by Lexi Witcher
I slowly began to back away unsure of what I was seeing.
“Dodie, can you hear me?”
Nodding my head up and down, I swallowed the lump of terror that was keeping me from speaking as the thing before me sprang into action and tried to grab me. I screamed and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
My heart thudded inside my chest, beating faster than if I’d been running in gym class. It was difficult to breathe and I felt lightheaded and the room began to spin as my knees buckled and I sank to the floor before everything went dark.
Chapter Seventeen
I gasped for breath, sitting up quickly and causing the cold compress on my forehead to fall away. No longer was I in my locked bathroom, but I was on my bed. Unsure how that happened, I blinked several times as the fogginess cleared away and I recalled what happened. I’d unlocked the door when Grandma had arrived. She sat on the edge beside me, patting my hand.
“Where’s Leopold?”
“Downstairs doing another protection spell.”
“What was…that…I let into the house?” I asked, my voice coming out broken and shaky.
“Not Leopold, that’s for sure.” Grandma pursed her lips together and for an instant reminded me of Maggie Smith from Masterpiece Theater. “I about had a heart attack when I walked into the kitchen and found him there when I’d just seen him follow you upstairs. But it was clear that wasn’t him because he was in the middle of an experiment dressed in slacks and a button down instead of jeans and a sweater.”
I clutched my head between my hands. “I knew something was up when he wouldn’t speak. He didn’t even act like himself. His mannerisms were more like… they were more like…but that is impossible.”
“What is?” Leopold asked, coming into my room and pulling my desk chair over to the bedside.
“Whatever it was that was in here with me acted a lot like Anson. The shrugging. The scuffing of his shoe on the floor. It may have looked like you, but it acted like him.”
“Anson?” Grandma shook her head. “That dear boy is the sweetest young man in this town. I could never see him doing something like this even if he could. I’ve known him and his folks since they moved here.”
“He may be sweet and kind and innocent of being involved, Cherie, but we must take extra precautions. This is not the first time that something has tried to invade the house. The black cat I believe was sent to watch Dodie. It appeared the first time she came here. She saw it as soon as she got out of the car and assumed it was your pet. When she learned otherwise and told me, I cast a spell to vanquish it. That is when it somehow got into the house and wrecked your studio.” He shook his head and blew out a long breath. “And today a fake doppelgänger of my likeness was sent to get at Dodie. I’m afraid whoever this is will not stop no matter how many protection spells I cast on this house.”
Grandma slowly nodded, staring across the room deep in thought. “This is more serious than I thought.”
“Yes. I’m afraid we’ve all went about this thinking that the curse could be broken without consequences. However, it can’t. Just like you are direct descendants from Walter Doherty, there has to be a direct descendant from the witch Bernadette out there who doesn’t want the curse broken. And I’m afraid we are at a disadvantage. Her descendant knows about Dodie and where she’s at.”
I swallowed, my mouth feeling dry. I licked my lips to moisten them. “Whoever it is claims I will soon be theirs.”
“What?” Grandma’s voice rose and her eyes enlarged. “Dodie, how do you know this?”
“I heard a strange voice when we were on the mall today. The wind was blowing hard as we walked to the car and the voice called out to me.”
“What did it say?” Leopold asked, rising from the chair and inching onto the bed.
I closed my mind, recalling how chilled I’d been when I heard the voice today. “It called my name. Dodie. Dodie, I see you. Soon you will be mine.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. “This wasn’t the only time I’ve heard my name being called. Monday night when you went to get the hot chocolate and I waited alone, I heard the voice too; it called my name and said come to me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded.
“I—I wasn’t sure if I was hearing things or not. The wind was howling as it blew through the open space of the mall. Leaves swirled along the walk; there was laughter from the skating rink and the music was pretty loud. But today I had no doubt what I heard. I was going to tell you as soon as we got here, but you know what happened.”
“No more walks in the woods, is that clear?” he ordered.
I swallowed hard, nodding.
“Brody isn’t coming out to visit is he?” he asked.
“No. He has a date tonight.”
“Good. I think Dodie should stay home from church service tomorrow. Let’s pretend she went home to visit her parents for the day. Cherie, you tell Anson this if he asks, which I’m sure he will.”
“Why?” Grandma asked.
“I’d like to mark him off our list of suspects who could be watching Dodie. Obviously he’s a good target since he comes around often. My doppelgänger had his mannerisms so the watcher could want to pin this all on him.”
“I see. Should we contact Ambrielle? Do you think she might be able to help?”
Leopold shook his head. “Let me try to handle this on my own first. From what I’ve heard, the woman doesn’t have much faith in my ability and I don’t have the time or energy to have a power struggle with her. We have two weeks to figure this out before Dodie’s birthday.” He stood, but studied me for a moment. “You should get some rest. I’ll bring a tray up later. Cherie, can I see the Grimoire?”
“Sure.” She stood, leaning forward and kissing me on the forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
She took the wet compress as she left the room and I lay back against my pillows, staring up at the canopy. I was scared again. In one swoop whoever this was had taken away my security.
