“Played you? What exactly are you referring to?” asked Vivian, her eyes gleaming.
“Creating the journals. Trying to get me to do your dirty work. Making me think that Meredith had placed a curse on me,” she snapped.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Vivian, still looking amused.
“Oh, yes you do,” I said. “But now we all know the truth.”
“Exactly,” said Willow. “So quit acting!”
“Acting? Is that what they told you? That I’m the liar?” asked Vivian.
“You are not only a liar, but a sick woman. I saved your life and you used me!” cried Willow. “I mean, who does that?”
“Vivian, what is she talking about?” asked Semora, moving to the front of the crowd.
“She’s crazy,” said Vivian. “Just like her mother and grandmother. Don’t listen to a word she says. Isn’t that right, Bella?”
Bella, nodded vehemently. “Oh, yes. She’s obviously telling lies.”
“Lies? But, you were there!” cried Willow. “You saw me bring Vivian back to life with my bonding wand. How dare you lie about this!”
“Could you please fill us in on what you’re talking about?” asked Semora, sternly.
Vivian rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Oh, for Heaven’s sake. Don’t listen to her, Semora. She’s just trying to cause tension in our group.”
“There is always tension in our group,” said Semora. “Now, please explain how it is that you saved Vivian’s life.”
“They came to my cabin, early this morning, and pleaded with me to save her,” said Willow. “She was unconscious and barely had a pulse.”
“Who came to your cabin?” asked Semora.
“Bella and that witch right there,” she answered, pointing to Beldora. “They were the ones who brought Vivian.”
Beldora glared at her. “You’d better stop with the lies, young lady. If you know what’s good for you.”
“Lies? She’s telling the truth,” I answered, turning to Semora. “Sometime after Vivian grabbed my wand, and ‘died’, Bella and Beldora took her to see Willow, who has a bonding wand that can reverse any harm that either of ours may do.”
“Are you saying that Willow’s wand is Juniper?” asked Semora. “The third bonding wand?”
“Yes,” said Willow, holding it up. “This is Juniper.”
“This is very interesting news. Excuse me, Vivian?” Semora turned to her, her eyes sparkling. “I thought you said that you overcame the spell because you are actually Isadora Jenkins?”
“What?” we all gasped.
Vivian smiled coolly. “That’s ridiculous. I only stated that I was a descendant of Isadora.”
“But we were all aware of that,” said Semora, rubbing the space above her chin with her index finger. “No, if I recall, you actually told us that you were Isadora. That you’d found a way back into this world using Vivian’s body. Now,” Her eyes narrowed. “Which is it?”
Vivian glared at her. “How dare you question and make me look like a fool!”
“How dare you lie to your coven,” she countered.
There was a group of twenty or so witches behind Vivian who began whispering. Some of them looked angry.
“Enough!” ordered Vivian, turning back to look at them. “We’re not here to discuss a conversation that some have clearly misunderstood. We’re here to find Mark, Isadora’s son. I think we can all agree on that!”
“Obviously, Mark isn’t around,” I answered, smiling.
Vivian’s head whipped around. She took a step closer to me. “Oh, but I think he is.”
“Why would Mark visit my shop?” asked Rebecca, putting her hands on her waist.
“I sent him here,” she said. “To check up on you.”
“Wow, she actually told the truth for once,” murmured Willow. “Amazing.”
“No. What is amazing is how naïve you are,” said Vivian. “Believing in what these witches have told you. Look, I know you’re confused about a lot of things, but I’ve never harmed you nor threated you.”
“No, but you lied. You have also tried pitting me against these people,” said Willow, waving her hand toward us. “And, you’ve used me to steal!”
“Obviously, there is no reasoning with you. Now, where is Mark?” asked Vivian, her eyes darting around the room.
“We’re not going to tell you until you return Bailey and Trixie to us,” answered Adrianne.
Vivian smirked. “Do you really think you’re in a position to barter with me? Look around you, sister.”
“Excuse me, Vivian?” answered another witch, stepping forward from the back.
Vivian clenched her teeth. “What now, Shana?”
“You did tell us that you were Isadora Jenkins. In fact, the only reason most of us stayed was because we thought that you were,” insisted the witch.
“Exactly,” replied Semora. “I think it’s safe to say that we’ve been duped.”
“I say we leave,” said Shana, looking frustrated. “I need to pick my kids up from daycare anyway. This has obviously been a waste of time.”
“Yes,” agreed some of the other witches.
“I am definitely not standing behind a coven leader who twists words and lies to her own sisters,” said Semora. “Goodbye.” She then vanished.
Vivian glared at the rest of her group. “Fine! You want to leave? Then go! In fact, if you want to know the truth – I don’t need any of you anyway! Because I have this,” she held up her wand. “Penelope. And she is stronger than all of your wands put together.”
Someone snorted and then seconds later, Vivian only had three witches standing behind her, two of them being Bella and Beldora.
“Looks like the majority of your coven has abandoned you,” said Meredith, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“As I said, I don’t need them. Now, I demand to know where Mark is.”
“You give up Bailey and Trixie, and I’ll tell you where Mark is,” answered Adrianne.
