Looking for Mr. Good Witch

by Joyce

  Night was starting to fall when the three sisters walked in the door. I peered into the shadows outside but couldn’t make out the sea witch. I could feel her there waiting for the right moment. We couldn’t allow that to happen.

  The sisters were wearing long, hooded cloaks in matching deep purple. They’d twined seaweed into their hair, and extended their blessings as they’d come into the shop.

  “Blessed Be.” Belinda bowed her head.

  “Let’s kill this chick,” Elizabeth added.

  “We’re ready for you,” I told them. “Please close and lock the door, Olivia. Pull the blinds too, and turn off the lights.”

  CHAPTER 42

  Help me face my fear

  On this dark night.

  Stars, guide me,

  Moon, shield me.

  Olivia had played around with pulling the shades on the front windows and had finally been able to accomplish it. She was like a child with the thrill of doing something new.

  “Is the dead woman staying?” Althea asked. “I’ve always heard it’s bad luck to attempt a spell with a ghost present.”

  “We’ve done many spells with our sister present,” I told her. “But if she bothers you, she’ll wait in another room. We don’t want to be handicapped by prejudices. What we’re doing is too important.”

  “Another room?” Olivia whined. “The only other room is the supply closet. You’re not banishing me in there, are you?”

  “Never mind,” Althea said. “Just tell her to be quiet.”

  We took our places at the borders of the old net and blessed it again. We each took turns giving small parts of our elements to the enchantment. We were very fortunate to have witches with earth, air, fire and water magic represented. It would make for a more powerful spell.

  The three sisters added their hair to ours in the basket. They presented us with a big plastic bucket full of seaweed. It seemed that we were ready to start.

  As we began weaving the seaweed and hair through the strands of the old net, Belinda began to cry. She mourned her son as she worked. We all centered on Sam’s loss and shared our tears in the spell. I could feel the power growing.

  It took about an hour to weave the thin rope, hair and seaweed into the old net. It was already damp from our tears. We were ready to start.

  “Open the front door, Olivia.” I hoped she was up to the task.

  The front door swung open. The evening breeze held the scent of the Cape Fear River—and something else—magic. It was powerful, frightening—a storm coming toward us that I hoped we could survive.

  The sea witch—for she was no longer Portia de Winter or anything human—swept up the stairs bringing cold, wet air with her. The candles in the shop immediately went out. The icy tendrils of her power threaded through me.

  The six of us continued chanting the protection spell we’d agreed on. Slivers of doubt entered my mind as to whether or not it would be strong enough to hold her. I clutched my amulet and forced myself to concentrate. It was difficult to ignore the strong water energy she’d brought with her. It was as though we were standing in the middle of a hurricane and trying not to notice it.

  “You think to trap me with your weak, foolish magic?” The sea witch laughed, her voice grating up and down my spine. “Your magic is nothing compared to mine. You can’t hold me. Give me the boy and all of you will live.”

  We kept chanting and holding hands as she came into the shop. Dorothy’s hand was tightly clutching mine. I knew it was probably harder for her than for any of the rest of us. Not that Elsie and I had ever battled, or hoped to trap, a sea witch.

  But this was only one of a few dozen spells that Dorothy had ever participated in. I hoped she could hold steady until the spell was done.

  “You!” The sea witch singled me out, grasping me by the throat and lifting me from my place at the net. “You think to use my amulet against me? You have no idea how to wield that power. Give it to me now.”

  I gripped the edge of the net with desperate fingers. She shook me like a rag doll, but I refused to let go. Except for a brief glance from Dorothy when the sea witch grabbed me, she continued chanting.

  I continued chanting the protection spell, though one of the sea witch’s strong claws was painfully wedged in my skin. It was a good distraction from her real motive for being there. She hadn’t gone after Brian yet or called him to her because she was so intent on taking the amulet.

  She put her bony claw under the chain and tried to pull off the amulet. The chain didn’t break, and I continued chanting, even though my feet dangled above the wood floor.

