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

by N. E. Conneely

  Westmoreland stumbled out of the woods, rubbing his head. “What happened?”

  “We got Ned,” Wells told him.

  “Michelle is sleeping off the effects of using so much magic,” I added.

  “Gudger… we were too late.” Wells swallowed hard. “Can you help me move him out here? He’d feel better in nature.”

  Patrick nodded, and I trailed after them. I moved part of a table and a chair out of the walkway as I followed them back to Gudger. In the back bedroom, I stood next to Wells and Westmoreland as they looked at the shifter.

  One arm had been broken, but the bruises on his neck told the story of what had killed him. As I looked at the body of a good man who had deserved a better end than this, the medallion cooled against my chest. My vision blurred. I shook my head and cleared my eyes, trying to bring the room back into focus. When I looked around, I could see dark, opaque black energy covering Gudger’s body. My eyes flickered to Westmoreland and Wells, who were cloaked in an opaque cloud of almost white. Glancing at my own hand, I found a similar shade.

  Returning my gaze to Gudger, a chill settled into my heart. When Michelle tested energy to see if it was good or evil, the darker it was colored, the worse the energy. Last time she’d found something like this, a demon had been in town. I was reasonably sure Ned was not a demon—he did not have flames in his eyes, and my medallion had not reacted to him. However, Gudger had been killed by something evil, likely another demon who had fed off Gudger’s life energy as he died.

  Closing my eyes, I asked the earth to do what she could for Gudger, a brave and good man. The medallion warmed back up to a normal temperature, and when I opened my eyes, my vision had returned to normal. The officers lifted up Gudger’s stiff body. I had seen that before and knew that Gudger had died well before we were in any position to rescue him.

  Wells and Westmoreland carried him out of the building, setting him in a shady spot under a towering pine. Minutes passed, and the three of us came to terms with our failed rescue. While I mourned the loss of a good man, I had the very selfish hope that the demon who had killed him would not be targeting Michelle next. It was a faint hope. We had killed a demon, and I had little doubt that its friends would want revenge.

  “We need to get him home, all of us home,” Wells said softly.

  Nodding my agreement, I focused on Westmoreland. “Michelle told me the fire truck was actually a regular pickup truck under some spells. They have been removed. Please go get the truck as we won’t be able to walk down the mountain.”

  “I’ll be back soon.” Westmoreland glanced at Gudger and Michelle. He headed out, moving at a steady clip. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been my first choice to send into the woods, but Wells had footwear problems, Burly would not fit inside the truck, and I was unwilling to leave Michelle.

  With that taken care of, I addressed another matter that was important to Michelle. “Burly, were you sincere when you said you simply wished to be a law-abiding farmer?”

  He nodded, eyes tired and pain filled. “Yes.”

  “Then Michelle and I will do what we can to help you achieve that goal.”

  “Thank you, I—” Burly choked up. Unable to say anything, he simply nodded as tears ran down his fur-covered face.

  I gave his shoulder a squeeze and moved on. “Now, could someone please tell me what happened in there?”

  __________

  Wells finished explaining what had occurred inside the building, and I relayed my experiences with the golem. As we spoke, I kept an eye on the minotaur. Burly looked more concerned with each passing minute.

  I finally finished my story and went to sit next to him. “How is your hand?”

  He sniffed it. “I think it’s fine. Right before we came out, some magic swept through the building and I healed it, though it still aches.”

  “May I look at it?”

  After careful consideration, he held out his hand. The skin looked whole, and I could see the fuzz of new hairs. “I believe it is healing well, but you should have it examined at the hospital.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know if I should go with you. They may think I was working with Ned. I don’t want to go to jail.”

  I frowned, trying to understand why he would think there was any chance he would be going to jail. “You helped us. You were Ned’s slave. Why would you think you would be arrested?”

  “That’s what happens when you break the law.” He spoke softly, as if it hurt to hear the words. “I broke the law and not just when Ned was controlling me.”

