Triple Toil and Trouble

by Constance Barker

  “That sounds kinda right,” Harvest said. “Except if Nick knows how this will turn out, why does he keep showing up? Especially if it’s painful to him. He knows he’ll get custody of Zuri, he knows he and Cora are having more children. Why not just sit in the Twih and let it happen?”

  “Cora doesn’t know that.” Echo made a face. “What’s he got up his sleeve?”

  “Aunt Mary says you can’t spell someone to love you. In spite of Dad appearing to be under Mom’s spell, the reverse has to be true also, given how crazy different the Twih is from here,” Quinn said.

  “Except Dad and Mom, even if they aren’t exactly the same... species? I don’t know, whatever, aren’t all that different. Dad was born to country witches, but he’s always been interested in Twih witchcraft. Obsessed with it, even. Cora is abso-freakin-lutely scared to death of magic.”

  “A year ago, we would’ve been, too,” Quinn argued. “Except Zuri is Nick’s daughter. She’s a half-Twih witch. Sooner or later, she’s going to go witchy.”

  “Well, none of us ‘went witchy’ until a almost a year ago, like you say.”

  “But you did, Harvest. All of us did, a little. You always knew things you couldn’t, or shouldn’t. Heck, despite all your disbelief, you actually discovered we were witches,” Echo said.

  “I admit to trying out spells in the grimoire,” Quinn said. “I don’t think anything came of it.”

  Echo nodded. “I had lots of dream time with Mom. I thought they were just really lucid dreams. And let’s face it. Zuri’s already gone a little witchy. The Blue Rodrigo picked her to possess, even lived in her closet—befriended her. And she knew about the shadow lion, too, remember? She’s probably already more witchy than the three of us.”

  “Cora must have some witch in her background,” Harvest said.

  Echo pointed at her. “That’s what I’m talking about. Stuff you can’t know.”

  “It’s just a guess.”

  “Anyway, we need to get to the dive shop before it closes. Ryker and I were only in the Twih a few minutes, but here, hours went by.”

  “Wait, Ryker was in the Twih?”

  Echo hung her head. “He didn’t... do well.”

  “Where is he now?” Quinn pressed.

  “In the ER at Warren General, I think.” Echo looked pained. “I wanted to stay with him, to ride in the ambulance, but there’s a little kid in the crazy-ass Twih. We took a vow, remember?”

  Quinn did.

  We swear by our blood and our Sight intact

  To tread on the path between faith and fact

  Defend those defenseless from evil attack

  Pledge unto death to keep sacred this pact

  After they first made the vow, their abilities came forth in sharp relief. It allowed them to save Zuri from the demonic Blue Rodrigo, to fend off an attack from shape-shifting witches who fed off their power, to defeat a shadow lion that murdered cops and gangsters alike. More than that, it gave them a better understanding of why their parents abandoned them. Maybe not fully forgive Mom and Dad, but at least understand the circumstances, bizarre as they were.

  “We did take a vow,” Quinn said. “We have to rescue that boy, if we can.”

  “So why did Nick think a Navy Seal team was apropos?” Harvest asked.

  As if in answer, a recipe book slid itself out of Quinn’s briefcase purse. When it hit the carpet, the slim volume ballooned to three times its size. Cheesy purple faux leather gave way to the real deal, the page edges glistened gold, the floppy book now a thick tome. It opened itself, pages fluttering. The three looked at each other. Quinn picked it up and read. “Oh, no. No way.”

  “What?” Echo sidled up to the couch, looking over her shoulder.

  “We are not doing—”

  “Awesome possum!” Echo snatched the grimoire away. Then she frowned. “We’re still going to need some scuba gear. We better get a move on.”

  Chapter 13

  JIM SCOTT’S RECENTLY opened dive shop stood across the street from the Flatiron-style National City Bank Building in uptown Warren. Quinn parked right in front. Before she could open her door, Harvest put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Something’s not right.”

  While the sign on the door was turned to closed, the actual door stood ajar. Lights were off.

  “Maybe Mr. Scott is about to close,” Echo said. “Ryker works here part time, but he’s....”

  Quinn made a face at them. “Well, we won’t know sitting in this hot car.”

