Witch Swindled in Westerham

by Dionne Lister

  The next morning, I woke to rain thrumming against my dormer window. I dressed then opened the plantation shutters. Sombre dreariness overlaid the sloping rooftops and greenery into the distance, until the view smudged to grey. I would definitely need an umbrella and warm jacket today. So much for it being late spring, although I couldn’t be too sad, because back in Sydney, it was almost winter and likely a little bit colder than it was here. I’d definitely have to buy some super warm clothes before winter came. I imagined it would be freaking freezing here compared to winter in Sydney.

  I packed my phone, umbrella, wallet, and camera into my knapsack, had a coffee, then waited for Olivia in the living room. My camera had also survived my stupidity, thank God. Although, because of all the work I’d had lately, I did have money to replace it, but spending that money would still hurt. Plus I loved my camera. It went with me everywhere. I didn’t want a new one: I wanted this one.

  Thanks to Beren’s healing, I had no scars on my face. Apparently, I’d had several cuts on my forehead, cheeks, and nose. Apart from not wanting to be scarred, how I would have explained that to Olivia, I had no idea. I’d been thinking of spells so I wouldn’t say the wrong thing, and I’d come up with one. Hopefully it wouldn’t backfire and leave me unable to answer the door when Olivia came because I’d done something unexplainable, like turned myself into a cat or something. If this worked, I was going to start a book-of-spells diary.

  I imagined standing in the golden river of power, its luminescent water flowing around me. “Filter my thoughts, and only let words form for the ones that won’t cause remorse.” I flung my arms wide to add some dramatics—everyone was so subtle, but I felt like having some fun. Warmth briefly drifted over my scalp and face. Hmm, I needed to test it with something fairly harmless but slightly upsetting. I’d think of something by the time Olivia turned up.

  The sound of crunching gravel and a car engine indicated I’d been optimistic in my assessment. Well, I was sure I’d think of something in the car.

  I didn’t wait for her to knock and opened the door. I stepped outside and locked it as Olivia was getting out of the car.

  “Hey, Liv.” I squinted against the raindrops hitting my face.

  “Hey, Lily.” She ran up and gave me a quick hug. “It’s a bit wet.”

  “Yep, it is. Let’s get in the car.”

  We raced to get out of the drizzle. Once we were safely strapped in, she reversed down the driveway. She turned left, away from the village. “So, where are we going?”

  “I thought it would be nice, notwithstanding the weather, to take you to Hever Castle. It’s about twenty minutes’ drive. The gatehouse dates from about 1270. Anne Boleyn used to live there, and Henry VIII used to visit there all the time.”

  “Sounds like a happening place.” I laughed. “The history sounds so cool. Can’t wait to see it!”

  “I hope you brought your camera.”

  “Yep. I hardly go anywhere without it.”

  “I noticed.” She smiled. “Thanks for the photos, by the way. Even though you didn’t get to stay for the whole thing, the photos you sent me were incredible. My parents said to say thank you. They’re also insisting you keep the deposit.”

  I looked at her, my mouth open. “They’re thanking me for bailing in the middle of things and leaving them with drama on such an important day? I find that hard to believe. They must be two of the most forgiving people ever, and you come a close third. And I want to give the deposit back. I didn’t do a proper job.”

  “No way. The photos you did take were amazing. We won’t accept the money back.” Her smile fell. “You know how they don’t like Ernest? They said it was a bad omen and reminded me I could still call the wedding off.”

  “Oh.” Now I wasn’t smiling. I wish I could tell her, but I couldn’t, and what would I even say? Maybe now was the time to test out whether my spell worked. I’d never liked his slicked-back hair. I bit my lip then plunged on. “Well, his hair—” My mouth stopped, refused to form words. I opened and tried again. Nothing. My mouth wouldn’t even open this time. Not bad.

  “His hair, what?”

  “His hair is nice and thick.” Luckily I hadn’t put an anti-lie spell on myself.

  “I like it, and the product he uses smells yummy. Sometimes I just lie there and smell his hair.”

