Every Witch Way but Wicked

by Barbra Annino

  Chapter Five

  She doubled checked the locks that evening and placed chairs in front of each door. Earlier in the day she had run out to the hardware store and purchased a deadbolt lock for every entrance, as well as her bedroom door. “No one is going to sneak up on us,” she said as she rubbed her ears. “We’ll both be safe.”

  She climbed into bed and called him to her side. She placed her arms around him and listened to the soft rhythmic sound of his breathing. Finally, she fell asleep.

  “So, you’ve finally come to visit me again,” Giles said, meeting her in the orchard.

  “I’ve had a hectic day,” she explained. “I’m in a bit of a situation.”

  “Tell me about it,” he said.

  “I met a man in Dublin a few years ago,” she said. “He asked me out for a drink, then he courted me, bought me nice things and brought me to lovely places. He treated me like a princess.”

  “As well he should have,” Giles said.

  “Well, he was one of those princes that should have been turned into a frog,” she continued. “One of my cousins called. She’d been playing with her divination bowl and saw this fellow changing my herbal combinations for illegal drugs for shipment overseas.”

  “I gather that could have made you an accomplice to his crime.”

  She nodded. “Not to mention the harm the drugs would have caused when they reached the States.”

  “And so…”

  “And so I turned him in,” she said. “I told the police who he was and what he’d done and then I helped them set up a situation so they could catch him with the drugs.”

  “You’re a brave woman,” Giles said.

  “What other choice did I have?” she asked him.

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “None, because you are who you are.”

  They walked together, through the orchard and the small woods. “What is it like,” she asked, “to have watched the world pass by for so long?”

  He picked a golden maple leaf from a tree and twirled it in his fingers. “Well, you learn a great deal,” he said. “But mostly about yourself.”

  She stopped and turned. “What did you learn?”

  “Not to assume you have all the answers,” he said. “Not to judge others on appearances or rumor. And, most important, risk it all for one thing.”

  “And what’s that one thing? Honor? Duty? Wealth?” she asked.

  He shook his head sadly. “No, love,” he said. “Risk it all for love.”

  “And did you?” she asked urgently, because for some reason his answer was very important to her. “Did you risk it all for love?”

  Shaking his head, he turned away from her and looked out to the horizon. “No,” he said. “I had the chance and I was a coward.”

  She placed her hand on his shoulder. “My mother tells me there are bruised hearts and broken hearts. But you can only have a broken heart when you’ve experienced a great love. And a great love means that both people are committed. Both people are willing to risk it all.”

  Shrugging, she slipped her hand off his shoulder and turned away. “I’m beginning to believe she’s right.”

  She continued walking slowly down the path when she felt his hands on her shoulders. He slowly turned her around and looked into her eyes. “And how do you know if what you have is a great love?” he whispered.

  Shaking her head, she fought the emotions his touch was stirring inside her. “I don’t know,” she stammered. “I’m not sure.”

  “Perhaps we need to see if we have the makings of a great love, Cassidy Maguire,” he said softly. “Tis only a dream, after all. What could be the harm?”

  He gently pulled her closer, slid his hands from her shoulders up and cupped her face.

  His lips were tender at first, gliding, coaxing and teasing. She felt a fire kindle inside her and spread throughout her body. He pulled her closer and slid his hands into her hair, holding her as he deepened the kiss. She moaned softly and he took advantage and tasted deeper, pulled her into a swirling whirlpool of feeling.

  She felt like she was being consumed by fire. Her body ached and she wanted more. But suddenly, firm hands slipped to her shoulders and gradually moved her away from him. Her body was still humming with desire and her breath was coming in gasps.

  Looking up at him, she could see he too was having trouble catching his breath. His eyes were still filled with passion, and something else – tenderness perhaps?

  “That kiss was well worth waiting 300 years,” he whispered as he bent forward and placed one more kiss on her forehead. “I wish you sweet dreams, Cassidy.”

  Cassidy sat up in bed. Orion woke up and greeted her with enthusiasm.

  “No, we are not going outside yet,” she said firmly. “It’s only…”

  She looked at the bedside clock. It read 7:30 a.m..

  “Oh my,” she gasped. “It’s seven-thirty. I can’t believe we slept that long.”

  She threw a thick robe over her pajamas, slipped her feet into rubber clogs and hurried down the stairs, Orion running in circles all around her. “If you trip me on the stairs, we’ll both be sorry,” she chided.

  Regulus was standing on the table that held his food dish.

  “I’m sorry, Regulus,” she said. “As soon as I take Orion out, I’ll feed you.”

  She unlocked the back door and Orion flew down the back steps into the yard. She followed behind him, enjoying the smell of fall in the air. “Come on,” she called. “Let’s feed the chickens and pick up the eggs.”

  Orion followed her through her quick morning chores and was happily tired by the time they reached back into the house. She apologized to Regulus once more and fed him some tuna to make up for her thoughtlessness. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she was forgiven.

  Although she had a full schedule of things to do, she found her mind wasn’t on her work. She often caught herself standing in the middle of a room, her hand on her lips, smiling into the air. She burnt the first batch of comfrey salve and even the cleansing scent of sage couldn’t rid the house of the awful scent.

