“I felt nothing,” Jason said. “And all the talk about the amulet is so much hype. Besides that, letting you into the evidence room is strictly against the rules.” He raised his hand to keep me from speaking. “The reason for that is a stranger might taint the evidence, which might cost the district attorney a conviction. So, no, you cannot see the amulet.”
I nodded, as I understood the reasoning. But I also knew that the amulet was far more dangerous than a lost conviction. Jason couldn’t see that. He led me out of station and stopped.
“What the hell,” Jason said.
I didn’t have to ask what was wrong. A deputy was standing on the sidewalk, and he was gaping at the...amulet.
CHAPTER 24
I watched as another deputy stepped up to the one holding the amulet. Instead of looking at the amulet, the second deputy hauled off and punched the amulet-starer in the head.
And that was when the donnybrook started.
Within a minute, half a dozen deputies were fighting. Jason immediately rushed to the fight and tried to break up the combatants. Every time he got two separated and rushed to another pair, the first two went right back to fighting. It would have been comedic, if the blows hadn’t been so powerful and damaging. And it wasn’t just the men. The female deputies were just as angry, throwing punches and kicking as hard as they could. I was tempted to try a calming spell, but I didn’t think I knew one powerful enough to handle all the deputies involved. Even Jason was punched several times, which caused him to retaliate. I would have called the riot squad, but I was afraid they would suffer from the same mania. Even I felt a slight urge to smack someone in the face.
Then, the fight ended.
As quickly as it had started, it ended. The deputies put down their fists and simply stared at each other. They exhibited a number of cuts and bruises and bloody lips and noses. I guessed at least one deputy had a broken nose. They looked at each other, as if they couldn’t believe what had just happened. It was then that Jason called them to attention and started asking questions.
To a person, each deputy said they felt compelled to fight, as if under the control of some outside force. They all apologized, swearing they would never think of harming a fellow deputy—and yet, they had. They couldn’t explain it. They were pawns moved about by some unknown power. No one could say which deputy started it or ended it. The fight just happened. When Jason asked about the amulet, no one stepped up. It was gone.
Jason told them all to clean up and prepare for duty. Those with a broken rib or nose had to seek medical attention. It looked as if I was the only one not injured. It was only then, as they were filing back into the station or limping to their vehicles, that someone asked about Deputy Cooper. Jason counted heads, and, indeed, Cooper was missing...as was the amulet. That was all it took for Jason.
“Elle,” Jason called. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t know why Jason wanted me with him, and I wasn’t going to ask. I joined him in his cruiser, and we peeled out of the parking lot. Jason was on a mission.
We rode in silence for a while.
“It was the amulet, wasn’t it?” Jason asked.
“I think so,” I answered. “It seems to have a power that brings out the worst in people.”
“I saw, and those were trained deputies. No wonder, there was a battle at the market. So, if the amulet is the problem, what is the solution?”
“Is that why you brought me along, to handle the amulet’s magic?”
“Seemed like a pretty good idea then, and I think it’s still a good idea. Can you handle it?”
“I like to think I can, but dark magic always presents problems and surprises. I’ll have to be careful not to injure anyone.”
“Me too. Because of that, I’m leaving my weapon in the cruiser. I’m not going to give a firearm to some unknown power.”
“Good idea.”
We reached Deputy Cooper’s house, which wasn’t far from my own. Another cruiser was parked in front, and Jason pulled up behind it.
“All right, Elle,” Jason said. “You stay out here. If I need you, I’ll yell.”
“I think it wiser if I go with you. I might not be able to reach you in time from out here.”
“I’ll take my chances. This situation calls for minimizing any harm that might come. If I don’t have to worry about you, it will be easier for me. I can only handle so many concerns at any given moment.”
I wanted to argue with him, but I knew he wouldn’t listen. He was used to having his own way, which he thought was best. I simply needed a way to work around his edicts.
