A few moments later her eyes blinked open. "Get off," she said, struggling to free an arm. Once free, she pulled the sports drink from my hand and drank deeply. After finishing half the bottle, she laid her head back.
"I'll ride with her," Gabriella said, slumping into the chair and resting her hand over Maggie's arm. The evident pain in her face and the silvery hair were a grim reminder of the night's events. A surge of guilt caused my stomach to roll. Gabriella and Maggie had both faced death tonight because of my lack of caution. It was a lesson I would not soon allow myself to forget.
We finally pulled up to Judy's cabin after two in the morning. Her car was in the driveway and her bedroom light was lit. Gabriella and Maggie slept, leaning into each other for support. I'd turned the heat up and was glad to step from the vehicle into the cool night. The fetid smell of rotting flesh caught my attention and I quickly locked the Suburban's doors. Once again, I had few offensive options, but if Judy was in trouble I would not hold back. I raced to the house and pulled at the locked door and knocked furiously.
"Judy!"
I jumped from the porch and ran to the backyard, not caring what plants were trampled. Following the stench, I headed away from the house, slipping on the bank of the stream bed in my haste. Falling forward, I caught a glimpse of a lantern at the edge of the forest, just inside the tree line. A moving figure interrupted the lantern's glow. I scrabbled over the bank and raced toward the lamp's light.
"Felix, there you are." Judy looked up from her labor. The smell of death hung heavy in the cool, damp air.
"What happened?" I asked, surveying the scene. Two corpses lay next to an unfinished, shallow pit. Both showed considerable decay.
She stepped from the shallow grave and handed me the shovel. "Beyond the obvious?"
"Maybe you could cover the obvious, too," I said.
She smiled. "All right, I had a couple of unwelcome visitors and had to dust off my wand. Now I'm burying them so they can rest."
"Wand?"
"I haven't always been the matronly flower child you've known and loved," she said. "There was a time when I felt a witch needed some bite to be respected."
'Matronly' and 'flower child' were far from descriptions I'd have used to describe Judy, but it wasn't the time. I jammed the shovel into the ground. "Gabriella and Maggie are in the truck. We ran into trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"The kind that might follow us home," I said.
"I have a place that's safe for tonight," she said. "How did Maggie find you? Last I saw, she was sunning herself on the back porch. Did she run all the way out to Eppy?"
"Something like that," I said.
"Trouble does seem to find you," she said. "Cover these poor fellows up, we'll have to do a better job of it later."
"Petaluma is in danger," I said. "We need to find her." I grabbed the first corpse by its ankles and dragged it into Judy's pit. Judy had done quite a number on her visitors and I winced as body parts were left behind or dragged along unceremoniously - not all that well attached.
"I just talked to Thea an hour ago. Luma is fine."
"What did Thea want?"
"Said she was looking for you. Wanted me to tell you that she had a nice time this evening and you should come out for another visit."
"What about Luma?"
"She's staying with Thea for a few days while Dolly is in the hospital."
"Thea's not who you think she is," I said. "She's part of this." I gestured at the pit which now held the majority of the two corpses.
Judy studied my face before replying. "I'm such an idiot," she said with a sigh.
"I'm going after her, but not tonight," I said. "We need to gather some things before we head out."
The shallow grave was anything but perfect and it wouldn't fool anyone for very long if they happened by. I was curious about Judy's decision not to call the sheriff, but that was a discussion we could have later.
"Do you have your phone?" I asked, having left mine back at Eppy Faire.
She fished into her jeans pocket and handed me a newer smart-phone. I dialed the number I'd been given for Agent Anderson.
"This is Dana," the woman answered after the fourth ring, her voice heavy with sleep.
"Hey. This is Felix," I said. "There are two corpses in my foster mother's back yard."
"Foster mother? As in Judy Babcock?" Anderson asked.
"Yes. They shouldn't be too hard to find."
"Describe the corpses," she said, coming fully awake.
"Mottled flesh, bones sticking out, really bad breath," I said.
