09 - Return Of The Witch

by Dana E. Donovan

  Dominic said, “So you think the prophecy is real?”

  “No, but the power of the quintessential is real. Because Gypsy believes I have it, she’s initiated the process of systematic assimilation.”

  “But do we know that for sure? I mean we don’t have any bodies. This could be an elaborate conspiracy of revenge for that time you threw Gypsy in front of a train.”

  “No. You saw the video, Dominic. The guardians are dead. She most definitely killed them. The thought forms prove that.”

  Carlos said, “Well, all I know is that if Gypsy is hell-bent on killing you, then we need to stop her before that happens.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “I don’t know, but we can’t stand by and do nothing. She’ll eventually succeed.”

  “So you’re saying the only way she’ll stop trying to kill me is if we kill her first.”

  “You could put it that way.”

  An elderly Hispanic couple in the booth behind Carlos apparently heard his remark. The woman gasped and dropped her fork onto her plate. I lifted my head to see past Carlos’ shoulder and gave her a dirty look. “Yo. Mamacita. ¿Tienes un problema?”

  She shook her head no and patted her mouth with her napkin. I came back to Carlos. “You know I appreciate what you’re saying and all, but I can’t have you fighting my battles for me. Besides, I know you don’t have it in you to do a preemptive strike.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Lilith, I made a promise to Tony long ago that if anything ever happened to him, I would look out for you.”

  “Aw, that’s so sweet, and a little pig-headed of Tony, seeing as how I’d taken care of myself just fine for a hundred and seventy-five years before I met him.”

  Again, the sound of silverware chattering on a dinner plate interrupted our discussion. This time I took the high ground and let it pass.

  Carlos said, “Lilith, you can’t expect me to sit idly by while Gypsy plans her next move against you.”

  “He’s right,” said Dominic. “Besides, every time she tries getting close to you, it puts Ursula in danger, too.”

  “Dominic, it’s never been my intention to drag Ursula into anything.”

  “All the same. We want to help you stop her.”

  I flopped back in my seat and crossed my arms to my chest. “Fine, but I don’t know what you two think you can do. You can’t just shoot her. I’ve already tried that. She won’t stay in human form long enough. Bullets just go right through her.”

  I would have thought the old woman in the booth behind Carlos had learned her lesson and turned her hearing aid off. Apparently, she hadn’t. While sipping on a glass of iced tea, she apparently let a swallow go down the wrong pipe. After coughing and sputtering to catch her breath, she made it a point to turn and look back over her shoulder.

  “What?” I said to her. “It’s true.” I cupped my hands in a mock gun hold and squeezed off three rounds of an imaginary trigger. “Pow! Pow! Pow! The bitch wouldn’t die, lady. What can I tell you?”

  Her husband got up, offered his hand to help her out of the booth and escorted her up to the cashier’s counter.

  “Nice,” I said.

  Carlos slapped his hand down on the table. “We’ll have to think of something. We have to find her weak spot.”

  “She may not have a weak spot now. From what I’ve seen, she has all the bases covered.”

  “So what do we do?”

  I looked at the time. It wasn’t late, but I was dog-tired. “I don’t know about you all,” I said, “but I need a good night’s sleep. Shape-shifting takes a lot out of a gal. Anyway, we don’t know where to find Gypsy. As much as I hate to say it, we might have to wait for her to come to us…or me.”

  “You want to stay at my place tonight?” Carlos offered.

  I reached across the table and patted his hand. “Thanks, but I want to sleep in my own bed tonight. Would you guys mind taking me home now?”

  I could tell Carlos was hesitant in agreeing to that. Dominic didn’t mind, though. He knew that as long as I was home alone, then Ursula wouldn’t be in any danger. I supposed he was right. If Gypsy wanted to come back for me, she’d stop at nothing and spare no one to do it. I only hoped that all that shape-shifting had her as worn out as I was. With luck, we both wished for nothing more than to get a good night’s sleep so we could worry about things in the morning.

