Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series

by Geof Johnson

  She stuffed the nearly empty bag under her pillow just as her door opened. Rita entered, holding one fist closed. “Did you get enough to eat?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Fred forced a smile.

  “Well, I brought you a little something.” She held her hand out toward Fred.

  I bet you did. Fred played along, and as she leaned forward to look, Rita opened her fist and blew powder into Fred’s face.

  Fred coughed and said, “What was that?” even though she already knew.

  “Just a little something to help you sleep.”

  Fred put one hand to her face and groaned theatrically, “Oh, my head…it’s….” and she collapsed on the bed.

  Rita waited a moment before pinching Fred on the arm. Ouch! Fred thought, but didn’t flinch.

  “Okay, Cass,” Rita called. “She’s out.”

  “Woo hoo!” Cassandra said from some other room. “Time for Cass and Rita to make the scene.”

  “Oh yeah. Hottest New Year’s Eve party in Thibodaux!” As Rita walked out, closing the door behind her, she said, “Make sure you bring plenty of love powder and whatever else we can sell.”

  Fred’s heart raced as she listened to Rita’s footsteps fade away. I’m in Thibodaux! Fred thought triumphantly. Thibodaux. I can’t wait to tell Jamie.

  She lay perfectly still until she heard the front door slam and the house turn silent. They’re gone. The counter charm worked. She turned on her bedside light, went to the washstand, brushed her teeth and washed her face. “Time to go home,” she said to her reflection in the tiny mirror above the water bowl. “If I can just fall asleep in time.”

  Chapter 37

  Jamie slouched on the sofa beside his parents. He wore khaki pants and a long-sleeve dark blue dress shirt. He reached down with one hand, undid the laces to his leather shoes and kicked them off.

  Carl pressed the mute button on the remote control and looked at his watch. “It’s ten-fifteen. Aren’t you supposed to be at Bryce’s party?”

  Jamie shrugged, but didn’t take his eyes from the television. “Don’t feel like going.”

  “But it’s New Year’s Eve,” Rachel said. “All your friends will be there.”

  “Fred won’t.”

  “But don’t you think she’d want you to go?”

  “Dunno.” He stood and picked up his shoes. “Think I’ll just go to bed. Maybe she’ll spend more time with me tonight in a dream.” He shuffled to the stairs without another word.

  He turned on his bedside lamp and flopped on the bed without taking his clothes off. What a terrible New Year’s Eve. Wish Fred was here. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Maybe I’ll just rest for a minute before I put on my pajamas.

  * * *

  “Jamie!” He heard Fred say. “Jamie, can you hear me?”

  He materialized in Fred’s dream-room at the witches’ house. She was beside him, eyes wide, exploding with excitement. “I’m in Thibodaux! They finally said it.”

  Jamie’s heart leapt. “Yes!” He threw his arms around her and gasped, “Finally!” No news could’ve sounded sweeter to his ears. Not if he’d been informed he was the secret heir to the throne of England. Not if he’d won the Mega Zillions Lottery. He now knew where she was, and that was the greatest jackpot of all. He squeezed her, then put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve never heard of Thibodaux, but my dad will know where it is. Well find it. We’re coming to get you right now!”

  “When you get here, there are a couple of things you need to watch out for. Rita’s got wards around the house, and if she shows up, watch out for the little jade pendant she wears around her neck. It’s powerful.”

  “What’s it do?”

  “It makes people kinda stupid and forgetful when she spins it. It’s what she used when they kidnapped me, so you gotta take care of that.” She put her hand on his upper arm. “And the doll! It’s got one of my hairs sewn into the head, and that’s why it hurts me when they stick it, and it really hurts bad. They can probably kill me with it.”

  Jamie narrowed his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that, too. They’ve hurt you for the last time.”

  She kissed him quickly. “Now, wake yourself up, and hurry, before they come back.”

  * * *

  Jamie eyes popped open and he was in his own bed; he looked at the alarm clock as he pulled on his shoes. Almost eleven o’clock. Gotta hurry and rescue Fred before the witches get back. He ran out of his room and flew down the stairs, yelling as he went, “Dad! Dad, she’s in Thibodaux!” He skidded to a halt in the family room and his mother clicked off the television as his father stood.

