I wave my hand with the intention of sweeping him off the porch.
He flails, hovers over the water for a moment, and there he goes.
Holy cow.
It worked.
I do it with a few other snakes, and they don’t reappear. But the others are getting restless. I send one off the side with a little too much vigor, and it hits Elias’s boat.
“Watch it. I don’t want a snake bite.” He chuckles.
“You find this amusing, don’t you?”
“A little. But mostly, I find it scary. You gots some power. And some enemies.” He points to the snakes that are all on the move now, headed straight for me.
I concentrate very hard on the mass and wave both of my hands out and away from me like I’m sweeping them all off the deck.
They all go straight into the water.
I did it.
I take a cautious step onto my slip, nervous that they’ll reappear, but none do. I make it on my boat and open the door. I quickly sneak inside and slam it shut.
I look around, making sure no snakes have made it inside.
Raptor pokes the back of my leg, and I jump, but I’m safe.
Lorena has tried twice today to best me, and I’ve survived both.
Maybe, just maybe, I can defeat her after all.
Chapter Twenty-One
I re-read the few pitiful books I had on how to be an Obeah, and none of them mention a damn thing about how to beat an ancestral witch. In fact, they say nothing about other witches at all. I spend the next several days beefing up my own magic. The snake trick worked quite well, and if I can do that when the crap hits the fan, then I should be fine. It’s nice that my magic is mostly instinctual, but I have a feeling I’ll need more than that to beat Lorena.
The morning of the new moon, someone knocks on my door. I fling back the curtains. Lorena stands there, her face twisted into an ugly scowl. I don’t want to open the door, but she can probably blast the glass right out if I don’t do anything. I take a few deep breaths.
I have to approach this with confidence, or she’ll walk all over me. I try to still my shaking hands as I slide the door open.
“Where are your gators?” I ask and cross my arms.
She cackles. “You liked that? I thought you would. Shame they got you instead of your good-for-nothing father.”
I stand tall. I cannot let her get to me even though I want to punch her. “What do you want? And if it’s your snakes back, they’re in the swamp.”
She places one hand on her hip. “I want to let you know how things will go. The new moon is here, and I’m certain you’re planning something. I want to make sure there are no illusions.”
I smirk at her. “Right. Because you’re in charge. Except, I’ve been thwarting you every step of the way. I’ll find a way to defeat you. You just came to snoop. To see if you could uncover my plan. Too bad. You can’t.” I’m bluffing, and I hope she won’t call me out on it. I have no plan.
She shakes her head. “No, dear, you don’t understand. You’ve done everything like I wanted you to. You haven’t thwarted me at all. You came to the island, killed Samuel, and became Obeah. Now you’ll continue to do things just as I planned.”
“So what was the point of Juliette and Maddie if I wasn’t getting in your way?” My mind is spinning. Is she lying? She has to be. There’s no way I’ve been doing things the way she wants. She’s trying to get me to doubt myself. The air in my boat suddenly becomes heavier.
“Juliette was because I wanted you to suffer. Maddie. Well, you’ll see. She is my insurance plan.” Lorena takes a step forward, and I have to force myself not to move back, or she’ll come inside. I don’t want her inside. “When you’re ready to finish this, come see me. You’ll know when. We’ll chat, and you’ll give me exactly what I want. Just remember that no one is safe. At least not until you give me what I want.”
I hope the tremor doesn’t come through my voice. “What do you want?”
“Freedom.” She practically spits the word out.
She spins around and marches off my porch and onto the dock. The stuffy air still crawls into my boat, and a few birds try to hop over the threshold. Raptor squawks at them, and I shoo them out and shut the door. I lean back against my slider, thinking.
Freedom. What the hell does that mean? Samuel said I freed him, but this has to be something different because Lorena is the one in charge. I want to rush after her, but she might be expecting me to do that, and it bugs me to no end that she thinks that I’ve done everything exactly the way she planned. Is that true? Has she been giving me the illusion of control?