  The three dropped me off at my house and waited in the driveway until I was safely inside. I waved goodbye and shut the door. I’m sure the car was long gone by the time I got into the kitchen and found the note on the table. Otherwise, I think I would have changed my mind and took Carlos up on his offer to let me stay with him.

  The note read:

  I’m through playing games, Lilith. I thought we might do this without anyone else getting hurt. I can’t promise that now. If you don’t want to see your friends dragged into this any further, meet me at the old cannery at Suffolk’s Walk in the morning, eight o’clock. Come alone and meet your destiny.

  Eight o’clock, I thought, and laughed to myself. Gypsy hadn’t been up that early for anything in her life. Then I read the P.S.

  P.S. Better make it ten. I want to sleep in.

  I wadded the note up and tossed it into the trash. “Ten. That’s a good hour to die. I hope you’re ready, Gypsy.”

  Chapter 21

  I called Ursula early the next morning and asked if she would come over to the house right away. “And bring your witch’s key,” I told her. “I may need to borrow it.”

  She showed up around eight-thirty with Dominic and Carlos in tow.

  “Ursula.” I stood at the door with arms crossed, toe tapping. “When I spoke to you on the phone, did I say anything about bringing Carlos and Dominic along?”

  She shook her head. “Did thou say not to?”

  I turned and headed across the room. “Come in. I’ll make another pot of coffee.”

  The three followed me into the kitchen and took seats at the table.

  Dominic said, “Lilith, you didn’t expect me to let Ursula come here alone so that you two could hatch some cockamamie plan to take Gypsy on all by yourselves, did you?”

  “No. I thought you’d have been at work by now and she wouldn’t have to ask your permission to come over.”

  “It’s my day off.”

  “Yeah? What about you, Carlos? Is it your day off, too?”

  “No. I just didn’t want to miss anything.” He helped himself to a piece of leftover toast off my breakfast plate. “I was on my way to the Perc when Dominic called to tell me that you and Ursula were up to something. Hey, you got anymore eggs to go with this toast?”

  “Yeah, if you want to cook them yourself.”

  “Oh, please,” said Ursula. “I will cook eggs for thee.”

  “You?” I gave Dominic the WTF look. “She cooks?”

  “Yeah, she’s a good cook, so long as it’s over an open fire.”

  “Hmm, that’s what I thought. Carlos, there’s some leftover pizza in the fridge. Help yourself.”

  While Carlos rummaged through my fridge, Dominic got right down to business. “Okay, Lilith. Tell me what you’re planning.”

  “Planning? Who says I’m planning anything?”

  “Why else would you need Ursula’s witch’s key?”

  Carlos came back to the table with the leftover pizza still in the box. He flipped open the lid. Two-thirds of the pie remained, along with the crust from a couple of eaten slices.

  “Bingo!” he said. “Anyone hungry?”

  Dominic leaned over the box and made a face. “How old is that pizza?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged a guess. “Couple days.”

  “Days? You sure? It’s got green fuzz on it.”

  “No it doesn’t. That’s broccoli.”

  He eased back in his seat. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

  Carlos looked at it closer. “It is sort of fluffy.” He closed the lid. “Got anything e
lse?”

  “No. Ursula, did you bring the key?”

  “I saw some eggs in there.”

  I ignored him. “Ursula?”

  Ursula reached into her blouse and removed a witch’s key and chain from around her neck. “Aye, `tis yours as you wish.”

  I took the key and slipped it into my pocket.

  “Now that you have it, Lilith, what do you plan to do with it?” Dominic asked.

  “I told you I don’t know yet, but not to change the subject….” I went over to the trash and removed the note Gypsy left for me the night before. “I found this last night when I got home,” I said as I tossed it onto the table.

  Dominic read it. “It’s from Gypsy.” He handed the note to Carlos. “She was in your house?”

  “Apparently.”

  Carlos read it and handed it to Ursula. “She wants you to meet her at ten o`clock?” He checked his watch. “That’s only a little over an hour from now.”

