Wild and Witchy

by J. D. Winters

  That didn’t mean that I was home free. And how could I work on this performance when all I could think of was what might be happening at the bakery? I jumped into my car and headed home.

  The place was locked. I got in and raced upstairs. My bedroom was empty. No sign of Randy, no sign of Mandy. Toto was the only living thing left. He wagged his tail and looked up at me as though to say, “I’ve been waiting right here for you all day!” and I grabbed him, gave him a hug and carried him off. We left before the police had made it to my address. My heart was beating out of my chest. I wasn’t sure where my people had gone, but at least they weren’t there to be hassled by the police. One thing off my mind. That was something.

  I was back at the shrine minutes later. I tied Toto up to a chair leg and looked around the area. The pit was ready for the fire. The shrine was freshly painted and beautiful in the late afternoon sun. Rennie had installed long flowing, heavy white drapes with gauzy liners all around the interior, giving it a spiritual aura. But most of the focus of the crowd was on the entertainment sites and the food booths. It seemed a jolly bunch, as far as I could tell. I was just hoping that wouldn’t change when the old timers began to see what a travesty I was making of their yearly ceremony.

  And what about Marcus and his intention to piggy-back onto the festival spell? Would I ruin all that? Marcus had said that timing was everything in this plan. How could I abide by proper timing if I didn’t know what it was?

  As though my thoughts had summoned him, Marcus showed up. The first I knew was when my bracelet started to vibrate. I looked around quickly but he came up from behind and caught hold of my waist and swung me in the air before letting me down.

  That threw me off a bit. I really didn’t know how to take this guy. Sometimes he seemed super friendly, others, not so much. But being surprised by a swing into the air wasn’t my favorite style of greeting. It wasn’t easy to look friendly after that. I tried to smile.

  And what was his mood now? He looked and sounded excited, as though he was getting revved up to do something awesome. I only hoped it was for the right reasons.

  “Just remember,” he said, grinning as he reached out and pushed my disheveled hair out of my eyes. Too friendly. Too much acting like we were special friends. I wasn’t crazy about that sort of thing. Not when things were so tenuous between us. Not right now.

  “I’m always nearby,” he said with supreme confidence. “You can get me if you just rub the bracelet.”

  “Oh. I didn’t…”

  “Never mind,” he said impatiently. “Are we ready? All systems go?”

  “I…uh….”

  “In this box goes the flame.” He handed me a small metal box with some sort of exotic figures worked into the surface. “The flame just needs to lick the bottom, then close it up tight. And remember, get the timing right.”

  And he was gone before I could catch my breath. That was just plain annoying. I needed advice, not manhandling and cheerleading. I wasn’t at all sure I was going to be able to pull this off.

  I put the box into a drawer in the table set up for me in the shrine. Would this all come together? Oh well. Time would tell.

  In the meantime, I had to try to pick Rennie’s brain…such as it was…to figure out what I was going to do for a ceremony.

  “Think Rennie, think!”

  “I’m trying.”

  She was dressed in silver for the evening show. Silver stockings, silver shoes, silver sweater, and a cute little leather skirt. That seemed to be her festival outfit and it suited her. But she was thinking.

  “I’m trying. Oh, I remember…oh, oh! I remember fireworks just as the sun went down.”

  “Okay. Do we have fireworks ready to go?”

  She spun on her heel. “I’ll ask Davey.”

  “Who’s Davey?”

  “My cousin. Gran Ana hired him to help manage the bonfire.”

  “Oh, Okay. Where is he?”

  She shrugged. “I think he went to get something to eat. He’ll be back.”

  I sighed. I wished I had one element of this show that I could put my faith in. “Let’s hope so.”

  She put her head to the side, thinking harder than ever. “And then there’s the speech you have to give.”

  “Right. What’s it about?”

  “About?” She blinked. “Oh, this and that. I think it’s about the old days or something….”

  I almost felt like weeping. This was going to be such a disaster. Would I ever be able to live it down? Would Gran Ana disown me and forbid me to come anywhere near her ever again? Would people snicker as I passed them in the street? This was terrible. I ached with anxiety. What could I do to save the situation? Only my best effort at creating something out of nothing, I guess. I was going to have to wing it.

  I foresaw nothing but doom ahead.

  “Oh hey,” Rennie called to me just as I was stepping inside the shrine. “I forgot to tell you. Gran Ana stopped by a few minutes ago.”

  “What?” I whirled and faced her. “What did she say? Did she leave me a speech? Did she leave me instructions?”

  Rennie shook her head. “She gave me the ashes.”

  I went cold. “She had them?”

  Rennie nodded. “She said for me to spread them on the bonfire pit. She said do it right away.”

  I could hardly breathe. “What?”

  “Yes, she said she wanted to be sure that they weren’t sitting around in sacks, waiting for the wrong people to get hold of them. She said they were too powerful to risk it. So she wanted them out there on the wood and kindling where no one could tell what they were.”

  My hands were like ice. “Did you do it yet?”

  “Oh yeah. She watched me. She wanted to be sure.”

