Would-Be Witch

by Kimberly Frost

  Lennox hit a button, and I heard gears turn, but couldn’t tell what he’d done. He walked over to a ladder and pointed to it.

  “Get in the tank.”

  “I don’t—”

  He grabbed my arm roughly, giving me an impatient yank.

  I hissed in pain and climbed up the ladder, looking down into the grayish water.

  “Get in the water now.”

  I pinched my nose and jumped in. The salt water stung my eyes, but it wasn’t as cold as I’d expected. I treaded water, sputtering in aggravation.

  A moment later, a set of bars slid overhead.

  “What are you doing?” I screamed. He’d trapped me.

  “I don’t want you wandering off while I’m occupied.”

  “Let me out!”

  “You’ll be fine. Just keep away from the bars.”

  The bars were about three feet above my head. What the hell did I look like? A porpoise?

  I heard a splash and knew he’d gotten in some other part of the tank.

  “What in the Sam Houston?” I mumbled, swimming toward the sound of him grunting in pain. I reached another set of bars. So the tank was partitioned in sections, like underwater jail cells.

  Something in the next part grabbed my leg, but I didn’t have time to scream before it dragged me down. I thrashed and fought, but whatever had snatched my leg yanked it partway through the bars.

  My pulse hammered through me as the thing tried to pull my leg out of joint. My chest squeezed tight. I needed air, but I didn’t have to worry about drowning. I was going to have a heart attack before that.

  I pretended to relax, not thrashing, then I pressed my free foot against a bar and shoved with all my might. I guess all that Tae Bo three years ago really worked because I got free and broke through the surface of the water, sputtering and shrieking.

  I treaded water, thinking that I was pretty damn tired of having the life nearly scared out of me all the time. My legs cramped, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay above water.

  Then the thing’s head emerged. A ferocious face with slimy hair plastered around it and needlelike teeth. It shrieked, hurting my ears, and then, with a swish of its scaly, greenish tail, it disappeared.

  I stayed silent in the water for what must have been five minutes before the bars overhead retracted and I saw Lennox, soaked to the bone on the ladder.

  “I specifically told you to stay away from the bars.”

  I made a nasty face at him.

  “Would you like to swim a few laps or are you coming out of there?” he asked.

  “What was that thing?” I asked.

  “Merrow, from a very nasty tribe,” he said, glancing at the tank as he climbed down.

  “Merrow?”

  “Merman. His race is especially vicious. Also, he’s angry that I’ve had him trapped in a tank almost a month.”

  “Why do you have him in the tank?”

  “The scales from their tails have special rejuvenative properties. Fresh scales in salt water, ocean water, heal the most stubborn wounds. It’s the only reason I’m still alive.”

  “So you plan to keep him in that tank for the rest of your life?” I asked, shocked.

  “No, I’d rather be dead than continue this much longer. Do you know what it feels like to soak an open wound in salt water? And to be too weak to spell-cast properly? It’s no way for a Class Six wizard to live. No, this was a temporary solution.”

  “Until you found a cure for a werewolf bite?”

  “Precisely.”

  “And have you?”

  “Perhaps.” Lennox walked over to a button and hit it. “I open the partitions to give him more room to swim when I’m not in the tank.” He turned to me. “How is Zach, by the way?”

  “He seems fine.”

  “Yes, the scales work very well at first, but it’s just temporary.”

  My eyes darted around the place, then back to him. “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

  “Despite the accent, you’re fairly clever.” He reached inside his shirt and produced my locket. “I want to meet your ghost.”

  I gasped. Just like that, there it was. “Give it to me,” I said, reaching. He lifted the chain from around his neck and handed it to me.

  “You put a binding spell on it, but I stole the bundle and protected the locket with counterspells,” he said.

  So he’d been the one who’d broken into my house. Bastard. And that’s when he’d probably marked my house with the werewolf blood and put them on my trail. Bastard! Lying, thieving, bring-the-town-under-siege bastard!

  “. . . but she hasn’t come out.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve done a lot of spells for calling ghosts. She won’t appear. It makes me believe she’s very stubborn and quite powerful. What spell do you use to call her? One of your family’s own creation, I suppose?”

  I shivered. Even with the crazy heat wave, it was too cold to stand around soaking wet in a cool dark barn. “We don’t call her. Edie appears when she feels like it.”

  He looked surprised for a moment, then tipped his head back and laughed. “Are you serious? You people can’t even bring a ghost to heel? How your family has survived all these years, I’ll never know.”

  He sat down on a white marble bench up against the wall.

  “We can’t wait for her to make an appearance. I expect she’s at least got a soul connection to you. When she realizes you’re in distress, she’ll come.”

