A Witch Too Late

by Paula Lester

  Why would visiting her mom’s grave make ghouls attack her?

  She heard a faint sound. It grew in intensity until a bright yellow Ford Escape with blue and white flashing lights and a wailing siren screeched to a stop in front of her and Echo. Three men and a woman dressed in coveralls that matched the car jumped out and approached them.

  “Peacekeeper squad,” Echo said by way of explanation to Cas. She nodded.

  A black Ford Escape with Sheriff stamped on the side in big, yellow letters pulled up behind the other car. Deputy Chris Wave jumped out of the driver’s side. He rolled his eyes at the peacekeepers but joined their ranks as they surrounded Cas and Echo.

  “What’s going on here? We got an alert that you slipped your leash,” the woman said.

  “It’s about time. Do you know how long ago I broke that thing off?” Cas snapped, peering up at them from the curb. “I was attacked by ghouls—that’s what happened! In the cemetery long before it should’ve closed. I snapped the darn thing off hoping you all would rush to my rescue, but so much for that.” Cas threw her hands up in distaste. She didn’t feel like being polite or mincing words.

  “It says here you’re supposed to have bindings on too,” one of the men said as he consulted a clipboard. He pulled a set of goggles down from the top of his head over his eyes and peered at Cas through them. “Yep. Still there, but they’re snapped in a couple of places. It’s not bad enough that we can’t fix it, though.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Cas mumbled.

  The four peacekeepers held hands and surrounded Cas. They began to rhythmically chant and continued to do so for several minutes. When they stopped and dropped hands, Cas felt the full dampening effect of the bindings return.

  The deputy leaned against the fence and popped gum while the witches did their work. “Don’t see any ghouls now.”

  Graham’s white Silverado pulled up behind the peacekeeper squad’s Ford, and he jumped out. “What happened?” He jogged over to Cas and touched her arm. He looked her over with a critical eye. “Are you hurt?”

  “Just a few scrapes, I think.” She held up her forearm. The slash wasn’t bad. Neither was the one on her upper arm. She’d gotten lucky.

  One of the male peacekeepers leaned over. “It’s not bad. Ghouls don’t have venom. But if the cold doesn’t infect you, bacteria might. They’re no better than rats. I have some disinfectant wash in the truck. Be right back.”

  Cas dropped her arm and said, “I’ll probably have some bruises tomorrow, but they’ll just blend in with the ones I got earlier.” She sighed, feeling defeated. Deputy Wave made his way over with another leash in hand. He said nothing, just motioned for Cas to stick her arm out.

  “Ghouls chased her out of the cemetery,” Echo explained to Graham as Deputy Wave placed the new leash on Cas’ wrist. He ignored Graham and touched Cas as little as possible. He activated the leather without comment and then got in his car and drove away.

  “The gates closed early,” Cas told Graham, whose eyes narrowed at the news.

  The peacekeeper washed and dressed Cas’ wounds. “We’ll take a ride around the cemetery. Make sure nothing got out or in,” he finished with a smirk.

  They left Cas underwhelmed. “No wonder they haven’t found the stone yet.”

  Graham glanced over into the cemetery, but everything was quiet. “Let’s get you home.” He led her to the truck. She climbed up into the passenger seat. Cas thanked the heavens for a good ol’ fashioned car instead of a courser. Echo jumped up and curled into a ball in the back seat. The truck rumbled to life just before Graham pulled away from the curb.

  Cas nestled into the seat and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Graham was pulling into her driveway.

  The three of them entered Cas’ house in silence, and she turned the kitchen light on. She put a kettle of water on to heat up and rummaged around in the refrigerator for something to eat. She pulled out some leftover roast chicken along with bread, mayonnaise, and lettuce.

  As the three of them sat and drank tea (non-dairy milk for Echo) and ate chicken sandwiches, Cas and Echo told Graham the story of what had happened at the cemetery.

  “So you stopped and looked at Violaine Mizzle’s headstone right before the ghouls attacked?” Graham verified.

