An Errant Witch

by E M Graham

  ‘You were going to say? Whatever it is, bring it on.’ I was willing to carry on the fight or the kiss or whatever had been about to happen, but the heat of the moment had dissipated with the interruption, and he must have felt it too.

  Turning back to face me, his face was blank as if that moment between us had never been. ‘I just want you to be watchful, that’s all. Scarp is... it’s all about competition, and there are high stakes involved. You just don’t know what you’re getting in to.’

  He sighed and looked away. ‘I need you to promise to contact me if there’s anything awry. If anything happens that’s... outside your scope.’

  Like if I allowed fairies to make off with Jane’s baby, for example, or brought a wayward elf out of Alt. My ears started a slow burn. Would he never let my past mistakes die down?

  He carried on as if that he didn’t even realize what he’d implied. Flicking through the folder, he nodded. ‘As I thought,’ he said. ‘Come on, no time to waste. The car is waiting for us.’

  I had no energy left for fighting him, anyway, I told myself. No matter what he said, I was heading into my future, and the unfinished business between us could wait for another day. I breathed in deeply as we stepped outside into the wet, still dark morning, then couldn’t help myself as a convulsive yawn took over.

  ‘It’s still so dark out, the clouds are barely light. What time is it?’

  ‘Afraid there’s no time to nap,’ he said, watching me sneak another yawn. ‘And you can eat on the ferry to the island. Your transportation will be leaving shortly.’

  We slipped out the back door we’d entered, the lights of the small city of Inverness still on and spread out before me in the gloom of the northern morning. Headlamps of cars were moving through the wet streets now as the town came slowly to life in the gloom of the new day.

  The same black vehicle with the silver figure on its hood waited for us, the one which had whisked me from the small airport where Hugh had met me. My suitcase was still inside the trunk, or ‘boot’ as Hugh had called it. Safely out of sight and protected by the car’s solid steel body, he hadn’t yet picked up on the supernatural contraband it held.

  How long had I been travelling? My mind was muzzy and confused, for I’d left home yesterday afternoon, travelling west to Toronto to meet the international flight to Edinburgh, where I was whisked through Customs to catch the smaller Inverness flight. For someone who’d never left her own island before, this was a lot of moving.

  I settled back into the plush cushioned seat and watched out the window at the river as we sped silently along the narrow roads. Ah, this was the life, I could easily get used to this luxury.

  The best and the brightest. My future danced before my eyes like the lights on the rainy pavement. No matter what Hugh said, I knew I was heading for the big time now. But I was just getting comfortable when the car pulled up to a brightly lit yard full of buses.

  ‘Here we are.’ Hugh was out of the seat almost before we stopped, opening the door and stepping out into the diesel laden air.

  ‘Hugh...’ I stared out the door at the ragged group of soggy folk who huddled together in the covered shelter. Seriously? He’d never struck me as the kind of person who used public transportation. ‘This is a bus station.’

  ‘And that’s your bus there,’ he said with a nod over to the aisle with a big ‘3’ sign. ‘Here’s the tickets you’ll need. The bus will drop you right off at the ferry terminal at Ullapool, and another driver will meet you at the other end.’

  He looked at me as he handed the file over together with a paper bag and a thermos. ‘There’ll be no excuse for getting lost.’

  ‘Hold on a second!’ I said, digging my heels in as he herded me over to the waiting bus. ‘Aren’t you coming with me?’

  ‘No,’ he said, then sighed as he turned back to look at me. We were standing so close I had to look up. ‘Look, I might be wrong, but this is so... so unexpected. Scarp...’ He fell silent.

  He didn’t believe in me, and didn’t think I was worthy of this opportunity. He was no different from all the other Kin I knew. Dad, my half-sister Sasha, Dad’s wife Cate. My heart hardened. I would show them all.

  ‘I will be fine. I will be a success. Do you really think they’d offer me this chance if they thought I wasn’t up for it?’

