Marked: Thoth's Legacy ~ Book One

by S. E. Jackson

  “Izzy?”

  “Coming! Yep, be right there!” Izzy hurried her steps to the door and hoped the little man was gone when she came back out. Maybe she’d had too much sun, she reflected.

  Maeve was already in the kitchen pouring lemonade from a pitcher into glasses for each of them when Izzy closed the front door behind her. “Make sure that door catches, it’s been giving me problems recently.”

  Izzy nodded while Maeve traded the pitcher for a jug of milk out of the fridge. “Let’s get you settled,” she told the cat. “I bet you’re as hot as we are.” Izzy didn’t remind her that she’d said the opposites just moments ago. Maeve poured the milk into a bowl then called out to Izzy, “So, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”

  “I was thinking I don’t come by near enough. And with just losing Edith, I thought I should start visiting everyone from the coven more. You, Rowan, Ava…we should know each other better than we do.”

  “Why is that?”

  “We’re a family of sorts. You don’t think so?”

  Maeve shrugged. “A dysfunctional family maybe.”

  “Is there any other kind in the South?”

  Maeve let a true laugh escape. “You have a point.” Drinks in hand, Maeve motioned toward the kitchen table with her chin.

  “You want cookies or anything?” Maeve gestured toward a package stored on the top of her refrigerator.

  “No, I’m fine, but thank you.”

  She carried the drinks over and set them down. Economical in her movements, Maeve moved back to the counter and retrieved the milk for the cat. The cat watched as she placed it closer to the front door.

  “You want a drink too, boy?” The cat eyed the bowl, then both of them. He stood still as a statue just inside the door. He seemed not to fully trust his surroundings, but he had followed them indoors nonetheless.

  “Well, I’ll just put it here. If you want it, you can help yourself.” She returned back to the table to allow him some space. “There you go. Your own little spot to drink without worrying about us carrying on.”

  She turned back to Izzy, “So, How’s Agnes?”

  “I was hoping you would know,” Izzy confessed. “I haven’t seen her myself since that morning. She and Edith were so close, almost sisters. She’s never shut me out like this before.”

  “She’ll come around. I expect she needs a little time to herself.”

  “Hopefully that’s it. You haven’t heard from her either, I take it.”

  “Not a peep.” Maeve shrugged. “That’s not unusual though.”

  Interested in hearing Maeve’s thoughts, Izzy remarked, “The sheriff said it appeared to be electrocution.”

  “Psshaw. I doubt that. He said that because he’s never seen what happens when a witch has a black magic spell ricochet on her. I can almost guarantee you that’s what really happened.”

  “Edith didn’t practice black magic though,” the words blurted from Izzy before she could stop them. “I would have known,” she insisted.

  Maeve lit a cigarette, taking a moment to enjoy a deep drag. Smoke billowed out of her nostrils on exhalation. Combined with Maeve’s scaly, withered skin, Izzy couldn’t help but think of dragons.

  “You’re a sweet girl. Probably too sweet for a witch.” Maeve shrugged. “I didn’t want them to let you in the coven, I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Water under the bridge as you’re in. Shows what influence I have.” Maeve appeared to be on a roll. “My point is, there’s a lot about covens and witchcraft you’ve never seen. Things you don’t know. Life isn’t sugar plums and fairies. We’re witches for crying out loud.” She opened to mouth to say more and abruptly closed it. Seconds later, she changed her mind again. “Agnes might be the closest thing you have to a mother, but she’s not her if you get my drift. Stop being naïve. Open your eyes before you’re next.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Maeve scoffed her disdain. “You’ll find out soon enough. You drank enough of my good lemonade yet? I need to get back out in the yard.” Maeve took a last drag of her cigarette and crushed it out in the ashtray on the table.

  “Yes, of course.” Izzy felt sad for the old woman. She wondered what had made her so bitter.

  Maeve’s eyes darted around and not seeing him, shouted, “Cat! Where are you?”

  He appeared as if he knew he’d been called.

  “We’re going outside. C’mon. I don’t know you well enough to trust you alone in my house.”

  The cat pushed past their legs and slipped out first.

