The Siamese twins looked like a four—legged human spider. They shuffled forward, and Kara took an unconscious step back and hit her head on the glass wall. They were dressed exactly the same, in a black suit and tie. They looked like dreary funeral parlor directors with haunted expressions. Their heads were large and oblong, and their haggard faces drooped with wrinkles that made their wet eyes look unnaturally large. Both had raven colored hair that hung in greasy clumps and was cut straight across their jaws. Their eyes and eyebrows were unevenly lined in black kohl, as if they had put on their makeup in the dark.
One of the twins was slightly shorter, and her head hung unnaturally sideways, as though her neck had been broken. She sucked desperately on a cigarette, like it was oxygen, and then her sister opened her mouth and exhaled puffs of white smoke.
Their yellow eyes brightened at the sight of Kara and her friends, just like the cats.
“Look here, sister,” said the taller woman. Remnants of the cigarette smoke escaped her lips and her voice was rough as though she was suffering from a severe case of strep throat.
“We have ourselves some visitors. Young, by the looks of them.”
Her sister smiled and revealed a mouth full of rotten yellow teeth. She looked as if she had smoked over a million cigarettes, and toothpaste hadn’t been invented yet. She took another long haul of her cigarette.
“Yes, sister, four of them...but these are not ordinary visitors,” she answered in an identical raspy voice. “No, these visitors are altered—disguised as the living—very unnatural.”
“Yes, sister, very unnatural. Why would the walking dead, spirit walkers, dare to enter our establishment? Not the cleverest of abominations to come here, where the dead are not welcome.”
“Indeed, you are right to ask, sister. Except for one.”
“Yes, sister, except for one.”
The shorter woman lifted her head, closed her eyes for a moment and sniffed the air.
“I can smell it on her, sweet like candy and dandelion syrup. Hmm—very strange for one so young, but it’s there all right, and no mistake.”
Her eyes popped open suddenly, and she shook her head looking disappointed.
“You keep very strange company little girl,” she said, her eerie yellow eyes focused on Kara. “It is very odd that someone like you, should be with the likes of them. Are you aware of what company you keep? Do you know what these creatures are? They are abominations walking the Earth. Very unnatural—and a threat to the world of the living.”
Kara shifted uneasily on the spot, but she stood her ground, determined not to let those eyes creep her out. There was something very odd about those yellow eyes. It was almost as though they could see things that other mortals could not. Could they see through the M—suits?
“I feel like I’m in the twilight zone,” whispered David in Kara’s ear. “Look at them. I’m going to have nightmares for years—mark my words.”
The twins’ eyes widened, and they shuffled with surprising speed towards David. They glared at him with their hands on their hips and measured him like he was a curious object. Their yellow eyes glistened.
The shorter twin pointed a bone—thin finger with a long dirty nail at David. “You must knock on wood three times after mentioning cruel words, or the evil spirits will ruin things for you, spirit walker,” she said and then sucked on her cigarette.
David lifted his hands in surrender. “Uh...sure...right, whatever you say.”
The other twin blew what looked like a broomstick made of smoke in David’s face.
“You spirits who walk the Earth would be wise to hold your tongues in the presence of the Fay sisters. We have lived with your spiteful remarks all our lives. But despite how you perceive us, we are not unnatural. You are.”
David shared a look with Kara that said, what the—and she could tell he was straining to keep from laughing out loud. She knew he couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long. This was going to end badly if she didn’t intervene. Jenny and Peter both looked at Kara and shrugged, they seemed to be waiting for her to do something.
“I beg your pardon, Miss Fay,” said Kara to the shorter twin, “and to you Miss Fay,” she said to the other, “my friend didn’t mean what he said, and he is very sorry. Aren’t you David?”
When he didn’t answer, she kicked him.
“Uh...yes, yes, of course,” David tried to compose himself. He pressed his hand to his chest and said with fake humility. “I apologize. I am deeply ashamed and grief—stricken for the pain I have caused to such admirable women.”
The Fay sisters scowled at David. Their ugly faces twisted even more. They stared at the group intensely, their wet yellow eyes never blinking.
“Why are you here, spirit walkers?” asked the shorter sister. “Why have you spoiled our shop with your corrupted presence? It’ll take all day to wash your scum from our floors. You shouldn’t be here.”
Her warm putrid breath reached Kara’s nose, and she took another haul of her cigarette.
David smiled innocently. “I thought we could borrow those handcuffs over there for a game of—ouch!” He cried out and rubbed his shoulder.
Kara shook her fist at him. “Stop being an idiot! We don’t have time.”
