She didn’t mean to reach for the magic. It just came, tingling gently along her fingers. She pushed it back down in a panic.
But Ryan’s eyes did open. They fluttered at first, unfocused, and then searched the room until they found her. He smiled. “Red,” he breathed. “You made it back. Just in time, looks like.”
Bailey broke.
Ryan’s fingers tightened around hers as she sobbed, but he didn’t hush her. He let her cry until the sobs left her with only streaming tears. When it had passed, for now, he smiled at her. “I’m sorry, Red. Aria was here with me. She made sure I got to see you again. Tell her when you see her that I love her for that. Best gift... anyone ever gave me.”
“You’re going to be okay,” Bailey said, firmly, as if she could make it so by commanding it. She was the witch queen, after all. If she said he would be well, then he would be.
But Ryan’s smile turned sad. “Red,” he whispered, “listen to me now. You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. That’s all I could ever want for you. It’s okay to hurt. But I know what it feels like to lose someone... someone that makes you who you are. You feel like you’re lost. But you aren’t, okay? You have people. You have family. Stick with them. Let them heal you, okay?”
Bailey could only nod at first. “I promise,” she managed to say.
“Good,” he said. “Now... what’s this I hear... about you dying?”
She snorted. “It wasn’t that big a deal.”
Ryan chuckled weakly. “Well... that’s reassuring. Did you...?”
Bailey’s heart hurt, and she wanted to lie to him. To say that she’d seen Wendy. But it didn’t seem right. “I didn’t see her,” she said. “I went... somewhere else, I think.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I’ll... tell her you tried.”
“Daddy?” Bailey asked.
Ryan tilted his head toward her. “Mm?”
“I love you,” she said. “I’ll always love you. I promise not to... not to forget you, okay?”
“Oh, Red,” Ryan said, smiling, “I won’t forget you either. Now... tell me... what you saw out there in the world.”
She did, as much of it as she could. About Stonehenge, and the old Town Hall, and the Roman ruins, and Crete—and about the world Itaja had made.
But by and by, he fell asleep again. And this time, he didn’t wake up.
Epilogue
The funeral was brief. Ryan had never been a fan of the idea of burying himself, so the whole affair took place on the beach. More people came than Bailey expected, and she spoke to them in a daze, rambling about her childhood mostly, and about Wendy. The small crowd indulged her, though, until finally she was out of things to say.
After all who wanted to speak had done so, Bailey was surprised how many people came up to her to offer their condolences. Mainly because many of the faces were those she remembered as people who were at the caves. These were the people who had been there, who had seen Bailey and others using magic, and had since that time been keeping their distance.
One in particular gave her a long hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” the older man said, and them moved on to Chloe and the others with the same sentiment.
“What was that about?” Aiden asked when he’d disengaged from another person.
Bailey just shook her head. “I don’t know...” She searched the crowd for another face she’d hoped to see, but still didn’t find Seamus. No one had seen him since they returned from the hunters’ lodge, and he’d barely spoken a word on the way back. Piper thought that he’d left, and maybe she was right. Bailey wished that he hadn’t, but there was nothing she could do about it now.
They scattered Ryan’s ashes in the ocean, and after it was done, the witches and wizards of Coven Grove gathered around Bailey and stood with her in silence. They didn’t have to say anything—everything that needed to be said had been said. And she didn’t tell them that she needed time to be alone. She didn’t. If anything, she needed to feel them near her. Even Gideon, who kept his distance but was there, standing by, waiting for her to need him, maybe.
As the sun began to set, they retreated from the chill of the ocean air and gathered at the bakery, where Chloe and Frances made coffee and hot cocoa. They talked about the journey, but no one yet talked about what would happen next. Instead, they talked about where they had been.
They’d been there for an hour or so before there was a knock at the door; even though it was unlocked and, technically, open.
Aiden was closest, and so he opened the door while the others looked on curiously.
