The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

by Ophelia Preston

  ‘You must know there are things out there, things that are not human? Conrad is one such thing. He uses witches to conceal his trail from us, which is why we finally resorted to taking you without consent. For that, I apologise.’ Alex lowered his head briefly. The action seemed to surprise Ron.

  ‘Why not just give me something that belonged to your brother?’

  ‘He has been spelled somehow, he’s off the grid, nothing can find him,’ Ron sighed.

  ‘I found him.’

  ‘You are more than we thought you would be. Can you locate this cave now?’

  ‘A little more food and we can drive out. If I can see the shoreline, I can find the cave. Did your men locate the bar?’

  ‘They are looking. They have orders on what to do if they locate it,’ Alex said, his face grave. There was a finality to his voice.

  ‘You said you wouldn’t kill him’

  ‘He will be given a chance to save himself,’ Ron put in. I wasn’t overly confident about his tone either.

  I was given more food, this time it was a large Caesar salad with French bread and I ate contentedly before we headed out. We took a boat rather than a car, as the tide was coming in, and headed out along the waterfront. As we moved along the water, out to the beaches and caves to the north, I felt that connection to the person they were looking for, Alex’s brother.

  The shoreline was familiar and soon the cave itself came in to view, the one in my vision that held a lost man.

  I pointed it out to the men on the boat and they made their way over, helping me out of the boat as they got out.

  The cave was dark and damp and there was no form of light inside. Luckily the men had a few torches with them and were able to light the way. A few minutes in, the cave opened out into a cavern, at least twenty feet in diameter. Something lay in the centre, with a single old fashioned flaming torch lighting it.

  An old coffin.

  A moan escaped Alex as he ran to it. Ron and the others were on his heels, helping him remove the lid as they did. When Alex tried to reach in, he fell back in pain. Ron tried more tentatively but he too leapt back in apparent agony. The others backed away and I moved towards it to see if it was spelled.

  Sure enough, the energy from earlier that afternoon hit me. This time I was prepared and my barriers sent whatever energy was assailing my companions back to the sender. My hand reached in and felt for a pulse at the neck of the huge man lying inside. He had to be at least six feet five inches tall, dark brown hair that was almost shoulder length. He was perhaps the most perfect looking man I had ever seen and my hand shook slightly as I felt the pulse kick a little under my fingers. It was faint but there. I let the others know. Their relief was instant and sincere.

  ‘Can you free him from this spell?’ Alex asked. I shook my head. This was not my kind of magic. I wasn’t even entirely sure what kind of magic this was!

  ‘Do you know any witches here?’ I asked them.

  ‘I know one,’ Ron nodded and was on his phone in a heartbeat.

  ‘I want to thank you for your help in getting us here, Ms Anderson. We really appreciate it and I apologise for the way in which we approached you regarding this matter,’ Alex said, shaking my hand. He then had one of his men, Jerome, take me home.

  Jerome was the most relaxed of the group of men whose company I had been keeping over the last however long I’d been gone. He had a warm smile that crinkled his eyes at the corners, eyes so golden that you could lose yourself in them. His hair was almost raven black and a smooth contrast to his mocha skin. He was as tall as Alex and Ron, broad of chest and exuded strength and had a slight accent. He told me that his family were first generation Americans, his mother having been from Brittany and his father from the Congo.

  Jerome liked to talk and also told me that they owed me a huge debt in finding Chris for them. Alex’s brother was clearly called Chris.

  I tried to get some information out of him regarding how this other person had managed to capture Chris and why he had needed them to do things for him. Jerome might be talkative but he closed up as soon as I began my enquiries.

  Before I knew it I was back on the private jet and being flown home. Jerome had left me in the capable hands of the cabin crew, with instructions to by-pass all security and to make sure I reached to my apartment as soon, and as safely as possible.

  My apartment was a crime scene when I tried to enter it many hours later. I mean that literally. There was police tape everywhere and policemen all over the house itself.

