To Catch a Witch

by Sharon Booth

  'And you, my lady?' he enquired.

  We all looked at each other, shocked to hear his voice for the first time. Despite the awfulness of the situation, I saw by the expressions on my family's faces that we were each feeling awestruck. Here we were in the presence of our distant ancestor — the infamous Blaise St Clair. The legend himself, right here in his — our — own living room. It was a surreal moment.

  And he'd addressed me as 'My lady'!

  I felt myself blush. 'I'll be with you,' I promised.

  He seemed to find that a comfort.

  'Until tomorrow,' Aveta said to Mother. 'Try not to worry, Iliana. We'll do our best to sort this sorry mess out, I promise.'

  Now the moment was upon us, I was terrified all over again. I glanced at Sirius and he gave me a brief nod, but before he could utter any words of comfort, he vanished from my sight.

  Whirling around in my head was the thought it would be fine. That everything would be okay.

  But would it? I couldn't imagine how the council would put things back the way they should be. Every witch knew time travel was strictly forbidden, and for very good reasons. The slightest alteration in events could cause seismic changes that might alter reality itself. And everyone seemed to believe it was all my fault. How was I going to prove my innocence? And if I couldn't, what would they do to me?

  Chapter Five

  The function room at The Cross Keys Hotel was a bit too grand and far too large for a small gathering of five councillors and two — for want of a better word — prisoners. I had a feeling I wasn't alone in feeling that way. As Aveta led me into the room she muttered, 'Good grief. I told Zephyr the village hall at Ballydraiocht would be more suitable.'

  I glanced around at the plush carpet, the various round tables with chairs stacked on top of them, the navy blue blinds at the windows, the DJ unit at one end of the room and the bar at the other, not to mention a glorious Christmas tree that must have been seven feet tall, if it was an inch, and wondered what on earth Blaise must make of all this.

  He was standing by a table, holding onto it as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. He looked dazed and bewildered, and no wonder. My heart fluttered as he looked across at me, and I saw the obvious relief in his eyes.

  'Are you okay?' I asked him. Seeing his confused expression, I added hastily, 'I mean, are you well?'

  He nodded. 'I am, thank you. Are you well, my lady?'

  'I'm — yes, thank you, sir. I'm well.'

  It had been a strange night. They'd taken us directly to our rooms and shown us around. I'd been quite impressed with the comfortable king-size divan and the huge flat screen television and sparkling en suite bathroom. In any other circumstances, I'd have been perfectly happy to stay at this lovely little hotel outside Tintagel.

  Aveta had knocked on my door a few moments later. 'All settled?' she asked, smiling.

  'Thanks. This is perfect. How's Blaise?'

  'Terribly confused, but what can you expect? Zephyr and Bob are doing their best to explain how the flush toilet and the shower work, but I don't think they'll even attempt the television.' She pulled a face. 'We had to have a word with him while we were talking him through the air conditioning. He was behaving most inappropriately.'

  My eyes widened. 'What was he doing?'

  'Pulling the zip on his jeans up and down and staring at it in amazement. Understandable, I suppose, given he's never seen one before, but Bob was almost apoplectic. Kept reminding us this is a family hotel, and Blaise can hardly undo his jeans repeatedly in public. He has a point.'

  'Yes,' I said. 'I suppose he does.'

  'There are so many things to think about,' she continued. 'All this is so new to him. He might just as well have been beamed up from an alien spaceship.' She put her papery hand on my shoulder and leaned towards me. 'You know, he is handsome, and I can quite understand your attraction to him. I'm sure it was a simple error of judgement, bringing him through time like that.'

  'But I didn't!' I pulled away from her, devastated she still thought I was lying. 'I swear to you, I did nothing. I would never tamper with time.'

  'Even for Blaise?'

  'Even for Blaise.'

  She sighed. 'It's just — well, between you and me, Celeste, I've never felt such power from any witch before. You really are exceptional.'

  'Doesn't Blaise have similar powers?'

  She shook her head. 'There's no way of knowing how powerful he was in his own time, but I have to tell you, my dear, right now, he has no magic at all.'

  I gasped, horrified. 'What? But how?'

  'I'm not entirely sure. The legend tells us he was a powerful witch, so we must assume he was. I can only guess either the trauma he's been through or, more likely, the effects of time travel have rendered his magic useless. Either way, he is powerless.'

