A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) (25 page)

Beside me, Elron nodded, turned to look at me, and took a quick step back, eyes wide with shock. He looked between Varro and me, but didn't speak.
 

"Has so much been lost? How could you not know?" Varro groused.

"Enough. She is not yet thirty years, and witches cannot see this as easily as you and I. He clearly didn't want us to know, or I would have seen it on her before he had time to bless me."

I interrupted before the debate could get out of hand. "The witch would like to know what the two of you are talking about."

It would be a nice change if people explained things rather than having cryptic conversations. My parents were masters at exchanging mysterious looks. Elron wasn't far behind with his ability to have a conversation while managing to leave out the details that would allow me to follow the conversation.

Varro was the first to speak. "The two of you have been blessed by Leshy Apalchen. It is a sign that the earth will support you and aid you. Many Hunters receive this blessing, which can be unpredictable but has saved the lives of my friends in the past."

"What does the blessing do?" With that information, I could piece together what had happened. When the leshy kissed us, he'd performed a spell. I hadn't noticed it because nature magic wasn't in my repertoire.

"I've never heard one of them explain exactly what it entails, and it isn't something to be relied upon. However, the earth, forest, and creatures will be more likely to help you."

"Oh," I said. That wasn't the crystal-clear definition I'd wanted, but it was close enough. The forest had been helpful lately, and this sounded like a formalization of that aid.
 

Varro nodded. "Can we eat? We need to start preparing for the demon, and I'd feel better if we began with full stomachs."

"I will get food." Elron set the wand box on the table and left.
 

"Can I get you more tea or water?" I asked.
 

"Tea, please. I did not feel comfortable making my own." His voice was soft.
 

I smiled at him. "I'll be happy to brew more. Come over and pick a flavor."
 

It had to be hard, being away from the familiar. He was an accomplished fighter and yet was unable to do simple tasks he had done countless times in the past. I kept my movements slow and deliberate so he could follow what I did. Maybe next time he would feel confident enough to use the stove on his own.
 

The tea finished brewing at the same time Elron returned with a tray of food and a box that resembled the wand case, except that it was about six feet longer. He leaned the box against the wall, moved Varro's book, and set the table. Lunch was a quick affair, lacking conversation. It could've been due to hunger, but I suspected each of us had plenty of thoughts monopolizing our attention.
 

Varro had aged since the last time I'd seen him, the lines beside his eyes deeper and longer, his skin slacker, and his eyes tired. Elron and I needed to extract every bit of information we could from him before he died. I hoped he made it through killing the demon, because I couldn't be sure how Elron would react to seeing his wife, never mind participating in her death.
 

After a quick cleanup, Elron pulled me into the living room while Varro was in the bathroom.
 

"I need to show you one more thing the bracelet can do." He set the long slender box on the sofa.

"Isn't the trick with the wand enough?" I asked. "Oh, will I be able to do what you did with the spirit of the greater ghoul?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you sliced through the spirit, the portion you cut off dissolved. Will my wand be able to do that now?"

"I do not believe so. The wand was provided by the forest with minimal shaping from the craftsman. My sword is the work of a master smith known for imbuing his blades with unique abilities."

"Oh, okay, so what else can the bracelet do?"

Elron shook his head. "It solves a problem you had with the staff. Hold your hands in the basic grip, loosen your hands, and want the staff."

I did what he said, and the staff appeared in my hands. "Nice, now how do I get rid of it?"
 

"Squeeze the staff and will it to return to the box."

The staff vanished, and just as quickly I called it back to my hands. "This is easier than the wand."

"The wand will feel effortless after a bit of practice. Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it. Thank you, Elron." I hugged him.
 

It took a second, but his arms came around me, and his head rested against mine. Then he released me and quickly stepped back. The smile didn't change the sadness in his eyes. "I am glad. Where would you like to store the boxes?"

I smiled back, ignoring his sadness and my own. "Why don't we put them in my bedroom closet? I can find a better place for them later, but that should keep them out of the way."

