by T S Paul
I barely recognized my sister. Teegan was curled up into a ball in the center of the bed. A literal mountain of tissues lays piled around her. Judging by the redness of her face she had been crying for hours. I carefully laid my hand on her shoulder. “Teegan. I’m here for you.”
Teegan opened her eyes and stared at me. “Milla! You’re here.”
I grimaced, trying to not let her see my face. I hate nicknames and that one more than others. She knows it too. I sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand.
“He’s gone, Milla. Just like Henry, he’s gone. Why does it have to hurt so much?” Teegan gripped my hand tighter.
“It will be OK. We will move on together, our mother raised us to be strong women.” Ugh. I couldn’t believe I was saying such sappy things. Move on. Really?
“Thank you, Milla.”
Hearing a slight noise, I looked up to see Marcella, my mother, watching us from the door. She had a unique expression on her face. Nodding to me she walked away.
I ran my free hand through my hair. Why did I feel as though I dodged a bullet? Did my mother suspect me of Ken’s death was the biggest question? I loved my sister and didn’t want to kill her. But she needed to go. My instructions to those idiots were she wasn’t to be harmed. It boggled my mind that death-by-truck was the only way they could accomplish this.
The plan I created when I was a teenager was still in effect. Find a way to make Teegan seem unfit to rule as coven leader. If I had to drive her insane with grief, I would do it if it meant the crown would fall to me as the only heir.
“Momma? Momma, what’s wrong?”
I spun around at the voice. My niece Agatha was in the doorway watching us.
“Aunt Camilla, is Momma OK?” The little girl was only a year or two younger than my own children. When she was born, her hair was lighter, more blondish, but as she grew it darkened to more of a brunette color. Influences from her father’s line, no doubt. Her Magick and lack of control worried me the most. She could be frightening with her Magick.
“Your momma isn’t feeling well Agatha. I’ll tell her you came by.” Carefully I pulled my hand away from the now sleeping Teegan.
“Let’s go back and see if we can find Minerva.” I led the little girl away from her mother and out into the hallway. Our old nursery was on this floor. I assumed that was where she had come from.
So far, my plan was working. Teegan was a mess, and my mother was distracted. I needed an edge here. Glancing downward, I looked at my five-year-old niece. From behind Agatha, resembled my own girls with same build and coloration. I’m not a monster. Killing a child is an unforgivable act that would mean a death sentence from both the Coven I wished to control and the American Witches Council. No. This needed to be more subtle.
As we passed the old nursery room, I blinked in surprise. Where was this child taking me?
“Agatha, where are we going?”
The little girl stopped and looked up at me with big bright eyes. “You said we were going to see Minerva. Her room is this way.”
I did say that. I continued to follow along as the child turned back toward the rear stairs.
Minerva was something of a puzzle to Teegan and me when we were growing up. She acted like a servant but was treated like a sister by our mother. She wasn’t. I know this because I checked the house records just in case. A random or missing heir was not something I needed.
Carefully trotting down the stairs, Agatha stopped at the bottom and turned left down the hall. I was very familiar with the house. We grew up here after all, but I didn’t remember this hallway. In fact, I remembered a wall or closet here.
Agatha watched as I touched the doorway and walls. “It’s just a glamour.”
I looked at the young girl sharply. “What did you say?”
“The door. It’s a glamour. You have to know it’s here, or it looks just like a wall. I come here all the time. Minerva is neat.”
Nodding I followed her. A glamour! That would explain how Minerva could appear and disappear at will sometimes. She never seemed to leave the house when we were kids.
“Agatha is that you?” Minerva’s voice echoed up the hall.
“Yes, Ma’am. Aunt Camilla is with me.” Agatha replied.
“Enter in peace and leave in peace. Welcome to my home Camilla.” Just like I remembered her, Minerva stood just inside the doorway at the end of the hall.
Recognizing the ritual greeting, I responded in kind. “Merry meet and Merry part. Thank you.”
