“How cool! A seer who practices Native American ways.” I released Logan’s hand and stepped out of the car. “I can’t wait to meet both of them.”
The small owl moved to the Nash’s hood ornament and let out another hoot.
Logan rounded behind his car to join me. He replied to the familiar, “Yeah, I know I almost hit your master’s prized Studebaker President.” The coupe’s pale green and chrome body glimmered in the light of the porch lanterns.
“Lucky for you,” Busby retorted with a clipped hoot and a clatter of his beak that sounded like a chuckle.
The owl riffled his terminal feathers, wide face fixed on Logan.
“Enough of the guilt trip from you.” Logan laughed and guided me with his hand on the small of my back toward the white veranda dripping with fretwork trim.
As soon as my foot touched the first step, the massive brass doorknocker’s eyes flew open and met mine. “An outsider witch! Why do you come upon this house?”
I froze. The word “outsider” seemed to follow me everywhere. When and how could I escape that label?
“Never mind, Tenskwatawa.” Logan removed his hat. “Aggie’s with me. Keir’s expecting us.”
A whoosh of air swept my ponytail forward as the owl pair sailed past to land on a porch rail. Although I still flinched, I stifled the urge to activate my magic.
“Allow me.” The knocker banged his strike bar against the plate.
Shadows moved behind leaded glass side panes.
The door cracked open, and a dark gray coyote nosed through. In the dim light, his golden irises widened and emitted a mysterious, yellow glow. The magic they contained failed to trigger my defensive flow of energy into my extremities.
I stared, bewildered and helpless.
The animal stood still, hair along his back smoothed to his spine.
I studied the coyote and sensed a curious kinship, some commonality. “Is it okay to touch him?” I asked Logan.
He bent and ruffled the fur on the coyote’s head, while I drew nearer. “His ears are still relaxed. Go for it.”
I petted the coarse neck fur, charcoal underneath with silvery guard hairs.
Waapake nuzzled his head against me. My haptic sense didn’t always work on animals, but did in this case. The animal intended me no harm. Instead, he exuded feelings of protection. Under that lay a strong connectedness. Images of my New Wish home and family zipped through my mind. So many, I felt dizzy. I must have wavered, because Logan’s arm steadied my shoulder. His touch clouded my haptic reading of the coyote. Too overwhelmed to explain, I waved Logan away.
The front door creaked, and with the chatter of welcoming voices, I lost my focus.
The unusual depth of the haptic reading left me shaky and weak, but with a burning need to know more. Concerned I’d not get another chance, I reluctantly accepted Logan’s arm to help me stand.
“I see you and Waapake have become friends already.” Keir extended a hand bearing a huge ring set with an uncut red gem. His clear, blue eyes conveyed genuineness, and his touch confirmed that emotion. “Welcome to my home.” Despite a quiet tone, his words were strong and resolute. In place of a tie, amulets of stones, leather, and crystals adorned the chest of his crisp white shirt. An earring of silver and a single feather hung from his left ear below cropped coal-black hair. A man who knew himself and his purpose in life well.
“Hi, Aggie!” Jancie called from over Keir’s shoulder. She squirmed around him and pulled me inside. “Since we met at the coven party last week, I’ve been wanting to have a chance to spend time together. What a time you’ve been having with the folks and spirits after you, starting with that hex. And I thought I had a hard time being accepted by this coven.” She linked her arm in mine and led me through several rooms. The first, a parlor, seemed oddly plain compared to the formal entry. Stiff ladder-back chairs surrounded a simple piecrust table. Black and white family portraits hung on the walls. “This is where Keir receives clients seeking his advice.” She waved to the opposite end of a wide hallway. “We’re in the main parlor.”
“Hi, Aggie,” Rowe’s deep voice called as we entered the larger parlor. He tucked strands of wavy brown hair, escaped from his ponytail, behind one ear.
“Hi, Rowe,” I replied. Rich woods, walls of overfilled bookcases, and vibrant tribal rugs made me feel warm and cozy. Green velvet drapes, natural crystals, and dream catchers provided anchors for a multitude of energies present. In an eclectic way, Indian masks, pipes, and rattles harmonized with the inlaid Victorian tables they sat upon.
