by L E Gordon
“Well that wasn’t here when I left the circle. I’ve never seen anything like it.” she said, turning to look at me.
“Neither have we. Did you call for anyone or anything on Friday night, even if you didn’t mean to?” I asked, wondering if she mistakenly pulled a magical creature to the land.
“No. I thanked the goddess, cleansed myself, and set my intentions for the year. It was simple and straight-forward. Apart from calling the circle I didn’t do any other magic.” Her brow was furrowed as she thought back to Friday night.
“Will you share your intentions with me in case there was something in them that could have caused this? I know they’re personal and I wouldn’t normally ask, but two unusual things have happened and we need all the clues we can get to understand why.”
“I gave my thanks for my good fortune and family over the last year, then I cleansed in the moonlight. Once I put my robe back on I made intentions to repair our relationship and to find a partner this year, if the goddess is willing. I’ve been lonely, I’d like a family of my own.” She seemed almost ashamed to admit it, but the charm bag gave no indication that she was lying to me.
“Oh Kira, it’s natural to want a family. I’m sorry you have felt so lonely, but you’ve kept to yourself and we’ve respected that. Now is the time to open up to us, join your family, and your sister witches again. There’s no need to be alone with the coven here for you.” I gave her a hug and could tell she needed the physical contact as she hugged me back.
“Thank you, I’m ready to be part of everything again. Time for the old wounds to fully heal and let others be part of my life. Is there anything else you need to ask?”
“No, I can see you are as confused as I am. Let’s go back to your house and we can catch up on gossip.”
Chapter seven
I walked home from Kira’s house happy that we were reconnecting as sisters and as witches. We had even arranged a date in a couple of weeks to do some shopping for Yule gifts, which I was really looking forward to.
The issue of Joe’s bite and the strange magic trail was gnawing at me though. I couldn’t shake the idea that they were both connected, but couldn’t see how. It was definitely a case to take to the Grannies and see if their collective knowledge had seen anything like this before.
Trusting in our elders made me a little easier, but I knew in my heart it would come down to the Keepers to solve the mystery and do any clean up that was required. Tucking that problem away until Tuesday, I let the joy of my family fill my heart as I walked along the beach pathway to my home.
Michael and the kids were back by the time I got there and the afternoon was spent playing games and doing craft. No one felt like cooking so we ordered Chinese food and ate until our tummies were full, before settling in front of the TV for a family movie and then putting two sleepy children to bed.
“Did you get anywhere with the mystery darlin’?” Michael asked as he handed me a plate he had finished washing.
I took the plate and dried it off. “Kira is baffled about the magical trail and it took a full cleansing to help with the bite Joe has. Have you heard of anything that could do this?”
He thought as he continued with the washing up. “There are many magical creatures out there, but I can’t see magic like you do so I have no idea if any would leave a trail like you describe. Maybe speaking to the water creatures living nearby would give you some ideas? I know there are Kelpies round here, maybe they have seen something out of the ordinary?”
I nodded at the suggestion. Even if it wasn’t the Kelpies they might have noticed someone infringing on their territory. I decided to wait until we had spoken to the Grannies and put the idea to them and the other Keepers if there were no better ideas. Besides, I needed to prepare myself for facing the Kelpies. They weren’t the kind of creature to approach without having a plan in place.
Tuesday morning was the day all the Grannies got together for tea and scones, a seemingly harmless pursuit. Anyone who noticed them would see a group of older women enjoying a social catch-up and if you sat close you would hear what you would expect a group of ladies that age to talk about. The reality was they had spelled their favourite corner of a local café and could talk about anything they wanted and no one would know they were chatting about vampires or faeries instead of knitting and baking.
Kenna was coming with me to visit the older witches to speak to them about Joe’s bite and back me up with the magical trail. They noticed us come in to the café and waved us over, pulling two extra chairs to the already busy corner.
My mum was with the group and pulled me in for a hug and a kiss. “Merry Met, Tarn, and you too, Kenna. Is this a social visit or is there something you need help with?”
“Merry Met, Mum, and all of you ladies. We’ve came with a bit of a dilemma and need to see if you have any ideas.”
I explained the magical trail and Kenna told them about the bite and the lengths we had to take to cleanse it. The ladies sat there listening to all the information and sat back once we were finished describing what had been going on.
“So, ladies, have any of you came across such activity before? It’s like they’re connected, but there’s no obvious link between the two,” I explained, hoping they might have even a tiny bit of information to help throw some light on the issue.
Jean, one of the eldest Grannies, cleared her throat, her white hair gleaming in the sunshine and her bright blue eyes twinkling with an energy that belied her years. “Bobby Anderson was talking about a mermaid yesterday when I stood behind him in the newsagents. We all know Bobby can see things that most people don’t. I doubt it was a mermaid, but this seems too much like a coincidence to ignore. If he did see something, it could explain the trail of magic and Joe’s bite seeing as Joe lives near the harbour and a water creature could easily get out of the water there.”
Bobby had gone to my school and had been in a bad motorcycle crash in his early twenties. While he could still look after himself, he struggled to hold down a job and the residents of the town were used to his “stories”. However, Bobby’s accident had left him able to see magic and we paid attention to his tall tales, just in case we needed to take action.