  I didn’t like the sound of “in distress,” but Lennox was the last person I felt like helping.

  “Sit,” he said, nodding to the bench. “We’ll try some spells together.”

  I didn’t move. He took the gun from his belt and pointed it right at my heart.

  “We’re out of time. I’ve been spell-casting here today, so the wolves have tracked me to this place. Bryn won’t be able to contain them for long. I need to talk to your ghost so that I can get out of here. Then you can be on your way, too. When my full power is restored, Bryn and I will be able to defeat the wolves.”

  “Why should I trust you?”

  “Because I have a gun pointed at your chest?”

  “If you just wanted to talk to her, you could have asked for my help without stealing my locket. No, I don’t know why you want her, but I’m not going to help you call her.”

  “If I’d asked you and you’d said no and then your locket disappeared, who would have been at the top of Sutton’s list of suspects? Now, sit here. I want you to think about the first time you ever talked to her.”

  I tried not to let any memories pop into my head, but there Edie was telling me to cut all the Barbie dolls’ hair into bobs, including the Collector’s Edition Snow White that was supposed to be Georgia Sue’s birthday present. I’d gotten in so much trouble.

  He murmured something and lurched forward and grabbed my sore wrist and squeezed.

  “Ouch!”

  He looked around. “She’s not here. I’ll need you to recite the verse with me.”

  I’d always sworn I wouldn’t betray my family or friends. Not if terrorists took me hostage. Not if someone offered me two million dollars and a free lifetime subscription to In Style magazine. Edie was family, and Lennox couldn’t be trusted. I wasn’t going to help him.

  “No,” I said.

  He moved the gun and pressed it to my forehead. I squinched my eyes shut, my pulse pattering. Bravery is kind of overrated, and I hoped I wouldn’t need to be this brave in the afterlife.

  Chapter 28

  After a few seconds of not losing consciousness from a bullet breaking into my head, I opened my eyes. Lennox had leaned back on the bench with the gun sitting next to him.

  “You were bluffing about shooting me,” I said.

  He nodded curtly.

  “Good for you. Maybe you won’t go to hell after all.”

  “Too late.” He took a few short gasping breaths and pointed at the gun. “Take it. They’re comi
ng. Get out.”

  He tipped his head back to rest.

  “This isn’t the time to pass out,” I said, taking the gun into my right hand with the locket and tugging on him with the left. “Get up.”

  Blood seeped through his wet shirt. “C’mon, have a dip in the smelly water and then we’ll go. Edie will be showing up in a little while, and we’ll ask her if she knows a cure for werewolf bites.”

  “That’s not the question to ask her,” he said. Sweat sprang up on his forehead, and he slumped over.

  “Dang it,” I mumbled, trying to get him upright.

  Mercutio darted in, meowing wildly, and I knew wolves were chasing him. I ran to the door, pushed it shut and bolted it.

  “C’mon, let’s get you in the water,” I said to Lennox. I grabbed him and the locket fell to the floor. Mercutio snatched it, playing with the chain.

  Lennox swayed, but pulled himself upright, leaning heavily on the bench. Something crashed into the door.

  “Too late.” He sagged, but I grabbed him and squeezed his arms.

  “Zach and Bryn will come rescue us. And we’ve got to be ready to walk out of here, maybe even to run. Now we’re getting in the tank. Show some grit.”

  He didn’t say anything, but he let me lead him to the ladder.

  He shook his head at the rungs. Mercutio scaled it easily and sat looking down at us, the locket hanging from his neck like he was some king cat on a throne.

  “Gee, thanks for the help,” I said, shoving at Lennox, who climbed wearily.

  The doors groaned under the blows, and Mercutio swiped at the air and then bent and grabbed Lennox’s shirt with his teeth and pulled.

  A couple moments later, Lennox lay on the platform, panting. “Hurry,” I said, trying to roll him into the tank.

  “Wait. You’ve got to raise the inner bars.” He coughed and there was a little bright blood at the corner of his mouth.

  I scrambled down the ladder just as the bolt snapped and the doors flung open. Three snarling wolves rushed in. Merc roared, and I screamed.

  Two ran, leaping in the air toward the platform. I fired at them. Lennox, who looked dead, moved a leg at the last moment and kicked one, causing him to vault into the tank, while Mercutio fought with the other. They rolled, snarling into the tank, too.

  “No, Merc! Get out of there,” I yelled.

  The last wolf changed into Samuel, and his yellow eyes narrowed. “My wolves have your friends surrounded. When their ammunition runs out, they’ll be ripped to shreds.”

