The Witches of BlackBrook Page 10

  “Me too. We have a lot to tell you, Trin. Hopefully Jason will be here soon.” Caris looked at her watch.

  “How about a drink while we wait,” Trin suggested, hoping to ease the increasing tension.

  “Yes. Absolutely.” Caris grabbed two on-the-rocks glasses and filled them both with a dash of bourbon.

  “How’s work?” Trin asked.

  “It’s great. I absolutely love this school and all my students are a real joy. Well, except for Katherine. That child...” Caris cut off, shaking her head.

  “There’s always one.” Trin smiled.

  “Ain’t that the truth?” Caris laughed, relaxing them both.

  The next twenty minutes flew by, filled with girl talk and shopping lists. Finally, Caris took another glance at her watch and picked up her cell to leave a message. “Jason, where are you? Trin is here, and I thought you said you’d try to get off early. Call me.”

  “If we need to do this some other time, I can come back,” Trin offered.

  “No, no. Jason and I really need to talk to you, and he should have been here by now. I’m sure he’ll be strolling in any minute.”

  “Okay.” Trin sipped at her drink and questioned why Caris couldn’t broach the subject herself. She watched as Caris fiddled about the kitchen and realized this was her way of dealing with stress, but when she actually started putting dinner together, Trin decided it was time to cut to the chase. “So, were either of you hurt in the attack?” she asked, setting her glass on the counter.

  Caris shoulders dropped as she turned from the stove. “No. Thankfully.”

  “Why can’t you tell me what happened?”

  “Because, Trin. There’s so much more to it than just the attack last night.”

  “Like what? What does this have to do with me?” Trin stood and paced the kitchen.

  “Please, let’s just wait for Jason,” Caris pleaded.

  “Actually. I can’t. I told Kit I wouldn’t be long, and I still need to pick up dinner. Tell your cousin we’ll have to reschedule.”

  Trin gathered her coat and purse and headed for the front door. “Sorry, Caris. Just let me know when it’s convenient for me to come back.”

  Caris’s response was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. “Wait, Trin. It’s Jason.” “Hello? Jason. Where are you?”

  Trin’s heart sank as all the color faded from Caris’s face.

  Chapter Twenty

  Caris fell to the floor, dropping her cell beside her. Trin raced to retrieve the phone, putting it to her ear.

  “Do you hear me, you meddling witch? I’ll kill him if you don’t leave Trin alone,” said a gruff voice.

  “Who the hell is this?” Trin demanded.

  The line went dead, filling the house with only Caris’s sobs.

  “Now do you wonder what this has to do with you? It’s all about you!” Caris yelled.

  Affronted, Trin jerked back. “Excuse me? How is any of this my fault? Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. Not until you and Jason came to town.” Trin handed Caris back her phone.

  “Are you kidding me? You think this is all our fault?” Caris pushed to her feet. “Jason used his third eye today to catch a glimpse of you when he could feel something was off during your conversation. What he saw was that your aura has been surrounded by a thick fog that is feeding off you and siphoning your magic. All of what’s happened––the lake, the attack on Jason, the assault on our workspace––it’s all been about you. Something is trying to keep us apart, Trin. Can’t you see that?” She waved her cell in Trin’s face. “A lunatic just said he’d kill Jason if we don’t stay away from you. I think that’s a pretty clear indication of your involvement.”

  Trin gasped, her eyes filling with tears. “Then by all means...stay away from me.” Trin grabbed her belongings from where they fell to the floor and bolted out the door.

  Slamming her keys into the ignition, Trin raced down the long driveway, stopping the car when she reached the end. She was literally at a fork in the road. Trin let go of the tight reign she had on her emotions and cried until all her tears had been shed. Her first instinct was to run home and seek comfort with her sister, but then again, dealing with Kit’s ‘I told you so’ attitude wasn’t something Trin could face at the moment. She thought about turning around and offering an apology and her assistance in finding Jason, but that, too, seemed like a mistake based on this recent threat.

  Trin took a deep breath and grabbed her phone, dialing the Wellness Center. “Mia. It’s Trin. Please clear my schedule for the next four days. I’ll return on Monday. Thanks.”

  Trin tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and turned south towards Ipswich. It was time she got some answers on her own.

  He glared at the boy, bound and gagged. A boy was all he’d ever be to him. He could kill him right now, but tempered the thought, deciding to use him instead. “You will all learn your lesson,” he spat, throwing a chunk of hair into the flame. “Darkest hearts, darkest night, crush his thoughts of fancies flight. Turn from one, turn from all, stripped away your destiny will fall.”

  Caris returned to the kitchen to finish a dinner no one would eat. Slamming pots and pans into the sink, she used the familiar motion to scrub away some of her frustration. Drying her hands, she picked up her phone. “We need you. Please come home,” Caris begged. The beep of the machine signaled the end of her message.

  She was alone and struggling to figure out what she needed to do next. If distancing herself from Trin was the answer to getting Jason back, she was willing to do it. But every time she considered the thought, something nasty churned in her gut.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Trin’s journey was peaceful until her phone started to buzz an hour-and-a-half later.

