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

by N. E. Conneely

  "What is your plan?" Elron asked.

  "Go in there and get my parents back. Gretchen can't hurt me—well, not badly. She wants me to join the clan and be willing to stay." It wasn't much of a plan, and it didn't cover the clan law issues that were a never-ending thorn in my side, but it was what I had.

  "That is desperation, not a plan." Elron held a piece of paper out to me.

  Giving him a confused look, I unfolded it and read the short sentence. "Where did you get this?"

  "It was left on my car. There is a chance you will have allies, and an even better chance that Gretchen will have enemies. Anyone working against Gretchen will be trying to free your parents and turn opinion against her. So stay sharp, be aware of your surroundings, and keep your eye on the goal. We need to get your parents to safety and let the Wapiti fight it out among themselves."

  Rubbing my sweaty palms on my pants, I tried not to think of all the ways this could go wrong. Gretchen might be handicapped by her end desires when it came to hurting me, but that wasn't going to be the case for anyone who was holding a grudge for Thomas's death. Not to mention, attacking me could be a great way to draw Gretchen out if you were trying to get rid of her.

  Elron was more vulnerable than me because he wasn't a witch. He wouldn't be able to deflect or absorb spells, never mind counter them. On the other hand, he kept telling me age had its benefits, and I was betting on him having experience dealing with an unfriendly witch. Elves weren't defenseless, but their talents were better suited to the outdoors than inside a mansion.

  "What do you think we should bring with us?"

  "Our wits and a healthy dose of good fortune."

  "Great. Luck's never really been my thing."

  "I plan on changing that." Elron smiled.

  Before I could ask how he was going to change my notorious bad luck, I felt spells being cast in front of the lodge. From his furrowed brow, I could tell Elron felt something too.

  "Oh no, the cars." I pushed past him and sprinted out of the apartment.

  If the cars were damaged, we would have to find another way to my parents, and I wasn't sure if an alternative method of travel would be fast enough. That was assuming I could even find an alternative method of travel. There weren't many ways to get from here to the other side of Atlanta.

  As I raced to the front door, I reached out my senses and while I could feel spells in the parking area, I couldn't find the source of the spells. Either the witches were hiding really well, or the spells had been sent from a distance. Neither was good news.

  Elron yelled something as I threw open the door and charged outside, but by the time the words registered it was too late to slow down. It was also too late to stop. My foot hit the ice covering the porch, and I pitched forward. I tried to grab the handrail, but it was as ice-covered as the surface below me, and my hand slid off. Arms failing and feet sliding, I flew off the step.

  I knew I was going to hurt by the time I came to a stop. As I tried to align body parts so I was less likely to be injured, I realized I wasn't falling anymore. Sucking in a deep breath, I twisted around and realized that I was dangling in midair.

  "Landa, thank you." I'd known brownies could levitate things—after all, I saw trays of food and cups levitating all the time—but I hadn't realized she could move something my size. She nodded and floated me back over the deck before lowering me to the ground at Elron's feet.

  "Child, I would not let you come to harm I could easily prevent."

  My jeans weren't enough to stop the chill of the ice from reaching my legs, but I stayed on the ground while my pulse slowed. The porch, stairs, and yard were all covered in a couple of inches of ice, and all of the cars were trapped inside one huge block of ice.

  "Did you see who cast the spell?" I asked.

  "No. I felt the change, and when I stepped outside, I found this. I haven't seen or heard Ty. Perhaps he found something."

  Elron stilled and his eyes unfocused slightly. "Sadly, no. Ty is in his dwelling, unaware of any disturbance over here. I am telling him to stay in his dwellings."

  I nodded. We didn't need something Ty's size falling on ice. It would be hard to move him, and dealing with a frightened dinosaur would delay the ice-removal project.

  Elron helped me to my feet and started brushing off my clothes. He checked me for injuries and then, satisfied that I was all right, gave me a bear hug. "Do not scare me like that," he whispered against my neck.

