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The Cornerstone
The Cornerstone
The Cornerstone
Ebook269 pages4 hours

The Cornerstone

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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How do you catch a banshee? But more importantly, if you succeed, how can you hope to survive the ordeal? The consequences of such dark magic are high, and if you try to let go once you’ve got that tiger by the tail, it may cost your very soul! Atlanta is a cosmopolitan, theater-going city that supports its fair share of the arts. But when a small theatrical company takes on the production of Christopher Marlowe’s famous play, Dr. Faustus, in the century-old Janus Theater, things don’t go as planned. Unexplained stage effects appear as cast members disappear, accidents seem more than coincidence, and an earthquake splits a busy downtown thoroughfare. Oh, and did we mention the rumored ghost in the basement? Paramedic Claire Porter thinks her volunteer prompter’s job with the company will give her some relief from her stressful day job, and it is fun, at first. But as they say, the Devil is in the details.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherJournalStone
Release dateJan 25, 2013
ISBN9781936564682
The Cornerstone

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Rating: 3.4086957078260864 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

115 ratings54 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    An LT Early Reviewers win. This modern retelling of Dr. Faustus seemed a little convoluted. The mix of the selling your soul to the devil and the capture of a banshee storylines was confused. The story moves between two timelines, past and present, with a theater play of Faustus being the present setting. Some of the characters were unnecessary and poorly drawn including, unfortunately, Claire, one of the main characters. She was not really involved in the events that make up this tale, other than as a sort of observer. Marlowe, the main antagonist, is the owner and caretaker of the talisman containing the captured banshee and must cater to its hunger through sacrifices he finds through his theater in order to maintain his immortality, a result of the creature's imprisonment. When others involved in the black magic of this situation threaten his safety, he takes gruesome action. I did not find the story all that compelling and was disappointed in the ending leaving mainly secondary characters to conclude the story. Some better editing could have improved this.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Overall I enjoyed this book. It got a little slow after the first 50 pages. The author did a nice job of blending two different eras. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys this genre!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    It was a difficult book. Very slow in the beginning, I was about to quit it a few times. The storyline was interesting but there where only a couple of chapters where I wanted to keep clicking next page.I don't know... I think it's not a book for everyone, and it definitely was not for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Overall a good book, I share the other commenters view that the writing was a bit rough at times and the flashbacks didn't flow well, but a good entry in the supernatural thriller genre.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Generally a good book. It was an interesting story to say the least. For most of the book the story was.. monotone, and you had to take in the entire story as a whole, rather than enjoying each small part. Would have liked a bit more action, but overall a decent book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Cornerstone by Anne C. Petty is an engaging book. Something that I haven't come across in a while. The book held my interest, but some of the flash back scenes were a bit bland. I would have like to know more about the cast members, and particularly about Tom. It isn't until close to the end that you get a bit of his background. I think there is probably a whole book in his background. The flashbacks at times were a bit rough in transition, and I couldn't really see why Claire was taken back to the past mentally. Other than that I would recommend this book to others as a change of pace from typical urban fantasy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In a local playhouse in Atlanta a group of local actors ready to put on the plat Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlow. At the last minute though, after a freak accident, their leading man leaves the company not to return. But why the sudden rush to leave? The wound he had was serious but not enough to make him want to up sticks and go.Claire Porter, Paramedic and the groups volunteer line prompter, can't understand what happened and can't leave the nagging suspicion alone that it has something to do with their leader Kit Bayard. Why is he not worried what happened? And why so close to the opening night are strange happenings occurring in the theater.The lights show demonic qualities and ghosts appear tempting Claire to kill her sick mother and at the end when the horse and carriage arrives to take away those who need to pay their debt to society then the world, if not ending, will change for ever!A well written book traveling through 16th century England to Banshees, deals made with the devil and modern day pay back where a fight for survival leads to, for some, the ultimate sacrifice.