Marked: Thoth's Legacy ~ Book One

by S. E. Jackson

  The sheriff sighed. “You know this looks fishy, right?”

  Agnes ignored his comment as she thought aloud, eying Isadora. “Gideon, that night, everything circles back to you. Even my argument with Ava was about you.”

  “That’s not fair, Agnes,” Cass argued.

  “No, listen. She’s about to turn twenty-five. You both know that’s an important year for a witch.” She turned to the sheriff to explain. “We don’t come into our inherent powers until then. It’s when a woman becomes a true Witch.”

  “I would have to argue that, having lived with my first wife well before she turned twenty-five. Trust me, she was a witch.”

  The three women ignored him. Izzy rubbed her shoulder.

  “Is that spot tingling more lately?” Agnes asked.

  Izzy didn’t feel comfortable talking about any of this in front of the sheriff. He didn’t appear to mind listening though. He was staring at Izzy, and it was clear Agnes had been successful in diverting his questions to her.

  The crow at the roof line cawed several times. Agnes jerked her head over and studied the bird. “Magdalene, is that you?” she called.

  Cass and Izzy traded looks. “Magdalene?” Izzy asked.

  Twice more, it cawed, looking directly at Agnes. A nervous laugh escaped from Agnes. The bird spread his wings, swooping down to fly close to where they were gathered then flew away.

  “Agnes?” Izzy studied her guardian with worry. “You know that’s just a bird, right? Magdalene is dead. Isn’t that what Sebastian said?”

  “Her familiar was a crow,” Agnes answered thoughtfully. “She was there that night too, the night you were found. Did you know that?”

  “I’ve heard it mentioned, yes. I have no memories of her though.” Izzy didn’t know what Agnes was implying.

  “Pity. She was an extraordinary witch.” Agnes offered. “Have you heard from your mother, Isadora?”

  The question struck Isadora mute.

  “Have you?” Agnes pressed. “Are you keeping secrets?”

  The questions felt more like an attack than an inquiry. “I wouldn’t know my mother from any other stranger.” Izzy spit out the words. “You know that more than anyone…How dare you!”

  Agnes watched her, not apologizing nor speaking further. As if it was a test of sorts.

  “I have nothing more to say to you. If I say more, we might both regret it.” Izzy stomped off toward the car, too angry to talk.

  “Why would you ask her that? You know she considers you her mother.” Cass hissed in hushed tones.

  The sheriff interrupted. “I’m confused. You aren’t Izzy’s mother?”

  Agnes stood a little straighter. “Technically, no.”

  “Then technically, what is she to you?” The sheriff eyed Agnes curiously.

  “Her guardian of sorts. I raised her.”

  The sheriff pushed to clarify. “What do you mean, of sorts? You either are or are not her guardian.”

  “Edith and I, that night we found her in the woods. We didn’t know what to do. We brought her home, cared for her as our own. Years have passed now, she’s grown, and I didn’t abuse her. Ask her! I did her a favor that little girl!”

  “Did you? Did you attempt to find her family? Her real mother?”

  Agnes’ face pinched in anger. “Her mother told her to run away. Run and hide. She told us that much that night. What mother wouldn’t keep her child close to protect her?” Agnes’ face reddened as her voice rose. “It was clear Isadora was a witch. A foundling, of course, at that age. But a witch, she was. She needed to be with her kind. Edith and I brought her home. I took her into my home, raised her, gave her everything a little girl could want.”

  “Everything except her mother.”

  “I couldn’t very well do that, could I? I didn’t know where she’d run off to, now did I?”

  Izzy rejoined the group. Her words were quiet when she spoke. “She looked for her.” Her gaze was blank as if Izzy was lost in the past. “I asked about her when I was about ten. It wasn’t the first time. But, it was the first time I insisted. I knew it was breaking her heart, but she looked for me. We didn’t have much to go on. I was around three when she found me, you see. But, Agnes tried. Because I asked. We didn’t find anything though. No family, no missing person’s report. Nothing.”

