Visions of the Witch - [Whispers 04]

by Tara West

  Suddenly, a being popped up beside Krysta. He was tall and lean with his shirtsleeves rolled up and shiny boots on his legs. He rested one hand on Krysta’s shoulder. For a moment, my heart stopped and I thought, Gordon Cobbet, but then I recognized him.

  It was Benjamin.

  “Is that the one we’re looking for?” Deb’s voice was shrill. She was the last person I expected to be freaked.

  “No. That’s Benjamin,” I told her, holding out a hand as both Tony and DeWan made to move forward—though what they expected to do against a ghost, I didn’t know. “He’s safe. He’s a good guy.”

  Benjamin’s green gaze lifted from Krysta and settled on me. He let go of Krysta and pointed at himself. “You can see me?”

  Nods all around.

  Krysta’s words faltered, and Benjamin touched her again. “Keep going, spirit-seeker.”

  My best friend closed her eyes and bowed her head, and her words grew stronger.

  I felt Maura’s presence before I saw her. I recognized the way she felt from my dreams; it was so similar, as if I’d really been there beside her, as if she were really beside me now. I turned slowly, drawn to the pale glow of her semi-transparent body.

  Her pale white-blonde hair hung around a strong-boned face. She wore the dress she’d died in, a sapphire blue cotton gown.

  Maura smiled at me. “Hello, daughter.”

  Krysta abruptly stopped speaking. Everyone fell silent.

  “Daughter?” I asked.

  Maura Stamp lifted a hand. “Many times removed, of course, AJ. There are numerous generations between us, yet we are still family.”

  Chilled, I replied, “You’re my… ancestor? But how? You died before you could marry Benjamin!”

  “You are my sister’s descendant. And therefore my own.” She gazed at me longer than I was comfortable with before she spoke again. “You heard my call. And you brought help.” She acknowledged Krysta and the rest of the coven with a nod. “I thank thee.”

  “Maura….” Benjamin’s voice was strangled with a mix of joy and despair. It broke through the moment Maura and I had shared, and her face transformed. She recognized it, whirling around with a cry of happiness. He rushed across the small cavern and the two spirits entwined, laughing.

  Tears pricked my eyes, but I tried to hide it. How girly and sappy was I?

  Krysta didn’t care. Crystalline drops trailed down her cheeks as she clapped her hands. “They’ve been reunited!”

  Tony stepped closer to me and took my hand. We exchanged smiles that were kinda bashful, but I squeezed and pulled him so close we were side-by-side.

  A dark wind blew through the cave, so strong it almost knocked me off my feet. Tony and I clutched each other, and I braced myself against the strong breeze, turning to the wide tunnel that led deeper into the cave.

  Mist billowed from the gaping mouth, quickly filling the room. I blinked into the darkness as our flashlights failed, blocked by the fog. The only illumination we had came from Benjamin and Maura as they clung to each other in the center of the circle.

  “Gordon!” Maura cried, poised to flee.

  “Mo….” Benjamin grabbed her arm and shook his head. “Trust AJ and Krysta.”

  Oh, crap, I thought, floored by his faith. He thought we could save them from a guy like Cobbet?

  Before Krysta could jump for the black candle and start her banishment ritual, Cobbet charged toward Benjamin and Maura.

  Panic flooded me. I didn’t even think. I closed my eyes, ignored the way my heart rested somewhere near my toes, and spoke, “No!”

  That was it. No incantation, no rhyming, not even some kind of flowery language. Just a single word and my intention behind it.

  Binding.

  ***

  Krysta

  It was over so quickly my head spun.

  AJ breathed hard, her hands still lifted toward the larger-than-life ghost. She looked shaky and white, but she was intact.

  And Cobbet was restrained. He tried to break bindings I couldn’t see, but was unsuccessful. He was a big man—not fat, just huge. His long black hair was stringy around his pale face, his cheekbones and brow prominent. The only thing he was missing was a pointy goatee to look like a stereotypical movie villain.

  Then I realized exactly whom Cobbet looked like.

  Deb.

