Chapter 1: Sisters
Maia's House in the Woods, New Haven. Sunday, September 17, 2006.
Neal sat down at the square piano and riffed an arpeggio. He then waited expectantly. Would Beethoven's ghost reappear?
"Do you really want to tempt fate?" Sara asked, sitting down on the bench beside him. "I know Maia said she'd dehexed the piano but even so . . ." Her words trailed off into a shrug.
"I couldn't resist, and you'll be pleased to know that so far no ghostly presence has entered my thoughts."
That wasn't always the case. The Victorian mansion where he and Sara had spent the past couple of days appraising art formerly belongs to Maia's sister Electra, a woman who was possessed by Astrena, the Greek goddess of vampires and witches. She'd been banished back to her original domain of the stars nine months ago, but it was difficult to believe there was nothing of her presence left behind.
Maia and Chloe were slowly transforming the house into a place better suited for their needs. The once formal salon had been turned into a game room with comfortable club chairs, a poker table, and an alcove for chess. The grand piano was still there, but now Dean's guitar and Maia's harp kept it company. Maia had a knack for blending antiques with contemporary furniture. Neal liked the eclectic mixture of styles. He and Sara hoped to fuse different styles in their new home as well.
The dining room was now the women's stillroom. French country pieces replaced Electra's heavy dark furniture. Shelving units held dried herbs and supplies. The wet bar along one wall had been expanded with additional counter space for a microwave, slow cooker, coffee grinders, and a coffeemaker to prepare infusions.
Upstairs, the bedrooms were being converted as well with one notable exception. So far, the furniture and accessories in Astrena's bedroom had been left untouched. Chloe and Maia had dehexed the painting of Beethoven and the square piano. No other enchantments had been discovered. Dean and Sam believed they simply hadn't found them yet. The goddess could have a talent for masking her spells. Dean liked to call the house the Mystery Mansion, and the name fit.
Perhaps that was the reason he and Sara had saved the bedroom for last. On the surface, it appeared harmless. The plum silk bed coverings matched the curtains, complementing the dove-gray walls. Paintings from the nineteenth century in ornate gilt frames hung on the walls. Each one would undoubtedly command a high price at an auction.
Maia had asked them to give her an estimate on how much insurance she should carry. This wasn't normally the type of assignment Sara handled, but given the unusual circumstances of the house, she'd offered her assistance. Neal went along in an unofficial capacity.
The weekend was a welcome break from the remodeling project at June's house. It was also the unofficial start to his new career. Starting in October, both he and Sara would be working at Winston-Winslow. They'd undoubtedly partner on insurance cases, although not many others would likely involve enchanted objects.
Unless . . . Should Henry add paranormal work to Winston-Winslow's burgeoning caseload? Hire Dean and Sam? Neal resolved to discuss it with him. Although, he probably should wait to offer suggestions till after he'd been at work at least a couple of weeks.
"The cost of adequate coverage will be astronomical," Sara said. "I understand why Mozzie recommended she forego insurance and instead avail herself of a state-of-the-art security system. Could you even place a value on all the art and antiques?"
Neal shook his head. "Only to say that the value would likely be in the hundreds of millions. One of the many issues is that there are no bills of sale and no provenance documentation. For each painting, Maia would have to pay for it to be authenticated."
"She'll have an easier time with the house itself," Sara said. "That, at least, is straightforward. Sterling-Bosch already insures the house and land. She could attach a generous rider for the contents and include photos of the paintings and antiques without supplying many details."
"That should be within her budget," Neal agreed. "Especially now that Mozzie is providing her with investment advice."
"Maia too? How many clients does he have?"
"It's a private club. In addition to us, Henry, June, and Angela, Mozzie has extended invitations to Dean, Sam, Maia, and Chloe. I hope they're following his tips. We've certainly done handsomely by them."
"I notice you didn't include Peter and Elizabeth," Sara said.
"That wasn't an oversight. Peter's been very hard-nosed about it, insisting that the tips can't be legitimate. Mozzie swears they are." Their new financial advisor had taken up options trading over the summer, discovering it was a legal way of fleecing the market. Neal and Sara didn't even have to understand what he was doing. They simply provided the funds and let Mozzie take it from there.
"You'd mentioned Mozzie was here last weekend," Sara said. "What did he do?"
"You remember the grimoire that Crowley had pointed out to Maia?"
"Astrena's book of magic? That's hard to forget."
"The Winchesters didn't like Crowley being aware of its hiding place. To say they don't trust him is a major understatement. Mozzie offered to advise them on new hiding places for both it and Astrena's crystal ball."
