White Haven Witches Box Set

by T J Green

  Alex held his hand out and formed a small ball of fire. “Try reading this.”

  Ben’s eyes widened and he leaned forward, pointing his meter at Alex. It started to whine with increasing intensity as Alex made the fire grow, and then decreased as Alex dissolved it again. However, the meter continued to pick up a low buzz from all of the witches.

  “Wow. This is really happening, right?” Ben asked, his earlier excitement returning.

  “’Fraid so,” Avery answered, a trace of a smile on her face. “Are you going to keep our secret?”

  All three glanced at each other and then nodded in agreement, and Dylan answered for all of them. “Deal. But you realise you want us to hide the very stuff we’re looking for.”

  “Share what you want about spirits and other paranormal stuff, just not us,” Alex said evenly.

  Reuben added, “Think of us as your gateway into the unknown.”

  “I like that idea,” Ben said, nodding.

  “Good,” Newton said, leaning towards them. “Now, tell me what else you know about weird ghosts and sightings lately. And what else do you do, apart from this stuff?”

  Ben spoke first. “We all study at Penryn University. I’m doing postgraduate studies in parapsychology, looking at beliefs and experiences, precognition, ESP. I love this stuff—I just remain a healthy sceptic. It’s good to have balance.”

  “Me too, but whereas Ben’s background is physics, mine’s psychology,” Cassie said. “A while ago Ben posted a request on the university messages wall for someone doing psychology to join in his investigations, so I thought, why not? I’m curious. Life’s all about experiences. I enjoyed it so much that when I finished my degree, I decided to do postgrad parapsychology, too. We’re about to enter our second year. But, this is the first time anything so obvious has happened.” She still looked wide-eyed and completely out of her depth, but at least she didn’t look terrified. “If I’m honest, I thought it would be a load of rubbish and that nothing would happen, ever. How wrong could I be?”

  “To be fair,” Dylan said, “I don’t think any of us expected this. Most of the things we monitor provide goose bumps and a bit of static. This is…unexpected. Anyway, I’m doing postgrad studies in English, focussing on folklore, and myths and legends. I’m an enthusiastic assistant.” He grinned again. “This is awesome!”

  Avery frowned as she remembered that Dan, who worked in her shop, studied English, too. “Do you know Dan Fellows? He’s doing his Masters in something to do with folktales at Penryn.”

  “Tall guy, glasses, dark hair? I think he’s taken a couple of tutorials. Why, do you know him?”

  “He works with me in my shop, Happenstance Books.”

  “Okay,” Dylan said, his interest piqued. “And does he know about you guys?”

  “Yes, he does. I’ll tell him to keep an eye out for you.”

  “So, how did you know to come here, and what other places have you been told about?” Newton persisted.

  “I told you,” Dylan said. “My mate lives in White Haven and he saw the lights. The other things have been reported to Ben through his website—it’s just a simple one. There’s a contact email.”

  Ben looked thoughtful. “My website’s been up for months, but about ten nights or so ago, I picked up a really big EMF surge. It was totally off the charts and completely inexplicable. I was just playing around with the equipment at home, and wow! It was just so odd!”

  Avery inwardly groaned and glanced at the others who looked as guilty as she felt. It must have been the night they released the binding.

  Ben continued, “I thought I’d capitalise on it and put ads in the local papers, and I guess people saw them. I’ve had loads of reports in the last few days, especially of experiences at castles and other old buildings—you know, churches and stuff. There’s no way we can check it all out straight away, but as this seemed to be one of the biggest, here we are. There have been a couple of reports in White Haven, actually.”

  “Where?” Newton asked.

  “Old Haven Church. Apparently, there’s a ghostly figure wandering the grounds, in the day as well as at night. Also the Church of All Souls, and the old museum on the hill. I’m going to check them all. Although, I am a bit worried now, after tonight.” Ben turned to Alex. “What did you do to make them go? I mean, that was seriously impressive.”

