Covenkeepers

by Denise Gwen

  “There, there, dear,” Nana soothed. “There, there.”

  “Oh, Mama,” Claudia wailed.

  Maddie rolled her eyes.

  And so, as Bettina poured a second full glass of the vintage Merlot Maddie had discovered in the cellar, and handed it to her mother, some measure of peace finally fell over the table, but the tension in the room still resonated.

  The familiars sensed it, too. Danube paced from one end of the room to the other, shaking his head; Malamar perched on the windowsill, looking offended and hurt; Roby hooted and plopped droppings, and Zippy—well, Zippy slept contentedly on a blanket in the corner. Zippy, as usual, didn’t appear to have a care in the world.

  “Eat your dinner, dear,” Nana urged Mama.

  Mama’s fingers trembled as she dipped the spoon into her bowl and brought it to her lips. She swallowed audibly, then let the spoon drop from her fingers. She bowed her head and sobbed. “I’m supposed to protect you.”

  “There, there, dear,” Nana soothed.

  “Mama,” Maddie said in an offended tone, “I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”

  “No, you’re not, Maddie.” And then Mama wept again.

  Zippy raised his head from his comfy rug, sighed, and lowered his head again. “Wake me when she’s finished crying.”

  “This is all your fault,” Danube hissed at Malamar. “You’re Maddie’s familiar. You’re supposed to be with her every moment of every day. You’re supposed to watch her.”

  “I can’t very well accompany her to school, can I?” Malamar shot back. “Do you know what middle school boys do to cats? Let me assure you, it isn’t pleasant.”

  “It’s your job, as her familiar, to protect her,” Danube said.

  “Exactly,” hooted Roby. “She must never leave your sight.”

  “You try keeping up with a hyperactive teenage girl for one day,” Malamar said with an icy glare, “and if you’re still alive at the end of it, I’ll personally give you a medal.”

  Danube rolled his eyes with a disdainful sneer.

  “She’s in no danger during the day,” Roby said. “It’s when she’s at home she falls into danger.”

  “Where were you today?” Danube demanded suddenly. “Why weren’t you waiting for her when she got home from school?”

  Malamar stiffened. “That’s none of your business.”

  “It’s everybody’s business,” Roby hooted. “It’s your job to look after her the moment she steps across the threshold every day.”

  “Especially after this last incident,” Danube added. “You need to be on high alert at all times.”

  Malamar’s stiff resolve broke and he looked suddenly sad. “Once Agatha sealed that secret staircase, I thought we were safe.”

  “We are safe,” Roby informed him with a lofty toss of his feathered head. “But she isn’t. And it’s your job to look after her.”

  The witches turned to gaze at Malamar. Zippy lifted his head and gazed with interest at the scene. Malamar’s whiskers quivered. “That’s it. I know when I’m not wanted.” He jumped off the windowsill and scurried away down the hallway, his tail and his head held high.

  Zippy chuckled. “He was napping with me when Maddie came home today.”

  Danube turned on him. “And why weren’t you helping him to guard Maddie?”

  Zippy shrugged, clearly indifferent. “Hey, I’ve already got one neurotic witch to look after. I can’t take care of two of them.”

  “That’s a pathetic excuse,” Danube said with a sneer.

  Zippy’s whiskers twitched. “Don’t send me on a guilt trip, Danube. I ain’t packing my bags.”

  Danube stared at Zippy for a long moment, then turned away with a regretful sigh. “You’re hopeless.”

  “Yeah,” Zippy said with a self-satisfied sigh. “That I am.”

  “For whatever it’s worth,” Mama said, coming to her familiar’s defense, “Zippy helps me to calm down. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been on the verge of a nervous collapse, only to have Zippy bring me back.” Her eyes softened. “And somehow he simply knows when I’m upset or sad, and he finds his way into my lap, rubbing his head against my arm.”

  A respectful silence followed this remark. Zippy’s eyes gleamed in the dusky candlelight.

  “I wouldn’t be so eager to get my shoulder out of joint from all the back-patting you’re doing,” Danube remarked tartly. “Claudia’s always seen past your faults.”