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The cornerstone by Anne C Petty follows the story of Christopher Marlowe and is set in both Elizabethan Britain and Current day USA. I felt the author did well to blend the facts, and fiction keeping the theme of the Marlow play running through the whole story. I felt some of the writing was a bit to bland particular when Kit was remembering his past and i felt the story set in the modern time was much more interest and would of liked a bit more character development of the other cast members.Overall I enjoyed the story and felt it was a good read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Cornerstone by Anne C. Petty is a supernatural thriller. This novel takes place in both Elizabethan England and in modern day America. The action in the past includes such real historical figures as John Dee and Christopher Marlowe. In the present the story revolves around the cast and crew of a community theatre group mounting a production of Marlowe's play The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. The scenes that take place in Elizabethan times are very well described and quite atmospheric. In contrast, the modern day scenes seem to be less intense or interesting. This made the novel a bit hard for me to get into, especially since the reader doesn't really get to understand any of the characters enough to be invested in their fate until quite a way into the story. The resolution of the novel was also a bit long and anti-climactic. I actually think this novel would be more successful as a longer work, with more time given to the lives of some of the more interesting characters such as Tom, and more depth and growth in the heroine. I would recommend the book to someone who enjoys supernatural thrillers with an historical aspect.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great story, very gripping. The characters were worked out quite well and the flashbacks to earlier occurences were worked into the story nicely.The story keeps you guessing, giving you different pieces of the puzzle throughout the story, which keeps you involved and makes you want to go on reading. I liked the mix of occurences in past times and a modern setting, and the mixing of normal, everyday life and paranormal events. I also very much liked the fact that Petty used actual historical characters and events.A very enjoyable read, definitely recommended for those who like books with magic and paranormal occurences.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As with many e-books, this novel could have really done with a good editing by someone unfamiliar with the story. I found a number of cases of missing or incorrect words, spotty italics, and repetitions of phrases. The story itself had a lot of potential, but that seemed to fall a little short as well. Morris was under-developed. The time jumps were *very* abrupt. As the tale began, the descriptions seemed to focus more on the scenes. Later it balanced a bit better, developing Claire & selectively filling in Bayard. But it still left quite a lot to be desired. Especially with the story concluding the way it does.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Didn't like it.No, serious, the best parts of the book were the ones in which the author was narrating the 'old story', what with Dr. John Dee and the banshee, but the actual 21-century storyplay was bland, unconvincing, and unattractive.The references to old Irish mythology were well researched and explained, but the author narrative miserably failed to convey any sense of drama to the comings and goings of the cast throughout the rehearsals of the play. Not even the final scene between Mephisto and Faust managed to titillate me, not to mention the bland denouement at the basement. The side story of the main character's dying mother was as predictable as rain in Seattle.All in all, a disappointment. Anne C. Petty can do it better now the question is, why didn't she try harder?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well, I read this book as a review copy and was very pleasantly surprised. I don't usually go for fiction with a strong historical bent but thoroughly enjoyed this novel's to and fro through time. It has also piqued my interest to read further about the historical characters featuring in the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An interesting supernatural yarn with a good blend of the historical and modern day and great convergence of the two. I found the characters believable and well fleshed out for the most part. A few well thought out twists and turns (I'm trying to be very general here so as not to spoil the story for anyone). Overall an enjoyable read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was completely different from what I expected (in a good way) and I really enjoyed it. I have to admit that I've never read Faust (but I'm familiar with the general gist of it) so I may have missed a couple of inside jokes. I also haven't read or seen many of Marlowe's works. I didn't get it when Claire was termed as the ultimate spectator. In short, the book made me THINK, which I enjoy! I have some interest in alchemy so