Seeing Witchy Things

by Leigh Raventhorne

  Can he hear me? The expression on her face was shock, I think.

  Maybe? He can See ghosts and stuff like I can, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he could hear you. And that ‘bear’ is a Newfoundland. He’s anchored to Toby and possibly me.

  “Ladies? Is there a problem?” Stella looked from me to the cat, her brow raised in question, as she continued scratching Toby’s ears. He had relaxed but was still watching the cat with interest. I just hoped he didn’t chase her.

  As if! I don’t run from any dog! Zara placed her paw on Stella’s thigh and I saw the woman’s eyes widen as she saw Jake.

  “Sorry, um . . . should I call you Aunt Stella? Or just Stella?” We hadn’t gotten that far yesterday and it felt awkward not knowing how to refer to her. I had only called her Aunt once, mostly to goad Lawrence. “Zara and I were just . . . talking. Couldn’t you hear her? And the ghost dog is Jake. He’s friendly, too.”

  “I see. You’ve amassed quite the collection.” She watched in fascination as Jake flopped down on the large rug that covered the area we were in. “As to how to address me, whatever you are comfortable with, dear. When Zara speaks, she can talk to someone privately, she can share with just a few, or she can broadcast to everyone if she chooses to. All familiars are able to do this.”

  That was good to know.

  Pulling her attention from the dogs, she got straight to business. “So. You have questions for me. Do you want to do this now or during lunch?”

  Rand decided to weigh in. “Get your questions answered first. You never know what might come up later.” I nodded in agreement and Stella smiled at Rand approvingly.

  “It’s still a bit early for lunch, so now would be good, thank you.” Pulling out my notebook, I decided to grab the box of Items and the journal that contained the inventory, too. Stella’s eyes went right to the box, her curiosity obvious. Waivering, I looked at my list of questions again.

  Start at the top of your list and work your way through, just as you planned. She will answer any of your questions that she can. Zara’s advice made sense.

  Toby’s ears had shot forward again while the cat, no, the familiar was talking. He could definitely hear her.

  So it would seem. The dryness in her tone came through just as clearly as her words.

  “I guess I’d like to start with my mom’s funeral. Why didn’t you come?”

  Stella and Zara shared a look before she answered. “I wanted to. But it’s extremely difficult for me to leave this territory. That’s why I wasn’t able to attend any of your birthdays, your graduations, or even your wedding. Your mother and I talked not long before she passed, so she knew what was happening here. She also knew Zara and I would both know the moment she was gone.”

  Again, that answer just added to my list of questions.

  “What do you mean, this territory? What happened? And how would you be able to know she died?”

  “If I tell you this, you become part of a bigger world than you could ever imagine. Are you sure you want to know?”

  Holding up both hands with the rings and nodding at Rand, I deadpanned, “Kind of already a part of it.”

  “Yes, I guess you rather are, aren’t you.” She hesitated as she saw the Power Ring, then appeared to come to a decision. “Very well, then. Did your mother tell you anything at all about our history? About your history?”

  “No, she hardly ever mentioned anything about her family. Not about you, my grandparents, nothing. Neither did my dad. I was the only one in my class with just a trunk and a couple of bare branches for my family tree project. Mom cried when she saw it, that’s the part that I remember most.” That memory brought tears to my eyes. I gave my eyes an angry swipe, hating that I was nearly crying in front of a virtual stranger. At least I wasn’t wearing much eye makeup today but I didn’t want red, puffy eyes for the rest of my time here.

  “Here.” A handkerchief was pushed into my hand. When I looked up, Stella was standing beside me. She moved pretty quietly for an octogenarian. But then again, I didn’t actually know how old she was.

  Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Thanks. Sorry about that. I don’t usually get weepy when I talk about my parents, but I do when other people cry, even when it’s just a memory.”

  “Your mother was the same way, Roxanne. She had far too soft a heart for this life, which made helping her with her choice much easier for me.” She returned to her seat.