  Harvest still wore her constable uniform, including the tactical vest that held her weapon. Stepping in front of the others, she sidled into the shop. “Hello?”

  She’d been in dive shops before, and this followed the typical model. One wall boasted masks and snorkels and tubes, racks held dry suits and wetsuits, store logo T-shirts hung on the wall behind the counter. A giant inflatable catfish hung from the ceiling, nets and red semaphore flags with a diver-down slash providing the rest of the décor. The right half of the store was dedicated to renting gear.

  “Mr. Scott?” Echo called from behind her.

  All of them edged in. The hairs on the back of Harvest’s neck stood up. Her fingers rested on the grip of her Glock. A floor board creaked.

  A tall, muscular man appeared from behind the hanging wetsuits of the rental area. His eyes seemed afire. Harvest was more focused on the sawed-off shotgun leveled at her.

  “Three of you? How can there be three Echos?”

  “Ryker, what are you doing?” Echo’s voice squeaked.

  The gun took each of them in with its endless staring black eye. “I’m not going back. Stay away from me!”

  “It’s an acute stress reaction,” Quinn said. “Ryker, honey, you’re in shock. You need to be in the hospital.”

  “That swimsuit!” The gun swung to Echo. “You lured me. And I really liked you. How could you lure me?”

  “Ryker, stop!” The squeak in Echo’s voice became a tremble. “I think I know where Bobby is. You have to stop this.”

  “Not a second time!” Ryker kept the gun on Echo, hands squirming for a better grip. “I won’t be fooled a second time. Monsters! You’re working with the monsters who took my brother.”

  Harvest’s initial surge of adrenalin eased. She took a breath. Everyone always told her how intuitive she was. “Okay, enough of this. Quinn, call 911. Echo, grab the gear we need. Make sure the tank is charged.”

  “Nobody move!” Ryker’s voice rose an octave.

  “Look, Ryker, your gun isn’t loaded. Mine is. Go sit on that bench and wait for the ambulance.”

  “You! You!” Rage folded his features into a red mask. Teeth bared, eyes squeezed shut, he panted, ran a hand through his hair. Then, the savage mouth pulled down at the corners, lips quivering. Brows bunched, tears running down his face. The shotgun looked at the floor. “I’m sorry!” he wailed.

  “It’s okay, just have a seat.”

  “Oh, Ryker!” Echo started toward him, but Harvest caught her by the shoulder.

  “Echo. Gear. Car. Go. Quinn?”

  “Ambulance on their way.” She pocketed her phone.

  Ryker half-fell on the bench. “Everything is so not right,” he sobbed.

  “It will be. You’ll be okay.” Harvest intuited that, but she had no idea, really. With three quick steps, she crossed to him and took the shotgun. Wouldn’t want to spook the EMTs. A siren warbled in the distance. “Echo!”

  “I got it, I got it, let’s go.” Echo struggled out of the rental section, a tank with Velcro handles in one hand, a gym bag with an Aqua Lung logo in the other. “We’re going to pay Mr. Scott back, right?”

  “Sure. If we can figure out how.” Harvest gave one last look to the sobbing young man on the bench. Her heart went out to him. To Echo as well. But they were witches, not medical professionals. Of course, they weren’t Seal Team Six either, but you had to pick your battles.

  THEY STOWED THE TANK in Quinn’s car using her cargo
net. An ambulance screamed into the spot next to them.

  “Is this how it’s going to be from now on?” Echo said as the noise wound down. “Meet a cute guy, something weird happens, and he goes crazy?”

  Harvest gave her a one-armed hug. “We’ve heard about human reactions to the Twih. It’s just never been this personal.”

  Echo’s heart dropped like an anchor. The EMTs led a babbling, crying Ryker out to their bus and sat him on the rear bumper. Overhead, the sky went dark, clouds gathering from nowhere. Sprinkles started a moment later.

  “Aw, Squirt. He’ll be okay.” Harvest gave her another squeeze.

  Echo held back the tears. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Chin up, Echo. A little cognitive-behavioral therapy, temporary mediation with medication, he’ll be back on his feet. If we let it go, it could turn into post-traumatic stress disorder, deep depression, but he’s young, he’s healthy, and male,” Quinn said.

