A Witch in Time

by Nora Lee

  “Don’t worry, Nana…I promise I’ll stay put. Though I must admit this place gives me the creeps.” Enid rubbed her hands over the gooseflesh prickling along her arms. She couldn’t see spirits, but sensed other entities within the structure, as well as some darker presence. She shook her head to clear away the thought.

  Hephaestus spoke up in a voice dripping disdain. “You would not have to remain if you had heeded my warning.” He gestured. “My old home is not frightening, I assure you. The spirits who remain are either hospitable or so drained you have not worry about interacting with them.”

  “Don’t get so uppity. I’m not saying anything about your house, just talking about how I feel.”

  “Your feelings are misguided, young Miss Ash.”

  Stepping between the combatants, Nana raised her hands. “You two better try to get along. Otherwise your time together will drag on longer than you’d like. Believe me.”

  “Tell him.” Enid scuffed a toe against the worn stone floor. “I didn’t mean anything.”

  “You pay too much heed to your feelings, young Miss. You best keep them in line.” Hephaestus crossed his arms over his chest and shot a belligerent look her way. “Another mistake on your part will…” His voice trailed off. With a slight bow, he said, “I will take my leave. My home has been vacant too long and I must see what work needs to be done.” He disappeared through the tapestry covering the back wall.

  Enid didn’t want to admit, even to herself, how right he’d been. If she’d controlled her emotions, she wouldn’t be here. She had no one to blame but herself. Hephaestus didn’t need to remind her of that.

  Even worse, she hated how he’d looked at her.

  “Everything will be fine.”

  Startled, she whirled to find Nana watching her with a sad expression. She’d been so caught up in her misery she’d forgotten she had company. Enid squinted through the veil at the blur of Nana’s face, caught a kind and supportive look in her eyes, and felt her throat tighten. She didn’t deserve sympathy. Not after she’d acted the way she had.

  “You made a mistake.” Nana reached out, then stopped short, allowing the hand to fall slack at her side. She heaved a tired sigh and leaned all her weight on her cane. “We all do at times. I’ve made my share over the years, that’s for sure.”

  “I’m sure you never did anything like this.”

  The room fell silent for several long moments.

  As Enid wondered whether she should say something else, Nana looked up again, her eyes twinkling. “I still say this is a mixed blessing. Hephaestus is so much livelier than I’ve ever seen in all the years we’ve worked together. I can’t help but feel that maybe your company will turn out to be the best thing to have happened to him since he passed over.”

  “That’s all well and good…for him.” Enid rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. “I thought this was a good thing for me at first, but then I saw Gemma.” Her breath caught. “One of the things I regret most is hurting her.”

  “Of course. You’re not a bad person.” Nana again reached out as though to comfort Enid.

  The little hairs atop Enid’s head prickled again.

  She whirled to find Hephaestus right behind her. Though happy to see him again, she didn’t want him to know. “How long have you been listening in on our private conversation?”

  “My apologies.”

  “Wait.” Nana’s voice stopped him in his tracks as he turned to leave. “You two really need to be more civil with each other. Can’t you agree to ignore your differences for now?”

  “I will if he will!” Enid said.

  Hephaestus turned back to Enid. “I will do my best, Miss Ash. Truce?”

  “Yes.” Enid took the hand he offered. The contact caused her a moment’s thrill. “Surely we can keep busy enough to not get on each other’s nerves.”

  “I came back to tell you I found some decorative items in the old storerooms.”

  “Wonderful.” Enid caught Nana watching her with a small smile. “What?”

  “You two.” Nana raised her voice until her words echoed throughout the building like they’d been amplified. “I’m heading home. The rest of you can either come along now or follow when you’re ready.” She winked at Enid before limping toward the door. When she spoke again, her tone returned to normal. “I’ll expect magic here by the time I return.”

  Enid couldn’t help but laugh.

