Something Wiccan This Way Comes

by Emma Harrison

  “This is not good,” Piper said when she saw one of Craig’s brethren tossing clothes and bedding out of one of the tents. “We have to stop this.”

  “There!” Phoebe said, pointing at a tent that had two guys standing outside of it, apparently acting as guards. “That has to be it.”

  The three sisters walked up to the sentries, and Phoebe took a step forward. “Hey, we’d like to get a look inside,” she said to the taller of the two guys. He had long hair and seriously mean-looking blue eyes.

  “I don’t think so,” he said firmly. “Christian said no one is to go in until we find Craig.”

  “Okay, fine,” Paige said, pulling on Phoebe’s arm. “Let’s go…find Craig.” She tilted her head to tell Piper and Phoebe to follow her, then led them around to the back of the tent. “All right,” she said, holding both their hands. “We’re going in.”

  Before Piper could even utter a protest, she was enveloped in Paige’s white light and reappeared with her sisters inside the tent.

  “Paige!” Piper exclaimed. “If anyone saw you—”

  “Don’t worry. There was no one back there,” Paige said, glancing around. “Hey! Why does he get his own tent?” she whispered indignantly. Sure enough, there was only one cot in this tent, but it was practically destroyed. One leg was crushed, the sheets and blankets were shredded and tossed around the room, and the pillow looked like someone had used a machete on it.

  “He was on the prowl last night,” Phoebe reminded them. “Maybe he paid extra so he could have some privacy and lure the ladies back to his lair.”

  “What is this?” Piper asked, taking a few steps closer to the bed. Slashes of some shiny black substance covered the mattress, and there were even a few on the canvas wall next to the cot. Piper touched one of the marks with the tip of her finger and rubbed it against her thumb. “It has the consistency of oil,” she said, scrunching up her nose. She sniffed her fingers, and the sour, tangy smell made her stomach heave.

  “Ugh! But it doesn’t smell like oil,” she added. “I have no idea what that is.” She wiped her hands on the sheets and stepped away from the bed.

  “Whatever did this must have had some serious claws,” Phoebe said. “This is weird, right? I mean, there wasn’t any evidence at the other kidnappings, and now we have this.”

  “And I don’t remember a mention of shredded bedding, either,” Paige said, holding a strip of torn sheet between two fingers.

  Suddenly there were loud male voices outside the tent, and Phoebe grabbed her sisters’ arms. “That’s Christian,” she said. “We better get out of here.”

  Paige orbed them out of the tent and back into their own so that no one would see them. The second they were there, Piper grabbed her cell phone and started dialing.

  “Who are you calling?” Paige asked.

  “Daryl,” Piper said, clutching the phone. She’d promised to keep him updated if even the slightest thing was amiss, and this new evidence was a lot more than slight.

  “Detective Morris,” Daryl’s voice barked on the other end of the line.

  “Daryl, it’s Piper. We’ve had a kidnapping,” Piper said, lowering herself onto her cot shakily. “Was there anything about oily black markings with the other victims?”

  “No. Nothing like that,” Daryl said. “Are you telling me this guy finally left evidence? Maybe he’s getting careless.”

  “I’m definitely thinking it’s more of an it than a he,” Piper told him, looking up at her sisters. “I’m gonna call Leo.”

  “All right,” Daryl said. “Just let me know if you find anything else, and please be careful.”

  “We will,” Piper said. She clicked off the phone. “Leo!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, expending some of her pent-up tension and causing Paige and Phoebe to jump.

  Leo instantly orbed into the tent and looked around at the sisters. “That was a loud one,” he said. “What’s going on?”

  “Another kidnapping,” Paige replied, hugging her arms to herself. “Not pretty.”

  Piper stood and dropped her phone on the bed. She was so tense she couldn’t even let herself be comforted at the sight of her husband. “Can you check the Book of Shadows for anything that might kidnap witches and leave behind oily black markings?” she asked him.

