A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) (18 page)

"You misunderstand. We don't need to woo you; we're your clan. We were sent to bring an unruly clan member back home." She smirked.

"As you can see"—I waved my hands in the direction of my legs—"I'm not going anywhere."

"
Dagaz
." She pointed the wand at my feet, and flames danced through the grass and started eating at the vines encasing my feet. "That won't be an issue for long."

Gravel crunched and a puff of dust blew over the tops of the trees. A car was coming down the driveway, and dollars to donuts it was carrying my parents. Narzel blast it, as if this situation wasn't bad enough, my parents needed to be in the crosshairs too.

The vines around my feet responded by sprouting thick, moist foliage and doubling their size. As lovely as it was that they were willing to see to their own defense, I had a better solution. "
Gebo
," I said, and water doused the flames.
 

The two witches I'd knocked out twitched and moaned. In a moment I'd be back to facing all three of them, and I was nearly out of power. My hand curled, as if holding a wand, but there was nothing for it to grab. My substitute wand was in the car. In the future, I'd always carry a wand to greet unfamiliar witches, just in case it went badly and I needed the extra boost to my spells.
 

"Oh, it looks like we'll be having company. If you come with me now, we can spare them this little scene."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I gathered the last of my power. "
Sowil
."

The containment spell sprang to life around her. If I could hold her, maybe Dad could help me with the other two. Then we could go about our day, with the minor inconvenience of disposing of three witches. That shouldn't cause too much stress. I'm sure Mom would accept three witches trying to haul me off to meet my grandmother as an average day. And later tonight we would see the elusive flying pig.
 

She shattered my spell and sparks of light drifted through the air around her. "That was cute."
 

I could feel her building a spell, but this time I was out of tricks. The friends who'd rushed to my aid in the past were in desperate need of help themselves, my parents were on the way, and I had nothing.
 

The vines curled over my hips, and a tendril twisted around my right wrist, quickly expanding over the back of my hand. Energy surged out of the ground and into me. It flooded my feet and radiated out of the vines. The runner detached from the main plant and snaked up my arm. In an instant, a warm hum filled my body.
 

A twister sprang to life beside me. It might have been small, only twelve feet tall, and narrow, but it was strong enough to send my hair dancing in the wind and pull leaves off the vines cradling me.
 

Her second spell sped toward me. Raising my right hand, I formed a concave shield, reflecting the spell back at her. The runner on my arm glowed when the spells collided. The spell hit her full force, knocking her down and, if the limp way she fell was any indication, out.
 

I pointed at the twister. "That's enough out of you." It dissolved into a gentle breeze, dropping a pile of dust and leaves.
 

"Now, for the three of you," I said. The spell was vividly alive in my mind, and I released it upon the three of them. "Go home, tell the clan that I am to be left alone, don't come back, and remember nothing after this moment. Regain enough awareness to travel safely; harm none on your journey back to the clan."
 

The three partly conscious witches swayed as they got to their feet. They moved in uncoordinated, jerky motion as they hobbled back to their car. Even the spell couldn't make injured bodies move smoothly. They got in the car and started down the driveway without giving any of us a second look. If you were going to force someone to do your will, this was the way to do it. Too bad I felt dirty. Mucking about with their free will was wrong, and under other circumstances I would have found a different solution, but I needed them gone in a hurry. It was the best I could do under the conditions.
 

My guilt was largely erased when I looked at Ty and the others. Those witches were not good people. With a thought, the bonds holding Ty vanished. I turned my attention to the rest of my friends, but the power started to drain back into the earth. As it trickled away, the strain my body had endured became apparent. One of these days, I would learn not to overreach myself.

"Thank you, and help Elron. Please help Elron and Liam," I whispered as the vines pulled away and the last of the power slipped from me.

The moment the unnatural bonds on me faded, I leapt forward. If history was any indication, Michelle wouldn't be standing much longer. She smiled at me, reaching out with a hand decorated in a twist of ivy. Her eyes rolled back, and I caught her as she went limp.

Scooping her up, I cradled her against my chest. There were dirt smudges on her cheek, and thick strands of hair had escaped her braid, but she was still beautiful to me. The pallor of her skin and shadows under her eyes told the story of the how trying the past few weeks had been.

Her strength was stunning. Not her magic, though it was impressive, but her ability to fix problems and be the rock when things were falling to pieces. Michelle was there, steady and ready to conquer the challenge, no matter how large or small. She was my foundation, the one solid thing I could trust.
 

I rested my forehead against hers, not at all surprised by her chilled skin. "You did well. You kept us safe."
 

A piece of my heart shifted, finding where it belonged.
 

A car slid to a stop, distracting me from the feelings I was beginning to understand. A man and woman leapt out and sprinted for us.

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" the man shouted.
 

Ty made it to his feet, shook himself, and walked over, whining and huffing.
 

"Michelle?" the woman asked, brows drawn together and tears forming in her eyes.
 

"Michelle is as well as she can be for the moment, though she would benefit from us moving this discussion inside." Under normal circumstances, I would not have discussed her health, but this woman clearly cared for her, and Ty had not offered any violence.

Overhead, Ty huffed and whistled. If he didn't settle down soon, I would need to have a word with him.
 

The woman laid a hand on Michelle's head for a moment, then looked at the man. "She's out cold but otherwise unharmed, even if she is drained of energy."
 

That was enough to reaffirm that I needed to get Michelle inside, and to do that, the bubble of people needed to be dealt with since they were blocking the door. "Sir, ma'am, would you be kind enough to release these people from their constraints? It would benefit them, especially Liam."

The man looked away from Michelle, seeing the rest of the scene for the first time. His frown deepened, and he hurried over to Liam. Kneeling down, he studied the shifter, trailing a finger over the fracturing ice.
 