  “What’s male got to do with it?” Harvest asked.

  “Women are twice as likely to develop PTSD after experiencing a trauma. C’mon, Echo, doctors can treat this. Keep it together. We don’t want to do this in a big rainstorm.”

  Echo wiped her eyes and noticed the sky. “Oops. Forgot about that.” She sniffed and finished securing the tank. Yet each time she glanced at Ryker and the EMTs, the sky grew darker, the rain fell harder.

  “I thought you were looking forward to this spell.” Quinn ducked under the hatch to avoid the rain, Harvest crowding next to her.

  Harvest gave them both the hairy eyeball. “What is this spell?”

  Echo wiped her eyes again, chuckling a little. “Oh, you are gonna love it, Harvest.”

  As she spoke, the sky once again turned summer blue.

  “It does kinda put Cora’s apprehension in perspective. And Leshy’s... Whatever Leshy’s problem is.” Quinn said. “The Twih is a dangerous place.”

  “Well, I’ve been there, and I’m not all...” Echo didn’t finish.

  “You’re part of the Twih, or part of it is in you. I’m not sure which, exactly.” Quinn stepped out of the shadow of the hatchback.

  “It sure was freaky this time. If I wasn’t part witch, I might be a monster’s lunch. We’ll have to be really on our game.” Echo gave Harvest a pointed look. “Especially the way we’re going in.”

  Harvest stepped back and closed the hatch. “Why won’t you guys tell me what we’re doing?”

  Quinn and Echo exchanged an expression.

  “You probably wouldn’t come if we did,” Echo admitted.

  Chapter 14

  THEY DROVE TO WEBBS Ferry near dusk to find boaters still lined up, some going in, some coming out. “Not a good place to do magic,” Echo said.

  “Well, let’s leave the car here. We can walk to the spot where Leshy’s been hanging out. He said he was expecting teenage partiers later, but I’m sure he’ll scare anyone away.” Harvest got out of the car.

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Leshy.” Echo got out of the back seat. “It’s probably not good for you.”

  “Not good for anyone female,” Quinn popped the hatch.

  A few minutes’ walk through the woods brought them to the firepit near the collapsed building. Harvest eyed the structure again. The roof. Something about it niggled at her subconscious. But Quinn and Echo already moved down the water’s edge.

  “I don’t have to get naked, do I?” Echo asked.

  Harvest slid down the bank. “What the what? Naked?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’ll guess we’ll find out.” Quinn shrugged. “Ready?”

  Echo nodded. “This is gonna be awesome.”

  “Well, it might not be if you’re standing on the bank,” Quinn said.

  Curtailing another outburst, because they obviously weren’t going to tell her anything, Harvest merely folded her arms. Echo kicked off her sneakers, stuck a foot in the water and gasped.

  “That’s really cold!”

  Harvest suppressed a smile. “Weren’t you out diving earlier?”

  “In a wet suit!”

  “Come on, it’s going to be dark soon,” Quinn said.

  Hugging the scuba gear to her chest, Echo stepped out into the water. At the third step, she sank to her chest. “Holy—!”

  Quinn rubbed her palms together and took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes.”

  “Let’s do it already!” Echo cried through chattering teeth.

  “Don’t be such a wuss,” Harvest said.

  Raising her hand, two fingers and thumb pointing upward, Quinn recited:

  “We claim by our birthright animal dominion

  To draw bestial abilities over us like a cape

  We command this: the joining of mistress and minion

  Duality of function in singular shape.”

  Echo’s eyes went wide. A heartbeat later, she exploded out of the water, flipped backward and plunged beneath.

  Harvest stared. “Was that a tail?”

  Water splashed over Quinn and Harvest as Echo re-emerged. She rode the top of the water, dragging herself back and forth. “Look at me! I’m Princess Ariel! Everything’s better down where it’s wetter under the sea!”

  Eyes locked on her sister, Harvest took in her new, strange shape. “Omigod, she looks like a—”

  “Mermaid?” Echo shouted.

  “Like a seal!” Quinn shouted back.

  Echo looked down at herself. Her body was covered in thick white fur. “Oh. Not what I was expecting. But still awesome!”

