by Wendy Wang
The woman plastered on a smile. “Good morning.” She seemed to almost float across the floor. “How can I help you today?”
Evangeline smiled softly and set the flyers down on the counter. “Two things. First, would it be okay to hang one of these up in your window?” Evangeline handed her one of the flyers and the woman’s smile faded.
The woman read the flyer and looked up at Evangeline. “And the second thing?”
“I have a list of things I need and I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me with them.” Evangeline dug through her purse and pulled out a piece of notepaper that had been folded in half.
“Okay,” the woman said. Evangeline handed her the list and the woman scanned it. “I don’t carry herbs here. You’ll have to go to the apothecary around the corner for those.”
“All right.” Evangeline nodded. The woman set a heavy gaze on Evangeline, and Jason watched the exchange between the two women with curiosity. He could feel a chill coming from both of them. It reminded him of dogs circling each other before a fight.
The clerk laid the list on the counter and her lips curved into a half-smile. “This is a very interesting list. I assume you need these things because of that flyer?”
“You assume correctly,” Evangeline said, her tone sharper than normal.
Jason cleared his throat.
The clerk shifted her gaze to him and narrowed her eyes. “You're a cop.”
Jason stood up straighter. He scowled. “How do you know that?”
She shrugged one bony shoulder. “I know a cop when I see one.” She turned her attention back to Evangeline, scrutinizing her. “Are you a priestess?”
“I am not. But I am a healer and the leader of my family.”
The clerk touched the photo on the flyer. “Is this your daughter?”
“My niece,” Evangeline said softly.
The clerk nodded. “When did she go missing?”
“Sunday morning. She went out for a walk and never came back,” Evangeline said. “We tried the local police but they haven’t been very helpful.”
“No, I bet they haven’t.”
“We were hoping that maybe your coven could help us.”
“Where did she go missing?” The woman’s voice changed, from curious to wary.
“Down near the river, across from those woods they call Devil’s Snare.” Evangeline kept her eyes steady on the woman.
The clerk sighed, and a frown caused the wrinkles around her mouth to deepen. “I’m sorry but we can’t help you.”
“Why not?” Jason put his hands on his hips.
“It’s too dangerous. I only know of two people that have ever gone in and come out of those woods alive.” She softened her tone. “I hate be harsh, but your niece is probably dead.”
“Hey,” Jason interrupted, using his most stern cop voice. “What are you? Psychic or something?”
The woman narrowed her eyes and said, “I’ve been known to be sensitive on occasion.”
Evangeline folded her hands and placed them on the counter. She leaned in closer. “What is your name?”
The woman sniffed and offered her hand. “Ariel Rose.”
“I’m Evangeline. I’ve been known to be sensitive myself, and my niece is still alive. Can you tell me where I might find these two people that survived?”
“I only know how to find one of them.”
“Okay,” Jason said. He arched his eyebrows. “Where?”
“Well, you can find Mikaela Heard around the corner. She owns the apothecary.”
“She’s a witch?” Evangeline asked.
“Yeah. A sole practitioner.”
“So not a member of your coven?” Evangeline asked.
“No. Mikaela doesn't play well with others. It sort of runs in her family.”
Evangeline nodded and her lips curved into a weary smile. “Well, we appreciate your time and the information. I really need to get the things on my list and get back to our cabin.”
“Of course. Just give me a minute and I'll gather these things up for you.” Ariel gave Evangeline a smile. Jason didn’t like the look of pity in the woman’s eyes. He watched her walk along the bins, taking stones and putting them inside a small brown paper bag. When she finished she handed the bag to Evangeline. “I also sell a nice line of protection charms, if you want to take a look.”
“Thank you. I think we’re all right,” Evangeline said.
“Sure,” Ariel said. She punched some numbers into her cash register and Evangeline handed her a credit card. A few minutes later, the credit card printer spit out a receipt, and the woman tore it off and gave it to Evangeline to sign. “Just a friendly warning. I’d be careful of Mikaela.”
Evangeline scribbled her name on the receipt and tucked her card back into her wallet. “Why is that?”
“She can be . . . unpredictable.”
“I see.” Evangeline nodded. “Well, thank you for your help. You have a nice day.”
“You, too. Good luck,” Ariel said. “And be careful.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. We will.” Evangeline smiled.
Chapter 18
Jason stared at the neon sign. He clenched his jaw. “Looks like she sent us on a wild goose chase.”
Evangeline arched one eyebrow and patted Jason on the hand. “Never judge a book by its cover, sweetie. Lots of witches have businesses. And not all of them scream magic here, come on in. In fact most don't.” She got out of the truck and headed inside and Jason followed after her. The smell of menthol and grilled cheese sandwiches hung in the air. The apothecary was laid out like an old-fashioned drugstore, soda fountain and all. The Formica counter and red leather stools gleamed in the overhead light. A man dressed in a retro white shirt with a red bow tie and wearing a soda jerk's hat was drying soda glasses behind the counter. Evangeline gave Jason’s elbow a gentle pinch. “I'll be right back.”
