She agreed. “If you find her before us, please let us know. It’s a matter of life and death, obviously.”
Meredith nodded. “Of course I will. Please do the same. I really want that necklace back. It means the world to me.” She then disappeared into thin air.
“I can’t believe that Willow was right here,” I said out loud. “With the wand.”
“I know,” replied Tyler. “What was really strange is that she came to us. Coincidence or something else?”
I nodded. “What was even stranger is that she tried to warn us –”
Rebecca put a finger to my lips to shush me.
My eyebrows shot up.
She turned to Clarice. “Where to?” she mouthed.
Clarice leaned over and whispered something into her ear.
Rebecca nodded and turned to her son. “Hold my hand,” she said to Tyler.
Clarice reached over and quietly grabbed my hand. Then both witches raised their wands.
With a bright flash of light, we teleported, landing on the porch of an old wooden shack in a different part of the forest.
“Where are we?” I asked, looking at the old cabin.
“This was my mother’s special place,” said Clarice, staring at it fondly. “I guess you could call it her study. It’s where she went to meditate or practice her craft.”
“Let’s go inside,” said Rebecca, glancing around the forest nervously. “Someone may have followed us.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Clarice. “I am the only person aware of this place. There are so many spells protecting it, I can assure you that nobody, besides us, knows that it’s even here.”
“Who may have followed us?” I asked, looking over my shoulder and into the trees surrounding us.
“Meredith,” said Clarice, opening up the cabin door.
“Meredith?” I repeated, following everyone inside. “Is she someone we really need to be worried about?”
“Yes,” replied a soft voice.
Shocked, we all turned to stare at the young witch in surprise. She was sitting at a table in the corner of the cabin, in the shadows.
“How in the world did you find this place, Willow?” asked Clarice.
“Juniper,” replied Willow, lighting a small candle.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” I said, moving toward her. “We need your help.”
“I know,” she replied. “Your aunt. She’s cursed.”
For some reason it didn’t surprise me that she knew. “Yes. Then you also know that we need your wand.”
“Of course.”
I sighed. “Thank God. I was worried this was going to be so much more complicated.”
“Sorry, but I have to say that your assumption was correct,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling my stomach tighten.
“Because of Meredith?” asked Rebecca.
Her brown eyes hardened. “Meredith. Oh, yeah, you could definitely say that.”
“Why?” I asked. “What has she done?”
She clenched her wand tightly. “When I was a baby, she placed a curse on me. Just like she did to my mother.”
“What kind of curse?” asked Clarice.
She stared into the candle’s flame, her eyes now filled with sorrow. “Death.”
Chapter Seven
“Surprise, surprise,” I mumbled, looking sideways at Tyler. “Another witch’s curse involving death. Who’d have thunk?”
He sighed.
Willow pushed her dark hair behind her ears and smiled humorlessly. “Yes, tell me about it.”
“You’re alive, though,” I said, feeling a little hopeful. Although she was pale and thin, Willow was definitely alive and breathing. “So, you must have stopped it. Right?”
“No, I wish. The only thing saving me from instant death is Juniper. As long as I have her in my possession, I’m fine. But, if I lose the wand, or it is stolen from me, the curse will take my life.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Just like it did to my mother.”
Clarice covered her mouth in horror. “It just hit me – your mother gave up Juniper, when you were born, so that you would live?”
Trying to look brave, she brushed the tears from her cheek. “Yes. She gave up her life for mine.”
“What was her name?” asked Rebecca softly. She stepped closer and put her hand on Willow’s shoulder. “Please, tell us.”
“Opal,” she replied, smiling sadly. “Grams loved opals…”
“Opal must have loved you very much,” I replied, trying to cheer her.
Her eyes lit up. “Yes. It’s funny, I never really met her, but, I’ve memorized every one of my mother’s journals and feel like I really knew her. You know?”
“You poor child,” said Clarice, shaking her head. “I take it you’re all alone?”
She shrugged. “I have been taking care of myself for the last few years. Ever since my grandmother died.”
“So, how old are you?” I asked. She didn’t look much older than me or Tyler.
“Nineteen.”
“Wow, and you’ve been alone all this time?” asked Tyler. “Where do you live?”
“Here and there,” she said, looking out the small window next to the table. “I move around a lot though. Sometimes I even go back to Gram’s cabin. It’s hard to stay there, though. It reminds me of how much I’ve lost.”
“Dear, do you know why Meredith put a curse on you and your mother, Opal?” asked Clarice, sitting down next her at the table.
Her face darkened. “No. All I know is that she is a vicious woman and that she has always hated us.”
“But, there must be a reason why she put this curse on you both,” said Clarice, looking troubled. “I’ve known Meredith for decades, and it seems so out of character that she’d do something so cruel.”
Willow smiled coldly. “She’s just a cruel and hateful woman. I don’t care what you say – there is obviously no rhyme or reason for her madness. My mother never did anything to deserve death.”
I shuddered. “Does this mean she practices Black magic?”
“She must, if she’s placing ‘Death’ curses on people,” said Tyler, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Clarice, you’ve known her longer than anybody. Were you even aware that Meredith dabbled in Black magic?”