  “I know.”

  “And you still don’t have a plan?” Dominic asked.

  “No, I don’t have a plan. That’s what I was working on when you all got here.”

  “Oh, so you’re working on one.”

  “Yes.”

  “Great. Let’s hear what you have so far.”

  “So far?”

  “Yes. What were you thinking?”

  “Well, I really haven’t thought much further than getting my hands on a witch’s key.”

  “Lilith.”

  “`Right, all right. Let me think. I work better under pressure.”

  Carlos said, “You can’t work under much more pressure than this.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Aw, come on, Lilith,” Dominic said. “You asked Ursula for the key. You must have some inkling as to what you’re planning.”

  “Of course, I have an inkling.”

  “Then let’s hear it.”

  “Okay. I figured that first I’d try to fake her out with a projection spell, you know, cast my image against a wall to make her look the other way. That’s the simplest thing. Then I thought I might take her out with a zip ball before she even knew what hit her. You know, the classic ambush.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?”

  “If that doesn’t work, I go to plan B.” I pulled the witch’s key from my pocket and swung it on its chain like a pendulum. “Before I lost my key, I’d been practicing something called trans-molecular diversion. It facilitates the dissipation of stagnant resistance through matter deflection.”

  “It what?” asked Carlos.

  “It lets me move stuff.”

  “You mean like magic?”

  “Yes, Carlos. That’s what magick is. It’s matter transfer through energy manipulation.”

  Dominic asked, “What’ll you move?”

  “I don’t know…stuff.”

  “Stuff?”

  “Yes, Dominic, whatever. You see, the key is just a conduit for thermodynamic conversion. It’s like the vortex that took us to the Eighth Sphere. The key didn’t take us there, it merely facilitated the energy diversion necessary to create the vortex.”

  “It’s a tool.”

  “It’s an instrument of opportunity. Look, I don’t know what to expect. Gypsy now holds power over the prime essentials. That makes her extremely dangerous.”

  “I don’t care,” said Carlos. “Together, we can take her. We can put her down like the scurvy dog she is.”

  “Carlos, that’s my mother you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, sorry.” He looked away sheepishly.

  “It’s scurvy bitch to you.”

  He rolled his eyes back up at me and smiled. I winked and smiled back. “Look, everyone. I appreciate the support; I do, but this is my battle. I have to fight it alone.”

  “You will not!”

  “Carlos. I need—”

  “No, Lilith. I told you last night. I made a promise to Tony that I’d look out for you. This may be your battle, and you can fight it whichever way you like, but I’m going with you. I got your back.”

  “We got your back,” said Dominic.

  “You do, eh?” I looked to Ursula. “You, too?”

  “Aye. Through thick and thin. Art we not sisters to the end?”

  I returned to Dominic. “You got anything to say about that?”

  “No.” He reached across the table and took Ursula’s hand. “Ursula and I talked about this last night. We’ve been through a lot over the years, all of us. The thing that’s kept us strong is that we’ve always gone through difficult times together. Until now, we’ve always come back.” He bowed his head and shook it softly. “We’re not losing anyone else. It’s your battle. You can fight it as you wish, but if you go down, we all go down.”

  “Amen to that,” said Carlos. He checked his watch and added, “But we don’t have to go down hungry. There’s a place on Madison that serves breakfast burritos at their drive-thru. It’s on the way to Suffolk’s Walk. If anyone’s interested, I’m buying.”

  “All right then.” I clapped my hands together. “Let’s go kick some witch ass.”

  I led them single-file across the living room and out the front door, but stopped short when I saw what was sitting in my driveway.

  “Carlos?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s that in my driveway?”

  “You mean the big blue thing?”

  “Yes, the big blue thing.”

  “Um…that would be my monster truck.”

  “You came here in a monster truck.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Cuz I could.”

  “Carlos.”