  Opening the door, she placed a large box fan next to it to draw the smell out of the house. Then she placed another fan in the open doorway of the front door to create a breeze throughout the house. She returned to the kitchen to carry the hot pot out to the deck when Orion slipped past her and ran out the door.

  “Orion,” she called. “Get back here.”

  She dashed out after him and saw him dash behind the chicken coop. “Orion, no chickens!” she yelled, running across the yard.

  She could already hear the distressed and frightened cackles from the chickens. “Orion, stop!”

  She reached the back of the coop only to find Orion chasing an irate rooster through the elderberry bushes. “Orion, sit!” she yelled, running towards him.

  He looked at her, thought about it for a moment, and then sat down in the midst of the bush. She reached in and grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him out next to her.

  “Shame on you,” she said. “You know you’re not supposed to chase chickens. That’s it! You’re in the house all day.”

  She released him and, with his tail tucked between his legs, he ran back to the house and slipped in through the door. Cassidy surveyed the chickens. They were already pecking at the grass and seemed no worse for wear.

  Shaking her head, she walked back to the house.

  Regulus met her at the door, purring and rubbing against her leg. “Shut up, Regulus,” Cassidy said. “No one likes a brown noser.”

  Orion was lying underneath the dining room table, fast asleep. “You are nothing but a hairy gangster,” she said.

  She noted the air in the house seemed clearer, and it was getting a little chilly inside. She turned off the fan at the front door, placed it against the wall and shut the door. Then she hurried to the back door and did the same.

  Finally, she was able to concentrate of her salve and she worked through the rest of
the day without interruption.

  Cassidy celebrated her very productive day with a cup of herbal tea. The kitchen was scrubbed clean, the shelves were stocked with dozens of containers of comfrey salve, lavender salve and elderberry extract, and the sun was just setting. She stretched her shoulder muscles and felt the tension release. It had been a good day.

  “Orion,” she called, snatching his lead from a hook near the door. “It’s time for your walk.”

  He came obediently, his tag still wagging at half-mast. “Don’t think you can charm me so easily,” Cassidy said. “I don’t believe a word of it.”

  He grinned up at her, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth and his eyes sparkling. “Yes, you’re right,” she said, patting him on the head. “You’ll win me over soon enough.”

  She took him out for to the orchard and they walked around the area for a few minutes. Lost in thoughts about Giles, she was surprised when she felt him pull on the lead, urging her back inside the house. “So, you realize you should still be punished, do you?” she said. “Or are you looking for a piece of cheese for your treat?”

  They went back into the house and she closed and locked the back door firmly behind her. She made herself a salad and shared bits of cheese and egg with Orion as she chopped and grated. Pouring a generous serving of her own balsamic vinaigrette dressing on it, she walked into the living room and snuggled into her favorite chair.

  Orion was sleeping on the floor in the middle of the room, his paws twitching and an occasional puff of barking slipping from his mouth. “He’s probably dreaming about chasing chickens,” she thought wryly.

  She picked up her fork and was about to dive into her salad when her comment sank in. “Chickens,” she moaned. “I forgot to lock up the chickens for the night.”

  She knew there were natural predators all around that would love an open invitation to her chicken coop. She put her salad down on the table, grabbed her flashlight and headed out the back door to the chicken coop.

  Chapter Six

  Cassidy felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach. She walked through the orchard. She could see the lines of apple trees, the raspberry bushes against the fence line and the grape arbors on the southern hill.

  She looked up and saw the full moon. The Hunter’s Moon, she thought. Orion’s Moon.

  It was so bright that even though it was night, the trees were casting shadows on the ground. The trees were casting shadows!

  She instantly recalled her vision and realized it was coming true. But this time, she would change the ending.

  She ran back to the house, not pausing to look through the windows because she already knew he’d be in there. She heard the first crack. Now she recognized it, the front door being kicked open and slamming into the fan.

  She dove into the back door and looked around for a weapon, any weapon. She saw the knife she’d left on the counter when she made her salad, but decided against it. The she spied the cast iron ladle she used to stir the beeswax. She picked it up and ran into the other room.

  She entered the room at the same time Orion started barking.

  Benjamin moved forward, a revolver in his hand.

  Orion moved between Cassidy and Benjamin, growling low in his throat at the man.

  “How are you, sweet Cassidy?” he asked. “Are you surprised to see me?”

  She shook her head. “Actually, no,” she said. “I knew you were coming since yesterday. The police are already on their way, so I’d move along if I were you.”

  “But, Cassidy, my darling,” he said. “We both know you’ve no real skills with your witchcraft. The potions you make any herbalist can conjure. You’ve no more magic in you than I have.”

  “I suppose you’ll have to wait and see,” she said, grabbing hold of Orion’s collar and trying to pull him back to her. “But then, why am I standing here with my knife, rather than sitting over there with my salad?”

