A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4)

by N. E. Conneely

  I was ready.

  The wood floor passed Landa's message to me. I was wanted in the parlor.

  The backpack was left in the hall, where I could quickly retrieve it regardless of where I was in the house. I greeted Nancy and Greg, watching to see if anyone would comment on my clothing. Landa noticed my change in dress and nodded. Rodriguez shrugged.

  "What do you need?" I did not want to repeat what I had already told the officer, but if it would help Michelle I would.

  "Take a seat."

  My pulse picked up as I dropped into a chair. Those words were rarely a good sign. The Call pushed at me again, but this time I found it reassuring. She was alive and fighting.

  Rodriguez took a deep breath and focused on Greg and Nancy. "We found her car abandoned on the side of Highway 515, the four-lane. We didn't find her. There was evidence that she'd had car trouble, and there were signs of a struggle."

  "You didn't find her?" Nancy repeated, tears welling up.

  "No, ma'am. We found her purse, phone, and keys."

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had hoped… but Michelle would never willingly leave any of those behind. Someone had taken her, and I was going to go find her.

  Chapter 5: Michelle

  Josh guided me to the center of the room, positioned me so I was facing the women, and took a step back. I wasn't worried about him; the real danger was in front of me. The women were as varied in appearance as the ones in the gilded frames, and two of them wore expressions of exasperation, as if they were tired of this game. Good. This had gone on long enough, and I was ready to be done with it.

  Gretchen tapped her fingers on the desk. "I'm sorry it came to this. I don't know what your mother has told you, but you have been deprived of your rightful place. Now that you're here, we can rectify the gaps in your education. Ladies, are we ready to bring her into the clan?"

  "I'm not." A plump witch at the end of the lectern spoke up. "Gretchen, this is absurd. We aren't forcing her to become a clan member. She hardly looks willing to be here, and I'm not going to be a part of this unless she wants to be a clan member."

  "Sarah, your opinion has been noted and taken into consideration. Let me remind you that I am not required to justify my actions to the elders," Gretchen said sharply.

  "I am aware, but until my concerns are addressed, my objection stands."

  "Again, noted." Gretchen faced on me. "Michelle, are you willing to become a clan member?"

  "Are you serious?"

  Her nails clicked against the wood.

  "No, I don't want to be a clan member. You abducted me. That's not a way to build a relationship." The woman was insane if she thought anyone would agree to join her merry band after this introduction.

  Gretchen's mouth flattened into a line as the other women looked between the two of us and the cuffs on my wrist. She spoke quickly. "That will be enough. No granddaughter of mine is going to speak to me that way. Josh, take her back to her room."

  With one hand on my back and one on my elbow, Josh propelled me out of the room as voices erupted behind us.

  "You assured us she was willing."

  "I was told that when she was away from her parents she'd be eager to join the clan."

  "If she doesn't want to be here, the 'rescue' you staged could turn into a police matter."

  "That's enough out of all of you. She's frightened and needs some time to think," Gretchen said.

  "She didn't sound frightened."

  We were back in the office with the two women before I could hear the outcome of the conversation. We resumed our previous formation as we walked back down the hall.

  "Can I get a burger? With fries? If that's not on the menu, how about tacos?" My stomach let out a well-timed grumble. "Either way, I want a large glass of sweet tea."

  "I'll bring you food," Josh said.

  "And the tea?"

  "Yes, tea too."

  "Thank you," I said.

  We arrived at my room, and the ladies stayed outside as Josh walked me inside. A few steps into the room, he came to a stop and swung me around to look at him.

  "You can go back in the bedroom and take the cuffs off, or you can keep them on and stay in the living room," he said.

  I didn't have to think about that one for very long. I wanted a chance to examine them and the room. There had to be a way out of here. "I'll keep the cuffs. Any idea when I can get something to eat? Or how long I'll be waiting here?"

  "The food shouldn't take long. I don't have any say on how long you'll be here." Josh walked out of the room. When the door shut, I could hear a lock click over.

  As prisons went, it was luxurious, clean, and smelled good. At the window, I pulled back the curtain to see glass that glowed with the force of the spells woven into it. Beyond the window, the grounds had stone paths, tightly trimmed grass, and down the hill a pond with a few ducks. Past the pond were old-growth trees, but I couldn't call them woods. All the brush and smaller trees had been cleared away, and mulch neatly encircled their bases. I could just make out a fence on the other side of the trees.

  My grandmother, who really didn't deserve that title, was a horrible person. If she'd gone about this in a different way, I'd be telling my parents they were crazy for being paranoid about letting her be involved in my life. Instead, these tactics reinforced everything they'd said and made me want to run for the hills. She wasn't just a bad person, but she had bad people skills too.

  As terrible as Gretchen was, Nana was amazing. The first time we'd met, she'd shown up to breakfast with a half gallon of cookie dough ice cream and proclaimed that she had years of spoiling me to make up for. She'd then produced a goodie bag that included a purse that had been spelled to feel lighter than it really was. She'd followed that up by telling me that she could teach me the spell, and we'd proceeded to give several more of my bags that treatment. I had a great Nana.