  The sheriff appeared torn. “It was a crime to not report finding her. You know that?”

  “She needed to be with her kind, and no one else was stepping up to the plate. I did what I could. Lock me up if you must, but I wouldn’t change a single minute of those years.”

  A tear escaped Izzy’s control and raced down her cheek. “Please let it go, sheriff. If there is a victim, it’s me. And despite our argument just now. I appreciate everything she has done for me. She was the one who fixed my scrapes and made sure dinner was on the table every night. She is my mother.”

  With a slow nod of his head, the sheriff agreed. “We’ll let it go, for now.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Izzy

  Cass had been quiet for almost an hour. They were back at Izzy’s house on the couch. The television was on but neither friend put forth much effort in watching the show.

  “Why do you think Agnes asked if you’ve spoken with your mom?”

  Izzy turned her attention away from her thoughts and toward Cass. “No idea,” Izzy tried to shrug it off. “She’s been acting odd since Edith died.”

  “Yes, but I got the feeling it was more than that.” Cass paused. A look of indecision crossed Cass’s face as she bit her lip.

  “Just say it. Whatever it is you want to say. We’re friends, right?”

  “We are. I just…you never talk about her…your real mom.”

  “Not much to say. I barely remember her,” Izzy understood Cass’ hesitation now. Fingers dangling above Dodger, he grabbed at her as she evaded. Their play helped to distract herself as she spoke. “I have a few memories I guess. Bits and pieces mostly. A song she would sing me to sleep. The lavender scent she always wore. Stuff like that. But I wouldn’t know her from any other stranger were she to walk right up to me. I can’t see her face in my mind, or any real details of her at all.”

  “What about that night?” Cass pressed. “Do you remember why were you in the woods?”

  “Why are you asking all this now? I mean, I guess I don’t mind talking about it because it’s you. It’s just, thinking about it, it bugs me. She left me. She never came back.” Izzy raised her eyes, letting Cass see some of her pain. “That night? I don’t know why I was there. Agnes says I told her we were playing Hide and Seek, me and my mom. Who does that? Tells their kid to go and hide and then never comes to find them?”

  Cass winced. “But you don’t know why she abandoned you. I’m sure there was a reason, we just don’t know what it is. Because, as you said, no one does that. I don’t know if you want to believe that of her. To just be done with it. But, I think she’s out there, Iz. And one day we’ll both know the mystery of what happened that night. I want that for you.” Cass’ face was earnest with hope. Izzy, despite her skepticism, didn’t have the heart to tell Cass she was wrong. Her mother wasn’t coming back. More than twenty years had passed. If she still remembered Izzy at all, surely she could have found time by now to make an appearance.

  “Perhaps. It’s funny. I haven’t thought of her in years. Until Edith died. Actually, that’s a lie. Before that, the morning before Agnes called us to the woods. Did I tell you I had a nightmare?”

  Cass shook her head no.

  “It was still dark out. I remember lying in bed. You know how nightmares keep coming back to you after you wake up?”

  Cass nodded.

  “For just a flash, a brief second, I saw her. Edith was lying in the circle. Blood all around her. I didn’t think anything more about it. Just a bad dream. And when I got up, I came into the kitchen and the window was open. I don’t remember if I left it that way and will probably never know. But the room was s
pinning. A hex or some other spell had my pots jangling about, flying through the air. Dodger, the poor guy, was barking up a storm. Then, I smelled her, or lavender really. It was like being thrust back in time to when I was just a girl. In that moment, I was three again and Mama was coming to find me.”

  Cass stayed silent, letting Izzy get it all out.

  “Later, when we got to the woods. There was Edith. I had forgotten about the dream at that point. Until, there she was, just like I saw her.” Izzy looked at Cass pleadingly. “Tell me I’m going crazy.”

  Cass shook her head. “You’re not. There’s just a lot going on.”

  “You are aware that’s when the wind began talking to me. And let’s not forget the little-bearded men that are invisible to everyone else.” A brief grin flashed across her face. “Did I tell you the gnomes attacked the sheriff this morning?”