  Zippy made a sour face and put his head back down on his pillow.

  “That’s enough,” Nana said. She indicated Danube. “Dear, I think we need to be alone for a few minutes.”

  “Very well, your grace,” Danube said. He turned and indicated the other familiars. “You heard her. Let’s go.”

  Roby hooted and flew out of the room. Zippy got up, stretched luxuriously, and, taking his sweet time, trotted out of the room. Danube nuzzled Agatha’s leg before following Zippy from the kitchen.

  The witches looked at Maddie.

  “You too, sweetheart,” Nana said.

  “Me? Why am I being ordered from the room?”

  “Because,” Nana said kindly, “we need to discuss some highly confidential matters, and it’s not appropriate subject matter for your young ears.”

  Maddie glowered. “Why does Bettina get to stay?”

  “Your sister’s of age,” Mama said. “And you will be too, soon enough.” Her gaze softened. “Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, sweetheart. Trust me, adulthood will come soon enough.”

  Maddie tossed her napkin on the table and stood up. “All right, all right. I’ll leave, but I just want you all to know something.”

  “What’s that?” Nana asked.

  “I am deeply, deeply offended.”

  “So noted,” Bettina said dryly. “Now go.”

  Maddie stomped out of the room.

  She hurried into the hallway and saw Malamar crouched by the real staircase. He looked up at her with mute sadness as she stood over him.

  “Come on,” she whispered. “Let’s go to my room.”

  “I don’t know why you want anything to do with me,” Malamar said in a wounded voice. “I’m of no use to you. Why, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if you asked for another familiar to be assigned to you.”

  “Oh, quit being such a martyr.” Maddie laughed as she grabbed ahold of the newel post and swung herself up the stairs. “Come on, let’s hurry. There isn’t much time.”

  Malamar’s ears pricked up. “Time for what?”

  “Just hurry!”

  Malamar followed her up the stairs. “Whatever you’ve got up your hat, I’m not so sure I want to know, but here I come.”

  “Spoken like a true hero,” she said, and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom.

  ****

  “Hurry!” she said, as Malamar followed close on her heels. She scurried into her bedroom, beelined for the furnace grate tucked behind the door, and dropped down to her knees and bent her head down low over the wrought iron grate and cocked her head.

  “What in the world are you doing?” Malamar asked, pushing the bedroom door shut with his tail.

  “Just be quiet.”

  Malamar drew near, purring.

  “Hush, they’re talking.”

  Malamar watched for a moment, then understanding flooded his sea-foam green eyes. “Clever girl,” he said, impressed.

  She smiled faintly.

  Never mind the fact the house had tried on two occasions to kill her, Maddie was starting to believe that old, haunted houses were simply wonderful. For one thing, there were all manner of delightful nooks and crannies to explore; no end of adventure on that score—and then the all-too-convenient furnace grates, built back in the day before central air-conditioning and heating were invented.

  And she discovered something else even nicer about a furnace grate in her room—it served as a direct conduit, an old-fashioned telephone line, to the conversation going on in the k
itchen. She’d noticed this earlier; her bedroom, located directly above the kitchen, shared the same airshaft as the kitchen below.

  Maddie settled down to listen; she felt as if she were still in the kitchen, seated at the table, listening to the witches talking.

  “You are a sly, devious girl,” Malamar said with admiration.

  “Hush, Malamar.” She fell silent.

  Malamar continued purring.

  Maddie listened, her ear close to the air grate.

  Nana said something that Maddie didn’t catch.

  “That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you, Nana,” Bettina said, in her soft, lilting voice. “Ezekiel’s lieutenants are searching for us.”

  “How do you know for certain?” Mama asked.

  “A body washed ashore in New Richmond last night with bite marks on the neck and all the blood drained from the corpse.”

  “Dear Goddess,” Nana said.

  “They transported the body to the Hamilton County Coroner’s office. I can’t imagine what the coroner must’ve thought when he saw the corpse.”

  “Well, that’s certainly obvious, isn’t it,” Nana snorted. “Ezekiel’s vampires are none too subtle, are they?”