  “How do you mean?” I had so many other questions, but the opportunity to learn more about my mother was too much to pass up. She had never talked about her life before she met my dad.

  “She chose a different path than what was originally laid out for the two of us. We were to oversee this territory—Louisiana, that is—together, along with two other witches. Witches are, well, we were considered caretakers, of a sort. Your mother and I were the first twins born in many centuries and that caused quite a stir in our community.”

  “Wait. What?” Mom had never said anything about being a twin! And did she just say centuries? “She said you were her older sister. At least, I think she did.” It was so long ago, I wasn’t sure now, but I know I would have remembered if she’d talked about having a twin.

  Stella’s laugh rang through the room. “Yes, Sophia always loved to tease me about that. I was born first by almost five minutes, so technically I was older.”

  She held up her hand to halt any more questions from me at the same time Zara’s words sounded in my head.

  He comes with your tea. Don’t worry, it’s not been tampered with.

  Harris walked in carrying a heavy silver tray laden with two glasses and a large pitcher, stumbling a little from either the weight, the sudden silence, or Toby suddenly sitting up from where he had been laying. He carefully set the tray down on the coffee table between us, placed our glasses on delicate looking doilies, and stepped back.

  “Will there be anything else, Madam?” His voice was respectful, but his expression was plainly sullen. Maybe he didn’t like having to serve us . . . or perhaps he had gotten an earful from Paulette, instead of the other way around.

  “No, thank you, Harris. That will be all.”

  Not able to resist, I added, “Thanks, Harry. You’re a peach.” Picking up my glass, I toasted him and took a long drink.

  Zara’s sneezing fit almost made me choke, especially when Harris glared at us both before turning on his heel and marching out of the room.

  “You two! It’s bad enough that they are becoming desperate, but goading any of them, right now, might be more than they can take.” Stella’s chiding sobered the cat up quickly. I did my best to look chastised but from Rand’s snicker and Stella’s eye roll, I don’t think I pulled it off.

  “You are your mother’s daughter, that much is evident. Though I see much of your father in you, as well. You really are remarkable, you know.”

  “You knew my father, too?”

  “Of course. Both of your parents caused quite the stir in our community here, when she decided to give up her magick and her legacy so they could be together. His family was furious with him for choosing to be with her and he was ostracized from the community. What they did is forbidden within some magickal communities. As it was, it was only strongly frowned upon here. It was what she wanted, though, and I never could refuse her anything.” The last bit was accompanied by a sad sigh.

  This time I did choke on my tea, quickly mopping at my mouth and trying to catch my breath.

  “My parents had magick? Both of them?” My mom I had prepared myself for somewhat, but my dad? He was just . . . my dad. He’d done dad things with me. We went fishing, he taught me to ride a bicycle, showed me how to change the oil in my first car, and gave me survival tips for college. “Neither of them ever did anything weird or magicky! Was he a witch, too?”

  “Oh, good heavens, no. Jonas was Sighted. I would hazard that’s why you can See, too. If you were just coming into your witch powers, you would be about the right age
, but the Sighted start showing their abilities much earlier. I can’t believe Sophia didn’t let me know about this development. Tell me, how old were you when you started Seeing things?”

  Still in shock over what she’d told me, I answered automatically. “About two months younger than I am today.”

  “That’s unheard of! We knew there was a chance you could go either way, be something completely new, or end up a dud, but to manifest the Sight so late is highly unusual. When you hadn’t shown any signs of developing anything by your late teen years, we all thought you were a dud.”

  I’d been called worse, I supposed.

  “Yeah, well, the circumstances were unusual.” I proceeded to tell her what had happened with my ex-husband, right up to meeting Elmer and Jake. When I finished, she sat back, thinking. She and Zara looked at one another, probably conversing privately.

  “And your hair, how long has it been like that?” She gestured at my streak of gray. “Your mother’s hair was almost identical when her magick manifested.”

  “I woke up with it like this. We thought it was due to the head injury.”