  “It’s my speciality,” Alex said, shrugging.

  “And harder than it looks,” El added. “And you’re not witches, so don’t even think about trying.”

  “What worries me,” Avery said, “is that these spirits seem to have an almost physical presence. They could grab me, with their horrible cold, clammy hands, and I was able to grab an axe that shouldn’t exist in this plane. These are spirits. How can this be happening? We were attacked, and that means other people could be, too. And they can’t banish them like we can.”

  Alex groaned. “Damn it. The magic we released has obviously strengthened spirits way beyond their normal means, and this could be only the start. We have to clean up—this is our mess.”

  Ben looked confused. “What do you mean about releasing magic?”

  “Unfortunately, Ben, we’re responsible for that EMF surge you picked up the other day. I’m hoping that only spirits that manifest in White Haven have become so corporeal. If you go spirit hunting elsewhere, be very careful.”

  6

  It had been over a week since they’d met the ghost-hunters at White Haven Castle, and Avery had spent the early part of it chasing ghosts. The paranormal investigators had been right about the spirits at the churches, but fortunately they hadn’t been as strong as those at the castle, and a few hours’ work had banished them. Since then, she had caught up on sleep.

  It was nice to settle into the normal rhythms of life again. Avery spent every day in the shop, selling and stocking books, and chatting to her customers. It was also a good way to get a feel for what was happening in White Haven. There were no further reports of weird lights at sea, and events seemed to have returned to normal. She was pretty sure the calm wouldn’t last.

  When she wasn’t at work, she studied her new grimoire, and she knew the other witches were, too. Their individual strengths were growing in unexpected ways, and in every moment of their spare time, they honed their abilities. They all felt they were becoming more attuned to the details of their magic, and could wield it with greater precision.

  Avery continued to try new spells, combining new with old, and practising witch flight—with slow but increasing success. She had managed to stop fainting, but it still seemed to take too long, and it was leaving her with headaches.

  And of course she spent time with Alex. She could feel herself drifting around with a smile on her face, and had to shake herself out of her dreamy reveries. They had been practising some of their new skills together, and that seemed to be improving their magic, too.

  However when Avery arrived in the small room at the rear of the shop on Friday morning, she knew she’d overdone it because Sally, the shop manager and her non-magical friend, looked horrified.

  “You look terrible. What have you been doing?”

  “Practising witch flight again. It’s really hard. I think I’m missing something.”

  “Avery, I know you’re anxious to do this, but you’ll harm yourself if you push too hard. Can’t you just put that spell aside for a while?”

  Avery nodded, and headed to the cupboard under the coffee machine to find some paracetamol. “Yeah, I guess so. It’ll be one of those things that will just fall into place—I hope.”

  Sally frowned, hands on her hips. “I think you should have a few days off from studying that grimoire. It’s not going to disappear. You have time.”

  Avery found the pills and downed them with some water. “I know, but I’m just so excited to have found it—all of them. It’s addictive! The spells, the history, the comments in the margins, it’s just so…” She broke off, unable to really explain how life chan
ging it had been.

  Sally’s expression softened. “I get it, I really do, but I’m worried about you. All of you, actually.”

  Avery smiled, feeling a rush of affection for her friend. “I know, but it’s like I’ve just woken up after a long sleep. It’s so cool!”

  “It’s not cool if you end up killing yourself. I popped into Briar’s shop yesterday. She looked so tired. I don’t even think she could concentrate. I think she needs some more help in there, she manages pretty much on her own.”

  “I think we’re all trying really hard right now. We’re worried about what might happen next, and we want to be prepared.” She gave Sally a hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Dan. Thank you for being so great.”

  Sally patted her back. “It’s okay. I’m glad to help. Now, come on through to the shop, I’ve got a few things to show you.”

  They spent the morning going over new stock and some changes in the store, and Sally ran though some promotions she wanted to implement, and then an unexpected voice interrupted them.