  Gemma and Fox hurried out of a hidden doorway alongside one of the fireplaces, followed by Orianna and Rowan, the four of them caught up in excited chatter.

  Iris Westerly trailed the group with a sour expression. “We need to talk, Nana.”

  “See you later, Sis,” said Gemma. “I’ll miss you.”

  Fox smiled. “The house will be lonely without you. And Bronson will be inconsolable.”

  Orianna waved before stepping outside.

  “See ya,” said Rowan, as she followed her friend and fellow bride outside.

  “We’ll be back soon.” Nana closed the door behind her.

  Alone with Hephaestus, tears again welled in her eyes. She’d always wanted to visit the castle as a child, as did most of the other witchlings of Secret Hallow, but hadn’t expected to be trapped here this way. She also felt no real hope of getting back through the veil to the Living World.

  You will be trapped here forever, cut off from everything and everyone you love.

  Hephaestus had tried to warn her and she hadn’t paid attention.

  “There is hope yet, Miss Ash.”

  Enid started at the sound of Hephaestus’ voice. He stood over her in what seemed to be a protective way and she lost herself in the depths of his eyes. “Please…won’t you call me Enid? We’re going to be together for days and I can’t stand the formality.”

  “Only if you call me by my given name.”

  She felt as though she were being pulled toward him by some strange magnetism. Her lips quivered as she said, “Hephaestus.” Her voice came out in a breathy whisper she didn’t recognize.

  “We should get down to work.”

  With the spell broken, Enid followed to a closed door. She stopped short of passing through.

  He poked his head out. “Is there a problem?”

  “I can’t.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how to get through.”

  Hephaestus reached out a hand. “Allow me to help.”

  She closed her eyes…and reopened them to find herself in a dark corridor.

  “Not too bad?”

  Shaking her head, Enid gave a little laugh. “Not bad at all.”

  They passed through several more doors before entering the storeroom he’d mentioned.

  “What do you think?” Hephaestus gave her a teasing smile as he waved his hand at the items filling the space. “Will any of these work for the celebration?” He crossed to a dusty silver tea service set out on an enormous serving tray. “My family chose not to be too pretentious so they may not meet your lofty standards.”

  Enid’s chuckle turned into a full-throated laugh. “Oh no, not at all.” She rushed around the space, checking out stacks of colorful linens, a china service with enough place settings for everyone in town, cut crystal goblets, and a number of giant urns that would make impressive vessels for floral arrangements. “This is so much more than I expected. The wedding will be amazing.” Reaching out, she tried to pick up a stack of neatly folded cloth napkins. Her hand passed through them. “I can’t do this. What was I thinking?”

  He moved to her side. “Have faith young Enid. I can show you a few tricks of the trade.” Hephaestus reached out to move the napkins from one stack to another, though his hand never made contact. “Your mind is more powerful than you know. Whatever you can imagine, you can accomplish.” He guided her to the table. “People in the Living World use the power of the mind all the time without conscious thought: walking, dancing, skipping, driving, talking, and even breathing. Here in the Spirit World, you must concentrate harder to ac
complish the same things. Think of the things your body does over the course of the day. How you put one foot in front of the other. About your lungs inhaling and exhaling the air you breathe. Understand?”

  She considered what he’d said. Now that she’d put a little more thought into what the body of a living human did throughout the course of the day she did think she understood what he meant. She’d watched children learn to walk. One day they hadn’t been able to balance on alone and needed the assistance of loving hands. Now they ran and played without any conscious effort. Even though little Siobhan couldn’t do much more than eat, sleep, and breathe at the moment, she did those things by the power of the mind alone.

  “Focus on a specific point or the power will be diffused when passing through the veil.”

  In her mind, she imagined moving the napkins; she recalled the sensation of taking up the item in the Living World and then reached out with her mind to ‘touch’ the spot she’d chosen.

  The napkins fell off the top of the stack.

  Enid quivered with the energy she’d expended. “Oh, goblins, that’s hard.”