  “Sure,” Leo replied, his brow creased. “But it could be a little while. The Elders are keeping us pretty busy. You know, with all the kidnappings…”

  “Just do what you can, okay?” Piper asked.

  “I will,” Leo said. He gave her a quick hug and kissed her forehead and was gone.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” Phoebe said, coming over and wrapping her arms around Piper. “Thanks to those black marks, we’re a lot closer to finding this thing.”

  Paige joined in on the group hug, and Piper closed her eyes, trying to blot out the images of all those ripped sheets, all those marks. Trying to blot out the thought of Taryn and Tessa’s little sister in the hands of whatever this thing was.

  Trying to blot out the thought that one of the Charmed Ones could be next.

  • • •

  That night Phoebe stood outside the tent, watching the mass exodus that seemed to be taking place. Craig hadn’t been found, and each passing moment that he was still missing seemed to drive the population of the Gathering a little more crazy with worry. The hippie coven that was staying in the next few tents was on its way out. They had backed up their two vans right near their tent doors and were randomly throwing things inside.

  Marcia stood outside a tent a few plots down, arguing with one of the Trekkie guys from Phoebe’s table in the dining hall.

  “Look, I think we deserve a full refund here,” the guy said, no longer using the affected one-note voice he’d had that morning. “You don’t even know what happened to this guy! And you don’t even have security!”

  “I’m cooperating with the police, and they’re going to station a few officers here,” Marcia said desperately. “Please, I’m sure there will be no more incidents.”

  “There’s already been one too many,” the guy said firmly. “We’re leaving, and if I don’t get my money back when I stop by Treetop’s office in ten minutes, then you’ll both be hearing from my lawyer.”

  Phoebe sighed as the guy stalked back into his tent and Marcia scurried off, frazzled and upset. This wasn’t exactly turning out to be the peaceful Gathering everyone expected. Craig’s kidnapping wasn’t Marcia’s fault, but Phoebe couldn’t help agreeing with the Trekkie guy. One incident was one too many.

  A few other covens had already pulled out early that afternoon. Those who were sticking it out were busy using incense and crystals to cast protection circles around their tents. The atmosphere was more subdued than it had been that morning, but it was also grim. As if everyone had resolved themselves to the fact that it was going to happen again.

  Phoebe took a deep breath and walked back inside the tent. Paige was lying on her cot reading her handbook, and Piper was refolding her clothes.

  “What is that smell?” Piper asked, looking up at Phoebe.

  “Incense,” Phoebe replied, crossing to her cot and pulling her bag out from underneath. She unzipped the outside pocket and pulled out five crystals she’d packed at the last minute. They clinked together in her palm, and their cool, smooth surface made her feel a bit better.

  “What are you doing?” Piper asked as Paige sat up on her own cot.

  “I think we should cast a protection circle,” Phoebe said, walking out the tent door. She placed one crystal right in front of it on the ground, then walked around the tent, placing the other crystals in a circle. Piper and Paige came out and watched her as she worked.

  “Do you really think this is necessary?” Piper asked, folding her arms over her chest.

  “Of course it is,” Phoebe said, her breath starting to come fast and shallow. “Piper, you were as freaked as everyone else this morning, if not more so.”

  “I know that,” Piper sai
d. “But Phoebe, we have protections these other people don’t have. If something with huge claws busts into our tent, I’ll just blow it up.” She said the last few words quietly so that the packing hippies wouldn’t hear. “Besides, these things have flaws. If there were one foolproof protection spell, we’d have one on the manor and we wouldn’t be getting threatened every five minutes.”

  “It’s better than nothing,” Phoebe said firmly.

  “Well, I for one am with Phoebe,” Paige said, reaching out and taking Phoebe’s hand. “I’d rather the claw thing never make it into the tent at all.”

  “Fine,” Piper said, rolling her eyes and holding hands with Paige. “Let’s do this quickly before anyone notices.” Together the three of them recited the words to a simple protection spell:

  “Through this circle the Charmed Ones cast,

  Let no one beyond our trust pass.”