As soon as Jason disappeared into the house, I jumped out of the car and raced to the window. Jason wouldn’t allow me inside, but he couldn’t keep me from looking. Luckily, the family room featured a big window. I pressed my nose to the glass and peered inside. What I saw made me gasp.
CHAPTER 25
A small woman at one end of the room was flinging her arms at what had to be Deputy Cooper. Flashes of dark light flew at Cooper, who managed to duck and dodge. He dived behind a couch. When the dark light hit the couch, it exploded in a shower of wood and stuffing. Whatever the woman was throwing was powerful. I didn’t see a weapon, but that didn’t make any difference. The light was devastating. Even as I watched, Cooper crawled away from the ruined couch and tried to hide behind a lounger.
Nope.
The light hit the chair and started it on fire. The scene was some version of hell. Cooper was being chased by the devil it appeared.
Jason appeared in the doorway, and, for a moment, he merely stared. Like me, he was mesmerized by the battle going on. I knew he was thinking as I was—Cooper didn’t stand a chance. Then, Jason rushed the woman, who wasn’t quick enough to change her focus. Jason grabbed the small woman and threw her across the room. For the moment, the battle seemed over.
That was when things took a turn for the worse.
Before my eyes, Jason started to shift into panther form. His hands turned into paws, with wickedly sharp claws. Black fur covered his neck. In seconds, he would be a full-bodied panther, and if that happened, he might kill everyone in the room. As a panther, he would be much harder to handle. I wasn’t sure I had the kind of power needed to constrain him. I watched the small woman rise, and I knew the battle would commence soon. Jason and the woman would fight to the death.
“I see you’ve managed to get into another jam.”
“Gus, it’s good to see you too. We have to do something.”
“Sorry sister, I’m not one to tackle a panther.”
“Me either. But we can’t wait out here.”
“Okay, I’m with you and I hope I don't regret it.”
I ran into the house, smelling the stench from the burning chair, almost gagging, but I couldn’t stop. The lives of three people hung in the balance. And I needed to act.
In the family room, Jason was still far from being a full panther. That was a good thing, and I took advantage of his hesitation, running into him and knocking him to the side. He was a lot more solid than I thought, but I still managed to get him out of the way for some dark light beams heading his way. In the smoky half-light, I was as confused as everyone else. That was when I spotted Cooper heading for another door. I stared.
Cooper had the amulet around his neck.
Cooper might have escaped, if it hadn’t been for Gus, who latched onto Cooper’s pants and wouldn’t let go. That slowed Cooper enough for me to catch him.
“Get away from me,” Cooper growled. He glared at me, and I knew he would kill me if he got the chance. He was totally under the sway of the amulet.
“Gus, bite him!”
“I thought you'd never ask.”
Gus let go of the pants long enough to sink his teeth into Cooper’s calf. That was enough to make Cooper howl, and enough for me to grab the amulet and jerk it free of his neck. I was pretty sure that without contact with the amulet, Cooper would become easier to handle.
Even as I
held the amulet, I felt its power. I heard its...voice.
KILL THEM.
YOU KNOW HOW.
YOU HAVE THE POWER.
IF YOU DON’T, THEY’LL TAKE ME AWAY FROM YOU.
KILL THEM.
YOU NEED ME.
KILL THEM.
I’LL MAKE YOU QUEEN.
KILL THEM.
WE WILL RULE.
KILL THEM.
KILL.
KILL
KILL.
The voice was compelling, overriding any sane thoughts I might have had, any ideas that I could somehow tame the thing. It was wild, and it was wicked, and I suddenly understood why everyone fought over it. Who didn’t want to be QUEEN?
My only chance to survive without killing the others was to disable the curse, to silence the voice.
KILL.
I remembered the most powerful curse-breaking spell I knew.
Wrong is wrong.
Right is right.
Day is day.
Night is night.
There is nothing worse
Than to be afflicted by a curse.
