A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4)

by N. E. Conneely

  I'd known I would get home one way or another—I wasn't the type of person to give up—but that didn't mean I was unaffected by the events. When things calmed down and my brain caught up, I'd know how much things bothered me. Right now, I was so grateful, relieved, and tired that I couldn't think.

  Between the bathroom and the time in the car, I'd had time to take stock of my injuries. It wasn't worth counting the scratches, scrapes, and bruises. There were enough that all of me hurt. The ankle was sprained, but I was crossing my fingers that Mom would fix it for me. My arm had feeling again and seemed no worse for the spell. Considering how often I'd been in danger of a much more significant injury, I was counting both of those as a win.

  Elron pulled into the driveway, and as we rounded the last bend, I could see the top of a lean-to at the back corner of the lodge, tucked between two white pines. I knew how big those trees were; the top of the lean-to had to be nearly twenty feet in the air.

  "What's that?" I pointed.

  "It was going to be a surprise from Landa and Mander. They thought Ty should have his own place if he was going to be a permanent resident."

  "That was so sweet."

  "That spot has a clear view of your apartment too."

  That was a special touch that I found endearing. Though I'm sure that it was part practicality. So far, Ty had been responsible for saving my bacon in two attacks, and we were all in favor of keeping him close to my apartment. I smiled. "I'll have to thank them."

  The sound of a car on the gravel must have caught their attention because Mom, Dad, and Landa were charging down the stairs. Ty was standing next to the porch, his wagging tail generating enough of a wind that the nearby greenery was swaying.

  I'd hardly gotten out of the car when Mom dashed over and swept me into her arms. Dad wasn't far behind. He quickly closed his arms around the two of us, forcing us all a few steps back.

  "What happened? Are you ok?" Mom moved back to get a better look at me

  I took the chance to untangle myself and get a word in. "I'm fine. Why don't we go inside and I'll explain. Where's Rodriguez? I need to talk to him too."

  "I'm here." Rodriguez waved at me from the porch. "It's good to see you. We were worried."

  There was a woman next to him that I didn't recognize from this distance. She waved, and I nodded in her direction as Rodriguez ushered her into the house.

  Landa came over with tears in her eyes. "Child, it is good to see you."

  "It's really good to see you too. And you, Mander." Landa's husband had gotten lost in the crowd, but I knelt down to give both of them a hug. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

  "Had us worried sick." Mander sniffled.

  There wasn't much I could say, so I hugged him again.

  There was a loud grumble followed by a sigh. When I stood up, a big pink-and-purple head appeared in front of me. A large eye studied me for a moment before I got nudged by a nose that was bigger than my torso. Elron caught me as I rocked back, saving me from having to use the sprained ankle.

  "Ty, come here so I can give you a hug," I said with a smile. Ty dipped his head, and I wrapped my arm around as much of him as I could. Something cold brushed my arm, and with a pat I let him go so I could get a better look at him. Yup, there was a collar, complete with tags, on his neck.

  "What's that?" I took a step forward, and Ty held still so I could read the metal. Sure enough, his name was on one tag and my contact information was on the other. While it was unlikely that Ty would wander off, the tags should help people realize that he was a pet.

  "It was going to be a holiday gift," Elron said.

  "Do you like it?" I asked Ty.

  He grunted and nodded.

  I turned to Elron, and he pulled me into his chest for a tender hug. This wasn't just a "thank you" hug but an "I missed you and you are precious to me" hug. It was our first real embrace since my rescue, and I wanted to linger. The chatter of the group around us pulled me back all too soon. He kissed my hair, and I stepped back, enjoying the tender look in his eyes.

  Dad broke the moment. "Your nana is sorry she can't be here. She wanted you to know that she's glad you're back and next time she sees Gretchen she'll turn her into a slug."

  Smiling, I turned back to my parents. "I hope I get to see that."

  "Me too," Mom said.

  Looking at her, my smile faded. "I'm sorry I missed the wedding."

