Hester was gentle with her husband’s mistress as she ministered to her, cleaning her up and putting rags between her legs to staunch the bleeding. She packed pillows behind Elanah to sit her up so she could nurse.
Hester washed the baby quickly, clearing his nose of any remaining mucus while he screamed energetically, and then placed the baby in Elanah’s arms. “He needs to eat.”
Soon the room was filled with the sound of urgent sucking.
“Switch breasts after five minutes,” Hester advised before she headed out the door. They needed privacy, and she was tired.
Sean stopped her on her way out. Married, but not lovers, Sean and Hester were firm friends. “Thank you, Hester,” he said gratefully. She nodded as she left.
Sean kissed Elanah while their son nursed on her breast. “Have you decided what his name will be?” he asked.
Elanah sighed, loving the feel of his lips and face against hers. They’d been together for years and she was still crazy about him. Their enduring love never ceased to amaze and delight her. “I’ve decided to name him Philippe.”
Surprised, Sean leaned away to look in her face. “That is Hester’s father’s name,” he reminded her, confused.
“I am aware of that. It is my gift to Hester, for helping us. This is a very strange situation we are all in. Your wife is helping your mistress deliver your child.”
“You’re more than my mistress—” he started.
“Yes. I am the love of your life, as you are mine. The wife of your heart. Still, she can never have children of her own and I would give her this.”
Sean nodded. “Agreed. We will give him a middle name from your side of the family, and he will carry my family name, and so will his mother, once we are married.” He smiled and kissed her softly on the mouth.
They had decided to run away, far away, maybe back to Europe once she recovered from her confinement. Sean had already made preparations and found housing for them in a town over a hundred miles from Limerick. The stagecoach tickets were purchased and they would be leaving in two weeks. Hester would be free to marry her lover and live a quiet life herself.
When Hester returned to check on Elanah, they informed her of the baby’s name, and it was very obvious she was touched beyond words.
She instructed them to sleep while the baby slept, and then retired herself.
In the middle of the night Hester checked on her patient one last time only to find Elanah dressed to travel. Hester was shocked.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, standing at the door. Sean was curled up in a blanket by the fire. The baby slept in a cradle nearby.
Elanah had been crying. She’d planned this for months. She had no intention of letting Sean destroy his life for her. She’d spent enough time with Hester over the past few years to know that she would be a great mother to her child, a mother who wasn’t wanted for murder or witchcraft. Her child would grow up in a rich, prominent family, out of danger. She was a fugitive and would burn if she were caught. That was no life for her son. No, he would stay with his father and live an enchanted life.
That is how she explained it to Hester.
Hester was dismayed. “Sean will not be able to live without you, Elanah. You are his life. He has made that very clear. If you leave, he will die.”
Elanah shook her head and grabbed her bag. She kissed Sean and Philippe lightly before heading toward the door. “I’ve done enough damage,” she said sadly. “He’ll realize that Philippe must come first.” She looked at Hester. “You are Philippe’s mother now. Please, take good care of our son.”
She left crying quietly, but didn’t look back.
Valentine was waiting for her at the edge of the wood. When she reached him, he took her hand and they disappeared.
Chapter 34 – The Cure
Barrington County, Present Day: The Day Before Litha
The day before the summer solstice Katie was lounging in Elanah’s room, watching her make final preparations for the big spell when Katie casually informed her that the sick witches were back in Barrington, and had been for a while. “Apparently the Barrington’s cabin was destroyed.”
Elanah stared at Katie, dismayed. How was that possible? Vail hadn’t called, and she and Dean had spent many nights walking through town, trying to pick the perfect spell location. She hadn’t sensed the girls anywhere.
At that moment, Dean arrived for a visit. As he walked in Elanah quizzed him suspiciously. “Have you seen Nathalie recently?” Jealousy speared her. She should have killed the girl when she had the chance, and she wasn’t comforted by his reaction.
Interest sparked in Dean’s eyes. “Nathalie? Is she better? Did she come home?”
“No, no,” Elanah assured him. “I was just wondering.”
