Eve lifted a finger, pointing towards the center of the inner circle. “Guys…”
A black hole had formed in the floor, small and dark, tunneling inwards and spreading outwards. It was both awe-inspiring and vertigo-inducing. We looked at each other, afraid and uncertain.
“We’re safe here, as long as we don’t move,” I assured them, though I wasn’t sure myself. In all our research we had never encountered something like this. The black void filled the entire inner circle, then passed over the chalk line into the second tier.
Ruth Anne’s arms warbled out to the side as she fought to keep balance while Eve stood her ground. We looked together into the black precipice that continued expanding. It wavered, not quite reaching Shane’s belongings. The candles continued to burn even as the floor appeared to drop around them.
The darkness oozed forward, coiling around the apron as if tasting it. It moved on to the scroll, and again fell back. It then probed out towards the cowboy hat, folding its dark tendrils across it. In an instant, the hat was sucked into the nothingness.
I gasped as the hole collapsed upon itself, disappearing. A horrible truth struck me. “That wasn’t Shane’s hat! That was Armand’s!”
A door then appeared––a thin rectangular portal with a crystal knob. The one I had seen while trapped in the Netherworld.
I covered my mouth to stifle my scream.
The door grew taller and thinner, the top of its frame nearly touching the ceiling. It spun three times and came to a stop, facing me. Creaking open, a blistering light emanated from the flames beyond.
“Stay inside the chalk!” Ruth Anne ordered us. “Do not step out, no matter what!”
A hot gust burst forth from the door and the smell of sulfur became almost unbearable. We covered our noses, fighting to retain our balance.
The door then pushed fully open, allowing me an unobstructed view inside.
There before me, wearing a sideways grin and his cowboy hat, was my father, Armand.
“Maggie, you’ve come at last.”
He reached out to me, his hand elongating beyond the boundaries of the door. In his other hand, he held the silver scales.
“Is that a human heart?” Eve yelled, panicked at the sight of his offering. “He’s the devil, Maggie! We have to close the circle.”
“No!” I startled myself with the ferocity of my objection, but I wouldn’t break away from Armand’s gaze. After weeks of seeing him in my dreams, here he was, standing only a few feet from me. My father.
He extended his reach further, his hand stopping just before the middle circle. He looked down at the chalk glyphs and frowned. Then, looking back up at me, he beckoned with his fingers for me to cross over instead.
“They kept you from me, Maggie. I wanted to be there for you. That is what the globes were meant to teach you. That is what Sasha bound The Council from telling you.”
I looked to my sisters again. Eve’s hands were held in prayer position and her eyes were closed. She mumbled words under her breath, presumably a protection spell. Ruth Anne, unable to leave the circle, stretched an arm towards the spell book, which was resting out of reach on a chair. Neither seemed to notice that Armand was speaking to me.
“You’re evil,” I said, my knees shaking.
“No. I’m human, like you. Or at least I was before Sasha…” He lowered the hand holding the scale and it disappeared, replaced by a red rose. “Daughter, come to me. We’ll fight the dark together. We will be safe here.”
“Daddy.” He was right––he wasn’t evil. He only got involved with Larinda and demons after Mother had turned him out of her heart.
I knew all too well what it was like to be rejected.
I stepped a leg over the chalk line, compelled by his soft voice and green eyes that matched my own. But I was halted by the barrier of arcane symbols drawn throughout the middle ring.
“Daddy, help,” I implored him. I reached out, my fingers nearly touching his.
“No, Mags!” Ruth Anne screamed. “It’s a trick!”
Armand’s eyes flickered but he did not break my gaze. “Please, come. We’ve been apart too long.”
Ruth Anne sidestepped towards me. “Maggie, I knew him, remember? He was banished from Dark Root for a reason. Please, trust me.”
I struggled uncertainly, looking between my father and Ruth Anne.
Eve lit the sage stick on the nearest candle and bent forward, waving the pungent smoke. “Leave us, you trickster!” she ordered. “And take the curse you put on my sister with you!”
