by Nora Lee
Orianna set the jar down. “But where’s Fern?”
Rowan turned to the table where the little girl had been playing with the water.
She was gone.
Chapter 16
FERN WASN’T ANYWHERE in Nana’s house, nor was she in the garden. Tiny footprints carved a muddy path through the pumpkin patch, but vanished before reaching the road.
There was no denying it: Fern was gone.
Orianna was nearly in tears, and even Nana’s embrace wasn’t enough to help.
“She’s probably hiding nearby just to get away from all the noise,” Garrett said, reaching over to pat her shoulder.
The fear in Caedmon’s eyes was far more endearing than anything else Rowan had seen from him before, even his clumsy attempts at rolling out piecrust. “We’ll need to organize a search party. I’ll head back into town right away and ask for help.”
“Good idea. I’ll come too,” said Rowan. “Two of us will be faster rallying help than one.”
“Three of us,” Garrett said, jogging down the lane to join them.
She joined Garrett out in the lane and they headed toward Secret Hallow, each of them scanning one side of the road, as they both called out an occasional, “Fern? Where are you?”
Caedmon jogged ahead of them. “Keep looking. I’ll meet you in town!”
He kicked up the pace to a sprint and vanished around the bend.
“I never would have thought the guy would worry about anyone except himself,” Rowan said.
“Then you didn’t think much about him at all,” Garrett said. “It’s obvious how much he cares about Fern and Orianna. Fern! Fern, can you hear me?” He cupped his hands around his mouth to help his voice carry.
Nothing responded to their calls but the sigh of the wind in the trees, the caw of an occasional raven, and the scampering of small animals in the underbrush. Garrett’s breath came hard and fast as they first quick-walked, jogged, and then broke into a full trot. Watching for signs of the little girl, Rowan didn’t pay as much attention to the uneven track as she should have and tripped over a large rock, falling onto her hands and knees.
“Oh, pumpkin guts!”
“You okay?” Garrett reached down to help her up.
“Yeah. Just clumsy.” She cast a rueful glance at the torn knee of her favorite pair of jeans as she wiped dirt and gravel off the small scratch on her kneecap. Rowan then examined the palms of her hands and found they were just as scraped as her legs.
“What did you say?”
She looked up to find Garrett chuckling. “I said I’m clumsy.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Before that.”
Rowan thought back over the last few minutes as she tried to recall what she said that might be considered funny. After a moment, she realized he was laughing at her curse. “You mean the ‘oh, pumpkin guts’ thing. We don’t always talk like you do out in the mundane world.”
“Guess not, if you consider ‘pumpkin’ to be a swear.” Garrett took her hands in his and examined her palms. “We should get you some antiseptic.”
“I’ll be fine. Finding Fern is much more important.”
He kissed each of her wounds in turn. “If you sure, then I guess that will have to do for now.”
They started off toward the village again, moving at a slower pace as they continued to search for signs of Fern, but saw nothing other than the footprints left by Caedmon when he’d passed through earlier.
The lane widened into the cobblestone thoroughfare leading through the center of Secret Hallow before too much longer. They passed the Penny Spindle, where she saw Hephaestus setting up a new window display, the spirit’s hands shimmering as they passed through the supports holding up the shelving to rearrange a couple items.
Hurrying by Java by Candlelight, they found the outside tables empty of patrons and the closed sign on the door.
When they reached Books of Shadows they also found the shop closed and the upstairs apartment dark.
“Where is everyone?” Rowan glanced around, trying to figure out how much help they would be if they couldn’t determine what areas had already been searched.
Garrett put a comforting arm across her shoulders. “They’re all searching, of course. I’m sure we’ll run across someone soon.” He glanced up and down a street burnished by the golden light of late afternoon. “What places do you think they might be checking?”
Rowan thought back to her own childhood. “We’ve already seen most of the buildings are empty so I’m sure they were probably all checked first. Let’s head down to the beach…” She led the way across the street toward the forest separating the village from the ocean.
Just as they reached the edge of the trees, she heard a rustling and saw Caedmon and Orianna hurrying in their direction. Orianna had borrowed Nana’s truck to catch up with them.
“Any luck?” Orianna called, sounding more frantic than she had earlier. “Did you find her?”
Shaking her head, Rowan placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “We haven’t seen any signs and the village seems deserted.”
“We roused everyone as soon as we could.” Caedmon pushed past the others. “I’m sure someone else must have seen her by now.” He turned back to Orianna. “Maybe you should go back to your place to wait for her.”
“I can’t just sit at home with my daughter lost out there!”
“Of course not.” Rowan tried to keep her voice low and soothing. “How about we go check the farm?”
“We’ve already done that!” The group turned to find Enid, Gemma, and Bronson hurrying in their direction, though the big dog couldn’t seem to move much faster than a slow lope. Even the disappearance of one of the coven’s youngest witchlings couldn’t stir the Saint Bernard into running.
“She’s not there,” Enid went on.
Adora and Nana appeared at the same time, coming in from opposite directions.