“It’s worth speaking to him before we do anything, could be nothing or Bobby might have seen who bit Joe. We’ll head over there now. Does anyone else have any ideas? I was going to talk to the Kelpies to see if they had information,” I told the Grannies.
“Just watch yourself with those Kelpies, they can be sly,” Mum said, concern showing on her face.
Kenna smiled. “I’ve been working on an iron chainmail glove for dealing with the Fae. It’s almost finished so Tarn can have it to protect her and I’ll go with her. The threat of fire magic always makes them slightly better behaved.”
The Grannies nodded at this idea, impressed that Kenna had made such a simple, but useful tool to protect us when dealing with the Fae.
“We’ll go to find Bobby now. I don’t think he is working so we’ll check his usual haunts. Thanks for the information. Let’s see if we can get anything sensible out of him that we can work with.” We waved goodbye to the ladies, leaving them to their gossip and scones and headed into the sunshine.
Kenna looked at me, a sneaky smile on her face, “I don’t want to waste half the morning. Let’s go to my car and I’ll track him down with a spell.”
“I’m always happy to make our lives easier. Where are you parked?”
It was short walk to Kenna’s car and she pulled a small map out of the glove box. It was a copy of the town and surrounding areas, perfect to track Bobby down. She laid the map on her lap, and with a few words a small bright spot of flame appeared on it, almost immediately going out and leaving a tiny burn in its place.
“He’s at home. Let’s go together and I’ll drop you back at your car once we’re done.” Kenna put the car in gear and we drove to Bobby’s house which was near where Cait lived and faced the sea. It was possible that he saw
something from his house, but what it was could be anyone’s guess.
Pulling over at his driveway, we walked up the gravel path and knocked on the worn wooden door. Bobby’s garden was amazing. It was one of the few things he could concentrate on and helped him to relax. I made a mental note to speak to Flora about finding Bobby some work at her garden centre as we waited for him to open the door.
“Who’s there?” a muffled voice asked from behind the door.
“It’s Tarn and Kenna, just came to see how you are, Bobby,” I replied, looking at Kenna. It wasn’t like him to ask before he opened the door.
Happy at our response he unlocked the door and peered round to make sure it was us. His appearance was more dishevelled than normal, he had a scruffy beard and his black hair was long and sticking out. The scar on his forehead didn’t detract from his deep green eyes or handsome face and if he hadn’t been in the accident, he would have been quite the catch. Sadly, it had taken away a bright future as an engineer and his erratic behaviour scared away any women who might have otherwise been queuing up for a date.
He grinned at us, pleased to have visitors at his home. “Tarn, Kenna, what are you doing here? Are you going to look for the mermaid? I saw her on Saturday night, but I ran into the house and shut the curtains so she couldn’t take me into the sea. I don’t swim very well.”
“Yes, we heard you had seen one and were fascinated. We wanted to make sure you were ok and that she didn’t hurt you, but it sounds like you did the right thing and protected yourself in your house. Could you maybe take us to where she was? Kenna and I will make sure you’re safe,” I asked, making sure he knew he wouldn’t be in any danger.
“As long as you stay with me that will be fine. I’ll put my boots on and we can investigate, we’ll be like detectives!”
His childlike enthusiasm was refreshing and once he put on his boots we made our way down the small road to the shore. He walked between us, taking Kenna’s hand and putting his arm round me, pretending to keep us safe when it was really the other way round.
“I was fishing there,” he said, pointing to the boat ramp that fishermen used at high tide. “She was swimming in from the deep water and stood up as soon as she saw me. But if she stood up, she couldn’t be a mermaid, could she?” He asked, confused. “Anyway, I knew she was magical so I turned and ran home as fast as I could so she couldn’t grab me.”
“What time was that Bobby?” Kenna asked, trying to get some kind of timeline in place.
“Oh it was late. I’d had my tea at my brother’s and he brought me home. I came down for to fish and look at the moon because it was up high and so bright, that’s how I saw her out there,” Bobby explained, trying his best to give us an idea of when it was.
“Did you get a good look at her Bobby, or did you run as soon as you saw her?” Kenna kept her questions simple, not wanting to overwhelm the fragile man.
“As soon as I realised what she was I ran away. She didn’t have any clothes on but she had long, long hair, so I didn’t see anything, promise.” He looked a little embarrassed at the idea of seeing a naked woman so we didn’t press the matter.
“Thanks, Bobby, you did the right thing looking after yourself. How about we walk you back home now?” I patted him on the arm and we made our way back up the rough road, avoiding potholes as we went.
When we reached his house, Bobby turned to go in. “It was good to see you. You should come out again, I don’t get many visitors.”
“Of course we will, and next time you come into town, pop into the shop for a cup of tea or hot chocolate,” I told him, genuinely happy to have his company in the shop when he ventured out.
“I will, but none of the smelly tea you made the last time. I didn’t like it!” He wrinkled up his nose and went into his house.
I looked at Kenna and she seemed to sense what I was about to say, “Sounds like someone was here. Let’s go back and see if we can find any clues.”