  Taking Quinn by the shoulders, Harvest turned her sister to face her. “We’re not doing that.”

  “Oh, yes you are, Harvest.” Echo said. “How about this?

  “I share with you the powers that are mine

  Dive right in, the water’s fine!”

  Harvest raised her brows at Quinn. Her older sister rolled her eyes.

  “That was a good one. Why do my spells never work?” Echo called from the water.

  “I think this will be better,” Quinn said.

  “Aw, Quinn, please don’t—”

  “With bloodline identical though disparate in hours

  We claim similarities in our sisterly powers.”

  ECHO WAS STOKED WHEN her sisters did identical backflips and hit the water with hardly a ripple. They were mermaids! Well, mer-seals. Wereseals? Who cared, really. Echo had always loved to swim, but this? Holy moly! Even burdened by the scuba stuff, her powerful tail drove her through the water as fast as a motorboat. Her sisters surfaced a few feet away.

  “Oh, this sucks,” Harvest said. “I can open and close my nostrils and ear holes. So gross.”

  “At least we’ve got this nice fur to keep us warm.” Quinn ran her hands down her arms. “I am one soft and smooth monster.”

  “This is totally lit!” Echo danced on her tail again and sang. “Everything’s hotter under the water—”

  “Quit screwing around and let’s get this over with!” Harvest’s furry face, great big eyes, and cute little black nose somehow revealed her anger.

  “Spoilsport. Okay, this way.” Echo headed out into the reservoir. She stuck her head underwater, finally spotting the railroad tracks. She cast a glance over her shoulder. “This is it. Ready?” She let out her breath to fill her lungs, but instead of her nose, the air went out through a blowhole on top of her head.

  “Oh, ick!” Harvest said, hands roving the top of her head. “Do I have that?”

  “It’s just up that way a ways,” Echo said. “And down, of course. You can’t miss it.”

  Flapping her tail hard, Echo rose from the surface, and straight down. Free of scuba gear, she soared through the water. Though light filtered to dark only a few feet under, her big seal (or whatever) eyes worked well in the dim.

  From the pressure of the water on her fur, she could feel Harvest and Quinn swimming to catch up. Every sound beneath the chop became amplified. She swore she heard a fish fart. Scanning the area, she saw no sign of the
six-legged alligator things. Rectangles of light flickered ahead. Dropping to the bottom, she made a beeline.

  The three of them slowed to a stop as they reached the algae-coated building. Quinn and Harvest stared at the glowing hemisphere that rose from the floor.

  “That’s the portal.” Echo’s voice sounded bell-like. “There’s a river on the other side, but we won’t land in the water. We’ll need feet.”

  “If the portal doesn’t somehow change us back—” Quinn started, as if the sound of her ringing voice scared her. “I have something. I hope it’ll work.”

  “Hope?” Harvest’s word rang off the cinderblock walls.

  Echo blew bubbles in frustration. She tossed the scuba gear in first, then swam into the intense, swirly glow.

  “ECHO!” HARVEST SHOUTED, and winced. “Why is my voice so loud?”

  “C’mon, let’s go,” Quinn urged.

  Harvest had no choice. Pumping her (eew!) tail, she plowed into the glowing light. A flashbulb went off. Then she found herself floundering in gold mud. Echo lay a few feet away, dragging herself by her hands. All around them, horrible monsters, armored in black with dagger-like teeth, closed in. Six legs. The alligators had six legs. Harvest dragged herself toward Echo as quickly as she could.

  “Where’s Quinn?”

  “Right behind me,” Harvest panted.

  “Right behind you? I’ve been here for half an hour!”

  Time in the Twih, Harvest thought. Even though they all swam in within seconds of each other, time passed differently here. It sort of explained how identical triplets could be born five years apart. She wondered if this would be the last thing she understood before being devoured by otherworldly horrors.

  There was a flash in the lavender sky like lighting. Harvest craned over her shoulder. An arch formed of tree roots (which were up in the air instead of underground... stop thinking about it!) displayed a murky green surface. Quinn popped gracelessly out of it, rolling through the gold mud. “Ow-ah!”

  “Quinn!” Echo shouted. “Quinn! Quinn!”