"Shit. Is everyone okay?" I was surprised to hear the generally formal-speaking Anderson cuss.
"Willum has taken Petaluma Applebaum," I said. "Althea Sanders is helping him. They were planning something big for tomorrow night, but I might have messed up those plans."
"Messed them up, how?"
"By escaping," I said. "Long story, but Willum definitely knows you're on to him and it sounds like he's looking for a big finale."
"You need to stay away from that man," Anderson said. "He's dangerous."
"Right. Dangerous," I agreed. "Look. We're not going to be here when you arrive. It isn't safe."
"I'll deal with it," she said. "Don't forget my warning, Felix."
"Thank you, Dana." I hung up and handed the phone back to Judy. "The FBI will deal with the bodies and they'll be discreet."
"That doesn't sound like any FBI I'm familiar with," Judy said.
***
The sky was just starting to lighten when I finished packing the last of the items we'd take up to Judy's safe location.
"What's going on?" Gabriella asked sleepily as I started the Suburban and backed around.
"We're relocating," I said. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she said. I'd checked on her and Maggie several times while we'd packed Judy's car and the Suburban with supplies. Both women seemed to be resting comfortably.
"It's a short drive," I said. "Just rest, we'll be there soon."
I marveled at just how well Judy's sedan handled the degrading road conditions. We'd transitioned from the main highway to a gravel road and then to a dirt two-track. The suspension of the Suburban was made for the rough travel, but Judy negotiated it all with considerable finesse, only bottoming out a few times.
"Missed one." Maggie stirred for the first time since we'd fed her tamales.
"One what?" I asked.
"Hole in the road." She grinned, pleased that I'd fallen for her question. "You should go back; it might feel left out."
"I guess you're feeling better."
"Did you know Gabriella's hair turned silver?" Maggie asked.
"Geez, Maggie. Yes, but she might not like someone pushing it in her face."
"Small price to pay for being attacked by a demon." Gabriella pushed herself up in the seat and drew the blanket up around her shoulders.
"I gotta pee," Maggie said.
"We're almost there," I said, although I had no real idea if that were true.
Maggie picked up the bag of trail mix and shoveled it into her mouth. "Do you have any more of those tamales?"
Gabriella reached over the seat and opened the cooler. "What's all this stuff back here?"
"We had visitors at Judy's last night," I said. "We're going to make it harder for them to find us."
Gabriella looked around. "This is beautiful country,"
Judy pulled into a small clearing and I stopped next to her. She'd already stepped out and was stretching in the dappled rays of the morning sun. I took a deep breath and smelled nothing but clean mountain air, damp with the morning dew.
"What happened to Gabriella's hair and why is a naked woman climbing out of your truck?" Judy asked.
"Why is she naked? Or why is she in my truck?" I asked.
"Pick one."
"That's my sister, Sevena. She's naked because it makes me uncomfortable," I said.
"She looks so f
amiliar, what am I missing?"
"That's Maggie," I said.
"Maggie. As in the vizsla?"
"Maggie. As in the raven, the panther, the owl and …"
"Not an owl, but it's so nice to finally meet you in person, Mistress." Maggie gave a half curtsey as she took Judy's hand.
Before the Storm
"Just whose place is this?" I asked, eyeing the stuffed antelope head mounted on the wall. It was the sort of thing Judy despised.
"Aaron Merritt," she answered.
"Sheriff?" I asked.
"Don't make more out of it than there is," she said. "He's a friend."
"Good for you," I said and then scowled at her. "Like you have to hide that from me."
"I wasn't hiding anything. It just didn't come up," she said. "You didn't say what happened to Gabriella."
"It was bad," I said. "But the whole story will have to wait. Do you know where that jewelry I asked you to bring along got to?"
"I'm exhausted, Felix. You have to be too," she said. "Let's deal with it in a couple of hours."
"I was attacked by a demon," Gabriella filled in. "And Judy's right, you need to rest, Felix. Magic shouldn't be undertaken when you're exhausted.
