The Elder Witches

by R.E. Packer

Chapter 9

  Maeve refused to ride in Gwen’s truck so we took her BMW to their book store in Georgetown. It was a brick building a few blocks over from the heavy foot traffic. There was a sign next to the door reading “Elder Books and More”. The sign looked to be made entirely of brass with silver lettering. On the door itself was a pentagram, with the words ‘Fear not the Elders Lest There Be A Reason’ inscribed around it.

  A college aged woman stood behind the counter.

  “Mrs Brookshire is waiting for you in her personal library,” she said lowering the large tome she was flipping through long enough to push her horn rimmed glasses up.

  Sky lights filtered sun light in through the bookstore warming the dark wooden shelves. There were no signs on the shelves themselves, however your got the feeling that each book was in that place for a reason. A few leather chairs were spread around to give browsers a place to look over the tomes. In the back of the store behind the normal shelves, a glass case framed in dark wood with carvings similar to those that I saw on the sword held a single book. A very old looking pad lock on it held the case closed. The locked looked like you could open it with a screwdriver, it was so old.

  “I pity the fool that picks that lock…” Maeve said.

  We entered the very back room, I could smell the food before we even entered. On a table, that could have seated a dozen people was an assortment of food.

  “Good, our lunch has just arrived,” Marianna said. Her inviting smile as we entered was different than the terse looks I’d previously received.

  “Gordon, it looks like our fate has be chosen for us to be in each other’s lives,” she said. “It is with my deepest sincerity that I welcome you to our clan. But remember… trust is earned.

  If you should ever betray our trust, there will be reparations to pay.” Her face was hard and she held my gaze for a few minutes, not breaking the silence.

  Finally, she looked away and I realized that I still had a half chewed mouthful of food.

  “Now, child,” she said smiling again, “Tell me exactly what you saw after the the Rite of the Sword.”

  I explained everything I saw, with Reynolds and the warning he gave about Vivian Tutino working with the government, and his deep respect for what he called the Elder Three. At that Marianna’s smile showed in her eyes and I could picture her with a family doing motherly things. I bet those kids would behave…

  “I don’t get too involved in most things with the Craft these days. I still use it of course, but at my age I like the mundane things, like running this store. You wouldn’t believe how jilted some witches in the local covens get because we aren’t sharing everything we’ve learned over centuries with them.”

  “It’s true,” Gwen said. “Honestly, teaching every person with magic how to do things that takes most practitioners decades or centuries to learn is a genuinely bad idea. As we have now seen with Vivian. How much worse would she be if she knew more attack spells.”

  The more they talked, the more sympathy I had for the women; the witches. It seemed like if witches weren’t asking them to share their enhanced blood, which would kill all but a very select few, they were asking to be taught dangerous magic.

  “When I was learning to control my magic I almost burned the house down, just from a dream,” Maeve said.

  Marianna asked Hillary to turn the store sign to closed, then she locked the doors. It turned out Hillary is more than just a cash register jockey, she’s also the office manager and cataloger of new and existing texts, and a member of the local witches coven.

  “I thought the local coven wasn’t welcome here,” I said.

  “We welcome everyone here. We have just chosen not to participate in the rituals and celebrations of the other covens and to hold our own private celebrations instead,“ Gwen said. “It’s done as much out of respect for them as it is to guard our own privacy.”

  “I think most of our coven would be very uneasy around practitioners with so much power,” Hillary said.

  Marianna asked Hillary to create a list of the members of her coven that should be in the meeting to discuss this new threat that the government agency could present, and to meet the newest member of their coven.

  That took me a second for me to process mentally.

  Gwen was already on the phone with a vampire in Reynolds conclave, giving them the details to the meeting as well. A small flame of jealousy lit inside me hearing Gwen talk to the other vampire on the phone, which sounded more flirty that I’d heard from her before. I didn’t have any right to feel any way at all about her, but I couldn’t stop the feeling that was building.

  Feeling broody, I walked into the other room while preparations were made for the meeting tonight.

  “You know that was all for your benefit, right?” Maeve said, appearing next to me. “On the phone, with that vampire? She hardly knows him. Gwen hasn’t been interested in a man for centuries. Until you. Personally I think the prophecy has twisted her judgment, but for the record I think she genuinely likes you.”

