Enchanted Objects: (Witches Of Bayport)

by Kristen Middleton

  “And what about your daughters? Is there so much hate in your heart that you’d take out your vengeance on them, as well? Your own flesh and blood?”

  Vivian glared at her. “Quit trying to analyze me, Meredith. The girls mean nothing. As far as I’m concerned, they are just a symbol of his betrayal and nothing more.”

  “But they’re your children! You created them. Do you really feel that way?” asked Meredith, staring at her in disbelief.

  “This conversation is getting stale.” She smiled tightly. “Now, will you help me get the wands so that I can help you retrieve your necklace?”

  She stared at her for a few seconds and then sighed. “Okay, but just Willow’s. Like I said before, I won’t steal from Kendra. As far as I’m concerned, the wand is with the right person.”

  Vivian let out a ragged sign. “Frankly, I can get Willow’s wand on my own. So, I guess I don’t really need your help. I’ll just have to find someone else to help me get Kendra’s.”

  She frowned. “Vivian, please think about –”

  An older witch with gray hair suddenly appeared in the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have some problems, Vivian,” the witch said quickly.

  “Next time – knock,” snapped Meredith. “You have no right entering my home like this. Unannounced.”

  “Well, pardon me,” replied the witch icily. “This just couldn’t wait, however.”

  “What problems are you talking about?” asked Vivian, frowning.

  The witch turned back to her. “Mark went back to Secrets, to check on Willow. As you requested.”

  “What happened?” asked Vivian.

  “Rebecca, Clarice, and the others beat him to her.”

  Vivian clenched her jaw. “And…?”

  “They took Willow with them. Vanished.”

  She groaned. “Tell me he tried following them?”

  “Yes, he did try. But, apparently, he lost them somewhere along the way.”

  Vivian swore. “So, they have Willow and her wand?”

  “Yes, but we also have something of theirs.” She smiled triumphantly. “Something they’ll definitely want back.”

  Her eyes widened. “What exactly do you mean?”

  “Both of the shape-shifters. The ones that escaped us before.”

  Vivian smiled. “Bailey and Trixie?”

  “Yes. Apparently, you were right about that deer figurine. It was enchanted,” said the witch.

  “It was one of the shifters, wasn’t it?” asked Vivian.

  She nodded. “Yes. Trixie. Bailey tried stealing her back and we caught both of them.”

  “Excellent. So, they’re in New York?”

  “Yes. They’re both locked up in the dungeon below your basement.”

  “Good.” She turned to Meredith. “I guess I don’t need your help. We now have bait and the fish will arrive soon enough.”

  “What are you going to do?” asked Meredith, frowning.

  She smiled darkly. “Whatever I have to.”

  “This isn’t right, Vivian. You have to stop all of this madness. Before someone really gets hurt,” warned Meredith.

  She laughed coldly. “The only madness here is how your coven still follows you. You’ve turned into a pathetic coward, Meredith.”

  “How dare you!” hissed Meredith, reaching for her wand.

  Vivian raised her own and pointed it at Meredith. “Sleep.”

  Meredith sunk to the floor and began to snore softly.

  “Why didn’t you just kill the old bat?” asked the other witch, staring down at Meredith with contempt.

  Vivian shrugged. “I guess I don’t want to deal with her pathetic little group of witches right now. If I killed her, they’d soon find out and there’s no time for a coven war. Not when we have other fish to fry. Once I get ahold of those other wands, however, then everyone will have to follow me. If they want to continue breathing, that is.”

  “Brilliant,” replied the other witch, grinning widely. “So, what should we do now?”

  Vivian’s eyes twinkled. “Let’s go back to my place and wait for our guests, shall we?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I think we could use some help,” said Adrianne.

  We’d stopped back at Secrets to search the shop one last time before heading to Vivian’s, for what I knew was going to be another bad confrontation.

