by Wendy Wang
The witch hissed at her. “Where are you hiding it?”
“I told you, I barely have any magic in me,” Charlie said in a raspy voice. She had no idea how long this had been going on but from the pain in her wrists, back and breastbone, it was too long.
The witch held her hand over Charlie's forehand but did not touch her. She dragged it over Charlie's face, keeping a little distance between her palm and Charlie's body. She continued downward past Charlie's neck, stopping in front of her chest. The witch began to murmur in a language Charlie had never heard before, and Charlie's heart sped up. Charlie’s back arched and her whole body stiffened. For a moment, she thought her heart would burst through her chest. The muscles in her shoulder blades trembled and the sharpness of the pain made her believe the witch might have run her through with a red-hot sword. Sweat mixed with the blood on her face and Charlie tasted salt mixed with copper. She screamed and it echoed through her head.
“I can feel it,” the witch sighed. “I can feel it calling to me through my skin. Why can't I get to it?”
The witch balled her hand into a fist, and Charlie's body released against the chair. Her head hung forward and she breathed in deep, cleansing breaths. Just like she had when she went into labor with Evan. In through her nose and out through her mouth. She had eventually screamed obscenities at Scott for talking her into a natural childbirth.
She closed her eyes and tears mingled with the sweat and blood on her cheeks. If she could just break these bindings, she would give that witch a dose of her own medicine. She and Daniel could leave this place behind forever.
You doubt too much.
Evangeline’s voice floated through her head. Sweet and soothing. Charlie closed her eyes and remembered the day Evangeline was trying to teach her the simplest of spells.
Charlie and Evangeline had sat at the edge of the marsh away from the house so that there was no chance of Uncle Jack discovering them. The back of her t-shirt had been soaked with sweat. She’d held a small piece of milky quartz in her hand and had tried to make it glow the way that her aunt had instructed but she had failed once again.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully.” Evangeline had leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of Charlie's face. She locked her glittering blue eyes on Charlie's, holding her captive. “Everything that you are. Everything that I am. It all begins with our thoughts. Our thoughts are the most powerful thing that we have as witches, as women, as human beings. Our thoughts can rearrange the energy around us.”
Evangeline gently took Charlie's hand and pulled open her fingers revealing the pale piece of quartz. Her aunt plucked the stone from her palm, placing it in her own. “Our thoughts can make this crystal glow.”
Charlie's eyes shifted from her aunt’s beautiful, weathered face to the stone in her hand. It glowed lightly at first, pale gold with the shimmer of pink before becoming brighter and brighter.
“Our thoughts can make the sky answer to us, baby girl.” Evangeline closed her eyes and held her face toward the sky. A cloud, dark and thick shifted above them, blocking out the sun. Thunder rumbled, distant at first, and then very directly overhead. It cracked so loudly that Charlie jumped. Evangeline lifted her hands almost in surrender. A fat wet drop struck her aunt’s hands and then the ground around them. The sky opened and the rain poured down on them. Evangeline closed her hands making fists and the rain stopped. She opened her eyes and moved her gaze back to her niece's face. It struck Charlie that except for her hands, her aunt had somehow remained dry almost as if she had directed the rain to fall in a circle around her. Charlie marveled at such magic.
“How do I do this, Evangeline? I am not powerful the way you are.”
“And that my dear sweet love is why you're not powerful.” Evangeline dropped her hands. “It's not because I am and you aren't. It's because you think I am. And you think you aren't. Do you understand me, baby girl?”
Charlie had nodded dumbly, still not convinced.
“The magic inside you is tied to more than just your blood. It’s tied to your soul. It will work when you believe that it will.”
“Like faith.”
“Sort of. You must see the thing you want to happen in your mind. Believe it. Then command the energy. It will have no choice but to comply. Now try again.”
Charlie opened her eyes and she looked at the witch standing in front of her.
Yes. Finally, she understood exactly what Evangeline was trying to tell her and now she was ready to accept that her thoughts were what made her powerful. The spirit had been right to call her Conduit. Her thoughts were, after all, the conduit to the magic inside her.
Charlie began to chuckle.
“Why do you laugh?” the witch asked, sounding offended.
“Because I just figured out why you can’t get to it.”
“Tell me.”
“My magic is tied to my soul. You’d have to disentangle it and that would damage them both. You couldn’t keep your end of the deal and your reaper will come for you.”
The witch paced back and forth. She tapped her forehead with her hand, seeming to consider Charlie’s words. “I—” the witch began. She stopped and trained a black gaze on Charlie. “I could trade the man instead.”
“You can’t. You need him to do your dirty work. Just like you need Eliza.”
The witch put her hands on the sides of her head and pulled at her hair, making her look crazy. She pulled her wand from her skirt pocket and pointed it at the floor. The trap door opened with a bang. She growled deep in her throat and swiped her wand in the air. Charlie sailed through the opening, chair and all, disappearing into the darkness.
Chapter 21
“Jason,” Jen called. “Please don't get too far ahead of us.” Jason aimed the barrel of the weapon in his hand at the ground and headed back toward the group. They had entered the woods with Mikaela showing them the way. They'd been walking for at least a mile now by Jen's calculations.
