Southern Wands

by Amy Boyles

  Lacy forgot all about Sherman. She screamed, launching herself at me.

  I was ready for Lacy. Come what may, I would fight her.

  An explosion rocked the camp. The ground rumbled. Witches were knocked over as it felt like an earthquake had parted the town in half.

  “What was that?” someone shouted.

  Lacy stopped, sniffed the air. She pivoted her body in the direction of the sound.

  “My wand,” she screeched. “It’s my wand!”

  Lacy forgot all about me and dashed from the camp toward the direction of the sound.

  In that moment I realized what had happened. The wand must’ve gotten loose from its container and wreaked enough havoc at the Vault that it either blew off the front doors or blew off the roof.

  Yes, the explosion had been that violent.

  The rest of the Order ran with Lacy, forgetting all about Sherman.

  Everyone but me, that was.

  Why would Sherman deny, then admit and deny again?

  I didn’t like it, and I was going to get to the bottom of it. Without another thought I raced over and grabbed him.

  Sherman’s head lolled to one side. “We’ve got to get you out of here,” I said.

  “You can’t,” he replied. “They’ve got me.”

  “Not if I can help it, they don’t.”

  I touched the pillory, but an electrical shock snaked up my arm. I winced. There would be no releasing him that way.

  I hooked a hand under his arm. “Let’s go. You’ve got to walk. Can you do it?”

  “I don’t know.” He groaned. His pupils were large and dark. He wasn’t completely present.

  Crap. It would be up to me. I tugged Sherman, basically dragging him through the camp, running as fast as I could.

  He stumbled, falling several times. I had to stop and pick him up, praying the entire time that we would make it. That the witches would be busy long enough for me to reach my house.

  I was crazy. I knew I was, taking Sherman with me. But I couldn’t watch him be murdered for a killing I wasn’t convinced he had committed.

  Finally, after what felt like hours, I reached Betty’s cottage. Sherman’s weight had taken its toll on me. My back killed me. My throat was dry. Sweat streamed down my spine.

  The door flew open, and I turned Sherman to fit him through.

  “What happened?” Betty said.

  “He admitted to killing Bee, but I think he was coerced or spelled. I don’t know which. But Sherman a killer?”

  Betty tugged the black beret onto her head. “He’s no killer, that’s for sure.”

  Amelia and Cordelia took him from me and helped sit him on the couch.

  “What were they going to do to him?” Amelia said.

  “Burn or drown him.”

  She shuddered.

  “What about the wand? What happened?”

  “I did that.” Rufus’s voice caught me by surprise. He stood in the kitchen doorway, his gaze leveled on me.

  I swallowed through my dry and scratchy throat. “Why?”

  “Because I don’t believe he did it, and I knew you would need a distraction.”

  Amelia groaned. “I’m dead meat.”

  Rufus’s mouth quirked into a smile. “There’s no proof you were the one who placed the wand there. None. Your secret’s safe.”

  I pointed to Sherman. “We’ve got to get that thing off him.”

  Betty strode to the hearth fire and started grinding up ingredients and tossing them in her cauldron. “I’ll get that solved. Give me a few minutes.”

  “They’ll be here soon,” I said. “Lacy will come. She’ll know I’m gone, and she’ll come for us. All of us.”

  I raked my fingers down my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go. I’ve put y’all in more danger than I should have.” I cringed. “I probably haven’t even helped Sherman. All I’ve done is delay the inevitable.”

  “Pepper,” Cordelia said, “we’re here for you. No matter what.”

  “Yeah,” Amelia added, “you haven’t delayed anything. We will stand and fight with you.”

  I shook my head sadly. “There’s nothing for you to stand and fight. This is my fight, mine.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Oh no, we’re sweet tea witches and we stick together.”

  “No matter what,” Cordelia said. “Now, let’s get this thing off Sherman and figure out what we can do to stop Lacy.”

  Betty turned away from the cauldron with a smug smile on her face. Mischief glinted in her eyes. “I think I’ve got just the plan. Sherman,” she commanded.