  “Yes, I did.” Something occurred to Cas and her eyes widened. “Do you think that’s the gravesite the ghost meant when he said I shouldn’t go visiting certain graves if I don’t like the undead?”

  Graham shrugged. “Maybe.” He took a bite of sandwich and chewed for a few minutes. “Actually, I think that’s a pretty good bet, considering it sounds like the ghost from that grave has been following you.”

  Cas thought for a second. “Makes sense. Well, I don’t have anywhere else to go to follow the leads we have on Sapphire, Bear Barns, or Dzovag Livings. So maybe I’ll pay a visit to Violette Mizzle tomorrow.”

  Chapter 14

  Cas grabbed a sweater just in case the fall morning weather was cool. Seeing Violette was on the agenda for today. But first, another trip to the Courthouse. If she spent any more time there, Cas might as well rent out space and take up residence. She chuckled. The huge, gothic building sure seemed to be her second home since everything had started. Though this would be a short visit. She just needed to find out a couple of things.

  Cas stuck her head into the doorway of the extra bedroom. Echo snoozed away on the bed. “Echo.” She waited few seconds and called his name again. “Hey, it’s time to head out.”

  The cat mumbled, rolled over, and scratched his bared belly with a paw. When he started to snore, Cas got the hint. Echo wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. She glanced at her watch and grimaced. It was still early, but Cas didn’t want the morning to slip by. Today was a big day in Crystal Springs and people would be out and about. She didn’t want to chance missing Violette.

  Echo was supposed to be a safeguard in case anything went wrong with her power. Cas flexed against the magical bindings. They pulsed in response and felt strong. Since the peacekeepers had renewed them, her magic hadn’t acted up. Perhaps a quick visit into Crystal Springs without a chaperone wouldn’t do any harm. After all, she was an adult.

  She left a note on the bed for Echo, though she wasn’t quite sure if the cat could read, and tiptoed out of the house. It was warm, and she tossed the sweater into the passenger seat of her car. Cas drove the old, beat-up, silver Dodge Intrepid to the Courthouse—she really needed to learn to call a courser.

  Dustin, who was the only one around, didn’t hesitate to offer his assistance as usual.

  “Yes, Violaine Mizzle is a registered ghost who’s allowed to leave the cemetery,” he said. They stood in the council chamber, and Dustin looked at the same book he’d used the day before to find out whether Cas’ mom was a ghost.

  He then grabbed the witch’s lineage volume. It took him longer to page through that one, but he finally said, “Ah, here she is. Violette Mizzle. She lives at 17 Hucklebuck Avenue in the Riverside Condos. Nice places.” He shut the book and smiled, but his gaze was intense. “Are you getting anywhere with determining who killed the Archsiren?”

  “Not really. Mostly, I’m just trying to keep myself busy and out of trouble while I hope some big clue falls in my lap. Thanks for all your help.”

  “You’re welcome. I like you. And I always root for the underdog.” Dustin winked. He escorted Cas out of the chamber and back down the hall to the reception area. “Good luck. Will you be attending the Founder’s Day parade tonight?”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought about it. Maybe.”

  “Great, I hope to see you there. It’s always a blast.”

  They said good-bye, and Cas headed out to the car. She punched Violette’s address into her phone and set it to voice direct.

  It felt good to do something normal like drive and to have some independence. It gave Cas some confidence about this new reality she’d found herself in. She began to sing along, off-tune, with the pop song on
the radio, turned the volume up, and rolled the window down.

  Violette lived on the edge of Crystal Springs. Cas pulled into the driveway after about fifteen minutes of singing and enjoying the feeling of the breeze on her face. She walked up the driveway toward the condo’s front door but then paused. Cas rooted around in her purse for some lipstick, using the moment as an opportunity to evaluate her feelings.

  Deep down, Cas knew talking to Violette made sense. She suspected the woman could reveal something about what was going on and maybe even explain the role her mother had played in it.

