by Cherie Marks
“Yes, and introductions are long overdue.” She reached a hand out to help me up, and I took it, only slightly hesitant. Yet, another stranger was invading my personal space. But I was curious to figure out who she was and what she was doing here. What were the odds she was here to help me? It wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.
“Well, you seem to know my name. I’m Evelina H…Ward, and this is my cat, Clooney.”
“Named after George, no doubt.”
“Actually, his father, Nick. He’s a fairly ancient warlock apparently, and my mother thought he was handsome.”
“Hmm. Yes, I know. Interesting choice. But, more to the point, I’m Baba Yaga, and I’m kind of a big deal.”
Clooney let out a loud screeching yowl and shot out of the room. I knew that didn’t mean good things.
“Clearly, my reputation precedes. Let me guess, he’s your familiar? And a fantastic protector, it would seem.”
“He’s just my...cat…who can…talk.” I cringed at my words. I sounded insane. Most cats didn’t talk, and even I knew only a crazy person believed otherwise. On the other hand, she’d appeared in a cloud of pink smoke. She clearly knew more about magic than I did.
“Oh, you have so much to learn, witchling.”
“What? No! I think you’re confused. I’m not a witch.”
Her look turned fiery and irate as she planted her hands on her hips. “Are you calling me a liar? Or just telling me I’m stupid?”
I rushed to assure her, “Neither! I didn’t mean any insult, but I gave up magic, and I don’t want anything to do with it anymore.”
“Well, that’s unacceptable, Evie. Your mother wouldn’t approve.”
My back stiffened, and I stood as tall as I could, even though it meant I was still close to a foot shorter than Baba Yaga. “My mother’s no longer here, and I could never be like her. I’m not wicked like she was.”
“Wicked? Are you serious with this right now? Is that what you’ve been told about your mother? If I had a heart, it would be breaking currently.” She lifted her hands as if to reassure me with a touch, but after waving her fingers in the air a few times just used them to comb back my unruly hair. A huge smile split her striking face. “I know what we’ll do. Let’s go shopping. A little retail therapy is called for, I think.”
“Actually, I was just packing to leave.”
“Oh? Taking a vacation?”
“Yeah, like a permanent one.”
The smile never left her lips as she said, “No. That won’t do. You have to stay here. I’ve got plans for you, my dear, and you kind of have to be here for them to work.”
Chapter 5
Nothing she said or did would make me stay in Asscrack any longer than this conversation took to finish. I was leaving, and nothing would make me change my mind.
“If you leave, you’ll die, Evie.”
Except maybe that. But how could she be so sure? “I’ve made it this far. Why am I suddenly in more danger than before?”
Her lips tipped up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes at all. “You think nothing’s changed? I have news for you, witchling. Everything has changed since you came to Asscrack.”
“How? I’ve been to a hundred small towns just like this one.”
“That’s just the thing. You’ve never been in a town like this one. We have more strange beings here than anywhere else in the United States, possibly the world. You know what that means?”
I waited for her to complete her thought, but she just stared at me with a raised eyebrow. What was she trying to tell me? I had no idea.
Finally, she said, “Asscrack is a magnet for paranormal activity. I would imagine you can sense the magic in others here. Well, it’s mutual. You have a target on your back, and more beings know what you are now. They’ll know how to come at you now. If you stay, you’ll be protected, but if you go, those that mean you harm will follow, and they won’t stop until they’ve tracked you down and destroyed you.”
“I’ve got Clooney. And I’ve taken care of myself up ‘til now. I’ll be fine.”
“Up ‘til now, though, you’ve only had to deal with one or two at a time. Thanks to your little sojourn here, you’ll have more than you can possibly handle chasing you now. No other option. You need my protection.”
“This is ridiculous! If they’re coming for me, what can you do? If Karrena wants me that badly, there’s no stopping her.”
