* * *
I had a steady train of customers until after six readings I could barely think straight. I needed food, so I put up my sign that read out for lunch and pushed my chair back, sighing as I shook my head to clear out the cobwebs. Even for someone as experienced as I was, reading the cards required a great deal of energy and after a while, it was like I was walking in a fog. Coming up for air required a few minutes to decompress.
Llew glanced back at me. “Tired?”
I nodded. “Hey, put up your lunch sign. I want to talk to you.”
“All right. But we should go get food while you talk. I want a sandwich.” He set out his sign and covered his wares with a large scarf the size of the table. Thieves were everywhere and Llew had a lot of tempting goodies on his table. “There’s a booth selling subs four stalls down.”
“I want corndogs. We’re at a fair, and I don’t want a typical sandwich.”
He laughed and pointed to a booth three stalls up in the other direction. “There’s a corndog booth and they also have candied apples.”
I loved caramel-covered apples. “What are we waiting for?”
We stretched and Llew yawned, then we headed over to the corndog stand. Along the way, I told him everything that had happened. “You know Marigold better than any of us. Does she seem different to you?”
He thought for a moment. “I’m not certain, to be honest. We haven’t had the chance to hang out together lately. But I can tell you that she’s never yelled at her kids the way she did today. Poor Evie.”
“Yeah, she was downright vicious. I’m surprised Evie didn’t just run off. She looked like she wanted to, but…” I paused. “So, can you feel anything amiss?”
He frowned, closing his eyes as he stopped dead center in the middle of the fairway. “Well, now that you mention it, I do sense a lot of nervous energy. And it’s not just the bustle of the crowd. Maybe we should talk to Rain?”
“That’s what I was thinking. You order our lunch and I’ll go find her.” I handed Llew fifteen dollars. “That should cover two corn dogs, onion rings, and a caramel apple.”
As Llew stepped up to the booth, I looked around, trying to spot Rain. The pie-eating contest was going on, and Marigold was in charge of that. Finally, I saw Rain sitting at a picnic table, staring at a sandwich as though she was trying to decipher what it was. I hurried over to her.
“Hey, Rain, can Llewellyn and I talk to you for a moment?”
I must have startled her because she jumped.
“Raven? I didn’t see you there.” She glanced around, scanning the crowd. “I seem to be free right now, so sure. Where’s Llew?”
“Getting our lunch. Why don’t you come over to our booth? Bring your sandwich and we can all eat together while we talk.”
She gathered up her plate and slung a tote bag over her shoulder, following me back to the booth. Where Marigold was tall, thin and blond, Rain was short with silver hair caught back in a long ponytail. It was obviously dyed—she wasn’t old enough for a full head of silver, and it had purple highlights that made it shine in a mesmerizing way. Rain was sturdy, and she wore a tank top with a flannel work shirt thrown over the top, and a pair of cargo pants.
We arrived at the booth and Llew pulled up a chair for her. We gathered around a folding table in back of the sales table. Llew had bought me two corndogs, two caramel apples, and a side of onion rings.
“Whoever makes these dogs knows what they’re doing,” I said, biting into one.
“That’s Wanda. She also won the blue ribbon for the best peach pie four years running at the Puyallup Fair. She’s selling them over in the main bakery area, with the profits going to the Eastside Women’s Shelter.” Rain bit into her sandwich.
“Does she own a bakery?” Llew asked.
“Nope. Every year, people wait for the fairs to start—that’s the only time she sells them.” Rain paused, then said, “All right, Raven, you said you wanted to talk to me? What’s up? Is there something wrong with the booth?”
I hesitated, glancing around. “Well, no. But…there’s no subtle way to ask this, but have you noticed any weird shit happening on your farm?”
Rain paused, staring at me for a moment before slowly setting her sandwich down. “What kind of weird shit? Have you been talking to Dray?”