“Sorry,” he said. “I just think it's good that one of us walk ahead a little as a scout. So we can see what's coming.”
Jen's grip tightened on the wand in her hand and she frowned. “I know but the last thing we need is for us to get separated.”
“Jen's right,” Lisa said. “That's how they get you.”
Jen gave her sister a what-the-hell look. Lisa shrugged one shoulder. “I'm being serious. Haven’t y’all ever watched a horror movie? The people who get separated from the group are always the ones who die.”
Jen gave her sister a sour look. “You are not funny and you are not helping.”
“The only person that’s dying today is that witch,” Jason said.
“Come on,” Jen said. “That's not what we agreed to. It’s not who we are.”
“Fine,” Jason said, sounding a little disappointed.
“I doubt your bullets would do much anyway,” Tom added.
“Oh yeah? And why is that? I thought she was human,” Jason said.
“She is,” Jen said. “Sort of. I mean she's not immortal by any means. But there's definitely something going on if she's over three hundred.”
“I agree,” Tom said.
“How much farther do you think we need to go?” Jason asked.
Evangeline stopped and looked around. “From the feel of it, we’re definitely in her territory. We should probably form our circle here.”
“Hopefully, she'll come looking for us. And when she does we’ll be ready,” Lisa said.
“I think Jason and I should walk a perimeter,” Tom suggested. “Since we really can't partake in the spell craft.”
Evangeline looked around. “All right. Just don't go out very far, okay?”
“Yes, ma'am,” Tom said, giving her a little salute.
Evangeline set down the bag holding the supplies for the spell by her feet. She pulled out a black tablecloth sized piece of fabric with a pentacle screen printed on it. She took out several items and arranged them in a specifi
c order before putting a small black metal plate in the center of the pentacle. She placed a votive candle in the center of the plate alongside the vial holding Mikaela’s blood, and a small blackened bone.
Jen, Lisa, Daphne, and Mikaela joined hands forming a circle around her. Evangeline lit the wick of the candle, stood up, and lifted her face to the sky. “Let us pray.”
Jason walked in a circle around the women, his gaze exploring every shadow. His fingers twitched with every snap of the twig and crunch of leaves. He needed to calm down. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally shoot someone that he cared about.
“Pssst.”
Jason turned and pointed the gun at Tom. Tom put his arms up in surrender.
“You idiot,” Jason said softly trying not to interrupt Evangeline's soft chanting. He lowered his weapon. “You know I could shoot you, right?”
“Yes. You've made it very clear.” Tom moved closer. “I have a proposition for you.”
“What?” Jason said.
“If their spell is successful, and I have no doubt it will be, you should kill the witch.” Tom looked Jason in the eye.
“Jen said —”
“I know what Jen said. But you and I could end this today. Forever.”
Jason glanced at the women, considering Tom’s words. “What’s your proposition?”
“You shoot her through the heart. When she dies, any spell she has over these woods should die with her. I'll transform and reap her. I take her where she’s supposed to go. End of story.”
“Will she at least go to hell?” Jason asked. Tom stared at him, his face neutral. Jason sighed. “So what? I don't even get the satisfaction of knowing where she went?”
“Sorry,” Tom said.
“Fine. But before you take her anywhere she has to tell us where Charlie is.”
“Even if Charlie's dead?” Tom said softly.
“Especially if she's dead,” Jason said. “The last thing I want is for her to have to be haunting these woods for the rest of eternity. If she’s dead, she deserves peace.”
Tom nodded. “Agreed.”
Jen squeezed Lisa’s hand. She was not quite ready to close her eyes. Not in this place. The gray gloom weighed her down. Making her uneasy. Shadows played at the corners of her eyes. She heard Tom and Jason talking softly. Mikaela held her other hand.
Lisa dug her nails into the side of Jen’s hand. Jen shot her a questioning look and mouthed the word, “Ow.”
“Pay attention,” Lisa mouthed back.
Jen rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze back to her aunt. A pale blue cloud engulfed them, and silver sparkles of light danced around Evangeline.
In the distance, a screeching sound pierced the silence of the surrounding woods. Evangeline continued her invocation, ignoring the banshee-like scream drawing closer. Mikaela held onto Jen’s hand tightly, her arm trembling. The spell was working.
A dark shadow appeared above them, and Jen let herself peek upward. The motion of the witch on her broom was just a black blur trailed by a red and orange blur.
“Hold fast, girls,” Evangeline ordered. She returned to her spell work. The odor of burning leaves and choking smoke surrounded them. Burning their eyes. Blinding them. When she could stand it no more, Jen pulled her hand away from Lisa’s and coughed into her elbow.
Two gunshots went off in the smoky haze. Jen turned toward the flash of the muzzle. Her eyes watered with hot tears. Evangeline held her hands out and lifted her eyes toward the sky. She whispered an incantation, and clouds gathered overhead. Thunder rumbled and the sky opened. Rain poured down through the trees pounding so hard Jen thought for sure there would be bruises. The flames hissed in complaint before extinguishing. Finally Jen could fully open her eyes. A perfect charred circle surrounded them. Jen's heart leapt into her throat as she turned 360 degrees.