  Sherman lifted his lids and nodded. “Yes?”

  “No matter what, you mustn’t move. Even if you want to. Can you do that?”

  He tried to nod, but it came out stiff. “I didn’t kill my mother.”

  Betty ladled a green liquid into a cup. “I believe you.” She crossed to him and brought it to his mouth. “Trust me and drink this.”

  Sherman took a few greedy gulps, grimacing at the taste. “What is it?”

  Betty grinned. “It’s a potion that will kill you.”

  Less than an hour later there was a banging at the front door. My cousin Carmen had heard about the commotion and had come over. “I’ll get it,” she said happily.

  I braced myself, knowing what was about to come. My gaze bounced from my cousins to my grandmother and finally to Rufus, who inhaled deeply, lifting his chest.

  I did the same, remembering to stay strong.

  Lacy barged through the door, her wand waving in the air. Magic spewed from it as if the thing was ready to serve justice to those of us who had locked it up.

  “Where is he?” Lacy sneered. “Where’s Sherman? You, Pepper, I’ll deal with you later—and I will deal with you. But first I want the murderer. Where is he?”

  Her words came out in yells and screeches. I pointed to the couch. “There. He’s there.”

  Lacy whirled in his direction, took one look at the limp body of Sherman, which was growing paler by the second, and sneered. “What hoax is this?”

  Betty took a menacing step forward. “No hoax. The boy killed his mother. He had admitted as much. My granddaughter was foolish to bring him here, so I did your justice. It wasn’t by drowning or burning, but I killed him, one and the same. He is dead, and you have me to thank for it.”

  Lacy’s jaw dropped. She quickly recovered and moved to inspect Sherman’s body. “I don’t believe you. It’s a trick.”

  “No trick,” Rufus said. “He’s dead. Burn him yourself if you’re unconvinced.”

  Amelia’s gaze darted to Rufus. Lacy didn’t notice. Instead the head witch placed a hand on Sherman and ran it over his body. After a moment she turned back to Betty.

  “You’ve done the Order’s work today. For that I’m grateful. It almost makes up for the fact that someone stole my wand, but not quite. There is still that to pay for.”

  Betty pulled out her pipe and lit it. She glared at Lacy. “I will unleash the guinea pigs.”

  Lacy shrank back. “The wand is forgotten about. But there is something else.” She focused her attention on me. “You. We will meet today, in two hours. That’s all the time you have left. All of it.” She fisted her hand as if crushing something in her palm. “And then you will be ours.”

  “That is enough, Lacy. Enough.” Betty crossed her arms. “You can have the boy’s body then. Since he died in my house, there are things I have to do—cleanses to make sure his spirit doesn’t stay.”

  She nodded curtly. “Fine by me. He’s a murderer anyway. Not only did he kill his mother, but I’m certain he’s responsible for what happened to Slug. But”—she pointed a finger at me—“if I uncover you had anything to do with her death, you’ll regret it.”

  “I would have a worse fate than you already plan for me?” I said snidely. “Impossible.”

  Lacy narrowed her eyes before whirling toward the door. “Two hours. The large park. You will be there.”


  As soon as the door shut behind her, I fell into a chair. I had two hours left. Let’s hope they weren’t my last on earth.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  We wanted to keep Sherman hidden, but Betty thought it would be best to take him out.

  “Let them all see that he’s dead,” she said.

  I shot her a hard look.

  “Okay, so that they’ll think he’s dead. I’ll wake him up tomorrow. Hopefully by then they’ll be gone.”

  “One way or another,” I mumbled sadly.

  She patted me on the back. “You won’t lose this.”

  I fisted my hands and prayed Betty was right, but I didn’t know. Lacy wouldn’t be a pushover, especially now that she had her wand.

  I needed to be alone for a little while to gather my wits and my strength, so I went upstairs to my room.

  Mattie greeted me with a yawn. “How’re you holding up?”

  I shook my head. “I hope I make it.”

  “You will.” She jumped from the window seat and pressed her face to my leg. “I know you can do it. Just remember, if all else fails, throw everything you’ve got at her.”

