What a Witch

by Colleen S. Myers

  “Well?” Marta interrupted my thoughts.

  “Yes, we would be grateful for a meal.”

  Josie smiled up at me, that big open grin of hers, and my heart twisted again. She reminded me so much of Mom.

  The parlor that Marta directed us to was filled with plants. Some sort of indoor garden, every surface, every nook and cranny grew ferns, hostas, daisies. It was lovely. There were two double doors to the side that led onto the wraparound porch and sun flooded the room.

  This right here, this was my mecca.

  Josie sat on the bench in the center of the room with a plop and patted the seat next to her.

  I pulled her into my side as I sat down. I watched motes of dust float in the air, almost mesmerized.

  Josie sagged against me.

  I let my eyes drift closed until the sounds of a rustling metal jolted me.

  Marta pushed in a small cart with a pitcher on top filled with yellow fluid, sandwiches, and was that fruit?

  My mouth watered and I damn near wept.

  I shifted.

  Josie woke up with a frown. “What?”

  “Food, honey.”

  Josie eyed up the cart but remained by my side.

  Marta poured three glasses from the pitcher. “I am not going to serve you two. Come get some food.”

  That was all it took and Josie ran over, grabbing a plate. I followed more sedately. Once full, I could barely keep my eyes open. Sated for the first time in forever, it felt like. The tension of knowing that Marta waited to talk was the only thing keeping me from lying down right there on the sofa and napping.

  While we ate, Marta pulled out a pouch and put some tobacco in a pipe.

  The action reminded me of my dad. My eyes burned. My mom always rolled her eyes and tutted at my dad when he smoked.

  “You shouldn’t smoke,” she would say.

  “It is alright Katie, it keeps the bears away.” It was an old hunters’ trick. He’d loved to hunt; that was the only time he smoked other than a cigar when Josie was born. My mom always worried about his heart.

  She’d just roll her eyes.

  Marta blew out another plume of smoke directly into my face.

  I coughed and waved my hand in front of my nose.

  Nice.

  “I don’t want Josie exposed to second hand smoke. It’s a leading cause for heart disease,” I said primly.

  Marta damn near fell out of her chair laughing. “Oh, little girl, you are funny.” She wiped away a tear and puffed some more.

  Her laughter reminded me of my parents. My dad used to say the same thing.

  My mind flashed.

  My mom and dad outside the window. My mom had her arms folded and her foot tapped. That did not bode well for Dad.

  He put his hands on her face and kissed her lightly; his laughter floated through the window to me and Josie. My mom gradually unwound, and she put her hands on his chest. His own hands traveled down to settle at her waist.

  I missed my parents.

  Tears rolled down my face. I heard a sob next to me.

  “Mom.” Josie’s face collapsed and she dropped her glass to shatter on the floor.

  This was not normal.

  Damn it, another spell.

  “STOP!”

  Marta smiled and blew another plume of smoke, this time up toward the ceiling. “The weed just helps you remember, little girls. I need all the information you know.”

  “Marijuana?”

  She snorted. “Not that kind of weed.”

  “It hurts,” Josie whispered.

  Enough.

  I stood and the ground rolled beneath us. Good thing Marta didn't know what that meant. My sister wasn’t the only threat in this room.

  “Stop.” My voice deepened as the magic stirred. “You’re upsetting my sister.”

  Marta’s smile faded. “I’m sorry, little one. This helps you recall details so you can give me more information. The air should clear soon, but until then, it is time to tell me your story.”

  In other words, sorry, not sorry. Whatever gets me the information. Jerk.

  Her next words she addressed to me. “Are you ready, Elle?”

  And like that, panic. My stomach clenched and I sat back hard on the bench again.

  Here we go.

  3

  “My dad was the coven leader. A bit of a worrywart.” I smiled over at Josie who giggled. “And a prepper. One of those people who prepared for every possible problem. He wanted the coven to be independent and ready for damn near anything. We had our own electric mill for our community, our own land and livestock. Everybody had a Faraday box and generators. Most members worked outside the coven, but when everything happened, it took little effort to seal us off.