“Good. You remembered. Nice to see all those lessons weren’t completely in vain. How’s your sister doing?” Minerva moved aside so we could enter.
“Not well. She’s sleeping, but Teegan's heart is broken.” I smiled sadly in response. Looking around the room, I was blown away. The walls were covered in stuff. Books, posters, musical instruments, and weapons of war were scattered here and there. It looked to be more than a lifetime of memorabilia all in one place.
Minerva smiled at my astonishment. “This is my sanctum. The place I go to get away and to rest. Your grandmother has her office, and I have mine. Please have a seat. Agatha dear, can you grab a couple of sodas for us from the fridge?”
The little girl skipped off to what I assumed was a kitchen.
Minerva sat watching me as I looked around. She steepled her fingers setting them on her knee. “What happened to Ken was a nasty business.”
“Yes, it was. Did mother tell you what the police said?” I tried not to meet her eyes.
“She did. It boggles the mind why someone would set Ken up to be killed. He was such a gentle soul. Both the community and the coven will miss him greatly.”
I looked down at the floor of her small apartment. “Both of our husbands gone in less than a year. It’s horrible.” Squinting I tried to force a tear out.
“It is a horrible thing. There is one strange thing about Ken’s death that the police missed. Ken shouldn’t have even been on that road last night.” Minerva continued to stare.
“Oh?”
“He was picking up a store-bought cake for Agatha’s birthday party tomorrow. Teegan wanted a special ice cream cake and didn’t trust me to make it the proper way. Sam’s bakery is located in town. Ken’s accident was way out on the coast road. Why was he way out there?” Minerva continued to stare at me.
“No idea. I haven’t spoken to Teegan for at least a couple of weeks, I’m gearing up to run for city council.”
“I’d heard that,” Minerva answered.
We were thankfully interrupted by Agatha.
“Here’s a soda Aunt Camilla. I couldn’t find the opener.” The young girl handed us both sodas and sat down on the floor between us.
Minerva stared at her for a moment. “Agatha, why don’t you go lie down in my bed. You have to be tired.”
“OK. Goodnight Aunt Camilla.” Approaching me the little girl suddenly gave me a hug. Shocked, I only patted her on the shoulder.
“Goodnight.” Glancing to one side, I could see Minerva still watching me.
Raising my eyes, I stared back at her. “I need to go. My girls will get up in a few hours, and I need to be there. Thank you for being here for little Agatha.”
“Of course. It’s my job to watch out for your family. It always has been.”
Standing up, I gave her a nod and retreated to the main house. Somehow that woman knew. She knew it was me that killed him.
<<< >>>
“Interesting. What do we know about that one?” Ysabel pointed to the image floating above the seer’s bowl in the throne room.
“Not much, my Queen. According to records, the woman known as Minerva has served the Blackmore family for more than a century. That alone proves she’s Witch born. As to origins, we know almost nothing. The weapons on the walls suggest a martial history, but the books are scholarly. Few Witches are able to perform both functions.” Sybil pointed out.
“Put someone on this. We must know more if we attack. Second time’s the charm. Dig deeper i
nto Marcella Blackmore’s history too.”
“I will send my best scholars to Maine. Should we continue to watch her history so closely?” Sybil gestured to the pile of documents and those that recorded Camilla’s thoughts.
“Knowledge is power. Besides the ritual contained within the book requires that the sacrifice is emptied of all mortal memories. Increase the spells. We need to know everything she has ever seen or experienced. Doom is coming to the Blackmores, and one of their own is bringing it.”
<<< >>>
Half the town turned out for Ken’s funeral. I really had no idea just how popular the man was here. All I could see was the family connection. My research into his family name told me the Shinigami family were a powerful Witch family out on the West coast. That Ken was estranged from them slipped past my investigators.
“This was a nice funeral for a small town,” Harrison commented as he walked me to the car.
“Ken was very popular. My sister chose well. He’ll be missed by many.”