It’s possible. She has been working with me this whole time. She’s given me every spell I needed, and even when she should’ve stopped me, she hasn’t.
Dammit.
I sink down on a kitchen chair. Raptor jumps up on the table and nudges my head. I scratch his neck.
She’s going to win.
Unless I refuse to do what she wants. But how will I know that’s not another way of her manipulating me? Why would she tell me all this if she doesn’t expect me to rebel against her wishes?
Ugh. My head hurts.
I’ll never know if I’m doing what I need to do or what she needs.
I need another opinion. I’ll talk to Benny, Maddie, and Juliette, but I’ll need more than just them. Ruth and Amy would help too. I cannot do this alone.
The sun sets, and Benny appears in my boat and immediately brings me in for a kiss. I return it eagerly, but he pulls away quickly. I’m not ready for him to do that. His kisses are the only thing that prevent me from thinking, and I’m so tired of thinking. I draw him forward again, but he wiggles out of my arms.
He creases his eyebrows. He looks so handsome. “I was so worried about you. I thought those gators got you.”
I place my hand on his chest. “You saved me.”
He scoffs. “That thing is not me, but I’m glad he did. How are you doing?” He searches my face.
“I found out my mom is an evil witch who wants to kill me. How am I supposed to be?” I take a step closer to him. I need him to hold me, to comfort me. His touch soothes all my anxieties.
“I know. But you’ll defeat her. You’re the strongest witch I’ve ever met.”
I wrap my arms around him and rest my cheek on his chest. “I feel so lost. She’s gotten into my head, and I don’t know what to do.”
I’ve missed him so much. This every two weeks thing is for the birds.
He strokes my hair, and I find it odd how much I enjoy that. “We’ll figure something out.”
“I was kind of hoping I could meet with everyone who’s on my side tonight. Can you arrange that?” Maybe I won’t be able to see through Lorena’s tricks, but the others can help me.
“Sure. Where do you want to meet?”
“Ruth’s tent. Lorena thinks I’m doing everything just as she wants me to, but I won’t play her games. I can’t do this by myself. I need help.”
Benny kisses me again, and I never want it to end, but soon, too soon, he pulls away. “I’ll gather up your friends while you’re opening the circus. Come on. Juliette and Maddie are on the porch.”
I poke my head out and fake enthusiasm. “Mads,” I yell and give her a big hug. “How are you?”
She gives me one of her ear-splitting grins. “I’m peachy. You, on the other hand, are a mess. How did you end up being the nemesis for the most evil witch on the planet?”
Her blonde hair is up in a ponytail, and freckles still dust her nose. It’s strange, I know she’s dead, but she looks exactly the same as she ever did. She gives me a look, and I remember that she asked me a question.
“I don’t know. But she doesn’t know who she’s messing with. How are you getting along being a ghost?”
Her face falls a little. “I visited Mom and Dad. They couldn’t see me of course, and that was really hard. They are so sad.”
I know now it’s not my mom and dad, but I won
’t get into that with Maddie right here. I wonder if I’ll ever call them anything else… if I’ll even see them again. They’ve lost both of their daughters in six months and can’t be doing well. Hell, they might not even realize they lost me due to Lorena’s spell.
Maddie never deserved any of this. I squeeze her arm. “I’m sorry.”
She shuffles her feet. “If I could change everything, I would. I’d never have come out here. I’m no good to anyone, including you.”
Her happiness a few minutes earlier was just a farce, like mine. She’s miserable. Juliette puts an arm around her shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. Promise.”
Maddie ducks out from under Juliette’s arm and gives her a glare. “You like it here because this is your home. I don’t know anyone but Callie. What am I supposed to do?”
Benny clears his throat. “We need to go.”
He’s right. The big top will be nearly full by now, and I have a show to put on. It seems so pointless, but I don’t want things to fall apart.