Trevor Sullivan was on the other side, and he looked over the room briefly before he stepped cautiously over the threshold. There was a paper tucked under his arm. Bailey had seen him at the funeral, but he’d left in a hurry and she hadn’t had time to speak with him.
“Ah... I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said as he tugged his gloves off. He seemed nervous. No doubt he’d heard many of the reports from the Caves.
“You’re not interrupting,” Chloe said. “Are you cold? We have plenty of coffee and cocoa, if you’re inclined.”
“Thank you,” Trevor said, waving a hand, “but I’m alright. I wasn’t sure if any of you had a chance to see the paper...” He pulled the folded newspaper out.
Aiden took it from him when it was offered, and frowned when he saw what was on it.
“What is it?” Bailey asked. Aiden handed to her, and she read it out loud when she saw the headline. “The... Witchy Women of Coven Grove...” Her face flushed, and he narrowed her eyes at Trevor. “You ran this? Are you out of your mind? Trevor, people—”
“Ryan wrote it,” Trevor said gently. He gestured at the paper. “I was going to run a piece on the reports from... from before. Ryan came to me a couple of weeks ago with this, just a few days after the stories started coming in. I admit, I wasn’t going to run it at first. I guess it’s not entirely fair that I did so just because he’s no longer with us but... well, you should read it. And you should know that he’s not alone.” With that, he gave them all a nod, and tugged his gloves back on to leave.
Once the door had closed, Bailey read the first few lines before she couldn’t read anymore, her eyes stinging with fresh tears. She handed it back to Aiden instead, and when the rest of the room waited quietly he cleared his throat and read it for them.
“Over the past year, and possibly for many years before, our town has seen a staggering number of tragedies and strange occurrences that have left many of us feeling confused, scared, and uncertain of what our future holds,” Aiden read. “I hope that my time writing in our community, delivering honest and heartfelt reporting, has engendered the people of the town with open ears when I write to you all now to say this: We are not alone in these dark times.
“Many of us witnessed something recently that has defied the very nature of what we believed to be real. We witnessed people who live among us, doing things that seem impossible, and doing battle with an entity that we never imagined might threaten our home, or that even had any right to exist. But I am here to tell you, that these women, these extraordinary citizens and neighbors, are nothing to be afraid of. They are not our enemies.
“Aria Rogers is the most kind hearted, gentle soul we could hope to have among us. She has never spoken an unkind word. Her heart is as open as her arms, and many of you no doubt know her for the tendency she has always had to indulge our children with sweets from Grovey Goodies, even when their parents can’t afford to. She is a healer; not merely of bodies, but of hearts.” Aiden paused when Aria gave a soft, quiet sob.
He went on, his voice taut. “Frances Cold is our stalwart; she sees and speaks truth, and is a fierce defender. Her wisdom may sometimes cut, but it is the cut of a surgeon, removing ignorance and forcing those around her to face what stands in front of them instead of turning away. She does not turn away, and may well be incapable of backing down from the fight she has ahead of her.”
Frances snorted
, and waved her still bandaged arm where she’d taken a crossbow bolt just two days before.
“Chloe Minds,” Aiden continued, “gave to me and my wife, Wendy, the most precious gift that anyone can give another person. She gave us a family that we could never have had otherwise. She is a beacon of light and hope in our community, and until just days ago as I write this, she was beloved by all who cross paths with her. Her warmth and compassion is infectious—it reaches into dark places, and ignites the light of optimism and faith.