"Have Chloe and Maia ever used the ball?" Sara asked. "Scenes from Lord of the Rings come to mind where characters gazed into one of the Seeing-stones."
"You think they may also see visions? Glimpses of the past or future?"
"I have no idea," she said. "I didn't believe true magic was possible before I met Chloe and Maia."
"Chloe told me she could remember Astrena telling her to look into her crystal ball but all she recalled were rainbow spectra flashing about the room."
"She shouldn't trust her memory. She was under Astrena's influence. Maia thinks Astrena may have also used orchids to control her."
Neal chuckled. "Listen to us—crystal balls, enchanted objects, magic orchids. I could make the case that this is the first joint assignment of our new careers even though my part is pro bono and and our first day at Winston-Winslow will be October 2. Is this an omen for what our future investigations will be like?"
Sara's green eyes sparkled in the light from the wall sconces. "I hope so! It also means the Silver Cauldron meeting I attended last week with Angela and Janet could qualify as job-related training. You should consider joining the coven as well. Mozzie shouldn't be the only man present."
The New York coven was run by Peony Mirliton, the owner of a B&B near June's mansion. Last year Angela and Mozzie's girlfriend Janet became members. Mozzie was the first man to enlist. "Go ahead and sign me up, but I warn you the results may be unexpected."
"How so?" she asked.
Neal riffed on an ominous dissonant chord on the piano. "How do you feel about coven gatherings around the fire pit of our renovated terrace during Wicca festivals?"
Her face lit up. "What a wonderful idea! As soon as we get back I'll begin work on my witch's costume." Seemingly at Sara's response, a Siamese cat jumped into her lap. "You see, Daphne gives our plan her seal of approval." Sara stroked the white furball. "Just for that, I'll include catnip in the herb garden. Janet was going to call on Peony for help with the rooftop gardens. Once she hears about the fire pit, she'll undoubtedly have several provocative recommendations."
Neal idly improvised a melody on the piano as Sara fantasized about their future gardens. For now, they would remain just that. The remodeling of June's third floor had just begun, and the gardens would be the last step. It was odd how their lives had become entwined with the paranormal. Chloe and Maia likely felt the same way. The Wicca coven in New Haven was led by Wisteria, Peony's sister. Chloe and Maia had met each other by chance at a coven meeting in the bookstore.
"Your mind's a million miles away," Sara commented.
"I was just thinking about Wisteria's coven. Electra had invited the Alyssum Sisterhood to meet at her bookstore. Did she have a nefarious purpose?"
"If she did, she can no longer take advantage of it."
"I met her for the first time at a Litha festival. That was a little over a year ago. She and Maia had a book booth."
Sara's expression turned thoughtful. "Maia had no idea the woman she thought was her sister Electra was in reality Astrena. Or that Astrena had handmaidens she also called her sisters."
So far, they'd identified only one of Astrena's sisters—Alcy Lancaster. She'd been discovered living under an assumed name in Venice and was now banished from their world. "I wonder what happened to Astrena's other sisters. Dean told me that was one of the reasons Bobby agreed to stay at the mansion. They feel someday one or more of the other sisters will show up."
Sara glanced around the room. "She may try to claim the grimoire or the crystal ball or some other enchanted object. Against witchcraft, Sterling-Bosch can't provide insurance."
Daphne gave a low cry and jumped off her lap, dashing into the hallway.
"I bet Maia has returned from the bookstore," Sara said as she stood up.
By the time they went downstairs, Daphne had jumped onto Maia's shoulder and the wolfhound Tatyana was nudging against her mistress's legs. Would that soon be Neal's destiny as well? Sara had made no secret of the fact that as soon as the construction was done she hoped to adopt a kitten.
"Let's meet in the library," Maia suggested. She'd converted the room into an office for herself and Chloe. It was one of many rooms for which Neal and Sara had simply made a rough estimate of the value. Sam and Maia were still sorting through the books. There were many first editions, some with autographs, which were undoubtedly quite valuable. When they entered the room, Daphne leaped from Maia's shoulder onto the top shelf of a bookcase. Maia was wearing a thick sweater. Was that partly as protection from her heights-loving feline? If they got a kitten, Sara's silk clothes might have to be placed in cold storage.
"The estimate we prepared will cover the cost of rebuilding your house if disaster strikes," Sara said. "But it doesn't begin to cover the value of the belongings."
