Three Goddess Series

Chapter 7

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

The watch in her hand grew warm, as if its gears were heating. Or was it more like the warmth of a slumbering body beginning to stir? She leaned toward the latter.

Scrolling, swirling etchings danced elegantly over its golden lid. Despite her ability to breathe, she had trouble keeping her hands steady. How could anyone not be nervous while holding an enchanted watch?

"This is some seriously crazy s**t," she muttered.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, and her knees knocked together in time to her erratic heartbeat.

"What is going on?" she asked no one in particular, but the watch thrummed in response. "Am I dreaming?" Once again, it seemed to answer by glowing and pulsing, but she had no way of deciphering its miraculous attempts at communication. There wasn't a Complete i***t's Guide to Understanding Your Magical Pocket Watch.

Breathe in. "I'm not crazy." Breathe out. "Not crazy."

It glowed brighter.

She took that to mean, "No." At least she hoped that's what it meant. Learning the language of a mystical watch would be a serious undertaking.

"Wait," she blurted. "Why am I thinking about this like I'm going to talk to a watch-as if it can communicate?"

Before she even finished the question, the answer came: because she was going to steal it and take it with her. Urgency resurfaced with a vengeance.

She'd walked into a dangerous, supernatural situation, but she couldn't just drop the watch and walk away.

Why the hell not?

She'd take it home with her, but she didn't know what to do once she got it there. It needed to go with her-wanted to go with her. The thrumming intensified.

I'll take that as confirmation.

A giggle erupted from her dry, constricted throat when she realized how crazy she'd sound if she told Elleane and Rhiannon. They'd expect her to adopt every cat in the neighborhood, go around town at night wearing an aluminum foil hat with matching panties, and scribble incoherent ramblings into the pages of The Catcher in the Rye.

Did Carlenna purposely peddle magical baubles?

Of course she did!

The woman practically dangled them in Haven's face like a fat squirming mouse in front of a snake.

Closing the lid on the box, she turned and walked back to the alley entrance. Keeping a keen eye on the milling crowds, she glanced around for any trace of Rhiannon and Elleane, and headed in the direction of the entrance to the carnival, compelled to move fast.

Within minutes, her hurried steps brought her within viewing distance of the gates and her waiting car in the parking lot, but she paused to take a deep breath and mull over her lack of planning.

Once she reached the turnstiles at the entrance, a bit of the desperate pressure dissipated. Though urgency decreased, the tension in her pulled her emotions taunt.

With all the turmoil running through her, she thought there'd be an angel with flaming sword standing guard, but alas, no one stopped her. She pushed through the turnstiles, and quickly made her way across the short distance to her car. The Nissan, much like the carnival entrance, was sans fiery angel with flaming sword, and she rolled her eyes at her suspicious, superstitious stupidity. If this watch was that important, God would come get it Himself.

She stilled as she fought the urge to look heavenward.

Angels be damned.

After disengaging the car alarm and unlocking the trunk, she grabbed the handle of her gym bag and unzipped it. She tossed her purse-stolen goods and all-inside.

As she bent to tuck the bag behind the spare tire, a tingling sensation thrilled through her. She had the funniest notion that the watch didn't want to be tucked anywhere, it wanted to be with her. Wanted something from her.

Trembling, she reached for the bag, gripping it tightly. Compelled to hold it, she reached into the small compartment and picked up the watch. The eerie, almost human warmth infused her palm.

Wanting to take a closer look, she scoured the golden lid, and found a small knob protruded from the top. Shaking, she pushed it, and released the lid. It popped open, revealing the face.

It was beautiful.

Made of a stunning, almost ethereal silver substance, the face pulsed in the light from the overhead lamppost. The watch hands were two golden laurel leaves, moving in time to its ticking heartbeat. The golden rim glowed, making the whole face resemble a large mechanical eye.

Face-to-face.

She shivered.

Slowly, and with great reverence, she ran her fingers over the watch face, and almost jumped from her skin when it shuddered.

Holy hell.

A renewed moment of panic hit when the watch hands stuttered and slowed.

It must need winding.

After wiping her damp hands on her skirt, she placed her fingers on either side of the winding knob, and turned it counter-clockwise. When the knob indicated it could no longer turn, she released it, and sure enough, the hands moved around the watch face again. Backward.

A cloak of immense power enveloped her. It felt like a large, heavy blanket had been flung over her, suffocating and crushing in its weight.

What have I done?

She looked for a place to throw it; somewhere she could hide it to get away from the power, but to her dismay her fingers wouldn't release their hold.

Her own body betrayed her.

"What's going on?" she hissed. The watch didn't answer. "This isn't happening. This can't be happening." She whimpered. For the first time that day, she was delusional.

This was all too real.

The world around her blurred, and the light from the lamppost didn't quite make it to the ground. The stars in the sky melted together, and the houses in the distance turned a yucky gray.

When a debilitating wave of dizziness crashed over her, she grabbed onto the bumper of her car, and willed the world to stop spinning.

The world didn't comply.

Around and around, her vision spun until she unloaded her dinner into the trunk of her car. Steadying her head so she could wipe the sick from her lips, she closed her eyes, and tried to get her bearings.

No such luck.

When the dizziness in her head threatened to topple her, she tightened her grip on her gym bag.

As if God dimmed the lights, the world began to fade. She couldn't hear the sounds of the carnival through the invisible cotton in her ears. The only noise penetrating the muffled barrier was a strange crackling sound, like a microwave with a fork inside.

An immense wave of indescribable power brought an eerie silence. Haven stumbled. The power was emanating from her feet. She peered down to where her feet used to be, and found only a swirling black hole. She gasped.

"Aw, hell," escaped her lips right before the inky black rift swelling beneath her devoured her.