  I hugged him back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

  When Elron let go, I took a couple of steps back and focused on the ice. The ice spell was simple enough, and on its own it wouldn't have been difficult to counter. However, it was coupled with a preservation spell, and a tangled mess of another spell that I could only guess was there to make removing the spells more difficult.

  "Michelle?"

  "In a minute, Landa," I said absently, trying to figure out how to break that last spell.

  "Now, Michelle."

  I looked up, annoyed at the interruption. A shimmering black orb was floating up the stairs. I'd received voice message orbs from witches before, but none of them had been black. Not wanting to take any chances, I encased the three of us in a basic shield.

  The orb stopped at the top of the stairs, then it flattened into a ribbon that slowly vanished as it relayed its message. There were at least two voices, though at one point I thought I heard more. "Your parents for our son, so you will feel our pain."

  The last of the ribbon vanished a moment after the end of the message. I looked around, starting to understand the dense ice covering the cars, parking lot, and some of the driveway. Thomas's parents wanted me trapped but alive so I could be helpless while Gretchen tortured and killed my parents.

  Their logic was flawed, but they didn't realize that. The person they should've been blaming was Gretchen. Maybe they were and had plans to get revenge on her too, or maybe they were such devoted supporters of hers that they couldn't see her part in his death. Either way, I wasn't going to let ice get between me and rescuing my parents. It was as simple as that.

  "Well, I guess I found an enemy," I said.

  "Foolishness, complete foolishness," Landa muttered. "What happened to Greg and Nancy?"

  I quickly filled her in.

  "Of all of the… Get them back, Michelle."

  "I will, Landa."

  Elron took my hand. "We will."

  Landa nodded and went back inside the house.

  Before we could do anything else, I had to free our transportation. It would be ideal to be next to but not in contact with the ice. I couldn't be sure what was going to happen, and I'd feel safe if any hidden surprises had to work a little harder to grab us.

  "Come on, I need to find a better spot to work from." He followed me through the lodge, out the back door, and through the garden until I came to the edge of the ice on the side of the house. I sat down, got comfortable, and focused all of my attention on the spells. The witches who'd constructed this spell had poured a lot of power into it to make it cover an area this large. Depending on how removal went, I might be able to make use of some of that power.

  The downside of that much power was simple: I still wasn't sure what the third spell did, and it could use the energy stored in the ice to fuel other spells. That was something I'd have to watch out for while I was working, because I was running out of time to save my parents. Hoping for the best, I started unwinding the preservation spell. Dismantling that spell would allow nature to do some of the work of melting the ice, though in this weather it would be slow going, and it would allow me to melt sections more easily

  The preservation spell detached from the ice easily enough, but then it was tangled in the mystery spell, which was still interacting with the ice spell. I'd put off attacking it as long as I could. Narrowing my focus to this edge of the spell, I carefully undid a small portion. Nothing happened.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I started on a larger section. As I undid the last joint
on that section, something cold landed on my cheek. Reaching up, I felt a smear of water. Behind me, Elron made a disgusted noise, and I saw a handful of big fluffy snowflakes come out of the sky. Great. I'd triggered a reaction. If they couldn't keep the cars in ice, they'd snow them in.

  Weather spells were tricky business, but I understood the theory. When I looked around, I found the weather spell tied to a different part of the mystery spell. The easiest way for me to make the snow stop was to undo the rest of the spell.

  I quickly thawed the ice on this side of the lodge. Standing up, I stretched before moving even with the porch and starting the entire procedure again. This was taking more energy than I liked, but it was the only way to free my car. Hopefully I'd recover enough during the drive that it wouldn't be an issue, because I didn't want to walk into that house feeling underpowered.

  The spells on the front of the lodge put up enough of a fight that I had to circle around and attack the other garden first. Removing that part of the spell should weaken the remaining sections. When I undid the mystery spell on this side, the snow started coming down faster, swirling with the wind and piling up against trees. If I didn't stop this soon, there would be as much snow as there was ice.