  I smiled sadly. “Will do.”

  The next hour raced by, and before I knew it, I found myself standing at the park beside Bubbling Cauldron Road.

  The place was packed. The entire town had apparently gotten word and had come to see me fight.

  I hoped they’d come to watch me win and weren’t betting on the opposite team.

  “Keep your chin up,” Rufus said. “Don’t let them see your fear.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  He shot me sidelong glance. “You are. But there’s no reason to be. You’ll defeat her. I know it.”

  I smiled at his faith in me. “Let’s hope.”

  He glared at me. “You must not hope. You must know. Say it. Say you’ll defeat her. And mean it.”

  I gritted my teeth and delved deep into my core. “I will defeat her.”

  He nodded. “Good. Don’t forget it.”

  We walked to the front of the park where stadium-style benches had been erected. The stand was packed with witches and wizards.

  “No pressure,” I mumbled.

  At one end of the benches Lacy stood with her Order friends. Hugo paced beside her. When the dragon saw me, he hissed.

  I closed my eyes. “She even turned my dragon against me.”

  “It’s a spell,” Rufus said. “That’s all it is.”

  I stopped and stared at him. “I can do this.”

  “Do not apologize for using your magic on Lacy. She will throw everything she has at you. Do the same to her. Do worse.”

  Betty strolled up. Sherman was lying in a floating box.

  “I think he’s going to be angry at you when he wakes up,” I said.

  She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “We kept him alive. That’s what’s important.”

  I nodded. I didn’t have anything else to say. All my energy had to be focused on going out there and winning at any cost.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and handed it to Betty. I wanted to call Axel so much it hurt, but I couldn’t be distracted. Hearing his voice might make me crack. I might give up all of this and run in the opposite direction.

  Right now I had to be strong.

  “Witches and wizards, I want to thank y’all for coming.” Lacy’s voice boomed throughout the park. “You’ve come to witness the fall of one of your own. Pepper Dunn has evaded the Order for too long, and now it is time for her to join us. She must join the Head Witch Order. We need her. I will prove to Pepper that her selfish actions—not coming with us and forcing her own people to suffer because of it—have been stupid.”

  Lacy petted Hugo and smirked. She’d taken my dragon, sent my love away and had no conscience when it came to starving my people. She was the monster, not me. Lacy thought I should simply discard my free will because that was what she wanted. That was what was in her plan.

  But that wasn’t what was in my plan.

  “Are you ready?” she said.

  I nodded.

  “Step to the ring.”

  A ring had been set up. A bald circle of earth, it looked forlorn and pathetic in the middle of the lush green park.

  “We will begin as soon as we’re inside,” she announced. “We will be magically locked in. Neither of us will be able to leave until the other is defeated—by either giving up or death. Those are the rules. Are you ready?”

  I glanced at my family, at their sad faces.

  I would not hug them. I would not say goodbye because that wasn’t what this was.

  I stepped into the ring, and so did Lacy.

  A whoosh of magic flared up on all sides, creating a barrier that enclosed us.

  Lacy smiled wickedly. “No one can hear us. It’s just you and me. Are you ready to bend to my will?”

  “I will not bend to you. You’ve been the mastermind behind all of this. Did you kill Bee and then your friend Slug?”

  Lacy shook her head. “I had nothing to do with that. Nothing. Time to meet your maker.”

  But I was ready for her. Lacy raised her hands. Fire spewed from her wand.

  I pulled Bee’s wand from my pocket. The wand with the silver wrapped around the wood. This was what Bee had been going to give me, I was certain of it. This wand wasn’t just a wand that she used for spells; it was the opposite of the poison ivy wand.

  It was ice.

  A stream of ice flew from the end, hitting Lacy’s magic squarely in the center and causing the fire to peter out.

  “You would use Bee’s wand?” she sneered.

  “I would use whatever I can.”

  She gritted her teeth. “See if you can defeat this.”

  Her assault came harder and stronger. Lacy sent balls of fire, spears, arrows, anything she could at me.