Maddie rolls her eyes and marches out in front of me. Benny takes my hand.
“Has she been like that the whole time?” I ask, dropping my voice so she can’t hear me.
He stares at the back of her head. “Pretty much. She hates being dead.”
Juliette shrugs. “It’ll just take time.”
We follow her down the path, and I keep my eyes open for rogue alligators and snakes. I haven’t stopped looking for them since Lorena attacked me, but so far, I’ve been safe. I can’t help but feel that danger is around the corner.
The circus comes into view, and my stomach clenches. Someone is going to die tonight, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. I just have to smile and act like nothing is different. Like my life hasn’t changed. Like I’m okay.
I’m not.
“Hey, Mads,” I call out, and she turns.
“What?” She looks so defeated. I hate that look. There’s so much out of my control, but maybe I can help Maddie be a little bit happier.
“You wanna help me open the circus? You can play with fire.”
She gives me a small smile. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.” But she doesn’t seem like she’s got the energy for it. She will. There’s something about the show that makes you forget your troubles.
“We’ll get you a costume made for the next one, but for now, we’ll see if the acrobats have an extra outfit.”
She loops her arm through mine and rests her head on my shoulder. “You’ve always tried to take care of me. I’m sorry I’ve been a bummer.”
I squeeze her arm a little tighter. “It’s okay. You’re dead. You have a right to be upset. But this will help. Maybe just a little, but it’s better than nothing.”
Benny falls into step with us. “I’m going to gather a few ghosts and islanders. I’ll see you at Ruth’s tent after your show.”
I nod, and we take off in different directions.
“Why is he gathering people up?” Maddie asks.
“Because I need help defeating Lorena.”
Maddie gives a little chuckle. “You never need help with anything. Look at you. I’m proud of you.”
I nudge her shoulder. “Oh hush.”
The show goes quickly. Maddie isn’t great spinning fire, but we’ll practice after all this Lorena business is behind us. She’s in a much better mood as we make our way to Ruth’s, but we pass Lorena’s tent. She’s standing outside chatting with Giselle.
I expect Lorena to look up and say something, but she ignores me altogether. Which is fine, just surprising. Giselle growls at me though.
Luke and Amy are already inside the front room of Ruth’s tent. Juliette gives her mom a big hug, and they chat in low voices. Ruth pokes her head out of a back door.
“Give me a few, sweeties. I’ve got a broken foot I need to fix. Be out in a jiffy.”
Maddie stands on the other side of the room, studying a medical poster with a cross-section of the brain. The smile has dropped from her face, and her shoulders have fallen. I want to go to her and say something, anything, but I don’t know what would be helpful. So far, nothing I’ve tried has worked longer than a few seconds.
Instead, I cling to Benny, and he kisses the top of my head. “Don’t feel guilty,” he whispers.
“How am I supposed to feel?” It’s all my fault she’s dead.
“All of us struggle with it at first. Give her a few months, and she’ll be fine.”
I don’t want to have to give her a few months. Maddie is the most alive person I know, and I’d give anything to change her situation.
A few minutes later, Ruth comes out with a boy hobbling on a pair of crutches. A pimply teen follows him.
Ruth pats the boy on the shoulder. “Now, don’t go getting in the way of the scorpion man again.”
The boy gives her a weak smile and leaves. Pimply kid looks at us all and swallows. I give him a wink. He blushes and follows his friend.
Ruth gives us a big grin as soon as the boys are gone. “Glad you are all here. Now, let’s talk about how to take out the witch.”
Everyone turns to look at me, and I take a couple of steps back. I meet Luke’s eyes because he’s always been supportive. “I don’t know why you think I’ll know. If I did, I would’ve done it already.”
“But you’re the closest thing we have to a witch. None of us have any clue how this works,” Amy says.
“Excuse me,” Ruth says, her voice squeaking, “but I’m a witch too.”
Amy crosses her arms. “Well, I know that, but I thought all you did was heal. So can the two of you work together to take her out?”
