Return Of The Witch (The Witch Next Door Book 6)

by Judith Berens

  Twenty-Nine

  Lily felt so much better about their prospects that her first compulsion spell on the back of the Winnebago almost threw it across the desert. The RV careened forward as if she’d rear-ended it with a bus instead, and Romeo thumped the horn a little louder than she had to get his attention.

  “Sorry.” Whether or not he could hear her, she shook her head and tried again. “Just because you’re figuring things out doesn’t mean you have to blast away at everything. Focus. You have more control and much more finesse than that.” She released another force blast at the back of the RV, gentler this time, but it still lurched forward. A chuckle escaped her despite how much she wasn’t trying to overdo it. “He’s gonna start talking about whiplash after this, probably for weeks.” She bit her bottom lip, still smiling, and went with an even gentler approach.

  Fifteen minutes later, she found the perfect medium between physical exertion and launching Romeo and the Winnie forward like one of those old rollercoasters that didn’t run nearly as smoothly as it should have. It was far easier and much less intense for both of them if she pressed her hands up against the rear fender and pushed a little while she cast a constant stream of her compulsion spell. She thought she was moving them a little faster than he had, which kept her going even after he finally had the chance to steer the Winnie more to the right and toward the strange building in the middle of nowhere.

  When she had begun to feel like she’d reached her limit and needed a break, Romeo opened the driver-side door and shouted, “We’re probably good right here.”

  “Oh. Great.” Lily huffed out a sigh, leaned forward against the Winnie a little longer until it rolled to a stop, and straightened. Dusting off her hands, she walked around the side of the RV as Romeo slid out, his plain, dark-green t-shirt pulled over his head. He closed the door behind him and gave her a confused look. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing so far. It’s simply not what I expected.”

  “I guess surprises aren’t inherently bad.” She wiped her own sheen of sweat off her forehead and smirked. “That’s still a good workout, even with magic.”

  “Yeah, I think you actually moved faster than I did.” He nodded. “And I’m not even a little bothered by that.”

  “It’s good to know I don’t have to hold back so I won’t hurt your feelings.”

  He snorted. “You wouldn’t actually do that, though, would you?”

  “Probably not.” When she joined him, she widened her eyes and peered around the front of the Winnie. “So what’s this unexpected thing that we—oh.” She stopped in front of the vehicle and frowned in bemusement.

  “Yeah, it’s not a building in the middle of nowhere.” He shrugged. “That’s a tent.”

  “Wow.” The square white tent sat far enough away from the Winnie that they weren’t close enough to be considered prying on whoever’s personal space included said tent. But there wasn’t much out there to hide them, either. “You know, if it had red stripes, I’d wonder where the rest of the circus was.”

  “Right?” Romeo scratched the side of his head. “Only a tent and nothing else. At all.”

  “Did you see anyone walking around or anything?”

  “Nope. But I know you’re gonna say we should still go check it out.”

  She gave him a sideways glance. “And I know you’re gonna agree with me.”

  He merely gave her a curt nod, and they set off across the dry, barren land toward the tent the size of a single-story, two-bedroom house.

  A little wind kicked up toward them and fluttered the sides of the temporary structure and flurried tiny dust clouds. They stopped a few yards away, and Lily cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hello? Is anyone in there?” There was no reply, so she stepped a little closer and tried again. “I’m sorry if we’re trespassing. We ran out of gas and hoped someone might be able to help us.” The wind kicked up a little more intensely this time, and the sides of the tent rippled with an audible flapping sound.

  “If there’s no one there,” Romeo said slowly and narrowed his eyes at the entrance of the tent, which was pulled down and staked to the ground against the elements, “it’s not wrong to go have a quick look inside, right? There might be something we could use—wait. Do you hear that?” He tilted his head and frowned at the ground in front of them.

  “Uh…only the wind. I guess that’s not what you’re talking about.”

  “It sounds like birds.”

  “Birds?”

  He wrinkled his nose, squinted at the ground again, and nodded. “Yeah. A lot of birds.”