Her eyes widened. “No. I certainly wasn’t. It’s still hard for me to accept that she has been.”
“She changed,” said Willow. “Went crazy.”
“How do you know this, Willow?” asked Rebecca.
“Gram told me.”
Clarice cleared her throat. “Speaking of your grandmother, child, how was she?”
Willow picked a piece of grass off of the black Amish-looking dress that she was wearing, and smirked. “You mean, was she batty?”
Clarice frowned. “Now, I never said that. My mother told me that Margaritte was special. That –”
“She sometimes heard voices in her head,” interrupted Willow. Her voice softened. “Poor Gram. They confused and scared her.”
“It was her schizophrenia,” said Clarice, looking over at Rebecca. “Again, that’s why Juniper was created.”
Willow looked at her wand. “Yes. That much I do know.”
“Your grandma told you about her illness?” I asked, a little surprised.
She twirled her wand back and forth. “No, Juniper.”
I held up my wand. “Mine talks to me, too. This is Chloe.”
Willow stared at my wand. “Well, what do you know, it looks just like mine. Do you know where the other one is?”
“Yes. We have it,” I replied.
“Where?” she asked, looking around. Her eyes rested on Clarice. “Is it in a safe place?”
“Yes,” answered Clarice. “But, the damage has been done and we need to rectify it.”
She nodded. “Obviously.”
“Willow, going back to Meredith, she said that you stole a charm of hers,” said Rebecca, looking confused. “D
id you?”
“It wasn’t hers to begin with,” she said. Her hand went to a hidden chain around her neck. She pulled it out of the front of her dress and glanced down at the pendant, which held a small black crystal. “It was my mother’s and I simply took back what was ours.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Meredith stole the charm from your mom?”
“Yes. Sometime before I was born. I learned about it from my mother’s journals.”
I stepped closer. “What kind of crystal is that?”
“It’s a black tourmaline,” replied Clarice. “It helps to protect against negative energy and any kind of psychic attack.”
My eyebrows shot up. I turned to Clarice. “Is that how Meredith was able to place such a horrible curse on Opal and Willow?”
Clarice nodded. “Taking away some of her defense against Black Magic would certainly make her more vulnerable. Did your mother have other crystals?”
Willow nodded. “Yes, I have them now. Quartz, lolite, and amethyst were her favorites, I guess.”
“And Meredith stole the tourmaline and placed a curse on you both. What in the world is going on with that woman?” muttered Clarice, shaking her head in disgust. “She’s not the person I thought she was. That is for darn sure.”
“She obviously has many faces,” replied Willow, her voice thick. “I know one thing for certain – don’t ever trust her or anyone in her coven.”
I shivered.
“I also have to wonder what happened to Meredith to make her do these horrible things,” said Rebecca, staring into space. “My own mother used to praise Meredith. Would have trusted her with her life. She was a good woman once. I just don’t understand.”
“A good woman wouldn’t have killed my mother and cursed me,” accused Willow. “Meredith is anything but a ‘good’ woman.”
“You’re absolutely right,” said Rebecca, her eyes softening. “Obviously, she’s fooled us all. I’m so sorry for your loss, Willow, and that you’ve been alone all of this time. If we’d have known what was happening, we’d have tried helping you sooner, sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, looking unsure.
Clarice cleared her throat and smiled. “I don’t know if you are aware of this, but, both Kendra and I are related to you.”
“I know,” she replied, looking up. “My mother documented our family tree in her notes. She didn’t know anything about Kendra.”
“That’s because the girls weren’t conceived until after your mother was gone,” said Clarice.
“I have a twin sister, too,” I said.
“Really? A sister? I have always wanted a sister. So, what is her name?” she asked, her face brightening.
“Kala. She’s with our mom right now. Trying to keep her safe.”
She nodded and looked at Clarice. “You know, Juniper once told me that you’d return to Salem some day. When the time was right.”
“Juniper is a very insightful wand,” noted Clarice.
“She’s kept me alive, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. Actually, I do. I’d die,” she said, smiling humorlessly.
Clarice ran a hand over Willow’s shiny dark hair. “There has to be a way to stop this curse for you, child. We just need to find it.”
“My grandmother told me that the only way to stop the spell is to kill Meredith,” said Willow. “But, I could never kill anyone. As much as I hate her, I could never take her life.”
I thought about how I’d killed Vivian and a wave of guilt washed over me.
Tyler, as if reading my mind, turned to me. “Kendra, don’t even go there. Sometimes you have no choice and things happen. You can’t feel guilty about it.”
“I still do,” I mumbled staring down at my shoes.
He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it lightly. “She was going to kill Adrianne. You didn’t have a choice.”
“Tyler is right. Don’t feel guilty, honey. Vivian would have eventually killed you, your sister, and Adrianne,” said Rebecca.
“Just like she killed my father,” said Tyler, frowning. “Don’t ever feel sorry for what happened. She never felt sorry for all those she killed.”