  “A good effort. Now try again.”

  Her second attempt didn’t go much better than the first. Nor did the third. By the fourth time, she felt as though she were going to pass out from the effort.

  “I can’t do this.”

  Hephaestus moved to her side. “You can. Keep trying.”

  They continued to work past her exhaustion. Hours later, she set a napkin on top of another.

  “You see? I told you the mind is powerful.”

  Enid brushed a hand across her brow. She felt as though buckets of sweat poured out of her and wished for a cool glass of water. “That’s enough for now.”

  “Do you want to decorate or not? We have little time to waste.” Hephaestus then encouraged her to try more and more weight. Under his patient tutelage, she progressed from the napkins to the tea set, and on to even bigger items. Enid felt a profound sense of accomplishment when she finally moved one of the huge urns from one side of the storage space to the other.

  “Size does not matter once you understand the same limitations do not apply here.”

  She managed a tremulous smile. “You’re a good teacher.”

  “Thank you. You are also a good pupil.” Taking her hand, he led her to a small side table. “Here is my pride and joy.”

  The small carved wood box didn’t look very impressive. “What’s that?”

  When the lid popped open, music filled the room.

  “How lovely.” She clapped her hands with delight.

  “The song was a favorite of my mother’s. She gave me this gift before she passed.”

  The storeroom dissolved into an image of a ballroom lit by a multitude of flickering candles decorating every surface. As massive log burned in the fireplace and the guests all wore winter finery. Evergreen boughs decorated the banisters and sprigs of mistletoe hung in the doorways.

  The ballroom was flooded by dozens of spirits - the earliest members of the Secret Hallow coven, who had occupied the village in the days that Hephaestus had been alive. The old robes and gowns were beautiful.

  Hephaestus seemed to agree. He looked around, eyes alight with happiness. “Our Yule ball.” He offered a hand to her. “Care to dance?”

  Enid giggle. “Very well.”

  She took his hand and Hephaestus took Enid into his arms. She enjoyed being held. Since crossing over, she’d come to realize the importance of human contact. Never again would she take such things for granted.

  Enid planned to hug everyone when she got back. Even Adora Glenn.

  The couple continued to spin in time to the music. Enid imagined herself in a floor-length gown like the ones worn by the other spirits and looked down to find flowing fabric swirling around her legs. Having yards of soft silk trailing to her feet seemed decadent when she most often wore her skirts to just below the knee.

  Enid almost fell over as Hephaestus stopped. He stared at a spot just over her shoulder.

  She turned her head to find a beautiful woman smiling at them. She looked familiar in a way - similar to Gemma.

  “What’s wrong?” Enid asked. “Who’s that?”

  “Emilia Ash,” he said with a snarl.

  No wonder she looked like Gemma. It was Gemma and Enid’s ancestor.

  The memory faded.

  Hephaestus flicked the box shut. “We should get to work.” He began to gather together a few of the items she’d chosen for the party earlier: china, linens, candles and candelabras, and a couple of the urns.

  The duo worked in silence to move things from storage out to the great hall. Exhausted by her earlier exertions, Enid couldn’t manage much, and ended up directing her distant and distracted companion.

  “Set those two on either side of the front door.” Hephaestus moved a pair of massive iron candelabras into place.

  She cocked her head to one side. “They’re uneven. Could you move that one just a bit left?”

  When he’d done as she asked, he paused to await her next command.

  “The tables need to be covered before we can set out the place settings.”

  This next step took them the better part of an hour. Enid felt so bad, she once again tried to help out, managing to at least set a couple groupings of silverware and crystal goblets at the head table set atop a dais. She wanted the newlyweds to have a good view of the festivities.

  “Thank you for all your help.” Enid examined the great hall and realized the room looked much like his vision. “This is beautiful. Rowan and Orianna will be thrilled.”

  “You are quite welcome.”

