Witching You Wouldn't Go

by Constance Barker

  “But they didn’t,” Bailey pointed out. “They made the Caves. Right?”

  “Medea was betrayed,” Suraj said gravely. “Her lover sought to corrupt the wall between worlds, so that we could pass into the Dream Place, but the deceivers could not pass into our world. When Medea took on the mantle of power, she bore it with him, so that their wills both worked upon the world.”

  “He wanted to hold onto some of the power,” Bailey realized. “He wanted to be able to use Faerie, but with more controls in place.”

  Suraj nodded, “Such power as the Throne offers, is a great temptation. It is not merely what you believe it to be, daughter of Itaja. Who wears the mantle that comes with the Throne... a great deal of harm may be wrought. Creation. Destruction. These are forever bound, one to the other, both calling to all who wield the gifts.” He turned to her, his eyes sharp even in the near darkness. “Medea stripped her lover of the mantle of power, and he never forgave her. But forever, his line was tainted by the touch of it. His blood flowed through the generations, as did Medea’s. For a thousand years the Throne passed from mother to daughter. In time, the betrayer’s blood broke the Throne from jealousy and greed.”

  “You, Daughter of Itaja, have both the blood of the betrayed, and the blood of the betrayer in your veins. You bear the grace of Itaja, and Medea, and Liliana; so too do you have the taint of Lucius, and Belor.” He tilted his head slightly. “Which call will you answer, when the time comes?”

  Bailey realized that she’d begun to breath rapid, shallow breaths. As Suraj spoke, she could almost see and feel the drama playing out in her own past, as if she’d lived both sides. How hurt and terrified Medea must have felt when Lucius corrupted her attempt to heal the damage her mother and the other maga had brought on the world; how furious Lucius must have been when she cut him out. She wondered how much of both her ancestors now composed the intelligence of the Caves, which seemed at times to be helpful and others to be almost petty in its denial of her; coming to her aid when most she needed it but refusing when she called it all other times.

  But no matter what the history was, she couldn’t imagine being corrupted the way that Suraj must have worried. “I would never use power like that for destructive ends,” she told him flatly. “All I want is to protect the people I love, Suraj.”

  He held up a finger. “You do not yet understand.”

  “Then explain it to me,” she urged. “Explain it, so that I have what I need to do it right.”

  Suraj shook his head, “That, Daughter of Itaja, is what you do not understand. It is not only you. Why did not Medea simply correct what Lucius changed, if she had the power to do so?”

  So, that was it, then. Bailey looked away from Suraj, out over the sea. “Because she couldn’t,” she said quietly, realizing the choice that she would have to make and what it would mean when the time came; if it ever did. It wasn’t enough for her to trust herself with the Throne. “Alone, she didn’t have the power she needed—that’s why she had to share it with Lucius, isn’t it?”

  “So it was,” Suraj confirmed. “Perhaps you will not be corrupted by such power. But can you be certain of the heart of another? If you are wrong, the consequences will be great. Perhaps greater than before.”

  Bailey swallowed. Her mouth was dry, and her fingers trembled as she crossed her arms and tried to keep them warm against the chill air. “What happens now? Now that I know all this... now that I’ve come through the other tests?”

  “Now,” Suraj said, standing from his rock and drawing his hood back up over his bald head, “you will undergo the final test. And we will see if you are worthy.”

  “What kind of test?” Bailey asked. She stood as well.

  “I do not know,” Suraj said as he turned to lead her back toward the ruins. “No one has yet returned from it to say.”

  Chapter 22

  Piper sat with William by the window, watching as the rain outside began to pick up. The thick gray blanket had lingered for days and finally become too heavy to hold back. She barely noticed when Bennett set a mug of hot cocoa on the table next to the couch.

  “What’s up?” He asked as he took a seat at the other end of the couch. “You look like you’re remembering China or something.”

  She chuckled at the reference, remembering hanging out with him and watching the Joy Luck Club when they were in middle school, well before he’d come out. It was a wonder he’d needed to. “I’m fine,” she said at first. After a moment, “Something’s just been nagging at me. Just a feeling but... I don’t know.”

