A Witch's Rite (Witch's Path Series: Book 5)

by N. E. Conneely

  Checking the link with Burly again, I hoped for some good news, but if anything the battle between the spells was getting worse. Cursing, I stopped moving and debated my options. Really, there was only one: try another spell. After all, I couldn’t keep moving indefinitely, and I needed to be free of this problem before I could look for water or start removing spells from myself.

  The blood on my hand had dried, but there wasn’t much I could do about that other than hope it would still provide a way to get magic into him. This time I selected a very simple spell, basically a compulsion to go home. It didn’t take more than a couple of seconds to craft the spell and only a small portion of my remaining power.

  I resumed walking as the spell headed for Burly. Thanks to the link, I could feel it impact with the mass of spells swirling inside him. For an instant things flared up, but then they died down. The spells stopped moving and started to form into something else. From here, it looked like things were finally going to go my way and Burly would return to his cave.

  The spells surged again, making links in places I’d never anticipated. The sleep spell joined with the desire to go home, effectively nullifying that portion of the spell. At the same time, the deepest desire spell joined with the orders Ned was feeding him.

  The roar behind me came after I’d started to run. A moment later the magical link started to shorten. He was catching up. I should’ve left well enough alone. Why couldn’t I ever leave well enough alone?

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Elron

  I was roused from my rest by a tickle in my mind. Someone wanted to communicate with me. Scanning the area, I was relieved to see nothing had changed while I rested. The sensation that someone wanted to speak with me returned.

  I focused on the image. It was the doe I had helped escape the maze.

  “What can I do for you? Are you okay?”

  Fine. Spoke with herd. Have way to help—to pay back.

  “Please tell me more.” I refused to get excited. There was every chance that any aid she offered would result in her death.

  Herd mate knows fey… officer? Helps deer. Can take message. If hurry, be there by sunup.

  “Let me think about it for a moment.” This was the first real chance I had to get the word out. I had tried reaching out to animals when we were first captured but had been unable to contact any. I suspected it was part of the magic that was holding us here. My efforts would not be difficult for the magic to block since communicating with animals did not come as easily to me as communicating with plants.

  If the deer carried a message for me, it would get them out of the area and away from danger. It should be impossible for Ned to detect something like what the doe proposed as there was no physical component, and most people underestimated what creatures were capable of doing. The only real issue I saw was that I would have to come up with a simple message that would still convey the necessary information.

  “If you could send a message, I would be most grateful. It would also be prudent for your herd to leave this area until Ned has been dealt with.”

  Yes.

  “Tell the fey that police officer Westmoreland and his group are trapped by human-controlled magic. We need help, but they must be careful of the magic person. He is very dangerous.” I paused to let that sink in. “Now repeat the message back to me.”

  The doe did, image by image, with as many attached words as she could manage. I thought it conveyed the point nicely. “May the earth make you fleet of foot and keep you safe.”

  You too. Leave now. And that was the last I heard from her.

  I sat there for a few minutes, struggling with the hope that this would result in our rescue yet knowing the odds of that help arriving in a timely manner and avoiding our fate were slim. Part of me regretted sending the message, but my belief that we could escape Ned on our own was fading. However, I didn’t want other people to die simply because they did not know what they were up against.

  If the message went to a fey, they should know to pass the information along to the police. While I was unsure if they had other resources that would allow them to rescue us and capture Ned, I had to admit that the police officers had known the work they were signing up for. Their fate was not under my control.

  However, I could do my part to see this finished before they were in any jeopardy. I started packing away my gear. There was still a chance I could find Michelle or the others and we could get out of this. It was a small chance, but it was better than waiting for Ned to send another monster after me.

  With my gear stowed, I settled the backpack on my shoulders. I had to keep looking. Michelle wouldn’t stop searching for me; I could do no less for her. Besides, she would camp for the night. This might be my best chance of locating her since only one of us would be moving.

  Hours passed as I made my way through the maze. While I moved cautiously, knowing the types of dangers that could present themselves, nothing unusual appeared. However, I was beginning to get feelings of what path I should choose when I came to an intersection. While I could not identify the source of the glimmers, they were akin to how my medallion had helped me find Michelle in the past.

  Grunts and outraged roars carried over the maze. The noise sounded roughly ahead of me, so I started jogging. One of our group was over there and in danger. I had to help, had to try to rescue them so we could save Gudger and leave this place.

  As I hurried down the corridor, I wavered between hoping to find Michelle and hoping that wherever Michelle was, she wasn’t facing that angry monster. This was one of those times when the outcome would be mixed no matter who I found, if I could find anyone at all. My past attempts to locate Michelle had not gone well.

  Ahead of me the path forked. This was how I had lost Michelle to begin with, and I had no better notion now than I had then of how to choose the correct path. The odds were the same, and nothing recommended one corridor over the other.

  I had started in the direction of the right fork when I felt a pain in my chest, as if something had shocked me. Growling, I reached up to see if anything was there, and where before my fingers had found nothing, this time I felt a round disk.

