by Megan Morgan
The witch held the bowl out to Lorena, and she tentatively took it. Inside was a thick green paste that smelled like flowers and herbs.
“This is everything else in the potion besides the water?” Lorena asked.
“According to her.” The witch nodded to Hazel.
“Give me the paper.” Lorena held her hand out to Hazel. “The one with the ingredients on it.”
Hazel pulled the paper out of the pocket of her dress. She handed it to Lorena.
“You didn’t lie, did you?” Lorena unfolded it.
“No.” Hazel gaped at her. “Why would I lie?”
Lorena thrust the paper at the witch. “Did she tell you all those things written on there?”
“Why do you doubt me!” Hazel crowed. “Why are you questioning my integrity?”
“Please.” Lorena rolled her eyes.
The witch glanced at the paper. “I can’t read that.”
“You can’t read English, either?”
“I cannot read.” She spoke disdainfully. “I came here as a small child, with my mother. She never taught me. It is not a skill we need here.”
The last of Lorena’s patience was slipping through her fingers, along with the last of her ability to be respectful. Her house was burnt, her colleague dying, and her relationship possibly over.
“This is why your society is being destroyed.” She turned to Kendrick and brandished the paper at him. “You can’t isolate yourself from the world, don’t you understand that? It’s closing in on you.”
Kendrick stood silent, gazing at her.
“You can’t live this provincial life any longer, that’s why humans are driving you out and killing you.” She looked around at the circle of pale faces. “This isn’t the world it used to be, you’re going to have to make some allowances or it will be the end of you. Why would you witches come to this place and allow these things to keep happening, especially those of you who came later in your lives and know what it’s like out there?”
“This is the world our mates live in,” the witch who’d brought the bowl spoke. “This is their culture and their traditions and we respect them. We honor their way of life.”
“Your mates are dying. Your duty should have been to bring your knowledge to them and try to make them understand the human world so they don’t get killed.” Lorena gritted her teeth and looked around. “Can any of you read?”
An older woman came forward. “I can.” She had a deep, gravelly voice.
Lorena handed her the paper. “Read off the ingredients and tell me if that’s what you put in.”
“I told them the truth.” Hazel continued to be affronted. “I’ve done everything you demanded of me, and you still don’t trust me.”
Lorena turned on her and lowered her voice. “I’ll tell them what magic you used. It’s forbidden here, you know. Then we’ll see if they’re so willing to walk you back safely.” She turned away, trembling with anger. She couldn’t take much more of this.
The older witch read off the list.
“Those things are all in there, apart from the water,” the first witch said. “The ingredients are common and used in many potions.”
“See!” Hazel said. “Now take me out of here, let me go home.”
“What is the spell for enchanting the water?” Lorena asked.
“Aquae sanitas,” the older witch said. “But, those words only matter if you’re a White Witch. Otherwise, they are merely words.”
Lorena looked at the pool. Various thoughts bounced through her head.
“I have to return to the camp,” Kendrick said. “I must be there when Abernathy arrives.”
Lorena drew a cleansing breath, but she didn’t feel cleansed or calm at all. “You need to let these women hide you,” she told Hazel.
Hazel gasped. “He said he would let me go.”
“It’s not safe to walk back right now, and you’ll never find your way, besides.”
Hazel tilted her chin up. “I’m going home.” She marched past Lorena. “I will find my way.”
As much as Lorena wanted to let her go and leave her to her fate, she’d promised Deacon. She caught the old woman’s arm. “You’re staying here.”
Hazel screamed, shrill and dramatically. Lorena pushed her toward the witches.
“Take her to safety. Gag her if you have to.”
Hazel continued to wail as Lorena walked with Kendrick back toward the camp. Lorena still held the bowl. “Maybe Abernathy will see reason if we give him this, and maybe he knows where to find a White Witch.”
“For what it is worth,” Kendrick strode alongside her, but she could tell he was deliberately slowing his pace so she could keep up, “I agree with you, we need to change to survive.”