  He tilted his head and considered. ‘Oh, I know you’re fully capable,’ he said softly, his face unreadable in the orange glow of the streetlights. ‘Of that, there is no doubt in my mind. But this is so sudden. And no, I don’t think you’re ready. I just wish I knew why Johanna made this decision. There are other places you could heal, places less politically charged...’

  If I’d had my wits about me, I would have called him on that, I would have made him explain, never mind missing the bus for there would always be another one. But I was worn out from the past twenty-four hours, and his words were unsettling me.

  ‘Take good care, Dara,’ he said quietly, then he folded me into his arms in an unexpected hug. ‘Keep your wits about you, and contact me if there’s anything amiss.’

  And then he leaned in for a kiss.

  He had been aiming for my cheek but, unaware, I turned my head toward him to give him further hell, and his lips landed on mine, and there was magic, the kind that makes you forget your harsh words and hurt feelings and takes you into another place altogether. He didn’t pull away immediately, but his lips lingered on mine. Our eyes met a second later and it was only then we broke apart; I don’t know who was more surprised.

  Chapter 2

  I COULD FEEL THE WARMTH of his lips still on mine, even after we’d parted in the cool winter morning.

  The bus gave a snort and an impatient whoosh as if it was pawing the ground, eager to leave. His hands stayed on my arms and he opened his mouth, but no words came out. My body wanted to nestle into that hold forever.

  But Hugh set his mouth in a firm line and turned away to heft first my large knapsack into the luggage bay, and then the flowery carry-on. I held my breath, for the medallion with the tainted magic was inside that one. He sniffed suspiciously as if he caught a whiff of something, but the driver hurried him on, and once the bay was safely closed and locked I could relax again.

  Not that I intended to begin my new life with deception, no. Lies and misapprehensions had gotten me into too much trouble already. But the coin – well, it was the only clue I had to my mother’s disappearance all those years ago, and acquiring it had cost me dearly. There was no way I was going to give it up to the Witch Kin.

  ‘When will I see you again?’ I called out of the open bus door as I passed the bus ticket to the driver. ‘How am I going to know where to go?’

  I had no idea how I was to navigate in this strange country; exhausted, hungry and on the brink of being totally alone, the future was a terrifying blank to me.

  ‘It’s all in the folder,’ he said. He laid his gloved hand on mine, and seemed to find it difficult to look at me, but when he did, his face was all cool and professional again. ‘One more thing – I need you to keep your head down when you get to Scarp.’

  ‘Keep my head down,’ I repeated dully. ‘Stay out of trouble. Don’t mess it up.’

  He sighed with annoyance. ‘Sending you to Scarp is a very politically divisive decision on Johanna’s part. You’re going to meet with a lot of resistance from others. But... I’ll be in touch.’

  The rain was starting again as the doors closed between us and I could see the droplets already lacing his dark hair in the light from the advertising signs in the shelter. Then he was gone, pushing his way through the huddle of people back to the waiting car.

  ‘YOU’LL have to take a seat then,’ the bus driver reminded me, his hand on the gear stick. I could barely understand his words, his accent was so thick, yet his tone was kind enough.

  Once settled in to the comfy long-distance bus seat I allowed myself the luxury of looking forward to my future. I, Dar
a Martin, half-blood witch, had been chosen to study at this illustrious Scarp, wherever that was, in spite of everything I’d done and had done to me in the past few months. No, actually it was because of these very things, for the Kin elders would never have known I existed except for the mess I’d caused back home.

  Back home. It would be early still, way too soon to call anyone to tell them the fantastic news. Aunt Edna couldn’t speak to anyone before she had her coffee, while Alice wouldn’t be out of bed and Brin the elf didn’t have a phone yet, still being a non-person in the eyes of the law.

  Jack, my sort-of boyfriend, he wouldn’t understand the enormity of what had happened in the court room, for he was the most unmagic person I knew. He didn’t even see the supernatural side of life, otherwise known as Alt, when it was smack up in his face. I’d told him I was going to Scotland for an interview about a college and that I may or may not be back within a week, depending on the results. He knew nothing about all the stuff that had gone on in December even though he’d been right in the middle of it. If I had returned home without my magic he would have been none the wiser, and me too I guess, for they would have taken any magic memory from me with the binding.

