The Witch Within

by M. Z. Andrews

  “But we’re investigating the death of Sorceress Stone. I think we have a right—” I began.

  Gemma glared at me then, her nostrils flaring slightly. “You have no rights, where Council business is concerned.”

  “If Sorceress Stone was discussed—”

  Gemma crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head slightly. “I have nothing further to say about Council business.”

  I sighed. “Fine. Sorceress Overbrook, can you remind us again what it is that you do for a living?”

  Gemma almost seemed to smile, as if that was a subject she felt good talking about. “Why yes, I am the founder of the Overbrook School of Witchcraft.”

  “And that’s purely an online school?” asked Alba.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “How do you teach magic online?” asked Holly, confused.

  Gemma looked at her haughtily. “Oh, I can assure you, it can be done! My school is very successful.”

  “I’m sure it is,” said Alba, fighting an eye roll. “How about we get to the part when Stone came into the Council’s meeting? Tell us about that.”

  “Well, we’d just called her over—”

  “To discuss graduation project requirements?” asked Holly.

  “More or less. And she’d just begun to go over the requirements when I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again, she was just… on the table. Just like you saw her in there.”

  “In the blink of an eye?” I asked.

  Gemma nodded. “That’s right. Literally in the blink of an eye.”

  “Did you notice anything different about the room or the rest of the witches at that point?” asked Alba.

  Gemma frowned and gave a light shrug. “Not that I recall. I mean, we were all so shocked that we jumped up and ran to the table.”

  “Did anyone attempt any life-saving measures?” I asked.

  “Daphne tried CPR. She had training in that, but SaraLynn didn’t respond to it. In addition, it was hard to know what kind of life-saving measures to attempt when you have no knowledge regarding the cause of death. There were no visible wounds on her body. She was just dead. If it was a heart attack, a poisoning, some type of magical means, anything, we really don’t know.”

  “Why didn’t you call an ambulance? Perhaps they could have helped her.”

  Gemma puffed air out her nose. “Listen. SaraLynn was dead when we found her. She wasn’t almost dead. She wasn’t sort of dead. She was dead. Okay? Why would we have called for an ambulance for a woman that’s already dead? We discussed it, and we decided that we needed to have some kind of investigation, but that that would take time. We knew we couldn’t very well hold classes and finals during that time, so we decided to call SaraLynn’s secretary over so we could cancel the rest of the week’s classes. Then we’d figure out how to proceed at that point. We’d only begun to discuss things when the group of you barged in and took over. So we really never got that far. Things just happened so fast.”

  “Why did you all assume that it was one of the witches on the Council that killed Stone?” asked Alba.

  “Like we mentioned in there, no one else knew we were even in the lounge. SaraLynn didn’t want us interrupted, so she’d given her secretary strict instructions not to tell any of her faculty or any of the students where we were meeting. In addition, I recall seeing SaraLynn lock the door when she entered the room. It’s obvious it was someone that has powers that killed her. They were able to put some kind of freezing spell on all of us. I just think it’s obvious that it had to be one of the other four women on the Council.”

  “And do you have any suspicions about any of the other witches on the Council that you’d like to share?”

  “Suspicions about any of the other witches?”

  “Yeah, you know, like do you know if anyone had a motive to want Sorceress Stone dead?”

  Gemma thought about it for several long seconds. Finally, she nodded. “Yes. Perhaps Daphne had a reason to do it.”

  “Daphne!” I said in surprise. Daphne had seemed like the most helpful of the group, and the least likely to have done it. “Why would you say Daphne?”

  Gemma lowered her chin. “I know that she comes off as all nicey-nice and everything, but I happen to know that Sorceress Stone knew a secret about Daphne Fletcher. And I can promise you, it was a secret worth killing over.”

  11

  Daphne Fletcher joined us in the hallway next. She had no problem accepting the chair we offered her, and looked up at us with what appeared to be genuine concern coloring her green eyes. “I’m really sorry about your teacher, girls.”

  “Thank you,” said Holly. “We actually didn’t like her very much, but she was our friend’s mom, so we mostly just feel bad for our friend.”

  I elbowed Holly in the ribs. “Holly!”

  Holly rubbed the spot I’d poked and looked at me in surprise. “What? It’s true!”

  “Yes, but it sounds horrible to say out loud.”

  Daphne smiled kindly at us. “It’s alright. I know Sorceress Stone was known to be a bit… oh, how shall I say it? Temperamental?”

  “You knew?” asked Alba.

  “Yes, it’s fairly common knowledge that Sorceress Stone ruled with an iron fist.”

  “So you knew her well?” I asked.

  Daphne lifted her brows. “Oh, no, no, no. This was actually the first time she and I had ever met.”

  “The first time? But you seemed to know about her temper—” said Holly.

  Daphne held up a hand. “Hearsay, pure hearsay. No firsthand knowledge myself, I can assure you. Being on the Council, I am privy to certain bits of information.”

  “So, all the members of the Great Witches Council know about her temperament?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “She’d never taken it too far, correct?” She glanced up at our faces.