  “Has anything else . . . unusual happened?” Her tone was almost too casual for the question.

  “Define unusual,” I said, giving a derisive laugh. “Everything that’s happened since I woke up from a coma has been unusual. I see ghosts, I can do things that I’m told aren’t supposed to be possible. Oh, and I shot lightning out of my hand when I was threatened by some shifters on the trip down here.” I held up my right hand, showing the Protection Ring. “I have no idea how or why. When I was attacked by my ex-husband, nothing like that happened!”

  “May I see your rings?” Stella held out her hand.

  I hesitated. Other than Sam, I had never let anyone else touch them.

  She will return them to you. She is just curious as to who the Maker might be for the one. She knows who made the other. Zara’s reassurance prompted me to take the rings off and hand them to Stella.

  The Power Ring she inspected briefly, more to make sure it was intact, I thought, before handing it right back. “Your mother made that one. It was one of her first creations as a Maker and it is still a masterpiece. Not even I could match it. This one, however,” she said, as she held up the other ring, “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with its Maker. It looks quite old, so it might be from before my time. What do you know of it?”

  “Only what Elmer and Grandmam, I mean Elmer’s grandmother, told me. They had been in the family for generations, passed down among the women of the family.”

  She nodded. “Both are spirits back in Michigan?”

  “Oh, no. Or not anymore, I should say, since Elmer finally crossed over. Grandmam, she’s been on the Other side for a long time. I call her back whenever I have questions, basically. Well, she and her niece, Rosemary. They were both accidental callings, I guess you could say.”

  She looked surprised at that, and stared at me for several heartbeats before announcing, “Lunch should be ready.” She passed the Protection Ring back to me. “Perhaps you can tell me more about these ‘accidental callings’ while we eat?”

  “Yes, of course.” Slipping the ring back on my finger, I realized now that it felt like it belonged there and had felt that way for a while.

  Just as I felt the air shift, which must have been Stella dropping the privacy spell, Harris came in to announce that lunch was served.

  “Thank you, Harris. We’ll show ourselves to the dining room.”

  He gave a half bow. “You’re most welcome, Madam Devraux. Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.”

  My pendant responded for the first time today, growing warm. Interesting. I fingered the turquoise stone, hanging from one of the silver chains Sam gave me, considering its response. Did that mean Harris wasn’t being truthful and that we weren’t really welcome? Zara’s ears twitched but she said nothing.

  I stood as Stella did and followed her out into the hall. Toby heeled perfectly beside me, and Zara trotted ahead, next to Stella. Rand and Jake followed a few feet behind us. We were quite the entourage. I tried not to gawk as I took in as much of the house as I could.

  “Your home is magnificent. Have you lived here your whole life?”

  “Thank you. And yes, your mother and I were both born here, as was our mother, and her mother before her.” She spread her arms wide, giving a slight bow. “Welcome to the Château Devraux. There has always been a Devraux here.”

  “Château? Isn’t that French for castle or something? I thought this estate was considered more of a plantation style.”

  “You are correct on both of those counts, dear. The first Devraux witch to settle here was of French descent. She wanted a castle, but these swamps, along with the heat, just didn’t lend well to that ideal, hence the plantation style. But, from what I was told, she refused to give it a traditional southern name.”

  I chewed on this as we entered the dining room. Rand let out a low whistle behind me, eliciting a soft ‘woof’ from Toby. The dining room, or maybe hall was the more appropriate term, was large. The table would easily seat eighteen and there was an abundance of room to add more tables for larger gatherings. Judging by the hardwood flooring, it could also double as a small ballroom. Overlooking the back terrace—this was where all of those doors along the back led to, I saw now—the view was beautiful from this side of the glass.

  Stella sat at the head of the table, I took the seat to the side of her, facing the glass. I pulled out the chair next to me for Rand, much to Stella’s amusement. The chair directly across from me was already pulled out slightly—for Zara. There was even a small plate set for her.