“Oh.” He kissed her and went to sit down, opening his laptop. He seemed to lose interest in the subject Elanah noted with relief.
Katie continued with her story. “I only know because I overheard Max talking on the phone. He doesn’t know where they are staying, only that they’re here. He’s frustrated because they won’t let him see Ella.” Katie sneered as she spoke. Max’s devotion to that girl was unnatural. She wasn’t even that pretty.
Elanah looked at Katie curiously. “Is he wearing the bracelet I gave you?”
Katie shook her head. “No, he didn’t deserve it.”
“Oh, Katie. You should have put it on him right away,” she said reprovingly. She tapped her finger on her lips. “How about a love potion? I could whip one up in minutes. You’ve been such a loyal friend, and Max deserves someone like you.”
Katie glanced at Dean. It was funny that he never reacted to their plotting against his sister. She looked at the rabbit’s foot dangling from Dean’s waist.
Katie shook her head. “No, thank you Elanah, don’t worry about that right now. I’ll deal with Max Barrington after tomorrow. The spell is what you need to worry about right now.”
Elanah nodded and felt relieved. Although she hid her concern, she was worried. Vail had to be involved in this. Damn her intelligent daughter. Vail had seen her plans then misdirected her so she wouldn’t be suspicious and check on the girls. Not nice.
Elanah called John and confirmed Katie’s story within the hour, so they called an emergency council meeting in one of the hotel conference rooms. Tess was working in the kitchen and prepared sandwiches and put out drinks. The town council was there along with Claire, Dean, Gabriel, Tess, and Katie. Only Luke was missing, and Father MacGunne had not been invited.
“How did you not know about this?” Elanah asked John pointedly.
John sighed. He had smart kids too. “I didn’t know about the cabin, only Horace’s death. When Sheriff Holt called the house initially he spoke with Luke, who insisted on taking care of everything since I was stressed enough as it is. Both the insurance company and the police department have been working with Luke.”
Elanah tried not to panic. So Luke was not under her spell any longer, and hadn’t been for some time. That just wasn’t possible without the intervention of another witch, and a powerful one at that. The only witch that powerful was Sadie, but she was sick. Who then? Damn, she wished she knew the power levels of Barrington’s witches better. Was her plan going to unravel?
“At this time we have to assume our plan has been leaked. It is imperative that the location of tomorrow’s spell be kept a secret,” Elanah said very seriously.
“This spell is in everyone’s best interest. The girls want to be cured,” one of the councillors argued. “Why would the location need to be a secret? Why would anyone interfere?”
Elanah remained calm. “The witches may want to be cured but they are not in their right minds. I absolutely cannot be disturbed while I’m casting. If the spell gets out of control there could be dire consequences.”
“That would be bad,” Dean said softly.
“Yes. Has everyone kept the location secret?” No one spoke, or looked at her.
Ela
nah was irritated. Seriously? What a bunch of blabber mouths. “We are switching locations. Forget the East Barn. At sunset tomorrow we will gather at the West Barn. I will now put a silent spell on all of you so no one can reveal the location.”
Everyone shuffled their feet a bit uncomfortably. No one wanted to be spelled.
“The spell will only last until after the summer solstice. We have waited this long already, and the window of opportunity is very short. We can’t take any chances now,” Elanah pleaded.
There was muttered agreement. The first to step forward was Katie. “Do me first,” she said firmly.
Elanah smiled warmly at her, taking a small container of ointment out of her pocket. “Thank you for volunteering.”
Elanah put her fingers over Katie’s lips, “Speak not of the spot, a spell to protect, if thou art asked, silence be kept,” she said three times as she rubbed what looked like ash in the form of an X on Katie’s forehead with her thumb. The ash disappeared after the third recitation.
“Where are we meeting tomorrow, Katie?”
Katie opened her mouth, but said nothing.
Satisfied, Elanah looked to the rest. “Line up, now. Who’s next?”
The summer solstice dawned sunny and warm. It was the longest day of the year and Elanah’s spells had to be cast within the liminal, thirteen-minute window as day transitioned to night.