  She glanced around the room again and thought about the party favors and floral arrangements the others planned to bring back. When they finished, the great hall would look like an autumn fairyland. No bride could ask for more.

  When she turned, she found Hephaestus gone.

  She’d never felt more alone in all her life.

  7

  The rest of the day dragged on.

  Enid roamed the halls of the castle and imagined herself dragging chains and moaning like the ghosts in a story she’d read as a child. Logic told her Hephaestus had to be around otherwise he’d fall victim to the ghouls outside the wards. Yet one thought continued to bounce around and around in her mind: He’s gone and you’re alone forever.

  Where is he?

  She took a moment to focus her mind and tried to adjust a sterling silver candelabra to a better position on the long table covered with a lacy cloth. She only managed to knock over the candles and shatter a beautiful crystal goblet. Shards of glass spread across the table like teardrops.

  Since Hephaestus’ disappearance she couldn’t move much of anything.

  The front door slammed open. Wind whipped the edges of the tablecloth and raised small clouds of dust off the floor. A deep rumble of thunder followed hard on the heels of a flash of lightning so bright as to blind her through the veil.

  “Are you here Enid?”

  “Gemma!” Enid hurried to join the newcomers. “And Fox! I’m so glad to see you both.” She wanted nothing more than to embrace them. A frown then creased her brow as stared out at the raging storm. “Is even nature conspiring against me now?”

  “Don’t overreact, Sis. Despite what you think, everything isn’t all about you.”

  She relaxed in Gemma’s reassuring presence.

  Fox set down the damp boxes she carried and removed her leather jacket. She shook off as much of the accumulated moisture as possible. “This weather isn’t fit for man nor beast – or those little ghoulies, either.” She gave Enid a mischievous grin as she combed her fingers through the strands of the mohawk lying flat against her scalp. Turning to hang her jacket off one arm of the wrought-iron candelabra standing next to the door, she revealed that the rest the rest of her soaked hair trailing down her back like a tail, dampening her shirt. She looked cold, wet, and miserable.

  At the mention of t
he ghouls, Enid realized she hadn’t heard them wandering out beyond the wards for a long time now. She wondered if the storm could pass through the veil into the Spirit World. If so, the creatures might really have gone into hiding, which wasn’t the worst problem to have. She just wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of the raging rains ruining the wedding.

  “This is the worst storm I’ve seen in a long time,” said Gemma. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say Fern whipped up a hurricane for us. We’ve worked hard to prevent her from using her powers this way so I’m sure this isn’t her fault.” She, too, removed her jacket as she looked around. Rubbing a hand over her damp face, she gave her sister a warm smile. “This looks amazing. Did you do it all yourself?”

  “I couldn’t move much of anything on my own.” Enid shook her head. “Hephaestus helped.”

  “Where is the old man?” Fox peered into the dim corners of the room. “Hiding from us?”

  “Something like that. He’ll show up again soon enough.” I hope. Enid fought down the lump in her throat. She wouldn’t cry. Not again. She’d already done enough of that over the past few hours. “So, what else did you bring me?”

  Fox struggled to shut the heavy front door against the howling winds. “Maddock and Kimberly sent a truckload of autumn flowers, pumpkins, gourds, and the like. We’ve also got a few bales of straw and cornstalks.” She bent to retrieve one of the boxes at her feet. “I’m afraid to unload the truck until the downpour stops, though, so we’ll have to just work with what we’ve brought in here with us.”

  Carrying another of the boxes, Gemma led the way to the dining table. The two women set down their burdens and opened the cartons. Gemma reached in and pulled out what looked like gossamer strands of silk threads.

  “What’s that?”

  Gemma held the strand in one hand and waved the other.

  The silk expanded into what looked like a beautiful glistening birdcage.

  “I’ve never seen the like before. Where did you find that?” Though most things in the Spirit World all looked worse for wear, the decoration her sister held continued to shimmer and hold a shape. She thought the cage must be even more beautiful on the other side.