  “Hey, I didn’t know we were all going out to kick some witch ass. Besides, if Gypsy tries to pull that old cow trick again we can just squash her.”

  “You think?”

  “It could happen.”

  “The wheels are taller than me. Is this thing even street legal?”

  He thought about it. “Maybe.”

  “Okay. That’s it.”

  “What?”

  I backhanded him on the chest and took off running for the passenger side. “I call shotgun!”

  As it turned out, there was enough room in the cab for three of us. Dominic rode in the back, hanging on to the tie down cleats bolted along the side panels of the bed. It worked out well, until it was time to eat his burrito. Carlos swore at him for making a mess with it, but inside we all laughed…inside the cab, that is.

  We arrived at the old cannery around nine-thirty, plenty early enough for the others to hide and for me to scope out the battle field.

  I have a bit of history at Suffolk’s Walk. I know the docks and warehouses there well. Yet the fact Gypsy picked that location made me think she knew something about the place that I didn’t, perhaps some advantage it offered that only she could appreciate.

  Like most of the buildings spaced along a half-mile stretch between the first and fourth pier, the old cannery had seen its day. Decades of neglect after the district’s closing had rendered the place unsafe for occupancy.

  Every window on the parking lot side was broken, kids and stickball games being what they are. The variegated sheet metal on the walls and steep-angled roof, however, proved more resilient against such elements. Their galvanized panels made for good skins against the wrath of vandals and nor’easters alike. Yet the wooden trusses, struts, studs and joists that made up the bones of the building fared none so well.

  We made entry through a hole in the west wall after trying the barn-sized doors out front and finding them locked. Dominic brought along a flashlight, but didn’t need it. The combination of skylights and broken windows out front presented a surprisingly well-lit interior. But for the gloom of brown sunlight filtering through the grime-stained bayside windows, Gypsy had picked a perfectly rustic arena for a showdown.

  “All right,” I said, taking my first step across the cathedral-sized room. “Let’s get this show on the ro
ad.”

  Carlos snatched my wrist and pulled me back. “Careful.” His gaze directed mine to the floor where the boards there were badly splintered, rotten, and in some places missing.

  I looked at him with surprise. “Thanks.”

  He smiled. “You’re welcome. Now watch your step. We’ll be over there.”

  I followed his nod and assumed he was talking about the supervisor’s office, a ten-by-ten room behind the weigh station, surrounded on three sides by large observation windows.

  “You’ll be in there?”

  “No. Ursula will be in there. Dominic and I will be above it.”

  I looked again, this time spying the observation deck above the office. From there, the two would have a commanding view of the entire work floor, the entrances, exits and even the catwalk skirting the bayside wall below the skylights.

  “Nice,” I said. “What more could you ask for?”

  Dominic answered, “A sniper’s rifle?”

  “A little late for that.”

  “Listen,” said Carlos. “We know this is your game. You call it as you see it. But the moment Gypsy demonstrates a hostile move, Dominic and I will take the shot. So, if you hear gunfire, I want you to hit the ground hard. Got it?”

  “Sure, only not there, right?” I pointed to a hole in the floor where one could see the telephone pole-sized pilings sticking up from the muddy bay bottom below. “Water’s probably cold.”

  “Yeah, you know it. Got your witch’s key?”

  I patted my jeans pocket. “Got it.”

  “How about your zip ball? Is there enough energy in the room for that?”

  “Carlos, there’s plenty of energy for a zip ball. Now how `bout you? You got your piece?”

  He patted the bulge in his jacket. “Locked and loaded.”

  “How `bout your backup?”

  He lifted his leg. “.38 Special in my ankle holster.”

  “Got any gum?”

  “You need a piece of gum?”

  “No. You do. Your breath smells like burritos. Gypsy has a keen sense of smell.”

  “Funny.”

  He started away. I stopped him. “Carlos?”

  “Yes?”

  I pressed my hand to the gun tucked inside his shoulder holster. “This won’t stop her unless she’s in human form. You know that, don’t you?”