I heard a snap of fingers behind me—the only warning I had before I was no longer in my house. Instead, biting cold hit my exposed skin as swirling snow surrounded me. I glanced around in complete disbelief at the landscape of pure white. Snow blanketed everywhere I looked, and the scene before me was broken only by mounds and mounds of blown snow.
I wrapped my arms around myself, attempting to cover and warm my painfully frozen body. In the dim light, I made out something through the snow floating in the air. A huge shadow was coming toward me at a brutal pace. Whatever it was, was going to run right over me. As it ran into the light, I finally got my first real view of…a frickin’ polar bear…barreling right at me.
My breathing grew erratic, and the puffs of condensation coming from my mouth blossomed into huge clouds as I opened wide, snapped my frozen eyes shut, and screamed.
The hollow sound of my cry changed suddenly as I felt warm air around me once again. I squinted my eyes to see if I was still in the path of a charging bear, but instead, saw Lady Yaga, or whatever strange name she gave, standing in front of me with her arms crossed and that eyebrow raised again.
“Was that an illusion or did you really just send me to the North Pole without so much as a pair of earmuffs?”
She uncrossed her arms and produced a nail buffer. While she went to work on her nails, she said, “You were actually there. What did you think of that?”
“What did I think of it?” My voice was going into high-range falsetto with my irritation. “There was a bear. Coming at me. A fuckin’ bear almost ate me. You want to know what I think of that? I think you’re crazy!”
“Aren’t you being a little dramatic? You survived, and let’s be honest, it was pretty impressive. I mean, I sent you there in the blink of an eye. Even someone like you who denies her magical abilities, has to be impressed with that.”
She was right that it was impressive, but my heart still pounded with the fear of my imminent death. It wasn’t every day I saw a frickin’ charging predator coming at me. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure she wasn’t here to kill me herself.
“As awesome as your powers clearly are, why should I trust you when you nearly killed me to make your point?”
“You should trust me because I’m Baba Yaga, that’s my title not my name, by the way. I protect my witches, and you are a witch, no matter how many times you insist otherwise. But if I did that to someone I like, imagine what I’d do to someone I don’t.”
Her points were valid as much as I hated to admit it, and I was tired of running. Not to mention, I really didn’t want to leave Celia and the other Mounters. For the first time ever, I felt like I belonged, like I was wanted, and I didn’t want to start over.
“So, if I did trust you and decided to stay, how would you protect me?”
“I’ve got the perfect bodyguard for you, and he’ll also teach you how to be a proper witch. He’ll instruct you on magic use and how to defend yourself. Before long, you won’t even need him anymore because you’ll be so strong.”
Oh, no, no, no, no! She expected me to become a real, wicked witch, just like my mother. But Karenna had taught me how to be good and suppress my powers. As much as I wanted to stay in Asscrack, I’d sworn a long time ago that I would never do magic again. It only led to disaster, and I knew that firsthand. Yet, as I looked toward my bedroom and my packed suitcase, the desire to stay was heavy. I didn’t want to go.
But, in order to stay, I’d have to practice magic. Could I do that? I didn’t think I had it in me to bring back all that I swore never to revisi
t. This wasn’t something I’d decided on a whim. When I did magic, bad things happened. Yet, I didn’t want to leave now.
“Not saying I will do magic, but I’m tired of running.”
“Great! Just sign this agreement to stay here.” A pen suddenly appeared in my hand.
“What? Shouldn’t I read it first?”
“No, standard boilerplate. Nothing to worry about.”
Reluctantly I signed my name.
“And initial here, here, and here.”
I followed her instructions, not sure I hadn’t just made my situation worse.
“So, I’m going to send your bodyguard over around dinner. He’s not bad to look at and takes his work very seriously. Too seriously, sometimes, but I’m sure you and your friends can loosen him up.”
“I guess I should thank you, Ms. Yaga. I don’t often get someone watching out for me…unless you count Clooney. Still not exactly sure where he went.”