“Of that, there is no doubt. How’s your sister doing?” Harrison grasped my hand as we walked.
Being courted surprised me since it had been so long since my last non-husband related date. “She’s still in shock over the whole thing. My mother has her in hand and is making sure she eats at least. I wasn’t that bad when Henry died, but I can remember the stages of it. It sucks.”
“You’ve got me here now.” Harrison put his arm around me.
I sighed. The romantic spell that Set taught me is way too strong. Harrison isn’t supposed to get this close to me for at least another month. The idea was to foster a workplace romance ending in a marriage. To be a successful local politician, I needed to be married. Just not to a local. Never again to a local. Less trouble that way. “Thanks, Harrison.”
Because Ken was family, we got to ride in the main limo with Teegan, Agatha, and my mother, Marcella.
“Thank you for being there with me, Milla.” Teegan’s voice sounded loud in the quiet car. Glancing about I could see that Agatha was still red-faced and crying. My mother just stared out the window. Did she suspect me?
“That’s what sisters are for.” I reached out to take Teegan’s hand. My mother turned to stare at the two of us for just a moment.
In the back of my mind, I started plotting my next move. The large turnout here wasn’t a good thing for me. Changing the population's opinion of both my sister’s family and me was the most important thing right now.
Chapter 7
Manipulating people is really easy if you know how. A word here, a comment there, and before you know it, half the town is afraid of your niece. That was my goal, after all. I needed them to be afraid so they would turn to me to fix it. My mother wasn’t making any sort of effort, and those damnable purple squirrels were everywhere!
I sat at my desk contemplating my next move when my mother came to see me.
“Just stop it!”
My mouth dropped open at her tone. Marcella Blackmore was not one to raise her voice. At least not around me she didn’t. “Something I can do for you, mother?”
“Stop this campaign to turn the town against your niece! I know it’s you. Stop hurting our family.” For just a moment it looked as though her eyes flashed at me.
“You have me at a loss. What campaign are you speaking of?” I needed an angle here.
“I’ve heard from four different people this week about how poorly Teegan’s doing and that Agatha… That sweet little Agatha is the one to blame! They all say Agatha is the devil, that she was the one that killed Ken, and we covered it up. The girls at the hair salon think she will turn them all into pink chickens if they mess up her hair. Stop doing this to her. She wouldn’t hurt a fly if it were biting her.”
I looked at my mother. “Once again. Not me.”
Marcella snorted. “Not you indeed. You made one mistake daughter of mine. The bit about the pink chicken. Four people in the world know the truth about her changing you into a chicken and two of them are in this room! Minerva would never say anything to others about us, and Agatha is too ashamed. It had to have come from you. Why?”
I let out a breath. The chicken detail was obvious, and I did overstep on that story. It was all I could do to not shake my head. That child really did change me for just a moment into a pink chicken. Thinking back I could remember looking up at my mother and Minerva. Food was the only thing I cared about as I pecked at the floor.
<<<>>>
“Teegan, you have to see that I’m right in this. It’s for her own protection.” With Ken gone, Teegan was wide open to the suggestion of others. Her weakened state was just a continuation of the grief cycle she was experiencing. I’ve been there. For my long-term plan to work, I needed both her and her brood out of the way.
“I don’t want to send Agatha away. She needs to grow up in a safe place. Like we did.” Teegan shook her head at me.
“People are scared, Tee. They are afraid she will turn them all into bushes or something. Please listen to me here, sis.” I pleaded with her.
“She’s my daughter, and I love her. Go away, Milla. I’ll take her and live with mom before I send her away. Forget it. Just go.” Teegan turned away from me and left the room.
Staring after her, I shook my head. Damn it I need to do something else.
All the way home I ran through different strategies in my head. My primary goal was to eliminate my sister and her demon spawn without actually killing her. Deep down I loved Teegan, but I was the heir, and nothing or nobody was going to stand in my way. The Coven was mine by birth if I could only get the others out of the way. Giving the Coven elders other choices like my sister could hurt me. Ultimately my mother would have to go too. She couldn’t live forever could she?