“And then,” Aiden read, “there is my own daughter, Bailey Robinson. This young woman has the courage of a pride of lions. She has, in the last year, faced things that nearly every one of us, to a man or woman, would turn tail and flee from without a second thought. At every turn, she charges into battle, leaving this old reporter honestly terrified for her safety but astounded by the sheer grit and determination she has shown. This woman is your champion, Coven Grove. I know, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Aiden paused, and cleared his throat. There were a chorus of quiet sniffles before he finished. “These women are not the only protectors among you. But they are protectors. And, yes, they are something else as well. They are witches. There are forces which threaten not only our community, friends and neighbors all, but our entire world. And these women and their compatriots are all that stand between us and that threat. In uncertain times, it is easy for us to be afraid and to try and find a target for that fear, so that we can give ourselves the illusion of safety. But now, more than ever, we need these people among us. They need our support, and our faith. Because if we fail them now, they may not have the strength they need to ensure that the sun rises on a world we and our children can live our lives in safely. I would say that you should give them the chance to prove themselves and their intentions to you. But the fact is, Coven Grove—they already have. Now it’s time for us to lay aside our fear in place of pride, and the knowledge that we have these wonderful people here among us, keeping us safe not because they receive anything in exchange; but because they believe we are worth saving. Let us justify their faith in us.”
Bailey took the paper back from Aiden, and folded it again. “We have a lot of work to do,” she said quietly. “And not much time to do it. This new power inside me is... raw, and primal, and angry. And it scares me to death. I need you all to help me live up to this image. We have to show the people here that they can count on us. That we won’t abandon them; that we are their champions. But... I’m afraid of what I might become before this is all done.”
Aiden rested a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be,” he said. “We’ll be here with you.”
“We’ll never turn away from you, Bails,” Avery told her.
Piper reached across the table to touch her hand. “You’re not alone.”
“No,” Chloe said, “you’re not. And you never will be.” She glanced at Gideon, her expression pained but less angry than it had been before.
Gideon smiled at Bailey, and touched his chest over his heart, “You have my word as well.”
The oath was repeated by all present, and Bailey had to hold back her tears. When she’d regained some composure she sighed, and looked around at her family. “Then,” she said, “let’s all get some rest. We’re going to need it.”
“It’s time that we finish this, once and for all.”
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Old School Diner Cozy Mysteries
Murder at Stake
Murder Well Done
A Side Order of Deception
Murder, Basted and Barbecued
THE CURIOSITY SHOP Cozy Mysteries
The Curious Case of the Cursed Spectacles
The Curious Case of the Cursed Dice
The Curious Case of the Cursed Dagger
The Curious Case of the Cursed Looking Glass
THE WE’RE NOT DEAD Yet Club
Fetch a Pail of Murder
Wedding Bells and Death Knells
Murder or Bust
Pinched, Pilfered and a Pitchfork
A Hot Spot of Murder
WITCHY WOMEN OF COVEN Grove Series
THE WITCHING ON THE Wall
A Witching Well of Magic
Witching the Night Away
Witching There’s Another Way
Witching Your Life Away
Witching You Wouldn’t Go
Witching for a Miracle
TEASEN & PLEASEN HAIR Salon Series
A Hair Raising Blowout
Wash, Rinse, Die
Holiday Hooligans
Color Me Dead
False Nails & Tall Tales
CAESAR’S CREEK SERIES
A FROZEN SCOOP OF MURDER (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book One)
Death by Chocolate Sundae (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Two)
Soft Serve Secrets (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Three)
Ice Cream You Scream (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Four)
Double Dip Dilemma (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Five)
Melted Memories (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Six)
Triple Dip Debacle(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Seven)
Whipped Wedding Woes(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Eight)
A Sprinkle of Tropical Trouble(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Nine)
A Drizzle of Deception(Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book Ten)
SWEET HOME MYSTERY Series
Creamed at the Coffee Cabana (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book One)
A Caffeinated Crunch (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Two)
A Frothy Fiasco (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Three)
Punked by the Pumpkin(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Four)
Peppermint Pandemonium(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Five)
Expresso Messo(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Six)
A Cuppa Cruise Conundrum(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Seven)
The Brewing Bride(Sweet Home Mystery Series Book Eight)
WHISPERING PINES MYSTERY Series
A Sinister Slice of Murder
Sanctum of Shadows (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
Curse of the Bloodstone Arrow (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
Fright Night at the Haunted Inn (Whispering Pines Mystery Series)
MAD RIVER MYSTERY SERIES
A Wicked Whack
A Prickly Predicament
A Malevolent Menace
Witching You Wouldn't Go Page 20
