Sarah jerked her shoulder, and the other witch's hand fell off. "Has it occurred to either of you that Michelle didn't grow up in the clan?"
Gretchen gave her an exasperated look.
"Let me finish, Gretchen," Sarah continued. "A clan isn't normal or necessary to Michelle. I doubt she feels the lack of one. I don't know what her mother has told her, but she doesn't know you, and I can't say that you've been putting your best foot forward. Stop tormenting the girl. If she wants to stay, good; if not, let her go."
Gretchen looked between Sarah and me. I was doing my best impression of a bored teenager since I couldn't figure out what I should be doing. For the most part, I agreed with Sarah, but it didn't seem like she had enough power to make her words stick.
"My granddaughter and I need to spend some time getting to know each other. I'm sure the two of you have more important things to do." She kept her attention on Sarah and the tall witch.
After a few seconds, Sarah nodded and went to the door.
"Oh, and Sarah? If you don't like our policies, look for a new clan." Gretchen gave her a toothy smile.
"Minister," Sarah said in a disrespectful tone, "if you continue with this, you'll be without a clan." She followed the tall witch out the door before Gretchen could say anything else.
Pink spots brightened Gretchen's cheeks. It took several seconds for her color to return to normal, but when she turned her attention to me, she was under control. "Where were we? Ah, yes. I don't much care if you like me, but you will join the clan and begin training to be my successor."
"No, I won't. You seem to have trouble understanding this, but I don't want anything to do with you, especially after you kidnapped me. Let me go, and maybe you'll get out of this without going to jail." And maybe Dad or Elron would kill her.
"We have so much to offer, things you can't get anywhere else. Think of the education we can provide. You'd be given a position at our firm and be first in line to be minister. There's so much you could do with your power, and we can help you."
"I don't want what you're offering. I've been educated, I have a job, and I don't want to be minister. Even if I wanted those things, I wouldn't want them from someone who abducts people." She could've started this with a friendly card, and we would've been having a different conversation. Admittedly, my education had been unconventional, but Dad had made sure it was well-rounded.
She started tapping her fingers. "I tried to be nice, but that doesn't seem to be working. This would be the time for you to make the best of things. You won't be leaving here until I'm sure you won't run away. This is your home now, and it's time for you to get used to the idea."
I shook my head.
She frowned and kept talking. "There are so many ways this could be good for you. You wouldn't have to work. You could spend your time experimenting with spells and pushing the limits of your abilities. You would get a chance to work with other witches, participate in group spells, and be in a community. I don't understand why you won't make the best of things."
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the witches you sent to attack me or the fact that you had me abducted or that I don't trust you or that I just don't like you." I kept my fingers locked together. As much as I wanted to escape, I wasn't sure I could get away from four witches. Gretchen might be crazy, but she couldn't hurt me if she wanted me to be a functioning member of the clan and eventually take her place as minister.
"You will do what I want," she said tightly.
"You can't make me." Mom had hated that phrase when I was a teenager, but I had a feeling she'd get a laugh out of me using it now.
"Oh, I think I can." My grandmother smirked. "Something could happen to Nancy. She can't defend herself."
My feral smile knocked the smug look off her face. "You don't want to do that."
"I'll do whatever it takes to bring you to heel."
"I'm not a dog," I snarled.
"No, you're an unruly child who doesn't understand the opportunity she's throwing away." She sneered.
"I'm an adult, fully capable of protecting myself and my family. If you hurt anyone I care about, I'll make myself unsuitable for your needs. I'm sure I could do away with my magic or offend enough witches that I couldn't take your place." The color slowly drained out of her face. "You see, dealing with a sorceress, trolls, werewolves, a dinosaur, and an evil that would make you wet yourself has taught me something: I will do anything to protect what is mine."
"If you want to keep them safe, you'll give this a week. See what we can offer and how it feels to be part of a clan. Please give us a chance and see how much better your life could be."
"Will I be able to call my parents?" If she really wanted this to work, she'd give me what I wanted.
"No. They might interfere."
"If I don't call, they'll keep looking for me. That includes here."
"Then you'll tell them to leave, that you want to be here." Gretchen took a deep breath. "Please stay. I can understand and nurture your skills. You come from a line of strong women who have led this clan for generations. I can introduce you to your family history."
"What about Mom?"
"Nancy is… unsuited to leadership. She's weak."
"I see." Maybe she was sincere, and maybe she could help me, but I didn't want to make deals with someone who had such a poor view of her daughter. I jerked my hands free of the cuffs and knocked Josh off his feet with a magical push.
I summoned my wand and got off two spells before Gretchen could react. "Dagaz. Algid." Between being on fire and having magical bonds holding her arms and legs to her chair, she should be occupied for a moment.
As I turned around, a spell shot past me. Gretchen might be busy, but her henchmen weren't. Facing the two witches in the back of the room was almost as distracting as it was helpful. I could see their wand movements and hear their spells, which would help me avoid whatever they were doing, but it didn't make it any easier to do my own casting.