the tie in with John Dee was intriguing and of course I recognized the monas hieroglyphica as soon as it was described. Definitely enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I tried. I REALLY REALLY tried. The premise sounded so good, but I could not understand this book. I think that Christopher Marlowe made some sort of deal with a devil, a banshee, and a witch (all now trapped in a stone that he has to feed to continue to look young?) and lives on in our time. He runs a theater and sacrifices people occasionally. Claire, a paramedic who works backstage at the theater for fun, falls and sees Marlowe (?) in the 1600's and then wakes up in her own time? I don't know. Most of it just seemed convoluted. I didn't care about a single character. I couldn't understand what was supposed to be going on well enough to really follow and care about the story. Sorry, this one is a dud for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anne Petty has crafted with panache a tale driven by history, legend, and suspense. A great deal of effort was obviously given to be true to the historical figures that are part and partial to the tale. But, one of the things that impressed me, as a denizen of the local community theaters, was the way she captured the experience of being a part of one of these theatrical troupes and the camaraderie it can entail. But, the true brilliance of this book is the building suspense that leads us through the twisting corridors of this tale all the way down to the last page.This is one of those book that is exceedingly difficult to talk about in anything but vague generalities without spewing spoilers in every direction. Every nuance of action by every character seems to have repercussions. At its heart this is a classic tale told over and over throughout history, best encapsulated by the tale of Faust that is the central play in the novel. It is a ghost story and a story of greed getting the better of the human spirit. It is vengeance and redemption and good and vil, all wrapped in a thoroughly entertaining story.Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Scene 1 starts in the 16th century, Elizabethan England with John Dee, counselor to the Queen, along with Monsieur C who conspire with a witch,Radha O Braonain, to see if they can capture a banshee...the theory is that if they can do this they can live forever.Fade out to modern day Atlanta Georgia...the Janus Theatre where the Mummer's Theatrical Company is rehearsing for the play, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, written by Christopher Marlowe about a man whovsells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge.The primary character is Claire Porter who is a paramedic by day and volunteers with the Mummer's Theatrical Company at night. Things start happening that don't make sense and Claire starts to question the things around her...to the point that her own life and those around her are in danger.The author blends Celtic mythology with the creepy story of Dr. Faustus to make for a thrilling and suspenseful story. A real page turner...I loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this story, as I have never even heard of the play focused on, although I did feel as though more details needed to be added concerning most of the characters. However I felt it was still an enjoyable read with some interesting concepts.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    There were parts that I enjoyed in this book, such as the witchcraft element. And then there were others that I didn't. I felt the characters weren't developed well enough, at times the story got lost and a bit rough around the edges. However, overall it was entertaining and I did enjoy the read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was an enjoyable book. I was glad I had been selected as an early reviewer. I've always had an interest in Renaissance theater, early modern history, and witchcraft. These elements are combined in a book that can be summarized as "the devil gets his due."Why would the devil get anything else? Despite the inevitability of the outcome, there are surprising elements in this take on Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, and demonic possession. Since the book is mostly plot and somewhat light on characterization, I won't summarize the plot here. That would spoil the reader's enjoyment. I will say that at times plot elements seemed to jump in a somewhat ragged fashion from flashback to present time to hallucination. This did not diminish my enjoyment. I will probably look for other titles by this author.