"Nancy, come look at this fellow," the man said.
 

Nancy hurried over and dropped to the ground next to the injured werewolf. She didn't say anything, but her rigid posture wasn't encouraging.
 

I adjusted my grip on Michelle and gently addressed the man again. "If you can release the rest of the residents from the shield bubble, we can get more help and I can take Michelle inside. I am sure Varro would appreciate being released as well."

"Oh, yes, of course." He turned to the group inside the shield, pulled a wand out of a belt holster, and pointed it at the bubble. Four runes later, the bubble popped open, leaving a group of people standing on the porch and sporting expressions that ranged from grateful to grumpy. He turned to Varro, and after six runes the fey was free too.

I stepped around the frozen werewolf and strode up the steps. Julius and Baden moved back, giving me room. Landa was still standing in my way, eyes pointed in my direction but clearly not seeing me.
 

She blinked, and her attention focused on me. "Go down the hall past the parlor. A new room has opened up and it's ready for her."

I gave her a curt nod and made my way into the lodge. Either Landa had asked for a room to meet our needs or the lodge had reacted to the situation. Brownie's homes were lively, able to sense and respond to change, though their concept of help could be skewed. If you had several bookshelves, a library room might open up, but in gaining the library you could have a smaller bathroom and living room.
 

The new room was where Landa said it would be, and the door was open, inviting us inside. The room was windowless, which was a benefit considering the track record Michelle was developing with windows, and had two beds with nightstands on opposite sides of the door and three chairs at the foot of the beds.
 

I set her on a bed, removed her shoes, and covered her with a blanket. Once she was settled, I examined the hand covered in ivy. The plant had snaked around her fingers and hand, stopping in a thick twist around her wrist.
 

Curious, I inquired as to why the ivy was clinging to her.
 

Stay and help
, it told me.
 

When I asked why it needed to do those things, the little plant informed me that it needed to keep her connected. It was also concerned as to what would happen when it left. The remaining energy the earth was lending her would be removed, which could have less than desirable health consequences.
 

I thanked the ivy and let it stay on her arm. There was a limit to the energy witches could push through their bodies, and Michelle had looked tired even before the witches started making trouble. If the earth felt that Michelle needed additional energy to aid her recovery, I would not argue. Although the earth wanting a lingering connection with her was an interesting development.
 

As footsteps sounded in the hallway, I tucked her hand under the covers. Seconds later, Baden carried a pale, shivering Liam into the room. I moved out of the way, and Baden laid him on the second bed. Nancy and the man followed them in, and Baden stepped out to give us room.

Liam's eyes fluttered shut, and he continued taking shallow breaths. Picking up a blanket from the foot of the bed, I draped it over him. His lips moved in a silent "Thank you."

"You are welcome."
 

Liam's protective streak was admirable, even if I wished he would be less affectionate toward Michelle.
 

"How is she?" Nancy asked.

I hesitated. Clearly these two cared for her, but I not know who they were, and given Michelle's trouble with clans, I had more reasons to doubt their good intentions than to believe them kindhearted.
 

Landa came into the room, glanced at Liam and Michelle, and turned her attention to the rest of us. "Nancy, Greg, I'd like to you meet Elron. Elron, these are Michelle's parents."

"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you." I held out my hand.
 

Her father gave me a strong handshake. Her mother's handshake was more of an adherence to social pleasantries.

"It's good to meet you too, or it would be under different circumstances. How is my daughter?" Greg asked.
 

"The same as before," I answered.

"Now that I've taken care of the immediate issues with our other patient, let me take a closer look at Michelle," Nancy said.

I moved back, giving her enough room to work, but not so much that I was out of reach. If she needed me, I would be there, able to help rather than stuck in a witch's spell.

Landa spoke up. "Liam, try to rest. I've called the pack, and a couple of them are headed over. Elron, I'm tending to your guest for the time being, but he seems uncomfortable."

"It would be best if I spoke with him." Whilst I felt that my place was at Michelle's side, Varro was my responsibility. As I followed Landa out of the room, I eyed the resting werewolf. His eyes were closed, but that didn't mean he was sleeping, and his affection for Michelle had been apparent, if innocent, thus far. Given his recent encounter with ice, it was doubtful that he was even energetic enough to make trouble.
 

In the parlor, Mander, Baden, and Julius were sitting on the sofa drinking tea whilst Varro stood stiffly by the window. His knapsack was on the ground by his feet, which was too close to his hands for my comfort. It would be frustrating if he took off before Michelle had a chance to speak with him. It would also be difficult to make use of the demon's bane without him. Not only was it in his possession, but he had expressed a knowledge of its preparation and use.
 

"Varro," I said as I approached, not wanting to startle him. "My deepest apologies for neglecting you."

He shrugged. "'Twas necessary. The world is different than before. 'Twill take time for me to be at ease."

"Would you prefer to be alone?"

"Nay." He turned to me, his jaw clenched, shoulders perfectly square. "This place is strange to me, full of things I do not understand."

"Ah." I had been in a similar position a few years ago. Oh, it had not been as extreme for me. Even in my deepest despair, I had been lured into the human cities every few years. "Pardon me for a moment."

Varro nodded.
 

Approaching Mander, I asked, "May I speak to you?"

He nodded and walked with me to the door of the parlor. Varro had returned his attention to the window. Outside, I could see Ty scratching himself against an old white pine tree. The tree was swaying and peppering the ground with pinecones.
 

"Varro is not accustomed to being in the modern world. Would you be willing to show him around, answer his questions, and help him with the adjustment? I would like to be with Michelle until she recovers, and I cannot do both." I also had a feeling that Varro would be more comfortable learning from a man who was not his student.