I shut my eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. My new dress came to mind and how I was looking forward to wearing it. But then I recalled the flash of images that had run through my head when I first saw the dress. I’d been wearing it in the woods; fog swirled around me as I ran between the mass of trees. At the time I’d dismissed the thought, but now I wondered if I should be worried. Was I in danger? Yes. Yes I was in great danger. I was going to die!
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning I was up, dressed, and sipping hot chocolate in the kitchen when Grandma came down ready for church.
“Dodie, you have dark circles under your eyes. Did you not get any sleep last night?”
I shook my head. “I may have fallen asleep for a little while, but I kept waking myself up, dreaming about that thing lunging toward me.”
“Maybe I should stay home with you today. I know Leopold wanted me to tell Anson you had left town, but I don’t like the idea of leaving you.”
“I won’t be alone, Grandma. Leopold is here.”
She frowned and looked around the room. “Speaking of which, where is he? For the past two weeks he’s been up and had a full breakfast ready when I come downstairs. And today, not even a pot of coffee is made. Not that I’m complaining. I just find it odd that he’s not around.”
A rattle and banging noise came from the far wall and then the wine cellar door burst open. Leopold stumbled out covered in dust, blood smeared on his left cheek, and a long gash was torn in the leg of his pants.
He coughed and slapped at his arms, causing a cloud of dust to billow in front of him.
“Leopold!” I set down my mug and hurried over to him, Grandma right on my heels. “What happened to you?”
“I heard something when I came down earlier to start breakfast, so I went to investigate. I must have lost my footing on the steps and fallen the rest of the way down. When I came around and made my way back up them the door was shut tig
ht. It wouldn’t budge.”
“Dodie, was the door open when you came into the kitchen?” Grandma asked.
“No. It was closed.” I touched his cheek, but the blood was dried. “You cut yourself. Does it hurt?”
“No. I’m fine. Let me go get cleaned up. And I’ll fix breakfast.”
“Nonsense. Dodie and I will whip up a light meal while you go change.”
He reluctantly agreed and left the kitchen. When he was completely out of hearing range and Grandma had a frying pan on the stove, she spoke.
“I don’t like this, Dodie. A powerful warlock should not be caught off guard like that.”
“It could have been anything. We don’t know what happened down there. Those wooden steps can be slippery. I almost lost my footing once.”
She opened the refrigerator and took out the eggs. “I’m still not sure about this. Maybe we should rethink having guests here for your birthday party. It might not be safe for anyone.”
I sighed. “I think Leopold must be making progress in breaking the curse or whoever is watching would not be fighting back so hard. Why else would they go after him?”
“Maybe you are right.” She got down a bowl and began cracking a few eggs into it. “Put bread in the toaster and get out the butter, jelly and jam.”
“Okay.”
By the time Leopold returned we had breakfast on the table. He looked a little rattled, but tried to act like nothing unusual had happened. And he insisted despite her protests that Grandma go on to church as planned.
I cleaned up in the kitchen and when I finished I found him in the living room, sitting in front of the fire, studying the Grimoire.
“Finding anything of interest?” I asked, bringing a footstool over to sit next to him.
He nodded. “Every one of these books are different. Did you know that? Most have the same elements in them of course, but there are hidden encryptions within the drawings that make them unique. I’m always fascinated by what I learn when I look at one.”
“And what hidden treasure have you found today?”
“That this book should never have been in that used bookstore where Cherie found it. The owner is still alive and very much wants the book back. I can feel it within the pages. You showed this to the seer, right?”
I nodded. “Ambrielle got very upset that we brought it to her.”
“I believe it is because she could sense the owner wanting it back.”
“Do you think she could see who it belonged to?”
“I don’t know, but it is possible. And if she was that scared or upset by it, then it could mean she felt endangered by it.”
“And maybe that is why she was warning me not to pursue breaking the curse? Do you think the real owner of the book is connected to the curse?”
He closed the book. “It’s hard to be sure since I don’t know what Ambrielle saw. I’m only speculating. But there is a revealing spell I can do. I’ll need candles.”
“I’ll go find some.”
I went into Grandma’s studio and opened up her supply cabinet and found several pillars in different sizes. I’d also seen a few votive candles in her bedroom upstairs so I got them as well. When I returned to the living room, Leopold had moved the arm chairs and stool away from the fireplace and he was pouring salt on the floor in a strange pattern around the Grimoire.
“Set the candles around the room in small clusters and turn off the light.”
I did as he asked. “Should I light them?”
“No. If the spell works they will flame on their own.”
I backed away from them and stood in the entryway, not sure what might happen. I’d seen spells performed on TV programs or in movies which were make believe, but to actually see one performed before my eyes was a totally different experience.
I watched in fascination as Leopold held out his arms with his palms facing the fireplace and began to say an incantation. To my ears it sounded like he began to repeat the words over and over, but I wasn’t sure since I didn’t understand the language he was speaking. Was that Gaelic?