  A gust of wind picked up behind them again and swirled in a massive cyclone of sand and dust and small rocks. She turned as the funnel settled again and left a dark-skinned man in its place. He wore a loose tunic the color of the desert all around them, loose pants of the same color and soft material, and a wide-brimmed straw hat. A brown mustache and beard fell to the center of his chest, and he folded his arms with a smirk. “You know, most people don’t pick up on the birds until much later.”

  The werewolf startled and whirled, too surprised by the man’s sudden appearance to do much more than clench his fists and stare at the stranger with wide eyes. “What… Where did you… How…”

  “He blew in with the wind,” Lily muttered. “Literally.”

  The man inclined his head toward them both. “Most people also think they’re hallucinating when they find me. Of course, I’m much closer to civilization today, but you never know.”

  “I’m sorry to show up out of nowhere,” she said.

  “No, I think he’s the one who did that.” Romeo looked at her and jerked his thumb toward the man. “And he’s wearing a tunic.”

  “It breathes very well.” The man smiled and stepped toward them. “I have a feeling it’s a good thing I’ve stuck around a little longer than usual. I heard someone was coming. Honestly, I thought it would be more grimilkes coming to beg me for eggs again or maybe a few fish. But an Optatus witch and a werewolf. That’s definitely a nice surprise. Please, come join me. I’d be more than happy to help if I can.” Without waiting for a response, he stepped past them and his pants fluttered behind his legs as a final, much gentler breeze drifted over the sand. He paused at the entrance to the tent, which rolled itself up as if it knew its owner had returned, and he gestured for them to follow. “I think you’ll both appreciate this very much. Come on.” With that, he vanished into the interior without a backward glance.

  “Grimilkes begging for eggs?” Lily glanced at Romeo with wide eyes.

  “And fish, maybe.” He shrugged. “At least we don’t have to pretend to be something we’re not. Or hide what we can do.”

  “Yeah, and now I really wanna know what’s in that tent.” Her surprised frown melted away and she grinned. “Let’s go.”

  He puffed out a sigh and followed closely behind her as she headed toward the entrance. She didn’t wait for him to catch up before she stepped inside, but she did slow down when a cold tingle washed from her head to her feet the minute she entered. When he came in after her, he sucked in a hissed breath and shivered. “That’s oddly refreshing.”

  The man who’d appeared from the sand and wind stood only a few feet away and smiled at them. The shelter had absolutely nothing else in it. He raised his chin and beckoned them forward. “Only a little more, please.” The young couple each took a few small steps forward, and the tent’s entrance flap fluttered closed and stretched tightly back into place. “Thank you.” Their host stepped back toward the rear wall, the air shimmered, and the tent disappeared to expose a blue sky overhead with only a few clouds. The sand beneath their feet vanished as well, replaced by tall green grasses that rose as high as Lily’s knees.

  She turned to make sure the tent really was gone, and she found that the desert landscape was too. The same grasses stretched all around them for miles, studded with a few tall trees lush with leaves and even a few budding flowers. When she looked at the man again, he gazed o
ut over the grass in front of them, to where a row of tall reeds rose. By the sound of them, the birds were everywhere, and the smell of the ocean—also a little fishy—filled the air.

  “Come,” he said. “I have a little overseeing to do, but I would love to speak to you both.”

  “We really were only trying to find some gas for—” Romeo stopped and looked blankly at Lily when she nudged him in the ribs. “What?”

  “I don’t think this is the kind of offer we want to refuse right now. Just in case.” She raised an eyebrow, and he shut his mouth hastily.

  “Okay.” He leaned toward her ear and whispered, “Do you know who or what this guy is?”

  “Maybe,” she said softly. “Let’s go find out.” She smiled at the man and nodded. “Thank you.”

  His long beard twitched against his tunic when he smiled and inclined his head. Once the young witch and the werewolf had joined him at the edge of the tall reeds, he pulled a portion of them back like drawing aside a curtain and gestured for them to continue. “Watch the tidepools.”