  • • •

  A flash of purple light illuminated the circle defined by the crystals, then disappeared. Phoebe looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but the other covens were too busy with their own spells. No one even glanced in their direction.

  “Thanks, guys,” Phoebe said, letting out a little sigh of relief. “I feel much better.”

  “Good,” Piper said, rubbing Phoebe’s back. “I guess it’s best to do everything we can.”

  “Okay, I say it’s time to hit the Strip,” Paige said, dropping Phoebe’s hand. She ducked back through the door flap, and Phoebe and Piper followed. Paige grabbed her lipstick and a mirror and quickly applied a new coat, then smacked her lips together. “I saw Taryn and Tessa earlier, and they said they wanted to get away from all the mayhem, so…what do you say?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Phoebe said with a grin. “I could use a vacation from this vacation.” She and Paige both looked at Piper. “Are you in?”

  “I am so in,” Piper said, grabbing her own bag. “Let’s get the heck out of here!”

  Paige stalked through the casino, an empty plastic bucket in her hand, waving aside clouds of cigarette and cigar smoke. The place was like a labyrinth of blinking lights, whirling slots, and waitresses in absurdly little clothing. Every time she took a turn, she was sure she was going down the aisle of slot machines where she’d last seen her sisters, and every time she was greeted by the sight of another ten to twenty tired, annoyed strangers. If everyone was having so little fun, then why did it seem like their butts were permanently attached to the little velvet chairs?

  “Okay, I give up,” Paige said aloud, throwing up her arms.

  “You give up what?” Phoebe’s voice asked.

  Paige turned to see her sisters standing on their tiptoes to peer over the next row of slots. Heaving a sigh of relief, Paige walked over to them and slapped her empty cup down between two machines.

  “I don’t understand what everyone thinks is so great about this place,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting on the empty chair next to Phoebe. “This stopped being fun about five minutes ago.”

  “What happened five minutes ago?” Piper asked, raising one eyebrow. She had to lean forward to see Paige past Phoebe.

  “I lost my last twenty dollars,” Paige replied grumpily. She felt like such a moron. She knew she should have stopped herself before putting that last twenty in the machine, but it was like she was possessed. She couldn’t stop herself from trying just one more time…. And now it was all gone!

  “Well, I’m having a great time,” Phoebe said with a laugh, holding forth her own winnings cup, which was almost full of quarters. Paige’s eyes widened. There had to be at least a hundred dollars in there.

  “Where did you get all that?” Paige asked.

  “This is my lucky machine!” Phoebe said brightly. She patted the side of the slot machine in front of her lovingly, like it was her pet dog.

  Paige leaned over and grabbed a quarter out of Phoebe’s bucket, then slid it into the slot machine in front of her. She pulled the lever, closed her eyes, and said a little prayer. She just wanted to win something tonight. Even if it was just fifty cents. When she opened her eyes again, the slots were just stopping—cherry, cherry…

  Paige looked at her sisters, holding her breath. One more cherry and she’d be rich! Or she’d at least break even. The last slot stopped rolling, and the line was right between a cherry and a bar. Paige’s heart dropped.

  “Great,” she said, slumping back in her chair. “Can’t we just use a little spell on this thing so I can make my money back?”

  All she got in reply was two stern looks.

  “Fine,” Paige said, rolling her eyes.

  At that moment a loud cheer sounded from at least a dozen voices somewhere in the casino. Paige could hear the sounds of high-fiving and giggles. Suddenly she felt intensely jealous that someone in this place was winning. She shook her head, unable to believe the effect the casino had on her. She was becoming a money-grubbing psycho, and they’d been here for only an hour.

  “What happened to Tessa and Taryn?” Paige asked as Phoebe pulled the lever on her machine again.

  “They were tired, so they went back to camp,” Piper said. “Actually, I might do that myself soon.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Paige said. “I’m beyond bored.”

  Phoebe let out a squeal, and a bell started ringing loudly. The light on top of her machine blinked like crazy, and out of nowhere money started dropping into the metal tray. Paige couldn’t believe it. Her sister had just gotten three cherries!

