Walking Through Shadows

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  By the time she had him situated she was breathing like she’d just run a full marathon at lightning speed. She was huffing and puffing so loud she promised herself that when—and she refused to even consider if—they returned home, she was hitting the gym hard. At her age, she should be able to do better than this. She’d worry about that later. Right now, she had a bigger issue: how to get Angus back to the cabin without killing him along the way. She certainly couldn’t carry him, and it wasn’t like she could drag him that far.

  Or could she? Standing over him with her hands on her hips, she had a thought, and the more she considered it, the more she liked it. In fact, she decided it was the only option that had any chance of success. The fallen tree had given her an idea. It would cost her the lovely jacket she wore. No big deal. If she had to, she’d strip naked, if that’s what it would take to get Angus to the cabin.

  It took her hours, or at least that’s what it felt like, to fashion a makeshift litter out of scavenged tree branches lashed together with strips of her clothing. Once she had it put together, she spent what seemed like another eternity getting Angus up onto it. He was dead weight. She was happy that, at the very least, he wasn’t dead. Once again, though, she was panting hard. Yes, indeed, the gym was on the top of her must-do list.

  From the look of it, the plan to use the litter to move Angus would work well, until she tried to pick it up and get on the move. It didn’t work out quite as easily in reality as it had in her head. She panicked. If she didn’t get him back to the cabin where just maybe she could find something to help, Angus could die. Tears sprang into her eyes and her heart thudded. After a few seconds, she talked herself out of panic and back to calm thoughts. She hoped she could find a solution. No, wait. No hope about it. She would find a solution.

  It came in the form of the web-style belt Angus wore. It wasn’t long, but it was long enough to fashion a strap she could use as a sort of handle. Once she found a way to attach it to the litter, she was off and moving, albeit slowly. She could deal with slow as long as she was closing the distance to the cabin. Her relief when it worked brought her to tears, and though she’d barely held them back only minutes before, now she let them slide down her cheeks as she trudged forward. She was entitled.

  The underbrush and grass gave her trouble. At times she had to go wide in order to avoid fallen trees or big rocks pushing out of the ground. More than once she had to detach bushes from where they’d snagged on the bottom of the litter. The effort was grueling and took all of her strength, which wasn’t a lot, considering how long it had been since she’d had anything to eat or drink.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been pulling Angus when she saw that the river wasn’t far away. Though she didn’t want to stop, she had to. She had momentum on her side and worried she would lose it. On the other hand, dehydration was nasty, and she couldn’t afford nasty at the moment. Carefully, she lowered the front of the litter to the ground. The position wasn’t ideal, because once again it put Angus prone on the ground, and she really wanted to keep his upper body raised. For a second she thought about picking it back up and continuing. Then she decided against it. It was a risk she had to take.

  Winnie ran to the river’s edge and kneeled so she could scoop water into her hands and drink it like the parched woman she was. It was the most satisfying drink she could ever remember and gave her an immediate lift. Sure, she was hungry. No solution for that. The water, however, seemed to give her back her life. She glanced over to where Angus lay motionless and wished she had her purple water bottle. He needed it as much or more than she did.

  Looking down at the remnants of the T-shirt she wore gave her an idea. It was much shorter than when she’d put it on because she’d ripped off the bottom to help create the litter. She’d already lost her jacket and part of her shirt, and losing a little more of it wouldn’t kill her. Lack of water just might kill Angus. She ripped again, pulling a length of the fabric free. Dunking it in the water, she let it soak until it was fully saturated. As she hurried back to Angus, she cradled it in her cupped hands to save as much of the water as she could. She wanted to get a good amount of it down him and at the same time keep it from soaking his shirt. He didn’t need to be wet in addition to unconscious.

  Kneeling next to Angus, she began to dribble the water between his lips. Much of it seemed to drip down his cheeks. She prayed more of it went down his throat and chose to believe it did. Had to. His eyes fluttered, and he started to murmur. Winnie put her ear closer to his lips. “What did you say?”

  “Thank you.” It was more of a sigh, but she could still make out the two words, and they sounded wonderful.

  She kissed his forehead. “Stay with me, Angus. Remember, we’re going to Ireland to meet your mom. So, you hang in there because I’m getting you to help.” God, she hoped that wasn’t a lie.

  For a second, his eyes opened and he met her gaze. “Love you always.” Then his eyes closed and he once more stilled.

  “Shit,” she muttered, frustrated that she’d lost him again. That moment of contact should have given her hope. It didn’t. She felt a fear down inside that told her she was truly losing him and suspected those last words meant he felt it too. Hydrated and believing she’d done everything she could, she put the wet cloth into one of the pockets in her cargo pants, picked up the belt handle, and once more began her journey toward the cabin. Tired as she was, she reached deep and called on strength she didn’t even know she possessed. Time was her enemy right now, and she was determined to beat it. She moved the litter carrying Angus faster.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Aquene felt the breath leave her body. Molly was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. That she was bare of clothing did not disturb her. She had been in that state with her friends many times through the years and knew the female body well.