  “Your last name is Cobbet!” I gasped, pointing at her. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t put it together before now. It never occurred to me that three hundred years could separate a girl from her ancestors.

  Deb took a step back, her eyes wide. “Yeah. So?”

  “Deb, look at him….” I motioned to the ghost. He still struggled against AJ’s bindings, but I didn’t think he’d break them. “He looks like you. This is Gordon Cobbet.”

  “But….” Deb stared in horror at the ghost. “You said he’s evil! He killed a woman!”

  “He killed a witch,” AJ snarled, glaring at Cobbet.

  The ghost stopped struggling long enough to roar, “Only God can proclaim who is evil and who is not!”

  “There’s no way,” Deb protested. “My parents tell stories of him. How powerful he was.”

  “I am powerful!” the ghost shrieked.

  Maura giggled, her girlish voice a stark contrast to his. “Not so powerful now, are you, Gordon?”

  “God has judged you, girl! Do not tempt fate now. You and your bastard fiancé shall burn!”

  AJ rolled her eyes. “Unless Deb has some traitorous objection, can we get on with the banishing?”

  “No, no objection,” Deb said quickly.

  “This guy’s unreal,” Tony murmured, circling the ghost. He poked at Cobbet’s misty body. “Cold.”

  “Yes, please, get rid of him,” Olive spoke up from behind DeWan, whose beefy arm was wrapped around her, comforting her.

  I took a shaky breath and pulled the black candle in front of me. I lit the wick, way too conscious of Gordon Cobbet glaring at me.

  “What is the infernal witch-child doing?” he boomed.

  “Something I wish I could have done a long time ago,” Maura responded. And then her cold hand clamped to my shoulder, and Benjamin grabbed the other.

  I drew strength from them.

  “Like wind, I cannot see you,” I started.

  Cobbet jerked. It was almost comical the way his arms remained pinned to his sides and his legs were stiff.

  “Like mountains, I cannot hear you.”

  He growled, his face contorting. “You will always hear me. I will haunt you forever.”

  I didn’t falter, though my insides were quaking like a high-rise in Los Angeles during an earthquake. “Like the mind, I cannot taste you.”

  With a groan, Cobbet managed to free one arm. I barely noticed AJ leap forward, her hands rising as she fought to hold the binding.

  “Like water, I cannot smell you.”

  AJ lowered her hands, her eyes wide. Cobbet was beginning to fade.

  I took a deep breath and finished him. “Like the stars, I cannot feel you. You are nothing, Gordon Cobbet, I banish you from this earth and send you to where you belong.”

  A flash of light and a loud, pressurized bang filled the cavern. I threw an arm over my face and closed my eyes.

  I hoped I hadn’t just killed us all.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sophie

  I couldn’t help but smile as I stood outside by Ethan’s car, looking up into his bright eyes. I felt different. Happy, actually, which was the first time in a long while. Luckily, all the other kids had left including Vanessa, who’d been grossed out by Finn’s huge belch during practice. Finn was alternating between munching on cookies and sulking in Ethan’s car, and my parents had surprisingly stayed inside the house.

  So it was just Ethan and me saying goodbye and flirting. Well, awkwardly flirting, anyway.

  “Something about you seems different.” Ethan cocked a sideways grin while looking deeply into my eyes.

  I swear, even tho
ugh it was a mild fall day, I was going to melt right there on the pavement.

  “Really?” I feigned innocence. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I figured it was best to pretend I hadn’t been acting like a depressed psychopath these past few weeks.

  Ethan leaned toward me and touched a finger to the corner of my mouth.

  “You’re smiling.”

  The instant Ethan touched me, a zing of electricity shot through my skin and sent a shock wave rippling across my body.

  How had he done that? Then out of nowhere, a light breeze blew my hair into my mouth. I gagged and brushed my hair out of my face just in time to see Ethan’s cheeks glowing a hot pink.

  He flashed a nervous smile and shrugged. “Sorry about that.”

  “About what?” I asked.

  Ethan averted his gaze and then shrugged again. “Nothing,” he mumbled. His hands were by his sides now, his fists clenched and shoulders rigid. “Anyway, I know you’re upset your friends left.”