She looked up at him. His dark hair flowed over his shoulders. She barely even noticed the reek of Wolvite anymore.
“There are others who feel the same,” he said. “Unfortunately, I am not in charge.”
* * * *
Deacon pushed the shell into his gun and snapped the barrel closed. He scooped up the box of remaining shells and jammed it in the back pocket of his jeans. He stood for a moment, staring out the window, then turned.
Zeke and Jack stood next to the table in their grandparent’s kitchen. Deacon’s Daddy stood in the doorway, arms folded, propped against the doorframe.
“I know you all think bad of Lorena right now,” Deacon said. “But I believe her when she says Grammy will be fine. They ain’t gonna hurt her.”
Jack had his own gun propped on his shoulder. He stared hard at Deacon, the kind of look he used to put on him right before they got in a knock-down, drag out fight. Deacon didn’t want to fight him. He had bigger fish to fry.
“We gotta get them out of the woods,” Zeke said. “Any way we got to, even if it means killing a whole bunch of them.”
“Lorena says peace is what we ought to aim for.” Deacon looked at his Daddy. “I don’t deny it’s a foolish endeavor, but it’s what she’s set on.” He pulled in a bracing breath. “And I’m gonna protect her, if I can.”
His Daddy rubbed his forehead. “I don’t fault her for wanting peace. I’ve wanted peace since the first time I shot one down.” He dropped his hand. “But she don’t know them like we do. We know ain’t no word from them could ever be trusted. Hell, we’re still working to accept they even have words.”
“That’s why I gotta find her and protect her,” Deacon said. “And get Grammy back.”
“How the hell we gonna find them?” Jack asked. “We don’t know where this camp is she’s talking about.”
Deacon bowed his head. “I reckon all we gotta do is go in the woods. They’ll find us, not the other way around.”
They made ready to go. Deacon’s Daddy came over and gripped his shoulder. “I’ll stay here with Dad.” He spoke lowly. “Just in case they come back. He ain’t fit to go out there, he’s like you when they took Lorena.”
His Daddy had always been a rock of knowledge and comfort. He was a kind man, and a smart one.
“The doctor is gonna die.” Deacon spoke quietly too. “That propelled her. She thinks she can stop this. She still seeing things like a scientist.”
His Daddy squeezed his shoulder. “She’s strong and willful, like a lot of other women in this family. But I reckon there ain’t nothing exciting about a quiet, complacent woman.”
Deacon managed a smile. “Seems like I’m the one who got complacent. I was always hunting them down, I didn’t think about trying to stop the problem instead.”
His Daddy took his hand off his shoulder and patted his back. “Maybe you’ll get a chance.”
Deacon was bone tired, and it wasn’t often he felt like that. He closed his eyes and all he could see behind his eyelids was the burnt house, the bite on the doctor’s shoulder, and Lorena’s face, distressed but determined, as she told him goodbye.
When they went outside, Grandpa was sitting on the porch in Grammy’s rocking chair, gun across his
lap. Jack clutched his shoulder. “We’ll bring her back, swanny, Grandpa.”
He squinted up at Jack, and he seemed dazed and disoriented. “She might come back on her own, I reckon.”
“Best to stay here then,” Deacon said. “We’ll have our radios on us, if anything happens.”
“Call if you need backup,” his Daddy said. “Keep your GPS on so we can track you.”
Deacon had his GPS device attached to his belt. He wished he would’ve clipped it to Lorena before she left.
They headed toward the woods, Grandpa still sitting on the porch and Deacon’s Daddy standing next to him. Deacon led the way. He thought about what Mel had told him earlier, about the bewitchment. She had to be lying.
“They’ll hear us,” Deacon said as they walked into the trees. “Probably smell us. Reckon we’ll come on them before long. If they’re willing to take us to where Lorena and Grammy are, we ain’t gonna give them no trouble. Only shoot if necessary.”
Jack walked behind him, Zeke in the rear.