  'Oh no! Poor Blaise.'

  'So, if he is to return to his own time, it may be down to you to send him back in the same way you brought him here.'

  'But I—'

  She held up her hand. 'I know, I know. It wasn't down to you. That being the case, we must wait and see what unfolds. Now, I'll leave you to get some sleep. It's been a long and eventful evening, and I'm sure you're exhausted. There's tea and coffee making facilities, as I'm sure Bob's explained. Try to rest, dear. I'll see you tomorrow morning. And don't worry, you're not under arrest. Having said that ...' She reached over and snapped a bracelet on my wrist.

  'What's this?' I asked.

  'Just a means to stop you transporting out,' she said. 'I'm sorry, but we can't risk that. Please don't even try to remove it. You won't succeed.'

  'So not under arrest at all?'

  'You're not, but you can't blame us for taking precautions. Please think of yourselves as guests. We're not your wardens.'

  Maybe not, but when I'd tried the door after she'd left, I couldn't open it. Clearly, the High Council had decided to keep me under lock and key, at least until the following day. It didn't make for a good night's rest.

  I'd worried all night about Blaise and how he was coping, and it had come as a great relief the next day to find the door unlocked, although the relief hadn't lasted long as they summoned me to the function room.

  Aveta smiled at us. 'I see we've established you're both well. I'll pop over and have a word with Zephyr. Make yourselves comfortable.' She nodded at the table. 'Get those chairs down and have a seat. Honestly, they should have organised this before they called us down.' She tutted, then beamed at us. 'Oh, merry Christmas, by the way.'

  'Merry Christmas,' I called after her, though it felt far from merry. I felt a pang of homesickness, wondering what everyone was up to at home. Were they already celebrating without me?

  Blaise looked startled. 'It is Christmas Day?'

  I nodded. 'It is. Merry Christmas, Blaise.'

  He frowned. ''Tis clear you know me. You have the advantage, madam.'

  I swallowed. 'I'm so sorry. We haven't even been properly introduced. I'm Celeste.' I hesitated, then ploughed on. 'Celeste St Clair.'

  His eyes widened. 'Are we kin?'

  Oh, lord! How on earth was I supposed to explain that to him? I decided he'd need to sit down before I told him everything. 'Let's get these chairs down,' I suggested, taking one from the top of the table and standing it on the floor.

  He followed suit and, together, we placed all eight chairs on the carpet then sat, facing each other.

  Blaise ran a hand through his raven hair. 'So, 'tis Christmas morning,' he mused. 'And we are family. That is ...' His voice trailed off, and he shrugged helplessly.

  'I know it's a lot to take in,' I said softly. 'Do you know where you are? When you are?'

  He shook his head. 'I know not where or when I am,' he admitted. 'I sense, though, I'm far from home. Wherever home may be.'

  'You don't remember your home?' I asked.

  'I do not,' he confessed. 'Truthfully, I have tried in vain all night to remember what brought me to this place, but I cannot.
I remember only a blinding light, then darkness and cold, cold water. I know, however, that if it were not for you and your kin, I would have died. I thank you for that, my lady.'

  'But you know who you are?' I persisted.

  'You call me Blaise and that seems familiar to me. I have no reason to doubt you speak truth. However, everything else about me is lost in the mists of time. All is confusion. I wonder, have you information that would make things clearer to me? My presence here seems to be unwelcome. Are we amongst enemies?'

  'No, no. Don't worry about that,' I assured him. 'I know the High Council can be a bit bossy, but you're not in any danger from them.'

  'The High Council?' He raised an eyebrow, looking wary.

  'Of Witches,' I explained.

  He reared back from me. 'Witches?' He glanced around the room, fear clear in his expression. 'You dare to speak of witches?'

  'Oh, honestly, it's fine.' I frowned suddenly as an awful thought occurred to me. 'You do remember you're a witch, right?'

  He leapt to his feet. 'Is this some trick? A trap?'

  'Oh, Blaise, honestly, it's okay. Please don't get upset. It's no trap.' I reached out for him, but he snatched his hand away, his eyes wide with fright.

  'Now, now, what's all this fuss?'