  "That's what you're worried about?" Mom squeaked.

  Shrugging, I dropped my eyes. "You waited a long time to get married. It should've been a happy day."

  Mom shook her head and looked at Dad as we walked—well, I hobbled—up the steps.

  "Michelle," Dad said, "we didn't get married."

  "Great. I ruined your wedding," I muttered before limping into the lodge.

  "You didn't ruin the wedding. We couldn't do it without you." Mom's voice went up a key, and she followed me inside. "You're hurt."

  I sank into a chair and buried my face in my hands. A cool hand rested against my neck, and I could hear Dad telling Mom to give me a few minutes to collect myself.

  Twisting to get a look at the hand's owner, I saw Landa's big brown eyes. "Rest for a couple of minutes. I will keep everyone calm and out of your hair."

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  She nodded and managed to get the group focused on her in moments. I didn't know how she did it, but that was real magic.

  Rodriguez managed to resist her charm, came over and knelt beside me. "I know you want nothing more than to get out of those clothes and into a hot shower, but I need you to hang on a little bit longer. I've got someone here to collect evidence."

  "I figured." That would be one more thing about the past day that was less than fun. Maybe I could talk them out of documenting my injuries; it wasn't like it would be easy to distinguish them anyway. Once I'd tumbled down the hill, I'd been bruised enough to obscure any previous injuries.

  He made a "come here" motion, and a woman I recognized but couldn't place joined us. She was short, with spiky hair, and had a large plastic case in her right hand.

  "This is Links. I think you've met before. She's going to go with you to your room and collect evidence. I thought you'd be more comfortable with a woman."

  I nodded.

  Links stepped closer and held out a hand. "Let's get this over with."

  She hauled me up and ushered me down the hall. We walked by the dining room, where the group was being distracted by Landa. Mom watched us as we passed the door, and I could tell Dad's hand was all that was keeping her in the room. She frowned at my limp, and I figured I'd hear about that when Links was done with me.

  As we continued in the direction of my apartment, I realized Links was carrying on a steady stream of chatter. "I can't say that it's good to see you; these are dreadful circumstances. We didn't meet under the best of circumstances either. One of these days we need to see each other under better conditions."

  "It would be nice if I could see you when someone else was having a bad day," I said as I opened my front door. It hadn't been locked—Landa's doing, I was sure. She would have guessed that my keys would be missing and unlocked it for me.

  After closing the door behind us, I directed her to my bedroom. There weren't many good things I can say about being evidence, but I did get to get out of my nasty clothes. It had been an outfit I liked, but I wasn't sorry to see it go into an evidence bag. I wouldn't wear it again even if I could get it clean.

  The next best part of the process was when Links snapped her case shut and said, "That's it. You can clean up, and I'll tell Rodriguez that we're done."

  "Thanks. Could you tell the rest of them that I'll be down in a few minutes?"

  "Sure thing." She smiled and let herself out.

  When I heard the door click shut behind her, I bolted into the shower as fast as my good foot could carry me. The curtain was closed, and I was elbow deep in the soap before the water warmed to a comfortable temperat
ure. In spite of the scrapes, I scrubbed every inch of my skin. The water turned brown with the dirt coming off of me.

  When I was finished, I pulled on loose, comfortable clothes. I found myself staring at my front door, reluctant to go back to the group. As soon as I got down there, Mom would pounce on me and I'd have to explain everything that had happened.

  I forced myself to reach out, grabbing the cool metal of the doorknob. Before the doubts could return, I was in the hall and headed for the dining room. Conversation died when I entered the room, and Mom came over and gave me another hug. She pulled back but kept one of my hands in hers.

  Mom looked at Rodriguez. "Now that you've gotten your evidence, can I heal my daughter?"

  He nodded, and I felt a tingling warmth all over my body. Aching muscles and tender spots faded away, and I could see my ankle return to a normal size. When she was done, I tested it out. I was as good as new.