I didn’t want to rat out Dray, so I just shrugged. “I’ve been sensing something amiss ever since last night when I first arrived. There have been several things that have been ringing my alarm bells. I honestly don’t know what to do. This isn’t my farm, but there’s danger here. And today, in the corn maze, Evie and I got lost. There was something following us there and whatever it is, it’s not friendly. I sent Kipa in to check on it.”
Rain paled. She stared at her plate for a moment. “All right. Truth? I’ve heard things when I’ve been out in the fields… I don’t know how to describe it other than I always feel like I’m being watched. I’ve stopped doing any rituals except protection spells. We don’t even celebrate the holidays quite like we used to. Oh, Yule is fine, and Ostara, and obviously Mabon—it’s a fun harvest festival. But last year we barely even gave lip service to Samhain. It felt too dangerous.”
“How so?” Llew asked.
Rain lowered her voice. “I played sick, to be honest. It felt dangerous to be calling up the spirits, so I faked a migraine. Since it’s not wise to practice magic when you’re sick, we called it off and the kids just watched movies.”
For a pagan to be so nervous that they’d play sick on a major holiday told me that Rain knew full well there was something going on.
“Have you talked to Marigold about it?” I asked.
Rain reluctantly shook her head. When she spoke, hesitation filled her voice. “No, actually. I’ve tried a few times, but…”
“But she’s not herself, right? She snaps at you, she doesn’t want to talk about it?” I said.
Rain nodded. “Exactly. I feel like I don’t know my own wife anymore. I love Marigold more than I’ve ever loved anybody, but she’s changed and I’m a little afraid of her now.”
“That’s exactly what Evie said—that her mother scares her now.”
“I know Evie can’t wait to move out and go to college. And that’s sad. I want our home to be the same loving, caring place it used to be. Dray is having problems, too. I want to intervene, but the fact is, I’m not their biological parent, they’re my stepkids. They have a father and I don’t want to overstep. I did try, but Marigold made it clear that while I’m their stepmom, she’s the disciplinarian. I tried once more, a few weeks ago. She came down awfully hard on Dray.”
“Did she hit him?” I had to ask. Even though Dray and Evie were teenagers, if Marigold had changed so far as to hurt them, I couldn’t stand by. I’d have to call the cops.
“I think a couple of times. I told her to knock it off and that if she did it again, I’d put a stop to it, even though it probably would have endangered our marriage. But she was screeching so loud that I could hear it all the way upstairs. I found him in his room later. He was crying. Poor kid. Marigold used to dote on those kids, and now they can’t seem to do anything to please her.”
I tried to think of a way to approach what might be a delicate subject.
“I can tell you want to say something. Just spit it out,” Rain said.
“Do you think that whatever is hanging out on this land is influencing Marigold?”
Rain’s eyes grew wide. “Do you mean possession?”
I shrugged. “I don’t honestly know. I just know there’s something menacing here and whatever it is, it isn’t playing games. It could be influencing her behavior.”
Llew cleared his throat. “Rain, we can poke around and see what we can find, if you give us permission.”
Rain glanced over her shoulder at the tent where Marigold was still running the pie-eating contest. She worried her lip for a moment, then let out a sigh, rubbed her hands on her jeans, and leaned forward.
; “Please. If you could, I’d appreciate it.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll do some snooping. Meanwhile, be very careful. I think that whatever’s out there is out to hurt someone. If it is targeting Marigold, then we’ll need to intervene. Don’t mention that you talked to us—that might set her off and if there’s an entity attached to her, you’d give us away.”
Rain stood, wiping her mouth on a napkin. “Thank you. Normally, I don’t like people poking into my business, but whatever this is, it’s bigger than I can handle.” She started to step out from behind the booth table, turning back to add, “Let me know what you find.”
“One more thing—the corn maze, is there any way you can close it off without triggering Marigold’s suspicion?” I didn’t mention that I had already discussed the idea with Evie.