  “Thibodaux?” Carl said. “That’s in Louisiana.”

  “Let’s go get her.”

  “Can you make a doorway there?”

  Jamie dashed to the computer in the corner and powered it on. “I gotta see it on satellite view.”

  “We should take my truck. Can you make a doorway that big?”

  “Yeah, but why?”

  Carl picked up his cellphone from the end table and began tapping numbers on it. “We don’t know where in Thibodaux those witches live, but I bet I can find somebody who does. We might have to do some driving when we get there.”

  Come on, Jamie thought impatiently as he watched the computer screen, waiting for it to boot up. He heard his father ask for the phone number to the Thibodaux Police Department, then he heard him talking to someone named Sergeant Lambeau.

  The computer finished loading and Jamie clicked on maps, found Louisiana, and zoomed in on Thibodaux. He closed his eyes, put his hand on the modem for a moment and focused on the location, burning it into his magic sense of space. He stood and said, “Okay. I got it.”

  Carl put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his keys from his coat. “My gun’s in the garage. We’ll get it on the way out.”

  “Gun?” Rachel said with a touch of alarm in her voice.

  “You never know, Honey.” He kissed her quickly and headed for the door with Jamie.

  “Call me when you get Fred,” Rachel said as they vanished into the kitchen. “I’ll tell Lisa and Larry.”

  They dashed through the kitchen door that led to the garage. Carl grabbed his gun and jumped in the driver’s seat as Jamie made a small doorway.

  Jamie stepped through the glowing portal and found himself in a parking lot; a few police cruisers with Thibodaux Police painted on their sides were parked nearby. This is it. Jamie looked around to see if no one was looking, expanded the doorway and yelled, “Okay, Dad.”

  Carl backed the red pickup truck through the portal and it winked out. He leapt from his seat, slammed the door, and he and Jamie sprinted to the entrance of the brick building. Once inside, Carl flashed his badge and they were directed to Sergeant John Paul Lambeau’s tiny office. They knocked and he let them in.

  The medium-built, serious-faced officer shook their hands as they introduced themselves. “Didn’t I just talk to you on the phone, Detective Sikes? Something about a kidnapping?” One eyebrow drew down. “The caller ID said it was from Hendersonville, North Carolina.”

  “Please, it’s Carl, and I’ll explain the caller ID in a minute. But first we have to do something and we you need to trust us. We need you to swear an oath.”

  “Is this some kind of joke?”

  “No. It’s hard to explain, but we’re kinda in a hurry. Jamie?”

  Jamie smacked his forehead. “I forgot the Bible! I gotta go back and get it.”

  “I got one on here,” John Paul said, gesturing to a shelf behind him. “But why?”

  “Do the oath and we’ll tell you.”

  “What’s it say?”

  Carl handed him a slip of paper with the oath on it, and after reading it, John Paul handed it back and said, “That seems okay.” He pulled the Bible from the shelf and regarded Carl for a moment, as if sizing him up. “But still, this is a strange request, and I wouldn’t do it if you weren’t a cop.”

 
* * *

  Carl clutched the steering wheel with two hands as his truck roared down the highway. John Paul sat in the passenger seat and Jamie sat behind him. While the two men talked, Jamie sorted through his store of Eddan’s memories, and one thing became clear: As powerful as Eddan was, he was wary of witches.

  “That was something.” John Paul said, shaking his head. “Really, really something. I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I’ve always heard that Rita and Cassandra were real witches and did real magic, but I…wow.” He gave a nervous laugh. “How long you been doin’ magic like that, Jamie?”

  “Most of my life.”

  “We have an unusual household,” Carl said, flicking the headlights to high beam when they passed the last streetlight.

  “And Fred’s a witch,” Jamie said. “That’s why Rita and Cassandra kidnapped her. They need her for their triad.”