  Thank goodness she was looking at the road, because while my mouth wouldn’t offend, my facial expressions weren’t censored, and my current expression was a touch of too much information mixed with a healthy dose of ew.

  I relaxed a little once I knew my spell had worked. I couldn’t wait to tell Angelica how awesome I was.

  “What time do you have to go to work with Angelica?”

  “Not till two.” I checked the car clock. “It’s only nine. We should have plenty of time.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever asked, but what does Angelica do?”

  I should’ve expected that question sooner or later. “She’s a manager at a secret government facility. I promised I’d help her with some basic office stuff this afternoon. Her secretary’s sick.”

  “Ooh, that sounds cool. What kind of secret government facility?”

  “I can’t say. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, and they know where I live.” I laughed. Telling her part of the truth would make it easier to deflect questions later. “I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. If I break it, I’ll go to jail.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Whoa! That’s tough.”

  “I know. Tell me about it. She doesn't tell me much of what goes on there, so I don’t actually have much to spill, thank goodness. Have you heard from Ernest today?” Why did I have to go there? I just couldn’t help myself, apparently.

  “No, but I’m expecting him to call tonight. I can’t wait till he gets home. I’ve missed him.”

  My brain countered with, but he’s probably never coming home, the bastard. My mouth behaved and stayed closed. When everything was over, I hoped we’d still be friends. She’d need a good friend, and while I knew she had some, I wanted to do my part to help her get over him, since I was assisting in uncovering his deceit.

  I grinned at the sign that said Hever Castle and squealed a little. I was going to see a real castle! Olivia found a spot and parked. The parking lot was a mud bath, and we squelched our way to buy tickets. My poor hiking boots. At least we both had umbrellas.

  Tickets in hand, we set off towards the castle, excitement filling me so I was almost skipping. We passed through a Grecian or ancient Roman style garden on the way to the castle proper—I really needed to brush up on my history. The garden’s ancientness was deceiving, as it was apparently created in the early twentieth century. Down the path, through ionic, or were they Doric, columns supporting a stone archway was the slate-grey-yet-slightly-brown lake. It was also created around the early twentieth century by the guy who started the Waldorf Astoria hotel in London. Talk about rich history. This was the stuff I missed in Australia—the old buildings and stories to go with them.

  Thunder cracked, and the drizzle turned to a downpour. For convenience sake, my umbrella was one of those fold out ones where you pressed the button and whoosh, click an umbrella appeared in the form it’s supposed to take. Unfortunately, mine didn’t have a large brella part, and my hair and face were the only things that weren’t getting wet. Olivia didn’t look much better off.

  “I’m running,” I said as I took off. Surprisingly, she followed. I had no idea if she did any regular exercise, but she was no slouch. She kept up with me the whole way. We stopped in front of Hever Castle, panting. I wanted to take photos, but I didn’t want to ruin my camera, so I took my phone out and snapped a few with that.

  It wasn't the biggest castle, but it was still impressive. Four stories of stone with crenellations around the roof, all surrounded by a moat. The drawbridge was down, a steady stream of visitors crossing it, despite the bad weather. I supposed weather didn’t respect sightseeing holidays, so you just had t
o push through the discomfort.

  We crossed the drawbridge and went down a few steps to the central courtyard, framed on all sides by Tudor architecture. “The windows are so pretty!” I took more photos with my phone.

  “I know. It’s been so well preserved.”

  We stuck our umbrellas in an umbrella holder in the entry and wandered through. Numerous times, I had to stop myself from taking photos. I didn’t want to get pictures of something I couldn’t explain, plus it would definitely freak me out if I snapped a picture of Henry or Anne. Too weird. I’d wanted to block my magic, but then I might have said something and put Olivia in danger. Priorities.

  The first room we came upon was a ginormous yet cosy sitting room, furnished with cream-coloured lounges, timber-framed chairs, and Persian rugs over a polished timber floor. There was even a grand piano in the far corner. The room screamed decadence, from the decorative plaster ceilings to the ornate timber panels lining the walls. It smelled of old books and ancient dust.