  Lily slipped through the opening in the reeds, and Romeo followed her, muttering, “Tidepools. For real?” He glanced at the man and nodded. “Thanks.”

  On the other side of the reeds stretched a shallow, saltwater inlet, most of it open to the sun but a good deal of it shaded by even more reeds and the tall trees that stretched over parts of the water. The ground sank beneath Lily’s feet, and she lifted her foot out of half an inch of water that seeped into her footprint. “Wow.”

  “It’s high tide right now.” The stranger nodded and gazed out over the watery landscape that hadn’t existed anywhere remotely close to his tent or the Winnebago. He drew in a deep breath and released it in a satisfied sigh. “Oh. Excuse me. Where are my manners?” Stepping back over the marshy ground, he waved his arms in a big circle and snapped his fingers on both hands. Three Adirondack chairs popped into existence in front of the wall of reeds, followed quickly by a low table, a silver tray, and a steaming teapot with three cups. “Much better. Please. Sit.” He pressed his beard against his chest and hiked his pantleg up with the other hand before he sat in the chair behind him. “Why do I never remember to do this for myself?”

  “We’re sitting?” Romeo muttered.

  “Yep.” Lily smiled politely and took her seat in the chair between him and the stranger. Either he’s insanely powerful or merely insane. If he can help us, this’ll be worth it. As long as it doesn’t take too long, of course.

  When she and her companion had both sat, the man straightened a little in his chair and nodded at them. “You may call me John.”

  Really? All the way out here? “I’m Lily. This is Romeo.”

  The werewolf merely cleared his throat.

  “It’s very nice to officially make your acquaintance, Lily and Romeo. Tea?” John gestured toward the ornately painted teapot on the table. When his confused guests took a few seconds too long to answer, he waved dismissively at the whole set. “Or later, perhaps, once you’ve picked your jaws up out of the marsh.” He chuckled, and although it wasn’t abnormally loud, a few small brown birds took flight from the reeds behind him.

  “We’re merely a little…surprised,” Lily offered. “Although it’s a nice surprise.”

  “Why, thank you.” He nodded in acknowledgment. “It takes a fair amount of upkeep, but I’m quite fond of the way it’s turned out.”

  “Do you…live here?” Romeo asked as his gaze scanned the water and the tall rushes.

  “Oh, I suppose. Mostly, I’m simply a wandering spirit looking for something to set my sights on.”

  The werewolf’s eyes grew incredibly wide as he stared at the man seated beside Lily. “You’re a ghost?”

  “Ha! Please.” John leaned back in the chair, slid his forearms along the armrests, and crossed one leg over the other. “There’s no room for ghosts out here.”

  The couple exchanged a glance. I’m gonna have to wrap this up, I think. Pushing the Winnie back to the road with a few spells will be much faster than whatever we’re doing here. “I’m not trying to be rude—”

  “Not at all.” Their host gestured airily with one hand, his eyes closed.

  “We’re kind of in a hurry, actually. Our RV ran out of gas, and we need to get back to the road for a time-sensitive…thing.”

  “Oh, of course.” The man took another deep breath and uncrossed his legs. “It might ease your mind a little if I told you first that time is considerably slower out there. In here…well, we have all the time in the world, really. But I know how eager you are you find your mother, Lily Antony. She’s quite eager for you to arrive as well. Yes.” A chuckle escaped him, and she froze.

  She didn’t have to look at Romeo to know he had fixed his gaze on the man who called himself a wandering spirit. “How do you know all that?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “I know far more than I would like, to be perfectly honest.” John heaved another sigh. “I will help you, of course. You did find me, after all. But there’s something I want you to see first before you’re back on your way.” Without opening his eyes at all, he raised a hand and pointed out across the water that glistened in the sunlight. “Do you see those funny black birds?”

  The young couple turned together and scanned the water. Two large, black-feathered mounds hovered above the water like small umbrellas. One of them shrank and the edges came together toward the center before a small head on a long, thin neck popped up. The bird turned its head to show the profile of a sharp, hooked beak and took a few steps through the shallow water. It crouched and spread its wings again, cupping them around its ducked head to form the umbrella shape once more.