  “Hey Avery, long time no see.”

  Avery looked up to find Ben and Cassie standing in front of the counter, each carrying a couple of books. Both of them looked different in the daylight—older, and less intimidated than the other night.

  “Hey guys. Taking a break from ghost-hunting?”

  “Are you kidding?” Ben asked. “We’re snowed under with sightings. I wanted to let you know, and you’re the only one I knew how to contact. And,” he gestured to the books in his hands, “I thought I’d add to my collection. This is a great shop, Avery.”

  “You can thank my manager, Sally, for that,” she said, introducing them to her.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Avery,” Sally smirked. “You add a little something I can’t.”

  “We also want to thank you for the other night,” Cassie added, looking slightly embarrassed. “I’m not sure we thanked you properly at the time, it was all such a shock. But, you know, without you, things could have been really ugly.”

  “No problem at all,” Avery said, smiling at her. She glanced around the shop and saw a couple of customers listening, and turned to Sally. “Do you mind if I head out the back for a couple of minutes?”

  “Sure,” Sally said, “just make me a coffee while you’re at it.”

  Once they were safely away from prying ears and she had put the kettle on in the small kitchen, Avery asked, “So, what else have you heard about?”

  “More of the same, really,” Ben said. “Increased ghost sightings, abnormal noises, disappearing objects, electrical surges, cold spots. And it’s happening all over Cornwall. A couple of people have even reported that they’ve spotted the Beast of Bodmin. You must have seen it on the news.”

  Avery nodded, remembering the evening news report from the day before. The Beast of Bodmin was a myth that had circulated for years. “I have, although if I remember correctly, there’s no footage of it yet.” She wondered if Zane, the beady-eyed witch from Bodmin, was having any success finding it.

  Cassie continued enthusiastically, “At the moment, we’re just trying to document everything, sort of create a database. But we’ve started to follow up on the more interesting ones.”

  “Follow up how?” Avery asked, frowning.

  “Same as last week, really. We head out with our cameras and EMF meter and see what happens. We went to this old farmhouse a couple of nights ago, on the way to Helston. We picked up really strong signals, and one of the rooms was freezing!”

  “Anybody in any danger?”

  Ben shook his head. “No, nothing that manifested as strongly as at the castle. Just a really spooked family. They said it started a couple of weeks ago.”

  “That’s good,” Avery said, relieved no one could get hurt. “We’ve been catching up on a few other things.” Avery pulled mugs from the cupboard above the kitchen counter. “Do you two want a drink?”

  They shook their heads, and Ben said, “No, we’ve got an appointment at All Souls, actually. We thought you should know.”

  “All Souls? The Church in the centre of the town?” Avery looked up, coffee forgotten. “What have you got an appointment there for?”

  “The vicar said that there’s a spirit in the church, and he wanted us to check it out.”

  Avery felt her heart sink. “Did he give any details?”

  “None. He was quite vague actually, other than that he thought there was something unpleasant,” Cassie said. She looked amused. “He sounded quite progressive. He wanted to know all about the equipment we used and everything.”

  “Do me a favour and let me know the details. I’ll give you my number and I’ll grab yours,” Avery said, scribbling down her own and Alex’s numbers before taking theirs.

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “If something needs banishing, do you want me to pass on your number?”

  Avery sighed deeply. If anything was happening there it was their fault, and they had to put it right. “I guess so. But keep things vague, okay? I don’t need a modern day witch-hunt starting up in town.”

  “Sure thing,” Ben said, grinning.

  A thought struck Avery. “Have you heard anything about lights at sea?”

  Ben frowned. “Lights? No, but there was a weird accident just out of Mevagissey a couple of nights ago. One of the crew of a fishing boat just disappeared. No shouts, no screams, he just vanished. The crew spent hours looking for him, and the Coastguard was called out, but they never found him. It’s been all over the news, but it will be on the net if you missed it. They called off the search this morning.”