If I could finish this spell I'd be in a much better position. It was a spell I'd started practicing after my last encounter with witches from this clan, and it would temporarily cut them off from their power, making it impossible for them to cast spells. These were hardly ideal circumstances for casting the spell, and even if it worked it wouldn't stop physical attacks.
I deflected a stun spell before etching two runes in the air. A freezing spell interrupted my casting, and I partly deflected it, leaving ice crystals forming on my pants. I gave up on sketching the rest of the runes in the spell, pictured them in my mind, and threw my power at the spell. It hit the two witches, and the spells they were in the midst of casting fizzled into nothing. Josh aimed his wand at me, and I drew him into the spell.
Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Gretchen mouthing words. She wasn't on fire anymore, so I quickly cast an ice spell, encasing her below the neck.
Tammy figured out right away that she might not have magic but she could move. She got two steps away from the door before I took a page out of her book and encased her legs in a block of ice. Without magic, it wouldn't be easy to get out of that. The brunette seemed to be evaluating her options, and I quickly trapped her in a shield bubble.
Movement off to my left reminded me that Josh was still mobile. He flicked his wand at me, but nothing happened. When he tried again and still couldn't get a spell to work, he tossed the wand to the ground and grabbed at me. I softened the floor so his feet sank into the ground, and solidified it before he could escape.
Yelling caught my attention. While Josh thrashed, the two witches at the door were taking more proactive measures and shouting for help. Reinforcements could arrive any moment, and I needed to be gone before then. The element of surprise was a beautiful thing, but I'd played that card and wasn't likely to get another chance anytime soon.
Gretchen would be getting out any time now. I started toward the window when I found myself in a shield bubble. Pivoting, I found Gretchen standing up w
ith a smile on her face. "Now that you've gotten that out of your system, we can have a civil discussion. The three of you should hush. All that noise is pointless. It doesn't carry through those doors."
They shut up.
She smoothed her skirt and sat down. "I want to help you, but I can't do that when you fight me. There are methods of casting spells that prevent other magic users from being able to dismantle them easily. That's something you could learn here. We would give you the chance to travel, meet people, and see the world."
"I won't stop fighting you. I will get out of here."
"If that's really how you feel, we'll keep you contained until you're no longer a threat. You were born out of my bloodline, and you will do your duty to the clan. You'll be stuck in that cell, but there's nothing to be done about that."
"You could let me go." It wasn't as black-and-white as she made it sound.
Gretchen shook her head. "I do have one question we haven't covered. What does your clan scar look like?"
Every witch was born with a tattoo-like clan scar on their shoulder. Each clan had its own symbol, and if I'd been truly clanless, I wouldn't have had a mark. The magic thought I had a clan, so it had marked me with a mix of the symbols for both of my parents' clans and the mark of the Ieldra, a witch who was unusually powerful and expected to do great things. It was strange enough to be born with a mixed clan scar, but tossing in the Ieldra symbol made me unique. "What, you didn't have someone look when I was unconscious?"
"I didn't like the idea of someone undressing you. Please show me your clan scar."
"Why?" I asked suspiciously. Everything she'd done up to this point had some reason behind it, however twisted that reason might be.
"I want to see it," she said.
Taking my clothing off wasn't an option, so I sketched it in the air. I drew glowing blue lines in the shape of a curved X with four lines coming off the upper left section. Two of the lines were on the outside and angled down, and two of them came off the inside of the X and curved up.
Gretchen focused on the drawing, and I wondered if she knew that she was looking at the mirror image of my clan scar since I'd drawn it from my perspective rather than hers.
Making the sketch had proved that I could still use my power, so I started probing the shield. It looked like a solid job. Physically I was stuck in here, and any magic I directed at the shield would be reflected back at me. The longer I studied it, the stranger it looked. There was something off about this spell. If I could quickly figure out what it was, I had a chance.
And then I found it: she hadn't put anything in the spell to prevent me from dismantling it. That meant that rather than having to use a complex counterspell or to brute force my way out, given a few seconds, I could unravel it. Right now, I didn't have those seconds.
"Fascinating. Reverse image of course, but a startling likeness."
"Likeness to what?" That had my attention. Information about my clan scar had been scarce, and if I could keep her talking I could unmake this spell.
"You'll learn that if you stay."
"You need better bait." I was curious, not desperate.
"Think of the information as a reward for good behavior."
"Think of it as an olive branch. A preview of what you could offer me. Entice me to stay." Under different circumstances, the offer of education and knowledge about my clan scar would be enough to get her an afternoon of my company. As it was, I kept working on the shield bubble.
"You will stay, and you will like it," she hissed. "I'm tired of this debate. Let me simplify things. You will stay and be a good girl, or I will hurt the people you love most in this world."
"I already told you that won't get you my cooperation." I tried to say it like I meant it, but I had my doubts. When I'd said I'd do anything for my family, that included knuckling under if it would keep them safe.
"Are you sure?"
I couldn't say yes. She saw my hesitation and smiled.
While she gloated, I tugged on the weak part of the spell, and it disintegrated.