  I wondered if almost turning us into snakes counted as taking it too far. Or repeatedly locking us in the tower. Firing electric blasts of energy at us, perhaps?

  When we didn’t speak, Daphne looked confused. “Of course, maybe not everything got reported to us?”

  “I would assume not everything got reported,” agreed Alba.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, girls. If she did anything to any of you—”

  I waved a hand at her. That was neither here nor there. Sorceress Stone was dead now, and deliberating about her crimes against us wasn’t going to bring her back to life or help us solve the mystery surrounding her death. Gemma Overbrook’s suspicions about Daphne Fletcher’s secret were at the forefront of my brain, though. I wanted to get to the bottom of that secret. “So, if we’re understanding you correctly, today was the first time you’ve ever been face-to-face with Sorceress Stone?” I asked.

  Daphne nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. Well, yesterday was the first time. When I got to town.”

  “You’re from Texas? Is that right, Sorceress Fletcher?”

  Daphne nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

  “And you’re in the Army or something?” asked Alba.

  “I’m not actually in the Army. I provide contractual services to the Texas Army National Guard.”

  “What does that mean? What do you actually do?”

  “Well, for example, if there’s a big fire, I use magic to help the team put it out. I’ve altered the paths of predicted tornadoes and hurricanes, and I reversed flooding near the Gulf. I’ve also aided in search and rescues. I’ve done a little bit of everything. But because they contract me, they just use me when they need me.”

  I was starting to get it. “So, what do you in your spare time?”

  Daphne shrugged. “Well, even though I’m contracted, I don’t have a lot of spare time. I get quite a lot of contracts, and those people are my family, so whenever they call, I come running. It’s always great to be taken back into the fold. But I also do what other women my age do. I’ve got five grown children. Two boys and three girls. I’ve got eight grandchildren. So I’m a grand
ma in my free time, mostly. I do a lot of reading. I volunteer in my town. Trust me, I’m never bored.”

  I believed her, too. Daphne was the oldest woman on the Council by far, but she had the spirit of a much younger witch, and just as much spunk as Gemma Overbrook—if not more!

  “Sorceress Fletcher, we have recently come to understand that Sorceress Stone knew a secret about you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I nodded and continued sharing the few details that Gemma Overbrook had shared with us. “Isn’t it true that Sorceress Stone knew a particularly interesting tidbit of information about you, that, if released to the Texas Army National Guard, might have ended your contractual services with them?”

  Daphne’s eyes widened. Her face turned ashen and her jaw went slack. “A tidbit of information?” she whispered.

  “Yes. A rather important secret,” I added.

  She shook her head. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Alba put a hand on the wall just over Daphne’s shoulder and leaned down closer to her face. “I think you know exactly what we’re talking about.”

  Daphne’s eyes moved wildly in their sockets. No doubt she was wondering if she could fib her way out of trouble or if we really did know everything already.

  Alba put the brakes on that for her. “No need to lie. We know everything. So how about we just get it out in the open, shall we?”

  Daphne swallowed hard. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

  “Sorceress Overbrook made it sound like it was a fairly big deal.”

  “She would,” said Daphne, rolling her eyes.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Holly.

  Daphne thought better of whatever she had to say and smiled instead. “Nothing. Listen, girls, as you know, Sorceress Overbrook runs an online witch academy. She provides continuing education classes for older witches, such as myself. I have recently partaken in some of her classes. Is that such a big deal?”

  Alba grinned at her. “Taking a few night classes in and of itself isn’t a big deal, no. But the reason behind taking those classes is what’s a big deal.”

  Daphne cleared her throat and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”

  Alba shrugged. “I’m not insinuating anything. The fact is, we know why you were taking those classes, and so did Sorceress Stone.”

  When Daphne didn’t say anything, Alba continued. “Sorceress Stone knew that you were losing your powers, didn’t she? She knew that the real reason you were taking classes at Gemma Overbrook’s School of Witchcraft was because you were trying to jump-start your powers into working again.”

  “I wouldn’t phrase it exactly like that…”

  “And isn’t it true that Sorceress Stone was threatening to tell the Texas Army National Guard the truth about you, that you had lost your powers?”

  “No, I—”

  “Is that why you killed her?” I asked. “So she wouldn’t tell anyone else your secret?”

  Alba nodded. “Because if the Texas Army National Guard discovered that you were no longer able to fulfill your contractual services, they’d be forced to cut ties with you. Isn’t that right, Sorceress Fletcher?”

  “I can’t be sure about that, but I certainly didn’t—”

  “And since you’ve never been an active member of the National Guard, you wouldn’t be offered any retirement benefits. Isn’t that also correct?”

  Daphne lifted her brows and shook her head lightly from side to side. “Well, yes. That’s true. But I knew that going in. I knew I wouldn’t receive retirement benefits as a contractor. What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that perhaps your income would dry up if they terminated your contract,” said Alba.

  “I’ve been fully aware for years that my income from them would dry up when I chose to retire.” Daphne looked hurt now. “But you girls don’t understand—”

  “Just tell us the truth. Did Stone threaten to tell the National Guard about your lack of powers, Sorceress Fletcher?”