Armand glowered at her. Once he looked away, his spell on me was broken. His eyes flashed in anger, then dropped. He knew it, too.
Eve continued to wave the sage smoke towards the Netherworld portal. The door began to shrink, closing as it went. Before it shut completely, I saw the ankh dangling around my father’s neck. I also saw his eyes––they were filled with regret.
We were blasted by one final wave of heat before the image blinked out.
One by one, the candles all snuffed.
We stood in darkness, not daring to breathe, not daring to move. At last, the smell of sulfur faded away.
I stumbled out of the circle as Eve quickly gathered up the items - minus the hat - and Ruth Anne relit the candles.
“We shouldn’t have tried summoning,” Eve accused, her voice still shaking as she pulled open the window blinds. “That’s what got Armand into trouble in the first place.”
“You were all for it,” I reminded her. “And we were trying to summon Shane, not Armand.”
“You know what they say about good intentions,” Ruth Anne said. “Gods, I hope we didn’t open a portal we can’t fully close.”
I wrapped my arms across my chest, sensing the vibrations of the café. “Something tells me this gateway has been here a very long time.” Then, remembering a snow globe vision, I added, “I think Uncle Joe may have put it up forty years ago to help hide his lover from the draft.”
“And now any old riffraff can use it. Lovely,” Eve said.
“When Shane comes back, we’ll seal it.”
Eve and Ruth Anne quickly looked at me. We were all brought back to the frightening image of him and Irene driving along the mountainous road at breakneck speed.
I put the vision out of my head and took the certificate from Eve, stuffing it into my tote. We hurriedly erased the three chalk circles and symbols with our shoes, covering it all with soot.
“We’ll keep this to ourselves until we know something more.” I held up my little finger. When we were young and had secrets, we sealed it with a pinky swear––a child’s form of magic––but one that worked.
We raised our pinkies and touched them together, forming a pyramid.
“I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again,” I said.
Ruth Anne placed a hand on my shoulder. “They were images, Mags. It doesn’t mean any of it was real.”
Eve nodded. “That demon father of ours probably conjured that truck scene up to scare you.”
“It worked.” I braced myself against Ruth Anne, fearing I might fall otherwise. I placed my hand on my belly, feeling the full weight of my pregnancy. “Let’s close this circle and get out of here.”
As we gathered our things, I wondered if I would have joined Armand had my sisters not stopped me. I felt a connection with him I had never felt with Mother. There was so much of him in me. I couldn’t help but speculate if I might still end up like him, even protected by family here in Dark Root.
Of course, I didn’t know what finally became of him. I’d only viewed half the globes. Maybe I’d only seen the better part of him?
I’d learn the whole truth soon enough as I’d be seeing him again in my dreams.
For now, all I wanted to concentrate on was Shane. Was it a trick as Eve had guessed, or had the scene of him plunging over the side of the cliff been real?
The ring remained on my hand. I had to believe that meant that he was still out there, and was
coming back to me.
Faith, as Ruth Anne said. It was all I had to go on.
We stepped outside. The moon was high and several stars helped light the night. The streetlights worked, but only some of them, as if at half-mast to observe the closing of Dip Stix.
Two bright headlights momentarily blinded us as we crossed the street back to Mother’s shop. Michael’s van pulled up and Merry’s sedan was close behind.
“Maggie!” Merry got out of her car, not bothering to shut off the engine. “I’ve been trying to call you.” Her cheeks were flushed as she ran towards us.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking from her to Michael.
She grabbed me by the shoulders, then wrapped her arms around me tightly. “Maggie, they found Shane’s truck…”
“What? Who found Shane’s truck?”
“The Montana State Police…” She sobbed on my shoulder, digging her nails into my back.
I looked to Michael. “What does she mean?”