  My gaze darted to the open door and in an instant Samuel was on me, knocking me back, the gun flying from my hand. He ripped my clothes, and I screamed, struggling.

  Water splashed over the edge of the tank as the animals in the tank battled. Suddenly a wolf broke the surface, howling in rage and fear. Samuel looked up at the sound.

  We heard another wolven howl of pain along with the merman’s shriek.

  “Ahh!” came the growling scream from the tank. Samuel leapt up, running to the tank. He jumped, clearing the wall, and plunged in.

  I stood up on shaky legs, biting my lip. There was more splashing and screams, and the water turned a murky maroon.

  “Mercutio,” I cried, racing to retrieve the gun. I snatched it up and ran to the ladder. I climbed up with the gun in my teeth, like a deranged pirate.

  I glanced at Lennox. His eyes were closed. I couldn’t tell if he was still breathing. I gripped the gun with both hands, trying to make out the wolves and the merman.

  Suddenly the waves died down. The gun shook in my hands. Samuel, in half-wolf form, broke the surface of the water and sailed up onto the platform, his jaws open wide, giant teeth ready to snap my neck.

  I yelped and pulled the trigger over and over. The bullets tore into him and knocked him back into the water. Then everything was still, the bloody water settling, calm as death.

  “No,” I whispered.

  Then there was a tiny swish, like a snake moving. And I saw the tail sweeping away from us. And Mercutio’s head broke the surface as he clawed his way up the inner ladder.

  “Mercutio!” I cried, throwing my arms around his neck when he got to the platform. He shook and spit out a mouthful of dog hair and green scales, coughing a bit before he settled down to lick his fur.

  The bodies rose to the surface. The merman had sliced them up. I shuddered, looking away.

  “Tamara!” Bryn shouted, running into the barn.

  “Here.” I said, bending down to check Lennox. “Where’s Zach?” I asked, feeling a faint pulse.

  “He’s okay. Bleeding some, and it slowed him down. Are you all right?”

  I nodded. “Lennox isn’t doing very good though.”

  Bryn’s pace slowed, and his face creased with sorrow. “I know.” He came up the ladder with an expression that made my chest hurt.

  “Tammy Jo?” Zach called.

  I looked up to see Zach shuffle to the doorway and lean heavily on it. I could see the blood soaking his shirt even from twenty feet away.

  “I’m here,” I said, hurrying down the ladder. I was almost to him when he crumpled to the ground.

  “Oh!” I dropped to my knees next to him. He had a second wound now, a slash to his side, and both wounds streamed blood. I shoved my hand over the chest wound and pressed down as hard as I could.

  He winced a little and opened his eyes. His tongue touched his dry lips as if to wet them, but there wasn’t enough moisture.

  “Hey there,” I whispered.

  “Hey, darlin’, you all right?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. A couple got past us. I thought . . .” His eyes were unnaturally bright. “Hell, you’re still the prettiest thing I ever saw.” He paused, his lids drifting down before he forced them back up. “I wasn’t all I should have been to you, but I loved you. You’ll always remember that for me, won’t you?”

  Tears spilled from my eyes. I leaned down and kissed his lips. “Don’t go,” I whispered against his mouth, crying harder.

  “No help for it.” I felt his hand rub my back and then fall away.

  I sobbed over him.

  “Don’t cry, darlin’.” His voice was so weak.

  “What have you all been up to?”

  I looked up through blurry eyes and found Edie bending to examine Mercutio.

  “Zach’s been bitten by a werewolf. He needs help!”

  “Oh,” she said grimly. She drifted toward us and curled down to have a closer look. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “He’s dying. Do you know anything? Any spell?”

  She shook her head sadly. “My poor darling,” she said, brushing a phantom finger along my cheek. “Don’t worry. He’s very capable. He’ll find his way to the other side straight away. And maybe I’ll walk with him partway. I’ve wanted to have a chat with him for such a long time.”

  Zach was staring directly at the spot near my shoulder where Edie’s face was.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “You had her locket all this time?” Bryn asked, his voice a combination of surprise and anger. I looked over my shoulder and found that he’d carried Lennox down from the platform and set him on the nearby bench.

  “She can dance on my grave when I’m dead, and you can watch if you wish,” Lennox said, putting the focus right back on his own trouble, which I couldn’t blame him for.

  Bryn sighed, frowning, then spoke a few words in their foreign language. Lennox answered, and Bryn looked over to me.

  “My father says there’s a legend of healing water, Leon’s Spring. He thought your family ghost might know the location. Another ghost told him she did.”

  I looked expectantly at Edie.

  “It’s not pronounced lee-on. It’s pronounced lay-own. And I do know where it is. It’s along the second northeast ley line. About seven miles outside the town.”