  I would let him sleep in before telling him the news that I wouldn’t be coming home for a while. Musicians kept late hours.

  Besides, Hugh and I had kissed. Even if it had been a mere slip of those luscious fine lips, the sparks between us had been unmistakable. Jack was a great guy, something more than a friend, but Hugh... was a man.

  There was no one close to me that I could call right there and then, yet I was desperate for a familiar voice, someone who would understand the wonderful thing that had happened, someone who had at least heard of Scarp.

  That left only Sasha, my half-sister, the legitimate daughter of my father. She’d been my sworn enemy since last year, but at least she would connect the dots and I could get the satisfaction of rubbing her nose in it. She had never been asked to go to higher Kin education.

  Dad, too, should hear the news and perhaps start to appreciate his bastard child, the one he dropped as soon as her mother disappeared out of his life. I pressed the button for Dad’s home phone.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘Sasha? It’s me!’

  There was an icy pause. ‘This is Cate.’

  Cate. His wife, that horrible witch. There was no love lost between the two of us, and I had long suspected she had something to do with my mother’s disappearance.

  ‘I heard of the judgement.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s good news, isn’t it?’ I tried to muster some positivity. Tried to keep the conversation civil.

  ‘Well, that depends. I think they’re making a mistake. Half-bloods can’t be trusted with power. And Scarp? It’s unheard of.’

  Bitch.

  ‘Still, Johanna is a good friend of mine, and I’m sure she had her reasons,’ she continued, her voice as acidic and crisp as if she was standing right next to me. ‘I just hope you won’t embarrass your father there.’

  Bitch bitch bitch. I had to bite my tongue. Johanna, the petite scary blonde, the head elder and now I found out she was a close friend of Cate’s. Good thing I hadn’t known of the relationship between them before the Inquiry, for sure I would have been even more nervous and had a total melt-down on the stand. My father’s wife scared me.

  ‘I guess they see something in me that you never will.’ I tried, but failed to match the coolness of her tone.

  ‘They don’t know you well enough yet,’ she replied. I heard the hissing of steam as she worked her espresso machine. ‘Give it time. Still, apart from binding your so-called magic forever, perhaps this is the next best thing. You’ll be kept under lock and key until they figure out what to do with you.’

  ‘You never got asked to go to Scarp, did you Cate?’ It was a long shot, but I just wanted to lash back at the woman with any means at my disposal.

  ‘God, no,’ she replied. ‘Not that I wanted to. It’ll be interesting to watch how you make out. That’s if you survive it, of course.’

  I really didn’t like that small laugh in her voice as she said those last words and I couldn’t help but ask. ‘What do you mean, survive?’

  ‘Why am I not surprised they neglected to tell you this aspect of it?’ She sighed, then I heard as she sipped her coffee. ‘It was a bloodbath last year, apparently. The Competition, I mean. Though perhaps you’re to play the role of the sacrificial lamb, the little expendable half-blood.’

  That woman knew how to work me just like her fancy coffee machine, she knew exactly which buttons to press. As a half-blood, neither full Witch nor full Normal, I was hated and feared by both worlds. Too weird and witchy for the Normals to accept me, while the Kin looked down their noses at my diluted blood. I closed my eyes against her vindictive spite.

  ‘I’m going to a place of higher learning, Cate,’ I whispered, clutching Hugh’s words close against the dread that was forming at the very pit of my stomach. ‘Only the best and the brightest go there. They believe in me, they know I have a lot of potential.’

  She barked with laughter. ‘Is that the line Hugh fed you in order to get your cooperation?’

  I took a deep, calming breath as I disconnected the call, trying to shake out the crap she left behind in my head. She was not a part of my life, never had been. Hers and Dad’s was a traditionally arranged marriage between Kin so it was pretty open, but when she realized he was spending more time with his mistress and her child than with his legitimate kids she put her foot down, and that’s when all the trouble with Mom had started.

