The Binding Witch and the Bounty Hunter

by Laura Rich

  Alick and his band of forest gnomes had disappeared, but his voice rang through the clearing. “To help ye mind that you’re favor-bound to me 'til this thing is complete, I’ll juist be keeping yer wee kenspeckle safe 'n' sound wi' me.”

  The forest gnomes had Luna! Anger lit in me like a fire. “You jerk!” I screamed to the trees. “Bring her back! She can’t be parted from me yet! Luna!”

  In my mind’s eye, two small, red orbs grew until I could feel heat in my hands. I glanced down, and the orbs had taken shape, three-dimensional spheres in my palms. They had give like a soft rubber ball when I squeezed. Flames licked between my fingers, but my skin didn’t burn. I stared at them, fascinated, as my anger drained, but the orbs stayed.

  So I could produce a physical manifestation of the orb magic! I filed that away for more investigation later, and I lobbed them both, one after another, at the nearest tree, more out of frustration than anger. The tree exploded, sending splinters of fire everywhere. The embers hit the saturated ground around me in a symphony of hisses.

  I clenched my fists. They’d better take good care of Luna, or they would know my wrath. And I was pretty sure I had some good wrath now.

  I would get Luna back.

  Then get my mother back.

  Then maybe we needed to move somewhere quieter.

  That reminded me of poor Jennifer at the Bindan colony, scared she was going into labor. Logically I knew there was no way that could happen, but I couldn’t forget to check on her when things settled down. I rubbed my face to ward off the tears that threatened to come.

  Things were getting out of control.

  In the distance, Indira’s voice emerged with its scolding tone I knew so well. Soon her tiny form appeared next to a large hulking shape that resolved into Leo. I can't say I was surprised that she was able to get out of a warded trailer—Indira was resourceful like that—but Leo's presence was a pleasant revelation. Was it a sign that my luck might be turning?

  “Nice shootin’, Tex,” he said, eyeing the blackened tree. “We heard the commotion.”

  “You came back!" I said.

  “Of course I came back,” he said. "I always keep my word . . . eventually.”

  It was then that I noticed he was covered in bruises and cuts and dried blood. His clothes were ripped and filthy, and I felt the referred pain, through my empathy, of his various injuries. He felt as bad, or maybe worse, than he looked.

  “What the heck happened to you?” I said.

  “Well, I got the information,” he said, “but my contact got a little cranky.”

  I eyed his injuries. "I'll say. Are you going to be okay?”

  “This is nothing but a few scratches,” he said with a grin. “You should see the other guy. But thanks for the concern.”

  I felt Indira’s eyes burning a hole into my face, so I ripped my gaze away from him and looked at her. “Um, hi.” I gulped. “You're mad."

  “Do. You. Think. So?" Her hands clenched on the hilts of the twin curved blades she carried.

  I licked my lips. "I'm guessing Leo was able to disable the ward and get you out?" I had no idea how he would've done that, but I was sure my mom would be plenty interested. I wasn’t necessarily scared of Indira slicing me to bits, because her anger was sharp enough to cut.

  Gringo made a staccato noise that sounded vaguely like laughter.

  I glared at him.

  “Well, no, I didn't want to use any more magic and risk another charm on this thing.” Leo jangled the bracelet on his wrist. “When I got there, this one was making more noise than a bobcat trapped in a convenience store, so when I realized what you’d done, I walked around the whole trailer—nice ward, by the way—and found one area where the ward didn’t extend. I cut a hole through the bottom of the trailer and got her out that way."

  Crap. Mom couldn’t ward the spot on the floor that connected to the workshop. “You cut a hole in my floor?” Mom would be even more pissed about that than she would be about him breaking the ward. I was sure that severed the connection to the workshop and that it would take some time—and payment—to reestablish the link. I sneered at the thought of collecting more purslane.

  “Not another word," Indira said.

  Gringo made that staccato noise again and coughed up a hairball.

  Leo laughed. “Where’s your birdie? It wasn’t in the trailer.”