We walked back to the boat ramp and I opened up my second sight, scanning the ground near it, but nothing stood out as magical, and Kenna said the same. We agreed to split up and walk in each direction to see if she had come ashore farther along shore line. I had only walked about five minutes when my phone rang; it was Kenna.
“I’ve found a trail, can you turn round and have a look too?” she asked, excited at turning something up.
“Be there in a few minutes.” I hung up and jogged back to meet her. She had walked over the grass towards the sand and was waiting at a natural dip in the bank. Hearing me approach she waved me over.
“I’m not sure if this is what you saw at Kira’s house but there is a trail here.” She pointed at the ground in front of her and got me to follow along the bank until the trail stopped and went back into the water.
“It looks exactly the same but a bit brighter; maybe it was a mermaid.” I bent down and held my hand to the blue mark and, like the blue trail at Kira’s circle, got a slight tingle from it. Looking at Kenna, I said, “Touch this, there’s some residual magic in it.”
Chapter eight
Kenna looked at the magical trail and, like I had suggested, put her hand down to see if she reacted to it.
“Ouch, it’s giving me a shock, almost as if low-level electricity is buzzing through it.” She shook her hand trying to get the sensation back in it.
“It’s not like that to me, it’s almost a tickle. It must be water magic if you are getting such a strong reaction to it. That might be why you couldn’t heal Joe’s bite. If it was made by a water creature it could react badly to your magic.”
Kenna nodded and put her hand in her coat pocket. “That would make sense, our magics being opposite, which means it probably is a water creature we are dealing with. From what Bobby described, it’s not a Kelpie. Do you still want to visit them?”
“I think it’s worth it. Even if it’s not them they’re protective of their territory and wouldn’t take too kindly to someone invading their patch. Do you want to go now?” I felt we were better to get the visit to them over and done with.
“Let’s go past my house on the way and I’ll pick up that glove and some more iron for protection. Can’t be too careful with the Fae.”
We walked back to Kenna’s car and made our way back to her house. She ran into her smithy and returned with a wooden box and fabric bag. “Got it, off we go.”
The Kelpies lived at a small loch that fed into the main river by a decent-sized stream. They could be anywhere along the banks of the water, which meant we had to keep our eyes open for them.
Kenna pulled over to park the car. “How do you want to do this? They’re creatures of your element so might react better to you, or I could speak to them and hope my fire magic stops any mischief they might decide to try with us.”
“I’ll approach them; you hang back in case we need your magic. They’re guarded at the best of times, perhaps the gentle approach is the best to start with.”
Kenna agreed at the logic behind this and opened the fabric bag. She handed me an iron torque to wear round my neck, putting a matching one on herself, then opened up the box and took out the glove and gave it to me.
“It’s not finished. I want to make it a bit longer, but it’ll cover your hand and it’s streets ahead of the heavy gauntlets we have at Flora’s. Put it on now and keep your hand in your pocket so they don’t see it. It’s a literal ace up the sleeve!” she laughed.
I slipped the glove on my hand and admired the workmanship. Kenna had done an amazing job. It was light and flexible, moulding to my hand as I moved it. Feeling adequately protected, we got out of the car and walked to the Kelpies loch, glad for good boots as we picked our way along the muddy track.
As we approached where the stream and loch met, we saw a beautiful chestnut horse. Pausing, we looked at each other and I gave Kenna a small nod, our signal for her to remain where she was.
I walked forward and the horse turned to look at us, taking a few steps towards me.
I plucked up my courage and spoke, my voice a little higher than usual. “Greetings, Kelpie. I’m Tarn, a water witch. I’d like to ask you a few questions. We have reason to believe a magical creature is in the area and wondered if you had seen it?”
The animal tossed its mane, the water dripping off it was a sure sign it was a Kelpie, but to the average person they would consider it to be a normal horse. It came closer, baring its teeth and pawing at the ground, ready to bite me and take me down to its watery home. I was pretty annoyed at the display of hostility and used my best disappointed mum voice on it.
“Really, this is how you want to play it? How about I come over there and take your bridle off? Let’s see where that gets you!” I took my hand out of my pocket, making sure the creature could see the glove, and started to walk over to it.
Kelpies lured their prey with their horse like appearance. Once the human, or witch, touched it’s hide, their hand would be stuck to it and the creature could drag the unsuspecting person to a watery death.
The protection of the iron glove would stop my hand sticking to its coat .As Kelpies were Fae and could not stand the feel of the metal, it would cause it some pain. If I managed to remove its bridle, it would essentially be my slave, so it knew I meant business and backed up a little so it had space to move, but stubbornly didn’t change shape to human to answer me.
I wasn’t in the mood for a supernatural face off so I made its options quite clear. “Last chance Kelpie. You know I’m a witch, I can take your bridle or use my witchcraft and dry up your home. I don’t want to do either of those things, but I don’t have time for your crap.”
Threat in place, I gave it a moment to think about what I had said. With a whisper of magic, the horse disappeared, leaving a man in its place who, at first glance, looked human enough. It was only when you stared you realised his face was longer than normal and his eyes weren’t the right shape or colouring.