  “Care to talk about it?” He asked. “Is it... you know, like... witch stuff?” He whispered the last words, even though Gavin was at work and it was just them and the napping children in the house.

  “That’s just it,” she said. “I’m not sure. There’s this deputy, Seamus Jackson. Do you remember him at all? He went to school with us, but I don’t know if that was before or after your parents moved.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Doesn’t sound familiar. What about him?”

  Piper grimaced. “I’m probably being paranoid but... I think he’s been following me.”

  Bennett frowned, and sipped his cocoa. “Like... creepy stalker following, or like investigating a suspect following?”

  “I’m not sure there’s a difference without a warrant,” she pointed out. “But it feels more like creepy stalker.”

  “Did you two ever...?”

  Piper kicked him gently. “No! Bennett, please... I’ve only been with Gavin. Plus, Seamus has been sweet on Bailey for years, but too shy to say anything to her. If anything, that’s what makes it almost more disturbing.”

  She shifted William to her other arm carefully to keep from waking him up, and reached for the mug her cousin had brought for her. Another old tradition that she’d missed over the years. None of the powdered cocoa for Bennett—he’d brought raw ground cocoa beans and made the most delicious cup of hot chocolate anyone could have asked for. It didn’t do much to ease her thoughts, but it inspired some comfort to go with them. “I miss this,” she sighed.

  “Me too,” Bennett said. “So, if he’s not stalking you out of interest, what’s up?”

  “I’ve seen him out in front of the bakery a few times,” she said, “when I’ve gone to study with Aria. Most of the reports and rumors that circulated since everything that happened with Mr. Dove haven’t resulted in anything serious—though, fewer people visit the bakery now—but I think that maybe Seamus is watching us. Me specifically, but not because I’m me—just because I’m involved with them.”

  “You think he’s got you pegged,” Bennett suggested.

  Piper nodded. “I mean, I don’t know that it matters; it’s not like there’s a law against being a witch even if the sheriff’s department did want to investigate us as such. So far, it seems like it’s just Seamus, though.”

  “Ah,” Bennett said, his eyes narrowing. “So... maybe he’s operating on his own.”

  “Exactly,” Piper said.

  “Can’t you guys just... put the whammy on him, then?”

  She grunted, and sipped her cocoa before she shook her head. “It doesn’t really work like that. There are all these rules about violating people’s minds and black magic. Probably for good reason. Plus even I wanted to myself, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

  “Have you told the others?” He asked.

  Piper opened her mouth, and then closed it, blinking. “No, actually. I haven’t.”

  Bennett shrugged. “Why not?”

  “I guess I’m worried I’m just being paranoid,” Piper admitted. “I don’t want to get Seamus into any trouble or anything. He’s a friend. Or, he has been, anyway.”

  Her cousin nodded slowly. “I get that,” he said, “but Piper, if he’s planning something, I mean—you know how people get over things they don’t understand, right? Or that they’re afraid of. Those two things come hand in hand, and crazy isn’t far behind. If I were you, I’d t
ell your friends, or, coven, or whatever.”

  “Coven,” Piper confirmed. “Though, I guess they’re getting to be friends as well.”

  “Either way,” Bennett said, “if it’s nothing, and you tell them, it seems to me like it won’t matter. If it is, it might be important that they know.”

  “You’re right,” she sighed. “I don’t know why I haven’t told them yet. It wasn’t until I saw him at the hospital this morning that I realized something might be wrong.”

  “We... could go to the bakery together,” he suggested.

  Piper smiled at him, and sighed. He’d been bugging her about meeting the Coven since she told him. It had surprised her how fast he’d taken to the idea—of real magic, of faeries, of all of it—but then Bennett had been an amateur ghost hunter throughout college. He’d always hoped that the paranormal world was real. Learning that it was had been exciting for him, rather than scary. That was probably because he still hadn’t encountered much of it.