  She wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be able to use them for anything, you mean. I felt sick. What now? I couldn’t go out there in front of everyone and sweep up a little sack of ashes, now could I? Not likely. I was going to have to tell Marcus that our plan was ruined.

  Or…maybe not. Quick as a flash, a tiny new plan began to brew in my brain. A kind of hopeless plan, to be sure. But maybe….

  Maybe. How pathetic had I become that I had sunk to this? Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.

  Chapter 17

  And then….a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon. Shane arrived.

  “Where’ve you been?” I screeched at him unfairly. There was no reason on earth why he should have been helping me. His presence was a godsend, but it was all his doing. “Do you remember what I’m supposed to do?”

  He looked at me, so tall and handsome and upright, and he shook his head with a bemused smile on his face. “I don’t know what you’re supposed to do, Haley. I’m sorry. I never paid that much attention.”

  “Oh. I’m a dead duck.” Real tears were threatening. Luckily he didn’t take me in his arms, which would have been nice on one level, but disastrous on another. Badly timed sympathy was one of the most dangerous forces at a time like this. If I started sobbing I would lose all respect from everyone and I knew it. So I toughened up instead.

  “Yeah, I’m not much for ceremonies,” Shane added. “But I brought along someone who might be able to help you.”

  Turning back, he waved to someone. I looked in the direction he was gesturing toward. And there, like a beacon from on high, came wonderful, beautiful, ready-to-help Oliver.

  “Oliver!” I cried, and now the tears dried up in their own. “Oh thank you for coming! You’re going to save my life. Or anyway, I’m hoping…”

  “Of course, my dear,” he said, waddling toward us like a plump penguin in his fancy tuxedo. “What exactly is it that you require of me?”

  Reassurance was the general answer, but there were specifics. Right away I had him jotting down parts of the speech he might recall and making a schedule of what had to be done when. Exactly what I needed. Lifesaver wasn’t high enough praise for this dear, dear man! Er…shifter guy. Whatever.

 
; I finally got a moment of Shane’s attention.

  “How did you get him out?” I whispered, picturing how angry the sheriff must have been when he realized Oliver was no longer in his custody.

  He looked surprised that I would ask. “I have keys,” he said. “And I’m in charge when Sheriff Hayes is absent. And since he was over checking out your house, I thought it would make divine justice to have Oliver come to your aid over here. It’ll all work out.”

  I stared at him. What a guy. Did I even appreciate him half enough? Not hardly. I was going to have to think of something to do to show him what I thought of him. It warmed my soul to think of it.

  In a burst of affection, I started to reach for him, but as I did, his gaze fell on my bracelet and he frowned.

  “You still wearing that thing?” he said.

  I pulled my arm back quickly. I didn’t want him to touch it, or to see that it was somehow solidly affixed to my arm. I knew instantly that he would try to get it loose and I couldn’t let him. I wasn’t sure how that would affect the festival performance or what might happen. I couldn’t risk it.

  “Haley.”

  I turned. It was Mandy coming into the bonfire area. She was trying to smile but she looked distressed. I muttered something to Shane and went to her immediately, taking both her hands in mine.

  “Mandy, what is it? What happened? I went by the bakery but no one was there.”

  She nodded, eye bright and worried. “He…that werewolf? He’s gone. I don’t know how or why. But I was helping Krissy with Gavin and when I went back up to check on him, he was gone.”

  “You didn’t see him go? You didn’t know if he’d gained enough strength to… .”

  “No, none of that.” She was shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what happened.”

  I hugged her. “It’s not your fault, sweetie. It’s this crazy day. Everything is happening and …”

  “Haley.” She grabbed my arm. “Haley, I think he took Shrimp.”

  I stared at her in shock. “Oh no.”

  “He came back just before… And then, when the werewolf was gone, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I’ve looked everywhere I can think of.”

  “Oh Mandy. I…I don’t think he would hurt him.”

  She tried to smile. “But we don’t really know, do we?”

  “No,” I admitted, heart sinking. “We don’t really know.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. I’m going to keep looking.”

  “Good. Let me know, okay?”

  She nodded and started off. I watched her go.

  Then Oliver was looking for me. He had a speech ready.

  Oliver, my hero.

  I went to him quickly. I knew we had work to do and very little time left to do it in.

  “Haley.”

  I looked up. I was in the shrine, trying to focus on the ordeal ahead, and Mandy was sneaking in behind the drapes and gesturing to me.

  “Oh.” I looked at her and then to the side to see if anyone had noticed her. It was almost time for the ceremony to begin. I was sitting alone in the shrine, light dimmed by the heavy drapes. I was supposed to be preparing for the speech, physically and mentally. No one was allowed to be bothering me. But Mandy was someone I couldn’t ignore.

  “Did you find Shrimp?” I whispered to her as she came into the room.

  She shook her head. “No. I really think that werewolf took him. If he did something to him…”

  But she couldn’t finish the thought. There wasn’t a lot you could do to a werewolf, really, not just someone on your own.

  “We’ll find him,” I said, my voice filled with confidence I didn’t actually feel.

  “I know he’s okay. If something happened to him, I’d know it. I’d feel it.”