  What, do you think I eat off the floor like an animal? This was in response to my amusement. I didn’t bother answering her.

  A woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, brought in a tureen, setting it down within easy reach for us. She narrowed her eyes at me and I could feel the hostility rolling off of her. I had to work hard to keep a straight face. There was no way I was going to let any twenty-something year old woman intimidate me.

  Hey, Zara. Is this Paulette? Maybe this telepathy stuff wasn’t so bad after all, now that I thought about how handy it could be.

  Yes. She’s not very happy, if you haven’t already figured that out. She’s supposed to be in charge of the other two and was responsible for making sure Stella would be an easy mark. She still can’t figure your existence out. Stella will explain why that is, later.

  “Ah, that smells wonderful, Paulette. I’m sure you’ve outdone yourself. Roxanne, Paulette makes the most delicious Étouffée. Have you had a chance to try much of the local fare?”

  “A little, mainly just the seafood. But this does smell great. What’s in it?”

  “Oh, like most of our dishes here, a little bit of everything.”

  Lawrence stepped out of a small doorway to the side, a service entrance from the kitchen, most likely, carrying a tray of small sandwiches, bowls of fruit, and bread with little pats of butter. He didn’t make eye contact with either of us, standing next to Paulette once he’d set the tray on the table.

  “You don’t need to stay to attend us, thank you. I’ll ring if we need anything more.” Stella was already turning toward me, so she didn’t see the look they two exchanged.

  She’s aware, don’t worry.

  Is the food safe to eat? You have me freaked out now about them putting something in it!

  Her laughter was only in my head, she wasn’t sneezing this time, at least. Maybe because that would have been impolite at the table.

  It’s safe. They’ve only tried something once, so far, and that was just a sleeping draught in Stella’s tea one evening. They wanted her to sleep soundly while they searched the house.

  What? What happened? I had been careful not to look at Zara while I was ‘talking’ to her, but my gaze snapped to her now, and I’m sure the expression on my face was comical. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Paulette
’s eyes narrow even more, if that were possible.

  Clearing my throat, I fumbled a bit to try to cover my butt. “Erm, Aunt Stella, does the cat always eat at the table with you?” Sorry, Zara!

  Stella looked at each of us before answering, undoubtedly getting an update from the familiar. “Yes, is that a problem, Roxanne?”

  Hoping she was just playing along, I shook my head. “No, not at all. I was just curious.”

  Paulette turned back, heading for the kitchen, Lawrence trailing behind her.

  You may speak freely now. They won’t be able to overhear.

  I hadn’t felt anything, but I hadn’t in the parlor, either. Just that shift in the air thing when it was gone.

  That’s how a proper spell is cast. One should never be able to feel it unless meant to.

  I poured myself a glass of ice water from a pitcher on the table, hoping it wasn’t a breach of etiquette.

  It’s not. Help yourself to whatever you wish.

  We served ourselves in comfortable silence. Stella picked out a few choice pieces of the stew for Zara, which the cat ate delicately off the plate. She picked a piece from her own bowl, and pointed at Toby, eyebrows raised in question.

  I had already tried a bite and it was delicious, though quite spicy. “Just a small piece. Not to be, um, indelicate, but I don’t want him to gas us out on our way home tonight.”

  Stella’s guffaw startled all of us, including Zara. “Oh, my dear, that would be bad. Zara gets the worst—”

  I think we all experienced the mental equivalent of a throat clearing.

  “Zara, darling, it happens to the best of us. It’s a perfectly natural function.” She wasn’t fazed by the familiar’s glare in the least. She gave Toby the bit of meat from the stew.

  “He’s your friend for life now, Aunt Stella.”

  She looked up, her eyes tearing. “I was hoping you would decide to call me that. Thank you.”

  Embarrassed, I took another bite of my Étouffée. Hopefully, it wouldn’t affect me on the way home. My forty-one year old body couldn’t handle the same foods my twenty year old body once could. At least I could blame it on Toby now.