Because of Katie’s slip of the tongue, the girls knew where they needed to be. Elanah was casting from one of the red barns. They’d positioned scouts at each one, trying to figure out which barn she’d choose. They thought at first it would be the east barn, the one closest to the hotel, but it turned out to be the barn on West Road, across from the windmill. The windmill was spinning wildly now, and received many visitors who watched it in amazement. It was impossible to sneak up to the barn, especially since the Sheriff had posted armed deputies at the entrances.
The girls were hiding in the trees, looking for some kind of opening. “I’m going to have to neutralize the deputies,” Sadie said quietly to the little group as they prepared to storm the barn. She was dressed in black spandex, and because she was razor thin due to illness, she looked like a shadow. The four girls behind her looked like zombies. They were sagging against the trees, barely able to stay conscious. Their skin was ashen, their lips a bluish red, and their eyes a raging, glowing green. They were near death, and to Sadie’s frustration, only Elanah could cure them. They had to hurry. Thankfully, it was almost time.
Nathalie was pale and breathing rapidly. She had been bouncing off the walls in that small apartment. Her inability to rescue her spelled fiancée had been slowly driving her nuts. In five minutes she was finally going to see Dean, and she had to concentrate to keep her breathing normal and not let the butterflies in her stomach overwhelm her.
Rain was radiating fury. She was going to kill Tess, have Gabriel watch, and then kill him too.
Vail was tense. She’d agreed to the plan, but was afraid someone would try and kill her mother. Elanah had made so many powerful enemies. She would have to be alert.
Max felt anticipation. It was almost over. Ella would be his again. She was one of the girls leaning against the trees behind them, nearly unconscious and almost unrecognizable. He’d been watching over her protectively, but she hadn’t acknowledged his presence, and he wasn’t sure she even knew he was there. This was the only way to get her back, and it couldn’t happen soon enough.
Luke was nervous. He had Rive strapped to his waist. The Witch Killer. It terrified him knowing that one slice could kill his wife, or any witch currently in the park. It could also kill a human. The only person it wouldn’t kill outright was Elanah Von Vixen. So as a general rule, he kept his distance from all of them.
Sadie had explained the two parts of Elanah’s spell. The first part Sadie couldn’t cast as the poison was intrinsically keyed to Elanah’s magic, so it was imperative Elanah be allowed to finish her spell and heal the town and all the sick witches. She had to do that before stripping the witches of their power otherwise she’d be pulling tainted power to herself that could result in her own death.
After the cleansing, Elanah planned to cast a bleeding spell; a spell that would extract the magic from every witch in the spell radius, murdering all witches from Barrington to Limerick. This is why Elanah had waited. Only a solstice could provide power of that magnitude.
However, in between spells, Elanah would need a few minutes to prepare.
Those precious minutes would be when they would strike.
Elanah could not be allowed to succeed. With all the witches’ power combined, Elanah would be invincible. With that much power she could do anything, such as change the memories of every person in both towns. No one would remember what she’d done or all the girls and women she’d sacrificed. She would get away with murder and rule for eternity.
Sadie shuddered. Only an immortal witch could absorb all that power. Otherwise, she’d be blown apart.
And Elanah was immortal.
For now.
Crouched, Sadie listened, highly tuned to the magic building in the barn. The barn had been a smart choice for a location as it was already infused with Elanah’s power from centuries ago. Inside they were using lanterns and the flickering glow was eerie in the fading light. She could hear Elanah chanting faintly, along with what she guessed was a ring of people. They weren’t necessary for the spell, only the witch was, but they had probably begged her to participate.
Sadie rolled her eyes. People were such sheep. Then she tensed. Elanah had cast the spell. Sadie could feel the earth around her changing. How had she not noticed the poison there before? Diseased green mist flowed past her. It made her sick and she could feel her power pulsing to protect her as it tried to infect her on its way by. The girls were moaning and Jenna had thrown up.