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I really did not like this book. The first few pages really caught my interest, but after that, I really struggled to read it. I don't know what was the point of the book. It seemed like the character was Claire(?) and I thought for a minute something would develop between her and Tom, but nope, nothing. Also, in quite a few areas the dialogue was confusing; I couldn't tell who was speaking and had to read the passage a few times to understand. I was surprised at the outcome with Tom; I did not see that coming. Overall, I would not reread the book or recommend it to anyone. It was only about 200 pages and it took me 3 weeks to get through it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A little rough around the edges, but an enjoyable enough book to read. I think this is the author's first foray into fiction, but she's written plenty of intriguing looking nonfiction books that I now have on my Wanton Wantin' Book List. She is a huge fan of J R R Tolkien and dragons and has written what look like well-researched books on those subjects. I will keep this book to read again and see if timing doesn't smooth some of the rough edges. The premise of longevity through magic and dealing with the devil is enough to hold onto the book and try again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really wanted to love this story more but I had a hard time getting excited about this book. It is a story about a theater company and bad things happening to the actors. This book had all the makings of a great horror novel but I don't blame the author on this one. This story just wasn't for me. The author does a good job of building the characters and the plots were very vivid. I plan on reading this book again near the end of the year to give it another chance and I will also read other books from this author in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The ending of this book is actually pretty good. However, the beginning never seemed to build any tension. Things aren't left for the reader to wonder about, but are instead simply revealed very early on. And most of the characters felt pretty flat.The back cover's promise of "Unexplained stage effects appear as cast members disappear" turned out to be an extremely anti-climatic one of each.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed the premise of the story, and the historical and mythological details. I did find some of the descriptive writing laboured and somewhat contrived. I thought it interesting that each character had their own separate "story" within the story, but these individual threads were not brought together in a satisfactory way. I felt some questions remained unanswered at the end, but it is a credit to the author's writing that I really wanted to know.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    By combining celtic mythology with Christopher Marlowe's play, The Tragical History of Dr Faustus, author Anne Petty has created an intelligent and original horror tale. The story begins in the 16th c when John Dee and Monsieur C enlist the aid of a witch to create a talisman which will trap a banshee and provide them with immortality. The story then switches to modern day Atlanta Georgia where a small theatre company is putting on Marlowe's play. Soon, strange things begin to happen and they all seem to be tied to the brilliant director and whatever it is he has stashed in the basement.The novel is from Journal Stone and, as usual, it is a great read, full of twists and turns, some interesting characters, a whole lot of horror, and, in this case, just a touch of mythology along with an update of possibly the most controversial and scary play of Elizabethan theatre. This is a smart, original tale and, if it is a touch light on the horror, it makes up for this in its originality.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The book had potential because the story could have been great, but it fell short in the deliverance. There was to much time spent on unnecessary character descriptions and did not give a depth to the characters themselves. I could never get a feel for the importance of the main people. I would not be able to recommend this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anne C Petty's impressive story of the present haunted by the past is informed, exciting and above average ebook offering. merging real life historical figures into speculative event, and interacting with fictional creatures is a delicate task, and she does it well. its intelligence is reflected not only in how she uses the details of history toward fabulist ends, but also in how she builds the atmosphere of the theatre where it all takes place, and so it is grounded in a space where unpredictable things may happen. our protagonist is an ordinary woman, drawn to work in the theatre (I'd say, strangely, this is the weakest part - i just was not utterly convinced she'd get involved in local theatre!), but her predicament with a dying mother, and an instinct to meddle in events around her was useful to the story - we needed an active agent to stir things up. i loved seeing some of my favorite elizabethan figures appear - including John Dee - and Marlowe. the Faustian pact is always a rich link to dig into for a cracking story. i am not only an admirer (which might have made me distanced from the people and their cares) but i was deeply engrossed - only with glitches on the heroine's motives being there at all. i hope Petty continues in this vein.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book had a clever concept with, sadly, a poor execution. It was entirely lacking in mystery or suspense, and the characters were shallow, with no real connection to each other (or, despite efforts in that direction, to the plot). The idea of a modern-day Faustian bargain is compelling, but Petty doesn't ever really dig into what might drive someone to accept such a bargain, or the toll it might take. She tries to create mystery, but the plot plods along predictably, without any tension, and nothing in the book comes as a surprise.