  “I’ve been mulling that idea in my head for the last hour myself. So, who are you thinking of?” asked Clarice.

  “Have you been able to round up any of your old coven?” asked Adrianne.

  “I haven’t had a lot of time,” replied Clarice. She dug into her purse and pulled out a large prehistoric cellphone that had to be from the nineties. It looked like it was almost a foot long in length and bulky. “Now, let’s see. I think I have them in my ‘contacts’.”

  “Clarice, to save time, why don’t you send them all the same text message?” recommended Kala, smiling in amusement as Clarice put her glasses on and began pushing buttons. “A group message?”

  “Are you kidding,” I laughed. “Look at that old phone. I’ll bet you can’t even send a text messages on it.”

  “You should really consider upgrading,” said Rebecca, also chuckling. “Talk to your provider and they’ll get you something more up-to-date.”

  “Upgrade? I barely use this thing as it is. I’d hate to spend more money on something that never usually leaves my purse.”

  “I’ll bet your cell phone provider will replace it for free,” said Rebecca. “If you sign a new contract.”

  “For free?” her eyes widened. “I guess I’ll have to call them when I have a spare minute.”

  “Yes,” I replied. “When it’s not a matter of life and death, because you could be on hold for a long time.”

  “Does that phone really work?” asked Kala.

  “I hope so,” she replied, putting it to her ear.

  “Is that a cell phone?” whispered Willow. “I’ve heard of them.”

  “It’s an analog phone,” said Tyler. “And I believe that they were actually retired a few years ago. It won’t work. Just watch.”

  “Never say that around a witch,” said Adrianne, smiling. “You might just have to eat your words.”

  “Does anyone have a working cell phone?” asked Kala. “I mean, it would save a lot of time, wouldn’t it?”

  “Actually, I do have a cell phone,” said Rebecca, reaching below the counter. She pulled out a smartphone and handed it to Clarice, who was not getting anywhere with hers.

  “What is this?” she asked, staring at the screen. “Some kind of calculator?”

  “It’s a cell phone,” said Rebecca. “Do you know any of the women’s phone numbers by heart?”

  “Actually, I do have my address book, which lists their numbers. Hold on.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small brown book.

  “Come over here and I’ll help you send a group text,” said Rebecca. “Meanwhile, Adrianne, do you know of anyone else who might be willing to help us?”

  “Actually, I do. Adele Fisher,” she replied.

  My jaw dropped. “Megan’s mom?”

  “She’s trustworthy and practices White Magic. I think she’d be a good ally to have on our side,” she replied.

  “You’d be asking her to risk her life by opposing Vivian,” said Clarice over her shoulder. “I doubt she’d be willing to put her own family in danger. Not many would.”

  Adrianne sighed. “I’m sure you’re right, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  “I knew she was a witch,” I said, looking at Kala. “I just knew it.”

  “A witch… Well, I guess Megan’s weirdness now makes total sense,” she replied.

  Willow frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Her face turned red. “Err… what I mean is – she’s always been kind of different. You know?”

  “Oh, it’s definitely because she’s a witch,” teased Tyler. “In fact, all of you are a little weird
.”

  “Ha ha…” I replied dryly. “You should talk. You can’t even look someone in the eyes without putting them in some kind of trance. Even when you’re not trying.”

  “I can’t help it if I’m so irresistible,” he said. “It’s in my DNA.”

  “You do have a certain charm,” said Willow, smiling shyly up at him.

  He straightened his shoulders and smiled back. “Yes, Willow, I do think you’ll fit in with our group extremely well. You obviously are a great judge of people.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  She giggled. “I am now. Now that I’ve met you.”

  Oh puke…

  Rebecca groaned. “Willow, please don’t make him any more conceited than he already is. You don’t have to live with him like I do.”

  Willow giggled again. “I’m sure it’s very interesting.”

  Rebecca chuckled. “Interesting? Interesting isn’t exactly what I’d call it.”