“Make yourself at home. I’m glad you’re here. We need to solve the problems you’re facing.” From where he sat in a wide club chair upholstered in brown leather, he rose to shake my hand. Both his touch and his girlfriend’s indicated sincere empathy and the desire to help me. Being accepted by Logan’s friends helped quell my earlier pangs from being called an outsider.
“Glad you’re playing host in my home, Rowe.” Keir laughed, a wide smile crinkling his pale blue eyes.
Rowe snorted. “Might as well, since the three of us practically grew up here. I know every back staircase and magical doorway.” He motioned me to a leather couch.
Savory smells of sage-roasted fowl and garlic potatoes mixed with a mapley sweetness made my mouth water.
Jancie gave a playful laugh. “Well, one thing you don’t know is that dinner is ready. So everyone find a seat in the dining room.” She waved us to follow her through a wide archway into an adjoining space. Not a coven member, she wore a tight mini-skirt, knee-high boots, and an embroidered peasant blouse. Nothing like the period dress of the men, in their double-breasted Thirties-style suits, or me in my flared full skirt, fitted cardigan, and T-strap heels. I envied her fresh, modern look.
The three men lagged behind, exchanging an intense but low conversation. Keir ran a hand through his hair.
I hung by the archway, fingering a dream catcher while trying to overhear them, but only made out my name mentioned a few times. That was enough to worry me.
After a couple minutes, they left their jackets and hats in the sitting room and stood around the table, all in their shirtsleeves.
Logan pulled out a corner chair for me at the long dining table of dark mahogany and took a seat beside me. Above us, the cut crystals of the chandelier spun in different directions and speeds, some taking eagle feathers for wild rides. He leaned into me and grinned. “House spirits. Lots of them. This house was home to many big families.”
“Do you live in your family’s home place?” I asked him.
“Yeah, but it’s not anything like this. I’ll show you sometime.” He found my hand under the table.
“I’d like that.” Heat, which wasn’t my sun energy, rose into my face. I hoped I didn’t look too red.
Rowe winked at Logan. “I think I’ll help the others serve.” He reached the swinging kitchen door in time to hold it open for Jancie and Keir carrying large china bowls.
“You can get the water pitcher on the counter,” Jancie said over her shoulder and then distributed side dishes from a tray onto the table. One at a time, she lifted lids to reveal their contents. “We have garlic roast potatoes, caramelized acorn squash, and homemade buttermilk biscuits.”
Keir deposited a huge platter of sliced roast pheasant.
“This all looks amazing,” I said. “I could’ve helped make something.”
“Jancie’s a great cook.” Rowe filled water goblets. “I’ll bet you can cook up some good New Wish meals, too.”
“I like to cook and will be glad to help if we do this again.”
“You got it!” Jancie grinned and took a seat across from me. “We wanted to do something nice for you and Logan. He’s new to being the high priest, and you’ve had anything but an easy time getting settled. But the meal wasn’t as hard as it looks. Kier conjured all the fancy table settings and did a lot of the clean up the same way. Something I can’t do.”
“Cool. Can you do that?�
� I asked Logan, taking every chance to gaze at his handsome face. “Conjure table settings and dish washing?”
“’Fraid not. If that’s a deal-breaker, then we’re off.” He gave me a cute, mock frown.
A wide smile lifted my cheeks. “Not as long as you’ll do the dishes.” I enjoyed trying out the newness of being a couple.
“Keir, I sure don’t understand why you haven’t caught yourself a girl yet.” Jancie passed the bread to him at the head of the table.
Rowe grinned her way. “You’re turning into quite the matchmaker. We just got Logan with Aggie, and now Keir? Slow down. After him, I’m out of close friends.”
“It’s more fun with couples. Being the only girl in this group is a drag.” She flashed me a sisterly smile and asked Keir, “So, do I need to fix you up?”