I may be the most powerful witch here, but I don’t have the knowledge I need. “Lorena is an ancestral witch, and I don’t really know what that means. I only have a couple of books on being Obeah, and none of them say anything about how to take out other kinds of witches.”
“But another book might?” Juliette asks, cocking her head.
“Maybe. But they are all on the bottom of the swamp, and I doubt we’ll be able to save them.” Damn fire. Lorena must’ve started that. She’s been one step ahead of us this whole time.
Juliette sits up taller. “But we ghosts can leave the island. We’ll find the right book and make sure it’s brought to the island on the full moon.”
“That’s a great idea, Jules,” I say. I’m grateful they are willing to help me out.
Maddie rolls her eyes and retreats behind Ruth. I want desperately to comfort her. She was somewhat cheerful earlier, but it seems like the longer the night goes on, the worse she gets.
“But we don’t know her plans,” Ruth says. “She’s dangerous, and it’s difficult to fight against what we don’t know,”
“Yeah, and the last time I asked, she sent alligators after me.”
Luke chews on a toothpick and takes it out of his mouth. “She obviously wants something with you, or she wouldn’t have brought you here. But we don’t know why. That’s what you need to find out.”
She said she wanted freedom, but that gave me no hint of what it means for me. But maybe if I talk to her again, then we can create a counter plan. The problem is she keeps messing with my head.
“You want to go see her right now? I’ll go with you,” Benny says.
That’s a bad idea. She’s stronger on the new moon. I can wait a few hours. “No. I’ll track her down tomorrow. By myself. I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life.”
Luke narrows his eyes. “Why not tonight? You’ve got all your ghosts.”
“The ghosts respond to her, not me. I don’t know why the zombies listen to me though.”
“Maybe the zombies can kill her,” Luke offers.
“Doubtful.”
He shrugs. “It’s worth a shot.”
“I’ll see if I can find some info on that. Tomorrow, I can go talk to them. For now, though, I think you’re right. I need to see her again. She says I’ll do whatever she wants, but maybe if I learn her plan, you g
uys can help me stop her.”
Benny rubs my shoulder. “You’ll beat her. I know it.”
I wish I had his confidence. “Anyway, I need you all to keep a low profile tonight. Lorena has already proven she wants to kill all those who love me, and you guys are all I have left. Chances are she’ll try to sic the ghosts on one of you.”
Amy creases her eyebrows. “But what about the contracts?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure they are still in force. I think they are, but it’s possible that Lorena has done something. We can’t rule it out. I wouldn’t have even considered that, except that when she came to visit me, she said no one is safe.”
Amy’s face pales. “I have to go. She’s not getting another one of my kids.”
“I’ll help you, Mom,” Juliette says.
They both rush out without a response from us.
“What are you guys going to do?” I ask Ruth and Luke.
Ruth chuckles. “I’m staying right here. I have protections that even she can’t penetrate.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“You’ve seen my room. It’s more powerful than it looks.”
“Can you protect Luke as well?”
He stands and crosses his arms. “I can protect myself, thank you very much.”
I clench my fists. “Not from her, you can’t. Please. Stay here. Just until the ghosts disappear.”
He pounds a fist on his knee. “I’ve got to check on my cats.”
Stubborn man.
“Will you at least come back before sunrise? I don’t know who else can protect you.”
“Fine, I’ll come back.” He rolls his eyes and leaves.
I turn to Maddie and Benny. “On those nights that you were told to go after me or Maddie, how much notice do you get?”
Benny chews on his bottom lip. “Not much. When the sun crests. It was so bizarre the first night you were here.”
I let out a breath. “Okay. I’ll stay with you until then.”
The crowd outside seems smaller than normal. Benny takes my hand, and Maddie walks in front of us.
“How about some of that blueberry lemonade?” Benny asks.
Circus of the Dead: Book 3 Page 12
