A Witch's Rite (Witch's Path Series: Book 5)

by N. E. Conneely

  “Well, Ned, it is.” Wells kept his voice congenial. “See, I had two very confused hikers come down and make a report, so I have to investigate.”

  Ned shook his head.

  Wells glanced at Patrick, who gave a tiny nod. Gudger also exchanged a look with Patrick, and I knew the three of them weren’t going to let this continue for much longer.

  “Work with me, Ned,” Wells said, taking a step forward. “I need some answers. Where did the snails come from?”

  “Don’t come any closer.”

  Wells slid his hand along his belt until it was resting on the handcuffs. “I just want to talk.”

  “I told you to stay,” Ned yelled.

  All of a sudden, everyone was moving and things were happening so quickly I couldn’t keep up.

  Wells yanked out the handcuffs and rushed forward.

  Ned pulled both hands out of his jacket pockets.

  I raised my wand and started to cast a containment spell. “Sow—”

  Ned opened his right hand, and I could see a charm.

  Gudger charged toward Ned.

  Patrick drew his gun. “On your knees, hands in the air.”

  My spell fizzled and died. What? Something had sucked the energy away.

  With his other hand, Ned threw some powder at Wells and started shouting. The gun flew out of Patrick’s hand, and the handcuffs escaped Wells’s grip. My wand tried to make a break for it, but it had some powers of its own, and when my fingers were about to give way, it sank back into my hand.

  Wells and Gudger tackled Ned as he started screaming words. Ned kept fighting them, and when it looked like he might get away, Elron threw himself into the fray. I couldn’t tell if Ned was saying runes or some type of gibberish, but suddenly my vision clouded and I was dizzy. I dismissed my wand. I could cast spells without it, and I didn’t want to step on it if I lost my grip.

  I tipped to the side and went down on one knee. Through the haze, I could see Wells, Gudger, and Elron scuffling with Ned. Holding out my hand, I tried to cast a spell to wrap Ned in magical ropes. “Al… algiz.” I stumbled through the word.

  My vision cleared, but it wasn’t an improvement. Everything around me was spinning, and I couldn’t see how the fight was going. The trees and bushes were going around, faster and faster. Since nature didn’t move like that, the spinning had to be in my head. I closed my eyes, but I still felt like I was moving.

  My usually steady stomach lurched, and I clamped my lips together. I would not lose my lunch, not because of magic performed by a human. Besides, if I was going to hurl, I wanted to do it on him, so I had to hold on until I could see well enough to target Ned.

  It seemed like forever, but it couldn’t have been more than a few moments, before the feeling of spinning faded and my stomach started to settle. I could feel the ground under me, so at some point I had ended up flat on my back. Even though my head was fuzzy and throbbing, I forced one eye open.

  Hints of blue sky and leafy trees greeted me. That should have been reassuring, but I could see towering rhododendron bushes. When my vision had faded, I’d been far closer to the stream and trees.

  But the biggest change of all—the men. Where were the men?

  Chapter Nine

  Ned

  Huffing, I straightened my clothes before I hurried over to the two officers sprawled out on the ground. This group was causing all sorts of problems. I needed to buy time while I contacted my associate. He would want to know about them and would want proof of who had discovered our operation. All of which meant I needed a hostage.

  The big man’s arm had a strange bulge. I didn’t recall hurting any of them during the scuffle, so he must have been injured when I transported them. That was unfortunate but not my fault. After all, I’d been minding my business when those five had tromped up the mountain and invaded my territory.

  Erring on the side of caution, I removed both men’s guns and stowed them in my pack. With that taken care of, I returned to the larger of the two men. Kneeling down, I moved the man’s feet until they were close enough that I could tie them together. When I was finished with his feet, I considered his arms. I had no wish to injure him further, but I was afraid he could cause trouble if not completely secured.

  As I walked around him, I stepped on a twig. The sound cracked through the air, and the slender officer with the extra fingers twitched. I watched him for a moment to see if he would awaken, but when he didn’t move, I pulled out a length of rope and contemplated the best way to bind the hands of a man with a broken arm.

  I worked a length of rope around his waist, tying it before sliding it around so the knot was in the back. Then I arranged his broken arm across his chest so that his elbow was at a ninety-degree angle. A moment later, there was a nice loop of rope above and below the elbow, connecting his arm to the rope around his middle. I could do the same to his other side and gently lash his forearms together. That should keep him fairly immobile without exacerbating the injury to his arm.

  There was a crunch of leaves, and I turned just in time to see a fist flying at my face. The punch hit my jaw, sending me toppling backward. I fell over the big man, landing on his arm. He screamed and thrashed as I scrambled away.

  “Gudger, shift!” the six-fingered officer yelled as he came at me again.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the other man moving around. I dodged the next punch, reached into my pocket, pulled out a handful of dust, and blew it into the air. It settled against the men and I quickly spoke. “Immobilize.”

  The officers froze in midmotion, with one of the men reaching for me and the other trying to untie his ankles.

  Pulling out another pinch of powder, I went over to the man with the broken arm. “So you’re a shifter? We can’t have that.” I dusted him with powder. “You cannot shift. And since I don’t know how to set bones, that means your arm won’t be healing properly.”