She walked over to the counter and spoke to the soda jerk. He nodded, said something to her and pointed to the back of the store. There were several rows of shelves that filled up the space between the soda counter in the front and the drugstore in the back. Retro signs guided potential buyers to everything from aspirin to bandages to feminine hygiene products. This did not look like a place they would find any of the herbs Evangeline needed.
Evangeline waved Jason forward and she walked with her head held high toward the pharmacist’s counter at the back of the store. An old woman stood in front of the counter leaning on an aluminum cane with the four feet covered with tennis balls talking to a young woman in a white coat. The pharmacist nodded appropriately as she listened to the woman's concerns. She’d captured her dark curly hair in a net that hung down the back of her neck hitting her shoulders. Some of the curls had escaped and framed her thin, angular face. Her green eyes were bright with intelligence and she smiled when she spoke to the old woman.
Jason scanned the counter noticing the diabetic supplies in the small section devoted to canes, crutches and a folding walker. Above the counter a sign read Mikaela Heard, Pharm.D. The young woman handed the older woman a paper bag and the old woman hobbled away. The young woman looked up at Jason and Evangeline and smiled. “Next?” Evangeline stepped forward.
“I'm looking for Mikaela Heard.” Jason sidled up next to Evangeline. He glanced at the name tag pinned to the woman's white coat.
“Well, you got her,” the young woman said. “I’m Mikaela.”
“I have a list of things that I need some help with. Do you think you could help me?”
Mikaela's expression became curious. “Well, I can sure try. What's on your list?”
Evangeline reached into her purse and pulled out the list and handed it to Mikaela. The young woman looked over the list, the smile on her face fading.
“Can you help me with these things?” Evangeline asked. Again.
Mikaela gave Evangeline a tight smile. “Possibly. But you have to answer a question first.”
Her green eyes scanned the ne
arby aisles and then she settled her gaze on Evangeline. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Who sent you?”
“I am not sure what you mean,” Evangeline said.
“Someone would've had to recommend me. Who was that person?”
“The young woman at the gem shop, Ariel, suggested I try here. Do you not carry the herbs I need?”
“Are you working with them?”
Evangeline gave Jason a quick glance.
“Does it matter?” Jason said.
“Possibly,” she said softly.
“Why?” Jason said. “I think you'd be happy to have new customers.”
Mikaela frowned and shifted her gaze back to Evangeline. “Some of these are rare. And expensive.”
“Yes,” Evangeline nodded. “I know. But I need them.” Evangeline reached into her purse and pulled out one of the flyers. She laid it on the counter and pushed it toward Mikaela. “My niece has gone missing. The police have been less than helpful.”
Mikaela picked up the flyer and looked it over. “Where did she go missing?”
“Near the woods they called Devil's Snare,” Evangeline said, her voice almost a whisper. “The other woman we spoke to said you've been in those woods. Said you’re only one of two to come out alive, that she knew of.”
“Well, she’s not wrong,” she sighed. “And Ariel told you I would help you?”
“Actually she said you were unpredictable and that you didn't play well with others,” Jason said. “But we’re risk takers.”
Mikaela chuckled and glanced up front toward the soda counter. She picked up the phone next to the register and dialed a three-digit number. A phone at the front of the store began to ring and the man at the counter picked it up. “Hey, Andy. I'm going to take my break now. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Sure, no problem,” Andy’s voice echoed across the building. “You're the boss.”
Mikaela hung up the phone and took a tent sign from beneath the counter with a clock on it. It read: Gone to Lunch. Be back at: 12:30. She set the time to one p.m. and set it on the counter next to the register.
“Come with me,” Mikaela said. Jason and Evangeline exchanged a look. He nodded and the two of them headed through the open door behind Mikaela.
The sharp scent of mold and decaying vegetables permeated the air, and Charlie awoke coughing, trying to get the taste of it out of her mouth. She struggled against the bindings holding her down. The sisal rope wrapped around her waist and tied her arms to her side. She laid on her back breathing in dust and dirt. Above her, tiny stripes let in filtered light. Someone paced back and forth. Dirt sifted down between the cracks, and she blinked hard to keep it from getting into her eyes. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was trying to get her cousins’ attention. And the spirit. The spirit telling her she was dead.
Well, there would be no point in tying her up if she was dead. The spirit lied. Of course she did. Had she read Charlie's thoughts? Or just read her fears? It didn't matter now. The spirit had gotten what she wanted. Charlie gritted her teeth and jerked against the sisal rope tying her wrists.
“When I get hold of you,” she whispered mostly to herself. The sound of something rustling in the dark nearby made her stop and hold her breath. Her whole body stiffened as she listened for movement. The soft sound of crying broke her fear. “Hello?”
Someone sniffled and cleared their throat. “Charlie?”
Charlie's heart thudded against her breastbone like a rubber ball bouncing off the wall. “Daniel?”
He crawled along the floor of the space, scooting through the dirt.
“Where are we?” Charlie whispered, but it came out more like a hiss.
“We're in the pit,” Daniel said softly.
“How did we get here?”
“She brought us here.”
“Who is she?”
“She's the witch.”
“The witch? You mean the one from the book?”
“What book?”