Wipe it now.
Wipe it clean.
Curse be broken.
Curse un-seen.
I said the curse quickly, and the voice died. I knew the amulet curse was gone, but as long as the amulet existed, it would still possess magical power. I dropped the amulet to the hardwood floor and stomped on it with my boot heel. The amulet broke into four large shards.
Across the room, the small woman SCREAMED.
I knew the voice, the scream. It was...
Tabitha.
I spun to the voice. While the amulet was empty of power, Tabitha certainly was not. She glared at me, and I knew she wasn’t about to go quietly. Even as I watched, she raised her hands. The dark light was coming for...me.
I dived to the side, and the light flew past, blowing holes in the wall, sending pieces of sheet rock flying. I wanted to check on Jason and Cooper, but I didn’t have a chance. Tabitha was in kill mode. I had to keep moving.
Gus?
Yes, Elle?
A piece of rope.
Don’t let her get you.
I didn’t know how long it would take for Gus to find some sort of rope I could use. If he didn’t find one quickly, the dark light would find me. I didn’t like my odds, if that happened. I slipped behind the TV, and a bolt hit the flat screen, shattering it into a thousand pieces that provided a bit of cover. I zipped to my next hiding spot. As I did, I saw Gus leap off the floor and latch onto the thin rope of the blinds that covered one window. The blinds broke free and hit the floor. That was all I saw before Tabitha zeroed in on me.
I was toast.
That was when Cooper yelled and charged Tabitha. She turned away from me for a moment, sending a bolt at Cooper, who took it in the thigh. He bellowed in pain, his leg smoking. As he fell, Gus raced up with a length of rope from the blinds. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. I turned for Tabitha. I would have only one chance.
Rope of need.
Rope of power.
Stay her hand.
For one hour.
I banged into Tabitha, and the killing bolt missed Jason. We hit the floor, and I wrapped the cord around one wrist, which surprised and weakened her. Then, I wrapped the other wrist. I could see her whispering a spell to break mine, but I knew mine would work for the hour. That was all that was needed. We locked eyes, and I witnessed a malevolence I had never experienced before. I had just made a mortal enemy.
That was when Jason jerked us both to our feet. I looked into his eyes, and I knew he was past the panther episode. Sanity had been restored.
“Can you handle her?” Jason asked.
I nodded.
“Get her out of here. I’ll bring Cooper.”
I led Tabitha through the smoke and out of the house. Even as I did, I heard the sirens of the fire trucks. Someone had noticed the smoke and called. That was good. Jason emerged from the house, carrying Cooper on his back. He set the moaning Cooper on the ground.
“Watch her,” I told Jason and headed back into the house.
“ELLE!” Jason called, but I didn’t stop. There was something inside that I had to do.
CHAPTER 26
The smoke had grown thicker, and I knew I had scant minutes to do what had to be done.
“This is not the place for us.”
“No, Gus, it’s not. Can you see?”
“A little.”
“When you get to the shards, bark. But don’t touch them.”
Seconds later, Gus barked, and I fell to my knees. In seconds, I had found Gus and the shards. I didn’t want to touch the shards, as I was afraid that they still contained some magic, albeit muted at the moment. But I didn’t have a choice. I grabbed each piece with two fingers and shoved them into my pocket. Even as I pushed in the last piece, I felt a numbness in my fingers. That was not a good thing.
“All right, Gus, lead me out of here.”
Gus barked as he headed out. I followed, trying not to breathe in the miasma that came from the burning chair. In seconds, I sucked in the fresh air of Spring. I coughed, clearing my lungs. The ambulance had arrived, and two EMTs were strapping the moaning Cooper onto a gurney. Jason ran over, a gash over one eye. He looked me up and down.
“You’re all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine. You need to go to the hospital.”
“Not yet. You got it?”
I nodded. “And I’ll take care of it. Understood?”
“You can have it. As far as I’m concerned it disappeared in the fire.”