  “Some members were caught outside when everyone went crazy.” I cleared my throat, forcing myself to continue. “Including our mom. She’d gone out to get groceries.”

  My chest burned. For me. She’d gone to get me a cake for my birthday. I was born twelve years before the world as we knew it ended.

  “Mom never came home. Dad looked for her for the next week. So, did my older brother and I. We found her eventually. She died quickly, hit by a car. Nothing bad, just gone. Poof.”

  The sight of her sitting there slumped over, broken like a doll, so pale. Tears threatened, so I closed my eyes. Focus.

  Josie squeezed my hand.

  I opened my eyes resolute and stared at her. I could do this. I took a deep breath.

  “We were lucky in a way. Like I said, my dad prepared us for anything. With our gardens, our supplies, we did well for a few years. Then the supplies started running out.

  “We’re from Cincinnati, you see, which is right on the river. There is a walled city there, but they had their own food and never bothered us. Until recently.

  “My brother, Alex, set up a trade route with other towns and covens along the river. He traveled up to Pittsburgh and down to Louisville. We have all kinds of boats in our fleet. Steam boats mainly for big items, sail boats and power boats or rafts for short trips.”

  I smiled down at Josie.

  “We did well. River trade is the new way of shipping really. With the roads being as unsafe as they are. Plus, we had horses and farms.

  “The vampires left us alone. In a roundabout way, Alex supplied them too. So, when they attacked, it was out of nowhere. And of course, Alex was out of town when it happened, most of the men were. The vampires planned it well.”

  Marta sipped coffee and watched me over the cups rim, her gaze calculating. No comment. That almost made this harder. Most people would ask questions, but nope, this lady knew when to listen.

  “I was in the garden with Josie when the attack came. Normally, the coven spells were strong enough to keep us safe or at least give us a warning prior to an attack.” I paused, my hands curling. “We didn't hear anything until the screams.”

  Marta muttered as if to herself. “They must have had an insider. Only way to have avoided the safeguards.”

  “That was my thought too.”

  She nodded and moved her hand in a circle, keep talking.

  Yeah. Yeah.

  “By the time we got to home, Aunt Betty was down. Her spells didn't work, I’m not sure why. They had a lead vampire. I’ll never forget him. He was dark haired and talked with an accent. Not a U.S. accent, overseas. French, I think, almost girly. He wasn’t affected by our spells. Most vampires are to some degree, but he wasn’t. It was weird.

  “Now, my aunt is strong. She is telekinetic, like Josie here. She knew how to fight, and when we got there, she was already down. It had to have only taken him a second, and as we watched, calm as you please, he slit her throat.”

  So much blood. I always thought when they showed all that red spraying in movies that it was fake. It wasn’t.

  I shuddered. Josie whimpered and curled into my side like she had then. I didn’t let her see. I wished I could protect her from everything, but I couldn’t. Tears filled
my eyes again and I wiped them away.

  Come on, Elle, pull it together. For her, Josie. I put my hand on her head and continued.

  “Aunt Betty looked over at us as she was dying and shook her head. The lead vampire didn't see us at the door. She mouthed at us, “Run.” So, we did, we ran. As we did, we saw the vampires sacking the coven, stealing our supplies. They killed most people but grabbed the children. I’m pretty sure they were after me and Josie specifically, and Alex too; they were probably after Alex. There were triple the number of vampires around our house. But again, my dad was a prepper though. We did drills. We got away.

  “My dad always said to look for other covens if anything happened to us while he was not here. That he had a network in place, but I never paid attention to where they were located. I was a farmer for the coven and fairly happy with that role.” Kind of. “I never expected to be on the run.

  “We need help.”

  The last words grated. I hated asking for help, especially of strangers. My dad taught us to survive. I guess this was surviving now.

  Marta put down her coffee. “What help do you need?”