“It's just a book I read about this place. “
“Right,” he said. “One of the legend books. The only problem with those books is they have it all wrong.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Sarcasm edged into her tone. “Daniel, how do we get out of here?”
“There's only one way out. And she's walking on it.” He pointed to the floorboard above their heads. Charlie cast her gaze upward and could see the partial outline of a trapdoor. “It’s sealed tight. Trust me, I have tried to escape before.”
“Do you know how long you've been here?”
“Not really. I've lost track of time. And sometimes my memories are very —” He struggled for words. “Fuzzy. Like some days I can barely remember who I am or where I came from. Some days I remember everything.”
“What sort of day is today? Fuzzy or crystal clear?”
“Things are clear today. But she's angry with me. I suspect things won’t remain clear for very long.”
“Why is she angry?”
“Because I failed.”
“Failed? How?”
“I was supposed to bring you here. But I —” he sighed loudly. “I liked you. You’re nice. I didn't want her to hurt you.”
“Why would she want to hurt me?”
The chair scraped across the floorboards above them and then something that sounded like a chain rattling. A square opened above her head and light flooded in. For a second she could see Daniel’s dirty, scared face.
“I'm sorry, Charlie,” he said. His eyes widened as Charlie floated up from the shallow root cellar.
“Hush,” a voice hissed from above.
A force she couldn't see pulled Charlie through the opening and set her down in a wooden chair next to an old stone fireplace. The trap door in the floor slammed shut. A woman in a ratty black dress with black hair turned to face her.
Charlie recognized her face immediately. It was the girl from her dream. Abby Heard. She was no longer a girl, but the only indication that she was a day over twenty-one was the stripe of silver starting at the cowlick on her left side and trailing all the way to the end of the hair. Her solitude had left her pale and drawn but somehow young. Charlie knew that witches could live a long time but none of them were free from the effects of aging.
“I dreamed of you. I . . . you’re Abigail Heard,” Charlie said. “They accused you of being a witch.”
“Indeed they did. Luckett.” She said the name as if it tasted bitter in her mouth. “Self-righteous, pompous ass.”
“You killed them.”
“I did what I had to do to endure. They thought nothing of ending my life all in the name of their god. Why should I give them more consideration?”
“I’m sorry they put you through that,” Charlie said softly. “But killing them —”
“Hush your mouth. I do not need your pity. Nor a sermon on morality. You are just as much a witch as me, and when it comes to it, we all do what we need to survive.”
“No. We don’t. Not if it means taking another’s life.”
“You think yourself better than me?” She circled Charlie, leaned in and stuck her nose next to Charlie’s neck. She took a deep breath. “But I could smell your witchy scent as soon as you came close to the river. I’ve been inside your dreams and I know what you fear.”
Charlie shivered and squeezed her eyes shut. “What are you going to do with me?”
“Well, I thought of baking you in a pie,” she said narrowing her dark eyes. “But it’s a little late for that.”
Charlie looked on in horror, scanning the room for any sign of human remains. A large cleaver lay on top of the table next to a dough bowl, but there was no blood or bone. Only a few herbs tied together and hanging in the window. Her gaze shifted to the over-sized fireplace and the large iron spit. A fire blazed heating the room. Charlie scowled. “Who is the girl? Did you bake her in a pie?”
“Eliza? No. She is devoted to me.”
“I’ll bet she is,” Char
lie muttered. “You’re keeping her captive. Just like Daniel. Is that your plan for me, too?”
“Eliza is a good girl. She does exactly what I tell her. Unlike the other one.” The witch spat at the floor. She eyed Charlie curiously. “I would keep you, if I could. I think once you accepted your place here we would get on fine.”
“No, we wouldn’t.” Charlie looked over the sparse room. On one side of the cabin was a bed with a frame made of thick tree branches. It had a dirty feather pillow and an old patchwork quilt. Closer to her was a table and another chair. A cast-iron skillet and a Dutch oven sat side by side in the hearth. A long iron poker and a willow broom leaned against the stone fireplace. A small wooden shelf hung on the wall. If it weren’t for the modern canned goods and the box of energy bars, Charlie would have thought this place lost in time.
“You must be close to three-hundred years old. You couldn't have stayed here for so long without help.”
“The folks in the town are more generous to me now. Bring me what I need.”
“And then you what? You screw with their memory? The way you do with Daniel? It’s a spell, right?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a price for certain spells,” Charlie said, her voice full of warning. “You know that. Every witch does.”
“Ah. But I will not be paying that price for some time to come.”
“Why is that?”
The witch walked behind her. Charlie glanced over her shoulder, trying to keep an eye on her. The witch lifted her skirt, exposing a pale, pasty colored leg. She pulled a dagger from the leather sheath strapped to the side of her thigh. The blade gleamed in the light cast by the fire. She moved faster than Charlie anticipated, grabbing Charlie by the hair and pulling her head back. She held the dagger at Charlie’s throat. The witch leaned in close and whispered. “Because I have the likes of you to pay for me.”
“So what? A deal with the devil?”
“Oh no. I am not that foolish. Lucifer would never let me keep the best parts of you.”