  “Why aren’t they being more discreet?” Mama fretted. “Don’t they know we’re keeping a watch out for them?”

  “Maybe they want us to know they’re getting closer,” Bettina said ominously.

  The witches fell silent for a long moment, considering.

  “Do you really think Ezekiel knows where we are?” Mama said. “We flew straight through the night from Salem Castle. How’d they find us so quickly?”

  “Everything fell apart at the last minute, Mama,” Bettina pointed out. “It’s possible we left behind some pretty big clues as to our whereabouts. And if you’ll recall, Ezekiel got pretty fired up just before we left.”

  “I know, but still,” Mama said. “We escaped one time before, and we managed to avoid Ezekiel’s lieutenants for a whole year.”

  “When did that happen?” Bettina asked.

  “Shortly after Maddie’s birth, don’t you remember, dear?”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  Maddie gazed into Malamar’s eyes. “Do you know what they’re talking about?”

  “Not a clue,” Malamar said. “I didn’t become your familiar until you turned five.”

  “Hm.”

  Nana clucked her tongue. “I don’t know, I just don’t know. And that really worries me. I feel as if Ezekiel put some kind of homing device on one of us.”

  “Dear me,” Bettina said.

  “Perhaps we ought to abandon this house?” Mama asked. “Why don’t we just fly across the ocean, across the Atlantic? There are lots of European colonies over there. We’d be more than welcome. We’ve got some cousins in Wales.”

  “That is a consideration,” Nana mused. “I’ve not seen Rhiannon in years.”

  “But if we did that,” Bettina said, “we’d fall into Llewellyn’s clutches. And he’s as bad as Ezekiel.”

  Nana tut-tutted under her breath. “Six of one, half-dozen of another.”

  “Madeleine worries me,” Mama said. “I don’t think she’s strong enough to fly all the way across the ocean on her broomstick. It’s a difficult journey, you know.”

  A flush of love rose up in Maddie’s heart. Mama only referred to her by her full name when she was really worried about her.

  “Surely we can find a safer house?” Nana asked. “Find another town, another house. The poor girl’s in danger every moment of every day.”

  “If only that stupid cat of hers would do his job—” Bettina seethed.

  Maddie glanced at Malamar, who rose to his full height and puffed out his fur. “Well,” he harrumphed.

  Nana tapped her fingernails on the table. “This is the problem. We need to make a decision, and we need to make a decision soon, before we find ourselves swarming in vampires.”

  The witches shuddered.

  “Here’s another thing,” Mama interjected. “And we’re all conveniently forgetting this fact. Ezekiel’s threatened to kill Daniel if I don’t accede to his demands.”

  At the mention of her father’s name, Maddie’s head drooped. Throughout all this business, she’d nearly forgotten her darling father remained trapped in a carbonite freeze. Poor Papa. Malamar drew near to her, nuzzling her cheek and purring loudly in her ear.

  “Hush, Malamar!”

  Sudden silence.

  Uh-oh.

  “Did you hear something?” Nana asked.

  “What was that?” Mama said.

  “I’m not sure,” Bettina said. “But where’s Maddie?”

  “She went upstairs,” Mama said. “She’s in her bedroom.”

  “Are you quite sure?” Nana said. “Are you quite sure she went upstairs?”

  “Yes.” Mama chuckled. “She slammed her bedroom door shut.”

  “Hm,” Bettina said.

  They fell silent again. Although it served no earthly purpose, Maddie held her breath. She couldn’t see them, but the oddest image suddenly flitted into her consciousness. She saw Nana turning her head and gazing with intense interest at the wrought iron grate on the floor beside her feet. Of all the witches, Maddie suspected Nana’d be the one to find her out.

  A chair scraped. “She’s not on the stairs,” Bettina reported, settling back into her chair.

  So she went to check on me.

  “Look,” Nana said. “We need to focus. We’re all of us in real danger.”

  Then Mama said something that shocked Maddie to the core.

  “Perhaps I should just agree to become his mistress.”