  “Hey, what do you have?” Maeve shouted after him. A small piece of fabric dangled from his mouth as he ran. The cat headed straight to the woods with whatever prize he’d stolen from Maeve’s home.

  Izzy spied the area where Maeve had been planting. The little man had disappeared, but he’d left three plants shredded in front of where she’d planted them.

  “What the hell?!” Maeve shouted as she saw the destruction.

  Izzy winced and hoped he was long gone. Maeve would take no prisoners if you messed with her garden. Then, Izzy wondered if Maeve would be able to see him. Surely, she could. She’d never seen someone so small before though. And with such a long beard too. He must have been out of Maeve’s line of sight earlier. Izzy nodded to herself, that must have been why Maeve didn’t spot him.

  “Thank you for the drink and the conversation,” Isadora called out as she hurried back to her car.

  Maeve ignored her. Steps away from her car, something caught Izzy’s eye. Someone in the woods watching them. A man, this one wasn’t short however. He was full grown, at least six feet tall. Menace wafted off him, black as the devil, almost choking her. Whoever he was, he was holding Maeve’s new cat in his arms, stroking him as Izzy watched.

  “Maeve?”

  Maeve didn’t even turn as she shouted back. “Get on, girl. I ain’t got no more time for you! Some animal has eaten my new lilies. Damn critters!”

  Izzy did as she was told. Regret might come later, if something were to happen to Maeve. But for now, she was thankful for the excuse to leave without delay.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Izzy

  Less than a mile from her house, Isadora noticed she was being followed. The sleek red sports car had held back exactly two car lengths for the last few miles, mimicking her at every turn. As she stopped for a red light, Izzy glanced back at the car now directly behind her. She barely stifled her snort. Head bouncing in time to the music, Cass’ hands were swinging wildly as she performed her air drum solo while they both waited for the light to change to green.

  A horn honked farther down the line yanking Izzy’s gaze back to the light and the fact that it had already changed.

  “Oops! Sorry,” she waved her hand out of the car in apology. More likely than not, the offended party didn’t see her wave, but Izzy figured the Fates and Karma were watching too. There was no sense in putting her future in jeopardy when a simple gesture of atonement would do.

  Cass continued to follow her, until at last, Izzy was turning in her own driveway. Izzy did a double-take when she noticed an SUV sporting lights on the roof and the county logo parked in her usual spot. A sigh escaped her. No matter his reason for coming, Izzy couldn’t think of a good excuse. Apparently, her earlier apology to the Fates and Karma had been rejected. Izzy mentally gave them all the middle finger.

  Car sliding into the small space left beside the police vehicle, Izzy parked. Cass, undeterred by Izzy’s surprise visitor, pulled in right behind her. Sheriff Pope eased out of his SUV as Izzy gathered her things. Hand on the top of her car door as she opened it, Izzy squinted up at him against the sunlight.

  “Afternoon, sheriff.”

  Cass, not to be left out, was already out and barreling down on the two of them. “What’s up?” Cass demanded.

  “Ladies, actually, I’m glad you’re both here. I need to talk with you if you have a minute.” Lines etched the corners of his eyes, Izzy noted. His uniformed shirt w
as wrinkled and stained at the armpits. She pursed her hips to keep from wrinkling her nose. No sense in offending him.

  “I’m not sure what Cass is up to, but I’m free.” Izzy darted a glance towards her friend.

  “I’ve got some time,” Cass answered. “What do you want to talk about, sheriff?”

  “Mind if I come inside? Today’s another scorcher.”

  “Of course, absolutely.” Isadora flipped through her keys until she located the one for the front door. Ever since the dream the other night, she’d gotten in the habit of it. The discovery of Edith’s untimely death later that morning only cemented her paranoia. A locked door at this point just seemed prudent.

  Hand on the knob, she twisted the key in the lock and offered, “Come on in, can I get you something to drink?” On the heels of Maeve’s almost identical invitation had Izzy wincing. In the current heat though, it just seemed the polite thing to do.

  “Something cold sounds nice, whatever you’ve got is fine.”

  Barking and screeching noises echoed down the hall as they entered the house. Izzy skirted past the counter that divided the kitchen from her living area. Her house was roomier than Maeve’s, but not by much.