Gretchen felt it go, had her wand at the ready, and was starting to say a rune. I couldn't do a binding spell that quickly, so I did the next best thing and encased her in a correctly cast bubble.
It took her a moment to realize how efficiently I'd trapped her. Gretchen was too far into the spell to abort, and the stun ricocheted off the inside of the shield. She was savvy enough to resorb the spell, but from the way she was standing, I had a feeling it had numbed her arm.
I turned my back on my grandmother and vanished my wand. Then I opened the window, crawled out of the office into a flowerbed, and ran onto the grass. It was a straight shot over the lawn to the manicured trees. I didn't look back as I sprinted away from my grandmother. I was more than a bloodline, and until she could see that, we didn't have anything to discuss.
Chapter 6: Elron
The sky was still dark, and the morning stillness had not been broken when I walked out of the lodge. Everyone else was asleep, which suited me. I had no desire to explain my actions or listen to their brand of logic. The police would say that I needed to wait; they would find Michelle. Her parents would want to come along. Landa would offer her opinion, and it was better for everyone if I asked for forgiveness rather than permission.
Had I tried to explain my need to aid Michelle, I would have been attempting to put words to the indescribable. No one else had a Call that would lead them to Michelle. Even if that explanation went well, I would not dishonor Varro's memory by discussing his medallion. He had considered it private, and I would respect that.
I wasn't a young elf, and with more than a millennium on this earth, I felt that some things were best when technology was left behind. However, I was a practical old man. There was a feeling of great distance between us, and a car was the most efficient method of travel available to me.
I set my pack in the passenger seat and was walking to the other side when Ty peeked around the corner of the lodge.
"Come here, Ty."
He walked over and tilted his head quizzically.
"I will bring her back."
Ty bobbed his head.
"Lean down." I buckled a wide leather collar on his neck. A small metal charm with his name and Michelle's phone number dangled from the D-ring. "How does that feel?"
He shook like a dog and touched my shoulder with his nose.
"Michelle will love it. If it pinches, I'll adjust it." I scratched under his chin. "Keep her parents safe while I am away."
Ty grunted and backed up, giving me room to turn the car around. He watched me get in the car and roll down the driveway.
When I got to the main road, I headed for the highway. I knew that I needed to go in a southerly direction, and that was enough for now. The problems would come when I neared Atlanta. The roads merged and twisted, and I would need better information if I wanted to navigate efficiently.
Last night I had gotten directions for several ways through Atlanta and reviewed my owner's manual. My car had a built-in navigation system, though I was unsure of its usefulness. It seemed to need a destination to work well, and I didn't know that yet.
Thirty minutes down the road, my phone rang. As my Call had only increased in intensity, I doubted the wisdom of answering, but I did anyway on the off chance that something had changed for the better.
"This is Elron."
"Where are you?" Landa didn't sound pleased.
"I am out for a drive."
"Do you have a destination?"
The car in front of me slammed on its brakes, and I bailed into the next lane to avoid them. Breathing heavily I said, "Landa, I will be back when I have satisfied the Call. I am in traffic and must get off the phone."
"Bring her home safe."
"I intend to do just that." I hung up the phone, satisfied that I could ignore any other phone calls unless my Call changed.
Hours later, after more than one stop for sustenance and facilities, and after nume
rous wrong turns, backtracking, and roads that took me in unexpected directions, I was wishing I had taken Ty. He would have been able to cut through the woods rather than follow the roads. However, the disadvantages had been clear: people were not used to seeing dinosaurs, and he would have attracted an abundance of attention—attention that undoubtedly would have slowed us down.
Still, my frustration increased every time the road twisted or curved. Some time ago the Call had strengthened, but it still was not providing the detailed information I needed to find her. For an ability that was supposed to aid me in my adventures, it was hardly living up to the hype.
I snorted. The elves (none of whom were Called) teaching young elves about Calls should explain that they were not step-by-step directions but an information source that alternately teased and forced you down a given path. Today it was in a teasing mood, and I would have preferred that it shout.
All of a sudden, the medallion warmed and pulled to the right.
As soon as the shoulder was wide enough, I parked the car, picked up my pack, and headed into the woods.
Chapter 7: Michelle
The fresh air felt good, if cold, as I sprinted across the lawn. The run helped clear my head, and I started on a new plan. While the people behind me weren't an immediate danger, I needed to get out of here before they recaptured me.
I could feel spells on me, and at least one of them was for tracing my movements. It wasn't easy, but I kept running as I overloaded the spells with power, destroying them. Being free of the spells was a good start, but it wouldn't take them long to find something of mine—a stray hair or luggage from my car—and cast a tracking spell, one I couldn't be rid of as easily. I hoped I would be in fighting form by the time they found me again. The combination of spells had taken more out of me than I liked, but there was nothing to be done about it now.
With the spells out of the way, I needed to get out of here. That wasn't going to be as simple as it sounded because I didn't know where I was, where I should go, or where to find transportation. Once I was safely away, I needed to get in touch with my parents. They had to be worried, and between missing the wedding and my grandmother's untimely entry into my life, we needed to have a family chat.
A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4) Page 4