  “Well, I don’t know anything about that kinda stuff,” John Paul said, “but these women have been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. I’ve heard they use their magic to help their criminal friends, but I can’t prove it. I’d love to bust them for kidnapping…love to bust them for anything. It’s hard to make charges stick to those two.”

  “They’re probably using magic to weasel their way out of trouble.”

  “That would explain a lot.” John Paul pointed down the dark highway. “We’re gonna go another couple miles and turn left on a dirt road. They live down that way about a mile or so. It’s a good thing we’re not in my cruiser, ’cause they’d know something was up if they saw it.”

  They turned and drove down a dark, rutted lane for a bit before John Paul had them pull off into the bushes and hide the truck. They walked the last fifty yards in the dark. Jamie said quietly, “They have wards up around the house, so we can’t just break the door down.”

  “What are wards?” John Paul asked.

  “Magic alarms, kinda. Think of them as invisible trip wires. If we cross one, the witches will know we’re here and they’ll come back.”

  “Then we can arrest them.”

  “We should get Fred first and then I gotta take care of the voodoo doll. They could kill Fred if we’re not careful.”

  John Paul stopped. “Voodoo doll? I thought that was all nonsense.”

  “Tell that to Fred. They’ve been torturing her with it for days.”

  The house came into sight, a squat wooden structure with a single light illuminating the small front porch. They tiptoed up the steps and Jamie whispered, “I’ll go first.” He inspected the door for a moment, fingering his chin as he did. “I don’t know what a witch’s ward looks like, so I’ll try this.” He traced a magic doorway on the face of the front door, careful not to disturb it.

  “Wow.” John Paul whispered when the outlines began to glow. Jamie pushed it open, looked at the men with his finger to his lips, then stepped through. He took a quick look around the cluttered front room and closed his eyes, listening with his magic, then turned back to the door.

  “All right, Fred’s alone,” he said.

  Carl and John Paul stepped inside and John Paul said, “How can you tell?”

  “There’s only one heartbeat, and I’m pretty sure it’s hers.” He cupped his hands to his mouth. “Fred?”

  “Back here!” he heard from somewhere deep in the house. He ran toward her voice, his heart pounding with his footsteps. He saw light seeping below the last door on the right and he pushed it open. He found her sitting on the edge of the bed in the weak glow of the bedside lamp, barefoot, hands clasped between her knees.

  “Fred!”

  She leapt up and threw herself on him, arms clutching his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, laughing and crying at the same time. “I’m so glad we found you,” he said into her mass of hair while she moaned into his shoulder. The surge of emotion that swelled through him was nearly overpowering.

  Fred’s voice was muffled by Jamie’s shirt as she said, “What took you so long?”

  Jamie heard footsteps behind him as Carl and John Paul ran into the room.

  “Fred, are you okay?” Carl said. She nodded and slid off Jamie. Then she hugged Carl and began to sob. Carl patted her back and his expression grew tender. “Sure did miss you,” he said softly.

  Fred let go and wiped her eyes as Carl introduced John Paul. “He guided us here.”

  “Where are Rita and Cassandra?” John Paul asked.

  “They went to a party.”

  “They’re probably at the Rusty Screw.” He pulled his radio from his belt. “I’ll send an officer over there to pick ’em up.”

  “Wait,” Fred said. “Rita’s armed with powerful magic. You need to let Jamie take care of her first.”

  * * *

  Rita was walking to the dance floor with Louis when she felt her bracelet vibrate. Uh oh. She let go of Louis’s hand and pushed through the crowd to Cassandra, who was already dancing with Big Dan. Rita grabbed Cassandra’s elbow and leaned close to her ear so she could be heard over the raucous music. “We gotta go. Somebody’s at the house.”

  “But I just started dancing’,” she protested.

  “We can come back.” She pulled Cassandra toward the door. “Hurry.”

  * * *

  Jamie surveyed the sparsely furnished room, better suited to a nun than a vibrant seventeen-year-old-girl like Fred. “It’s exactly like you made it in the dreams.”

  Fred raised her foot and pointed to the chain at her ankle. “Do you mind?”

  “Oh. ’Course not.” Jamie knelt beside her and touched a fingertip to the metal cuff. It popped open and clanked to the floor.