  "There, all better." She looked troubled. "But you owe me an explanation as to how you got that many bruises."

  "It'll make sense when you hear it. Can I get some food before I have to start answering questions?" I asked. The trail mix had worn off, my stomach was gurgling, and it was going to be difficult to eat while telling a story.

  She let me go, returning to Dad's side.

  I filled a plate with nuts, cheese, fruit, and a chocolate muffin. When I took the seat across from Rodriguez, I found a mug of my favorite tea and a glass of water.

  "Do you want them to stay for the interview?" Rodriguez asked.

  I nodded and popped a cheese square in my mouth. It they stayed, it would spare me from having to explain everything twice.

  "I've talked to them, and they're allowed to sit in while we go over everything if they hold their questions until the end." He gave the group an assessing look. I guess he didn't believe that they'd keep their mouths shut.

  He handed me several pieces of paper and a pen. A bit of luck was going my way. I wouldn't have to write out my statement because a spelled pen, like the one I'd crafted for Varro, was being provided for me.

  After a couple of bites and some liquid, I started my explanation. The pen leaped to life on the page, recording every word, pause, and period. From time to time, Rodriguez would stop me and ask questions to clarify a point. Some of those were easy enough to answer, but I couldn't tell them where I'd been or how far it was to the Wapiti's house. Between the recording and the notes, he had as much information as he was going to get.

  "Do you know what happened to your car?" Rodriguez asked.

  I shook my head. "No, and I wish I did. I need that car; it's the only way I can get to my jobs."

  "You're in luck. They left it on the side of the road. After I was notified that you might be missing, I alerted units to look for it. We found the car close to the county line. When we're done, I'll check and see if Evidence is done with it. I'll let you know when you can pick it up."

  "Thank the earth." I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't have the money to buy a new car right now, and trying to figure out how I would've afforded one was a challenge I didn't want to face.

  Rodriguez studied me when he asked the next question. "How did Elron find you?"

  "You'll have to ask him. I was passing out when he arrived."

  Rodriguez asked a couple more questions before having me sign my statement. At some point, they'd want me to identify my attackers, answer more questions, and do more paperwork. Personally, I was looking forward to seeing Gretchen behind bars. It'd be nice to see those monsters in jumpsuits rather than pencil skirts.

  When I handed the papers back, Rodriguez turned his attention to Elron. "Now, Elron, I need to get some information from you. Could you describe your part in Michelle's return?"

  "Of course, though I doubt it will be a satisfactory explanation." Elron kept talking, but his story was more or less what I'd expected from him. The Call had pushed at him, and he'd followed it as best he could, making the few detours he had deemed necessary.

  "Thank you, Elron," Rodriguez said. "Now, do the rest of you have something helpful to add?" He was looking at Mom when he said that, and I guess I would've too. She was the one who'd grown up in the Wapiti.

  Mom sighed and answered, "If they're still in the same place, and it sounds like they are, I can give you the address."

  Rodriguez nodded, and she rattled off an address that was in Conyers, east of Atlanta.

  "Thanks. That's all I need right now," Rodriguez said, closing his notebook and collecting my paperwork. "I'm going to step out and check on Michelle's car before going back to the office."

  He stood up and was heading for the door when I said, "Rodriguez. Thank you."

  He nodded and walked out of the lodge.

  It took about a quarter of a second for Mom, Dad, Landa, Elron, and Mander to start bombarding me with questions. Most of the questions were from Mom. I held my hand up. They got the message and calmed down.

  "I will answer anything, but one at a time, and I do want to know when I can get my car back." To give myself time before I had to answer a question, I took a bite out of the muffin. Chocolaty goodness melted in my mouth.

  The rest of the table exchanged looks, and Mom asked the first question. "Are you sure those are the only names you remember? There had to be more people there than my mother, Sarah, Tammy, and Josh."