“If we come across Mel,” Jack said, “I’m finishing her off, once and for all. She’s one of them, far as I’m concerned. I get my chance to take a shot at her, I will.”
Deacon plodded on, his gaze focused straight ahead. “Not if I do first.”
Deep into the woods they pushed, the trails not as familiar as the ones they usually followed, but they’d been that direction a few times. Come hell or high water, he’d find a Wolvite to take them to Lorena and Grammy.
At least, they damn well better, if they wanted their peace.
Chapter 19
Lorena sat on the ground outside one of the shacks. Afternoon had passed into deep blue evening and a fire had been built. The witches stood around it, surreptitiously watching Lorena, and Hazel, who sat next to her.
Abernathy had not come yet. The Wolvites patrolled the perimeter of the camp.
Hazel sat against the wall of the shack, arms around herself. She looked tired, much the same as Lorena felt. Despite Lorena’s contempt of her, she worried about the old woman’s health. The witches had provided them with water and food in the form of dried fruits and berries, but Hazel wouldn’t touch a thing.
“He must come soon.” Lorena looked to the darkening sky. “This makes me worry, though. What if he’s watching and waiting?”
Hazel had barely said a word in the last hour. She stirred now. “They must be worried sick about us back home. It’s nearly night.”
Lorena hadn’t told Hazel about the fire. She didn’t want to get her stirred up again.
“They probably think we’re dead.” Hazel stared blankly ahead. “The way we all assumed when they took you.”
“You all thought I was dead?”
“It’s a good assumption, isn’t it? We certainty didn’t know about this place or that they intended to trick you into helping them.”
“Deacon never believed I was dead.” Lorena gazed across the camp. “He wouldn’t give up hope that easily.”
“It certainly taxed him. Put him through hell.” Her tone turned accusing. “He didn’t say much, but I know my grandson. He was suffering. They’re all suffering now, including my Clem, worst of all.”
“I didn’t kidnap myself.” Lorena struggled to keep her patience. “I had to comply with their wishes. I was protecting your family. I’m still trying to protect your family.”
“That could have been done by killing them off, instead of helping them.” Hazel shifted and grimaced. “No good can come of this, trying to be their friend. They’re going to turn on you.”
“Do you see their human forms?” Lorena scanned the tree line, where the Wolvites were on watch. “Can you shoot them so easily now? Would it still be like hunting an animal to you? They’re human.”
Hazel sniffed. “They never cared we were human.”
Lorena could still see the bite wound on Dr. Winston’s shoulder, and the paramedics hauling him into the ambulance. Guilt gripped her so hard tears sprung to her eyes. Why did she ask him to come? Why did she beg for his assistance?
“Wouldn’t you like it to end?” Lorena asked. “And never have to worry about them attacking you again?”
“Like I said,” Hazel smoothed her hands over her dress, “there’s a surefire way to make sure that happens.”
Lorena clenched her jaw. She was beating her head against a wall, trying to change this mean old crone’s ignorant ways. Of course, the whole family was steeped in it, all the way down to Deacon. Would this situation, along with their radically different beliefs, be the wedge that drove them apart? She’d been a fool, thinking she could integrate here, thinking she could be Deacon’s “mate” when she couldn’t begin to acclimate to his life or his customs. She’d been a fool to try, a fool to love.
She looked down at her hands and blinked back tears. Always a fool.
“They’ll come looking for us,” Hazel said. “And put an end to this once and for all.”
Lorena lifted her head. “They know where we are, and they know you’re safe.”
Hazel looked sharply at her. “They do?”
“When we went after Neala—Melanie—we went back to the house.” She swallowed. “Neala and her helpers set it on fire. They nearly killed Clem—the dog—and one of them bit Dr. Winston. I told Deacon where I was going and that you were with me, and that they wouldn’t hurt you.”
Hazel sat up, her mouth open. “They burnt the house!”