  Olivia’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag and checked the screen. “It’s Ernest!” Her face lit up, and she answered it. “Hey, honey. How’s it going?” She nodded while he spoke. “I’m just at Hever Castle. Yeah, it’s pouring at the moment.” He said something else I couldn’t make out, but his voice projected enough to hear he was talking. “Another couple of hours. Then I’ll head home. Okay, enjoy your conference. Chat to you later. Love you.” She dropped her phone back in her bag and grinned.

  “Happy much?” I smiled and hoped it didn’t look like a grimace.

  “Very.” She bit her lip. “I’ve been feeling kind of weird lately, like something’s got him distracted. He’s not as doting as he was before. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing to it. I’m probably just being paranoid.” A small nervous laugh tittered out. If ever I were to say something, now would be the time. But I couldn’t. She’d still be unlikely to believe me, and how would I explain why I thought what I thought?

  A prickly tingle crept down my back, and I shivered. We moved back through the entry foyer and to the dining room, where a sixteen-seat dining table took centre stage, and guild-framed portraits hung on the timber-panelled walls. So much dark timber made the room feel oppressive, coupled with the small windows that only let in a trickle of low light, and I wanted to escape outside.

  Olivia led me to a staircase. As we neared the top, I had the sensation someone was behind me. I looked back, but no one was there. Stop being paranoid, Lily. We walked through to a study. There wasn’t anyone else around, so I shook off my unease. The castle was quite lovely, and it annoyed me that I was creeped out. I wanted to enjoy the morning with my friend, finally doing something fun. I walked to one of the walls and read a plaque while Olivia looked at a display against another wall.

  There was that damn tingling again. I reached my hand around awkwardly and scratched my back, but I couldn’t reach all the way down to the middle of my spine. Maybe coming here had been a bad idea. What if whoever wanted me had sent new guys already? And if they cornered me here, there would be no way whoever was watching me today would get here in time. I hadn’t noticed Beren or William skulking around behind me, so I had to assume the PIB had sent agents I didn’t recognise.

  I’d almost reached the itch in the middle of my back, when my scalp went nuts. It was like a thousand lice were holding a dance party in my hair. I shook my head and scratched.

  An intake of breath came from the other side of the small room. I spun around.

  Camilla!

  She had Olivia in a headlock, her palm to her forehead. A flash of light burst from Camilla’s hand, and Olivia slumped in her arms. Camilla looked up at me, grinned, and stepped backwards, dragging my friend with her.

  They both vanished. Mega crap! She must have taken her through a doorway. I ran to the spot where they’d disappeared. There was nothing left but the last dull vibrations of recently used magic. My breath came faster. I frantically looked around for help, but the room was empty, and even if someone had been here, what could a non-witch do except freak the hell out at what they’d just witnessed?

  I fumbled through my bag, grabbed my phone in clumsy fingers, dropped it, then found it again. I dumped my bag on the floor and dialled Angelica. She picked up on the second ring, thank God. My thoughts were racing. I needed to go after Camilla. Now. “Ma’am, they’ve taken Olivia.”

  “Who, Lily?”

  “Camilla. Ernest called Olivia a few minutes ago and asked where she was. It must have been so his girlfriend could make a doorway and take her. She appeared from nowhere, zapped Olivia in the head to make her unconscious and snatched her. I thought witches couldn’t just pop in anywhere.”

  “Maybe your friend told her fiancé where she was bringing you today, and Camilla popped into a public toilet nearby and set up a doorway point last night. Are you still there?”

  “Of course I am. Where else would I be?”

  “Don’t be smart with me, dear. Do you remember the PIB coordinates?”

  “Yes, of course. You want me to come there now?” Okay, so I wasn’t sure if I remembered, but I was going to trust my brain this time, which wasn’t always the smartest thing to do.

  “Yes. I’ll bring the meeting forward. But before you do, I want you to set some landing coordinates for me.”

  Okaaaay. I’d just learnt to travel and now she wanted me to do something new? Good luck with this working out. “I’ll try. What do I have to do?”

  “Draw from the power and pull up the world map in your mind.”