  Even though the man shouldn’t have been able to move, I thought his expression changed to one of fear.

  “You really are causing me so much trouble.” I shook my head and turned to face the officer who was still on his feet. “I know you can hear me, so listen closely. I’m taking the burly shifter with me. If you and your friend make it through the maze, I’ll return him to you and let you be on your way. If you don’t make it through, well, he won’t make it either. I trust you understand.”

  Under different circumstances I would ask him to nod or something, but I rather liked him in his immobilized state, and unless I released him, he wouldn’t be able to make any nodding motion or even blink. Even though he didn’t so much as twitch an eyelash, I knew he understood me.

  “I’m glad we had this little chat.” I pulled another handful of powder out of my pocket and sprinkled it across both officers. “Unconscious.”

  The man on the ground slumped over immediately. The officer who was standing started to sway and blink rapidly. He was reaching for the gun he no longer had when he collapsed.

  I took a moment to collect myself before I resumed tying up the big man. When his bonds were secure, I sprinkled more dust on him to reduce his weight, threw him over my shoulder, and headed back to my home. If the people I’d captured were who I thought they were, my associate would have numerous questions for my injured friend. If the officer was talkative, he might even survive the interrogation.

  Chapter Ten

  Elron

  I awakened with pounding in my head, pain in my body, and certainty that all had not gone as planned. That feeling was confirmed when I got to my feet and took in my surroundings. Towering rhododendrons surrounded me, and there wasn’t another person in sight. I was totally alone.

  While it bothered me to be separated from the police officers, I was more concerned about Michelle. She did not have my skills and would not do well if we were stranded out here overnight. The pack I’d put together for her was a small comfort. It did not contain the tent, but there was an emergency blanket, sleeping bag
, food, and the water purifier. Even without me, she would be able to eat, stay hydrated, and warm.

  “Michelle?” I shouted, hoping she could hear me. I called out several more times, and when I did not receive a response, I turned my attention to the radio. I unclipped it from my pack and examined the device. I had not thought to ask for instructions on how to use it, but it was the only way I had of communicating with Michelle.

  When we tested them, the others had simply pushed the big button to transmit their voices. I pushed the button. “Michelle?”

  Nothing.

  I tried it again but didn’t get a response. I looked it over and noticed the display was empty rather than showing the number that had been on it before. I pushed a few buttons and twisted a few knobs, but nothing happened. If I found Michelle, she would tease me endlessly about my difficulties using modern technology.

  Since my attempts to contact the rest of the group had been unsuccessful, I turned my attention to the rhododendrons. The plants were large, dense, and appeared to be cultivated. They were arranged in such a way that they created a corridor, which made me think I was being herded.

  I reached out, trying to get a sense of where I was and how these plants had become so hedge-like, as that was not their normal configuration. The rhododendrons did not want to speak with me. They ignored me, but I did get the same odd sensation that I had felt when I examined the specimen in my office. I gave the plants a closer look. Sure enough, they had an identical feel of there being some type of magic, but it did not seem to be coming from the plant proper.

  Taking a deep breath, I calmed my thoughts and again attempted to communicate with them. After gentle inquiries were ignored, I demanded that they open up and allow me to exit the area. When they paid no attention to me, I relented. These rhododendrons were even more reclusive than the one in my greenhouse.

  Communication problems aside, I was sure the small rhododendron that had been sent to me had come from one of these larger plants. Since I had been unable to learn much about that plant, the realization was not of much use.

  I glanced around, trying to find another way out of the maze. Trees peaked over the top of the rhododendrons. I tried to reach out to them, but something was blocking me. While I could see them clearly, nothing I tried let me feel their presence or speak with them. When we found Ned, I wanted to know how he had accomplished that as I had not thought it was possible to so thoroughly block an elf from communicating with nature.

  Shaking off the rest of my aches and pains, I began to follow the walls. I would not let unruly plants stand between Michelle and me. I would find her, and we would capture Ned and return home. We had been through worse than this.

  “Michelle? Wells? Westmoreland? Gudger?” I yelled. I listened for a reply, but none came. A few minutes later, I repeated the call. It was not the best method of finding them, but it was what I could do right now.

  When I reached a corner and the empty space between plants doubled back upon itself, I knew this was a construct. Left to their own devices, rhododendrons grew into large, loose bushes, not these dense, uniform walls. A few feet later, I stopped and looked around. It was a maze. That was why it had an unnatural symmetry and peculiar switchbacks.

  Someone, and my current guess was Ned, had put a great deal of effort into creating this, and if he was true to the old traditions, not only would there only be one exit, but there would be barriers of some type that we had to navigate around. Those could come in many different forms—natural obstacles like rivers and cliffs, or spells and magical creatures that were under orders to hurt or kill us. That was not including the wildlife that could have been caught in here and might offer us violence.

  Sighing, I kept walking, looking for any sign of Michelle and the officers. Michelle was smart. She would figure those things out and do what she could to get out of here. As a witch, she might be able to succeed where I had failed. If nothing else, I would feel better with her by my side. Our skill sets augmented one another.