One by one the candles in the room began to flame and there was a glow coming from the Grimoire. Leopold’s arms rose upward and the book hovered off the floor and rose as well. I could see colored waves that looked like an image, but it was hard to tell what I was seeing from where I stood.
A horrific screeching sound pierced through the room and I saw the black cat leap toward the flames of the fire, taking the Grimoire with it before they both combusted. A black sooty poof of smoke filled the room. I began to cough immediately and I ran to open the front door.
When I returned Leopold’s arms fell to his side and his head hung forward. The flames of the candles ceased to burn. I rushed to him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just drained. Shut the door before you allow another unwanted creature to enter the house.”
“Of course.” I ran back to the foyer feeling stupid and shut the door, locking it for good measure.
When I returned, Leopold sat on the couch and I joined him, curling up beside him. He wrapped a protective arm around me, but didn’t speak. I laid my head against his shoulder, listening to the beat of his heart and closed my eyes. I must have finally fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I heard Grandma’s voice.
“I tell you it was the strangest thing. I could have sworn I saw Anson riding his bike toward town as I drove to church. Yet he wasn’t there. I asked his mother about him and she said he’d woken with a fever so they’d left him at home asleep.”
“It’s okay, Cherie. Don’t worry about Anson.”
“I want to believe the boy is truly ill, but I know what I saw.”
“Or what the descendant wants you to think you saw,” he said, shifting his potion on the couch. I moved with him not wanting to open my eyes just yet. Maybe if I stayed still I’d fall back asleep and when I woke this whole, horrible nightmare of the curse would be just one big bad dream.
“Poor thing. She didn’t sleep well last night. Did you see those dark circles under her eyes?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to order pizza for lunch and make a salad. How does that sound?”
My stomach growled, giving away the fact I wasn’t asleep anymore. I slowly opened my eyes and straightened my sitting position. “I think it sounds great.”
Leopold grinned, showing his dimple. “Did you have a good nap, Sleeping Beauty?”
I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm so I stretched, hoping to cover up the fact that he’d made me blush. I noticed the salt had been cleaned up and that the candles I’d gathered up were no longer in the room. Had he used magic to put the living room back to order?
He reached for my hand and I looked at him. “We need to talk about earlier.”
“Okay.”
“I know that must have been scary for you to see the spell, the black cat—”
“Yeah. Where did it come from? And why did it leap into the flames taking the Grimoire with it? That was a pretty heavy book.”
“My spell worked. It didn’t want me to see what was being revealed.”
“But you got a glimpse didn’t you? I could see something from where I stood.”
He grinned and nodded. “I saw.”
“Well?”
“It’s best I keep what I saw to myself for now. You are in enough danger with the curse without adding to it.”
“Do you know yet how you are going to save me?”
“Yes. I believe I do. I just need to make sure everything is in place. However, I’m also being watchful that no elements change making my cure invalid.”
“And once the curse is broken?”
“Then you’ll go on to live a full and happy life.”
I guess I should be pleased that he believed that, but I had hoped he’d say something more on the lines of we’d go on to live a full and happy life together. Not that I saw us being together forever, but I could hope we might at least date once this
was over with. But maybe he didn’t want that. Maybe I was fooling myself into thinking the hand holding, the glances, and the grins meant anything to him the way they did me.
“That is what you want, isn’t it, Dodie?”
“Sure. Yeah. What girl who was cursed wouldn’t want that.” I got up off the couch. “If you’ll excuse me. I-I’ll be right back.”
I hurried to the half-bath that was down the hall and locked myself inside. Turning on the water, I splashed some on my face and dried it with the hand towel, staring at myself in the mirror. “Get a grip, Dodie. This is a job for him, not a romance in the making. No matter if you want to kiss him and he admitted he wanted to kiss you. Once the curse was broken he was out of here.”
I kicked the wicker waste basket. I kicked the door. Then I sank to the floor and cried. I’d kept my cool over this whole situation pretty good. Other than the panic attacks I’d rolled with the punches, accepting my predicament and hoping for the best. But I didn’t want to die. Yet I didn’t want to live either. At this moment I didn’t know what I wanted.
A light tap came from the other side of the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” I wiped the shed tears away the best I could with my shirt tail before I scrambled to my feet. I unlocked the door and he opened it.
“Dodie, you silly girl,” he said, pulling me into his arms and holding me tight. “I’m not going to vanish as soon as the curse is broken, so you get those thoughts right out of your head. Do you hear me?”
Oh crud. In my tired state I’d forgotten he could read my thoughts if I wasn’t careful to shield them from him. Of course I had no real idea how to shield. It just happened sometimes.
The doorbell rang and he motioned for me to step out of sight before he went to answer the door. I blew my nose and checked to see how red my eyes were from crying, then I peeped around the corner and saw it was the pizza delivery guy. Grandma came from the kitchen and paid him.
“Come on and eat, Dodie,” she called.