  Turning back to the room, I picked out a plush chair and sat down. It wasn't as comfortable as it had looked, and it faced toward the bedroom rather than the door. I got up and tugged at an arm. The chair didn't budge. Changing my grip, I tugged again. It still didn't move.

  Kneeling down, I saw that the feet of the chair were set into metal cups and screwed to the floor. The coffee table, sofa, and side table were the same way. The more I looked, the more apparent it became that there wasn't a single item in this room I could budge. There wasn't even a light switch I could toggle. The only seat with a view of the door was rock hard, and only a few minutes had passed before my backside went numb. This wasn't my day. Of course, I couldn't be sure what day it was since I'd been out of it for a while.

  How these witches thought they were going to get away with this, I didn't know. It wouldn't take long for me to be missed, even if they had tidied up the crime scene. When I didn't show up, my parents would talk to Landa, maybe Elron, and then the police. At that point the question would become how much my parents would be willing to tell the police and how quickly they could find probable cause to come get me. After that, things would move quickly, and every police department for seven counties would be looking for me by bedtime. As comforting as it was to know that, I wanted to get out of here sooner rather than later.

  The lock clicked again, and Josh came in with a large plastic cup and a paper plate holding a sandwich and chips. He set them down on the table next to me.

  "The sandwich is turkey. And that's sweet tea. I'll be back later for the dishes." Mr. Chatty retreated without waiting for a comment from me.

  It wasn't what I'd asked for, but I hadn't actually expected a burger. I wolfed down the food in record time and went to work on my cuffs. The one on my right wrist was already loose, so I tucked my thumb against my palm and managed to work it most of the way down my hand before it got stuck. If I'd been willing to part with some skin, I might've been able to get it off, but Josh or Tammy might notice the wound.

  Even if I got it off, I would still need to release my other hand. The chair
I was sitting on didn't have any cushions, but I looked around the legs in case someone had dropped something useful. When I didn't find anything, I moved on to the sofa, pulling up every cushion and feeling around the edges. After checking out two more chairs and crawling around the floor, I came up empty. This was the cleanest bedroom I'd ever seen.

  Maybe with a lubricant I could get my right hand free and figure out the left when the time came. Remembering the soap, I hurried to the bathroom and started lathering up my hands. I'd worry about getting everything dry later. If I could get the cuffs off, I'd be able to use magic again. With my right hand thoroughly covered, I grabbed the metal and started to tug. The cuff easily slid to the spot where it had stopped before.

  This time it slowed but didn't stop. My fingers slipped off the metal, and I swore. Rinsing them off, I tried again. I had to do this quickly. Josh could come back at any moment, and I didn't want to be caught covered in soap with my magic partly bound. If they caught me, I could end up with a guard watching me constantly, and that would dampen any escape plans.

  All of a sudden, the cuff made it over the largest part of my hand and went flying off. My left hand slipped and hit the side of the sink while the empty part of the handcuffs whacked into the faucet with a metallic clang. I winced and then froze, breathing lightly, trying to figure out if anyone had heard the noise and would come investigate.

  When a long moment passed without a guard rushing in, I rinsed the soap off my hands, then walked to the sitting area to use an ugly pillow as a towel. I returned to the bathroom, not because I wanted to sit on a hard floor while I worked, but because it would give me time to put things to rights or come up with a plan if Josh came in.

  Freeing my hand was a small victory. With one wrist still in the handcuffs, my magic was still partly bound. Magic was my best tool, but I had to be careful because my guards would be able to feel if I used any large spells. Most witches had to use runes for anything but the simplest of spells. Runes gave spells shape and form, telling them what to be. I could see a spell in my mind and force it into being without the structure runes provided. It gave me an edge working with the police because I could create a spell even if I didn't know the proper way to cast it. Against witches, it shortened my casting time and didn't give them any warning as to what I was throwing at them. But none of that helped me right now, because the only way I knew to remove the cuffs was a power-sucking, attention-grabbing spell.

  I started on the empty cuff so that if something went wrong, my hand wouldn't be in the line of fire. Now that it was off of me, I could work on the spells. The first thing I examined was the binding itself. It would be the most difficult part to neutralize, but once it was disabled I could cast spells whether or not I was wearing the handcuffs.

  The binding spell was multilayered, each layer connecting to the other. Some portions defined what magic was, others defined how to stop the use, while others directed the spell to act upon the person wearing the handcuffs. I started on the part that blocked magic. Under different circumstances, I would've simply untangled it all, but I couldn't use that much magic.

  There was a soft whoosh, and I knew I was about to be discovered. I scooted over until I was next to the toilet, unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, and pulled them down to my knees. Someone walked across the room and rapped on the bathroom door.

  "Are you done with the food?" Josh asked.

  "Yes," I said. There was a long pause so I let a little panic creep into my voice. "Don't come in. I'm on the toilet."

  "I wasn't going to." He sounded hurt. "Knock if you need something."