  Swallowing, Lily had to try twice before she found her voice. “Romeo?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just because you were the one who noticed the difference the first time…what kind of bird is that?”

  Romeo frowned, scratched the back of his head, and turned to look at her. “I’m taking a guess but I’m fairly sure that’s a black heron.”

  Thirty

  “Very good.” John uttered another low chuckle, finally opened his eyes, and straightened in the lawn chair. “I can smell your trepidation, both of you. But tell me, do you know what that clever creature’s doing when it curls up like that?” He swung his arms up and around and hunched forward to mimic the same action as the birds. He gave them both a wide grin from the shadow of his curved arms.

  “I have no idea,” Lily said. If this is another trick or a trap, we actually walked into it like a couple of idiots.

  “No, I suppose not. It’s very clever, really. Very wily and quite sly. Although, of course, one can’t blame these birds for those qualities. It’s merely in their nature.” He laughed again and shook his head. “Be that as it may, the black heron bases its survival, for the most part, on its abilities of deception. It lurks through the water in search of a few fish darting around in the shallows. It ducks its head and curves its wings around itself in that domed shape. ‘Why?’ you may ask. In the shadow of those hooked wings, the fish who are smart enough to stay hidden under the bright, glistening light of day are stupid enough to believe that the black heron’s shadow is, in fact, the sudden onset of night. They think it’s safe. They make their move beneath a moonless sky and the black heron sees it all before—” The man darted his hand out toward Lily, his fingers pressed together in the shape of a hooked beak. She jumped, drew in a sharp breath, and released it in a huff when he cackled.

  “Yeah, that’s freakin’ sneaky.” Romeo folded his arms and eyed their strange host warily before he glared at the two black herons in their natural habitat.

  “Yes. Yes, it is.” John nodded and gestured toward the water. “They cannot help themselves. It is what those creatures were born to do, and it is as much learned as it is inherent in their very cores.” With a slow tug on his long beard, he turned toward Lily once more and nodded. “The group of wayward magicals who call themselves the B
lack Heron Society did very well in choosing that name, whether or not they were aware of its connection to these birds, their namesake. But I do not think, Lily Antony, that any of these society members know everything about every black bird, hmm?”

  Lily frowned at him and leaned away a little in her chair. “I couldn’t begin to guess what they do or don’t know.”

  “Ah, but you already have guessed it, haven’t you? That the Black Heron doesn’t fully comprehend what you are.”

  “And you do?”

  John nodded slowly and held her gaze. “You are an Optatus. I heard it on the winds and I smelled it on you.” He sniggered. “Did you know that the Optatus and the real black herons all stem from the same place? That would be right here, of course.” The man pointed at the ground beside his chair and his finger moved up and down as he stared at the young witch.

  “In Libya.”

  “Ha. Well, let’s see. Not quite. We are very close to your origins, though. The history of your Optatus blood. There are no permanent rivers in Libya, my dear.”

  With a frown that evidenced real confusion, she glanced at the water right in front of them, the birds, the reeds, and the overhanging trees. “Then what’s this?”

  “De Nile.” John uttered another wheezing cackle and slapped his knee. “I know that poor joke has been used a few hundred too many times, but I still haven’t tired of it.”

  Romeo leaned forward to stare at the man. “Did you just say we’re at the Nile? As in the river?”

  “The Nile is most definitely a river, my boy. Oh, was that not your question? Yes, perhaps we are at the Nile. Or a tributary. Some form of it, at any rate, I should say.”

  Lily interrupted quickly. “The Optatus are from Egypt?”

  Their host shrugged, which made his lightweight tunic billow out around his shoulders. “More or less. The current particulars aren’t important, Lily. But the past…” He shook his finger at her this time, the digit waving in front of his face as he held her gaze. “The past is quite useful for you. Your mother’s captors are only interested in the future. Their future, of course. But the past is not far behind them. Ha! And you are so close now. Do you know why it was so easy for so many Optatus before you to fall into the chains of their own forging?”