  And part of her was worried that if and when he did, that might change. After all, she’d had a hard time adjusting to it herself and still wasn’t sure she had—magic of her own or not.

  On the other hand, she remembered being in the same place as he was, wondering what Bailey was up to, who these new people in her life were and what they were like. How she’d felt like Bailey was gradually slipping farther and farther away from her and into this other world where she didn’t fit.

  “I guess,” she said at length, “there’s no harm in it.”

  Bennett’s eyes widened a little, and he grinned. “Really?”

  “Yes,” she said. “After Riley wakes up, we’ll go down. I think Chloe will be there for sure. Frances was going to relieve Aria at the hospital.”

  “You think I could get her to show me some magic?” Bennett wondered.

  Piper rolled her eyes. “No, no, no. You can’t go if you’re going to go full on fan boy. Besides, you haven’t asked me to show you any magic.”

  “You said you weren’t any good at it,” Bennett said, shrugging. “I didn’t want to make you feel bad. Why, can you?”

  “No,” Piper sighed.

  “Well, there you go,” Bennett said, and winked at her.

  Riley wasn’t asleep for much longer, and true to her word Piper loaded him up in the stroller once he’d had a snack, and Bennett helped her get him into the car. Just a few minutes of driving in the rain later, they were shaking off water as they entered the bakery.

  Chloe hadn’t seen Piper since she heard about Ryan’s heart attack, and Piper had somehow forgotten about that. So when Chloe rushed her and pulled her into a fierce hug, she was momentarily caught off guard.

  “Oh, Piper... thank you for being there,” Chloe said as she held Piper tight.

  They parted, and Piper was momentarily at a loss in the face of Chloe’s watering eyes. “He’s going to be okay,” she said, though it was almost more for her own comfort than for Chloe’s. “And I’m sure Bailey will be back soon.”

  “She only just lost Wendy,” Chloe said quietly. “If she loses Ryan so soon...”

  “I know,” Piper said. She cleared her throat then, and turned a little bit. “Um... Chloe, this is my cousin Bennett. Bennett, this is Chloe Minds.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Bennett said, sticking out one hand. He glanced around, and then leaned forward a little. “Is it true you can read minds?”

  Chloe paused, glancing at Piper with a look that bordered on disapproval. “Bennett,” she repeated, and took his hand. “It’s... a pleasure to meet you. I see Piper has told you... quite a bit.”

  “Oh,” Bennett said quickly, “your secret is safe with me. I promise.”

  “Uh huh,” Chloe said. “Well... see that it is.” She looked from Bennett to Piper, frowning. “This isn’t just a social visit, is it?”

  Piper shook her head. “I noticed something recently that I thought you should know. I don’t want to alarm you or anyone else, though.”

  It was apparently too late for that, because Chloe’s nostrils flared as she crossed her arms and shifted on her feet a little, nervous. “Okay. What?”

  “I think,” Piper said, emphasizing the word, “that Seamus Jackson may be following me. Us, I mean. I think he’s been watching us. I don’t know why, yet, and it may not even be true. But if it is... it’s possible he’s planning something.”

  “Seamus Jackson?” Chloe asked. “The deputy that likes Bailey?”

  “And is apparently transparent,” Bennett mused. “You’d think he’d have said something by now.”

  “Is there anything in particular that makes you think he might be planning something?” Chloe asked Piper, ignoring Bennett’s commentary.

  Piper frowned. “Just a feeling, really.”

  Chloe considered something for a long moment, and then nodded. “Alright. I’ll look into it, then. In the mean time, you keep your distance from him, okay? And maybe even stay home for a little while. Just in case.”

  Given how often Piper had heard Bailey complain about this very thing, she was surprised how irritated she suddenly was. Still, she held her tongue long enough to consider that Bailey at least had some ability to protect herself, reading people’s thoughts when she needed to; what was Piper supposed to do? Somehow, she didn’t think that knowing the location of every witch in Coven Grove was going to be particularly useful.