  “Food, shelter, and most importantly, education. I don’t know how to help my sister. She’s a stronger telekinetic than I’ve ever seen. She gets upset and things happen. Break. She can’t control it.”

  “I’m sorry, Elle,” Josie said.

  I ran my fingers through her fine brown strands. “Not your fault, bug. We all have to learn to control our magic. I had to control mine. We practically lived in a jungle for a bit, remember.” I said, alluding to my own gift.

  Josie giggled and turned her face into my hand.

  Marta stared at us both.

  Her foot tapped, drawing out the silence. She tilted her head. “Boats, you say?”

  “Yes, a fleet. My brother maintained them. About twenty. And he will come help us, I know he will. We need to get him a message.”

  “And who is your brother?”

  “Alex Tremayne.”

  Marta perked up at the name. “I have heard of him. It is interesting that we were in the process of trying to contact him and then you show up.”

  “The vampires must have found my brother to be a threat.” Hopefully that was it.

  Marta’s face softened when she looked at Josie. “I need to confer with the town leaders. You understand that they have to sign off on you two staying here. But I think we can all help each other.”

  She grinned. “You two can sleep here if you like, in the atrium, or I have rooms for you upstairs.”

  A real bed? I knew what I wanted. An actual bed, blankets, sheets, pillows. I damn near groaned in bliss. I couldn't wait.

  My shoulders lifted and I took my first deep breath after the weeks on the run.

  “Thank you.”

  4

  Josie’s snores blared in my ears, waking me. Sometime during the night she’d left her bed and crawled in next to me. Her hair tickled my nose but I didn’t move. First real sleep we’d both had in ages. I petted her head. She was such a sweet girl.

  Now that I was awake I could see the room. Last night we just piled in and passed out. There were two twin beds and a window to the right with the blinds drawn. Enough sun filtered through for me to know it was daylight.

  A yawn wracked me and I fell into it, letting myself stretch out and relax.

  I should get up and talk to Marta while Josie was asleep, but I didn’t want to move. I wanted to rest more and cuddle in bed. I never got to do this, relax. Oh well.

  I eased my arm out from Josie’s head until I got enough space to roll her onto her side. I pulled the covers down. Yikes, still in my same dirty jeans and t-shirt. I stood up and surveyed the rest of the room. Little more than a bedside table and chair next to a dresser. I checked the drawers for clothes. Nothing to change into.

  A book on the table caught my eye. Witches and Warlocks: A Primer. My parents used a series of books they’d written. This was new to me.

  Huh. Interesting.

  I had sat down and started reading when Marta walked, without knocking, into our room. I guess technically it was her room but still, rude much?

  “I see you are up.” She kept her voice down in deference to the sleeping Josie.

  “Yes.” I moved into the hallway.

  She followed and spoke in the same tone. “The elders are here. I already told them your story.”

  I waited a beat. Okay. “And? What did they say?”

  She motioned me down the hallway. “Why don’t you come talk to them yourself.”

  When I walked into the room, four men stood up from a long central table, but only one caught my eye. Tall, six feet at least, and lanky with this naughty edge to his smile. He appeared my age, in his early twenties, dark brown hair and light eyes. I loved that combo, or at least I did, when we were allowed to fantasize about boys. Which was not now.

  What was I doing? I smoothed my hands down my side as Marta moved to the middle of the room.

  She inclined her head to the oldest person in the room. “This is our elder, Jacob Martin, and his son, Brian.”

  Jacob’s hair hung down his back like Methuselah, and he wore grimy jeans. His hands were covered in dirt, and a small streak decorated his cheek. I resisted the urge to wipe it off. I could tell right off I would like him. He seemed so down to earth.

  To his side stood a miniature version of him, grey hair and all, though his skin was smooth and unlined and his clothes a bit cleaner. They were clearly related. He kept his hand on his father’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

  Both of them smiled at me before Marta continued. “This is our keeper,” the coven historian. “Parker David.”