“I hate to change the subject, but the sun is up and we have to get to Adrianne,” said Rebecca, looking down at her watch. “Before we can no longer reverse the spell. Obviously, you’ll need to come with us, Willow.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t. If I leave the forest, I won’t be protected by the spells. Meredith will find me. Can’t you bring Adrianne here?”
“No. She’s too fragile,” said Rebecca. “I don’t want to risk it.”
“Don’t worry, honey, we’ll protect you,” said Clarice, her eyes shining brightly. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Neither will I,” said Tyler, standing up taller.
Willow stared at him and suddenly her cheeks grew rosy. “Thank you, Tyler.”
“Don’t mention it,” he replied, his green eyes twinkling. “Since I’m the only man here, I need to step it up a little. Protect my coven of witches.”
She giggled. “Are you their coven leader?”
Rebecca burst out laughing. “He wishes.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Wish nothing. I may not have a wand, but that doesn’t mean I can’t protect you ladies. I’ve already proven that.”
“He certainly has,” I agreed.
He winked at me.
“You’re not a witch, so what exactly are you?” asked Willow, looking intrigued.
“He’s an Enchanter,” I answered, feeling suddenly protective of him. In more ways than one.
Willow’s face lit up. “Really? I’ve always wanted to meet an Enchanter. Is it true that you can make people do what you want?”
“Yes,” he said, puffing up his chest. “If I want to, that is.”
“Wow, and Enchanter,” she gushed. “I have so many questions for you.”
He leaned forward. “And I’d be happy to answer them, but only if you come with us.”
She tapped her fingers nervously on the table. “I just don’t know. I’ve never risked leaving here before.”
“Honey, you can’t stay in these woods forever. Come with us and we’ll do our best to make sure that no harm befalls you,” said Clarice. “Meredith may have a coven backing her up, but you and Kendra have two very powerful wands, and us on your side. Don’t be afraid.”
Her eyes darted to all of us and then she stood up. “Alright. I’m coming.”
I heaved a sigh of relief.
Clarice nodded. “Very good. You know, there is a whole other world out there, Willow. You have no idea of the wonders that lie just outside of this forest.”
Her eyes went to Tyler and she smiled. “I believe it.”
This time both Rebecca and I rolled our eyes.
“Do you need to collect anything, before we leave?” asked Tyler.
“She can get them later,” said Clarice, standing up. “We really need to get to Adrianne.”
“Let’s teleport,” said Rebecca.
“We’re going to have to,” said Clarice. She turned to Willow, her hand extended. “Take my hand, Willow, and I’ll direct you to our destination.”
Willow walked over and placed her hand in Clarice’s. “So, where exactly are we going?”
“My place,” said Rebecca. “I have placed several spells on my home and I assure you that nobody will be able to find you.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Okay.”
“Let’s go,” said Rebecca. She turned to Tyler. “Meet you there.” Then, she, Willow and Clarice disappeared.
Tyler looked at me. “So, this time, you want to do the honors of teleporting both of us? I think we’ll save on magic fuel or something.”
I laughed. “Magic fuel?”
“Yes, I’m pro-green, you know. That includes saving energy when teleporting.”
“You’re so full of it.”
He pretended to look hurt. “What are you saying? Th
at I just want to hold you in my arms and maybe steal a kiss or two along the way?”
“Don’t you?”
He grinned wickedly. “Of course.”
I chuckled. “You nut. Just tell me what to do.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his chest. “Concentrate on our house in Vail and Chloe will take us there.”
“Okay,” I said, enjoying the familiar scent of vanilla that emanated from him. It reminded me of Adrianne’s cookies and my stomach growled.
“Is that your stomach?” he asked.
My cheeks turned pink. “Yes. I’m a little hungry, I guess.”
And not just for cookies, I thought, staring up at his lips.
“Me, too. Aim for the kitchen and we’ll find something to snack on.”
I held up Chloe and closed my eyes, concentrating on Tyler’s kitchen. “Teleport,” I whispered, raising the wand.
There was that familiar popping noise and then once again, we were inside of the colorful spinning vortex which still left me breathless. I blinked again, and the next thing I knew, we were stumbling into his kitchen.
“You okay?” he asked, steadying me.
“Yes.”
“Good,” he whispered, his eyes moving to my lips. He lowered his head but just before our lips touched, someone began yelling in the other room.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“Crap,” he muttered.
“Tyler!” hollered Rebecca from the other room. “Get in here!”
He released me and my legs felt like jelly.
“Sometimes I think my mother can see through walls,” he said, walking toward the doorway.
“Where have you two been?” asked Rebecca, as we stepped into the other room.
“We were hungry,” he replied.
“Where is Willow?” I asked, looking around the room. “Hey, Kala.”
“Hi,” she answered, looking pale. She was standing near the sofa with Bailey, holding a deck of cards.
“Willow is gone,” said Clarice in a terse voice. “And she took my purse.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“She took your purse?” repeated Tyler.
“Yes. I just can’t believe how naïve I was,” said Clarice, looking distraught. “I should have known that something was up with that story of hers. I’m such a fool!”
Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport) Page 5