She looked over to Peter and Jenny who looked as annoyed by David’s reaction as Kara had been. Jenny rolled her eyes and Peter avoided David’s triumphant expression.
The taller Miss Fay blew an impressive cat—shape smoke silhouette in the air.
“Why have you come to seek the wisdom of the Fay sisters, spirit walkers? I doubt you’re seriously interested in our merchandise. Spirit walkers don’t mingle with witchcraft—unless we are mistaken. Are you here to purchase a cauldron, perhaps?”
The old woman wheezed as she tried to laugh. She started to cough, and her sister smacked her on the back until the woman coughed up some phlegm and spat it out on the ground near David’s feet. He jumped back just in time as the green gunk hit the floor.
“Why are you calling us spirit walkers?” asked Kara, as she pulled her eyes away from the greenish slime on the ground. “What does that mean exactly?”
The taller sister scratched the top of her greasy head and flicked off what Kara hoped was just dandruff.
“They...” she pointed slowly to David, Jenny and Peter, “are spirit walkers, spirits of the dead in mortal bodies. They are as unnatural as they come, a disgusting corruption of nature. Our mother earth is a world for the living—not the dead. They are nature’s enemy—therefore they are our enemy. They should not be.”
“Look who’s talking,” mumbled Jenny. She lowered her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked prepared for a fight. Kara had never seen her look so angry.
“But you, little one, you are not one of them,” continued the old woman. Her yellow eyes fixed on Kara once more. “And yet, there is something different in you—something special.”
Kara frowned, feeling uncomfortable. “So, obviously you know they’re supernatural beings. You can see through their M—suits.”
“Of course we can, we are the Fay sisters,” chorused the twins looking very pleased with themselves.
Kara wasn’t sure what they meant by that. But something nagged her. Those unsettling yellow eyes...
“So then—I’m guessing you’re witches, aren’t you?” she asked. “You have to be. Regular mortals couldn’t see past the M—suits.”
The Fay sisters both smiled, showing rows of rotten teeth. They tried to turn their heads to look at each other, but only got halfway.
“Clever, that one,” said the shorter sister. “Of course we are witches.”
She pulled another cigarette from her jacket pocket. With a flick of her hand, a flame sprouted from her fingertips, and the witch sucked on her cigarette happily as though it were a lollypop.
Kara felt relieved—two witches were better than one. The Fay sisters would help them destroy the dark warlock. She was certain they
were the ones Ariel called dark witches. What better to fight off a dark warlock than a couple of dark witches who just happened to be stuck together by the hip? Perhaps they were stronger that way, witch magic to the power of two.
A smile materialized on Peter’s pale face, and Jenny almost seemed pleased, although she kept glaring at the witches. David raised his brows as he met Kara’s eyes, a smile twitched on his lips.
Kara bounced on the spot. “Thank God. Listen, you have to help us. We need your help to vanquish a dark warlock. I’m sure you know all about warlocks—see, he’s stealing souls from mortals, and he’s going to perform a ritual on the winter solstice that will kill thousands of innocent mortals—”
“We cannot help you,” chorused the witches.
“But...” Kara watched the witches in disbelief. “Please—you don’t understand. My...my mother’s been infected by his dark magic. She’s dying. We need your magic to destroy him. Our weapons are useless against him. Your magic is our only chance. Please.” Kara started to sweat. A cat jumped from a top shelf onto the tallest sister’s right shoulder. Intelligence flashed in its yellow eyes. The old witch stroked the cat as she spoke. “I’m sorry, but we cannot help you, child.”
“Why?” said Kara, her voice rising with her temper. “You would be helping thousands of innocent people. I’m sure you want to do the right thing, don’t you? You wouldn’t want innocent people killed, right?”
“You don’t understand,” said the witch. “It’s not that we don’t want to help you...”
“...we can’t help you,” finished her twin sister as she took a drag from her cigarette.
Kara felt the blood drain from her face. The words wouldn’t come.
“Why not?” said Jenny, in a voice that matched her scowl. “You’re obviously witches—you have magic fingers. We just saw you do magic. I know you hate us spirit walkers, you made that obvious, but you’d be helping the mortals. Don’t you want help them?”
The short witch flicked the ashes from her cigarette on Jenny’s boots, sneering at her like Jenny was some sort of ugly insect.
“Our magic is limited, spirit walker. We can make fire...cast a few spells. We can even make love potions for the desperate lover, but that is all.”
She raised her arms in the air. “This is why we have this establishment. We are more businesswomen than actual witches. We do not possess the necessary skills that you are looking for.”