  “She—”

  “Did you get upset with her?”

  “I—”

  But Alba wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise. “Upset enough to kill her?”

  Daphne shot out of her chair. “That is enough, young lady! Yes, Sorceress Stone discovered that my powers were fading, but that did not make me want to kill her! I would never kill anyone! I’m not that kind of a person! I’ve taken oaths to protect lives! It’s been my life’s mission! Yes, it made me upset that she was going to tell, but only because I’d not gotten my full strength back.”

  “Your full strength?” I asked, lifting a brow.

  Daphne nodded and began to pace. “You see, about a year ago, I got sick. It was a really bad bout of influenza, and then I got pneumonia on top of it. As you all may know, when witches get sick, our powers weaken until we’re well again. So when I got sick at my advanced age, the virus stripped my powers of their intensity. Magic is like a muscle. You have to exercise magic regularly, just like you have to exercise your muscles daily. If you don’t use it, you lose it! So during the time that I was sick, I really lost a lot of my magic muscle. I was only taking classes to flex my muscles once again, so to speak, so I could get my magical strength back. I knew I’d do it eventually. I wasn’t worried that I wouldn’t get it back. And even if I didn’t ever get my powers back, it would have been alright. I’ve been preparing for retirement for years! I have a large savings account. I have family that will look after me if I need them to. But now I’m in fine condition, and my powers are slowly getting back to their normal strength. So, as much as Sorceress Overbrook would like to point a finger at me, I must really say that I had nothing to do with Sorceress SaraLynn Stone’s untimely passing.”

  We were all silent as we processed her words. It was strange, but my gut was telling me we could trust her. I wasn’t sure if it was witchy intuition or something else, but I felt like she was probably telling the truth.

  Apparently Alba did too. Her shoulders fell slightly and she took a step backwards. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have been so rough on you. It’s just that Sorceress Stone is my friend’s mom. We have to get this mystery solved.”

  Daphne nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry I got so worked up too.”

  “Please, sit back down. I’ll contain myself,” said Alba, gesturing towards the chair.

  When Daphne sat, Alba had to take a walk. She strode away, her arms shaking by her side.

  As she paced the width of the hallway, I looked down at Daphne. “Sorceress Fletcher, can you think of any of the other four witches that might want to hurt Sorceress Stone?”

  She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know, I’ve been thinking about that ever since this happened. And I’m not just trying to point the finger back in the direction from which it was pointed at me, but the only one that I truly get a bad read from is Gemma. I don’t know if it’s because she’s got something to hide or if it’s because she just sort of assumed this leadership position when everything went down, but something just rubs me the wrong way about her. And usually, I get along with everyone. You know?”

  I hadn’t wanted to say it, but I was getting the same feeling from Gemma too.

  Holly nodded. “I felt it too.”

  Alba stopped pacing to agree with us. “And I don’t like the fact that Overbrook tried to throw you under the bus by telling Stone about your secret. That kind of information should be kept confidential.”

  I nodded. “Daphne, can you remember anything specific or unusual that happened before or after the time that Sorceress Stone was found dead on the table?”

  Daphne grimaced. “Unusual? Aside from the fact that, in what was the flash of an eye, she went from standing and speaking to dead on the table?”

  “Yeah, aside from that,” said Alba. “Like, what were the rest of the women in the room doing when that happened?”
/>
  Daphne lifted both arms in a baffled shrug. “They were just sitting around the room. I don’t think anyone changed positions. You know, we all got pretty worked up the minute we saw her. There wasn’t a lot of time to look around and see what everyone else was doing.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of what we’re hearing. Sorceress Fletcher, thank you for your time. If you think of anything or see anything in there, would you please let us know?”

  She nodded. “Of course I will.” She began to walk away. “And just so you all know, I think it’s very commendable of you all to be taking charge in such a devastating situation. You all have the makings of some very fine witches, and more than just that, some very fine women. Your families should all be very proud of you.”

  12

  Stella Blackwood was the third witch we interviewed. In getting to know her a little better, we learned she’d gone to the Institute when she was younger, as had her older siblings. After graduating, she’d met and married a man from Alaska and she’d moved away, never to return to Aspen Falls again, until now.

  “Did you go to school with Sorceress Stone?” asked Holly.

  “Oh no, SaraLynn was quite a number of years older than me. She’d already graduated years before I came to the Institute.”

  That answered one question for me. I’d been wondering how old Stella was, and yet I hadn’t wanted to be rude and ask. The woman walked with a very pronounced limp and needed a cane to keep her moving, but her face didn’t seem that old. Now I wondered if she’d been in an accident or had been born with some kind of physical handicap.

  “Had you met Sorceress Stone before coming to campus this week?” I asked.

  “No. As a matter of fact, this was the very first time we’d met. I’d always looked forward to meeting her but never had the opportunity.”

  Holly quirked a brow. “You actually looked forward to meeting Sorceress Stone? Why?”

  Stella smiled. “Oh, I’ve just heard about her a lot over the years. She’s a pretty well-known sorceress.”