Vivian walked up to Adrianne and got into her face. “You think you’re so high and mighty, don’t you?”
“No, I do not,” replied Adrianne, raising her chin.
“You make me sick,” spat Vivian. “Miss goody-two-shoes. You act all innocent and sweet, but the truth is – you’re a pathetic woman who had to steal my man as well as my children.”
Kala and I both gasped at her audacity.
“How dare you!” I yelled, moving next to her. I pointed. “You threw us away and she took us in! What kind of a mother does that?”
“Yeah!” cried Kala, taking a step forward. “You never cared about either of us! At least she did! She’s always loved and supported us.”
Adrianne’s eyes filled with tears. She smiled. “It certainly wasn’t hard to do.”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “You three deserve each other. Look,” she pointed at Adrianne. “You bring me Mark and I’ll exchange him for Bailey and Trixie. You have thirty minutes. Meet me in the Devil’s Playground and come alone.”
“Alone?” asked Adrianne. “No, I don’t feel comfortable doing that.”
“You may bring Kendra, Kala, and Willow. But nobody else, or Trixie and Bailey will die.”
“Fine. Where in the Devil’s playground?” asked Adrianne.
“At the Tree of Death,” she replied, smiling darkly.
“Really?” said Adrianne dryly.
“Is there a more fitting place?” asked Vivian before she disappeared with what was left of her followers.
“What exactly is the Tree of Death?” I asked.
Adrianne closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “It’s where she killed our father.”
Chapter Thirty
“Are we really going alone?” I asked.
“No, we’ll be hiding out in the forest. Invisible,” said Meredith.
“She’ll know,” said Willow.
“Listen, she doesn’t really expect us to come alone,” said Adrianne. “I
know my sister. She’s probably trying to round up a few witches of her own. To try and even the playing field better.”
“At least she doesn’t have an entire coven to back her up anymore,” said Willow. “This should be pretty easy.”
“Make no mistake – nothing is ever easy with that woman,” said Rebecca.
“I think we should have just tried taking her wand when there was just the four of them,” said Tyler. “Now, she has a chance to regroup and call in for reinforcements.”
“Seriously, I don’t think she can find any,” said Meredith. “Word is going to spread quickly about her lies.”
“Can you believe that she told her coven she was actually Isadora Jenkins?” I mused.
“I think she did it because her followers had already started doubting her,” said Clarice.
“They have,” replied a voice behind us.
We all turned to find Adele and Megan, standing in the shop.
“Did you see what just happened?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Adele. “We were hiding behind the glass shelves.” She smiled. “Have I ever mentioned that Semora and I were cousins?”
Adrianne laughed. “No. No, you did not!”
She nodded. “Oh yes. Not close, mind you. But, we still talk to each other, especially at holidays, birthday parties, and family get-togethers.”
“You called her, didn’t you?” asked Clarice, smiling.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Megan demanded that I help and… I’m glad that I was able to. I guess you could say that Semora and many of the others in Vivian’s coven have wanted to get rid of her for a while. Obviously, Vivian was aware of their lack of support and decided to feed them the lie about being Isadora.”
“That was obviously the last straw then for her coven?” said Tyler.
Megan nodded. “That and the fact that most of them want Semora as their coven leader.”
“She has to be better than who they have now,” I said.
“Semora practices Black Magic, but she’s not looking to start any coven wars. Not like Vivian,” answered Adele.
I shivered. “I don’t know; the thought of any Black coven is still pretty creepy.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about with her if she does become their new leader,” said Adele.
“Let’s hope not,” replied Adrianne.
“I do apologize that I couldn’t talk the ladies in my coven into helping you. Many of them don’t want to stir up trouble with her,” said Adele.
“That’s quite all right. You’ve helped us plenty,” said Adrianne.
“I hope so,” replied Adele. “Anyway, we would be happy to accompany you and help in any way that we can.”
“I think we’ll be fine,” I replied, noticing the way that Megan was ogling Tyler again. “Meredith’s coven should be here any minute.”
“Are you sure?” asked Megan. “I mean, I hate leaving now without finding out what’s going to happen in the end.”
“Hold the popcorn, it’s not a movie,” I said tightly.
“No, of course not,” said Megan, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just want to make sure you guys are going to be okay.”
Adrianne frowned. “Kendra, is there a problem?”
I suddenly felt foolish. Here, they’d helped us tremendously, and I was acting like a jealous twit.
“No,” I replied. “I’m sorry. It’s just… nerves.”
“And lack of sleep,” said my sister, moving closer to me. “She can be really crabby when she hasn’t had enough.”
“Right,” I muttered.
“It’s true,” she teased. “You’re almost as ornery as…”
“As what?” I asked.
She pointed to my wand and mouthed “Chloe”.
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s settled. We’re coming with,” said Adele. “I want to make sure this plays out the way it needs to. With your friends safe, and Vivian no longer an immediate threat.”
“I wonder if I should send Semora a Christmas card this year,” said Clarice, chewing the side of her lip. “Funny, I kind of like her.”
“I’d love to see her face if you did,” replied Megan. “I mean, she probably doesn’t get very many greeting cards. Heck, I doubt she even celebrates Christmas.”