  “Ah!” Fred sat on the bed and rubbed her ankle, eyes closed in a look of pure bliss. “You don’t know how good that feels.”

  Carl watched her, his eyes lowered to slits, jaw thrust out, full G.I. Joe. “They’ve kept you chained up the whole time?” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Except for when they put the Compliance Bracelet on me and made me clean out my chamber pot.” She glanced at the white ceramic vessel near the bed, dented on one side from where she banged it against the would-be rapist’s head. “But I don’t remember any of that.”

  “Those women are evil,” he said in a hard, level voice.

  “I could’ve told you that,” John Paul said from the hall, where he had retreated to watch the front door. “I just saw headlights through the window. I think they’re here.”

  “How are we going to handle this, Jamie?” Carl said.

  “Stick close to me and follow my lead.” He touched his finger to his lips again. “We’re gonna disappear.” Jamie walked to the corner by the window and the men followed. Jamie raised his hands before him and the air around them shimmered yellow, then went clear.

  “You’re invisible!” Fred grinned.

  Jamie heard the front door bang open. “Fred?” a woman called.

  “What?” Fred yelled.

  A moment later, two women walked into the room, a tall bleached-blonde wearing tight-fitting clothes and too much makeup, and a shorter, pudgy red-head with a malicious glint in her eyes. Cassandra and Rita, Jamie knew at once.

  Rita had her hand on the chain of her jade pendant as she scanned the room. “Check the closet, Cass.”

  “What for?” Fred said.

  “Somebody’s here.”

  Fred watched as Cassandra pulled the closet door open, looked inside, shook her head and closed it. Jamie crept closer to Rita, hands still out, maintaining his shield, with Carl and John Paul close by his side. Hope the floor doesn’t creak, he thought as his heart hammered in his chest.

  “Look under the bed, then.” Rita jiggled the pendant and Jamie stepped closer still, close enough to touch her, he and the two men still invisible to the women.

  It’s now or never, he thought. He dropped his shield and thrust his hand out in one motion, seizing the pendant.

  Rita screamed and grabbed at Jamie’s arm as h
is fingers closed around the jade baby. White light flashed from between his fingers, and as it faded, Jamie opened his hand. The pendant crumbled to the floor in pieces. Rita gasped, hands to her face, eyes wide with shock.

  Carl and John Paul drew their guns and John Paul said, “Hands where we can see them. Down on the floor, now!”

  But Rita already had the little white doll in one hand, the other holding the pin to the doll’s head. “Drop your guns or I’ll kill her.”

  “Can she do that?” Carl said without taking his eyes off Rita.

  “Yes,” Fred said. “Jamie?”

  “I’m on it.” Jamie focused his mind on the doll’s head, zeroing in on it and searching through the tangle of yarn until he found it — a single strand of curly red hair. He willed it loose, and as it floated to the floor, he pointed a finger and sent a thin stream of energy at it, vaporizing it instantly. “Okay. You’re safe.”

  Rita’s eyes grew wild and she jabbed the pin into the doll’s head. Fred grinned and Rita jabbed again and again, her face growing more frantic.

  Fred laughed. “Doesn’t work anymore, Rita. You can stop now.”

  Rita’s mouth dropped, and Cassandra’s hands fluttered before her like startled birds.

  “But, but….” Rita spluttered and looked from Fred to Jamie.

  Carl kept his gun trained on them as John Paul pulled a set of handcuffs from his belt.

  “What are you going to do with them?” Fred asked.

  “Lock ’em up,” John Paul said. “You have the right to remain —”

  “Wait!” Fred put her hand on his arm. “They’ll just use their magic to escape.”

  John Paul lowered the handcuffs. “You think so?”

  “I’m sure of it. No jail can hold them.”

  Carl waved his gun at them. “We can’t just let them go!”

  “No,” Jamie said. “Especially now that they know about me. I can’t let them spread that around.”

  “Who are you?” Cassandra said.

  “He’s my boyfriend, Jamie,” Fred said. “And he’s a powerful sorcerer.” She put extra emphasis on the last word.