  Ahead of me, the hallway came to a T intersection. I debated the direction, and after peering down the paths, I took the right. Logically, it was more likely to put me closer to the area in which I had started the maze, and I was willing to bet the others had started in a similar area. That might not be the best logic, but it would have taken more magic to widely disperse us than to sprinkle us in a smaller area.

  As I walked, I kept calling out Michelle’s name. It was easier than shouting for the others, and if they heard me they would respond. Time and again, I shouted for her, but all I ever heard was the distant chirp of birds and the wind rustling the tops of the bushes.

  Rounding a corner, I spotted a crumpled form. I sprinted over. Even from this distance I could tell it wasn’t Michelle, but for now any member of our group was an improvement to being alone.

  Kneeling next to Wells, I let my power trickle through him. He had the same headache as I did but was otherwise uninjured. Rather, he was not seriously injured, there were plenty of bumps and bruises that did not require medical attention. While some elves could work healing magics, that was not one of my better skills.

  “Awaken, Detective,” I barked as I shook him.

  Wells’s eyes popped open, darted around, and he scrambled back. “Where’s Ned? What did he do to Gudger?”

  “It is just me. I do not know what happened to the others.” I kept my voice calm and soothing. “We appear to be alone.”

  “My head,” Wells groaned.

  “Yes, mine aches as well. I believe it is a side effect of the magic. Drink some water. It will help.”

  He scooted over to his pack, unclipped a canteen, and took a couple of gulps. “Where are the others?”

  “I am afraid I cannot answer that question. I awakened alone. I’ve gone through several corridors of this maze. I have not been able to locate Michelle, Westmoreland, or Gudger. My attempts to work with the rhododendrons to create a passage out of here were unsuccessful.”

  “Great.” Wells checked his belt and sighed. “He took my gun.”

  “When?” From the way Wells spoke, I suspected something else had happened.

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head as if he was clearing it. “I woke up and saw him tying up Gudger. I don’t remember having my gun when we fought. One moment I was charging him, the next I couldn’t move and he was talking to me. That’s all I remember before you woke me up.”

  “What did he do with Gudger?”

  Wells’s voice was angry. “Ned took him.”

  “What else happened?”

  Wells frowned and closed his eyes before refocusing on me. “I woke up to see Ned tying up Gudger. I pretended like I was asleep for a moment to gather my thoughts before I did anything. When I was sure Ned was up to no good, I tried to attack. It was useless. He did something to the two of us after that, must’ve been magic, and I could see and hear him, but I couldn’t move. He used some dust on Gudger, told him he couldn’t shift.” Wells paused. “Elron, Ned told me that we could get Gudger back if we found the exit. If we don’t find Gudger… Well, then all of us will die.”

  I sighed, not overly surprised by that turn of events.

  Wells looked around. “I have to say, I don’t have a good feeling about this. I’ve never been separated from my group and had it end well.”

  Pursing my lips, I debated the proper answer. While I agreed with him, it would not help the situation if I voiced some of my deeper concerns.

  Wells focused on me. “Do you have any idea how we’re going to get out of this? Because from where I’m sitting, we’re up a creek without a paddle.”

  Sadly I had to agree with him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Michelle

  Groaning, I forced myself to sit up. It wasn’t comfortable to be lying on the backpack anyway. Patrick was off to my right, but I didn’t see Elron, Wells, Gudger, or Ned.

  I put aside the men’s location for the moment because it seemed like I had bigger problem
s. My surroundings had changed, and big dense rhododendrons were on both sides of me. Those trees I’d seen when I was on my back were not close by, which they had been before. In fact, the rhododendrons were on three sides, creating a hallway that extended for quite some ways. In the distance I could see the hallway hang a left. Without exploring, I couldn’t be sure, but I had feeling this place was a maze.

  Moaning, I rolled over until I was on my hands and knees. As I crawled over to Patrick, I muttered every curse I knew and invented a few more. It was just my luck to run into a guy who could trap us in a maze. Hopefully we were still in north Georgia. With the way things had been going lately, it wouldn’t surprise me too much to find out I was in a different state.

  The rocks and twigs bit into my hands, and my backpack shifted uncomfortably, but I continued to make my way over to Patrick. From where I was, he didn’t look to be hurt—nothing was at an odd angle, and I could see him breathing.

  “Patrick? Patrick, wake up,” I said as I dumped my pack on the ground next to him.

  He didn’t move.

  I shook his shoulder. “Come on. I need you to wake up.”

  His eyes fluttered.

  “That’s it. Wake up, Patrick.”

  He winced and covered his eyes with a hand.

  “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

  “The light.” He groaned.

  “That’s the sun. Does anything hurt? Do you have a headache? I did when I woke up.” In fact, I still did, but that wasn’t really the issue.

  “That sounds about right.” He moved his hand enough to peek between his fingers. “What happened?”

  “Well, I was going to ask you that very question.” Great. Just great. The one person I was stuck with didn’t have any more of an idea of what happened than I did.

  Patrick squinted at our surroundings. “Where are we?”

  “That’s also a good question. I haven’t gotten a chance to look around, but we don’t seem to be by the stream anymore.”