Book preview

The Cornerstone - Anne C. Petty

Copyright ©2013 by Anne C. Petty

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

JournalStone books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

JournalStone

199 State Street

San Mateo, CA 94401

www.journalstone.com

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN:   978-1-936564-67-5  (sc)

ISBN:  978-1-936564-68-2  (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012953062

Printed in the United States of America

JournalStone rev. date:  January 25, 2013

Cover Design:  Denise Daniel

Cover Art:  Vincent Chong

Edited By:    Elizabeth Reuter

For Bill, Lynn (who will especially appreciate all the

Marlowe lore), April, and Lissa

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Available through your local and online bookseller or at

www.journalstone.com

Acknowledgements

Several editions of Christopher Marlowe’s play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus were consulted for the history, quotations, and paraphrases from the play, including:

Christopher Marlowe: The Complete Plays, edited by J. B. Steane, New York: Penguin Books, 1969.

Doctor Faustus (Norton Critical Editions), edited by David Scott Kastan, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.

Doctor Faustus and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics), edited by David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen, Oxford University Press, USA, 2008.

Thanks to: Lissa Griffin, LMHCA and Sex Therapist, for reviewing all the psychological material in the book.

Ugly hell, gape not, come not, Lucifer!

I’ll burn my books. Ah, Mephistopheles!

—Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Inception

Brú na Bóinne, Ireland 1581

Doctor John Dee—accomplished mathematician, alchemist, Hermetic magician, herbalist, astrologer, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth herself—pulled his fine wool cloak tightly across his shoulders. The late afternoon sun was disappearing behind a cloudbank massed low over the rolling hills, their deep green shaded to mossy black. A chill wind whipped at his beard and the mane of his mare.

An adequate horseman, he guided his skittish palfrey over the narrow footpath skirting the riverbank, a firm hand on the reins. He glanced behind him. Dee envied the easy grace with which his hooded companion sat the stallion he'd acquired from the stable back in Dublin. The horse had gone wide-eyed with nostrils flared and shivers rippling over its hide when Monsieur C had put his booted foot in the stirrup, but the moment he was seated it was as if horse and rider had become one.

On their left, the river meandered between shallow banks thick with fen sedge, marsh-horsetail, and bulrush. To the right, dense woodland. Stands of ash, hazel, alder, and oak, trees Dee knew from Mortlake in Surrey, near his riverside house, occasionally thinned enough to reveal distant hill country dotted by limestone outcroppings and wild, untended grasslands covered in gorse.

Dee watched the thunderheads piling up over the valley ridge. He supposed it mattered little if the rain caught up with them; the scheme in hand would go forward. He was glad to be in the lead as he searched for the landmark left by the witch, marking the turnoff into the trees. He preferred not to look at the drugged body of the girl draped lengthwise over Monsieur’s lap, her thin arms hanging down and flopping with the horse’s gait. She was a prostitute and cutpurse, which was why he’d taken her. They were likely saving her from a worse fate…imprisonment in Newgate amongst other thieves and worse criminals, and eventual death on the gallows platform. No reason to feel remorse for her soul, as she’d already damned it herself, but he would say a small prayer for her passing.

The river took a sharp bend where clumpings of silverweed and meadowsweet grew thicker along its bank. It flowed more swiftly over a rill and around low-arching willows trailing their long fingers in its gray waters.

Not far now, my lord. The mark should be up ahead.

Nay, my good doctor, as I’ve told you, I am no lord. Merely your devoted friend and mouthpiece for the One who is above us. The voice radiated intimate good humor, the kind of voice you’d expect from a close friend. Dee relaxed his shoulders.

He’d met Monsieur C on the continent more than a year ago, during a series of so-called spiritual conferences he’d conducted for the edification of kings and courtiers, from the Polish King Stephen and his court to Emperor Rudolf II, who’d not been moved by the notion of summonings and divinations. In Bohemia, however, the angel Uriel had spoken through C’s mouth to an assemblage of nobles and scholars, and had given tangible proof that his presence was not mere imagination. A crippled child had been made whole, his mother collapsing at the sight of him tottering across the chamber toward her. Uriel had given his blessings to all who witnessed the miracle and assured Doctor Dee that he would continue to send guidance through his chosen interpreter.

They’d traveled far and wide together since then.

Encouraged by Monsieur C, he’d delved deeply into the angelic languages, convinced the key to creating a unity of all mankind lay in the books he’d laboriously penned through his companion’s willing communion with the higher spheres. He felt no conflict in the crossing over of his mathematical and navigational studies with his magickal and spiritual explorations. In his mind the two were one great bridge to the Eternal, to the revelation of Mysteries beyond man’s waking life. Mysteries that could describe and define the human spiritus. This evening’s mission, while related, was somewhat darker. Dee felt his resolve slipping at the enormity of what they intended.