Rain paused, then said, “I think I know a way. It might irritate her, but even she would have to agree with the thought behind it. I noticed a coyote near here yesterday, and we don’t mess around with them. They can attack young children and there are quite a few kids here with their parents. I’ll just close it and say that someone spotted a coyote in the maze and we don’t want to take any chances.”
“Since Kipa’s already exploring the maze, I can ask him to help you close it off. He can escort anybody who’s still in there out—he can tell them about the coyote,” I said, pulling out my phone and texting him to meet me at the booth.
“That works,” Llew said. “Meanwhile, we’ll do what we can to find out what’s going on. Can you convince Marigold to go in for a physical? We want to make certain that whatever’s happening to her isn’t caused by an illness.”
Rain shrugged. “I can try. Our insurance requires an annual physical, and we haven’t had them this year yet. I’ll call on Monday and schedule family exams for everybody.” She paused on her way out of the booth. “I want to thank you. Things have definitely felt off, and I haven’t known who to talk to about it.”
“I just hope we can help,” I said, as Llew pulled the scarf off of the goods and opened the booth back for business.
Five minutes later, Kipa appeared at the booth. I asked him to find Rain and help her close off the maze, and to also make certain nobody was still in there.
“I’m glad she’s agreed. There are things in there that you don’t want anybody running up against. I’ll go now.”
I wanted to ask him what he found, but the sooner he and Rain closed the maze, the better. Meanwhile, a line was forming for Llew, and I had four more appointments for the next hour.
As we settled back in to our work, the clouds began to sock in again. Lightning streaked across the sky, and not far behind, thunder rumbled. My stomach knotted, and I had a hard time focusing on my readings. I wondered what Kipa had discovered, and what we would find when we started looking into the history of the house and land.
* * *
It was almost six—we were closing up, even though the fair ran until eight—when I finally finished up my last reading. I had been reading the cards for five hours straight without a break, and while I had made a buttload of money, I was exhausted, both mentally and psychically. Reading for strangers was draining, and always left me feeling hollow.
I gathered my tablecloth, cards, and candle as Llew began to secure his wares. He didn’t dare leave them out overnight. A good storm could send everything flying, the rain could destroy some of his more delicate packets of herbs, and Rain and Marigold couldn’t ensure that thieves wouldn’t be out and about. And—given we knew there were some questionable entities around—who knew what they’d do to magical supplies.
Kipa had spent the day combing the land, sneaking around through the ravines and trees and fields that made up the acreage. He shook his head when I started to ask him what he had found. I started to ask why but then saw Marigold and Rain headed our way. Evie and Dray were right behind them.
“I still say the coyote would be too frightened of the crowds. We put money into that corn maze and while we can still sell the corn, I want to utilize it.” Marigold was arguing with Rain.
“There are little kids coming here, three and four years old. They’d make perfect coyote-sized snacks. You’ve seen how lax some of the parents are. I sure as hell don’t want to get sued. We have insurance, but it doesn’t cover everything.” Rain took a stance, hands on hips, glaring at her wife.
It occurred to me that Rain would have made a good actress, because I knew full well this was all an act. Marigold let out a disgruntled sigh. She looked hardened under her sun-kissed skin, and there was a taut feel to her, as though she had been stretched too far and was ready to break.
“Fine, but if we come out of this year with less money than usual, I’m blaming you. Word will get around that we didn’t come through on what we offered.”
“For heaven’s sake.” Rain shook her head. “People come here to have a fun day and to shop. We offer the best autumn farmers market around, and most of them are here to let their kids pet a llama, and to buy produce, preserves, and quilts. Very few actually enter any of our contests. And the corn maze—we didn’t have it last year and we had the best year to date. If money means more to you than a child’s life…” She let her words drift.
Marigold blushed, then turned to us. “Of course it doesn’t. I’m just… I feel so tense lately. I guess all the news about dragons and those…what are they? Vikrods?”
“Vrykos,” I said.