  I renewed my assault on the spell in the front yard, which thanks to the snow I couldn't even see clearly. I finally figured out how to completely banish the mystery spell, but I was a little reluctant. It felt like there was something else hidden in there. Given the snow that was quickly piling up and the threat on my parents' lives, I didn't have time to figure it out. Muttering unkind words, I dismantled the mystery spell and held my breath.

  The snow stopped instantly, though that wasn't much of a help since it was now piled a foot high. Oddly, the snow directly over the cars was melting, and quickly. Reaching out, I swore. Undoing the mystery spell has triggered a heat spell that was just getting started. If I didn't stop it soon, there'd be modern art where the cars were sitting.

  This was the best-done spell of the lot. It was tightly cast, no loose ends, and keyed to an individual. I didn't have enough time to figure out what it was looking for, and with the amount of energy it was using, I wouldn't be able to overload it either. My options were running out.

  Out of sheer panic, I pictured the spell sending a gentle warmth over the area—just enough to slowly melt the snow and ice but not enough to damage anything—and forced the spell to conform to my will. It struggled and fought as I poured energy into my parameters. With one vengeful blast of heat that blistered the paint on the roof of my car, it settled into its new form.

  I sat there, panting slightly as I watched it run its course, slowly eliminating all the snow and ice. Under me the earth warmed, and energy slowly tricked back into my body. The earth was thanking me. I thanked it for the energy and apologized for any harm. From the way it pushed against my hand, I figured it understood me.

  Turning to Elron, I said, "Are you ready to rescue my parents?"

  *******

  Lamps alongside the gravel driveway put out enough light for us see the ground. Even I couldn't trip in those conditions. Near the house, we stepped onto a stone path lined with neatly trimmed bushes and followed it to the front door of the colonial mansion. I gently pressed the doorbell, even though it was pointless. They knew we were here.

  The door opened and Tammy said, "Please come in. Can I take your coat?"

  "No, thank you," Elron said.

  I shook my head.

  Tammy frowned. "Elron is allowed if he is free of weapons. Michelle, I must search you as well."

  I nodded, and Tammy motioned for the other witch to join us. The brunette stopped a polite distance away.

  "Sir?"

  Elron glared at her but shrugged out of his coat and handed it over. The brunette inspected it before passing it off to Tammy.

  "Arms out, feet apart."

  Elron did as instructed, and I watched her run her hands up and down each leg, running fingers into his boots. By the time she was done, Elron was giving her his best drop-dead look. My expression wasn't much better. That had been one of the most thorough searches I'd seen.

  Tammy returned his jacket and said, "Your turn."

  I started to remove my jacket, but Tammy motioned for me to stop. Rather than having pat-down girl come over, Tammy did it herself. I held my breath. I had thought it was worth a gamble and worn the charm belt. Tammy touched it twice but didn't say anything. I couldn't be sure she was the one who'd left the note on Elron's car, but if she was letting me bring the charms, she wasn't on Gretchen's side.

  At one point she leaned close and whispered, "Glad to see the greenhouse didn't get the better of you."

  Any suspicion I'd had of the clan's involvement in that incident was confirmed. It made me wonder what Bethany would find when she did her investigation. I nearly groaned when I realized the other problem. Writing my report was going to be a treat now that I had to work information I'd acquired during unrelated interactions with the Wapiti.

  We followed Tammy out of the entryway and down halls that looked identical and unfamiliar to my eye. When nerves started to get the better of me, I slipped my hand into Elron's. He glanced at me, smiled, and squeezed my hand. I wasn't alone.

  The next hall ended in a set of doors as tall and stately as everything else in this place but with a mechanical arm on the top to slow it as it closed. Somehow I knew that behind those doors everything would change.