  “She normally calls it extraordinary,” said Tyler, putting his arm around Rebecca’s shoulders. “Look into my eyes and tell me different, mother dear.”

  Rebecca elbowed him in the stomach playfully. “Don’t you have something to do besides showing off in front of the girls?”

  “I’m not showing off,” he said. “I’m always this fascinating.”

  “Good grief,” said Rebecca. “You sound more and more like your father every day.”

  He grinned. “Now that is a compliment.”

  I glanced at Willow and noticed her dreamy expression as she stared at Tyler and cleared my throat. “Um, so about Adele, should we try and talk to her?”

  “I think we should. In fact, I’m going to pay her a quick visit right now,” Adrianne replied.

  “What about Bailey and Trixie?” asked Kala.

  “As far as we know, they might not even be in any immediate danger,” said Clarice. “We did place a spell that would hide her enchanted magic from others.”

  “Then why did Vivian notice her?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. What do you think, Willow?”

  “She was drawn to it. That’s all I know,” she replied.

  “Even if Vivian catches Trixie, I’m sure Bailey will find a way to rescue her,” said Tyler. “He can turn into one badass monster if he needs to. I once saw him turn into an orc and pound the daylights out of a Cyclops.”

  Kala gasped. “Seriously?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he replied. “It was incredible.”

  “Still, he is no match for a wand,” said Clarice. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he really doesn’t have a chance against the coven if they catch him.”

  “What do you think they will they do with him if they catch him?” asked Kala, horrified.

  “The last time, they tortured the heck out of Bailey,” I replied, and then immediately wanted to take back my words when I saw her face.

  She covered her mouth. “Oh, my God, they did?”

  I winced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “If they catch him again,” said Clarice, “they’ll either use him as bait, to try and draw us near...”

  “…or Vivian will try and make a point, by sending him back to us,” said Tyler.

  “Why would that be making a point?” I asked.

  He hesitated. “Because he’d be dead.”

  Kala looked like she was ready to faint.

  “Look, we don’t know if he’s even been captured. He’s a bright boy and will hopefully think before he rushes in there like some kind of hero,” said Rebecca.

  “Yes, and for all we know, Vivian isn’t aware that the deer is actually anything but, a deer. So, crashing in there to save the day is a bad idea for all of us. Trixie might even be able to slip out of there on her own,” said Clarice. “So, it’s important that we do this carefully.”

  I thought about the pain the shape-shifters had gone through the last time Vivian had them imprisoned, and prayed that she was right.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I went with Adrianne to Megan’s home shortly before noon. We teleported directly to her porch and knocked on the door.

  “You’re getting this teleporting thing down very well,” said Adrianne, grinning.

  “To be honest, I do get a little dizzy every time, but I’ll take it over flying on a broom any day.”

  “I hear you. I’ve never been too fond of heights myself,” she replied, knocking again.

  “Do you think she’s home?” I asked, looking back to the street.

  “I hope so. If not, I heard that she works part-time in the pet store downtown. We’ll check there next.”

  “Okay.”

  Just as Adrianne raised her hand to knock one last time, the door swung open and Adele stood before us. She was holding a paint brush and there was a smidgeon of color on her forehead. She smiled widely. “Ah… ladies.”

  “You’ve been expecting us?” said Adrianne, smiling back.

  “I knew you’d be coming fairly soon,” she said, glancing behind and around us. She lowered her voice. “Nobody followed you?”

  “I’m not sure, to be honest,” said Adrianne, forcing a smile. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she replied, holding her screen door open. “Please, come on in.”

  “Thank you,” said Adrianne, stepping inside.

  I followed.

  “Sorry about the mess,” said Adele, as she closed the door. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, adding more paint to it instead. “Megan and I have been doing some… remodeling.”

  “I see that. And without magic?” asked my mom, smiling in amusement.

  “Megan’s idea. She thought it would be fun to paint the walls with rollers and brushes.”