  “I’m coming! I’m coming! Stop being so dramatic,” Izzy sighed at Dodger. “I was gone two hours tops.” Izzy winced as she noted the sheriff’s skeptical expression. “He’s just angry because he got left behind. Give me just a moment to settle him down, then we can talk.” She gestured towards the couch. “Make yourself at home.”

  “I can help,” Cass offered.

  Cage opened, Dodger stood at the door. In his usual style, he refused to move farther out in protest of her abandonment of him. Silent, judging eyes stared back at her.

  “Fine. Stay in your cage,” Izzy informed him. “We have guests and I don’t have time for your drama now. Behave yourself.” She turned to help but noted Cass had everything in hand.

  Glasses already on the counter, Cass was currently retrieving the pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge. “I hope tea is okay. Izzy doesn’t keep a lot of soft drinks around,” Cass called out to the sheriff.

  The sheriff smiled. “Tea sounds great! There was a five-car pile-up off the highway earlier. It felt like we were out there for hours taking statements, getting the cars moved, and cleaning up the debris.” He shook his head. “Stupid kids racing. One lost control, and after that, it spiraled into chaos. Luckily, everyone survived with just some minor bumps and bruises. But, I’ll be happy when school starts back up.”

  “Kids won’t like to hear you say that, sheriff! School just let out,” Cass admonished.

  Izzy grabbed hers and the sheriff’s glass and carried them to the living area as Cass followed with her own.

  “Here you go,” she passed off one drink to the sheriff. More parched than he’d let on, he tipped it up, emptying the contents almost immediately.

  “That is exactly what I needed, thank you.”

  Izzy blinked. “Would you like more? I have plenty.” Izzy grabbed a coaster from the stack on the coffee table. She sat her own tea down on top of it in front of her chair situated cornerwise to the couch.

  “No, no, I’m fine but thank you.”

  “It’s no trouble. I wouldn’t mind at all,” Izzy reiterated.

  “I’m good but thank you just the same.”

  “Well, all right then, to what do I owe this honor?”

  Izzy and Cass traded glances then focused on the sheriff. His eyes assessed them.

  Nothing was said, but it was obvious he didn’t miss their silent communication.

  “I have some follow-up questions.” He pulled out a notebook and glanced at each of them. “To start off with, have either of you spoke with Agnes recently?”

  The question startled Izzy. She knew her guardian wasn’t taking calls or answering texts but she wasn’t aware that Agnes was avoiding the police as well. To say no explicitly didn’t seem prudent. “Well, technically no. But, that’s not odd. She stays pretty busy between work, coven business, and the volunteer stuff she does.”

  “Oh, I checked for her at the library, but I didn’t know about any volunteer work,” he commented.

  Izzy shrugged. “She helps with the kids down at the hospital sometimes. Brings books, coloring pages, things like that. Why are you looking for her?”

  “Follow up questions, same as you.”He continued, “Something that struck me as odd, how did she contact all of you to be there that morning? There were quite a number of you there, and I got the impression it wasn’t a usual occurrence for you to meet at that time.”

  “No, she sent messages on the wind.”

  The sheriff shifted in his seat, appearing uncomfortable for a moment. “Messages on the wind?”

  Cass laughed. “We are witches.”

  Doubt plagued his voice. “Show me.” His casual suggestion irked Izzy. She never acted out and yet, at that very moment, the temptation was great.

  “Our powers aren’t tricks to do at your whim,” Cass informed him. “We ask the elements for our help, and they respond. And I can’t use the wind anyway. It’s not my skill.”

  He nodded but it was obvious he didn’t believe a word her friend spoke. The sensitive spot on Izzy’s left shoulder began to itch. The mark, in the shape of an Ibis head, had appeared there on her seventeenth birthday, and no one knew why. Yet, ever since that day, when she became agitated or stressed, her shoulder would itch or burn.

  The itch along with the sheriff’s sneer egged Izzy’s pacifist nature out of her corner. Something about the sheriff, his expression or stance, had her ire up. She couldn’t let it pass.

  Eyes snapped closed, Izzy bowed her head.