  It felt like time slowed, and the walk down the hall seemed to take minutes rather than seconds. I had to keep my parents and Elron safe. Thomas's family wanted them dead. Well, they wanted my parents dead, but they might settle for Elron. From the outside, an elf looked like an easier target. If both of those plans failed, I didn't doubt that they would turn on me.

  On the drive here, I'd explained what I knew of the layout of the house, and Elron had agreed reluctantly to make sure my parents got to safety. I'd also pointed out that Gretchen couldn't hurt me and get what she wanted. His agreement hadn't been enthusiastic, probably because he knew I meant she couldn't hurt me badly.

  There was a chance that I'd have allies on the other side of that door, but I couldn't count on them. Even if I didn't have outright allies, Gretchen had enemies, and that was almost as good. She had been displeased with witches who'd protested her actions during my previous visit, and if what I'd seen of her so far was any indication, she'd punish them. From all accounts, and personal experience, Gretchen didn't understand that you would catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

  Maybe I owed Gremory. Before meeting him, I hadn't understood what I'd do to protect the people around me. Now I did, and every bit of that knowledge was going to be used tonight. No matter what deals I had to make, what promises I had to break, and how much guilt I felt, my loved ones would be safe. Once they were out of the line of fire, I'd get down to business. Come hell or high water, my grandmother was going to learn some respect and get a little of what was coming to her.

  Time caught up with me in a rush, and Tammy was opening the door. I took a deep breath. Through the door I saw rows of seats and at the front of the room the podium with chairs for thirteen women. We were walking down the center aisle of the auditorium. It was full of people, but unlike the last time, Gretchen was alone behind the podium. Mom and Dad were sitting off to the right, with Josh standing guard behind them. As happy as I was to see them alive and well, I knew the real danger was just beginning.

  As we walked down the stairs, people turned to look and I spotted a few familiar faces. Sarah was here, and I suspected she was, if not in my corner, firmly against everything Gretchen had done. Two thirds of the way down the stairs, I got a clear look at my grandmother. She was in her battle garb, a tailored suit, with every hair in place.

  "Would this be Elron?" Gretchen asked.

  "Does it matter?"

  "No."

  I studied my parents. Their power was bound, though not permanently. They clearly didn't think Mom was much of
a threat because a few magical bonds were all that was holding her to the chair. Dad was covered in so many spells I felt like the only reason he was upright was because he was tied to the chair.

  Behind me, Elron moved off to the side, getting a couple of steps closer to my parents. He stopped before he'd closed enough ground to make anyone nervous, but I knew his abilities.

  "Can we get on with it?" I said.

  Gretchen cocked an eyebrow. "On with it? Yes, I suppose we can. Will you join the Wapiti?"

  Keeping my breathing steady helped slow the blood pounding through my veins. I counted to fifty and then started over. When people shifted in their seats and Gretchen's pleased look had faded, I answered. "No."

  There was a distinct lack of noise behind me. My guess was that they were too startled to move. It hadn't crossed their minds that I'd say no with my parents on the line. Gretchen's poker face had broken, and I was seeing true surprise.

  "No?"

  "No." My voice was firmer this time.

  I couldn't look at my parents. If I saw fear or disappointment, I'd falter, and I couldn't afford to show weakness. They would understand. They had to, because I was trying to stay true to their wishes and avoid contact with the Wapiti. Not to mention, I wasn't going to join a group I saw as criminals.

  "I'll hurt them." She leaned forward.

  "You made that clear during the phone call."

  Gretchen snatched a wand off the podium, pointed it at my parents, and cast a spell.

  Chapter 23: Michelle

  Mom screamed, and it took every ounce of my self-control to keep my eyes on Gretchen. Dad shouted, but the sound was muffled by his gag. A few seconds passed before Gretchen lowered her wand and Mom's screams transitioned into sobs. I still didn't look at her because I could tell Elron hadn't moved, and if she'd been seriously injured he would've taken action. Gretchen had wanted to cause pain.