"We're vulnerable," I said. "And Luma is depending on us."
Gabriella patted my arm, reminding me to take it easy. "In your current condition, you'll be of no help to anyone. I'm also worried for Luma, but I know you cannot hope to face a demon as you are now."
"Two enchantments," I negotiated. "Then I'll rest."
Judy sighed, but acquiesced, pulling a tissue bundle from the deep pocket of an apron she'd donned before we'd left the house.
"I'd hoped these would remain keepsakes, memories of a time forgotten," Judy said, unwrapping the tissue as Gabriella joined us next to the fire pit. I'd lined up my primary spell book, nettles, rose thorns and poison oak, along with a narrow strip of leather, a small piece of pure silver foil and block of paraffin.
"That's beautiful," Gabriella observed. Resting atop the tissue was a silver oak leaf attached to a leather cord. The detailing on the leaf was very intricate.
"I thought perhaps you could wear this around your neck," Judy said. "It belonged to a friend of mine and was used in circumstances not so different from what we faced today. He would be pleased that you would take it up in the service of good."
"What was his name?" I asked.
"Lane."
I wanted to tell her it was too much. I sensed how important the jewelry was to her and I would hate to have anything happen to it. I also knew she had already thought her offer through and it would be futile to argue. I accepted the silver leaf. It was heavier in my hand than I'd expected.
"This also came from Lane," Judy said, digging into her pocket. She pulled out a smooth, pencil-sized stick and handed it to me. I accepted the narrow instrument and inspected the silver clasp which dangled from one end. "That clips onto the leather cord. He always hated the idea of a wand, so he wore it around his neck. The clasp pulls free with a little pressure."
I held the wand and Judy moved my fingers so the butt end rested against my palm and the pointy end barely protruded past the end of my index finger.
"You never told me about Lane," I said.
Judy smiled wistfully. "It was well before you came into my life. Perhaps, once we're through this …" Her words trailed off. "I don't know how those will work for you. Witches don't imbue their instruments with enchantments; we just use the objects as foci."
"They'll work," I said, confidently. "It's just … they have great sentimental value to you."
"And have been sitting in a box, forgotten," she said. "Lane would want them used, especially this way. I can feel him smiling."
I nodded. I wouldn't push her on the subject any further. I removed the leather cord, preparing the items. Even as I mourned the loss of my old jewelry, I felt a sense of excitement about something new.
From a tote I'd dragged up from the truck, I set aside the tubers, herbs, plants and other items required to enchant both the fire and shield spells. I'd have to make do with an aluminum pot for a cauldron, but the vessel had only a small impact on the final outcome.
For most enchantments, the ingredients weren't a precise recipe. Variation between practitioners was common. Indeed, the spell book I used was one of my own making. I'd done a lot of experimenting with a variety of recipes, each with slight tweaks. Even today, the mix would be slightly different from the last time, as I was using rose thorns instead of raspberries. It would reshape the enchantment slightly. I'd also decided to use the rose thorns to extract the essential drops of my blood.
"Oh goodie." Maggie walked out with a jumbled plate of food in one hand and a peanut butter sandwich in the other. "I love watching him do enchantments." Gabriella backed off, joining Maggie, sitting gingerly on the porch next to her. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was still hurting.
"Wait!" Maggie interrupted as I dropped the paraffin into the pot. I looked up at her, wondering what new revelation she might have. "When Willum was diatribing, didn't he say you guys could have sex now?"
Gabriella giggled, but I couldn’t let my mind even consider what she was saying. "Maggie! Stop," I said. "I need to concentrate." The idea lit like a fire in my mind. Could she be right? Was the danger I posed to witches merely a misconception crafted by Thea?
Judy looked at me quizzically, but remained silent, working her way back to the porch to sit on Maggie’s other side. Three women I loved, all in a row. Great.