"I didn't expect it would," Maia said. "Many of the items are irreplaceable, but the same could be said of Dean and Sam's resources. They're converting the basement into a hunters' cave. Bobby is gradually moving in his library and equipment. I don't know how a value could be assigned to the Winchester journal. It's just as valuable as Astrena's grimoire."
"Can you use witchcraft to help protect the furnishings?" Neal asked.
"Warding them, for instance?" Maia shrugged. "We've tried but we're not very good at it. Chloe has the best chance of success, but our grimoires don't provide any guidance."
"Mozzie said he'd installed a security system for you," Sara prompted.
"And we use it when we're away, but Dean finds it intrusive." Maia smiled. "I think the only reason he agreed to it is that he's become very fond of a rabbit in Astrena's netsuke collection. If that rabbit ever gets stolen, we're in trouble." She turned to Neal. "Is there any chance I could coax you to return to New Haven for an Elysian Friday?"
He was familiar with the events. Under Electra's management, the Elysian Bookstore had become the foremost seller of art books on the East Coast. For years she held receptions for promising new artists. The events, called Elysian Fridays, attracted art critics from New York City as well as Boston. Maia was continuing the tradition. "I'm honored. Do you have any date in mind?"
"How about sometime in October?"
"That will fit well with my schedule." By then, he'd no longer work at the Bureau. His new schedule would have much greater flexibility.
"Excellent. I'll get back to you with the details. I wish we could tempt you and Sara to attend the Mabon festival. This is the first one the Alyssum Sisterhood has sponsored."
"I wish we could," Neal said, "but it's the same day as the Renaissance Festival in New York and I've already promised to participate in the battle reenactment with the team from the office."
"Dean would probably rather attend your festival," Maia said ruefully. "He was disappointed when he heard we didn't have any cosplay or battles planned. We were able to persuade some Yale professors to deliver lectures. But alchemy, medieval treatises, and botany lectures can't compare to the pageantry of yours."
"But you plan to have a bonfire, right?" Sara asked. "Neal told me about the one at Litha."
Maia gave a mischievous smile. "It wouldn't be a pagan festival without one. Neal, do you remember Gemma Blackthorne?"
"The name sounds familiar . . . Was she the one who lectured on the origins of Wicca at the Litha festival?"
"You have a good memory. She teaches botany at Lydford College in Southwest England."
"Elizabeth told me about her," Sara said. "I mentioned I'd joined the Silver Cauldron. She said she'd considered it as well when she heard Gemma's presentation. She and Janet had dinner with her and Astrena during that weekend in New Jersey."
Maia's face grew anxious. "I'd forgotten about that. Electra, I mean Astrena, told me about it afterward. I hope you realize how badly I feel that I didn't realize who she truly was."
"You couldn't have known," Neal said. "No harm came out of the interaction." He shrugged. "Just the opposite. Astrena provided funding for Elizabeth's community theater and helped her land several large events."
"I'm sure Gemma had no idea either," Sara said. "Did Astrena ever discuss Wicca with you?"
Maia shook her head. "She never displayed much interest. I'd say it was more like an amused tolerance. She let Wisteria's coven meet at the bookstore, and we have a section of books devoted to Wicca and the occult."
Was there any advantage Astrena could have gotten out of Wicca? It was difficult to imagine what she could have obtained. Wiccans worshipped pagan gods but Astrena wasn't among them. If anything, she might have been envious. Neal's exposure to Wicca had been minimal but if Peony's coven wanted to gather around their future fire pit, it was fine by him. He owed her for helping to free him from Astrena's curse. And the thought of him and Mozzie as the coven's resident male witches had a certain appeal.
Wisteria's Inn, New Haven. Five days later.
"You rang?" Crowley said once he'd materialized in Gemma's hotel room. The timing was abysmal. Gemma's summons arrived when he and Jeremy had been exploring an expansion into gambling for the New Orleans club. He could have delayed his arrival, but curiosity got the better of him. He hadn't seen her since Astrena's banishment. What did the demi-goddess want, and more importantly how could he benefit from it?
"It's been too long," Gemma said warmly. "Please take a seat."
A refreshing start. If she wanted to play nice, he was quite willing to go along. Gemma was an attractive and intelligent witch, qualities he appreciated. Her brunette hair had just enough sparks of red to indicate she could play naughty when she wanted to, but she was astute in protecting her self-interest, exercising restraint as needed. A pity that her sister Alcy had never grasped how to play the game and emerge on top.
"I hope my call didn't come at an inconvenient time," Gemma said.