  Fishing it out of my shirt, I blinked in surprise. It was the medallion Varro had left me, and it was pulling toward the left path. The medallion had been helping me all along. Without further thought, I charged down the corridor it indicated.

  I did wonder how I had forgotten that I was wearing it and what had changed that I could suddenly interact with it again. Perhaps when I’d seen the outside of the maze or communicated with the doe, some portion of the magic holding me here was broken.

  A roar, much louder than the previous ones, shattered the quiet night. The medallion let off a tingle, but I did not need the encouragement to pick up the pace. Either Patrick or Michelle was in danger. I had been unable to save Wells, but this time it would be different. It had to be. I couldn’t live with knowing that I let two fellows, or Michelle, die.

  The scream that cut through the air had me dropping my pack and running as only an elf could. Even in this maze, a place designed to harm us, each footfall was true, and each stride was as fast as the last.

  I knew that voice. Michelle was in danger.

  A second scream tore through the air. I wanted to call out, let Michelle know I was coming for her, that I would save her, but I did not. I could not risk alerting the enemy to my approach, and I was afraid that she would not be able to hear me. That had been a problem when we were first trapped.

  The corridor I was traversing dead-ended into another path up ahead. I was unsure which way would take me to her, but the medallion pulled me to the right. I didn’t hesitate to follow the suggestion. A few feet later, there was an opening, and from the roars and screams filling the air, I knew exactly where to go.

  I turned and quickly stumbled to a halt. Michelle was ahead of me, hunkered down in a dead end. A few feet to my right was the monster, though I was sure it would prefer to be
called minotaur.

  The minotaur’s gaze was fixed on Michelle. It licked its lips and took a step forward. “Mine. You will be mine.”

  Summoning my sword, I stepped between them. “I would not say she belongs to anyone, but she is my woman.”

  A deep rumble filled the air. “I will have her.”

  Michelle’s voice wobbled. “Elron?”

  I did not take my eyes off the creature. “You are safe. I will take care of this.”

  Lunging forward, the minotaur swiped at me with a large hand. I dodged, my sword already in motion, opening a shallow cut on his arm.

  Pivoting, he lashed out with a hoof. I rolled to the side, dodging the kick, and regained my feet next to one of the hedges. Without me between him and Michelle, he was rapidly advancing on her. Racing forward, I prepared to hamstring him.

  Michelle screamed, “Don’t hurt him.”

  At the last moment, I turned the blade, striking him with the flat. It would still wound him, but it should not sever anything important. He bellowed, this time in pain, as he went down. I was almost between him and Michelle when he backhanded me. The blow hit my ribs, and white spots filled my vision as the bones cracked. The maze wall cushioned my landing but also gave me a few more scrapes.

  Forcing my eyes to focus, I looked for the minotaur. He had returned to his feet and was moving toward Michelle. Reaching out to the plants, I found dormant seeds in the earth and summoned them to life. They shot out of the ground, spiraling up his legs as they grew.

  Air hissed though my clenched teeth as I stood up. I doubted the plants would hold him for long, but it would give me enough time to end this. No matter what Michelle said, killing him was the only way to end this fight.

  “Burly’s under Ned’s spell,” Michelle yelled. “He doesn’t really want to do this. Help him, Elron.”

  Fingers tightening on the hilt of my sword, I wished I could go against her wishes, but I could not. I would have to find another way to solve this problem.

  The minotaur tried to take a step forward, flexing his muscles. For the most part, he kept his eyes on me, but from time to time he risked looking at Michelle.

  If he had been spelled, I might be able to help him. As half bull, the minotaur was as more a creature of my world than he was of the magic that Michelle was adept at using. She might not have been able to fix this problem, but I could. Reaching out, I followed the connection between him and the earth. I reminded the earth that this was one of its creatures. A little energy, a little healing, and this child of the earth could have a much better life.

  Warm energy surged up from the ground, infusing the minotaur’s hooves. It slowly rolled through his entire body, finding every trace of the spells that bound him to Ned and eradicating them. The brand on his chest started to morph as the earth magic permeated the scar. Though I did not understand why the earth would change a scar, it knew its child and the best way to help him. For a moment I thought the earth would erase the brand entirely, but instead his skin twisted. He let out a pain-filled bellow.

  When his skin returned to normal, the letters that had been there were gone, and in their place was a hoofprint. The earth had not only broken Ned’s spell but reaffirmed Burly’s bond with nature.

  Its task done, the magic slipped away, sinking deep into the ground. The vines holding Burly’s legs followed the magic. The minotaur mirrored the vine’s movement, lowering himself until he was sitting on the earth, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

  Kneeling down, I pressed a hand into the dirt to better commune with the earth. “Many thanks.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Michelle

  Looking at him, I wasn’t sure I trusted my eyes. “Are you sure you’re really here?”