  He turned to look and she threw the ladle at his head. She heard it make contact, but didn’t take the time to look as she pulled Orion through the back door with her and ran into the orchard. She ran through down the path, under the limbs of the trees, making her way out to the pasture.

  “Come on, Orion,” she called. “Run.”

  He ran with her, only a few steps behind.

  She reached the woods and stopped. She turned back and saw Benjamin. He was searching for her in the orchard.

  She slipped off the path and moved to the underbrush. She knew if she could work her way back up to the road, she could get help. The light from the Hunter’s Moon helped her avoid any obstacles and she moved quickly. She could see the rise ahead of her in about fifty yards. Orion was still behind her, his panting soft and regular.

  “We’re going to do this, boyo,” she said, kneeling down and bringing his face next to hers. “We’re going to be fine.”

  Tree bark rained down on her head as the bullet exploded in the limb above her. She froze there, her arms around her dog.

  “Ah, Cassidy, darling,” he taunted, moving out of the trees towards her. “It was a valiant effort, but you do realize you’ve made my job a might easier? They won’t find your body here in the woods for quite some time. I’ll be out of the country by then.”

  She slowly stood. “They’ll catch you,” she said. “If not the police, then my family, and you’ll get no consideration from them.”

  “Your family doesn’t worry me,” he said, and spat on the ground. “An harm it none, remember?”

  He lifted the gun and aimed it at her. She heard the crack, saw a blur of black fur – and watched Orion jerk and yelp with the impact of the bullet.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Anger, as she’d never experienced before, surged through her body, and she turned to Benjamin.

  “Ah, darling, I’ve taken care of the mutt. Now it’s your turn,” he sneered.

  She waved her arm and the heavy limb of the tree next to him whipped around and smashed him in the face, throwing his body backward. She tossed her arm again and another branch lashed forward, shattering his jaw and throwing him to the ground. He lay there, bleeding and moaning. She turned and saw a large boulder lying a few feet away. She angled her hand and the boulder floated into the air. She slowly moved it towards him, leaving it hover over his head.

  “Cassidy, no,” he begged, his eyes wide with fear. “For God sake, no!”

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to think clearly. She wanted so badly to crush him like the bug he was. She wanted to make him cry out in pain as Orion had.

  A voice in her head, sounding suspiciously like her mother, reminded her of her oath: “An it harm none, do what thou wilt.”

  She tossed the boulder angrily aside. “Not that you deserve mercy,” she said, “but I won’t risk my gift on the likes of you.”

  A fallen tree, with its limbs still in place, lay on the ground a few feet away. She moved the log over so it securely pinned him in place. “If you’re lucky, they’ll find you here in a couple of weeks,” she said.

  Then she heard the whimper. Turning, she saw him in the moonlight, his body bloody and broken, lying on a pile of leaves. She ran to him and knelt by his side. He turned his head, whimpered again and licked her hand. He closed his eyes and a shudder ran through his body. She cradled his head in her arms and wept into his fur.

  “You can’t die,” she whispered. “You can’t die.”

  She felt a surge of energy and the weight in her arms changed. Lifting her head, she saw that her hands were now buried in black hair, not Orion’s fur. She gently turned his head and his eyes opened weakly. “The curse,” he whispered. “I was locked in Orion’s body until I offered my life to save another. Offered it for someone I love.”

  He shuddered and the moonlight displayed the darkening stain that was growing on the front of his shirt. She pressed a teary kiss against his mouth. “But you can’t die.”

  “Then save me, Cassidy,” Giles breathed feebly. “Don’t
let me die.”

  She nodded, wiped the tears from her face and placed her hands on his chest. She took a deep shuddering breath and concentrated on Giles; the inner workings of his body, the beating of his heart, the flow of his blood, and the movement of his muscles. She could see inside his body in her mind and saw the damage caused by the bullet.

  She linked herself to Giles and immediately gasped in pain. There was a searing burn in her side. She felt the tearing of her flesh, the bullet moving through her body, the ripping of tendon and muscle and finally the tearing of the artery.

  Breathing deeply, she concentrated on each part of the injury. Applying her healing power to take away his pain, transfer the injury to her body and mend the damage.

  She found a broken bone and cried out in pain as she brought the break into her body and then allowed it to heal. She examined his body for bullet fragments and was relieved to see it had exited cleanly.

  Opening her eyes for a moment, she looked down at Giles. His eyes were closed, but no pain showed in his face and his breathing was normal.

  She bent down and kissed him lightly. “For a great love,” she whispered. “There must be sacrifice on both parts.”

  Finally, she concentrated on the rip in his artery. She had stemmed the flow of blood, but the wall of the artery had to be repaired. She knew she had to be quick, because she was risking her own life if she lost concentration and couldn’t fix it before her own heart gave out.

  Closing her eyes and concentrating, she drew the injury into her body. She could feel her heart struggle from the loss of blood as she worked to mend the rift. She breathed the words of a healing incantation as she worked to stop the flow of blood.

  Darkness began to envelop her and she grew faint, but she worked on. She struggled to see the artery through the increasing shadows. Finally, she took a deep breath and collapsed on the ground.

  Chapter Seven