  Avery’s heart sank. Damn it. She’d hoped Caleb had been imagining things.

  Ben obviously caught Avery’s expression. “Is there something we should know?”

  Avery sighed. “This is going to sound really weird.”

  Ben laughed and looked at Cassie, incredulous. “Weirder than the other night?”

  “Let me update you before you go,” Avery said.

  Halfway through the afternoon, Avery had another visitor. She was in the Local History section of the shop, seeing what books she had on myths and legends of Cornwall, when someone coughed politely behind her.

  “Excuse me, may I have a word?”

  Avery jumped, almost dropping the book she was holding. She had been so engrossed, she hadn’t heard anyone approach.

  She turned to see a man in his late forties, with short brown hair and a hint of grey at his temples. He was of average height and build, and wore smart jeans and a shirt, and a clergyman’s dog collar at his neck.

  Avery felt her stomach tighten with worry, but she tried not to show it. “Oh, sorry, you startled me. Yes, of course. Are you looking for something?”

  “Only you. My name’s James, and I’m the vicar of the Church of All Souls.”

  She forced herself to relax as she smiled, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you, James. I’m Avery.”

  He smiled back, but his eyes were wary. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I met Ben and Cassie this morning. They suggested I speak to you.”

  “Oh yes, the ghost-hunters. They mentioned they were going to see you.” She glanced around and was relieved to find no one was within hearing range. “I gather you’re having a few problems.”

  “If you call a spirit lurking in the church at night a problem, then yes. Is there somewhere more private that we could talk?”

  “Of course, come this way.”

  Once again, Avery headed to the small room at the back of the shop, wondering if this was going to be a really uncomfortable chat. Dan was at the counter, and she saw his eyes widen with surprise when he saw whom she was with. She gesticulated to the back of the shop, and he nodded.

  As soon as they were alone, James said, “This is an occult shop. You believe in witchcraft?”

  “It’s not just an occult shop, and I believe in many things, James. The world is a strange place, isn’t it? You’re here because of a ‘lurking spirit,’ after all.�
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  He didn’t answer straight away. He walked around the room, looking at the boxes of stock along the back wall, many of them new books for the shelves, as well as some second-hand editions, and then he picked up one of the boxes of tarot cards on the table. “Do these sell?”

  Avery nodded. “Yes, they’re very popular. So are the Angels Cards and the Dream Catchers.”

  He nodded abruptly. “Yes, people probably put more stock in these things than God now.”

  “Surely Angel Cards would suggest a belief in God?”

  He looked at her sharply. “I guess so. So, what do Tarot cards suggest a belief in? The Devil?”

  “Surely if God exists, then so does the Devil. You’re the vicar, you tell me. But that’s not what the Tarot is about, James, and I think you know that. There are many different beliefs in the world. Not everyone believes in the male omniscient being that controls our destiny. The Tarot cards tap into old magic. Or so some believe,” she said, tempering her words.

  “May I look at them?” he asked.

  “Of course.” She watched as he thumbed through the cards of the classic Rider-Waite pack, placing them on the table as he looked at their pictures. His gaze hovered over the Devil card before he quickly moved on.

  The smell of incense drifted from the main part of the shop, and Avery was sharply aware of how the place would look to someone from the church.

  James looked up. “And what do you know about ghosts and spirits?”

  “Only that they exist. And you must believe that, too, or you wouldn’t be here.”

  They were silent for a few seconds, assessing each other, and while Avery didn’t think he was a witch hunter, he didn’t seem as progressive as Cassie had made him sound. And then his shoulders dropped, and he sat abruptly in a chair at the table, worry etched across his face.

  “Let me make a coffee,” Avery said, moving to the counter, “and I think you need some cake.”

  James sat mute while she brewed a strong pot of coffee and put the carrot cake that Sally had made in the centre of the table. Half of it had already been eaten, mainly by Dan. It was a miracle he didn’t have diabetes.