grabbed up an un-opened can of cashews, shut the door, popped the top and then opened the mini-fridge. c.o.ke!
”I went through the whole process of initiation. Paid my tuition, which was a good chunk of my savings. I did odd jobs for them, looking into reported hauntings, researching artifacts, looking up government spook operations--and I'm not talking about spies.”
Spook operations. Huh.
”I think it took over a year to finally win the approval of the big kahuna--we knew him only as Fafner.”
Rhonda barked out a laugh. ”Fafner? Like the dragon?”
I popped a c.o.ke. Fafner? Who be dat?
Dags started to say something in my direction but Rhonda cut him off with a wave. ”Ignore her. I can. Just keep going.”
I stuck my tongue out at Rhonda and then dropped some ice in a gla.s.s. Fizz, fizz...ahhhh. Nirvana!
”I had a private meeting with him, in robes and masks, and he told me what my responsibilities would be. And then he told me that I had been chosen as a Guardian.”
”A Guardian?”
”Guardian is the best I can translate his meaning--especially after I stupidly signed a few papers.”
In blood? Sorry...the thought just popped out.
”Yes.”
Okay. Wasn't expecting that answer.
”Did snack-lady over there ask you if it was in blood?”
”Yes, and yes, it was. Look--I never gave this whole thing much thought--”
Rhonda made a rude noise as she crossed her arms over her chest. ”Obviously. Do you realize the power that blood has in it? Why do you think vampires drink it?”
Wait...hold the phone. Vampires are real?
Dags shook his head. ”Let's not go there just yet.”
”Ignore her. Get on with it. Was getting the tattoos part of being this Guardian thing?”
He nodded. ”I didn't know it though. I was brought into the circle, the quarters were drawn, the same boring hooley-dooley, and then I was told to drink this wine--” he shrugged. ”And that was it. I woke up the next morning at my house, in my bed, with my hands in bandages.” He held them up. ”This is what I found. Only they weren't this nice but all scabby and b.l.o.o.d.y.”
Ew.