She laughed lightly and explained, “Baba Yaga is my title, like President or CEO of Awesome. And there’s no guessing about it. My protection isn’t unselfish. It’s all in the contract. I’ll expect you to help me out when I ask. That’s how this relationship actually works.” She motioned back and forth between us, and I realized it was naïve of me to think she was doing this out of the goodness of her heart. After all, she’d made it clear she didn’t even have a heart.
“Of course. If you can find a way to keep me here and safe, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“I know you will. Now, before I go, let me assure you that I’ve put a protection on your house that few will be able to evade. Your bodyguard will be one of the few, so no need to be nervous about a stranger claiming to be him.”
I nodded before asking, “Can you at least tell me his name so that I know you sent him.”
She waved her right hand around a few times like she was thinking my request over. Then, she stared at me intently, as if she were trying to see deep inside my head. I got the uncomfortable feeling she was trying to read my thoughts.
Finally, she shrugged and said, “His name is Dane Calvin.
Before I could utter a single protest, she disappeared with a pop and pink smoke again. As I waved away the bright fog, I coughed and hung my head. Just great! I knew I should’ve run.
Chapter 6
The knock on my door was expected, but I still jumped from my spot at the kitchen table and coffee sloshed over the rim of my mug. My chair slammed backwards and hit the floor. I set my mug down and set the chair back up, testing out a few curse words under my breath.
As I stepped toward the front of the house, the doorbell rang, and my stomach filled up with waves of energy. I peeked out the window to make sure it really was him. Then, I opened the door and met the serious gaze of his familiar face.
“Mr. Calvin. I suppose the Baba Yaga or whoever she is sent you here to hash out the details.”
“Since we’re going to be working together so closely, you should probably call me Dane.”
I trod backward so he could come inside and closed the door behind him. Trying to keep everything as neutral as possible, I walked back into the kitchen and sat at the small table once more, happy to have something solid between us.
“You want some coffee? Just made it.” I lifted my mug and took a sip.
He shook his head. “Listen, Evie. If this is going to work, we’ve got to plan a schedule, and at all times, you’ll have to follow the rules I set forth.”
I didn’t like how things were starting off. “Look, you can boss me around at work, but in my own house, I’d prefer to call the shots.”
“You do realize there are creatures out there who want to get their claws into you? They’ll stop at nothing to do it, and now you’re more exposed than ever. You need to trust me in this because I know how to keep you safe.”
“What have I been doing for the past ten years?”
“Getting by on pure, dumb luck, I’m sure.” He ran his hand down his face, and I felt my irritation building.
“Really? Luck, huh? You don’t know me, so stop talking to me like you have me all figured out.”
He blinked hard a couple times before explaining, “I know more than you can imagine. I know that Karrena Hunter took you at the age of six and spent the next ten years messing with your head until somehow at sixteen you escaped. You’ve been running ever since, and now you’ve run right into a trap.”
A trap was news to me, but he really didn’t know all the details. I certainly wasn’t willing to divulge the whole dysfunctional childhood thing, but I did want him to know one thing. “I didn’t escape at sixteen. I adopted a cat, who just happened to be my mother’s familiar, Clooney. I thought I was going crazy when he started talking to me, but he convinced me to take him to Hollywood, so he could live out his greatest fantasy. To be in all the movies. Though we only got him in one before we had to move on, that’s what started the journey away from Karrena. Once I was gone from her though, I saw everything I’d been missing out on and made the decision never to go back.”
“So, just as I said—simple, idiotic luck is what saved you.”
Unfortunately, now that I heard the story out loud, I had to agree with him. What were the odds I would choose to adopt Clooney? Not to mention, how had I managed to evade Karrena all these years? It wasn’t like I had special skills or ever used magic to make things happen. Anytime I was tempted to use magic, anxiety would make my brain buzz and my body shake. What if I’d only ever been lucky to get away from her?