  Had Hugh lied to me? Damn Cate for planting that seed of doubt. I thought my life was taking a turn for the better, finally; yet now, as I wondered just what lay ahead, my exhilaration of the morning slowly leaked out of me like the rain dripping down the window by my face.

  And what the hell was the Competition? I was alone and abandoned in this strange country, exhausted and totally not in control of my life’s direction as the bus headed north into the dreary dark morning toward a destination which might be the death of me.

  THE wheezing brakes woke me as the bus drew to a stop. Looking out the window at the rain streaming down the glass, the day was still barely lit, dawn had come and gone but the heavy clouds remained. I checked my cell phone on Scotland time - it was nine thirty in the morning. What dark and dreary place had I landed in?

  After I’d boarded the ferry waiting at the combined dockside and bus terminal, and stored my luggage in the open racks, I began to uncover the true nature of this strange new land. It was a country of pastry and cakes; the Scots had perfected the magic of wrapping everything in layers of butter and flour to make it crispy and fresh. I sat in the open room area of fixed tables and chairs as I soaked up the calories and the heat from my coffee.

  Refreshed from my nap on the bus and from the caffeine, I could look at my future with more light. Never mind what anyone said, I was going to a place of higher education, probably some sort of mix between university and the magical finishing school my half-sister Sasha went to in Switzerland, as all four of my father’s legitimate kids would do in time. It was finally my turn to shine.

  So enthusiastic was I by now, or perhaps so high on my double espresso and sugar, that I opted to brave the elements outside on the back deck. Sheltering in a corner so I wouldn’t be carried away by the high winds or drowned by the torrential rain, I relished the new-found joy rising through my being and breathed in deeply of the fresh salty air.

  AS I watched the small town of Ullapool drift away in the gloomy half-light of the stormy day, a small smile still on my face, I slowly became aware of another’s eyes on me. Turning, I saw the bold stare of a woman much the same age as me, brassy red curls framing her face while her short body was stuffed into a long lilac puffy coat one size too small. She held a burning cigarette protected in her left hand, which she lifted now to take a quick draw into her lungs.

  ‘
A’right, then?’

  It appeared to be a question.

  I nodded in return. ‘All right.’

  ‘Th’ waither is awfy the day, eh?’

  Her Scots accent was heavy and thick, so different from the careful and precise enunciation of Hugh’s educated Kin voice.

  ‘It’s pretty stormy out.’

  ‘You’re no’ from here, then?’

  ‘Canada.’

  She took another quick puff then flicked the butt over the side of the boat.

  ‘Whit ye doin’ here?’

  Gawd, she was awfully nosy, but small places were like that. Back home you could expect to be grilled by total strangers about your family history in order to figure out any connections you might have with them. In fact, you might be offended if someone didn’t care enough to ask.

  However, at the moment I wasn’t home. I was on my way to a prestigious academy of magical learning (never mind Cate’s poisonous insinuations) and I was getting ready to take my place among the Kin; I was pretty sure my new companion and I would not find any common ground or familial connections. Her accent, the way she dressed – no, there was no whiff of the Kin about her. I drew myself up and looked down my nose as I attempted to channel my arrogant full-blood witch sister Sasha.

  ‘Visiting,’ I said, and left it at that. I turned my back on her to go inside to search for more coffee.

  ‘You’re no’ as fine a witch as ye think ye are,’ she called behind me, then muttered, ‘ye stuck-up cow.’

  I turned back to look at her, awe-struck, not minding the well-earned insult. How did she know? Her plump face was screwed up in a jeer, yet even as I watched her whole demeanour changed. It was imperceptible yet it was as if a glamour grew from within her, and she morphed before my very eyes, no longer a cheap overblown tart wearing far too much make-up for the time of day. Suddenly her cheekbones were sharper and her hair settled into a bronzed halo around her flawless face, and I swear even her sausage coat changed shape to that of a voluptuous, well-fed Barbie doll.