Apparently sensing his thoughts, Dee’s companion remarked, "Be of good cheer, my friend. Think how our success in this experiment will affect the community of the learned, those cognoscenti, mages and masters who have failed to acknowledge the brilliance of your hypotheses regarding the nature of death and the human soul."

True enough, Dee said, sitting straighter in the saddle. ‘Tis not that I question your angelic guidance. But I do wonder… He bit back what he’d been about to utter. That if the witch proved inadequate to the task or if the exchange went wrong, the consequences were unimaginable.

I am here to support you, the honeyed voice replied. You will not fail.

Dee flexed his fingers, stiff and chilled in his calfskin gloves. The cold was retreating from spring with petulance, keeping buds underground and dusting the higher elevations with lingering snow. His horse stumbled on the path as the ground became stonier, veering away from the river and curving slightly uphill. Near the treeline he spotted the cairn, an arranged pile of rough-cut limestone cradled among the roots of a mammoth oak.

There, he said, pointing. They turned off the path and into the trees where the lemony scent of forest gum sweetened the air.

A few minutes into the canopy, Dee pulled up and dismounted. A moment, if you will. His companion smiled indulgently in the gloom, or so it seemed to Dee as he removed a glove and rummaged through the leather bag affixed to his saddle. His thin fingers closed on the round brass casing and pulled the contraption out, an amazing invention given to him by Gerardus Mercator, his mentor at the University of Cambridge. The combination sundial and compass rested heavy in his palm. Underneath the arm of the sundial, a glass-covered rose compass with a spindled needle indicated the position for magnetic north at zero degrees. East lay at ninety degrees. The tomb where Radha Ó Braonáin, a sorceress of great depth and cunning, had agreed to meet them was a few degrees away from the eastward mark. Dee’s previous dealings with her had convinced him she was not to be taken lightly or ordered about in this particular endeavor, regardless of his own paranormal prowess or that of his companion. They must tread carefully.

She likely would not have agreed to be party to this day’s task at all if she did not have a personal interest in it (a fact C had discovered and revealed to Dee as the means for enticement). At his initial description of the plan, she’d laughed aloud and called him mad. It wasn’t every day someone asked her to help catch a banshee.

Confirming their direction, Dee remounted and guided his horse into the underbrush thick with enchanters—nightshade and urbanum, woodland herbs he knew well. The heavy compass rested in his ungloved hand. His fingers were cold to the bone, but he would not take the risk of handling it clumsily, or Jesu forbid, dropping it. The girl across C’s saddle moaned and Dee looked back. Monsieur rested a hand on her back and she stilled again.

Dee shivered and wished he’d brought a heavier cloak. Something fur-lined, perhaps. His sense of chill was not entirely due to the weather. He recalled how he’d finally persuaded the widow Ó Braonáin.

The banshee is the gateway guardian between life and death, is it not?

She’d nodded, her wrinkled mouth drawn into a purse, her eyes hooded under dark brows.

He’d continued. Everyone knows that her wail precedes the passage of the departed’s soul into the afterlife. It is she who calls Black Coach. The manifestation of Death on the physical plane. Dee shivered again. He’d never seen the apparition itself nor heard the blood-freezing cry of its herald, but if things went as planned, he would experience both those things before the night was done.

Aye, the witch had said, frowning.

What I propose, he’d stated with what now seemed arrogant confidence, is to create a magickal object that can hold death at bay…nay, time itself. He’d waited for the impact of those words, but the witch held his gaze without a blink.

If the gateway guardian could be trapped within an object of power, I have the means to bind it to the will of the object’s owner—literally to stave off dying and age not a year beyond the instant of the talisman’s creation.

And how would ye do that, Master Dee? What spell d’ye have in yer black bag of tricks that could command such a spirit?

I was hoping you yourself might know, he’d said. He knew she would deny any such ability, but he held his trump hidden, waiting till the right moment.