I beamed, thrilled to be acknowledged as Logan’s date and happy to be included in their group. However, I still wanted to pinch myself to believe that was true. Despite all the happiness, I couldn’t fully enjoy the wonderful company. Darkness of the curse and banshee hung at the back of my mind, keeping my nerves wound overly tight.
Keir ripped off half of the roll and handed it down to Waapake who stood at his side. The seer shrugged and with a lopsided grin quietly said, “I have Waapake. We’re good.”
The coyote gobbled up the handout, then turned to me on his other side. Again, his eyes transformed, glowing with an internal fire.
Under his gaze, my hands shook, and I dropped my fork into my lap.
Logan passed me the potatoes. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” I attempted to take the dish, but he held it for me to scoop my serving. “I feel a strange magical connection to the coyote. I don’t know what it means.”
Keir studied me. “Waapake reads people, animals, and spirits as well or better than I do.” He waved the coyote aside. “Let Aggie eat her meal before we work.”
I grinned and picked up my fork.
As the serving dishes came to rest, conversation quieted while we enjoyed the meal.
After savoring a morsel of pheasant, I said to Jancie, “This fowl tasted of sage that only a New Wish witch can grow. Makes me homesick.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” she replied. “Like I said, I’ve only visited there, but my mother was from there and taught me her ways with herbs.”
Waapake’s presence between Keir and me commanded my attention. I handed the coyote a bite of pheasant. For the brief moment when his pink tongue licked my finger, my mind spun with images too jumbled to distinguish. What did this mean? Perhaps Kier would know. I sipped some cool water to collect my jangled nerves.
Rowe rubbed his stomach and patted Jancie’s hand. “So there’s magic in your cooking. Is that how you charmed me?”
Laughter at Rowe’s remark echoed around the table, and I sputtered out a quiet chuckle.
He planted a kiss on Jancie’s cheek. “That was a wonderful meal, and I’m a lucky guy.” He pushed his plate aside and leaned forward onto his elbows. “But the real reason we’re here is to brainstorm ways to solve Aggie’s problems. A family curse, a banshee, mean Ned Murdock, his dead mother after you, townies playing pranks at her house, and a wild riddle from Cyril to solve before Samhain. The clock’s ticking at least on that one.”
“Those incidents have to be related,” Logan added. “If we could figure out how, we’d save time.”
“I’m willing to bet they are.” Rowe nodded. “Aggie, did you learn any more about why Botilda Murdock hexed you?”
I shook my head with a sigh. “I checked Hypatia’s photo all day, and she wasn’t there. Shireen said her mother often traveled to visit other family members’ photos throughout the house. I checked them all twice, but couldn’t find her. I’ll keep trying tomorrow.”
“Yes, keep at it,” Rowe said. “As a council member, I have freer access to the coven archives. There might be some notes about a wrongdoing on either Ned’s or Hypatia’s part. My parents were both council members during that period and kept detailed journals, which I have. Those might turn up some explanation as well.”
“Did the sheriff ever get back to you?” I asked Logan. “I can tell by your eyes, it wasn’t good.”
Glints of midnight streaked his crystal eyes. “After my third call. The Becks are an important family in Bentbone. Eric’s uncle owns the pizzeria, his grandfather owns the main grocery, and his father, the print shop.”
“The printer where Rachelle works?” Jancie faced me. “She’s one of my closest friends.”
“The sheriff said there’s nothing he can do since no one got hurt.” Logan wadded his napkin into his fist. “I doubt that’d even make a difference. The sheriff’s office has a history of avoiding coven issues.” He looked around the table at Keir and Rowe. “We were just discussing before dinner that we have to take matters into our own hands. I’ve assigned some of the haunted house workers to patrol the grounds during operation. They’ll also check the property hourly from dark to midnight when we’re not open.”
I touched his forearm. “Thanks. That helps, knowing someone will be around.”
Jancie sat straighter, eyes gleaming. A smug, tight-lipped grin lit her face. “I have an idea. Aggie, I mentioned earlier that you and I need to have lunch sometime. Maybe at the pizza place? I’ll take a few hours off from the bank.”
“That’s a great idea! I’d love to.”