“Oh God,” she whispered. Jason and Tom were nowhere to be found.
Chapter 22
Charlie lay in the dirt feeling sorry for herself. Thankfully, she was no longer bound but it didn’t matter. She was going to die. There was no doubt about that anymore. Her whole body ached. If the witch came at her again, she wasn’t sure she could fight her off.
“Daniel?” She sat up and glanced around the thick gloom, trying to make out Daniel’s form. “Daniel? Where are you?”
The trapdoor opened and a body landed in the pit. A man’s voice she recognized cursed in the darkness.
“Tom?” Charlie crawled closer. Her hands found him, warm and real. The sound of his heavy breathing filled the space.
“Charlie?” Tom said, his voice full of relief. “Oh my God, you’re alive.”
His arms enveloped her, pulling her close and for a moment she forgot what he was and clung to him. Then she remembered but didn’t let go. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He laughed. “We’re here to rescue you.”
Charlie pulled away, out of his arms and squinted, trying to see his face in the thick gloom. “Well, good job.” She sniffed back tears and suppressed a smirk. “Who is we?”
“Jason’s here, too.” His head tilted, looking at the floorboards above them. “And your cousins and aunt. I think.”
“What do you mean?”
“We were coming to find you when she attacked us,” Tom said.
“What happened to my family?”
“I—” Tom shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“So why are you wearing this?” She pointed to his chest.
He glanced down at his jacket. “Because it’s cold?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Her hand found his cheek and cupped it for a second before pulling it away quickly. “Why are you dressed in this . . . skin?”
Tom made an irritated sound in the back of his throat. He sighed.
“What?” Charlie said.
“I can't take it off,” Tom said softly. “There’s a boundary around these woods that she’s been using to keep the local reaper out. I figured out pretty quickly I couldn’t cross as a reaper but I could in my human form.”
“Well, that’s interesting, considering she has a deal with him.”
“Her,” Tom corrected. “What sort of deal?”
Charlie shared how the witch had lived so long and about the spell she’d cast over the town. Tom listened intently as she told him about the spirit of the girl, and how she met Daniel and, finally, how the witch captured her. Lastly, she said, “She wants my magic, and honestly, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep it from her. We need to get out of here.”
The trapdoor opened again. Tom and Charlie scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by a falling body. He landed with an audible oofing and turned over on his back.
“Son of a bitch,” he said. He lay there for a minute, breathing heavily.
“Jason?” Charlie clambered across the floor.
The witch stood, staring down at her through the opening, breathing hard. Charlie gazed up at her. Blood from her nose dripped over her lips. She growled and shut the door. Something heavy scraped across the floor and Charlie heard a door slam.
“Yeah, it’s me.” Jason pulled himself up into a seated position and dug through the pockets of his coat. Within a minute he found what he was looking for. Something made a clicking noise and a bright round light shined on the floorboards above their heads.
Charlie moved to where she could get a better look at Jason. Blood streamed from his forehead across his left eye. “Oh my gosh,” she muttered. “What the hell happened?”
Jason dug out a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped it across his face.
“I'm not —” Jason winced and sucked a breath through his teeth as his fingers found the gash in his scalp. “I don't know exactly.”
“She lifted you in the air and dropped you on your head,” Tom said dryly.
“Oh my God. Did you lose consciousness?”
“Yes, he did,” Tom said.
“Is there anythi
ng you can do?” Charlie directed her question at Tom.
“I have no magic other than this face,” Tom said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Can you disguise other things?” Charlie asked softly.
“Like what?” Jason asked.
“Glamour is all about perception. That's why it works so well on humans,” Tom explained. He shook his head. “Sorry, it doesn’t work on objects the same way.”
“Well, maybe with the four of us we can get this door open.” Charlie ran her hand over the trapdoor.
“Four of us?” Jason scanned the darkness with a wary eye. “Who else is here?”
“Daniel can help.” Charlie took the flashlight from Jason’s hand and cast the light around the root cellar. “Daniel? You can come out. It’s okay, these are my friends.”
Something red caught her eye and she moved closer. His backpack. She shined the light on it. It looked dirtier than she remembered. She scanned the spaced beyond the bag, and the light landed on a pair of blue jeans. Blood rushed through her ears and her heart fluttered against her ribs like a pair of caged birds. She moved the light along the jeans to his plaid shirt until landing on the body’s mummified face. Salty tears burned the back of her throat. “Daniel?”
A warm hand on her back made Charlie jump and she almost dropped the light. Jason spoke softly, “Charlie?”
“He . . . he saved me.”
“Was he . . . was he in here with you?” Jason asked.
Charlie sniffled and nodded. “I didn’t know he was dead, though.”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said.
Charlie shined the light on Daniel’s body again. A black feather and small bone tied to a leather pouch around his neck caught her attention. She clenched her jaw and shoved the flashlight at Jason. “Hold this.” She unzipped her jacket and reached into the inner pocket, unsure if the witch had stripped her of her things. Her finger struck the cold metal of her multi-tool and she pulled it out.