I ignored their whispering and continued adding ingredients one at a time until all I had left was the leaf and a single rose thorn. While stirring the mixture with a rose stem, I gripped the still-attached thorn. The puncture was not a pleasant sensation. While I didn't enjoy drawing blood by knife-point or with a sharp blade, at least those methods drew blood quickly. On the other hand, the thorn was dull by comparison and required more effort than I appreciated. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I felt the familiar trickle of blood on the palm of my hand. I chanted 'veni foras scutum' over and over. Once the first drop of blood hit the material in the pot, I twisted the thorn from the stem and dropped it in. A moment later, the mixture clarified, turning from a concoction of disparate items into a single, clear viscous fluid resembling anti-bacterial hand cleaner. With nothing more to be done, I dropped the silver leaf jewelry into the mixture. The action wasn't without a bit of drama as a poof of smoke billowed from the pot and expanded up into the air, dissipating as it did.
I reached into the pot and pulled the leaf out, holding it up for all to see.
"Did it work?" Judy asked.
"It doesn't have a charge yet, but the enchantment has taken." I'd been confident when I started. The shield was one of my bread-and-butter spells and my familiarity almost guaranteed success.
"Prove it," Maggie said, tossing a grape in my direction.
I easily dodged the grape. "I said it doesn't have a charge."
"Meh, you don't need a charge," she teased, leaning over and picking up a golf-ball sized rock and throwing it. I dodged, again.
"Maggie, stop!" I said, getting annoyed as I eyed her picking up an even larger rock. "Do not throw that." I warned as she glared defiantly at me, bringing her arm back.
"Maggie." Gabriella tried de-escalating.
Maggie let go of the rock, big enough to do significant damage. I reached for the energy of the mountain beneath my feet. For whatever reason, I failed to make contact.
"Scutum," I said, using my own energy as Clarita had shown me. For a moment, a blood red shield appeared in front of me and the rock bounced off harmlessly, breaking in two as it struck the ground. If I wasn't mistaken, the shield had actually damaged the rock.
"See? Stop your whining," Maggie said, apparently justified.
I wasn't about to explain to her that I'd used my internal reserves. I had yet to learn how to quickly connect with the energy in the environment around me, only successfu
lly tapping the power source when under extreme duress or when I was completely relaxed and could take my time.
"Yeah, great," I said. "Now let me finish this."
Next, I turned my attention to the fire spell. Judy had a rare ingredient I was excited to try. She hated the fact that she still had it, having stopped trading in the more exotic crafting ingredients a few years back. Just because she'd stopped trading, however, didn't mean she'd been able to bring herself to throw things away. The tiny dark lump didn't look like much but if the inscription on the small re-sealable plastic bag was to be believed, I would be adding a salamander's heart to my enchantment.
After several minutes of mixing and incanting, I finally threw the precious wooden wand into the flaming mixture of coals and about a dozen other ingredients. I then carefully extracted the wand from the pot.
"Feel like playing catch now?" I looked at Maggie. "Adoloret," I chucked a goldfish sized ball of flame at her, giving it a little zip to make things interesting.
"Damn it!" She rolled out of the way. The flaming ember singed the side of the cabin upon contact and I hustled over to make sure it didn't do any further damage.
"Can you rest now?" Gabriella asked.
"One more," Judy said and reached around her neck and removed a simple crystal hanging from a golden chain.
"Judy, I can't," I protested.
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather give this to," she said. "Pass it to a loved one when the time comes. For me, that time is today."
"You're getting downright sentimental," I said, hugging her.
She swatted my butt playfully. "Don't push it."
"It's beautiful, Judy," Gabriella said. "Lane?"
Judy gave her a warm smile. "My mother gave it to me when I joined her circle."
I took a deep breath, not wanting either of them to see me choking up. Then I smiled. Like I could hide emotion from either of them.
"What are you enchanting that with?" Maggie called from the porch, still shoveling food from her plate.
"Light," I said. "Like my big silver ring."
"Oh, I liked that ring," she said and then caught herself. "But crap, that crystal should be even better than a ring."
Wicked Folk Page 13