  Except this was different, special. Not once in all the times she had stood next to Alumpum and others without cover had she felt this way. She liked it even if it was not the time to explore what her own body was urging her to do. Looking at Molly gave Aquene a strange feeling deep inside her. She wanted to reach out and touch her smooth, pale skin, to press her lips to Molly’s.

  As much as she wanted to do those things, she did not, for it would not be right. They were in a war that, if they failed, could cost them their lives. She did not intend to fail, and so she must keep her thoughts on their journey and only their journey.

  Tipping her face to the sky, Aquene closed her eyes and felt the sun on her skin. It was warm. That was good, for it would not take long for the wet clothes to dry enough for Molly to put them back on, and then they could be on their way. “We will be able to walk on when the sun is above us.”

  “Noonish,” Molly said to her as she too tipped her head to the sky.

  “What is noonish?” She was beautiful, and it made Aquene feel warm all over.

  “It means the middle of the day. Does that help?”

  Aquene nodded. “Yes.”

  “You find me a bother, don’t you?” She was sitting on the same rock she had been on since removing her clothing, with her knees pulled to her chest and the cloth wrapped around her. Wet hair curled around her face. She was no longer shivering, which made Aquene happy. When someone could not stop shivering, it signaled very bad things. She did not want that to happen to Molly.

  “You use many words I do not understand, but I do not find you a bother.”

  “You find me something, though. What is it?”

  How did she tell this woman from another time that she wanted to walk at her side until her last sunset? That she made Aquene feel complete? She had no words to tell her, for it was not to be. Molly was not meant for Aquene’s world. Once they had stopped the man who wished to harm the innocents, Molly would surely find her way home. What she felt would have to stay inside her, and she would have to find comfort in the memories of their short time together. It was as it had to be.

  She decided to at
least share words of truth. “You are not like those I have met in my life. You are better.”

  Molly said nothing, and Aquene was afraid she had offended her. It was important that she speak only honest words. When she began to try to explain what her words meant, Molly started to speak, making Aquene go silent.

  “Thank you, Aquene. I don’t think of myself as better than others, but what you said means a lot. My family is different and has been for generations. Many have hated us simply because of that. It hurts.”

  “Your power.”

  Molly nodded. “Yes. Power is one word for it. Magic is another. Those who hate us use the word witchcraft.”

  “Like the man we seek.”

  “Yes. I believe he would use that word. We have always tried to be a family who sends out only goodness into the world. Never anything black or evil. We adhere to the threefold law of return.”

  “I wish I understood you more, but I do not.”

  “It means that whatever we put out in the world comes back to us in threes. If we put out something evil, it will return to us three times as bad. We pledge to put forth only things that are good and will harm no one.”

  “You would not harm anyone. I do not see darkness in you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. I try not to harm anyone. But I don’t even know what I’m capable of. My powers remain to be seen. I mean, I think something in me brought us here, and maybe that’s what I’ve been waiting for. I just don’t know for sure.”

  “I heard you speak words of protection. They kept us safe from the man.”

  “That’s true. Remember that I had Hannah’s words to guide me. You know, I’ve always had my family’s power to help me while I’ve floundered in my heritage, not really knowing where I fit in. I followed my own path, indulging by making a career from my love of baking. Then I ended up here, and I’m beginning to believe this is where I’m supposed to be, to find out what the universe has in store for my own bit of power.” Her head tilted as she studied Aquene. “I’m a little jealous of you, because you are so solid in your beliefs and in knowing what you’re going to do.”

  She understood much of what Molly said. Her words were born of truth. Aquene still had a question that had yet to be answered for her. Molly felt she was supposed to be here. Did that mean she was supposed to be here with Aquene? Her heart hoped that was true most of all.

  * * *

  It was yet another test. It had to be. Why else would Matthew’s horse fall into a hole, breaking both a front leg and its neck? When he had picked himself up from the ground and investigated the cause of the spill, he had been furious by what he had discovered. The horse was dead, as were his hopes for a speedy arrival at the witch’s cabin.

  At first his fury had been so great, he had been unable to even think. As it abated and he realized it was God testing him again, his calm had returned. Everything happening to him today was some kind of trial, and he had to believe that it was the final one. God was getting ready to bring him home, and that filled him with immense joy.

  He took his needed items from the saddle and continued his journey by foot. It would cost him a great deal of valuable time. It would not stop him from completing his job. He would make it to the cabin. He would kill the witch. He would destroy her book.

  As he walked, he thought about what had happened thus far today. Matthew should be annoyed by the appearance of two of his conquests; he was not. They could bloody well go back to the damnation he had sentenced them to centuries ago. He could think they were spirits trying to frighten him. That was not how he viewed their untimely appearances. No. They were from the devil, trying to dissuade him from his current quest. It would not be the first time, and it would not be the last.