<<<>>>
“Hi, sweetie.” Harrison reached in and gave me a big hug and a kiss the moment I stepped through the door.
I embraced him in return. “This is nice. Why are you so romantic all of a sudden?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to be nice that’s all.” He looked into my eyes and smiled. I could almost see the gears working in his little brain. Harrison was terrible at keeping secrets. Something was up.
“Spill it.” I cocked my head and smiled at him.
His innocent look lasted about a second before he laughed. “I can’t get anything past you can I? Remember that new job I picked up after your campaign ended?”
I only nodded. That was how we met after all. I hired him to help get me elected and run my office. After I won, he stepped down. Conflict of interest or something is what he said. We were engaged and picking dates for the wedding at the time. A big-time judge in Portland hired him to run his campaign.
“Judge Poland is now our newest State Senator. He gave me the final payment plus a very nice bonus.” Harrison patted his shirt pocket.
“Really? How much?”
“Enough to take you to that resort you were talking about last week. We can get a sitter or put the girls with your mother. I haven’t paid for the airfare yet, I wanted to confirm with you first. So how about it?” Harrison smiled and gave me a wink.
“Harrison, you know I can’t fly. Something about the air pressure affects my inner ear. The one and only time I’ve flown was when mom took us up into Canada that one year. Teegan and I took a hot air balloon for a spin one night. Afterward, I could barely raise my head it hurt so much.” I smiled to myself about that ride. It was the one, and only time Teegan broke the rules and did something bad. The Alicorn Ranch had this balloon you could pay to go up in and watch the herds. Mom thought it was too dangerous and wouldn’t pay for it. We kids stole it that night and went up to the highest setting. The next day neither of us could sit down, but it was worth it. Any spanking would have been worth that tiny taste of freedom.
“OK. There’s a train we could take, or I could charter a bus.” Harrison tapped my shoulder.
“Sorry, hon. I want to drive instead. We’ll take my new car.”
&nb
sp; “Really? Montana is pretty far away. Are you sure about that Camilla?”
I smiled. “It’ll be fine. We need to break it in, anyway. Let’s take the girls to either your parents or the Fredericks. They haven’t seen them since two winters ago.”
“Henry’s parents? Do the girls have fun with them?”
“Sort of. They live in Portland in this huge house. Last time I called, they offered to watch the girls anytime we needed someone. Personally, I forget about them. Henry never encouraged me to get to know them.” I shook my head.
“Why don’t you give them a call. That way we can stay off your mother’s radar and let the girls have a mini vacation at the same time. I really want you and I to have a good time, alone.” Harrison smiled and made his eyebrows bounce suggestively.
“OK.” I gave him a kiss and went in search of my address book.
<<<>>>
“Must I really have to watch this drivel?” The Strega commented to the empty room adjoining Camilla’s. In order to monitor someone's memories, the viewer needed to be very close.
Esta Genovese looked around at the bare walls frowning. These cells were used for initiates and prisoners. Sometimes they were the same thing. She could remember the early days of the twentieth century when recruiting a wife or daughter of a mafioso wasn’t as hard as it is today. Too much television and movies. Not every Witch had to come from Corleone to rule.
“Anything?”
Esta looked over her shoulder at the open door. “Nothing. She’s remembering some stupid trip to see Unicorns of all creatures. Would you believe she bought her daughter one of the beasts so she could ride it in a parade?”
Ysabel scowled. “Americans. They are soft, Esta. We would be ripping into their souls and feasting if not for these Blackmores and their World Council! Does she know anything of use to us?”
Esta shook her head then cocked it to one side. “What little she knows about the Coven is old and outdated. She had almost zero interactions with the Garden or Emesh, its guardian. Her memories of him were of a kindly old man that gifted her fruit. She doesn’t even know any of their spells or recipes! What sort of a Witch is this one?”