I picked up the wand box as he grabbed the staff box and followed me. It didn't take much time to stash them. Elron left me rearranging shoes, and I tried to push away my fears. No matter what I'd dreamed, or what Elron's subconscious had said, there was no guarantee we would resume our relationship. He didn't seem to be remembering, and I doubted he would be able to process those feelings after facing Sylvia. What an unfair world it was, with so much pain and not nearly enough joy.

Varro came out of the bathroom as I tucked the last pair of shoes into their spot, and we walked into the main room together. He didn't waste any time, calling both of us over to the table.
 

"We don't have much time if we want to be ready when the next attack comes. I'll go over the plan, detail how we are going to kill the demon, teach you how to prepare the demon's bane, and teach Michelle the spells she'll need. We'll also need Julius."

I'd practiced calling and dismissing my wand until my hand cramped. Elron and Varro had taken over my kitchen and turned the demon's bane into a liquid, paste, and powder. I'd gone over the spells more times than I cared to count, and Elron had been quizzing Varro on plants, Gremory, Leshy Apalchen, killing demons, and anything else that came to his mind.

"Guys, I have to take a break." The two of them looked at me, surprise written all over their faces. I kept rubbing my hand, trying to get my fingers to straighten.
 

"You don't use your hand to listen to me," Varro said.
 

"No, but my headache is making it hard to focus. I need an hour to get out of this place and clear my head." Exhaling, I got my middle finger to flatten. Only the index finger was continuing to curl.

"I suppose we could all use an hour to rest," Elron spoke slowly, keeping his eyes on Varro.

Varro had a perturbed look. "My voice has been bothering me, so I suppose a break would be beneficial. I can't think of a good reason for you to leave, and I can think of several reasons for you to stay inside the lodge."

"I agree; being here is better than leaving. That's why I'm going to go for a walk rather than a drive." A drive to the coffee shop sounded relaxing, but it wasn't the responsible thing to do. I needed to be here, learning everything I could from Varro while he was around. I would continue my education as soon as my brain stopped hurting.

The men nodded.
 

"You should take Ty with you, and if you are not back in an hour, I will start searching for you," Elron said.

"Deal." I smiled at him as I pulled a coat out of the closet and bolted out the door.

The tension in my head eased the moment I stepped outside. The fall air was crisp, the fallen leaves had turned the ground golden, and the mountains cast long shadows. I spent a few minutes at my altar, finding a taste of tranquility, something that had been in short supply lately. The nearby oak tree swayed in the breeze, and the white pine dropped several pinecones. Under me, the earth was a steady and soothing presence.
 

I bid the clearing good-bye and hoped I didn't get any forest-dwelling visitors. The one was all I could take today. Life in general had been more exciting than I liked, and if I made it through killing the demon, I was looking forward to quieter times. It would be nice to get back to flaming vases and disenchanting the items from Union County.
 

Ty started grunting and wagging his tail as soon as he caught sight of me from his favorite spot at the corner of the lodge. I went over to pet and hug him, glad to see the big guy.

"What do you think about giving me a ride?" I whispered.
 

He nodded enthusiastically.
 

I climbed up a tree and dropped onto his back. Ty was rounder than the chubbiest pony, and I couldn't get a good grip. From this angle, the ground looked more than twelve feet away, and I vowed to get a helmet before I tried this again.
 

"All right, Ty. Let's go down the driveway… gently." If he kept to a walk, I should be able to hold on, but if he moved up to a trot I was done.
 

Ty moved out at a slow walk, carefully picking his way around Landa's garden, missing flowerbeds, hedges, and sculptures. We made it out of the garden, and I started to relax into his gait, which at this speed was an exaggerated sway that reminded me of the way people looked riding camels.
 

Each thump of his foot shook the trees, sending red and gold leaves raining down upon us. Throwing my head back, I soaked in the evening sun trailing across my skin. The breeze picked up, and I opened my eyes to see funnels of leaves dance across the ground.