  “Wells,” I snapped. “I need you over here.”

  Burly jerked his head up.

  “No. You stay right there. We’re going to get this sorted out right now.” I had promised him help, and that was what I would do.

  Wells ambled over. “What?”

  I looked him right in the eyes. “Do you have any intention of prosecuting Burly for anything he did while Ned’s slave or when he was controlled by previous owners? He says he broke the law as a slave and is afraid he will end up in jail.”

  Wells’s eyes widened in surprise. “No. I want him— Burly, I want you to have the life you should’ve had. Did you ever break the law when you weren’t obeying your owner’s commands?”

  He lowered his eyes and nodded. “I… I’ve stolen food. I didn’t want to, but they didn’t always feed me.”

  Wells’s voice was soft. “Is that it, Burly?”

  “Yes.” His voice trembled. “I knew it was wrong, but I was hungry.”

  Wells knelt down and put a hand on the minotaur’s shoulder. “We have programs to help people like you, ones who’ve had parts of their life stolen and been denied basic opportunities. We’ll find someone to take you in, people we’ve vetted and trust. You’ll get support from other people we trust, and we’ll help you make a life for yourself. I can’t promise you’ll get everything you want, but you’ll be free to make your own choices.”

  “You have programs? It happens to that many people?”

  Wells pursed his lips and nodded. “It happens to more people than it should. And I’m proud to say I help people like you get a better life.”

  Michelle and I had talked about those programs before. She was a strong supporter of them, especially after seeing some of the less friendly parts of our society. “He’ll need a place to stay, right?”

  “Yes,” Wells said.

  “Michelle, Landa, and I will take him in.” I knew both ladies would be in favor of the choice. Burly was a good man. “There’s plenty of room at the lodge, and between all of us, he’ll always have someone to come to if he needs some advice.”

  Burly looked up at me with big, watery eyes. “You would do that for me?”

  “Yes, and I believe you will be surprised by how many people are willing to give you help. Not everyone is like your owners.” In that moment, I knew exactly why Michelle would never give up this job. It was times like this, when she was able to rescue someone from a horrible life, that made every bit of danger and possible death worthwhile. The rumble of an engine distracted me from any further reflection.

  Moments later, Patrick rolled into the clearing, parked, and hopped out. “Sorry it took so long. It’s hard to find a path wide enough for this thing, but I did grab the packs. Let’s load up and get going.”

  Since it had a king cab, we quickly decided that Wells would drive, I would ride shotgun, and Michelle could be set in the backseat. We had to put Burly, Ned, and Gudger in the bed of the truck, and Patrick wanted to sit with Gudger. I put Michelle in the backseat with backpacks placed on the floorboards so she could not fall. Once she was settled, I took the front passenger seat.

  Wells leaned out the window. “Ready?”

  Patrick answered for all of us. “Yes, sir.”

  It was a slow trip, but while getting us away from the building, Wells found a narrow trail that had tire ruts. He took that, and before long it deposited us on an old forest service road. We
lls had to guess which way to go based on the tire tracks. I could not speak for the rest of the group, but I hoped we had chosen the correct way. The problem with being in an area like this was that while I could give you the straight-line path, I could not tell you which trail would take us to town.

  Wells hit the brakes. I twisted around to check on Michelle, who was still asleep. He needed to be more careful with the three in the back and Michelle. It would be easy to injure them.

  I felt a tickle in my mind, one that was familiar.

  “I think this is your department, Elron,” Wells said.

  Glancing out the front windshield, I had to agree. “I believe you are correct.”

  I quickly exited the truck, and I carefully approached the doe. This was the same deer I had helped escape from the maze. “Greetings. I had not expected to see you again.”

  Delivered message. Help coming!

  “Many thanks, and blessings to you and yours.” I gave her a shallow bow.

  The doe dipped her head, twitched her ears, and then bolted off the road.