  “Oh, my God! Phoebe!” Paige said, grinning.

  “A thousand quarters!” Phoebe shouted, clapping. “How much is that?”

  “That’s two hundred fifty dollars!” Piper exclaimed as she stood and squeezed Phoebe’s shoulders. “You keep going and you’re going to pay for this whole vacation.”

  Another loud cheer went up from the middle of the casino, and Paige glanced over her sisters’ heads to see if she could spot where the action was. Phoebe’s machine was still slowly spitting out quarters, and Phoebe and Piper started digging them out into cups.

  “You guys look like you’re going to be here for a while,” Paige said. “I’m gonna go check this out.”

  “Okay!” Phoebe said. “But hurry back! We may need help carrying all of this!”

  Paige smiled and wandered off toward the cheers. She came out into the center of the casino, where all the blackjack and craps tables were. Another cheer sounded out, and Paige spotted Jasmine and all her friends hugging and jumping up and down by one of the roulette tables. They looked completely out of place in their all-black gear, and a couple of little old men in pastel shirts eyed them warily as they passed them by. Paige arrived just as the croupier was paying out a heap of chips to Purple Hair Girl.

  “What’s going on?” Paige asked, slipping in next to Jasmine.

  “We are roulette goddesses, that’s what’s going on,” Jasmine said, her eyes bright. It was clear in the casino light that her complexion was, in fact, whiter than white. “Check it out.” She held up her own pile of chips, and Paige quickly did the math. Jasmine had more than a thousand dollars sitting in front of her.

  “Damn, girl. Have you guys got a system or something?” Paige asked as the other girls placed their bets for the next spin.

  Jasmine leaned in close to Paige’s ear. “Yeah. It’s called magic,” she said.

  Paige’s stomach did a little flip as Jasmine pulled away, her dark eyes sparking with mischief. Was she serious? Were they really using a spell or something to control the wheel? Apparently these girls have never heard of the perils of personal gain, Paige thought.

  The croupier waved his hand over the roulette board, indicating that he would take no more bets, then he reached up to spin the wheel. The moment he did, Jasmine and her friends joined hands and closed their eyes. Paige could tell they were all muttering something in unison, but their lips were barely moving. The croupier was pale and a little sweaty and nervous. He looked over his shoulder as
if planning a mode of escape.

  The wheel stopped and the ball bounced around, finally coming to rest on black fifteen. Jasmine and her friends dropped their hands, opened their eyes, and cheered.

  “Black fifteen. We have a winner,” the croupier said with not an ounce of enthusiasm. He paid off a girl at the end of the table who had her own considerable pile of chips.

  “What are you guys doing?” Paige whispered in Jasmine’s ear.

  “It’s a simple manipulation spell,” Jasmine replied under her breath. “With this many Wiccans doing the same incantation, it will never fail. We’re just taking turns winning, that’s all.”

  “Isn’t that kind of like cheating?” Paige asked, her face growing warm.

  “God, Paige,” Jasmine said with a scoff. “Who knew you were such a square?”

  At that moment an official-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair stepped up behind the croupier and whispered something in his ear. The croupier looked relieved, and he shot Jasmine and her friends a look that was somehow triumphant before stepping aside so the suited man could take his place at the table.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut you girls off,” the man said, his fingertips pressing into the felt top of the table. “Congratulations on your winnings, ladies, but you’ve cleaned out this station.” He didn’t crack a smile once.

  “Hey! You can’t tell us when to stop betting!” Purple Hair Girl shouted.

  “No, no, it’s all right,” Jasmine said, gathering up her chips. “We were going to go to that club anyway, right, girls?”

  Everyone grudgingly stacked their winnings and moved away from the table. Paige was about to say good-bye and go find her sisters again. She had to tell them what she had just witnessed. If Jasmine’s coven was able to control the roulette wheel with a chant, then they obviously had some power. They could be next on the kidnapper’s hit list. But when she turned around, Piper and Phoebe were already approaching, loaded down with full winnings cups.