  When I introduced myself I was lead over to a detective.

  ‘You’re Emilia Anderson? Where have you been the past four days?’ The rather short, middle aged man who was clearly harassed and confused, demanded.

  ‘I was...my skills in finding things were required urgently and the people needing them didn’t think they had time to ask for my assistance so they whisked me away rather abruptly,’ I replied as honestly as I could.

  ‘You were kidnapped?’ The salt and pepper haired detective tilted his head.

  ‘In a sense, yes.’

  ‘So who took you?’

  ‘I don’t know. A man named Alex took me to Florida, then San Francisco.’

  ‘Really.’ That was not a question and his tone had become disbelieving.

  ‘Officer, do you know what I do for a living?’

  ‘Your neighbours and friends, who called us in, said you were some kinda mojo witch who finds things for rich people.’

  ‘In a sense. I find metals, ores, gems and occasionally oil for large companies. That makes me highly sought after. These people who took me hadn’t done their homework and assumed I could find people. They were desperate and took me without my permission. I have not been harmed and have been treated well after the initial abduction. While I really appreciate my friends and neighbours contacting you, you can see that I have been returned safely. I do not wish to press charges. Is there anything else you require? I’m exhausted and need to sleep in my own bed.’ I wasn’t happy with this man’s implied accusations.

  ‘I could charge you with wasting police time,’ he eyed me up, assessing me.

  ‘I don’t think so. I was not the one who called you in. While I am grateful that you have tried to help, you can see that I no longer need any assistance.’ I knew the law and I knew my rights. He didn’t scare me in the slightest.

  ‘Ok boys, let’s wrap this up, the lady’s fine,’ he called to his colleagues, looking more than a little angry but not about to argue with me.

  ‘I’d appreciate you coming in to give a statement in the morning,’ he told me. I nodded, not sure what I could tell them but not willing to argue any further.

  The officers removed their tape as they left and the neighbours on either side of me, along with my friend and assistant, Graciela, poured in. I gave them all hugs and gave them an abridged version of what had happened. We ordered pizza in and watched a movie before they left and I fell into a deep slumber.

  When I woke up I discovered it was Tuesday. I had missed a few meetings and Graciela had rearranged almost all of them but said TitanCorp refused to move their meeting from this particular morning to any other. So I showered, dressed, ate and headed out as fast as I could to be at their headquarters for nine o’clock. I felt like I could have slept a lot longer but work was work and much had been missed over the last few days.

  Bradley Morgan greeted me as I arrived, asking how I was after my ordeal. He was a slim man, in his mid thirties, well dressed and groomed. His dark wavy hair was always well managed and his deep grey eyes were alight with intelligence. I assured him I was fine and we went to their smaller conference room, where several board members and their head of operations waited.

  The room was comfortable, quiet and they already had everything I required for the job waiting for me.

  Bradley began with where they had recently purchased their new mine and what the conditions were for their workers. They showed pictures of the mine and worki
ng environment to back this up. I had a strict policy on good working standards for all employees of any company I helped. Ethical mining was all I was interested in. Given that I saved the companies huge amounts of money and time, they were more than happy to comply.

  Morey, the operations manager, took over from Bradley then, relaying what they expected to find, giving me a copy of the geological reports. They knew roughly where to dig but this did not guarantee success, which was why I was there.

  This particular mine was in Canada and it was a titanium mine. Titanium was very rare and they wanted to make sure their new acquisition produced.

  I went about my routine, taking out my dowsing rod, holding my quartz and clearing my mind. I began to think of titanium, the feel of it, that beautiful, perfect metal. A small tug drew me to the map of the mine.

  My hazel rod had a stunning silver point, hand carved by a friend. It fell on a part of the mine that lacked much mapping detail. They had clearly not given this area much thought in their initial preparations. Morey marked it off and I cleared my mind once more to see whether there were any other veins of this particular ore. There was one more, almost exactly where the geologists had thought there might be.