Two deputies held Tabitha, and I noticed one of them starting to remove the cord I had used.
“Don’t do that,” I said.
“We don’t haul people who are bound with cord,” he answered. “Handcuffs will do.”
I wanted to argue with him, but I knew it would be fruitless. The officers had their rules, and they would follow them.
“Anything you can do?” I asked Jason.
He shook his head. “We follow the rules.”
“Fair enough. I have to go. You’ll see to everything?”
“Yeah, but first, I have to thank you. I was about to do something really stupid before you came in.”
“Doesn’t matter now. Take care of Cooper.”
I started off, before anyone could stop me. I knew Jason would be able to answer questions. If anyone needed to talk to me, they knew where to find me.
All systems go?
Yes, Gus, we’re on a mission. We have to take care of the shards.
At home, I used gloves to remove the shards from my pocket. I put them in the kitchen sink and poured blessed water over them. I wasn’t sure that would make any difference, but it couldn’t hurt. I placed the shards in a simple cloth bag and printed a sacred rune on it. The rune was supposed to ensure peace. Again, I was wading into unknown waters. If the rune worked, great. I took the bag outside and decided on a decent burial place at the back of the yard, far away from the house. I poured more holy water over the ground before I dug. It was deep hole that I dropped the bag into. Then, I dug up a small sage bush and added it on top the bag. Finally, I packed dirt all around the bush. I hoped that the shards would remain hidden for a century. But I was afraid the talisman had a mind of its own.
“Will that work, Elle?”
“I hope so, Gus. It’s the best we can do.”
That night, I sealed my house the best I could. No open windows, all the drapes and blinds pulled tight. I found it difficult to shake the fear that chilled my heart. My mind kept coming back to the sage bush and the thing buried beneath it. I prayed that in time, I would forget about the amulet completely. I was afraid that the memory would take root in my brain.
The next day, I went to my shop to perhaps sell something. I also needed to augment my inventory for the market. I felt a little better about the amulet, but I wasn’t over it. My fingers still felt a bit of a tingle. I was working
on a potion, when Gus spoke.
“Danger.”
I looked up, and Tabitha stood in the doorway. How she managed to get past the bell over the door stumped me for only a second. She was a witch, of course she could silence a bell.
“You should have told your boy toy that I am a powerful witch,” Tabitha said. “No jail cell can hold me.”
“I tried,” I said. “But the police don’t always listen.”
“Well, listen to this, Elle. Mind your own business. There are things you don’t know about, and sticking in your pretty, little nose will only get you hurt. A word to the wise, girl. I will not hesitate to put you in your place.”
With that, Tabitha disappeared. I stared at the empty doorway, and I shivered. I didn’t doubt that Tabitha would not tolerate my interference in what she thought was her game. I knew I had to be prepared for that. I wasn’t sure how I could avoid clashing with her.
A few minutes later, Jason rang the bell over the door. I came to the counter, where he regarded me, a bandage over the gash in his forehead.
“I came to tell you that—”
“Tabitha escaped,” I finished for him. “I know. She came here to tell me to stay away from her.”
“She was here?”
“She’s a witch, Jason. She’s not going to stay inside a jail cell.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. She threatened you?”
I nodded. “Tabitha isn’t one to negotiate. It’s a threat or nothing.”
“You think she’s serious?”
“Yes. But our paths probably won’t cross again. So, don’t worry about it.”
“I’ll keep tabs on you, if that’s all right.”
“It is. But you don’t have to do that. I’ll be just fine.”
With a wave, Jason walked out. I went back to my charms. They were a blessing, a way to keep my mind focused.
Later, I had a sudden urge to call my mother. I wasn’t sure, but I had a notion that she needed to know about Tabitha. I also wondered if my mother knew about the amulet and Hilda’s magic.
Charmed to Death (A Farmer's Market Witch Mystery Series Book 1) Page 10