  “So, is it as fun as she said it would be?” asked Adrianne.

  “Not so much,” she replied, laughing. “I’d much rather use my wand, but I made a promise.”

  “Whatever you’re doing,” I replied, looking around, “it looks really nice.”

  She smiled up at the walls proudly. “Thank you, Kendra.”

  The last time I’d been in the house, the outdated furniture had been hidden under sheets, everything else had been covered in dust, and the old hardwood floors had been worn and brittle. Now, the walls were painted a light mocha color, the floors looked brand new, and there were several light fixtures that hadn’t been there before.

  Adele waved her hand. “Sorry it’s kind of empty at the moment. We ordered some furniture and will have it delivered once we’ve finished painting,” she said. “That’s why most of the rooms are bare.”

  “I applaud your determination, Adele, and I’d love to see everything when you’re done,” replied Adrianne, as we passed under a beautiful new chandelier that sparkled like hundreds of tiny diamonds.

  Her smile was beaming. “You bet. I’ll invite your family to dinner, once we’re finished.”

  “We’d love that,” replied Adrianne.

  “Uh, where is Megan?” I asked, as Adele led us to a small den.

  “She’s at school,” she replied, checking her watch. “Probably getting ready for lunch right about now.”

  “I wish I was,” I said, and then laughed grimly. “God, I can’t believe I just said that.”

  Adrianne looked at me. “I’m with you, honey. I sometimes wish that I was back in school, when things were simple. But then, I think of you two and I’m grateful that we’re together. In fact, now, I wouldn’t replace it for the world.”

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  She smiled.

  “Young lady, you look different,” said Adele, tapping the side of her cheek. “And I know that you’re definitely not Kala.”

  My cheeks turned pink. “I, um, took a potion and I guess it slimmed me down.”

  She frowned. “Potions are dangerous. Obviously, you weren’t aware of it?” she asked, turning toward my mother.

  “No, I certainly wasn’t,” my mother replied, frowning. “And Kendra, from now on,
I want you to come to me before ever taking another potion. There is too much risk involved.”

  I nodded vehemently. “I will. I promise.”

  “Oh well, what’s done is done,” said Adele, smiling again. “And you appear healthy enough. But, just remember – every time a witch uses magic for her own personal benefit, it’s risky. In fact, magic like that can change you in more ways than just losing weight or growing taller. Especially Black Magic, which consumed my cousin, Gwen. It made her go mad.”

  “What happened to her?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Well, she’s dead,” said Adele, sighing.

  My eyes widened.

  She stared off into the distance. “She died trying to destroy another witch. Used the wrong spell and it backfired on her.” Our eyes met. “Tread carefully in this world, Kendra. It’s very dangerous.”

  “I will,” I replied evenly. “And I know what you mean by dangerous.”

  Adele nodded and then her eyes moved to my wand. “So, it’s true. You have the bonding wand now.”

  “Yes,” I answered, holding it up.

  “Very nice. It used to be yours, wasn’t it?” she asked, turning to Adrianne.

  Adrianne cleared her throat. “It was never really mine,” she replied. “In fact, I never felt quite right using it. It felt borrowed more than anything. It’s Kendra’s wand. I think she was always meant to have it. It even communicates with her.”

  Adele turned back to me, her eyes wide. “You’ve spoken with the wand?”

  “Yes,” I said, smiling. “Her name is Chloe.”

  “Then the wand must really connect with you. I’ve heard that bonding wands are very unsociable compared to other wands,” she said. “They’re the most powerful, but also the most stubborn.”

  My wand began to glow and I held my breath.

  They also had tempers…

  “Excuse me, witch, but I am not unsociable nor am I stubborn,” retorted Chloe. “I’m just wary.”

  “Wary of what?” asked Adele, staring at her in amusement.

  “Of everyone,” replied Chloe. “Those who seek our power usually have quite unsavory motives.”