  With a lump in my throat that threatened to turn into tears, I explained about the coyote attack, the forest gnomes’ rescue and subsequent task, and finally Luna’s abduction. “Gringo said Luna needs to stay with me for three days or she’ll die. If I don’t get her back soon, she’s gone.”

  “She is nice, but she is just a bird, Kate,” Indira said. “Your mother is more important.”

  I glared at her. The pull against my tattoo grew stronger.

  “Hold on now," Leo said. “Luna is just as important to this mission as Kate. A witch’s familiar helps her draw on her power in ways she can't do alone—especially young ones like Kate here. Think of Luna as an amplifier for Kate’s power. With me down to just physical strength and maybe one last spell, we're going to need Luna if we have any hope of getting Kate’s mom back.”

  Indira gave Leo a sideways glance and pursed her lips in a way I took to mean she didn't necessarily believe him but was willing to go along with it—for now. I think she trusted him more than she trusted me right now. His rescuing her must have made a big impact.

  "So, cat, how long do we have before Luna eats it?" Leo said.

  Gringo drew himself up to full seated height and scraped one paw against the ground three times.

  “Three hours?" Indira said.

  Gringo licked his paw.

  "Excellent," Leo said. “I’ve stolen treasure from a dragon before. It’s not hard, as long as you don’t wake them up. They nap more than cats.”

  Gringo hissed.

  “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. I like a good nap.” Leo rubbed his head. “Now, if we can just find the Elsereach portal, find the dragon, get the treasure, and deliver it to the gnomes, then we can exchange it for the familiar and go get your mother.”

  “Easy.” Indira glared at me.

  “Easy,” I sighed.

  12

  “Just one more thing,” Leo said. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a thin gold chain. “You’re going to need this, Kate."

  “What?” I said, though I held out my hand instinctively.

  He dropped it in my palm, and I immediately knew it was alive with magic—it tingled and coursed with energy. “Is this what I think it is?"

  “Your very own Cheval de Frise bracelet,” he said. "I expect your luck will change from now on.”

  “Do I really need this?" I said. “Witches don't wear them.”

  “Witches also tend to do their own karmic evaluations, which I don't see you doing.” Leo flipped his palms up, catching the rain.

  “No, she went off and got magic on her own, and her mother isn't around to help her,” Indira said. “Just put it on, Kate. We don't have time to waste."

  “Fine, geez.” I latched the bracelet onto my right wrist, since I was a lefty and hated to wear jewelry on the left side. The bracelet grew warm and two small, round charms emerged.

  “Huh.” The first one was undoubtedly from the spell that had brought me the bounty hunter, but what was the second one for? Was it bad that I’d forgotten already?

  Leo nodded. “Now you’re all set. No more bad luck. A bit of advice though—don’t try to take it off.”

  “What happens if I take it off?” I lifted my wrist to inspect the charms. They were flat and smooth, about the size of a dime. The sense of dread that had accompanied me since I performed the spell to summon Leo was fading already. I also felt a strange absence I couldn’t quite identify. It was like a weight removed, one I had become so used to carrying that I’d stopped noticing it, but now that it was gone, I felt lighter and ready for more magic.

  “
Death,” he said.

  “Oh!” I felt the blood drain from my face. “I’ll just keep it on, then.”

  “Can we go now?" Indira said. “All this yapping isn’t getting us any closer to Kate’s mother.”

  I squirmed at Indira’s anger. How was I going to make this up to her? Then I realized where the second charm had come from. The second spell was when I locked Indira in the trailer.

  I’d used magic against a friend. That was really bad. Right?

  Gringo yowled and took off in the direction we’d come. We all looked at each other, shrugged, and followed him, Leo limping in the lead with Indira right next to him, leaving me to walk behind them. I braced myself for the wave of empathy from his injured movements, but none came.

  It was then that I realized what was missing—my overblown sense of empathy. The Cheval de Frise bracelet could take that away as well? Maybe I would want to keep this thing on . . .