“I’ll bet together we can make Eric squirm until he talks.” She and I exchanged knowing looks. Whether through feminine wiles or New Wish magic, we’d make him squeal.
Keir laughed. “That guy’s in real trouble now.”
“Poor bastard might even turn himself in to the sheriff for protection.” Rowe guffawed, shaking his head.
Jancie leaned across the table to me. “Maybe we’ll stop at the salon and have our hair done before lunch. Looking pretty never hurts when you want to get something from a guy.”
“Oh! Yes. I’ve been wanting to try a different style. Sounds devilish.”
“It does. My kind of fun.” Green bands shot through the of her eyes. “Does tomorrow work for you?”
I nodded so hard, I almost bounced in my seat. “I’ll call Shireen when I get home, just to be sure.”
“Great. I’ll take off at eleven. Can you meet me at the Federal Bank then?” Jancie’s ginger hair flamed with fiery red streaks, as if she was about to combust. Whether from her magic or from an agitated crystal spirit in the chandelier above us, the excitement sparked my own witchcraft. I couldn’t wait.
“I’ll have Cerise give me a ride. Wish I could drive. Toby’s teaching me this weekend, and I have a car—a green Nash.” I continued to Logan. “Not as nice as yours, though.”
“I can drive you, so you don’t have to bother Cerise,” Logan said.
Jancie’s brows knit. “That’d sure spoil our plan if Eric saw you drop Aggie off downtown.”
Logan eyed Jancie, then gave me a sidelong look. “You’re getting your hair done for this guy like it’s a date? Am I missing something here?”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not. Don’t worry. I wanted to get my hair cut anyway.”
“Lighten up, man,” Keir said to Logan. “These two will be a force not to be denied.”
Logan nodded to his coffee cup, then glanced my way. “I just want you to be safe.”
“I’ll do my best.” I rubbed his shoulder and looked around the table. “Do any of you know why my wand amplified Eric’s voice outside the homestead? The wand isn’t even consecrated yet.”
Jancie and Rowe shook their heads. “Never used a wand,” Rowe added. “More common with older folks here.”
Keir’s thick, black brows lifted. “I use wands, or charred twigs, to move energy in complex readings. From my experience, the woods that perform best are those aligned with either my energy or with the energy I’m processing.” He faced me, his eyes intent and focused, voice restrained but direct. “I feel certain if the matriarch tree
chose you, as Logan described, then some power’s already active. That wand might become a tremendous tool once consecrated. I’d include that tree in your ceremony.” He turned to his coyote, and gave a quiet directive, “Waapake, bring bones and stones.”
“How do you perform your consecrations?” I asked.
“I usually anoint myself, the wand, and the donor tree, if it’s available. I recite a chant that seems particularly meaningful to how I want the wand to perform. I do the ceremony on a sabbat or moon phase that also corresponds to my desired outcome.”
“The full moon rises in one week. The hunter’s moon.” I tilted my head. “That makes sense. The banshee considers me her prey, while my goal is to reverse those roles and become the hunter.”
“Perfect alignment.” His elbows on the chair arms, he pressed his fingertips together and stared across the room. “I have a good feeling about your consecration.”
Logan raised his coffee cup to the seer. “If he has a good feeling, you’re on the right track.”
“Will you join me at my consecration, Keir?” I asked.
He gave a single nod. “My pleasure. I’ll prepare something special to help spirits connect.” The coyote returned with a large leather bag in his mouth, which Keir accepted and then thanked his familiar with an ear rub. “Aggie, come close.” The seer shook the pouch, and hard objects rattled inside.
I moved beside him, and the others circled around.
Waapake sat up, tan-rimmed ears pricked forward, golden eyes following the shaking pouch.
Keir smoothed the rising fur along the coyote’s back. “You want to help me?” The seer bent low and scattered the bag’s contents onto the hand-loomed tribal rug.
For the next few minutes, Waapake’s silver muzzle sniffed at the pieces, while Keir closed his eyes and kept a hand on his familiar.
We waited in silence.
Coon Hollow Coven Tales 1-3 Page 45