  Maddie reared her head back in horror. What? Was that the source of all the fuss, the conflict, the pain, the anguish? The hideous Ezekiel wanted Mama to become his mistress? How awful, how dreadful. And what would happen to Papa?

  “No,” Bettina said. “Let’s not stoop to his level.”

  “It may be the only way,” Mama choked out, tears in her voice. “To save Daniel’s life.”

  “Even if you give in to his demands, you know Ezekiel will kill Daniel,” Nana said.

  Mama tried to speak, but she started sobbing so hard she lost the power of speech.

  “There’s something else you don’t know,” Nana said to Bettina. “Your mother and I wanted to keep it from you. And it’s the real reason why I sent Maddie from the room.”

  Maddie laid her ear flat against the grate, listening intently.

  “What?” Bettina demanded. “What in the world is going on that could possibly be worse than my mother becoming the mistress of that—of that warlock?”

  “Ezekiel wants something else from us.” Nana’s voice sounded sad, mournful. “He wants to marry Maddie to his son.”

  “His son?” Bettina scoffed. “To that idiot, Marcus?”

  “No,” Nana said in a sorrowful voice, “to his bastard son, Drakkur.”

  Bettina inhaled. Maddie sat up sharply and covered her ears.

  Malamar gazed worriedly at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Drakkur?” Maddie said in horror. “Drakkur?”

  “Who’s Drakkur?” Malamar asked.

  “Ezekiel’s half-vampire, half-wiccan son.” Maddie shook her head. “He’s a madman! He’s insane! He’s totally too old for me!”

  “He’s a killer,” Bettina said softly.

  “And a monster,” Nana added in a steely voice.

  6

  As Maddie emerged from Batesville Middle School the next day, she smiled with pleasure to see Malamar waiting for her on the little hillock just outside the clearing to the woods. Her heart swelled with love at the sight of him; although she’d stood him up the day before to walk down to UDF with Victoria, Malamar obviously felt the need to be a good familiar to his witch by escorting her home. She ducked out of the crowd of students walking down the street and headed straight for him.

  “Did that creep Derrick bother you?” she asked as she drew
near.

  “No, mercifully.” Malamar licked the back of his paw.

  A presence at her side. She turned and saw Victoria.

  “Oh,” Victoria cooed, “what a cute little kitty cat.”

  Malamar’s eyes flashed in disdain, but his look turned to one of abject horror as Victoria unceremoniously scooped him up into her arms.

  “Uh, Victoria,” Maddie said.

  I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea.

  “Isn’t he the cutest little thing?” Victoria nuzzled him and scratched behind his ears. In a matter of moments the look of icy disdain slipped from his features as he purred ecstatically. Victoria petted his downy fur.

  “Victoria,” Maddie mused, “I think I should bring you home with me.”

  “I don’t see why not,” Malamar said. “She’s absolutely wonderful.”

  Forgetting herself, Maddie said, “Yes, she is, isn’t she?”

  “You talking to me?” Victoria asked.

  Uh-oh.

  “Oh, yes, yes,” Maddie said hastily. “Would you like to come home with me? Maybe we can get started on our homework?”

  Victoria cradled Malamar in her arms. “Sounds good to me.”

  “I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Malamar purred.

  “I should think so,” Maddie retorted.

  “About what?” Victoria said.

  “Oh,” Maddie said, as Malamar flashed her a sly, sidelong glance. “Nothing. Come on, we can cut through the woods to my house. I know a shortcut.”

  “I’m so glad you’re taking me to your house,” Victoria said, still cradling Malamar in her arms as if he were an infant. The girls picked their way across the rocky and tree-root-covered terrain. “I’m dying to see where you live.”

  “It’s just an old house,” Maddie said dryly, glancing askance at Malamar. “There’s nothing spectacular to the place.”

  Unless you count the secret staircase, the evil dumbwaiter, the mice, the nasty black blob, and the spiders. Apart from that, it’s just an ordinary, old, dilapidated Victorian mansion.

  They walked a hundred yards up the tree-covered path, then reached an incline. From this vantage point, they looked down a steep drop leading down to the back side of the house. Maddie saw the coal chute Nana had rescued her from the day before and shuddered.