  “Yeah,” I answered in a questioning tone. Way to totally change the subject, Ethan. What was he sorry about? For touching my face? For the wind?

  “I know what it’s like to feel abandoned, but trust me, it gets easier.” Ethan took a step back and held out both palms in a defensive gesture. “When the bad thoughts come, you just got to tell them to get out of your head.”

  “W-what did you say?” I stammered as I was assailed by a flashback: the memory of my first day of school when Ethan’s thoughts projected into my brain. How could I forget his anger? Get out of my head! And I had thought he was saying this to me. As if he somehow knew I was a mind reader.

  “Yeah,” he said a little too casually. “That’s what I do when I start to feel sorry for myself. I tell those thoughts to get out of my head. Try it. It works.”

  “Oh, okay.” I covered my mouth to stifle a nervous laugh. I didn’t want him to know my insides suddenly felt like jelly. Now I knew for sure Ethan didn’t know I was a mind reader. He had no idea I was a witch. I didn’t know why I wasn’t relieved my secret was safe. Maybe it was because if Ethan didn’t know I had powers, then he had no powers, either. Ethan was just a cute boy with messy hair. A normal boy. Which also meant he was off limits.

  “Besides, you’ve got new friends, Sophie.” His voice softened to just above a whisper. “You’ve got us.”

  As if he heard he was being paged, Finn leaned on the horn.

  Even though I saw Finn do it out of the corner of my eye, the sound still made me jump.

  When Ethan shot Finn an evil glare, Finn climbed out of the car and held out both hands, an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry, but I want to go home. I’m hungry.”

  I laughed out loud when I noticed how incredibly huge Finn’s pockets were. I think Ethan must have noticed, too, because he stormed up to Finn and punched him in the hip.

  “What the hell, Finn?” Ethan yelled as cookie crumbs trickled out of Finn’s pockets.

  “Finn, you didn’t have to sneak them.” I shook my head, snickering as I walked over to them. “My mom would have given you a bag.”

  “Too late.” Finn turned a frown as he looked down at his pockets. “They’re already pretty smashed up. As long as my mom doesn’t wash these pants, I’ll have pocket snacks all week.”

  I stuck out my tongue. “Gross.”

  “Hey, Sophie,” Finn said as he scooped a handful of crumbs into his mouth. “Could you bring more cookies to practice tomorrow? Tell your mom next time to go easy on the raisins.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes before punching Finn’s other pocket.

  “Hey!” Finn jumped back, swatting Ethan away. “If I get crumbs all over your car, it’s your fault.”

  But judging by the coating of debris scattered down Finn’s pants legs, I figured Ethan’s car would already need a good cleaning.

  Finn climbed back into the car and crossed his arms, glaring at Ethan from behind the safety of the window.

  Ethan turned to me while coursing both hands through his tousled hair. I didn’t know which looked more frazzled, his mop of hair or his face. “I gotta go. We’ll probably be practicing late next week. If you want, I can drive you home.”

  I’m pretty sure my heart was doing backflips, and I had to repress the urge to squeal. Why was I acting like such a pathetic fan girl? Ethan was not for me. “That would be awesome,” I said, while trying to ignore the racing staccato inside my chest.

  Ethan flashed a brief smile before his attention was drawn to his feet.

  I looked down at my kitty, mortified as she rubbed her soft white body all over his legs. Where did she come from?

  “Alessia!” I snapped. What a little flirt! Why was she rubbing all over Ethan and acting just like a cat? A naughty cat!

  “It’s okay,” Ethan said as he bent down and scratched her behind the ears. “Cool cat.”

  “Thanks.” I rolled my eyes. If he only knew. I swear some days she seemed more interested in getting petted than teaching me how to be a witch. “Careful, she’ll make you scratch her all day.”

  Ethan smiled down at her. “She’s soft.”

  She leaned into him and closed her little eyes, purring softly against his hand.

  What a flirt! She’d totally ruined our moment together, too.

  “Do you have any pets?” I asked. I walked up to them and hovered over Alessia while tapping my foot, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.