  “Okay,” she said finally. “If that’s what you think is best.”

  Chloe raised on eyebrow, and then smiled. “You know, I really think you shouldn’t tell Bailey I said this, but she could stand to have a bit of you rub off on her.”

  Piper smiled, but didn’t quite mean it. They talked for a little while longer, since she’d made the trip, and Chloe even indulged in a few of Bennett’s questions, though she outright denied him information when he asked about some specifics, on the basis that they were Coven secrets—though, possibly she just didn’t see the point in explaining how magic worked to someone for whom it wasn’t going to matter. They had coffee and muffins while they spoke, and when it was getting close to time for Gavin to get home, she politely extracted Bennett and said her goodbyes.

  And maybe Chloe was right; maybe the best thing would be for Piper to be out of the way.

  But that didn’t manage to stop her from thinking about Seamus the whole drive home, or during dinner, or when she laid down with Gavin to go to sleep that night.

  And it certainly didn’t stop her from deciding that she was going to have words with Seamus Jackson the very next chance she got.

  Chapter 23

  “You sure we’re in the right place?” Seamus asked as he scanned the dark wall of trees in front of him, split by a narrow road that barely looked like more than a deer trail save for the prominently posted No Trespassing sign nailed to an old mossy oak.

  Finn leaned toward the dash, looking through the windshield to give the implacable forest a long look. “Yep. This is it.”

  It was the sort of entrance that people probably went into and never came out of again. What sort of witch hunters were these? He’d expected Finn to point him toward some kind of cathedral, maybe. Witch hunting seemed like religious business. At least, that was what you always heard about in history class about Salem and Italy and all those places where they got infamous for it. “And up that road,” he said, pointing, “you think there are... witch hunters. Real ones.”

  “That’s right,” Finn said. His eyes shone with more interest and excitement than Seamus was really comfortable with.

  “If we go up there and talk to them... what’re they gonna do?”

  Finn snorted, and leaned back in his seat to give Seamus a critical eye. “Are you gonna come all this way and chicken out on me, partner?”

  “I just mean... is there like a... witch prison? Or do they just run them off?”

  Again, Finn snorted like Seamus had made a joke. “Buddy, what do you think they do?”

  “This... was a bad id
ea,” Seamus muttered. He started to put the truck into reverse, but Finn reached across the space between them and held his hand.

  “Seamus, listen to me,” Finn said, his tone serious. “You have no idea what we’re dealing with back home. Or if you think you do, you got the wrong idea in your head about it. You think you can just lock a witch up in a cell? What happens when people back home start getting anxious, and scared, and they take matters into their own hands? Huh?” He sighed. “Those witches’ll rain down some kind of hell on ‘em, that’s what. It’s gonna happen, sooner or later. It always does. People get nervous, then they get terrified, then they get angry. Think of how many people could get hurt. How many deputies. Your brothers in arms. You wanna see that happen?”

  “Of course not,” Seamus said, just loud enough that he could hear the rasp in his own voice. “That’s just it, though; I don’t want anybody to get hurt. Not the deputies, not the people—but not Bailey or Piper, either.”

  Finn groaned. “Buddy... you need to let that girl go. She’s never even looked at you sideways. On the other hand...”

  “What?” Seamus asked. He eyed Finn, who had his lips pursed.

  “Alright, hear me out,” Finn said. He took his hand off of Seamus’ and sat back in the seat again. “What if we just told them about the women—the older ones. Chloe, Frances, and the other one...”

  “Aria,” Seamus provided.

  “Right,” Finn smiled, “them and the old crones. They’re the one with real power anyway. You can sneak Bailey off, tell her she’s in danger. When the witch hunters are done, you’ll be the one that saved her. Bet she’ll look at you then.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Seamus asked. He honestly couldn’t tell. And how did Finn know the bakery ladies were the ones with power? He supposed they were the ones more of the accounts named. That must have been it, though he didn’t think he’d seen Finn taking any of the interviews. Probably he’d read the reports.