  “Yeah, about that,” I said looking through the doorway to the meeting room where she sat. Her sweater clung to her form like it was custom made, and when she absently flipped her hair over her shoulder. She didn’t wear any makeup. Her lips were full and red and hard to not stare at as she talked on the phone. I looked into her eyes, that sparkled with a power all their own, mesmerized.

  “I just don’t see what I really have to offer.”

  “That’s a good point, choosing someone as thick headed as yourself,” she said, the corner of her mouth raising in a sarcastic grin. “Maybe because women love a hero.”

  “But I’m not a hero,” I said.

  “According to the prophecy you are.”

  My phone went off, and I saw a text message from my neighbor, Shelly. It was late afternoon and Rutger was usually let out by Shelly since she worked the night shift as a bartender. I forgot to let her know that I brought him with me today.

  I decided to call her, I was never a fan of texting.

  “Hi, I have Rutger with me, I meant to call you earlier,” I said.

  “No problem, I just wanted to make sure he was with you. I’m getting ready to go for my run. Maybe I could swing by and see the fuzzball. Are you nearby?” Shelly said.

  I gave her the address, and she said she’d be here in about 20 minutes.

  Shelly is a really nice girl, cute and peppy. I’m sure she does well with the tips at the bar she works at. I’ve heard her mention school a few times, but I don’t think her hearts really in it. She’s smart enough to know that bartending isn’t a wise life long goal. Tips fade after awhile.

  I walked back to the meeting room, Gwen was still on the phone organizing the people to attend the meeting in a few hours. The others were gathered around talking in hushed tones. Rutger was sleeping in the corner. Whatever James had done with him had sure worn him out, I’d never seen him so tired. I bent down and scratched his head and he woke up immediately.

  Rutger and I checked out the books while waiting for Shelly. A lot of the them were new, however others were very old. Copyrights from the 1800’s were common and some were too old for copyrights. The very old books had a sign reading, “Please ask the attendant for assistance handling books. You break it you buy it, and you probably can’t afford it.”

  One of the bigger cases with the books locked away had a few books that were bound in some sort of rawhide, that were very Night Of The Living Dead. Before I checked if the case was unlocked a blond with a pony tail and a pink jogging suit trotted down the sidewalk.

  Her lycra shirt was damp with sweat, her chest heaving from her exertion. She had the girl next door quality that most guys would go crazy for. It’s hard to believe she didn’t have a boyfriend.

  “So this is where your supermodel bosses work? I never even knew this place was here,” she said looking around the street.

  “I think supermodel might be a stretch.”

  She b
ent of over and started scratching Rutger’s ears. “Who’s a good boy, huh?” Rutger made a big production of showing her he was the good boy, rolling over on his back to letter her rub his belly.

  The bell on the door rang tearing my sight away from Shelly.

  Gwen stood with her arms crossed, foot tapping. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the us.

  “Shelly usually watches Rutger for me and came by to see him while she was out on her run,” I said meeting her gaze.

  “Oh, the neighbor, of course. That was kind of you to stop by,” Gwen said, her face not betraying any emotions and her foot still tapping.

  “Gwen, could you take Rutger inside for me, I’ll be back in in just a moment, I promise,” I said.

  She hesitated for a moment looking between me and Shelly, then nodded her head taking the leash from me.

  “I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend,” Shelly said, after they headed back into the store.

  “We might have gotten a little closer than friends,” I said, shrugging, not really sure what our relationship status was. Worker, friend, member of a her coven (even though I didn’t really have any powers).

  Back inside the store I found Gwen sitting in a chair that she had pulled over near the door. Rutger sat at her side, making no move to rejoin me. As I neared she stood up, pointed a finger and poking me in the chest, then kneed me in the family jewels before walking away. All without saying a word.

  I stood for a bit by myself trying to get my breath back wondering what the hell just happened.

  “It’s been a few centuries since she’s dated,” Maeve said with a shrug, not bothering to hide her smile.

  “Why did she knee me?” I asked in a horse whisper.

  “You really don’t know much about women do you?” Maeve shook her head and walked away. Leaving me to nurse my wounds and try to figure out what I did to get on the bad side of one of the most powerful witches in the city.