“It takes a very powerful witch to bring down a warlock,” said the taller sister. “One with old magic—dark magic—a sorceress skilled in the dark arts. There is only one witch who possesses the knowledge and ancient wisdom of the dark arts. All the creatures of the earth and of the spirit world fear her. She is the only one who holds the power to destroy your warlock.”
Both women stared intensely at Kara. It was almost as if they wanted her to guess the answer. And Kara had already guessed.
“Olga,” she said, and the witches seemed pleased. “You know where she is, don’t you? If she’s the only one who can help us, then I need to know where she is,” she demanded.
The sisters smiled, as if this was a game to them. “She lives in the deep, darkest part of Shadow Cave,” chorused the twins.
“Sounds spooky,” whispered David. “I’m tingling all over.”
“You must leave the village and go south,” said the shorter twin. “Follow the red path down past the harbor and continue down the cliff. And at the edge of the cliff where the ocean meets rock, is where you will find Shadow Cave. You will see a break in the cliff, and that is where you can enter.”
The witch raised her skeletal finger in Kara’s face. “You must keep to the path once you’re in the cave. Do not stray from the path.”
Kara gagged as the woman’s rancid breath shot up her nose.
“Why not?” asked David. “I was a boy scout once—I’m pretty sure I can find our way back.”
“Dark things live in Shadow Cave,” said the witch.
She kept her focus on Kara as though the others weren’t important. “Creatures from the depths of darkness will drink your blood and eat your soul if you stray from the path. You must never leave the path! The path will lead you to the witch—amongst other things...”
“Sounds easy enough,” said David. “Just follow the path. Let’s get to it—”
The witches pointed crooked fingers at David, then at Jenny and Peter.
“You spirit walkers cannot enter Shadow Cave. It is forbidden. Only natural living creatures can enter. And even then, they might not make it out alive. Many mortals have ventured into the cave and have never been seen again. You are taking a great risk just to step foot into this cave. This quest you’re on, it better be worth risking your life.”
Kara’s sudden burst of triumph was deflating rapidly. It wasn’t going to be as easy as she first thought. If the others couldn’t come with her...
“So what happens if we do enter,” asked Peter politely. “We won’t disturb anything, I promise, we only seek help.”
The witches turned on him. “Unnatural creatures like you will be destroyed,” said the taller sister while the other sucked on her cigarette once more. “The cave will sense it. It will want to protect itself from your abnormality. It will see you as a threat, a foreign entity, and it will kill you. And if the cave doesn’t destroy, then the witch Olga will. She has killed many spirit walkers before. If you dare to enter, then prepare yourselves, spirit walkers, to meet your doom.” Their yellow eyes focused on Kara. “Only she can enter.”
David paced on the spot. “We’re angels, ladies, and we’re not afraid of any big spooky cave or an old hag. We’re going with Kara to see the old witch and nothing’s going to stop us.”
He stood with his hands clenched into fists, daring the twins to say anything.
The shorter sister flicked her cigarette to the floor and squished it with her pointy black leather boot.
“We sense something in you,” she said, looking at Kara and ignoring David completely. “We see a special aura around you. It’s powerful, but we don’t know what it is. It hides from us, and we don’t have the talent to see more.”
“Like a light,” said the other sister. “That switches on and off.”
“Perhaps you might live—after all. Perhaps the witch Olga will let you live.”
“Jeez. Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Kara sighed.
She felt worse than ever and looked at her friends. “We should get going. It’s quite the hike up the hill, and I’m just a mortal. I don’t have a special suit.”
“I can carry you if you want.” David flashed his usual smile. “I don’t mind, fair lady.”
“I’m sure you don’t.”
Kara looked to the witches. “Um, thank you for your...help.”
“We hope you find what you are seeking, child,” said the taller witch as she stroked the cat’s head. It closed its eyes and purred loudly. “You should take care of those nose bleeds.”
“Huh?” Kara reached for her nose, it was bleeding again.
The taller sister pulled out a yellow handkerchief with the initials F.S. etched in black and gave it to her.
“Well, you have a...lovely shop,” Kara said awkwardly, pressing the handkerchief against her nose, “but we really must be leaving now.” She offered back the handkerchief that was now stained with blood, but the twins waved her off.
“Keep it,” they said together. “Good bye.”
“Good bye.” Kara pocketed the handkerchief.
They all walked out the front door, anxious to get out of the stuffy store and away from the Siamese twins’ hypnotic yellow eyes. Kara stepped into the street and gladly gulped down buckets of fresh air.
“Good luck, spirit walkers,” laughed the twins from the threshold of their store. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Prepare to die.”
Chapter 8
Water surprise
Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1 Page 116