  I was skeptical of that. It seemed like wishful thinking to me, but I wasn’t going to damper her spirits. Nor was I going to break my focus.

  “Okay,” I said. “As soon as this is over.”

  She nodded and retreated back behind the drapes. But the look on her face said it all. We had new information. I could hardly contain myself. There was hope of something new. But I had to complete this ceremony before I could move on to that.

  It was almost show time. I closed my eyes. I was trying to settle, to focus my mind and prepare for what I had to do. But my mind seemed to want to buzz around and collect all the most distracting thoughts it could. I was a bundle of nerves.

  It seemed like everything in my life was wildly shifting, changing, and here I was stuck in this dumb festival ceremony that wasn’t really about anything important to me. At least, that was the way it felt right now. I should go. I should slip away and get back to reality and find Shrimp and Randy and take care of things I needed to take care of. What was wrong with me? Were my own selfish needs to have my memories back really so important?

  I opened my eyes and looked around, heart beating. If I just slipped out right now….

  Suddenly my head was full of ringing, like an organ playing loudly, like a force commanding attention. I grabbed the arms of my chair and clutched hard, wondering what on earth was going on. But then Gran Ana’s voice came to me in a strange, spiritual way I’d never experienced before.

  “Haley, this is as much about you as it is about anything, but it is also about your mother and father, and your brother. You are the only one who can find them, and you are only alive today because of bargains I made on your behalf. Those agreements must be fulfilled and sanctified. The broken stone must be healed. Do your duty and you will be rewarded. Trust me. Trust yourself.”

  The voice faded, the music died slowly, and I had to pull in air quickly to catch my breath again. Had that really happened? Or was I dreaming? Hard to know for sure.

  But I was glad to have the reminder of what was really at stake here. My family. It was high time I did something more substantive about finding out what had happened to them and if they were still alive. It was a problem that had to be solved. I had to solve it.

  Toto whined, sounding a little worried, and I bent down to pet him. But there was no time to think things over. The band outside began to play the song I was waiting for. Rennie came into the vestibule and signaled to me. I rose slowly to my feet and looked into the mirror. I hardly recognized myself. The gown was shimmering with light, reflections of the setting sun. There were ribbons in my hair and bells hanging from the fancy rope belt that cinched my waist.

  “Come on,” Rennie urged. “Let’s get this show on the road. Time for your speech.”

  The speech. My throat went dry. I took a deep breath. I was going to do this. Head high, I stepped out onto the dais.

  There were oohs and aahs as I came forward. I glanced down at the speech I held in my hand and suddenly, it was as though I’d memorized it ages ago. It came easily to me in ways I couldn’t have dreamed of.

  “Greetings fellow citizens of the haven,” I began. “It is time for us to remember how much the special protection of our home means to us, and to celebrate the strength and shelter we offer to each other, and to our visitors.”

  I went on reminding the citizens of how we formed a unique community with extraordinary needs and results, all of which required extraordinary efforts on all our parts, how we all needed to join in protecting the light. There were men and women all around the edge of the unlit bonfire, each holding a single light, symbols of what we needed to protect. As I finished up the speech, the orchestra started playing a beautiful piece by Mozart, and a small chorus of children with heavenly voices sang a song written just for this day.

  I began to walk slowly around the edges of the area, making a wider circle, and as I passed each light holder, he or she bowed and dipped their light, then held it high again. Finally I arrived back where I’d started and turned to the bonfire pit, still unlit, but ready. Going down on my knees, I touched the wood and murmured a quick spell, then rose and climbed the steps, disappearing into the shrine to prepare the torch.

  “How much
time have I got before sunset?” I called to Rennie.

  “Not enough,” she called back, hurrying toward where I was. “Get ready. It’s almost time.”

  Almost time. My heart was thudding in my chest. Where was Marcus? Where was he going to appear? I was supposed to get the fire and the ashes to him at the same time. I already knew that wasn’t going to happen. Were we going to be able to come up with something to take the place of our first plan? And what if Marcus was not what he pretended to be? What if his intentions were not to help me but to harm me? I needed something from him. I needed insurance that we were on the same page and working in tandem for a good result.

  What could I do? Jumping up, I went to the tall mirror at the back of the room and stared into it, then rubbed my bracelet.

  Marcus appeared almost instantly and I caught my breath with relief.

  “Marcus!”

  He was dressed in a slick, silvery suit of clothes that looked like he was ready for space travel. His eyes were wide, pupils huge.

  “Are you ready?” He spoke quickly, tersely.

  “Almost.” I looked down at Toto. He was standing tall and so alert, as though ready to do anything I told him to. Brave little guy. A lot was going to ride on him in the next few minutes.

  “Something happened that was beyond my control,” I told Marcus quickly. “The ashes are already spread and I didn’t get a sample before hand.”

  Chapter 18

  Marcus looked as though he’d just been hit by a rocket blast. He made a sound of anger but I rushed on.

  “Hold on. I have a plan. Mandy’s little pet Shrimp is clever, and small, he can get into the fire and back and fill a sack with ashes, nobody will see. He’ll get it to me, then I’ll redirect the spell. You just get your effigy into the fire on time.”