  “What magic is this?” she demanded. “The secret is no doubt your death, woman. I can help you with that.”

  I could feel the magic of our spell building. Olivia slammed the shop door closed as the net began to glow. Our energy began to make the net stick to her. She tried to writhe away from it, but the harder she tried to escape, the more she stuck. She was pulled to the wood floor, the net encompassing her. Her hold on me was finally free.

  I hit the wood hard too but managed to get to my feet. “Now, sisters. We must do it now.”

  Together we lifted the enchanted net and covered the sea witch in it. She flailed madly and tried to remove it, but our spell held strong and wouldn’t be thrown off. She screamed, and her uncanny eyes burned into ours. She was trapped by our magic and the pain of loss. Witchcraft is emotion, and there was plenty there to force her to submit that night.

  Finally, she lay there, limp and powerless. “Is she dead?” Belinda whispered.

  “I don’t think so,” Elsie responded. “But no magic.”

  “Are you okay?” Dorothy asked me.

  “I’m fine.” I moved my neck experimentally. “Just a little sore and bruised. Check on Brian.”

  “What now, Molly?” Elsie asked, moving away from the sea witch.

  “She can’t do anything else now. It’s over.”

  “How can you be sure?” Elizabeth demanded. “I think we should throw her in a fire.”

  “I have to take what’s left of her to the Bone Man, and then to the council.” I didn’t go into an explanation. “She won’t bother anyone again.”

  Sam’s mother and aunts weren’t happy with that resolution. They’d wanted to see her explode or perish in some other theatrical event. The victory seemed as though it should have been more remarkable. “We should at least kill her.” Althea’s pretty face was harsh in the dim light.

  “That won’t bring Sam back,” Belinda said. “I don’t want that stain on my life. So done to another, done to me. Let her take the guilt.”

  We acknowledged each other and gave blessings before the sisters left Smuggler’s Arcane. Althea and Elizabeth were unsatisfied, but Belinda was happy with the outcome.

  I still reserved judgment. What would happen when I took the sea witch to the Bone Man? Was I wrong not to give her to Cassandra and the council first?

  “I don’t know about anyone else, but I could do with a glass of elderberry wine,” Elsie said. “I think there’s still enough from last summer.”

  “That doesn’t do me any good,” Olivia protested. “But I was able to close the door. Did you all see that?”

  “I saw it.” Brian’s voice joined ours as Elsie switched on the lights. “I’d like some of that wine too. Thanks for saving my life again.”

  “You’re okay!” Dorothy squealed and kissed him at least a dozen times.

  “I don’t know if I can handle my daughter being in love,” Olivia drawled. “Maybe that’s why parents change poopy diapers when their kids are small—to prepare them for the real nasty parts.”

  I sank into my chair with a sigh. “So mote it be!”

  I wrestled with my conscience through what was left of that night. Elsie, Dorothy, Brian and I spent the night at Smuggler’s Arcane to be cer
tain the sea witch didn’t escape.

  I talked with Joe, explained what had happened and why he and Suzanne would never be able to close this case, even though it was over.

  Everyone had their opinions on what should be done first—taking the sea witch to the council or to the Bone Man. But I knew that, if the council took the sea witch, I wouldn’t get her back to give her to the Bone Man. He wouldn’t continue protecting Joe, and his reprisal for not fulfilling my part of the agreement might be terrible.

  She had to go to Oak Island first and then be handed over to the council. I couldn’t force the Bone Man to give her up to justice for the young witches she’d killed, but nothing I did would bring them back, and I had to look to my own.

  I didn’t want to visit the Bone Man alone again. I was scared and wanted someone to hold my hand, I suppose. And I wasn’t sure I could get the sea witch to the island by myself. Though she hadn’t moved or spoken since we’d trapped her in the net, her eyes still followed our movements.