“She doesn’t,” said Adele. “It’s too religious. In fact, anything to do with religion makes her very uncomfortable. I’d send her a Halloween card.”
“I can do that,” said Clarice.
“Semora wants Vivian’s wand,” said Willow out of nowhere. “I could see it in her eyes.”
“I imagine Semora does,” replied Adrianne. “It’s very enticing for those who practice Black Magic.”
“Should we give it to her when we retrieve it?” asked Kala.
“No,” said Clarice. “I think we should hide it somewhere safe.”
“Why don’t we just destroy it?” I asked. “Then it will never fall into the wrong hands again.”
Chloe began to glow. “If you destroy Penelope, then Juniper and I will also perish. Think long and hard before you make that decision.”
“Really?” gasped Kala.
“Really,” said Chloe.
“Crap. I don’t want to lose you,” I said, staring at my wand. I was starting to really feel a connection with Chloe.
“And I don’t want to lose Juniper, either,” said Willow. “She’s always been near me. Even when I was a baby, Grams used to place her in my cradle. To protect me.”
Willow’s wand began to glow. “Yes, I do recall that. Fortunately, you were a quiet baby.”
Willow became giddy. “Well, hello there, stranger. Long time no talk.”
“Talking is so overrated,” drawled Juniper.
I laughed. Another wand with an attitude.
“Uh, so, Juniper, now that we have your attention – what do you think is the best way to immobilize Penelope without actually destroying her?” asked Willow.
“Place her inside of an unbreakable enclosure, and then toss her into the ocean. Make sure that you wrap metal around the enclosure, to weigh her down so that she sinks to the very bottom.”
I grimaced. “That sounds so… cold.”
“I’m sure that it is, but we are made of wood. It won’t matter to us,” replied the wand.
“No, I meant cruel,” I said.
“We are wands and don’t care one way or the other,” replied Juniper. “Keep her dry and in an airtight chamber, though.”
“Of course,” said Clarice.
“I can’t imagine a life at sea,” said Chloe, glowing again.
“Oh, I certainly can. A peaceful life at sea,” said Juniper. “Sounds good to me.”
“You really need to liven up, hermit,” said Chloe.
“I’m a wand created to clean up after you and Penelope. I have no desire to do any ‘livening up’. I just do my job when needed.”
“Oh, poppycock,” said Chloe. “I don’t believe that for a second. We are created from the same tree and I find it really hard to believe that you are that disconnected from everything.”
Juniper sighed. “Okay, fine. To be honest, I do feel that having Penelope at the bottom of the ocean would be a nice reprieve.”
“I knew it,” said Chloe, sounding excited. “You favor me, don’t you, sister?”
“On the contrary. I feel the same way about you. In fact, if you were both indisposed of, somewhere far, far away, I think that I could finally relax.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Chloe, not amused, gasped. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“Sorry, just being truthful. You’re the one who prodded me,” said Juniper.
“You’re truly incorrigible,” said Chloe.
“And you’re a pest. Good day,” said Juniper.
Both wands dimmed and became silent.
“Wow,” I said, smiling at Willow. “Family reunions are
n’t always as pleasant when you’re a wand I guess.”
Kala giggled.
“I just can’t believe that Juniper talked to me!” squealed Willow. “It’s been a couple of years.”
“That was totally awesome,” replied Kala. She brought her wand up. “I wish my wand would talk to me.”
“Don’t worry, honey,” said Adrianne. “It will happen.”
“I hope so,” she answered.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“I guess we will just have to meet Vivian at the tree,” said Adrianne.
“With Mark?” I asked.
Rebecca lifted the globe off of the counter and smiled. “Of course, with Mark. And Vivian’s new home.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Meredith’s coven arrived at the shop five minutes later. We filled them in on the details, and then they left, along with Megan and Adele, to find hiding spots in the woods, near the meeting place.
“How are we going to capture Vivian’s wand?” I asked. “I mean, none of us can really grab it from her. Not even Willow.”
“We need to knock it out of her hand. Once she doesn’t have possession of it, Kendra will send her into the globe,” said Clarice.
“What about her coven?” I replied. “They’ll try to interfere.”
“Don’t worry. There are only a few of them now and shouldn’t be a problem,” reminded Rebecca.
“Okay,” I replied, although I had to admit, I still wasn’t feeling good about the plan.
As if reading my mind, Tyler said, “I’m sorry, but it’s kind of a flimsy plan. Too many things could go wrong.”
Rebecca put an arm around him. “It will be fine. We have Meredith’s coven to back us up, as well as Adele and her daughter. Right now, Vivian is the underdog. She can’t beat us.”
“Don’t jinx us, mom,” he replied.
She sighed. “Tyler, it’s going to be okay. Believe and anything is possible, right?”
“I hope so,” he replied.
“Your mother’s right,” said Clarice. “There is no reason why we can’t beat her. We just have to keep our wits about us, and pay attention.”
“Speaking of which, do you girls remember the spells that I taught you?” asked Adrianne.
“Yes,” replied Kala and I in unison.
Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport) Page 18