  We’d practiced that at her place when she’d taught me how to travel. I did what she asked and zoomed in on the bright golden signature that was me. I took note of the coordinates floating above my symbol and stuck them on an imaginary door in my mind. “I’ve got the coordinates and put them on a door.”

  “Good work, Lily. I knew you had the natural witch instinct. Now, you need to say, ‘Save this landing space for me in the form of a doorway temporary.’”

  I repeated her words, and the map flashed in my mind then dimmed. I had no idea if it had worked. “Done. But how do I know it worked?”

  “You’ll have to look with your other sight.”

  I reached inside for the power again and imagined throwing it in front of me. “Show me the magic.” That was so basic, but it should show me what I needed. I grinned as the doorway appeared before me, as a rectangular golden outline of a door.

  “Done.”

  “Excellent, Lily. Now get yourself over here.”

  “See you soon. Bye.” I grabbed my bag and pulled the coordinates from their safe little spot in my memory—yay, brain!

  Voices came from down the hallway, so I went into the room leading off the study. I’d have to do this quickly, because if anyone saw, they’d freak, or maybe they’d just assume the place was haunted.

  I dipped into the river of power and imagined the coordinates bright against a dark green door. “Take me where I need to go, to the numbers on this door I show.” A black rectangular hole opened in the air in front of me. The blackness swirled, silver flecks sparkling out of the maelstrom every so often. I took a deep breath, my mouth watering with fear. This was it. Would it work? I guessed I’d soon know.

  I hesitated. If I’d gotten the coordinates wrong, I could end up anywhere. Best not to think of that now. The voices from down the hall were louder—lucky there was a lot to see in this castle, which must have slowed them down. I really needed to get my crap together and take that step. You can do this, girl. Come on. Go.

  I shut my eyes and stepped forward. Which was stupid, because blind, I wouldn’t know when I’d gotten where I was going, since doorways could end up being small tunnels if you weren’t very good at making them. A brief moment of disorientation had me opening my eyes quickly. My doorway wasn’t too bad, if I did say so myself. It was a short tunnel, and within four steps, I was out the other side. I looked down at my feet: all there! I grinned and looked up to the ceiling. Th
ank you, universe.

  Woohoo! I’d made it to where I was supposed to go. I knew this because the décor was very government, who-cares-about-making-things-welcoming-or-comfortable style. The PIB reception room had a polished concrete floor, beige walls, and white ceiling. Little black ball cameras were attached in two ceiling corners, and six baby-poo-colour plastic chairs sat against one wall. The only door was a solid-looking white one with a strip of glass at head height. An intercom pad was attached to the wall next to the door. I used it to buzz… reception? I had no idea what they called it. Or was it just security? Who knew?

  I peered out of the small window. Just outside was a hallway. I jumped back when Angelica’s face appeared on the other side. Jeepers! Heart attack much?

  She opened the door and smiled. “Hello, Lily. Congratulations on getting here in one piece so soon.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ma’am.” Could she give me a proper compliment for a change?

  “Everyone’s waiting for us.”

  “That was quick.”

  “When I say jump, my agents do.” She said that without arrogance—she was just stating a fact. Hopefully it wasn’t a warning to me, although I wasn’t an agent, so I could afford to be a bit ornery if I really wanted. Taking orders wasn't my strong suit, although I did like to help people. I just had to look at it like that, and getting Olivia back as soon as possible was all I really cared about right now.

  My heart raced as I followed her to the security area where I put my backpack on the conveyer belt, then walked through the metal detector. This all brought back bad memories, but I had to remember there was no way I was going to be arrested this time. Right?

  We cleared security. I’d walked the same hallways only a few weeks ago, and I recognised where we were headed: the dreaded meeting room. Nothing good had ever happened in there, at least not for me.

  Angelica opened the door, and I followed her in. Today the head of the bureau wasn’t there. I blew out a relieved breath. James, Beren, and William sat on the other side of the table, all chatter ending abruptly when they spied us. I sat in a chair opposite them, and Angelica sat at the head of the table, to my left.