  “Where are you?” Kit demanded. “I thought you were bringing dinner home.”

  “Change of plans. There’s some leftovers in the fridge and a casserole you can heat up in the freezer. That should get you by. I’ll be home in a few days.”

  “What? Trin, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “Kit. Please. I need some time alone, okay? I’ll be back soon.” Trin hung up the phone, refusing to argue or explain herself further.

  Trin needed this, this time and space to clear her head and hopefully get some help in deciphering what was happening to her. The more she thought about what Caris had said, the angrier she got. Trin couldn’t deny the thorn of truth she felt within her words. She had always been able to draw on her magic, but never at the same level as before. She assumed it was part of her soul’s journey, that her full powers would only return once she had reunited with both her sisters, but what if it was something else? What if something had been draining her in every lifetime between then and now?

  She shook her head, not wanting to be weighed down with such depressing thoughts as she focused on the road.

  Four hours later she was once again in a room at the Inn at Castle Hill. The quiet peacefulness within its walls was something she realized she’d been missing for quite some time.

  BOSTON, MASSECHUSETTS

  1898

  “Excuse me, doctor, here are my papers.”

  Karina, now Kristine, turned to the man in the navel uniform and offered her assistance. She’d vaccinated all one hundred and ninety two passengers of the SS Portland over the last few days.

  “There you go, Officer Harris, no smallpox for you.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” The handsome seaman shook her hand, sending a lightning charge through her fingertips.

  “Ouch. Please forgive me.” Officer Harris rubbed his hands on his pants.

  “No harm done.” Kristine smiled, feeling a strange sense of connection. “Good voyage to you, sir. I hear Cape Cod is beautiful.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. Perhaps I’ll return with a few pictures to share.”

  “That sounds lovely.” Kristine blushed as the officer winked and left the room.

  “Well, that was a
wkward,” teased Camille, her assistant and soul sister.

  This time around, they’d found one another after only two weeks into their new lives.

  Kristine wiped down the tray and placed her needle back in the sterilization liquid. “I can’t help it. I felt a strange connection with that man, and the shock his touch elicited sent a spark racing through my veins. I think he holds magic within him.”

  Camille sucked in a breath. “Really? We’ve never ran across anyone else magical before. How exciting.”

  Later than night, Kristine wept when the report came across the radio that the SS Portland had sank off Cape Ann. There were no survivors.

  Trin woke with wet cheeks and more memories she’d need to reconsider. What if every time she’d encountered a magical person in the past, something had kept them apart and she’d been oblivious to it all?

  Trin dressed and enjoyed the breakfast put on by the Inn, then drove straight to Lillian’s shop, ready to find some real answers.

  “Trin! How lovely to see you again.” Lillian beamed.

  Trin looked around the shop, making sure no customers were inside. “Lillian. I need a favor. Would you be willing to close down for a bit and help me find some answers to the strange things that have been happening lately?”

  Lillian crossed to lock the door without another word. “Come, come. Let’s sit and you can tell me what’s been going on since your last visit.”

  “Thank you, but I have to be honest. I’m still skeptical about all this, but at this point, I’d simply be grateful for your help.”

  Lillian patted her hand. “I’m sorry if the story of our history shocked you. It wasn’t my intent to upset you.”

  “It’s okay. It’s just a heavy burden to know that I single handedly ruined so many lives with one spell. I was only trying to save me and my sisters.”

  “Not all true witches retain the memory of our past, but for those of us who do remember, we’re grateful you pulled us from that horrible place. Even though our powers are diminished here, without your spell, we certainly all would have died long ago.” Lillian smiled kindly. “Now, tell me how I can help you.”

  Trin proceeded to explain everything, down to the final detail of Jason’s disappearance.

  Lillian took a deep breath. “I can’t pretend to know what’s really happening, but I can certainly help you find out.” Lillian grasped Trin’s hand and smiled as a charge passed between them. “Gather some charms that speak to you from around the shop, then join me in the back room,” Lillian instructed.

  By the time Trin placed a small pentacle, a silver triquetra, and a symbolized goddess pendant on the table, Lillian had laid out three cords and nine feathers atop the altar.

  Trin stood silently while Lillian anointed the black and purple candles with rosemary oil for protection and magical powers.

  “Trin, please put some mugwort in the censer,” Lillian asked.

  Trin retrieved the herb from the neatly organized spice rack and set it alight in the incense burner.

  “We’re going to be making a witches ladder to help you climb into your past,” Lillian announced. “The black cord represents the waning years, the white protection and purity, and the purple represents hidden mysteries coming to light. The black iridescent feathers will provide mystical insight, while the brown ones striped with black will bring balance between your physical and spiritual self. The blue feathers offer peace and protection as well as boosting your mental abilities and psychic awareness.”

  Trin took a deep breath.

  “We’ll place the eye of the peacock at the end, for it protects against the evil eye and stimulates clairvoyant visions,” Lillian stated with an encouraging nod.

  Trin stepped up to the altar, familiar with the process and began.

  Securing a silver hoop to the hook on the side of the altar stand, Trin tied on each end of cord then started her braid.