“It’s not a total loss. The men in your family are pretty handy, they took care of Jack’s house after the Wolvites attacked it. They may be able to fix it.”
“How can you sit here now and agree to help them?”
“It was one group, Neala’s friends. She was trying to instigate their leader, but the rest want to placate him. That’s why I’m still here. I’m going to give him the cure for the virus in the hopes he will stand down and won’t hurt them.”
Hazel raised her voice. “They burnt your house and killed your friend, and you still want peace?”
Several witches glanced over at them.
Lorena leaned toward her, and lowered her voice. “Yes.”
Hazel sat back and wrapped her arms around herself again. “You’re such a short-sighted fool. You make poor decisions and you won’t listen to reason. Mark my words, much worse will come to you. They’ll do worse than burn your house down.” Her voice grew strained. “You’ve doomed this entire family. This is not your world, you’re an interloper.”
“I’m a scientist.” Lorena’s patience was so thin she could barely find it. “A humanitarian. I strive to understand the supernatural and make this a better world for both of us. Wiping out an entire species, who happen to have a human side, is not the way to accomplish that.”
“You should have focused on being a witch first. Then you would understand.”
“These women are witches.” Lorena looked around. “They don’t hold the same ideals as you. Being a witch doesn’t mean being heartless. It doesn’t mean being like you, immoral and manipulative.”
Hazel glared at her.
“If being a witch means being like you.” Lorena shook her head. “You may be powerful, but you’re not a good person. I’m not surprised violence is the only answer for you, after what you’ve done to your husband.”
“You know nothing of my reasons,” Hazel snapped. “Nothing.”
“I know you’re doing exactly what she did.” She pointed to the shack where Neala was. “You’re no better than her. Have you been doing it your entire lives together? Have you been doing it so long you’ve forgotten how sick and wrong it is?”
“I have not done it our entire marriage.” She clenched her fists in her lap.
Lorena shook her head again. “There’s nothing you can tell me that would justify it. I can’t imagine any situation where it would be permissible.”
“We loved each other, once.” Hazel’s shoulders trembled. “He loved me, honestly, truly, without the use of spells. We were happy.
We had a home, and our children. He had a good job and I did healing work to make extra money. We were good together.”
Lorena didn’t care about her reasons, but she let her talk.
“Then, she came.” Hazel flexed her fingers. “Another witch, young and beautiful. She was the daughter of one of our friends and I never…I never imagined. I wouldn’t have suspected he would do such a thing. I was naïve.”
Lorena narrowed her eyes.
“I didn’t use magic on him then.” She choked up a bit. “But when I began to suspect, I had to get the truth out of him, so eventually I used coercion spells. It was against my better judgment, but I was heartsick. I had to know. I finally got the truth out of him. He was planning on leaving me for her.”
Lorena might have felt sorry for her, if not for everything else.
“I couldn’t let it happen.” She lifted her glasses and wiped her eyes. “We had a house that wasn’t paid off yet, we had three young children. We had a life, one I wasn’t willing to give up. I fought with it, fought with myself, day and night.” She lowered her glasses and sniffed. “But finally, I went in search of the darker magics. The forbidden spells.”
“And you gave him a love potion.”
“It brought him back.” She drew a breath and sat up straight, as if she were proud. “Little by little, he forgot about her. She became the one with the broken heart. Eventually, she moved away. The harlot. The home wrecker.”
Lorena bit her tongue.
“I was going to stop giving it to him, once she was gone and I thought it might be safe, but—I was scared. I don’t give him very much these days. I’ve gone weeks without giving it to him, but then I get anxious and…it’s an old habit. I know it’s deplorable but, can you at least understand?”
Lorena looked down.
“You and I Lorena, we’re a lot alike.”
Lorena looked up and lifted her eyebrows.
“You’re doing this foolish thing because you want peace.” Hazel sighed. “That’s what I wanted, trying to keep a family together, trying to make things work. Peace. We’ve both made bad choices, but for good reasons, for reasons we believe in our hearts to be right.”