  He shrugged. “Kinda.”

  Kinda?

  The loud screech in my ear threw me off balance. I ducked as I saw a flash of black out of the corner of my eye.

  Ethan straightened and latched onto my arm. “It’s okay,” he said.

  I have no idea why, but I believed him. His touch seeped into my skin, the warmth spreading to my bones. Then the feeling spread even farther still, as if my very soul had been coated in soothing magic. Ethan’s magic. But how could this be?

  I looked down at the huge black crow that was pecking at the cookie crumbs littering the driveway. Alessia sat beside the bird, licking her paw as if nothing was amiss.

  I sent her mental message. Fine, Alessia, act like a cat when you want scratches and then do nothing when I’m almost killed by Birdzilla.

  Alessia simply ignored me, switching to the other paw.

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “Useless cat,” I said aloud. “See if I ever come to your rescue.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ethan said through a chuckle. “He just wanted a cookie.” Though Ethan was smiling and seemed to somehow be amused, there was an underlying tension in his stance, in the slight strain of his voice.

  I looked from him to the crow. I didn’t remember my neighborhood having crows. None this size, anyway. The bird was twice the size of my cat and blacker than any I’d ever seen.

  “Holy shit! What is that thing?” Finn had rolled down the window and was gawking at the bird from inside the car.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Ethan answered tersely.

  Ethan stared back down at the bird which was still eating crumbs.

  The boy was definitely on edge, but somehow I suspected he wasn’t afraid of the crow. As tempted as I was to pop inside Ethan’s head and know exactly what he was thinking, somehow I was afraid to know the answer.

  ***

  AJ

  When my vision returned, Cobbet was gone.

  I hung on to Tony as if he were the only thing keeping me on my feet. The way my knees wobbled beneath me, he probably was.

  “Did it…work?” Krysta asked, her voice hoarse. She was on her bottom, legs splayed as if the spell had shoved her.

  Benjamin and Maura drifted apart, studying the cavern as if they could sense things the living people in the room couldn’t.

  Benjamin spoke first. “I believe it did work.”

  “Indeed.” Maura nodded.

  There was a beat of silence as everyone gravitated toward the center of the circle. If no one else would do it, I would. “So… what now?”

&n
bsp; “We help Maura and Benjamin to the other side. Right?” Deb looked at Krysta for verification.

  Krysta nodded. “Um. If they want me to.”

  The ghosts looked at each other, smiles on their faces. “We do,” Maura murmured. “But first, we need to do something.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  Maura turned to Krysta and said, “I need to use you.”

  “Huh?”

  Maura chuckled. “Just let me in.”

  Maura walked forward and turned so her back was to Krysta. Then as if she were melting, she faded inside my best friend.

  “Omigod! Krysta!” I reached for her.

  Krysta’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh my. She’s inside me.”

  Then a second voice came from her lips, like Krysta’s but the inflection was wrong. “She is perfectly safe, AJ. Do not fear.”

  Krysta grinned. “Whoa. So cool.” She headed for the big tunnel.

  The rest of us took our flashlights and followed.

  She wound down the main tunnel until we came to a minor rock slide that blocked part of the path. Krysta eyed the pile of stones that climbed all the way to the ceiling, and then nodded.

  “Okay.”

  She stepped onto the stones and began to climb.

  I stood, mouth wide, wondering when Krysta had become so brave. She went all the way to the top and began pulling stones away from the flat roof above us.

  Moments later, she extracted an object wrapped in a dirty white fabric, and then carefully made her way back down.

  When she stepped off the pile, she unwrapped the fabric, exposing a heavy, brown book bigger than a super-sized laptop. An intricate carving of swirls and curlicues was burned into the cover, and in the center was a fancy “MS”.

  “That’s it!” Deb said, her voice awed. “That’s the book I was going to have you guys help me find. The book I’ve been looking for my entire life.” She reached past me to grab it, but an inhuman growl from Krysta made her leap back.

  “This book is not yours to take or give,” Maura said sharply through Krysta.

  Deb looked suitably chastened. She held up both hands. “I was raised to believe that book belonged to my family.”