“There’s been an accident, Maggie,” he said, running one hand through his hair. “Shane’s truck slid off the side of a mountain a week ago.” He paused, looking at his feet. “It went into a river. They’ve recovered the truck but haven’t yet found the bodies.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head and pushing Merry away. “I don’t believe either of you!” I clutched at my chest.
“You’re a liar!” I pointed to Michael. “You’d say or do anything to stay here with me, and you brainwashed Merry to go along with it.”
“Maggie, stop…” Michael came towards me and I screamed. The last of the streetlights went dark.
“He’s not dead! Ruth Anne said I’d know.” I looked to her, seeing her white face and emotionless eyes.
“They found his cellphone near the riverbank,” Merry whispered. For the first time, I noticed that her eyes were red and her face splotchy. “They got my number from it.”
“But I have his ring,” I said, showing them my hand. “I got this from our dream!”
The others looked at me, confused.
Merry reached out her hand. “Maggie, we’re here for you, whatever you need.”
A sharp pain in my lower back buckled my knees. And then another. And another. I fell forward, my arms wrapping around my belly. Michael caught me as I crumpled to the ground.
“The curse…” I stammered, fighting through the pain and looking up. Within seconds, Merry’s hands were on me, channeling healing energy into me, but the pain was unrelenting. Agonizing pulses emanated from my pelvis, coursing through my entire body.
I threw my head back, crying out. This time it wasn’t for Shane. “Oh, God. I’m having my baby.”
I was ushered into the backseat of the car. Ruth Anne drove and Eve rode shotgun, leaving Merry in the backseat to attend to me. Michael drove ahead in the van, clearing traffic with his horn and high beams.
“We’ll be at the hospital soon,” Merry promised. “Just breathe.”
“But it hurts.” I squeezed my eyes shut and dug my nails into her hands with every contraction. I almost lost consciousness several times, but Merry’s energy kept me up.
“Twenty minutes, Maggie. Tops,” Ruth Anne said from the front seat, sharply twisting the wheel to the left and right, swerving through traffic.
“It’s coming so fast,” I moaned, nearly breathless. “What if the curse…”
Merry wiped my face. “On Mama’s grave I swear nothing will happen to you. Do you hear me? Stay calm. We’ll be there soon.”
Eve reached out to me, kissing my fingers. “Fifteen minutes.”
“We should call Aunt Dora and Jillian,” Merry said.
“No.” They had been willing to turn over my child to Larinda. I didn’t want to see them until after my baby was born and safe. Maybe not even then.
Another contraction hit, this one so terrible I arched my back and kicked at the door. They were coming quicker now, without room to catch my breath in between.
Merry lifted my skirt, then looked at me with frightened eyes. “The baby’s coming, Maggie.”
"But I haven't finished the globes! And we’re not at the hospital!"
“Tell that to the baby.” Turning to Ruth Anne, she said, “Pull over, and get water and blankets out of the trunk.”
We stopped at the side of the road. Ruth Anne jumped out and returned with a pre-prepared box of blankets, water, and a first aid kit. Eve held my hand from the front seat while Merry lifted my hips and slid a blanket beneath me. The she stuffed a washcloth in my mouth and told me to bite down.
I writhed and cried out as wave after insufferable wave of pain overtook me. For a frightening moment, I felt myself slipping into the Netherworld.
“I can’t do this,” I whimpered.
“Yes you can!” Merry challenged. “Now get ready to push.”
I did push…and the darkness came. I pushed again and it deepened.
“Once more,” Merry’s voice sounded, though I couldn’t see her anymore. I was so tired. I needed to sleep. “Fight, Maggie, fight for your son.”
My son.
I gave every last ounce of strength I possessed, baring my teeth down on the washcloth and squeezing Eve’s hand tightly.
I felt myself floating, numbed, listening to the voices of my sisters and Michael gathered around me, my body detaching itself from the pain.
“It’s a boy!” Merry announced, followed by the sound of crying. I wasn’t certain if it was mine or my son’s.
I looked up to see Ruth Anne and Michael looming my head. Their eyes were filled with tears. From the passenger seat, Eve was sobbing too.