  I listened carefully and thought I heard the faint rumble of an engine. When I was sure they were getting closer, I hurried back to the truck. “I can hear a couple of engines, but I do not know if it is help or something else.”

  Wells considered the information. “We’ll keep going but slowly. I don’t want to get in an accident with our rescuers.”

  “Wise.” As soon as my door closed, we began making forward progress.

  Before long, I could hear the engines, and a short time after that we met up with several police cars. After that, things picked up. Ned was handed over to a group of officers who were better rested. At my insistence, Burly stayed with Michelle and myself. When it came time for us to switch to the ambulance, we had to split up. I wouldn’t leave Michelle, and the three of us wouldn’t fit. Wells assured me I would see Burly at the hospital.

  They had Michelle on a gurney in the back of an ambulance. While I had lobbied to be in the back, the paramedic told me it was front or police car. I climbed in the front seat of the ambulance. On the way to the hospital, I managed to borrow a phone and call a number I had never thought to need.

  A crisp female voice answered the phone. “Ethel’s office, Trinity speaking.”

  “This is Elron. I need to talk to Ethel.” When Michelle heard of this, she would not be happy, but it was for her own good, and even she could not argue with that logic.

  “I’m sorry. She’s in a meeting.”

  I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Tell Ethel Elron is calling with an emergency. She will take my call.”

  I did not know if it was my tone or something else, but after a short pause, she said, “Please hold.”

  Only seconds passed before I heard Ethel’s demanding voice on the line. “What happened to Michelle?”

  “She has been injured. They are taking us to the Gilmer County Hospital. I know her mother works there, but she needs to be seen by someone who specializes in the inner workings of witches as soon as possible.”

  Ethel barked an order at someone. “I can have a medical witch I trust there in forty-five minutes.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I never thought you’d actually use this number. I’m relieved that you know when to reach out for help.”

  I nodded, not that she could see it, and hung up. I did not want Ethel to be involved, but I knew if I had not called, Michelle could end up being examined by someone with less expertise or someone less trustworthy. Although I did not like Ethel, she could be trusted with Michelle’s health, and she knew far more dangerous secrets than what we had discovered up on that mountain.

  __________

  It seemed like forever later, but in truth only an hour had passed while I was sitting beside Michelle’s bed in her private room. Burly was in the other corner, the two of us having been given a clean bill of health. They were still going over the tests they had done on Michelle, and I was glad I had been there to prevent them from doing truly unnecessary things like an MRI and CAT scan. None of my arguments had stopped the X-rays.

  To the best of my knowledge, they had found nothing more than a lot of bruises, scrapes, and one bone bruise on her knee. That dovetailed with the injuries I had seen her acquire. I did know that someone had called Michelle’s parents, who would be arriving any moment now.

  After a brisk knock, a tidy woman in a white coat stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. “I’m Dr. Stiles. How is Ms. Oaks?”

  “Still asleep,” I answered warily.

  She nodded, flipped through the chart, set it down on the table, and eyed me. “So you would be her elf. I’ve heard about you. Ethel doesn’t approve.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “It was my understanding that you were here to give medical advice, not judge our relationship.”

  Dr. Stiles snorted and smiled, and now I could see how she’d gotten the hard creases around her mouth. “I can do both.” Her expression sobered. “Ethel said you were vague on the reason for this visit. I presume you were unable to talk about the cause when you placed the phone call.”

  I nodded. “Did anyone tell you what happened?”

  She glanced at Michelle before forcing those sharp eyes on me. “I’ve gotten the overview from a trusted source. You were in the woods, fighting a sorcerer-type creature, and something happened to Michelle.”

  Letting out a breath, I told the woman what I’d seen. “I do not know how she ended up holding on to that much power, but I fear it may have damaged her.”

  Dr. Stiles considered my story. “It isn’t uncommon for a witch to glow a little.”