She’d emitted a rude noise and made as if to walk away, leaving him standing at the gate of her croft-covered cottage in the foothills of the Boyne Valley. Its crumbling walls and much-patched roof suggested great age, its foundation possibly much older than the present pitiful dwelling. He knew her family line was ancient, leading back to the days of the great Brian Boru or even further. The weight of her family name was not lost on him either. Ó Braonáin—descendant of sorrow.

Wait, he’d called. Hear me out. You have a son, I think… After a few heartbeats, she turned.

Did have.

He knew this full well and carefully played his hand. The banshee is an elemental, not something that can be controlled by modern alchemy. What’s required is old magick, something that draws from the Earth itself. I know your lineage, Radha Ó Braonáin. Your ancestors helped build the great mound further up the valley.

What would ye know of any such thing? Her voice was haughty, dismissive, yet she remained where she stood.

I have studied the transmogrification of souls enough to believe that if an offering is made when the Black Coach is summoned, the herald may allow an exchange. One soul for another. He waited for the implication to take hold.

Such a thing is not possible.

No? My companion in the paranormal, Monsieur C, is a conduit for the Divine. Through him, I have witnessed loved ones returned from Death’s doorstep to their grieving families, the wandering soul brought back from the land of Shades.

Have a care, Professor Dee, e’er ye blaspheme. The witch had actually laughed into her threadbare muffler.

Dee’s cheeks flushed, but he held his anger in check. ‘Tis said, a witch will get her wish though her soul may not get mercy.

She cast him a baleful glance and held her silence.

Dee tried again. Think on this. A life for a life, with the promise of control over Death itself. That is what I offer you…and your son.

He stood quietly as the silence between them stretched out, thinned, threatened to snap. At last she retraced her steps, close enough to look him in the eyes. Whose life would ye trade, eh?

He hesitated not a second. A lost soul whose place on Earth is already forfeit.

The witch considered. This companion of yours, how d’ye know him?

We have been trusted friends more than a year now. He is touched by the Divine, the voice of Uriel speaks through him.

Does it now? The witch snuffled again, not exactly a laugh. Let me think on’t. Away wi’ ye. She made a shooing gesture with one hand that some might have taken for a warding spell.

He’d departed as bidden, but it wasn’t a week before she’d sent word to him, with directions for finding a certain small passage tomb on the slopes above the Boyne Valley. She’d chosen Saturn’s Day, a good day for a binding spell. He was warned to bring only his accomplice and the necessary offering and to speak of their plan to no one. The tomb was protected by charms that blinded ordinary eyes to its presence, but she would lift the veil over its entrance for this one night. He suspected what lay within.

A rook’s caw and the flapping of heavy wings through the trees tugged his attention back to the present. He wet his lips. It seemed the witch had her own herald. Before long, the trees thinned and they emerged onto the verge of low grass-covered hills with steeper inclines beyond, forming the bowl of the great valley. Dee scanned the horizon, searching for the landmark that had been drawn on the back of the broadside scrap he’d received from the widow Ó Braonáin. And there it was, a distant outcropping in the shape of an outstretched wing and directly below it, as the raven flies, a small tumulus on a slope much closer to them.

I believe this is the place. Dee carefully replaced the compass in his saddlebag, then urged his horse forward.

A landscape of great beauty and greater desolation, murmured his companion, as if its rough contours were somehow familiar to him.

Yellow oat-grass and fairy flax clothed the flanks of the slope as they drew near the barrow, hiding calcareous outcrops and making their way uphill increasingly treacherous. Dee’s horse picked its way hesitantly over the rock-scattered ground until at last they reached a flattened area in front of the barrow. It was typical of the smaller passage tombs built by the ancients who’d left their footprints up and down the land within the river’s great loop. The low stone entrance was of simple post and lintel construction, framing the black tunnel leading into the mound. Around it in a careless arc were smaller stones marked with symbols potent to the ancient ones. There was no sound save for the gusting wind...no movement of animals, large or small, within their range of vision. The back of Dee’s neck prickled as they sat their horses, watching and waiting.