  “Burly, is it?” Elron sighed. “Can you please tell my darling girlfriend that I am indeed present?”

  Burly moaned weakly. “Leave me out of your lover’s quarrel. My head hurts, m’skin tingles, and I think I’m about to be ill.”

  “All right. You’re really here.” The words might have been calm enough, but I was the furthest thing from calm when I hurled myself into his arms.

  Elron caught me with an oof and cradled me against his chest. “I was so worried.”

  “Me too.” I swallowed a sob. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

  “I’m here now. We’ll get out of this.”

  “Well, that’s lovely,” Burly grumbled. “But do either of you have something that will calm my stomach?”

  We both looked over at him.

  Elron sighed. “I will get my pack.”

  I peeled myself off him. “Hurry back.”

  “Of course, m’lady.” He walked back into the maze, and I dearly hoped he’d come back to me. I didn’t want to lose him again.

  Since waiting didn’t seem all that fun, I went over to Burly. “How do you feel?”

  “Like someone turned me inside out and put me back together again.” He kept his head between his knees.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Stop talking. It makes my headache worse.”

  Well, that wasn’t the answer I’d been hoping for. I sat next to him in silence. While there were a few spells I could try, I had a feeling Burly would like to remain spell-free for a while. The earth magic Elron had summoned had done just that and pulled all the magic out of him. As near as I could tell, Burly had been returned to himself, more or less. Somehow I thought the hoof-shaped scar was the earth’s idea. It couldn’t get rid of the scar, but it could transform it, breaking any link between Burly and the branding iron.

  The poor guy really had been through enough tonight. Though now that I was close to him, I could see a few other ways in which the earth had helped him. The slash on his arm was gone. In fact, all the injuries he’d gotten during his fight with Elron had healed.

  “Returned, as promised.” Elron set his pack on the ground, dug around in it for something, and then offered a couple of herbs to Burly. “Chew on these. It should help.”

  Burly didn’t even ask what they were. He just took them and stuffed them in his mouth.

  I went over to Elron and wrapped my arms around him. It seemed more real when I could touch him. “How did you find me?”

  “I followed my ears.”

  “But when we first woke up, you couldn’t hear me. What changed?” As soon as the words left my mouth, whatever had been zapping my chest did it again.

  Elron smiled and looked at my chest as if he knew what had happened. “The medallions, I believe.”

  I reached up to feel my chest. There was nothing there. “The what?”

  Elron tugged at a necklace that had vanished under his shirt. He pulled up a big brass crescent that I recognized.

  “Varro’s medallions.” Suddenly there was something hard and metallic under my fingers. I lifted up my own medallion, the moon that could fit in his crescent to make a whole. I’d tried to figure out exactly what the medallions did, but they were keeping their secrets. They simply helped out when they could.

  “So that’s what’s been helping us.” I gazed at the maze, and things started to come together. I’d seen the strange magic permeating the area where the snails had been killed before we even reached this mountain. There was a bag sitting in my office that had an extra-large shoe and some of the powder that was the source of all this magic. Not only that, but that powder was likely coming from the snails. After all, I’d felt extra energy in the snails. Ned must’ve figured out a way to use that power.

  How he’d gotten the magic out of them was something I wasn’t looking forward to investigating. Partly because I didn’t want anyone to figure it out. Using those snails, Ned had given himself magic on par with being a witch, hedge-practitioner, or sorcerer. His secrets were dangerous. The world had enough trouble without a source of magic anyone could use hitting the market. Witches had rules, and for the most part abided by them. Most magical creatures were that way, and if th
ey didn’t listen to those rules… Well, there was always someone there to see that justice was served.

  If magic powder got out, I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the problems it would cause. The poor snails would be hunted for their magic, and more importantly, anyone could get their hands on magic. There were a lot of people who would use that power for things that should be left alone. Plus from what I’d seen, Ned didn’t have the power constraints we did, which made his brand of magic very dangerous. There was no limiting factor to what he could do. Stuff like that always got into the wrong hands. No matter what else happened up here, I had to make sure the secrets of the powder died with Ned.

  That wasn’t only to protect the world from magic run amok—I’d read about the side effects from this type of stuff. It could have mind-altering effects on humans. For witches it was addictive, and with long-term use it did terrible things to the body.

  Taking a calming breath, I started sorting through what I knew of the spells. They seemed to be responsive to my fears and had prevented escape from the maze as well as blocked my ability to remember or perceive the medallion. That meant the magic was connected more to my mind than the physical. As to how I was finally able to see the medallion… Well, I’d been throwing a lot of power around and over time had probably worn through some of the spells. Plus no spells were meant to last forever, and they had to be using up their energy.

  Turning to Elron, I explained my theory about the spells. “And it’s part of the reason I didn’t see the spells before. Even when I looked to see if we were magicked, I was looking from inside the spell.”

  “Your analysis fits with what I have observed.” He nodded thoughtfully. “In addition, if you remember the plant sample someone sent to me?”