“No sign of her in any of the usual hiding places the kids around here favor,” said Nana, leaning heavily on her cane and Adora’s arm. “I can’t think where the poor thing might have gone. We’ve got to find her before nightfall.” She turned to Adora and the Ash sisters. “Let’s go check with the others to see if anyone else has had any luck.”
Gemma smiled at Orianna. “We’ll find her, Ori. Don’t you worry too much.”
“Why don’t we at least go get something warm to wear and a couple lanterns,” said Caedmon, giving Rowan a look that suggested to her he’d realized she hadn’t been impressed with his earlier response to the situation. “We need to be prepared in case we do have to keep looking after dark.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you bring a couple lights for us, too? We’ll wait here.” Garrett placed a hand on Rowan’s arm to keep her at his side as the other couple hurried up the stairs to Orianna’s place. He waited until they’d disappeared inside then turned Rowan to face him. “I know it’s not your favorite thing, but could you use your powers to track her down?”
Rowan frowned as she considered his question. She’d been able to sense others in the past, though she couldn’t always get a firm fix on their location. “I suppose I could…”
“Don’t you think this is a good time to try? For her?”
The memory of Orianna’s drawn expression and the sheen of tears in her eyes helped her come to a decision. She nodded. “Of course I’ll try. I just can’t be sure I’ll be successful.” She motioned for him to stay put. “I’m going to find a quiet spot.”
“Okay.”
She rushed into the trees and stumbled through the undergrowth until she came across a small clearing.
Part of the reason she’d distanced herself from the village was that she feared hurting someone if she lost control of her powers. Guilt already threatened to overwhelm her—she didn’t need to make matters any worse.
Standing firm in the center of the open space, her feet shoulder-width apart, she raised her hands to shoulder height and closed her eyes. She took several
breaths, each slower and deeper than the last, until she’d cleared as much of the worry and tension from her mind as possible.
Rowan then opened herself to the power of the ground beneath her.
A tingling sensation tickled the soles of her feet as the power entered her. She felt the surge of energy slip into her muscles and bloodstream as the power spread through her body, warming her, until she became a vessel full of magic.
Though she kept her eyes closed, shimmering images of the trees and bushes in her immediate vicinity filled her mind, and she picked her way through them until she found the nearest humans: Garrett, Orianna, and Caedmon standing together on Main Street. Adora, Nana, and the Ash sisters seemed to be on the front porch of the Ash house.
Other villagers moved through the trees not to far from where Rowan stood, some picked through the forest on the far side of Secret Hallow, and a group of children raced each other along the beach.
She sensed no sign of Fern.
Reinforcing her mental hold on her energies, Rowan allowed her senses to expand further, until they’d bypassed the far end of Secret Hallow in the direction of the Samhain Grove, slowing as they slogged into the dark sickness that intensified as she grew closer to the Elder Tree. Her stomach roiled at the feeling of sadness emanating from the grove.
Rowan clenched her teeth. She couldn’t give up now.
Taking several more deep breaths, she used all the positive energies around her into a protective shield before reaching out once more.
Amidst the shriveled gray heart of the sick Elder Tree she sensed a small concentration of lightness. She felt her way through the darkness until the light shone bright and true before her.
Fern!
The elemental witchling had run far and fast to reach the Samhain Grove before everyone else.
Rowan took care to maintain her hold on the powers she’d used until they released back into the ground with only a small tremor to mark their passing. Her muscles protested exertions she’d long denied herself and she struggled to make her way back to Main Street on trembling legs.
“Are you all right?” Garrett rushed to her side as soon as she appeared and she collapsed into his arms. “You look terrible.”
Brushing a sweat-soaked strand of hair off her brow with a trembling hand, Rowan dredged up a small smile. “I’m fine.” Her voice came out as a croak, her throat burned raw. “I found her.”
☆★☆
The piled into the pickup and blazed down the road to the Samhain Grove. Caedmon drove the truck and Orianna shared the cab with him. On the seat between them sat a folded blanket, a thermos of warm cider, and a container of Fern’s brine-infused broccoli.
Garrett and Rowan lay curled together in the bed of the truck. They rocked from side to side as the vehicle bounced over the rocky road leading into the depths of the grove. The fading sunlight of early evening showed them little detail of the branches arching overhead and their passage stirred a nest of bats into flight.
Despite being held close to Garrett’s warmth and being wrapped in a thick blanket, Rowan shivered in the aftermath of her exertions, her body struggling to return to some semblance of normalcy. Her teeth chattered so hard she bit the inside of her cheek.
“What’s wrong?” Garrett leaned his head close as he caught her slight exclamation of pain. “What can I do?”
Taking his hand in hers, she smiled. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m just out of practice.”
The pickup ground to a halt and they slid up against the cab.
Rubbing her sore head, Rowan tried to untangle herself from the blanket so she could get up.
Garrett hopped out of the truck bed and hurried to open the tailgate. Once Rowan managed to get to the edge, he lifted her down to the ground, keeping her in his arms to be sure she wouldn’t fall. “Okay?”
Rowan nodded.
“Fern!” Orianna hurried onto the path leading toward the Elder Tree.
Caedmon followed close behind. “Wait! You forgot your lantern!”
The couple soon disappeared into the gloom.
Rising winds stirred the dead leaves littering the ground around their feet.