  By the time we went a dozen yards, the rain slowed to a drizzle, and my phone rang. Surprised I got reception out here, I slipped it out of my back pocket and checked caller ID.

  The Bindan.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Oh, yes. Kate. This is Elder Wright’s wife,” said the caller. “I’m calling to say . . . well, I’m calling to say you were right. Jennifer is fine. It was indigestion.”

  I was floored. Not one time had the Bindan ever said the words “you were right” to us. And she’d remembered my name! “Okay, thanks. Glad to hear it. Do you still want me to come out when the roads are clear?”

  “No, that’s not necessary,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said, and finally got up the nerve to ask a question I had been wondering since she first called. “Um, what’s your name?”

  “What?” she said.

  “Your first name,” I said. “What people call you besides Mrs. Wright.”

  “Oh.” She laughed nervously. “It’s Katherine.”

  “No way!” I laughed. “You’re a Kate too!”

  “I am,” she said.

  I could hear a smile in her voice. “Okay, so, thanks for calling to let me know about Jennifer.”

  “Thank you, Kate,” she said. “Bye.”

  “Bye.” I ended the call, slipped the phone back in my pocket, and lifted my wrist once again to look at the bracelet.

  Leo glanced over his shoulder. “Good luck?”

  “Yeah,” I said faintly. So the bracelet did work. The Bindan emergency was over.

  I really needed Mom back before I dug myself into a real hole with this bracelet.

  Two texts came through from Ella and Lily: “Jen/Ok”

  I took a moment to collect myself and hurried to catch up to Leo and Indira.

  We walked in silence for another five minutes or so, as the rain finally stopped and the only water came from the dripping wet trees above. I had a sinking feeling my bad karma was responsible for the bad weather as well.

  Up ahead, Indira and Leo talked quietly between themselves, and I let them. Normally, I’d want to be involved in the conversation, but I guess I felt like I owed it to them to leave them alone. After all, two out of three of my first spells were aimed at them.

  Finally Gringo stopped and arched his back in front of a massive pine tree. We all came to a halt behind him.

  At first glance, it was a typical loblolly pine tree, native to this area. On closer inspection, the bark had a luminous quality to it, but only if you weren't looking directly at it. It was like looking at a faint star—you had to look to the immediate left or right for your eye to pick it up.

  “We’re here!" said Leo in a singsong voice. “So, here's what I suggest. I'll go in first, with Gringo. We'll take care of anything really nasty that might be right on the other side of this door.”

  “What about me?" said Indira. “I can fight.”

  “You never really know what you're up against until you go through the door. It could be nothing, or it could be an ogre. If it's an ogre, we’ll turn around and come back because we can’t fight it, at least in the shape I’m in.” He jangled his bracelet again. “Give us two minutes, then I want Kate to go next and you to bring up the rear, Indira. We need our best fighters at the front and back to protect Kate.”

  “Hey, I can throw fireballs,” I said. I wanted to protest more, but I knew I was a liability at best. My magic was too uncertain to rely on.

  “That’s great, Kate.” Leo patted me on the back. “If it comes down to that, just do your best not to set any of us on fire.”

  13

  It was really more like a minute and a half before Indira shoved me into the tree and followed close behind.

  Instead of my slamming against the jagged bark, it parted with a shimmer to admit me. Once through the portal, which smelled like pine sap, sugar, and a whiff of smoke, I stepped out into a bright light and shielded my eyes. I whipped around and glared at Indira, who brushed past me to join Leo, who was waiting with Gringo in what looked like a wildflower meadow. There was no sign of ogres or anyone else. The meadow was silent—I couldn’t even hear birdsong.

  “Is this it?” I pointed, remembering Alick’s words. The meadow was edged by forest on three sides, but a mountain on the fourth side rose up into the clouds. At the base of the mountain were a lot of rock formations and a smallish crevice which could have been a cave opening.

  “I think so, but only one way to find out,” Leo said, taking the lead with Gringo.