  Everyone went along, as though it was a picnic or some other fun outing and not delivering a prisoner to whatever fate awaited her.

  Even Olivia went, although she planned to wait by the lighthouse until we’d talked to the Bone Man. It meant a lot to me that she was willing to go that far after her personal experience with him right after her death.

  I made sure that all of us were on the ferry at the same time—no more sudden swells that sent the ferry off without warning. I even made us hold hands and invoked a spell for clarity. I didn’t let on to them that I was scared to go out there again. I’d always been nervous about visits to Oak Island, but after the last time, I was extra cautious.

  The sea witch stood looking out over the gray ocean, which slapped against the boat. We’d put one of the hooded robes on her, and no one asked any questions. I could still feel the strong pull of her magic on my amulet. I wouldn’t allow myself to look into her eyes. I wasn’t afraid of her now, but I didn’t want to know what was hidden there.

  “She survived at the cost of other lives,” Elsie whispered, her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t pity her, Molly. This is magic beyond us. There’s nothing we can do for her.”

  “What a lovely day for a boat ride.” Dorothy had kissed Brian a few dozen times.

  “If you don’t mind being on the water.” Elsie kept her hands on the boat rail. “I’m not partial to it myself. But that’s not surprising, since I’m a fire witch.”

  “It’s okay,” Brian said. “I can take it or leave it. I’ll bet Molly enjoys it.”

  “Yes I do. Although going to see the Bone Man is always a little frightening.”

  Elsie had regaled Brian and Dorothy with tales of our meetings with the Bone Man through the years. Neither of them seemed impressed by what she’d told them. I reminded myself that the Bone Man had to be experienced to understand. I didn’t know a single witch who’d asked him for help who wasn’t terrified of him.

  “Why come to him at all if he’s so scary?” Brian grinned. “You could go online or ask through the grapevine for what you need.”

  “I don’t know about online,” Elsie said. “But the grapevine eventually ends up at the council’s ears. No one wants that.”

  Brian’s eyes searched the horizon. “My family expects me to take my grandfather’s seat on the council one day. I don’t think I want to do that.”

  “Why not?” Dorothy asked. “Think of all the good you could do.”

  “There are too many other voices and opinions to change anything meaningful. You heard what Elsie and Molly said about Makaleigh’s opinion of non-witch babies. I can’t imagine being part of that.”

  Elsie patted his shoulder. “There will be new voices and new opinions on the Grand Council, Brian. Change will come. The beliefs of witches who have lived through evil times in the past will fade.”

  “You might be right,” he partially agreed. “But I also know you’re a big optimist, Elsie. Life isn’t always as pretty as you see it.”

  She blushed. “Why, thank you. I’d rather see the pretty life than the ugly one. It’s all a matter of perspective.”

  The ferry finally bumped against the dock on Oak Island. It had been a rough crossing, the sea unusually gray and choppy. Spray from the water hitting the rocks beside the walkway splashed us as we got off the boat with the sea witch between us.

  “Looks like rain,” Elsie said. “I knew something was coming—my bunion hurt all night.”

  “Does every witch have a part of their body that foretells something?” Dorothy asked with a smile. “Mom was telling me about her elbow that used to hurt when the stock market was about to take a dive.”

  Olivia, who’d been unusually quiet on the trip, joined in the conversation. “That’s right. My mother had migraines when she was going to find a new lover.”

  I saw her glance around the island and bite her lip. I realized she was as afraid as I was. Both of us had had unusual experiences with the Bone Man that we didn’t want to repeat.

  Was it my imagination or were Olivia’s features stronger and better defined? Maybe it was everything she was doing to become physically stronger. I’d heard stories of ghosts that were so well formed that they couldn’t be differentiated from the living people around them. If that was the case, I’d be glad when she was substantial enough that I could hug her again.

  “My mother had a green thumb—literally. An earth witch, she loved her garden. Her thumbs would turn a pale green right before one of her prize flowers bloomed.” I smiled at the memory. “My physical malady is an earache if a hurricane is coming close to Wilmington.”