“Doesn’t matter how it happened, Evie. But, now, you have to be more purposeful. You have to learn to use your powers, and I will show you how. With what I can teach you…”
“No! You don’t understand, Dane. It’s not that I bought all of Karrena’s brainwashing crap about magic being bad and the wickedness of witches…” I hadn’t bought it, right? “But my magic isn’t good magic. It messes things up.”
His eyebrows dipped together in the middle of his forehead. “Is that really what you believe?”
“It’s what I know.”
“So now, on top of everything else, I’ve got to boost your confidence too. Great! Just great.”
“Look, you don’t have to do anything. I’m fine to leave tonight. I’ll just run again. Find another small town in the middle of nowhere and start over. I’ve done it before. I can do it again.”
He blew an exhausted breath from his nose as he explained, “There’s no more running for you at this point. First, you signed a contract that said you wouldn’t run. Second, the minute you step out of town, Karrena’s henchmen will surround you and take you back to her. Third, it’s time for you to embrace your birthright. You’re one of the Hale witches, and it’s time for you to live up to that.”
Oh, no pressure or anything! “Well…well…I have three days to back out of any contract. That’s the law. I’ve got a foolproof plan to get past Karrena’s guards, and I’m not wicked enough to be a Hale.”
He shook his head wearily. “Evie, you should know, there’s no backing out of Baba Yaga’s contracts.”
“What’s the worst that can happen if I run anyway? My legs fall off? I die? I end up working a McJob for the rest of my life?”
“So, you did read the contract?”
“What? Those were consequences listed in the contract? I thought I was just making them up?”
“Yeah, no. Those are always in Baba Yaga’s boilerplate contracts. You literally sign your life away if you don’t honor the contract.”
I dropped my head to the tabletop with a groan. This was worse than I thought. I directed my next questions into the walnut finish of the top of the table as I asked, “What’s in the contract about my using magic.”
“You have until Halloween to learn how to defend yourself, or she’ll lock you up for the rest of your life.”
I lifted my head quickly and met his gaze. I could tell he meant every word of what he’d just told me. “The rest of my life? Why so lon
g?”
“Long? Yes, it would certainly be a long jail sentence. Not a short one at all.” If I were a suspicious person, which I was, I might think he was trying to send me a secret message in those words, but when I didn’t respond, he gave a quick shake of his head and said, “As a Hale witch, you have certain responsibilities. One of those is to make sure the forces of evil don’t rise up and take over the world on Halloween. Sounds like the plot of a B-movie, but it’s your life now. Since you’re currently the only surviving descendent, and the cycle repeats every twenty years, Baba Yaga will have no choice but to keep you within easy reach.”
“Wait. Whether I agree to help or not, she’ll still use me? How will that be possible?”
He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “I don’t know all the details. I just know what we have to do to prepare you. It won’t be easy, but if you want to live, it will be necessary.”
“Fine. I’ll follow your stupid rules. Lay them on me. What do I have to do?”
For the next hour, I listened to Dane’s rules and non-negotiables. I couldn’t leave the house without him by my side, couldn’t leave the school without his escort, couldn’t even order in take-out without his approval. Seemed a tad bit extreme to me, but I only interrupted with the occasional necessary, if slightly sarcastic, question.
“Can I go to the bathroom without your okay?”
He didn’t even bother to answer. Instead, he explained, “I’ve put a protection on the house and school, so you’ll be safe in those two places. I’ll put a charm on you, but it won’t protect you for long.”
“Why even bother then?”
“Trust me, it’s necessary. It’s the charm that witches and warlocks put on their children, but once you begin learning certain mature spells, it will fade quickly. That’s just how it’s designed.”
Great! At least now he was ready to admit he was treating me like a child. And I groaned as I dropped my head back on my neck and crossed my arms. I lowered my gaze to meet his again. “This is so much to take in.”
His serious expression didn’t change as he said, “Now’s as good a time as any to mention your lessons. You’ll have two sessions a day with me. We’ll meet at the school at six in the morning, and we’ll meet here at your house at six in the evening. We have to make a lot of progress in a short amount of time.”