  Izzy let out a watery laugh and chanced another glance at Cass. Her face was serious, but she cracked a smile for Isadora.

  “Sorry I missed that,” Cass replied.

  “They were pelting him with pine cones and screaming ‘Attack!’. You should have seen his face. Priceless. Just like those commercials on television.”

  Cass smiled back, allowing Izzy to lighten the mood. She couldn’t drop it just yet though. There was one last question she had to ask, “If you don’t like thinking about your mother, why do you wear the necklace then?”

  Izzy reached up and wrapped her fingers around the key at the bottom of the chain. “I want to say I don’t know. But that would be a lie.” Izzy shifted closer to Cass. “Can you keep a secret?”

  Cass looked affronted. “Does anyone know what you did in the boy’s locker room in eighth grade?”

  “No, and they better never find out!” Izzy all but shouted. She would die of embarrassment if anyone ever found out how she stalked her crush and the things she saw. She shuddered.

  Cass arched her brow at Izzy.

  “Fine, point made.” Izzy blew out her breath. “The necklace is an easy answer though. I can’t remove it. I tried before, years ago. The necklace won’t come off.” She flashed a grin at Cass, “It’s grown on me though. Not literally.” She made a face when Cass’ eyes widened in concern. “I haven’t attempted to remove it in years.”

  “You think there’s a spell on it?”

  “No. Not in the traditional sense. When I was younger, maybe six or seven, I told Agnes about it. We spent days doing everything she could think to do. Wire cutters, every tool in Agnes’ box, I think she even tried a few spells of her own - nothing worked. Agnes came to the conclusion it’s a part of me. For whatever reason, it’s meant to be mine. Some things just are. After that, I just gave up and accepted.”

  The ringing of Izzy’s phone made them both jump. She had to dig in the cushions to find where it had fallen while they talked.

  She slid her finger across the screen and answered, “Hello?”

  “Cass is with you?” The speaker’s British accent was a dead giveaway to who was calling.

  “Hello to you too. And yes, she’s here. Do you need to speak with her?”

  “No, I need both of you to come to your mother’s house. We’re going to work on self-defense. Everyone else is in route.”

  Izzy blinked. “Give us a few minutes. We aren’t dressed to go out. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “Good. Come as quick as you can. I don’t want to delay your lessons. Something is coming. Can you feel it, Isadora?”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. “We’ll be right there.”

  “I heard,” Cass was already on her feet and moving. “I wonder what he meant by that. He can feel something coming. Sounds like a load of crock if you ask me.”

  Isadora didn’t want to tell Cass, but whatever it was, she felt it too.

  ◆◆◆

  An hour later, the remaining women of the coven were standing in two lines facing each other.

  “Shield!” Sebastian instructed them. “Let the air protect you. Other side, send your worst!”

  They had been at it for at least thirty minutes, and every one of Isadora’s muscles felt it. Every time he shouted to defend, she tensed. She knew it was wrong. Sebastian had corrected her repeatedly. Use the air, not your body.

  “No! Isadora, you are the air, the air is you. Feel it, call it to you.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Izzy saw a pine cone aimed directly for her face. Without thinking, she reached for the air and created a barrier.

  “Like that! Yes, exactly. Just keep doing that.”

  Izzy sputtered, “But, I don’t know what I did.”

  “It’s as natural as breathing. Your body knows what to do. Listen.”

  They practiced for another hour. The others working just as hard as her if not harder.

  “Throw another stick at me,” Wren begged.

  Izzy laughed while she threw the small limb at her friend. If anyone saw their group, she was sure they would think they’d gone mad.

  The small piece of branch almost made it to Wren, at the very last second it bounced on air and tumbled to the ground. “I did it!” She fist pumped in victory.

  “Good job, Wren!”

  Wren sniffed. “I bet they could throw a house at you by now. Your shield is insane.”

  “I doubt that!” Izzy then grinned a sly smug smile. “My shield is pretty good though, isn’t it?”