  Ah, that was where the reluctance was, she realized. She didn’t want to hear if her mom had somehow been involved. So many people had accused Oceane of being a mischief-maker—a girl who got into trouble. Cas wasn’t sure she wanted to know those particular details about her mother. She wanted to remember her as a good mom.

  Cas swallowed hard, flipped open a handheld mirror, and applied a swipe of lipstick. She smacked her lips together and then took a deep breath. She was an adult, and her mother had been gone for a long time. This needed to be done. How could Cas ever truly understand herself and what was happening if she didn’t?

  Cas tucked the lipstick away, put her purse on her shoulder, straightened her spine, and marched without any more hesitation up to Violette’s front door. She rapped hard four times.

  Within seconds, the door opened wide, and Violette stood on the other side. She wore a light blue dress that came down to her knees. The long hair, mostly still auburn like her sister’s but streaked with silver, hung in a braid draped over one shoulder.

  She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Come on in, Cascade. I’ve been expecting your visit.”

  Cas raised her eyebrows. “You have?”

  Violette nodded. “After the cemetery, I figured you might put two and two together and come see me.”

  Cas didn’t know what to say to that. She walked in and waited for Violette to close the door and lead the way to a small living room. It was cozy, all done in cream and three shades of light green. A big fireplace was the focal point of one wall, and opposite that was a large window that overlooked a private courtyard.

  Violette directed Cas to a mint green rocking chair with a matching footstool. She asked if she could get her anything. Cas shook her head, and Violette sat on the sofa across from Cas. “What do you need to know?” Violette asked, her voice steady but just above a whisper.

  Cas started to speak but no words came out. She cleared her throat and uncrossed and re-crossed her ankles before trying again. This time, her voice was strong and clear. “You’re my mom’s age, I think. You knew her, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. I knew Oceane.” There was no hesitation. Violette had expected that question too.

  “How?”

  “She, Lavania, and I had a clique.”

  Cas leaned forward a little. Violette was forthcoming but also seemed sad. Almost like she’d been waiting for the day the truth could come out. “You mean you were friends in school or something?”

  The corners of Violette’s mouth twitched. “Well, we did know each other from school but, no, dear. A clique in this instance is a supernatural thing. It’s when a number of witches come together temporarily to perform some complicated or dangerous magic that requires more than one person. It’s usually something that’s beneficial to all members of the clique.”

  “What magic were you three doing together?” Her boldness had retreated a little, and Cas almost couldn’t get the words out. A lump had formed in her throat. She knew there was no going back after this question was asked and answered. Whatever Violette told her now about her mom, Cas would never be able to un-know it.

  “Lavania had a perpetuity stone. She’d somehow stolen it from the Archsiren at the time, Ranger Helm. We didn’t ask too many questions about that. Anyway, she had a stone and we all wanted to do something with it.”

  Cas wished she had asked for a drink. It would be nice to have something to fidget with. She settled for rubbing the handle of her purse between a thumb and forefinger. “What things does a perpetuity stone do?”

  Violette tipped her head to the side and looked past Cas at the wall behind her. When she answered, Cas got the sense she was revisiting thoughts and feelings from decades ago. “It’s a really rare magical artifact that captures the energy essence of a powerful witch. Then, if you’re pretty powerful yourself—or you have a clique—you can channel some of that energy and cast big spells. We wanted to make webs.”

  Cas’ stomach plunged. But there was no turning back now. “What are webs?”

  Violette sat back on the sofa and took a deep breath. Then she scooted forward again. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like anything to drink?” Her gaze focused back on Cas, returned to the current time and place.

  The sharp change of topic caught Cas off-guard, but she decided to take advantage of a break in the conversation. “Some water would be great.”

  Violette rose. She seemed to flow across the floor, and Cas thought the woman must have a dance background. Cas followed her into the kitchen. It was a cheerful, bright room with white cupboards and appliances. Frilly white valances decorated with strawberries hung at the windows, and other red accents, like a toaster and some red-framed photos, dotted the space.