  For the first time in my life, I was relieved to hear Zephyr's voice. He and the other council members had arrived at our table without my even being aware of their approach. Zephyr patted Blaise's shoulder. 'You need not fear us,' he assured him. 'We're civilised people, you know.'

  'He remembers nothing,' I explained, tears pricking my eyes as I watched Blaise nervously surveying the High Council members. 'And I think he's afraid to admit to being a witch.'

  'That makes sense,' Amlodd said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. 'In his day you didn't go around bragging about it, now did you?' He gave Blaise a cheerful smile. 'Sit yourself down, sir. You're among friends. We're all witches here.'

  Blaise looked thoroughly unconvinced and didn't budge.

  Aveta sighed. 'Perhaps I should prove it,' she said. Immediately, a jug of coffee and seven mugs appeared in the centre of the table. 'There. That will do us until breakfast arrives.' She glanced up at Bob, who was hovering uncertainly by the door. 'Breakfast is on its way, I hope?'

  'Well, yes, but we have to see to our other guests first,' he explained. 'It's only fair,' he added, his voice loaded with meaning, 'since they're paying the full rate.'

  Zephyr tutted. 'Can we all sit down, please, breakfast or no breakfast, and start this hearing? Titania is not best pleased, and I'm sure we all have better things to do with ourselves, today of all days.'

  The five members of the High Council all sat. Only Blaise remained standing, and judging by the look on his face, he was clearly trying to decide whether it was worth making a run for it.

  Zephyr patted a vacant chair. 'Sit please, Mr St Clair,' he said. 'You have my word none of us is here to harm you.'

  Blaise hesitated, then sat down.

  'First,' Zephyr said, 'we need to know exactly how much you do remember, Mr St Clair. Can you tell us, please?'

  'Just a light,' I said. 'And the water.'

  Zephyr glared at me, then turned back to Blaise. 'In your own words, Mr St Clair. As much as you can. We're only trying to help you.'

  Blaise looked over at me, and I saw the confusion in his eyes. Despite his accusations I was trying to trap him, it seemed it was still me he looked to for reassurance.

  'Please,' I said. 'If you can help us, tell them what you know. It's ever so important.'

  He looked exhausted and slumped forward, his elbows on the table, his head in his hands. 'I remember very little,' he said slowly. 'As — Celeste — said, merely a light and the darkness and the freezing cold waters.'

  I wondered if it was wrong of me to feel a thrill of delight upon hearing him say my name for the first time. Evidently, it was wrong of me. Aveta gave me a very cross look, as if she were all too aware of my thoughts and considered them highly inappropriate.

  'You know where you are?' Zephyr asked. 'Do you know where you were last night? Did you recognise the house you were at?'

  Blaise's eyebrows knitted together as he considered the matter. 'There was something ... That is, I felt I should know the room in which I sat, but I cannot quite place it in my mind. My thoughts are jumbled.' He rubbed his eyes. 'How did I come to be in the water?'

  We all looked at each other.

  'Ahem, maybe we'll come to that in a moment,' Zephyr said. 'Do you know your name?'

  'Celeste says I am called Blaise, and you refer to me as Mr St Clair. I presume, therefore, I am Blaise St Clair.'

  'And that means nothing to you?'

  'It does not.'

  'Oh heck,' Bob groaned. 'We could be here all day at this rate.'

  'Sima's gonna kill me,' Kendrew said, glancing at his watch. 'I told her we'd be done within an hour.'

  Blaise leaned forward curiously, his nose wrinkling as he examined Kendrew's watch.

  Kendrew showed it to him. 'Tells you the time, mate,' he explained. 'Bit like an hourglass but more portable and a lot more accurate.'

  'Oh, for goodness' sake!' Zephyr tutted. 'What do we do now? If he can't even remember his name, he won't be able to tell us how he got here, will he?'

  'But perhaps she can,' Amlodd said, and I froze, knowing all their attention was now on me.

  'It had nothing to do with me,' I protested. 'I didn't bring him forward three hundred and fifty years!'

  'Three hundred and fifty years!' Blaise gasped and I could have kicked myself. Well done, Celeste!

  'What year is this?' he asked.

  'Now, don't get yourself in a tizz,' Amlodd advised.

  'It's not as bad as it sounds,' Kendrew assured him.