  “Yarn of black and purple and white, set this magic spell to flight.”

  Trin added the first feather into the ladder.

  “With this feather and this string, awareness and answers this charm will bring.”

  Feeling the magic build with each cross-section, Trin continued to braid, adding in the feathers as she did. Trin tied the charms onto the end and placed the peacock feather firmly in place.

  “In the names of the God and Goddess, I charge this charm of feathers nine and cord of three, as I will, so mote it be!”

  Trin passed the witches ladder through the incense and flame, consecrating it, then handed it to Lillian, confident in her plan.

  “I think it would be best if you lie down.” Lillian led Trin to an intricately carved, oriental daybed that sat against the far wall.

  “What should I do?” Trin asked, suddenly unsure of how to proceed.

  “Ask the Goddess for answers and let the visions come.” Lillian smiled as she coiled the ladder over Trin’s heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Trin’s mind was on fire, burning with centuries old images. Witches hung from a tree on Gallows Hill, while others rotted in prison. The assault on her head and heart was almost too much to bear.

  Trin felt Lillian’s hand stroking her arm and gave thanks for her insight to use the brown and black feather to help focus her physical being. She took a deep breath and grounded herself in the present, becoming only a witness to the scenes playing out in her mind.

  As she pulled back from the heartbreaking violence, she was able to see a thick fog coating the ground in the outlying areas of each image. Focusing her attention, she asked the Goddess, “My lady, with your keen insight, reveal the evil within.”

  The ground slithered like a snake, parting the fog to show a horde of witches who’d been gnawed to the bone.

  The image shifted, showing her and Kenna in their first life together after she’d cast her spell. A red cord of connection shone brightly, but a cloud of darkness had weaved its way into their bond. This repeated with each new life, the darkness thickening and their bond growing tighter with every reincarnation.

  Trin woke, panicked that whatever was blocking her now had been doing the same to Kit for all these years.

  Lillian looked drained and Trin quickly guided her to sit. “Were you able to witness any of my visions?”

  “Only a few, but whatever is happening now, it’s clear that it goes back to the casting of your original spell.”

  Trin sighed, feeling the weight of everything building within her. Not only was she responsible for scattering other witches throughout time, but apparently for bringing with them an evil that had woven its way into their lives.

  “What can I do?”

  “You have to find the source. It will be ancient and well-cloaked, but now that you have the thread, you can follow it to its core.” Lillian handed Trin the witches ladder. “Keep this with you at all times, it will help reveal the truth.”

  Trin wrapped the cord around her wrist, holding the end as if it were a set of rosary beads. “Thank you, Lillian.”

  “You’re welcome, but be patient, Trin, this may take some time. The magic you’re dealing with is as old as we are.” Lillian sighed.

  Trin smiled as Lillian moved back to the front of the store, needing to open for the day’s business. As Trin cleared the altar, she noticed the locked case off to her right. Peeking again at its contents, she realized the demon’s tooth was missing.

  “Lillian?” Trin called.

  Trin heard the bell on the front door and walked out to pose her question privately. Gazing from left to right, Trin found no one in sight, including Lillian.

  “Lillian, where are you?” Trin walked to the door, peering out the window. No one was there, but as Trin turned to move she caught sight of a thick black fog retreating from the sidewalk and into the sewer drain.

  Trin spun around and ran to the heart of the store. Search from side-to-side, Trin finally spotted Lillian on the floor behind the counter. Her life and magic had been completel
y drained.

  Trin summoned all her magic and placed her hands above Lillian’s heart. “Lord and lady, please grant me a boon. Heal the wound of this faithful witch, for she does not deserve to die like this.”

  Trin’s usual healing abilities sparked to life, but they weren’t enough to save her friend. Trin dialed 911, then sat, crying until the paramedics arrived. They too were unable to resuscitate Lillian, which Trin already knew would be the case. The police on scene asked her all kinds of questions, which was no surprise. Searching a shop of this kind always prompted suspicions and fear. Luckily, Lillian was a pillar member of the community and most of the officers had known her personally. Five hours later, the next of kin had been contacted and Trin was free to go.

  She returned to her room at the Inn and collapsed onto the bed. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she thought about Lillian. Trin rubbed the witches ladder between her thumb and finger and debated calling Caris. It was she, after all, who had introduced her to Lillian. But, recalling their fight, Trin decided against it. Caris had been right. Everything happening was her fault, and she refused to put anyone else in danger.

  Trin cast her usual protection spell before crawling in to bed, then flicked her finger towards the light, casting the room into a quiet darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  He cut the rope, freeing the boy’s hands and began preparing him for transport. His lifeless body would be found on the cold ground at the boundary of his woods. Oh, the pup would soon wake and make his way home, telling the tale of his capture, which is exactly what he wanted. He needed them scared, needed them to keep their distance or else he’d be forced to take more drastic measures.

  Jason woke cold and sore, at the edge of a forest that ran along an unfamiliar road. Digging in his pocket with shaky hands, he found all his belongings, including his cell phone and quickly dialed Caris.