  "Those are the only names. I can describe some of the others, but I don't know how helpful that would be." I didn't want to describe every person I'd seen at the Wapiti's house, but it was better to volunteer now than have her ask later.

  "Could you tell me what some of the women on the podium with Gretchen looked like?" she asked. "And any of the witches who abducted you."

  "I can't tell you any more about the witches who abducted me than what I told Rodriguez." When she looked satisfied with that answer, I went through what I could remember of the ladies on the podium.

  Mom was stoic throughout the explanation, but I was sure that she'd recognized some of them. It was only recently that Mom had opened up about the Wapiti. I couldn't blame her for keeping the connection to herself. From what I'd heard, and now what I'd seen, Gretchen hadn't been much of a mother. There'd been tension between them because Mom wasn't a powerful witch, didn't want to work in the clan business, and enjoyed healing people. In the past Mom had said she didn't want to be minister, but I had the feeling it was more that she didn't want to be minister with Gretchen watching over her shoulder, ready to turn every misstep into a failure. My conception was the final straw. I was fuzzy on the details from there, but it was along the lines of Mom running away, Gretchen keeping an eye on her to see what happened, and Mom hiding my abilities until the clan lost interest.

  "I'd need more detail to recognize the other witches, but Sarah was there when I was a child. She's progressive and fair, and I wish Mother would turn the clan over to her. She would do a good job."

  "From the sound of things, Sarah isn't on good terms with Gretchen," I said. From what I'd seen, it didn't look like my grandmother was on good terms with anyone, which made me wonder how she kept the clan under her thumb. "It doesn't matter anyway; Gretchen is completely fixated on having me be the next minister. Some nonsense about keeping our bloodline in the ministry."

  Mom sighed and exchanged a look with Dad. "That's what we were afraid of. I don't understand her fixation on that. I thought time… Well, it didn't work."

  "She threatened to use you to make me cooperate."

  "We will be fine. We've taken precautions," Dad said.

  Rodriguez walked back in, phone in hand. "Michelle, they're done with your car. You can pick it up any weekday between eight and five."

  "Thank you. I'll pick it up tomorrow."

  "Sounds good. I'll see you later. Stay safe." He waved and walked out of the lodge. It wasn't long before I could hear his car rolling down the gravel road.

  "Mother won't give up," Mom said grimly.

  "I know. We need to be careful and figure
out how to make me less appealing to her. I told Rodriguez everything because if she's in jail it'll be a lot harder for her to mess up our lives," I said in a rush.

  "You can join my clan. That should force her to back off," Dad said.

  "I like being independent." My shoulders dropped. "I don't have the energy to talk about it now. The police are going to put some of them in jail, and I'll figure out a plan for the rest."

  Mom started to say something, but Dad spoke over her. "Why don't we move this into the parlor, watch TV, and relax? Landa needs to make dinner, and I'm sure Mander and Elron have things they need to do. We can have some family time, a good meal, and revisit the topic when our daughter has had a chance to recover."

  Mom gave him a look, but she wasn't the one who'd been answering question after question.

  "Sounds like a good idea." I got up and gave Landa and Mander another hug. Elron left before I could thank him, but I found him in the parlor and took the chair next to him. I smiled at him as I sat down because with him in that seat my parents would be on the sofa, and that was enough distance that I wouldn't feel smothered.

  Chapter 10: Michelle

  Later, I couldn't remember what we watched. Determination kept my eyes open until the smell of dinner drifted out of the kitchen. That had my undivided attention. I meandered back into the dining room and helped Landa set out plates. We worked in a comfortable silence until the residents and guests started trickling in.

  A few minutes later, we were sitting down to dinner. From the smell, I suspected we were getting pizza, and I also had some suspicions about what flavors. Mander opened the door to the kitchen, and six pizzas floated into the dining room and settled on the sideboard. Sure enough, it was two each of the olive and mushroom, pepperoni, and the eggplant Parmesan—breaded slices of eggplant set on top of a cheese pizza. It was nontraditional but delicious.