Merry cut the cord and wrapped my son in a blanket, then laid him on my chest, still wailing. He had a thatch of auburn hair and perfect, pink cheeks. He opened his small hazel eyes and blinked.
“I’m mommy,” I whispered, offering him my little finger. He wrapped his entire hand around it and his cries subsided. I stared in wonder at his perfect little face as he gradually drifted off to sleep.
There are days in your life that you will always look back on, the brightest days when the world opens up before you, and the darkest days when everything crashes down. Today, I had both.
I had lost Shane and my heart was irreparably broken.
But I had also given birth to a son and felt a love so deep and frightening that it nearly blotted the other pain away.
I looked at my sisters. I wasn’t sure what the future held for me. My son and I had made it through labor but the curse was still upon us. There were more globes and more lessons.
It didn’t seem fair that the night should be so clear. It should be crying or celebrating with me.
A moment later, a silver thread flashed in the heavens. The sky opened up, dumping water, drenching us all.
“What will you name him?” Michael asked, moving his body to shield me from the rain.
I looked at my ring, the ring from the dream world I had built with Shane. “Montana.”
EPILOGUE
My Back Pages
In a small glen surrounded by aspens that launched themselves into the night sky like arrows, three women gathered around a bubbling cauldron.
The first woman, a striking witch named Larinda, dipped her ladle into the brew. “The child came early,” she said.
“It came as it was supposed ta,” the short, broad-shouldered witch named Dora replied. “We no longer have need of ya, so go!”
Larinda regarded Dora with a long stare. “But the pact has not been fulfilled. Maggie has not learned the full truth.”
“She knows enough,” Dora said, her steel eyes flashing.
“But not everything, as we agreed.”
“Please,” the green-eyed witch named Jillian implored. “We’ll ensure Maggie finishes her lessons. Witch’s Honor.”
Larinda looked up into the starless night, her black curls slithering down her back like hungry snakes. “But my dear Jillian, we made a pact.”
“Her delivery was early!
That was not our fault!”
“Nor was it mine. I kept my end of the deal. Now you must keep yours.”
Jillian lifted her ladle threateningly. “We will not let you take the baby!”
A cord of lightning slashed through the sky. “There are repercussions for witches who don’t abide by their sealed agreements. You know this, correct?”
“We do,” Dora said. “And we’re willing ta take the consequences.”
“So be it. And just so we are clear, I’m coming for the baby. The curse still has Maggie in its grips and she won’t be able to fight me off, especially with you two out of the picture.”
Lightning flashed again and Larinda vanished.
Then Dora.
Only Jillian was left standing.
She pressed an object between her hands and invoked the guardians of magic to help her, knowing she would lose her abilities once she crossed back into her own plane.
As she too disappeared from the glen, the object fell into the bubbling caldron.
It plunged to the bottom before floating up again.
A small, white baby shoe.
Did you miss the first book in the Daughters of Dark Root series?
If so, check out it out here: THE WITCHES OF DARK ROOT
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THE DAUGHTERS OF DARK ROOT SERIES
Four sisters try their hands at love, life, and magick in this paranormal fantasy series.
Book Two: The Magick of Dark Root ~ Maggie Maddock and her sisters are back, training under their coven-leading mother Miss Sasha Shantay to take over as the new leaders of The Council. But life isn’t as smooth as Maggie had hoped it would be. Harvest Home’s taxes have come due, and her mother’s illness has returned, stronger than ever. Desperate, Maggie and Eve devise a scheme to make money through witchcraft. And that’s when things go terribly wrong.
THE UNIVERSE SERIES
Book One: The Universe is a Very Big Place ~ Spring Ryan wants nothing more than a normal life, but when the whole Universe conspires against you, you have to play the hand you're dealt. A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about two generations of women striving to give love a second chance.
The Curse of Dark Root: Part One (Daughters of Dark Root Book 3) Page 26