  From here, I looked over the geological report while Bradley handed me a coffee and some croissants. I ate absently as I scanned the report. The mine was very large and the report summary believed that there may be tin and possibly some copper in this mine as well. I would use these as further focuses. This was the second part to my job, to find any other minerals in the mine. The third scan would be for anything else that may be viable, be it metals or anything else.

  After locating the tin and copper deposits, I moved on to the general sweep of the land they had purchased to see what I could find and slumped happily to the ground, a feeling of bliss engulfing me.

  ‘Oh, she’s found some gems,’ Morey beamed to the board members. We had worked together a good few times before and he knew the signs.

  With metals I tended to feel a warmth, a kinship. With gems, I felt downright blissful, as though a giant furry being was giving me a big hug and sprinkling fairy dust over me to boot. It was an emotion I couldn’t hide and didn’t want to. After locating the large sapphire deposit for them, I ate the meal they brought in and let Morey lead me out when I was finished.

  Morey was in his late fifties and had grey hair, what was left of it. He was a good man who worked very hard and dealt with a lot of annoying people in his line of work. We had known each other for two years now and I trusted this man.

  ‘You did good work in there darlin’,’ he smiled. I grinned and nodded, still a little euphoric but with my feet firmly planted on the ground.

  ‘Thanks Morey. I wasn’t expecting the sapphires.’

  ‘Neither were they,’ he chuckled. ‘I think you made their week. Bradley had to really work to get them to purchase that mine. He knew it would yield, just never how much.’

  ‘The sapphires might even rival the titanium. Biggest vein I ever felt of those particular stones. The titanium will be a load though. It will more than satisfy them, I think.’ I waved and made my way to the police station to give my statement. After that, which took over an hour, I headed back to the office, which was below my apartment.

  The office consisted of a desk and a long couch with a coffee table out front and a smaller cosy consulting office in back. This was my sanctuary, where I could relax after a session. It was also a good place to bring some of my clients who wanted to speak to me privately.

  ‘Can you review you online calendar to make sure the changes I’ve made are possible? I’ve rearranged the appointments you missed and in some cases there is more than one appointment a day, just until you catch up on your missed meetings,’ Graciela asked once I was settled in.

  I had a look to make sure there wouldn’t be too big a load on any one day while sipping my cafe latte.

  ‘You need anything or can I head out?’ Graciela asked from the doorway. Her long dark hair was loose today, a curtain of velvet. She had the most open face of anyone I knew, which is one of the reasons I hired her. We had long since become good friends. Today she was wearing a warm woollen suit. She tended to feel the cold more than I did and usually had the heating on pretty high. I didn’t mind because she was so versatile with her workload and so personable.

  ‘I’m fine. The calendar looks fine too. Thanks for everything Gracie,’ I waved. She smiled and headed out.

  Things started to feel more normal and I was starting to feel more secure in my routine once more, when Detective Ronkowski, the officer from when I had returned, showed up at my apartment that evening.

  ‘You were able to find that man. Think you can find a kid?’ His face was so serious that I didn’t dare say no. I nodded, gathering what I needed and headed to the station with him.

  An officer by the name of Clarke gave me the ring of the missing little girl. Her name was Sara and I was able to make a connection straight away. At that moment she was moving in a car which was hard for me to pinpoint but I knew which direction it was moving in and on which street. Cops poured out of the building, Ronkowski asking Clarke to stay with me in the event that I was able to be more specific, or if they stopped.

  I held my connection for as long as possible and when the call came in that they had her, I let it go, relieved. Clarke said I could go and I gladly left. All I wanted was a burger and a long hot shower, then bed.

  That did not seem to be the universe’s idea though as when I arrived at my home I was met by a different visitor.

  Chapter 3

  Ron smiled as he pushed off from the wall he was leaning against, the wall right next to my door.