  'Oh no, only the end of the world as we know it,' Bob muttered. 'Look, I've got guests to feed and water, so can you crack on with this? Tell him the truth for heaven's sake or we'll be here until New Year's Day.'

  'It's the year of our Lord, two thousand and nineteen,' Zephyr said, rather pompously. 'And you have travelled forward in time by three hundred and fifty years.'

  'Two thousand and—' Blaise's mouth dropped open. ''Tis not possible!'

  'Clearly it is,' Aveta said calmly. 'The question is, who's responsible for this? Which witch did it?'

  Blaise looked round at us warily. 'So, one of you brought me from my time and placed me here?'

  'It seems so,' Zephyr said, giving me a hard stare. 'And there's only one suspect in this case.'

  I threw up my hands. 'Look, I've already told you, I didn't do anything.'

  'Think back, child,' Aveta urged. 'Tell us exactly what happened last night before you saw this man in the water.'

  'I — I was at the shrine,' I admitted reluctantly.

  'Shrine?' queried Bob.

  I swallowed. 'The shrine at Witch's Leap. The one dedicated to the memory of Blaise St Clair.'

  Blaise made a weird noise. 'There is a shrine dedicated to my memory?'

  'Um, yes,' I admitted. 'And what with it being three hundred and fifty years since your — er — death, I was laying flowers.'

  His expression softened. 'You were laying flowers, in my memory?'

  I felt heat scorch through my cheeks. 'Of course. I lay them every year, actually.'

  We stared at each other, and I had the weirdest feeling. Suddenly, a lightness came over me and I knew, I just knew Blaise St Clair was exactly where he was supposed to be.

  'Of course!' I gasped. 'That's why you were never seen or heard from again. You came here!'

  'I'm getting a headache,' Amlodd groaned. 'Pour me a coffee, Aveta. Sod the caffeine.'

  Aveta glared at him. 'Pour it yourself,' she snapped. 'I'm not your servant.'

  'Bloody women.' Amlodd tutted and lifted the jug. 'To be honest, mate,' he told Blaise, 'you were better off in 1669. At least women did as they were told back then.'

  Blaise didn't seem to be listening. He
was still staring at me. 'I feel I know you,' he murmured. 'Have we met before, my lady?'

  'No,' I admitted. 'But I feel I've known you all my life.'

  'Blimey,' Amlodd said, 'I can practically hear the violins playing.'

  'Shut up and pour the coffee,' Zephyr said, pushing a cup in his direction. 'Carry on, Celeste.'

  I blinked. 'Sorry?'

  He sighed. 'You were telling us what happened last night. You'd gone to lay flowers at the shrine.'

  'Oh, oh yes. Well, I ...' My voice trailed off, and I felt my blush deepening. I couldn't possibly tell them what I'd been thinking, could I? How I'd been pining for this man sitting here with us right now. It was too embarrassing. And yet ... I felt a sudden churning in my stomach as dread seized me. I had been thinking of him. I'd done more than that, though, hadn't I? I'd been imagining the love of my life by my side, walking towards me. I'd imagined it so strongly I'd even felt his presence beside me. And I'd felt that tingling — that familiar tingling which only happened when magic was in action. Oh, lord!

  'I think it was my fault,' I whispered. 'I'm so sorry.'

  'I knew it!' Zephyr said triumphantly. 'Never trust a St Clair!'

  Blaise's head whipped round at breakneck speed. 'I beg your pardon, sir?'

  'Oh, not you,' Zephyr assured him hastily. 'I'm talking about these modern-day St Clairs. Of course, they're descended from a traitor. What can you expect?'

  'Now just a minute,' I protested angrily. 'You've got no right talking about us like that!'

  'These good people saved my life,' Blaise said. 'Moreover, they are my kin. Explain yourself or guard your tongue.'

  I bit my lip, wondering exactly how Zephyr would take to that.

  'The thing you don't know,' Zephyr explained, looking and sounding thoroughly flustered, 'is these St Clairs of the present day descended from — er — from a man called Bevil St Clair. Do you know him?'

  We all looked hopefully at him. He narrowed his eyes. 'Should I?'

  'Gosh,' I said, 'you really have lost your memory, haven't you?' I turned to Zephyr. 'What do we do? How do we get it back? Can you use magic on him?'