Looking toward the west, Rowan saw towering clouds building up and moving toward them. The first time she had seen a storm like that, she had mistaken the clouds for a natural storm fiercer than any usually seen in the Olympic Peninsula. Now she recognized it for what it was: a tangible embodiment of Fern’s pain.
The child must’ve been more disturbed by the events of that day than they’d thought and, judging by the intensifying storm building up around them, had lost all control of her powers.
“We’ve got to get to Fern!” Rowan cried.
Gathering up all the strength remaining to her, Rowan pulled out of Garrett’s arms and started after Caedmon and Orianna.
She sloshed through the stagnant water separating the Elder Tree from the rest of the grove and found Caedmon and Orianna staring up into the soaring branches above them as a flash of lightning split the darkening sky.
“Fern?” Orianna shielded her eyes from flying debris as she tried to find signs of her daughter in the tree.
Another flash illuminated the tiny silhouette of the child hugging a bucking branch high overhead.
Orianna clutched her heart. “She’s going to fall!”
Caedmon handed his lantern off to Garrett. “No, she won’t. I’ll get her.” He found a couple spots to use as handholds and pulled himself up, his feet scrambling to find support.
Surprise at his bold attempt to rescue Fern warred with Rowan’s intense dislike of the man. Caedmon disappeared into the foliage.
A shower of dying leaves fluttered down around them, shaken free by the howling winds and Caedmon’s movements. Several more flashes of lightning showed them his progress as he struggled to reach across the huge gaps between branches to climb ever closer to Fern.
Rowan wondered how on earth the little girl had been able to get up so high on her own.
“Oh!”
Orianna’s fearful gasp brought her attention back to the tree.
The branch on which Caedmon stood cracked beneath him.
Rowan’s breath caught and her heart pounded with fear as she watched him scrambled to find another foothold before he tumbled to the ground far below.
The seconds passed with excruciating slowness as his feet windmilled and while his handhold slipped. Just when she thought he’d come crashing down before them, he managed to swing a leg across a more secure branch, pulling himself up against the width of the tree’s trunk to catch his breath.
She didn’t notice Garrett had moved to her side until he spoke in her ear. “Why doesn’t he use his powers to get her down?”
“Remember what I told you about using magic against unwilling subjects?”
“Right.” Garrett smacked his forehead. “You did say that.” He looked up again with a squint as he tried to find Caedmon in the ever-darkening light.
Another bolt of lightning struck close enough for them to smell the burnt ozone.
Hair standing on end from the proximity of the electrical charge, Rowan watched Caedmon making his careful way down the tree trunk…with Fern clinging tight to his chest.
Caedmon had rescued her.
They still had to get to the ground, though. And it was still very, very windy.
Garrett pulled Rowan to him until her back rested against the warmth of his chest. A chill traced her spine as she continued to watch the slow progression of man and child.
“Please let them get down okay.” Orianna’s quiet plea caught Rowan’s attention.
Caedmon slipped halfway down the trunk.
Garrett rushed forward, arms extended. “Here! Let me help!”
For a tense moment, it looked like Caedmon wouldn’t trust the mundane man. But then he passed the girl down and leaped after her.
“Baby!” Orianna grabbed her daughter and kissed every inch of her bare skin. Miraculously, Fern appeared un
harmed—rumpled, teary, and red-faced, but without injury. “Why would you do something so dangerous?”
“I didn’t want to hurt nobody,” Fern said. “I got scared and the wind was coming. Rowan told me to push it away when my feelings get big.”
Guilt crawled over Rowan. She dropped to her knees beside her. “I was wrong. When your feelings get big, you should always, always share them with us. Okay?”
Fern nodded tearfully.
Rowan heaved a deep sigh of relief and allowed herself to slump to the ground. Drawing her knees to her chest and hiding her face, she released the tears she’d been fighting.
“Do you believe me now, woman?” Caedmon asked.
Rowan tried to gather the strength to argue with him, but then realized he wasn’t speaking to her. He was addressing Orianna.
“Having you and Fern in my life would never be anything but a blessing,” Caedmon said, “and I will do anything to have you. Both of you.”
The Samhain Grove grew quiet.
“Oh, Caedmon,” Orianna said, tears streaking her cheeks.
The witch and warlock shared a passionate kiss, Fern held tight between them. The little girl smiled and leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder.
Red light stained the clouds breaking up in the sky above them as the sun set.
Chapter 17
LOVE HAD CALMED the storm surrounding the Elder Tree. It was enough to make Rowan sob anew, but she wasn’t the only one touched by the beauty of it. Garrett reached out to take her hand.
She wanted to embrace him the way that Orianna and Caedmon embraced. She wanted to bring his love back into her life.
Yet had anything changed?
Rowan knew her feelings now. She knew that she loved Garrett and that he didn’t care if she was a witch. But Fern’s stormy tantrum reminded her of the one fact nobody could change: Garrett was a mundane, and living among the coven would be dangerous.
She pulled her hand away before Garrett could embrace her.
“Rowan, please,” he said.
She opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the shaking of the earth. A loud crack drew her attention to her feet. There was a fissure opening in the grass below her.