  ‘You’re not going to kidnap me again, are you?’ I eyed him warily. He grinned and shook his head, before becoming serious.

  ‘No, Em. I need a favour. We all do. Shaya says she can’t undo the spell but the fact that you could touch him means you can. We brought him here, in that fucking awful coffin. Will you come help us again?’ He sounded like he was babbling but I could just about follow what he was saying.

  ‘I don’t know such a spell, Ron. I’m sorry but I don’t think I can help.’ Again, I was being honest. I did not want to get his hopes up and then not be able to carry through.

  ‘Shaya says she can take you through it. Please?’ He all but pleaded. Sighing, I nodded and let him lead me to his car.

  We drove for a few minutes. It was well past rush hour and within ten minutes we had arrived at a re-developed warehouse, redbrick stonework, big wooden doors and huge open windows. It was quite stunning to behold, and huge. I imagined the views across the river would be lovely.

  Inside were several apartments. Ron led me to one and knocked, before walking in. My first impression was that this was a man’s apartment. The colours were bold or dark, accessories to the minimum and a very neglected looking kitchen. It was open plan for the most part, with the kitchen, living room area and dining area all together.

  Alex walked towards me and gave me a quick hug, startling me. He did not seem to me to be an affectionate person at all! He turned and moved back to the sofa he had been sitting on with a woman I had met before, a long time ago.

  ‘Emilia Anderson, as I live and breathe,’ she stood and gave me a big hug. I returned it, wondering how I could not have recognised the name straight away.

  ‘Shaya Duvall! You look amazing!’ I couldn’t believe how much the girl I hadn’t seen in over a decade had grown. She was as tall as my five foot eight inches and every inch of her was lean, lethal muscle. Her skin was as dark as her midnight eyes and her hair was in dreads, knotted together in a ponytail behind her head. She always had the most sublime cheekbones of anyone I’d ever met and that had not changed. She also radiated a power that was warm and welcoming.

  I had always liked Shaya’s energy, and enjoyed working spells with her.

  ‘I had no idea it was you they were talking about. I can’t believe you guys kidnapped
an old friend of mine! I should turn you all into toads!’ She looked about the room at the group of now sheepish looking men.

  ‘So you think I can break this spell? You know that’s not my kind of magic.’

  ‘No, but you can touch him. No one else seems to be able to do that so you must have some kind of connection, or some kind of power the witch who cast this could not counter. Either way, you can get at him while we can’t. I’ll show you what to do, hon. You just follow my instructions and we’ll soon wake this sleeping beauty, eh?’ Shaya grinned evilly and I laughed, nodding.

  She took me over to the coffin. It was horrible that a living person had been put in such a thing, a huge threat in itself. The man inside appeared exactly as he had in the cave, more than three days before. There were no signs of life but he also looked perfectly preserved.

  ‘Are your barriers up?’ Shaya asked. I nodded. ‘Ok, you need to lower them for this spell. I will protect us. Now you need to get into your space and push your energy out, into the coffin, intoning the Paya chant. In order for this to work you need to have physical contact with him. This is why we haven’t been able to do this, we can’t get close enough to touch him,’ she explained.

  The Paya chant was an ancient magical chant that had been used by witches for millennia. It was thought to be Mesopotamian in origin but there was no real evidence to back that.

  I nodded again and closed my eyes, lowering my protective barriers. Then I reached for the centre of my power as my hand reached down into the coffin to touch his. As my power enveloped this stranger, I began intoning the Paya chant, slowly, deeply, rhythmically.

  Shaya stood back, watching, nodding. I knew she would also be monitoring for any potential attacks from the spell caster. This caster was strong but Shaya was stronger. She was one of the strongest witches I knew, and I knew quite a few.

  I could feel the spell crumbling beneath me, cracks splitting over the energy that covered this man. If I could feel this then so could the caster and sure enough, Shaya jolted but straightened again, a brief smile thrown my way before she began her own battle.