  But I was ready. From the tip of Bee’s wand I shot the same back at her. We were evenly matched.

  Lacy roared in anger as her assault did nothing.

  Sweat poured from her face. It trickled down my back. She threw her wand to the side, growling in anger.

  “Enough! I’ll never win this way. No wands!”

  She flicked her hand, and Bee’s wand flew from my grasp, clattering against the ground.

  Lacy flexed her fingers. “I will beat you. You will crumble, and if I have to do it the old-fashioned way, then so be it!”

  She cupped her hands. A ball of flame grew in their midst.

  Panic started to flutter in my chest, but I pushed it away.

  I would not lose now.

  Gasps from the crowd threatened to distract me, but I couldn’t let that happen.

  My gaze darted to the bald ground. There were no rocks, no stones, nothing that I could use to transform. Lacy’s ball grew larger.

  I glanced around hurriedly, trying to figure something out. Finally I picked up a clump of dirt and whirled on Lacy.

  I didn’t have time to duck as the fireball hit me squarely in the chest.

  Agony does not describe the pain that flowed through my body. The crowd gasped as I crashed against the wall. The fire was gone, but every muscle in my body felt as if flames were wrapping around them and squeezing tight. Every inch flared in pain.

  I gritted my teeth. I could not let her win.

  “You thought you had me, didn’t you?” She strode over, scowling. “You did not. I will break you, Pepper. In front of all your friends and family. It’s too bad your boyfriend isn’t here to witness it, too. It’s a shame he won’t be able to watch as I crack you in half.”

  She raised her hand again.

  The time for doubt was gone. I curled my fingers into the dirt, grabbed a clump of the sandy stuff and flung it at Lacy.

  All I wanted was to live.

  The clump spread out, forming a wall of ice that hit Lacy squarely in the face.

  She staggered back. That fueled me. I dragged myself from the ground and stared at Lac
y as she wiped ice shards from her skin.

  “You will pay for that,” she screamed.

  A great commotion in the stands grabbed my attention. Axel had arrived. Our gazes locked from across the park. My heart lurched at the look of anguish on his face.

  He wanted to be in here with me, helping.

  I could not let him down.

  A great wave of fire flared before Lacy. It rose around her. Fingers of fire licked the sky as a tornado of flames engulfed her.

  “You will bow to me,” she screamed.

  I clenched my fists, knowing what was coming. I looked inside myself, reaching for my power, reaching for the waves of light that I knew existed deep within me.

  I searched for ice, tried to make it come, and it did. Snow and ice gushed from my hands.

  Hope flared in my chest and then extinguished when Lacy’s firestorm ate my wintery blast.

  “You can’t defeat me,” she said. “I am a witch of the Order. You don’t have the power.”

  Then I reached down, fighting for what I knew lay in the pit of me. I tugged and pulled as Lacy shot a blast of fire forward.

  Come, light, I said silently.

  Everything happened at once. The flames licked at me. Their heat nearly scorched my skin. An arrow of fire flew from her, aimed straight at me.

  I closed my eyes and felt the magic, the power that lay dormant in me, unlock.

  “End this,” I said.

  My power unfurled. A line of magic wrapped around Lacy’s spear of fire, and like a hand closing around a rope, my power nabbed her fingers of flame and crushed them.

  “Stop her,” I commanded.

  The power circled Lacy. Her face filled with fright.

  “What are you doing?” she yelled.

  “Ending this,” I said. “Your reign of terror in the Order is finished. You will no longer harm others.”

  My power batted away Lacy’s wall of flame as if it were nothing more than tissue paper. The fire died out, and my power wrapped itself around Lacy.

  “You are finished, Lacy.”

  I cut my arm across my chest, and the magical wall that surrounded us vanished.

  “What?” she said. “How?”

  But the force within me was like a thousand years of witchcraft had unlocked. I could feel power all the way to my toes. It was a living, breathing thing, and Lacy’s pathetic attempt to hold others, to hurt them, was nothing compared to the magic I wielded.