He was about to offer his apologies to C for having made a fruitless journey when a draped figure stepped over the crest of the mound just above the tomb. For a moment the widow Ó Braonáin seemed a fair likeness of a banshee herself. Wind snapped at the edges of her voluminous dark shawl as long gray-streaked hair streamed across her face. Dee had been unable to guess at her age in their last encounter and today was no better. She could have been fifty years or fifty more.

Have ye brought the exchange? Her voice stilled the air around them, then tore away on the wind.

Stiffened from the ride, Dee got off his horse with less agility than he would have liked. As you can see. He indicated the limp form in her dirty brown dress.

The crone pointed to a spot near the tomb entrance. Lay her down there.

Dee watched, his stomach in knots, as his companion dismounted and gathered the young woman into his arms as lightly as if she were a sleeping child. He placed her gently on the bracken, and stood up. Taller and thinner than even Dee himself, in a heavy cloak with an ermine-lined hood, C stood silent and imposing.

The Irish witch stumbled backward, her breath sucked in with a hiss. The fingers of her left hand flicked a protective spell almost faster than Dee could discern it in the fading light. "Namhaid!"

Enemy. Dee held his breath for fear his companion had been insulted.

Nay, C said softly, I am not your enemy.

Dee sought a reassuring tone, although his own state of mind was less so. Indeed, mistress, we have brought you the trollop I mentioned…a harmless wench.

‘Tis not her as I’m concerned over. She pulled her rag of a cloak across her breast. My family’s knowledge of ‘Monsieur’ reaches back some thousand years, she whispered to the wind, indicating the taller man with a jerk of her head. Although I don’t fancy ye were known by that name then.

C gave her a small bow and pushed back his hood. His features were gaunt but not unappealing, his eyes bright in the gathering gloom. Hair like spun gold framed his face and curled over his immaculate white collar. Well met, m’lady. I am at your service.

At this the sorceress laughed out loud. Aye, I’ve no doubt of’t. ‘Tis ‘im as should be worried. She hooked her thumb at Dee, who regarded them both with a sense of dread. Cold as he was, sweat broke out over his brow.

Rain-dampened winds swept over the valley and up the eastward ridge, tugging at their cloaks. The horses turned their noses away, backs toward the approaching storm.

When ye spoke of a cohort to aid in the spellcasting, I’d naught guessed y’meant this one. She retreated further behind the earthen rise of the tomb.

Dee wiped his brow. The damned hag, was she refusing to cooperate? Monsieur’s part in this is to seal the stone the moment the elemental has been caught.

"And what else is’t he’s here t’do, eh, once I snare the bain-sídhe for ye?"

Before Dee could form an answer, she veiled herself in mist. He blinked as light rain blew into his eyes, and then suddenly she was kneeling by the opening to the tomb.

"This will become your buachloch, your object of power," she said, pushing a rounded stone carved in spirals and sun disc emblems away from several others like it wedged partially into the ground, guarding the tomb’s entrance. It was about the size of a human head.

Dee approached and knelt, reached out his hand. May I?

"Aye, thus far ‘tis naught but a stone, though a very old one." She searched his eyes for a fleeting moment, then stood up, keeping Dee between herself and his tall compatriot.

Dee put his hands on the stone and believed he could feel its thrum under his fingers, gloved though they were. He was certain some power of the ancients lingered in marked stones like this, the bones of the earth. He nodded to C and said, The stone will serve.

Radha Ó Braonáin stared down at the unconscious young woman in the grass. What thoughts may have passed through her mind Dee could not imagine, but his relief was visceral when at last she turned and went to the tumulus. Stooping under the heavy slab lintel, she disappeared into its dark maw. Moments later she reappeared, dragging a threadbare blanket weighed down by a body wrapped in funereal garb. She pulled the blanket up beside the drugged girl and unwrapped the body of

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