  We cut over to the forest and skirted around the edge of the meadow so we could come upon the entrance to the cave from the side, rather than straight on. I followed and tried to think angry thoughts in case I needed to produce fireballs, but I was too keyed up to concentrate. Indira was so silent behind me, I did a double take to make sure she was there. She still wouldn’t meet my eyes, and my heart sank a little bit as I turned back around.

  When we neared the cave opening, Leo and Gringo slowed.

  I crept next to them and peered around the edge. It was a vast darkness. A rumbling sound rolled out of the depths of the cave, and Leo pulled me back by the collar of my shirt.

  A burst of blue flame blew out of the cave where my head had just been. I sucked in a breath. It was then that I noticed that all the plant life around the opening of the cave had been singed black. This dragon must have lived here for a while to keep the grass from growing back. I also felt something else, something that set my teeth on edge, like an extra dose of static electricity.

  “Uh, thanks,” I said, exhaling heavily.

  “When dragons snore, flame follows,” Leo said. “Not a lesson to be learned the hard way.”

  “Noted.” I rubbed my arms and tried to figure out the sensation that was staying with me. It was something familiar but exotic.

  “So how do we get in there?” Indira asked.

  “Luckily, dragons sleep pretty hard during the day,” Leo said. “All we have to do is not wake him up.”

  “And not get incinerated,” I said.

  “Right!” Leo winked at Indira. “Easy.”

  She snorted.

  “I honestly didn’t really think there would be a dragon,” Leo said. “They’re pretty rare these days. I thought it would be a wyvern. This place is lousy with them, and they spit poison or frost, both of which I have shields for.” He twisted the other bracelets on his wrist. “I don’t suppose you can try a shield spell, eh? Something that would protect us from fire, so we could sneak in and get the treasure?”

  “What am I feeling?” I clawed at my arms as the sensation turned to itching. “It’s getting worse.”

  Another loud snore and subsequent blast rattled the stones at the mouth of the cave. We all instinctively crept back about a dozen steps.

  “No idea, but if we want to make the most of the dragon’s nap, you should try the spell,” Indira said. “Go on, Kate.”

  Maybe I was imagining that her voice sounded less icy than before, but the idea was encouraging. I closed my eyes to block out our surround
ings and took a deep breath to center myself. In my mind’s eye, I pictured the orb, and it readily appeared. This time, instead of putting a wish in it, I envisioned it growing to protect Indira, Leo, Gringo, and me. It materialized as a pearlescent dome, colors swirling all over the surface like gasoline on water.

  I heard my friends ooh and ah, so I knew it had materialized already. The thought thrilled me, then the itchiness returned.

  The walls of the orb thinned to encompass our group, and then broke.

  “It’s okay, Kate,” Indira’s voice said. “Try again.”

  “You can do it, Kate,” Leo said.

  Gringo didn’t make a sound, and for that, I was grateful. It would have been harder to focus with his cattiness—no pun intended.

  I tried again, this time willing the walls to thicken as they grew. They did, if just a bit, and actually encompassed the whole group. I held my breath while I waited to see if the orb would hold.

  This time, it shattered spectacularly, blasting shards of orb outward. I didn’t have to open my eyes to know I’d failed. Somehow, it only made me want to try harder.

  “That’s okay, Kate,” Leo said. “We’ll figure something else out.”

  “Hang on.” My eyes still closed, I pictured tiny, helpless Luna. A surge of love and fierce protectiveness overwhelmed me. “I have an idea.”

  This time, I started with an orb that encompassed only me. It was strong and thick and held true. I opened my eyes. My orb surrounded me in a soft glow. I pressed my hand against the wall and found it was able to pass through and back. This time, the orb held.

  Indira stared at me with her arms crossed. “If you think we are going to let you go in there by yourself, you have another think coming.”

  “Just wait, Miss Impatient.” I closed my eyes again and held my orb aside while creating a new one around Indira. It had the same shape and density but was easier because she was shorter than I was. Again, I could tell it worked by her reaction.

  “Now that’s more like it,” she said.

  I smiled. Gringo’s orb was easier still, as it was many times smaller.