  “That’s right.” Elsie clapped her hands. “I remember that one back in the nineteen seventies. Molly knew three days before the weatherman that the tropical storm was going to become a hurricane.”

  “What about you, Brian?” Dorothy asked.

  “I don’t know. I can tell when someone is cheating at poker. Does that count?”

  We laughed at that. Dorothy didn’t have a physical manifestation of her magic yet either. But they were both very young, just getting started in their lives.

  Elsie and I took the lead, the sea witch subdued and silent between us as we started walking across the island toward the lighthouse. The wind whipped foam on the water as people visiting the lighthouse struggled to keep their souvenir hats that said SHRIMP FEVER on their heads.

  I smiled at Olivia as she stood in the shade of the old lighthouse. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Just be careful out there, Molly. You know that the Bone Man is more than he appears to be—although goodness knows that’s frightening enough. Don’t let him talk you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I won’t. Don’t worry. I have plenty of backup.”

  She nodded, and I could tell she wished she could go back there with us too. But she was too vulnerable. Maybe some other time, if her ghostly abilities kept growing. It was ironic that she’d spent her whole life trying to be a better witch only to find herself learning to be something else.

  “When you’re ready,” I said to Brian and Dorothy, who were kissing again near the woods.

  “We’re ready,” Brian replied. “The Bone Man doesn’t scare me.”

  Elsie shushed him. “Be careful what you say.”

  Her words were blown away by a sharp crack of lightning over the sea. Rain gushed from the dark, swirling clouds above us.

  “We have to follow the path through the woods to the old cemetery!” I shouted at them to be heard above the weather.

  Elsie was right beside me. Dorothy and Brian were behind us. Following the well-worn path, we trudged through the wet sand between the trees. The storm came down hard on the island. It was hard to see anything that wasn’t right in front of me. I kept my eyes open for the first of the old settler’s tombstones.

  I reache
d the center of the cemetery. This was where the Bone Man usually made his appearance. I tried to still the rapid beating of my heart by taking deep, slow breaths. I looked back for Elsie, but she wasn’t there. Neither was Brian or Dorothy. I forced myself to stop clutching the sea witch’s arm.

  The rain suddenly stopped and the wind grew quiet. It was as though I were standing in the eye of a hurricane. The sky above me was blue and birds were singing in the trees.

  I called for Elsie, Dorothy and Brian. That inner sense that usually told me they were close by was gone. I felt alone and disoriented. I started to retrace my steps through the woods.

  “Molly.” The Bone Man suddenly appeared—as he always did—from behind a tombstone. “You brought her to me.”

  “I did, but we have to talk.” My voice trembled and I fought to get hold of myself. “Let me find my friends . . .”

  He grinned, black teeth showing in his red mouth. “No need. They’ve returned to the lighthouse. You weren’t clever to bring them with you. We don’t need them.”

  “I brought her to you, but she must answer to the Grand Council of Witches for the deaths of the witches.” My voice shook despite my best intentions.

  “The witches’ council means nothing to me. You’ve done well, Molly. You saved your friend, and honored our agreement.”

  “One of those young witches was the son of a friend of mine. Magic won’t bring him back. His family requires justice.”

  “Human life is fragile and short,” he mused. “Even a witch’s life.”

  I didn’t like how this was going, even though I had expected it. I knew there was nothing I could do, as Elsie had said. “Easy to say that when you’re a sea god, eh, Manannan MacLir?”

  When I said his name, an immediate transformation took place. His frightening shape as the Bone Man was only glamour too.

  In his place stood an average-sized man with very pale skin and long black hair. He was amazing to look at, like no one I had ever seen. His eyes were constantly changing color from blue to green to gray. He exuded magic that was stronger even than what I’d felt from the sea witch. My amulet grew warm and animated as he changed.