  “Izzy?” Her actions hadn’t been overlooked by her friend or the sheriff. He watched her lips moving as she murmured the spell under her breath.

  Lend your breeze to send my call,

  On his ear, my voice shall fall.

  My power’s real and he should fear,

  Shout it loud so he can hear.

  Doubting now, soon he shall see,

  As I will, so mote it be.

  She had to give him props. The slightest narrowing of his eyes and the tensing of his shoulders were the only tells that her spell had worked.

  Cass’ eyes widened in shock as Izzy immediately slumped in shame. Spells were a tool, not a toy or a weapon, just as Cass stated earlier. To react with only vengeance in mind was a trail a witch must never follow. The reprecussions of a impulsively thrown spell were too staggering to count. Agnes would be ashamed of her. With a swish of her wrist, Isadora waved the magic away as quickly as it had come.

  “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so, so sorry.”

  “I won’t doubt you again.” He promised.

  “I just,” Izzy hesitated, trying to find the right words. “I’m rarely flustered or reactive. Honest. Something you said, or the way you said it.” She shook her head. “That’s no excuse. I am truly sorry. I don’t strike out like that.”

  “She doesn’t,” Cass stated in earnest. Cass turned to Izzy, “If Agnes knew you did whatever that was, she would scalp you for sure! What did you do? I felt the slap of the magic, but it just breezed by me.”

  The sheriff cleared his throat. He seemed even more uncomfortable than before. “She shouted in my ear. Nothing too terrible.”

  “Using magic to strike at anyone is a coven no-no,” Cass explained. “She could get in serious trouble over that.”

  “If I get in trouble, I deserve it,” Izzy conceded.

  “You didn’t harm me in any way,” the sheriff disagreed. “Just got my attention. And that answered my question about how you all knew to meet her there.” He peered down at his notepad. “Just one more thing. Did either of you know of anyone that had a disagreement with Edith recently?”

  Izzy instantly shook her head in the negative. Cass, however, hesitated.

  “No,” she finally answered. “Not really.”

  “That doesn’t
sound like a no,” the sheriff pushed. “Care to expound on that?”

  “It’s just,” Cass started then stopped. “It isn’t my place to say. I’m not a tattler.”

  “You’ll be spending the night in jail if you refuse to answer my questions. Does that give you some incentive?”

  “Not really. It makes me a lot more okay with what Izzy did a minute ago though.” Cass’ lips pinched at his threat. “Jail doesn’t sound that bad. I like to travel.”

  “Jail is NOT traveling, Cass! Just tell the man!”

  Cass threw her gaze toward her friend. Her anger didn’t relent even though it had found a new target.

  “Please?” Izzy pleaded.

  Izzy watched as her friend’s expression softened. Cass, however, couldn’t mask her inner disgust as she relayed to the sheriff what she knew. “I heard Edith accusing Winifred of stealing some comb.”

  Izzy gasped. “The comb?”

  Cass nodded. The sheriff studied them both. “Care to share how that’s relevant?”

  “It’s a, special comb.” Izzy hedged. “Edith used it to change her gray hair back to her natural shade. But it will change it to whatever color you want it to be. You just think the color and comb your hair. Edith found it on her last trip abroad. She loves that thing. Loved,” Izzy corrected herself. Her face fell as she realized her faux pas, “I keep forgetting she’s gone.”

  The sheriff nodded, “It takes time.”

  The three of them sat there awkwardly for a moment. The sheriff abruptly stood. “Well, I should get on and let you girls get to doing whatever it was you planned to do.”

  Izzy and Cass didn’t have plans, but neither spoke up and corrected him.

  Sheriff Pope folded his small notebook and pushed it back in his pocket. “Thanks again for the sweet tea and your time. You ladies helped clear up some questions I had.”

  Izzy and Cass stood, each offering a weak smile but still letting him do all the talking.

  “I can see myself out.” He turned to walk to the door.

  “No,” Izzy’s silence broke as she rushed behind him to get to the door before him. Good manners had been drilled into her from a young age. Witch or not, she was still Southern. And any Southerner knew guests did not see themselves out. “Will you let us know if you learn anything? I mean about what happened that night?”