Then the poison was gone from their surroundings. Elanah had done it. The earth was clear, and Sadie felt a moment’s relief and admiration for Elanah. What she’d accomplished, and over a considerable distance, was quite a feat.
Yet…something was wrong. Sadie frowned as she tested her magic. The poison was still inside her. She looked at the girls. They didn’t look any better. Max was looking at Ella with concern.
Elanah had changed the spell. Sadie hissed in fury. She had had it with this witch. It was time to finish this for once and for all. She was going to cure everyone and take out that time-travelling, man-stealing bitch.
Sadie stood and was about to knock out the deputies when one shouted in horror as Savannah, mindless in her diseased craze, lurched toward him like a victim from the zombie apocalypse. Disgusted, the man raised his gun to shoot. Someone screamed and time stood still as they watched, frozen with horror. But Sadie’s reflexes were fast. With a flick of her wrist both guards fell to the ground, unconscious. Unfortunately, someone inside the barn had heard the commotion and sounded the alarm. Sadie could hear Elanah start chanting the second spell.
“Arrgh,” Sadie shouted. She sprinted and burst into the barn with everyone following behind her.
It was hot inside. Elanah was in the middle of the barn standing in a salt circle in front of a burning brazier. Katie was standing quietly on one side, and John was on the other. Their eyes were slightly glazed.
The rest of the council, Claire, and all of Elanah’s friends, were in a semi-circle around her.
Elanah’s expression changed to one of frustration at being interrupted.
Sadie stepped forward and looked at everyone gathered there before she spoke. Her face was impassive and cold.
“Stop right now, Elanah. I’m giving you one chance, and one chance only, to end this. If you don’t, I will destroy you. You have no idea the power you’re up against. I will not let you murder all these women.”
Elanah’s laugh tinkled through the air. “Little witch, what you have in power you lack in experience, child,” she said mockingly.
Sadie stared at her nemesis. She wanted to slap th
at smile off Elanah’s smug face, but what she had to do was get rid of Elanah’s innocent toadies. She couldn’t risk them being used or getting hurt.
Sadie lifted her arms and tainted purple power flowed through her and her hair began to ripple. “You have all been fooled, hexed, forced to believe and do things you would not normally do.” Her words echoed through the barn powerfully and hypnotically. Some of them were shaking their heads. Sadie slashed her hand viciously at the assembly.
Their hexed tokens began to grow hot. Tess yelped as she touched her necklace, and Gabriel shook his wrist. The group began to frown and mutter in confusion. “What is she talking about?”
“Stop, Kellar,” Elanah warned. Her eyes were glowing a bright green, and her hair was rippling now too.
Sadie ignored her. “You are enslaved!” she screamed at them. “Reject the witch’s power! Take off her hex, which is evil hidden within a gift. Free yourselves!”
Elanah looked around desperately. Everyone was frowning and clutching their “gifts.” They couldn’t turn on her now! They’d become…
A mob.
And she’d be right back where she started, hundreds of years ago, after magic-resistant Amos Fairchild had talked about her in Limerick.
Elanah lifted up her hand and made a fist, saying a word. Tess was the first to fall, and then Gabriel, Dean, and Katie followed, their hexed items turning to dust. Better she knock them out than have them turn on her. They wouldn’t remember what happened.
Only the town council members, Claire, and the Sheriff remained standing. They didn’t have charms. They had only drunk the champagne at the party, and they merely looked confused.
Ella and the other girls had shuffled forward. Daniel Smith and Bill Farmer gasped at the sight of their daughters, and Claire cried out when she saw Ella.
Sadie continued, addressing the council and pointing at the girls. “This is what happens when the poison takes hold and rots our power inside our bodies. But is Elanah sick? No! Has anyone wondered why not? Because she takes a potion to dampen the effects of the poison and SHE DIDN’T SHARE IT. Not only that, she knew her presence would accelerate everyone’s symptoms because her presence acts as a magical catalyst, yet SHE DIDN’T WARN ANYONE. If we had stayed in Barrington, none of us would have made it to the summer solstice.”
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