  “Shut up, braggart. No one likes a show-off!” Cass shouted over at her.

  “You know it’s only because air is my element, right?. I’m sure whatever we do next, I’ll fail miserably.”

  Sebastian clapped his hands. “Great job everyone. Good effort! Keep practicing. I want to see some airtight shields in two days. We’re meeting here again on Tuesday?”

  Groans echoed throughout the group, followed by “Yes, sir.”

  Despite their grumbling, not a single complaint was heard amongst the group. Ava’s death had hit the entire coven hard. The stakes had been raised, and no one knew where the next attack was coming from.

  “Excellent! You all did an amazing job. But it takes practice! That’s why we’re starting now. Hopefully, you won’t ever need what I teach you, but if you do, you’ll be ready.”

  Lilly dropped to the ground. “This is harder than I thought it would be!”

  Millicent called Sebastian over to ask a question, and the group dispersed.

  Rowan looked shyly over at Sebastian, “It’s not that we’re not grateful. We’re just tired, and maybe a little shook up by the news about Ava.”

  “That’s understandable. But you shouldn’t let it rattle you to the point that the other side wins. Keep practicing. Keep working on your skills.” Sebastian smiled. “By Tuesday, I’m confident each of you will be experts.”

  “Mojitos!” Agnes call from the back porch galvanized the women into action. The exodus to leave the battlefield was swift and decisive. Agnes didn’t make her famous mojitos every day.

  Sebastian laid his hand on Izzy’s arm as she moved to follow the others.

  “A moment?” he asked.

  “Of course,” Izzy tried to mask her impatience. Agnes made a killer mojito, and she was parched.

  “I was watching you this afternoon. When you don’t try so hard and begin to relax, you’re a natural.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Izzy countered wryly. “I mean, I appreciate that. Coming from you and all, even if I doubt it.” She softened her denial with a smile. “I thought I was never going to catch on earlier.”

  “Nonsense, you did fine. And I highly suspect your shield is better than mine now.”

  Izzy found it hard not to scoff in his face. “Let’s not kid ourselves.”

  Sebastian persisted. “It took you some time to give yourself over to the magic but once you did.” He eyes gleamed as they focused on Izzy. “It’s breathtaking to watch. You become the magic. I’ve never seen anyone with the potential you have. Or rather, it’s been a long, long time.�
�

  Izzy blinked. “I’m nothing special.”

  “You’re very special indeed. Your mother, she had that innate knack, that oneness with the elements. I don’t think she quite had your talent. But she was close.”

  She felt everything in her freeze at his off the cuff remark. “Wait. You know, knew my mother?”

  Sebastian’s eyes widened. “Knew, many years ago, I knew of her. Casually you might say. I thought you were aware. That’s how Agnes and I first met. She inquired about her. That was,” He let his gaze wander to the wooded area behind the house, lost in thought. “More than fifteen years have passed, at least.” A puzzled expression crossed Sebastian’s face. “No matter her motivations. The answer to your question is yes. I knew of her. Enough to know her power was similar to what I saw in you today. Personally, you understand, I didn’t know her at all. Not really.”

  “But Agnes, she said she couldn’t find her. Didn’t know who she was.” Izzy played back their conversation earlier that afternoon in her head. Had she? Did Agnes say that? Or had she stated that herself and Agnes had just agreed?

  “Well, that is partially true. I have no idea where she is now, your mother. I know who she was, for at least for a brief moment in her life.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He appeared frustrated. “This isn’t the conversation I wanted to have. I wanted to talk about your magic.”

  Like a dog with a bone, Izzy didn’t let him escape the topic at hand. “This is the first I’ve heard that anyone ever knew my mother. What was her name? Where did she live?”

  “I don’t know why Agnes didn’t tell you all this. Probably you were too young to understand. It’s hard to explain to a child. The name I knew your mother by, I don’t rightly recall. As I said, it’s been years, and she was a passing acquaintance. Nothing more. I believe I wrote it down in my journal. I’ll look. Will that suffice for now?”