Crowley's smile broadened. She was welcome to butter him up as much as she liked. "It wouldn't have mattered. I've missed our conversations." He glanced around the living area. Gemma had booked one of Wisteria's most luxurious suites. He'd discussed the names with the innkeeper once over a delicious cherry almond pie. It amused him to display his knowledge of herbs to Wisteria. Having a witch for a mother didn't have many benefits but this was one of them. Gemma's suite was called The Lilac. The flower was used for wisdom and good luck—an appropriate choice. Something told him Gemma's arrival was going to supply him with an extra dose of both.
She gestured to the serving cart where he'd already noticed the bottle of Glencraig and glasses. Wisteria was buying the Scotch by the case now. He poured two glasses—yet another reason he and Gemma worked well together. She appreciated single malts. Handing her a glass, he asked. "What brings you to the hamlet of New Haven?"
"Wisteria invited me to speak at the Mabon festival this coming Sunday. I offered to give a couple of guest lectures at Yale as long as I'm here, and the university was quick to accept."
"And?" he prompted, not deceived for an instant. He took a seat on a lavender brocade settee next to her. What was her true motive?
"I've heard nothing from sweet Maia since Astrena returned to the stars," Gemma said. "How is my sister? Has she recovered any of her memory?"
"No, she believes her sister Electra was possessed by Astrena and died when Astrena was banished."
"Does Maia retain any of her former ability?"
"She's quite the witch. She believes she has an innate ability from her distant ancestor Airmid. She doesn't realize Airmid isn't that far-removed."
Gemma's lips curled into a secretive smile. "And she's living in that house all by herself? She must be lonely."
Crowley snorted. "Not bloody likely. She's invited another witch—Chloe Bishop—to move in with her as well as three hunters."
Gemma arched her delicately sculpted brows. "Witches and hunters living together? That has to be a first."
Crowley couldn't restrain himself from a smirk. "It gets even stranger. They're all pals with G-men." Should he tell her about the connection to the Men of Letters? For, despite all the denials, he still believed there was a link between them and Cheekbones's cousin. No, he'd reserve that nugget. He'd prided himself on a policy of only providing enough information to ingratiate himself, banking the rest for future lucrative withdrawals.
"How is it that you're so well-informed? Surely Maia doesn't remember you?"
"Her memories of me as a financial advisor to Electra are still in place. I've become a trusted consultant to all of them." Absolutely no need for Gemma to be informed of his unique status. In all likelihood, she'd think it was an idle boast. A demon partnering with witches, hunters, and G-minnows was unprecedented.
"Does she remember me?"
"I would assume so. Not that you're a sister, of course. Astrena was skillful in altering Maia's memory. Maia likely believes your cover story too." He buffed his fingernails on the sleeve of his jacket. "I've assumed the role of a beloved uncle in Maia's cozy arrangement. Even the hunters rely upon me for advice. For a suitable fee, I'm happy to offer my services to you as well."
Gemma nodded appreciatively. "How thoughtful of you. I'll keep it in mind."
Crowley's opinion of her mounted as they chatted. Here was a woman he could play chess with. She didn't drop a hint of why she was in town, but Crowley knew it involved Maia. No need to warn her. He'd keep an eye on the situation. If matters got out of hand, he'd ride in as their savior. If Gemma began meddling in the affairs of hunters, she could also be in need. Could he execute a double play?
Notes: As Neal prepares to leave White Collar, he and Sara team up for their first joint insurance investigation. Will this be a case that Peter is glad to sit out?
References to earlier stories: Astrena's sister Alcy Lancaster was featured in Witches' Sabbath and A Witch in Venice. Neal met Gemma in Fireflies at Midnight. The first Renaissance Festival in New York City was in Night Howls on the Hudson. On that occasion, Astrena gave Neal a nasty surprise. He's hoping for no recurrence this year.
Introduction to Crossed Lines for new readers: In the pre-series Caffrey Conversation AU created by Penna Nomen, FBI Special Agent Peter Burke recruited con artist and expert forger Neal Caffrey in 2003 when he was 24. In exchange for a confession, he was given immunity for past crimes and started working for the FBI as a consultant at the White Collar task force in New York City. Sam and Dean Winchester are demon-hunting brothers. Sam is roughly the same age as Neal. Dean is four years older than Sam. Peter is fifteen years older than Neal. For those familiar with the Supernatural timeline, the action is set early in the second season of Supernatural. The Crossed Lines page on our blog has more background information about the series.
Visuals and Music: The Thief in the Woods board on the Caffrey Conversation Pinterest website
Blog: Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation
Twitter: silbrith