  Violette got a glass from the cupboard, filled it with ice from the dispenser on the outside of the refrigerator, and then added water. She didn’t get any for herself.

  Violette handed the glass to Cas. “A web is a spell that sets off a complicated series of events to reach a desired endpoint. It’s a difficult spell to cast and usually requires a clique and a ton of magical oomph. With the stone, our threesome had both, so we figured we could all get what we desired. Lavania craved power. She wanted to use the stone to become the Archsiren.

  Your mother had just given birth to you. She was more than a little scared about how she’d be able to provide. Oceane thought finding a rich man would give you—and herself—everything you both might ever want. And I . . .” Violette hesitated and then sighed. “My sister wasn’t born with magic. More than anything else, I—we—wanted her to have powers like I did.”

  Cas took a drink of water. She thought about the three women who each wanted something so specific and big to happen in their lives. It reminded her of stories she’d read when she was younger about people who made deals with the devil. “So the three of you did these web spells together with the perpetuity stone. Did they work?”

  “Oh yes. They worked. If you have the power to cast them, webs always work.” Violette said. Her voice quavered a tiny bit. “But not usually in the way you expect. Predicting all the outcomes of a web is sort of like dropping a pebble in a pond and trying to guess where the ripples will go. When you cast one, you must be sure you’re willing to accept the consequences. We thought we were, but it’s really not possible to foresee the impact.”

  She paused and moved around the end of the counter to stand closer to Cas. “Lavania became the Archsiren, but the cost was the death of the previous one, Ranger. My sister got her power, but not the time and experience to control it. It was too much too fast. Violaine attempted magic beyond her skill and was killed as a result.”

  Cas sat silent for a moment, horrified at the thought of two deaths from the webs the three women cast. She didn’t want to ask the next question, but it was ultimately the one she needed the answer to the most. “And my mom’s web?”

  “It worked, of course. Your mother found a man of means to care for the two of you. But it ultimately resulted in her death too. At least, that’s what I believe. I can’t really prove it. It just took longer for the strings of magic to accomplish that tragic end for her. And now, Lavania’s paid the same price.” Violette looked down. “I fear the web will catch me eventually as well.”

  Cas felt as if a shard of ice impaled her chest. Her mother’s death might have been triggered by Oceane’s own hand. All in an attempt to meet Cas’ stepfather. It
seemed superficial, stupid, and selfish. Since her step-father had sent her away after her mother’s death, Cas ended up unhappy despite being well provided for financially.

  She wanted to ask how Violette thought the web and her mom’s death were related. Cas had always believed her mom died of cancer. But then another question pushed forward and demanded attention. “You said the perpetuity stone harnessed the energy of a powerful witch that you then used to cast your web spells.”

  Violette nodded to encourage Cas to ask the question.

  “Whose power did you capture in the stone?”

  Violette only hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Yours.”

  Cas had foreseen the answer, but it still made her swallow hard. She set the water glass on the kitchen counter. Her fingers trembled.

  Violette grabbed her hand and squeezed. She guided Cas to a seat at the kitchen table and sat close. “Most witches blossom at puberty. But once in a while, a special witch is born. One who has power from birth and who is given the label of supreme. You had that type of power. In fact, the power you had—have—is extremely rare.” Violette looked off into the distance for a minute. “Tempeste has such power, and she’s in town this week. The last time a witch of equal power visited Crystal Springs, to my knowledge, was the year you were born.”

  She turned back to Cas. “We siphoned your power into the perpetuity stone that Lavania brought us. We wanted to cast our webs, yes, but we rationalized that we were helping you too. As a baby with such immense power, we told ourselves that you could easily hurt yourself or others. We decided we’d store your powers until you were of an age when most witches blossom naturally. In the meantime, we’d cast our webs and make life better for all of us.”

  Violette stopped and waited for Cas’ reaction, but Cas didn’t know what to say. She pulled her hand away from Violette. There was so much to digest. Her mind felt thick and heavy. She was a super powerful witch, but her birth-right had been taken...stolen actually, and used in a manner that had hurt people.