  "Okay." I could hear him moving around the other room, so I did my business and was as noisy as I could be when I shimmied back into my pants. Between swearing at the handcuffs and clanking at the sink—which is what I'd done last time—I was sure he didn't suspect anything.

  When I heard the door shut behind him, I sank down to the floor and wiggled my shoulders to get the tension out of them. That was as close a call as I wanted to have. I had to get this done.

  I got back to work, contorting and prodding the binding spell until the part of the spell that blocked magic was disconnected from the rest of it. Just like that, I had full access to my power, and it took no more than a drop of magic to get them to unlock. I rubbed my wrist as I sabotaged the lock so the cuffs would look locked but I would be able to undo them with a strong tug. After that I went back to the binding spell, scooting parts of it around until it still looked functional but had no effect on me.

  Knowing my time was limited, I put the cuffs back on, tested my alterations, and settled on a chair. The only reason to have a chair this uncomfortable was to punish captives who wanted to keep an eye on the door.

  That was one mission accomplished; now I just needed a good opportunity to escape. Considering what the bedroom doorknob had done to me, I was willing to wait a little while. Besides, I was confident that this wasn't the first time a witch had been imprisoned in this room. Odds were any weak links had been discovered and fixed long ago. If I ended up having an extended stay, I'd start examining the room for spells and weaknesses. Gretchen and I had hardly spoken, so I was willing to bet they would take me out of here one more time. That would be my chance to escape.

  The door opened again, and Josh waved me over. "The minister wants to see you."

  Making sure my hands were wedged together in case the cuffs malfunctioned, I got up and met him at the door. He put a hand on my elbow, and we followed the ladies down the hall.

  Three against one weren't great odds, even with the element of surprise. Which could've been the reason I didn't try to escape, but the honest answer was that curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know how my grandmother was going to keep the clan under control and what she was going to offer me this time. Oh, there was some strategy in there too; after all, I could end up alone with Gretchen, and that would be a great time to stage a jailbreak.

  It was the exact same trip we'd taken last time, so I let it slide by and debated which spells I'd use if I got the chance to escape. The problem with every spell I considered was that I knew some of these witches would have ways to counter them that I hadn't seen before. Since I had a finite amount of energy, ineffective spells were a risky proposition. When we neared the big doors, I gave up. It all depended on the situation.

  This time when we entered the minister's office, Gretchen was sitting behind the desk and two of the elders stood off to the side. One of them was the plump witch who'd spoken against Gretchen at the meeting, but I didn't recognize the other woman. She was tall, with long silver hair pulled back in a thick braid and a little extra weight around the middle.

  Josh marched me forward, sitting me in one of the chairs before the desk before taking up a position behind me. The two witches who'd been guiding us had fallen back. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw them beside the doors.

  Gretchen studied me through narrowed eyes, and I put on my best poker face. This seemed to be a game to her, and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Besides, I wasn't in the mood to play games.

  "Seeing us like that must've been a shock to you. I thought a less formal setting might put you at ease."

  I barely held back a snort. Boy, did she have it wrong.

  "I'm betting Nancy did her best to make us look like child-eating monsters, but I'm confident that given some time you'll see the benefit of being in a clan which can fully develop your talents." Gretchen smiled, but it was the furthest thing from sincere.

  After counting to ten, I said, "Let me go home."

  Her smile faded. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

  "Let me go. I'd like to return to my life, the one where you aren't in it." It shouldn't be this hard to hold a conversation.

  "Michelle, I want a chance to get to know you. Don't you want to know the rest of your family? You can continue your education too." She really needed to work on her voice inflections, because it sounded more like a demand than a ple
a.

  "I have an education. I have a family; you're not part of it." I was getting a clear look at why Mom had done her best to vanish and remove the clans from her life.

  "I have been denied the chance to establish a relationship with you. Given a chance, I would like to rectify that." Her lips stretched, showing a row of polished teeth.

  "Abduction isn't a good way to start a relationship," I said.

  "Let's call it a rescue," she said softly.

  Sarah, the plump witch, broke in. "Call it what it was, Gretchen. You had her snatched off the side of the road after sabotaging her car."

  While they debated, I took a good look at the room. If I had the chance to escape, I could go into the auditorium, back down the halls, or out the window. Since I wasn't sure how to find an outside door from the first two options, the window was my best bet.

  "I didn't ask your opinion," Gretchen said harshly.

  "You seem to need it. After the last incident, you said she wanted to be here but didn't know how to get away from Nancy. If memory serves, we asked how Nancy could've put such a strong compulsion on three witches, and you dodged that question. You got your way, Michelle's here, and she isn't exactly thrilled to see you. This has gone far enough." She stood there, shoulders squared, ready to face down my grandmother.

  Gretchen narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a democracy. I'm the minister, and you will follow me."

  "Don't overstate your power. The clan will rebel before we let you drag us down." Sarah lifted her chin.

  "She's mine, Sarah. We have the prior claim, and had her mother been even close to useful, she would've grown up here, knowing her birthright from the beginning."

  The tall witch laid a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "She does have a point. This is where Michelle belongs. Nancy deprived Michelle of her heritage, and this is a chance for her to get it back."