  My voice hardened. “Doctor, I have watched Michelle do incredible magical feats before. She did not simply glow. She was a sun, so filled with light I did not recognize her and thought she was a creature of legend come to life.”

  She pursed her lips. “Would you allow me to see what you saw? You said you were injured, and I have spoken to a great many people who were prone to exaggeration. I’d like to see your memory.”

  I held out my hand. “You may, but it will not do justice to how she appeared.”

  The spell slid into place without any discomfort. Dr. Stiles’s voice was low. “When you are ready.”

  Closing my eyes, I relived the memory of watching Michelle walk out of the building and deal with the golem. I allowed us to go up to the point where Michelle was walking back to me, looking more like herself, before I came back to the here and now.

  Dr. Stiles gently disconnected herself from me. If her eyes were wider than they had been, I could hardly blame her. It was not a normal experience.

  “The Rite of Power,” she whispered. “In our early days it was used to select our leaders. It was like that but less.”

  My eyes darted to Michelle. “Why did you discontinue the practice?”

  “Many died or burned out.” She cleared her throat. “I will examine Ms. Oaks.”

  With that she stood up, walked over to the bed, and gently placed her hands on Michelle’s temples. It felt much longer than the two minutes that I watched the clock tick by when she sighed, released Michelle, and straightened.

  Dr. Stiles turned to me, frowning. “I didn’t see any damage, but I’d like to examine her again in the future. I don’t know how she survived.”

  I wanted to shake the doctor. “Is she going to heal? Will she still be a witch?”

  Still frowning, she nodded. “Yes, but I don’t understand.”

  That was a common theme with Michelle’s abilities.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Michelle

  Waking up in a hospital was never my favorite, but Elron was there. Much to my surprise, I hadn’t suffered any ill effects from handling all the energy from the snails. Much to Elron’s surprise, I wasn’t even angry that he’d called Ethel—or that he had a direct line to Ethel, but that was a different issue—and had Dr. Stiles examine me. Considering what I’d done, it had been th
e wise choice. As it turned out, Dr. Stiles was efficient, comforting, and would save me a conversation with Ethel, which was all I could ask for.

  It didn’t take long for my parents to arrive. Mom and Dad were worried, especially Mom, but I think that was because she read my chart. Wells chased them out after a few minutes so we could talk before I went home. There was a lot to say, mostly about Gudger.

  I didn’t want to remember how Gudger had looked on that cot. I didn’t want to think about his loved ones and that if I’d done better he would still be alive. All I wanted to do was get past the grief and to the acceptance side of things. Losing him hurt, but at this point no amount of wallowing would change anything. Thankfully, Wells kept the conversation focused.

  While I didn’t get to see Burly, Elron and Wells had been busy. Burly was going to a retreat that helped people like him learn about how life should work before coming back to the lodge. Elron had talked to Landa, and she’d agreed to help the minotaur. He didn’t know it yet, but lots of people would be helping him.

  Mom and Dad were reluctant to let me go back to my apartment, but they eventually agreed. A nice police officer delivered my car to the hospital, and Elron drove us home. Everyone at the lodge, including Ty, gave me an enthusiastic but delightfully short welcome-home celebration. Landa kept a sharp eye on me, and as soon as I looked tired, I was told to get some rest. Elron helped me to my place, assured me he was only a second away should I need him, and retreated down the hall to his place.

  After everything that had gone on, my apartment was a welcoming piece of heaven. It was quiet but in a safe and comforting way. These walls had kept me safe from a demon, a ghoul, and other unsavory characters. They would keep me safe tonight.

  As soon as I locked the front door, I hurried to the bathroom. Showers could make a lot of things better, especially after days in the woods and the hospital. After a lengthy shower, I crawled into bed and slept like a rock.

  Morning sun woke me, and guilt and memories drove me out of bed. Here I was enjoying being in my own room, and Gudger was dead. As I got ready for the day, I promised myself I’d inquire about his funeral and whether I would be welcome.