“Right, vrykos—the news has been wearing on me.” She wiped her eyes and for a moment, I caught a glimpse of the old Marigold. A caring, loving woman.
“I say we just forgo the maze and sell the corn. We can start harvesting it tomorrow morning and sell it this week. That’s better than letting the rain have another week to drench it.” Rain wrapped her arm around Marigold’s waist. “What do you say?”
Marigold shrugged. “Fine. I’m good with that, but who’s going to harvest it? The kids have school during the week and we’re all exhausted.”
Kipa cleared his throat. “I can bring a few of my men with me and we can make short work of it for you tomorrow morning.”
Both Marigold and Rain glanced at him, surprise filling their faces.
“You’d do that?” Rain asked.
Kipa nodded. “We’d be glad to. Just give us a dozen ears of it so we can have it for dinner tomorrow night, all right?”
Rain laughed. “How about two dozen ears? I know what appetites you have.”
“It’s a deal. I’ll come out with Raven, then. Meanwhile, stay away from the maze. I saw…that coyote while I was in there escorting people out. Just keep away from it,” Kipa said.
Evie flashed me a grateful look. “We will, I promise.”
“All right, then we’re taking off,” I said.
Kipa helped Llew and Jordan carry their boxes to their car while I waited in the passenger seat of my Subaru. I locked the doors, gazing into the ravine. The feeling of being watched was stronger than ever and, as I stared into the depths of the foliage, it began to register in my tired brain that there were brilliant yellow eyes—luminous, like a cat’s eyes—staring at me from deep inside the ravine. They were intelligent and cunning, and I caught my breath as they stayed focused on me. I wanted to reach out, to try to suss out who or what it was, but a warning inside whispered, It’s a trap. Don’t touch the energy. And so I left it alone, waiting till Kipa returned, anxious to get the hell away from Dream Circle Farms.
Chapter Eight
I waited until we were on the way home before asking, “Tell me. What did you find?”
Kipa shook his head. He was driving, and he had been quiet the entire time. He cleared his throat. “I have no idea of what’s actually going on, but there’s some creepy-assed shit happening out on that farm. How well do you know Marigold and Rain?”
“Not that well, but Llew’s been their friend for years. Why?”
“I’m not saying that they’re causing this, but when I went into that corn maze, it felt like
I was chasing after a psychopath. I know that sounds odd, given I have no clue of who or what I was after, but as I worked my way in toward the center, I just kept expecting to find dead bodies along the way. I thought I was going to catch whatever it was, but every time I dove through into the area where the corn was moving and rustling, I came up…empty. It was like a wild goose chase.”
“So, you didn’t find out what was in there?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. But I did catch a glimpse of the spirit over by the pumpkin patch—I went over there to check it out. You were right—it’s a young woman. I think maybe a teenager. She knew I saw her, too, because she started waving at me—frantically, like she was trying to get my attention. But I don’t speak with spirits, not easily, and I couldn’t make out what she was trying to tell me.”
I thought for a moment. “What did she look like?”
“Early to mid-teens, she was wearing a green skirt and a brown top. Long brown hair.” He frowned. “She wasn’t what I felt in the corn, though. In fact, I can’t be sure, but I think she steers clear of whatever that thing is.”
“Evie told me some of the history of the land. A young teen went missing there. She belonged to the family of earth witches who originally owned this farm. The father went missing as well, after the girl disappeared.”
“Do you really have to read the cards tomorrow? I don’t like the thought of you being out there.” Kipa stopped at a red light. The rain was pouring harder and while the lightning had backed off, the skies were opening up to drench the streets.
“I promised Llew I would. So, at least for part of the afternoon. Why?”
“The place just makes me uneasy. Tonight, I suggest we do some research on the farm and its previous owners.” Kipa flipped the windshield wipers to high, and then made a cautious left turn. “Want to stop and pick up pizza for dinner?”
Witching Time: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 14 Page 9