  The man Marta pointed to was the exact opposite of the Martin’s with shiny black hair and immaculate clothing, his eyes sharp and his mouth pinched downward. This man had never felt the sun on his face or let the earth guide his hand. I hated him already.

  While most of them dressed like refugees from the eighties, the young hottie looked hipper. He had on a tight white t-shirt, ripped jeans, and beat- up sneakers. The ancient knife at his belt belied his modern appearance.

  Marta motioned for me to sit and as a wave we all plopped down at the table.

  “This is the girl you were telling us about?” Parker asked, his face pinched, like he smelled something bad.

  Before Marta could answer, I replied. “Nope, not me.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Yes”

  Obviously.

  The young hottie grinned at my sarcasm but the rest of them didn’t even crack a smile.

  The oldest guy gestured for us all to sit down and started the interrogation. “Your father was Timothy Tremayne?”

  I jerked. Um, how did they know that? “Yes.”

  “He is passed?”

  “Yes.”

  He glanced at his son. “I am sorry to hear that. He was a good man. A good mage.”

  “Yes.”

  I appeared to only be able to talk in monosyllables. They had to be doing something. I tended to be chatty when nervous. I took a deep breath in and smelled something damp and moldy.

  “What is your purpose in coming here?”

  “My family always had exit strategies. We were always told to seek refuge in nearby covens if anything happened to him or us. Josie is strong, too strong. Her power is obvious and we can’t hide it. The vampires are after us, and I don’t know why.” See? Succinct. That was not me. What did they put in the air around here?

  Parker shifted in his neatly pressed pants. “Are you absolutely sure they are after you?”

  “Yes.” Again, I could only answer yes or no.

  “What are your powers?” the elder continued his son silent at his side.

  My skin instinctively crawled at the question. To reveal your powers to a stranger was inviting an attack. They had power over you with the knowledge. I hesitated a second too long, shoulders tight.

  The prissy one, Parker, attacked. “Y
ou ask for help but are unable to share your powers? What do you expect?”

  “I can control the land,” I blurted out to stop him. Kind of. “Josie can control energy. I am not one hundred percent sure of her powers other than that. She hadn’t gone through testing yet, but when she gets angry, she breaks things.”

  The oldest one sucked in a breath. “Both helpful powers.”

  His words made me mad. I opened my mouth.

  Marta’s hand gripped mine tight, cutting off blood flow. “Yes.”

  The hottie moved forward. “Your brother is Alex Tremayne?” His voice had a light southern accent and he rolled his r’s. The smooth tone slid down my nerves like honey.

  “Yes.” I tried to elaborate and the smell of dirt grew thicker. Again, another spell being used against me. Damn witches and their spells.

  He turned his head and nodded at the older man.

  “We have a proposition for you.”

  My eyebrows nearly flew through the roof.

  Oh hell no.

  Marta squeezed my hand tighter and held me in my chair.

  The hottie raised his hands in a calming gesture. “The covens are separate, and we need to reestablish trade. Do you think your brother would help?”

  I blinked, well that was easy enough. “Probably. He was keen on bringing all the covens together, but he focused on the covens near the river, easier to share goods and establish trade now that society has shut down.”

  “Louisville is on the Ohio.”

  I nodded and pressed my lips closed. I couldn’t say yes anymore. The pressure built until the words slipped out. “He was going up to Pittsburgh and then down to Louisville per his manifests. He wasn’t stopping at home but going through.”

  “Could you find him?”

  “Yes. Heck, I could get you there myself if we got a crew. I don’t know who is left in my coven. We just ran after the attack.”

  The hot guy smiled. “This is perfect. If she can help me get to Louisville, I can bring back the supplies you need. This is doable.”

  What is doable? Other than him. And again, what was wrong with me. Not the time for dirty thoughts. My cheeks heated.

  “What is-” The smell of peat swirled around me, and the room rocked a bit. Marta nails dang near branded me, so tight was her grip.