At the end of the driveway, Ty looked both ways before swinging into the road to make a gentle circle before taking me home. Thankfully, there wasn't a car in sight. One of these days I would have to figure out what to do if someone happened to see Ty. It wouldn't do to alarm the locals.
 

Besides, I'd never get over it if they went from saying, "There's gold in them thar hills," to "There's a T-Rex in them thar hills." Not to mention all the ruckus that would come from people trying to hunt Ty. By the time the memory faded and only a handful of people remembered there was a dinosaur hiding in the North Georgia woods, it would've caused me more than one headache.

The air was forced out of my chest by the heavy object that hit me in the ribs. My fingers clawed at Ty's back, but without anything to grip, I slid off. The fall seemed to go on and on. Ty's shoulders, ribs, and stomach slipped past me, and I tried to think.
 

I should've worn a helmet. Mom had told me over and over that helmets saved lives, and I'd never gotten on a bike without one. Riding a dinosaur had to be more dangerous than a bike. I should've gone on foot with Ty walking next to me. His knee flashed in front of my eyes. This was going to hurt. If only the ground wasn't so hard.

The last thought sparked an idea. I scrunched my eyes shut, focused on the ground under me, and whispered, "
Orzu
."

My back hit the ground, which bowed down and absorbed the impact. My head wasn't even jostled by the cushioned landing. I lay there, wrinkling my nose at the less-than-pleasant scent permeating the air, and looked up to a snorting Ty.

"I'm all right."

His snort turned into a snarl. Mouth open, he lunged at me, snapping his jaw shut inches from my right arm. Before I could protest his attitude change, he lunged forward, a big foot looming overhead.
 

"
Fehu
." The ground under me solidified, and I rolled to the side, his foot just missing me. The second foot was on the move, and I scrambled out of the way, scraping hands and knees in the process. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a dark shape lunging for me. I shuffled to the side, lost my balance navigating over roots, and landed on my butt.
 

Ty was backing up to extract himself from the trees that had delayed his pursuit of the human-shaped thing attacking me. It ran into a sunbeam, giving the ghoul more detail than I'd wanted to see. There wasn't a good way for me to figure out if it was a greater ghoul, but assuming it was, I didn't have enough time to put together a good spell, and I couldn't outrun it. I crab walked backward, trying to buy myself enough time to make a plan.

The ghoul launched itself at me, and I plopped down, held my hands out in front of me, and hoped Elron's trick worked. The staff settled into my hands, and by some bit of luck I got it positioned correctly, holding it across the ghoul's chest. For being mostly bone, it was heavy.
 

My arms started shaking, and its fingers scraped my arms and chest as it tried to grab me. The odor of rotting flesh filled my nose until it was all I could do to keep my last meal inside my body. The trembling in my arms had gotten bad enough that the ghoul was swaying inches closer to me.

Letting my right arm dip gave me enough room to get a foot on the ghoul's pelvis. As its fingers scraped my neck, I held my breath and heaved it off me. It didn't go far, but it was enough room for me to get to my feet and get a better grip on the staff.

The ghoul charged at me again, and I whacked it across the rib cage. The impact ruptured tendons, leaving strips of muscle dangling off its bones. The thing stumbled back, steadied itself, and slowly approached me.
 

When it was within reach, I aimed the staff at its legs. The ghoul jumped over the staff and, before I could get it back in a defensive position, knocked me down. I tried to get the staff up, but my hand slipped, and the staff wasn't in a useful position when the ghoul reached down. A dark shape loomed over the two of us, and the ghoul was picked up and hurled into the woods.
 

Ty kept his eyes on the ghoul, which had crashed through a few limbs, while I sucked in clean air. I vanished the staff, called in my wand, and tried to think of the best thing to do now. Ty's growls had probably alerted the lodge, but they didn't know what was out here, and Varro had said we needed to capture the next creature. It would've been nice if Gremory had sent an annoying but mostly harmless creature like a gremlin or spider, but that wasn't his style.