  His mission would not be thwarted, for he would succeed. He had not failed since the moment he accepted this all-important mission as a very young man. His life had been dedicated to protecting the world from the demons that tried to escape the gates of hell. He had read Dante, and he not only understood the circles of hell; he had seen them firsthand. Anyone who had hunted the creatures he did knew it was real and its demons sent to walk the earth. Just as God was real, so too was the devil.

  It was up to Matthew to cleanse the world of the scourge of witches and their craft. Others demons he left to others, for he knew one had to stay true to one’s craft. He was not just a Witch-Finder. He was the Witch-Finder.

  As the sun climbed in the sky, he stopped to eat of the provisions he had packed in his bag. It was important to partake of sustenance, for any weakness would hinder him should he be forced to physically restrain the witch. When he was able, he employed the services of strong but feeble-minded individuals to assist him. He preferred those with limited minds, for they asked few questions, and if they sustained serious injury, it was better that it happen to them. He was too important to risk injury. What he liked more than anything was that they did as they were told, collected their rewards, and went on their way.

  In the beginning, he had found it curious that she would come here where the lands were difficult, human contact—at least of the civilized kind—was quite limited, and survival could be difficult. Before he followed her here, he had heard stories of the many who began their journey west only to expire under the harsh conditions or at the hands of savages. It still remained a mystery to him why she would risk such odds. In the past, the witches he had hunted preferred the cities, where they could blend in with normal, pious people. They chose the cover of innocents to hide their dirty deeds. Here it was lonely and isolated. With no people for miles around, it was hard for a witch to ply her trade.

  Easy for him to destroy her.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  It wasn’t long before Molly’s clothes were dry enough to put back on. She grimaced as she pulled on the damp underwear, followed by the pants that were likewise still soggy. It would take a few more hours before they were completely dry, although they were a far cry better than when she’d slipped out of them after her unplanned dip in the river. Good enough to get them back on and moving in the direction of the cabin.

  The silence they shared while they waited for the garments to dry should have been uncomfortable. They barely knew each other, barely spoke the same language, and Molly had been sitting there naked except for a length of cloth. Yes, she should have felt ill at ease. She didn’t. It was more like hanging out with a life-long best friend…one she felt incredibly drawn to, as in a kind of I-want-to-jump-her-bones way.

  Crazy, that’s what it was. Everything had been nuts since she’d touched the grimoire. She wanted to say she was sorry she’d even picked up the damn thing, except it would be a lie. Truth was, this was the most exciting thing that had happened to her in forever. Well, save for the whole fire-in-the-shop thing, but that was a different kind of exciting. This was the kind that made her heart race and her toes curl, and she liked it.

  Once she put her clothes back on and gave herself a minute or two to acclimate to the feel of the touch of dampness in her pants and her bra, they began once more to walk in what Aquene assured her was the direction of the cabin. She couldn’t swear that’s where they were, in fact, heading, as it all looked quite alike to her. If they were back in her century, yeah, she would have been able to say for sure. In her time, she would have had landmarks and power lines and all sorts of clues to tell her the direction of travel. Here, she didn’t see anything but fields and trees and the river, and it all looked alike. Without Aquene, she would be lost, which sent a shot of fear up her spine. What if Angus and Winnie were in the same boat? They’d all hauled ass out of that cabin when danger came calling, and she was still convinced it had been the right thing to do.

  Winnie and Angus had been running blind, while she’d had a skilled guide with her. She and Aquene had managed to put miles between them and the cabin. Winnie and Angus would have been able to do the same thing if they’d kept moving. God, she hoped her friends were okay. If anything happened to them, she’d nev
er forgive herself. They were only here because of her, and it would be on her if they didn’t survive this strange twist of fate.

  “Worry not.” Aquene’s voice startled her out of her troubling thoughts.

  “What?”

  Aquene took her hand, and the shock of the contact almost made her pull it away. She didn’t, because the touch was incredibly comforting. “You worry about your friends.”

  “How do you know that?” Aquene seemed to be listening to her thoughts. Maybe Molly wasn’t the only witch in the group.

  “I do not know how it is I can feel what is in your heart. I do, and it is that simple. You worry for the safety of your friends. I tell you they will be well.”

  If being in her family had taught her anything, it was that nothing was really that simple. The universe had a way of working its magic through threads that tied them together. That same universe had seen fit to bring her and Aquene together, and she knew deep in her heart it was no coincidence. Neither did Aquene, who seemed to be reaching in to draw out her very thoughts. Simple? Not hardly.

  She linked her fingers with Aquene’s. “We’re here together for a reason, aren’t we?”

  Aquene smiled. “Have I not said that to you since I first looked into your eyes?”

  This time, Molly laughed. “Yeah, you kinda have.”

  “We are to fight this demon together and to end his killing of the innocents. It is why we are here now. We are stronger together.”

  Molly stopped and turned to stare into Aquene’s dark eyes. She saw much life and knowledge inside this beautiful woman, and it made Molly’s heart beat fast. She was so attracted to her it almost hurt. More than that, though, she felt honored to be working beside her. She was special in a unique way, and Molly would hold this woman in her heart even after she went home.