Dime Store Magic (38 page)
"Know, not think."
"Okay, then, why do you
know
they won't work?"
"Because they're witch magic."
"And what's wrong with witch magic? There's nothing—"
"See, I told Lucas you'd do this."
I settled back onto the floor. "I'm sorry, Savannah. Please continue."
She grinned. "Wow. I like that."
"Don't get too used to it. Now talk."
"None of the strong witch spells work because the middle spells are missing. That's why my mom and other witches—non-Coven witches—use sorcerer magic for all their strong spells."
"They use sorcerer magic?"
"You didn't know that?"
"Ummm, well, I—" I forced the words out. "No, I didn't know that."
"Oh sure, all the really powerful spells are sorcerer magic. We can all do the simple witch stuff, like the Coven spells, plus a bunch of others, but for the strong spells, we need to use sorcerer magic. That's the problem, see? My mom used to get all worked up about it. She blamed the Coven for losing the middle spells. At least, they said they lost them, but she always figured they threw them away. It was wrong, she said, because it denied witches—"
Savannah stopped as Cortez appeared in the doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said. His lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile. "We appear to have a situation out back. I don't mean to intrude on your practice, but I thought perhaps you could use a break."
"Just a sec," I said. "Savannah was telling me something important."
"It can wait," she said, jumping to her feet. "What's outside?"
"I don't believe I could do it justice with a verbal description," he said.
And smiled.
With that, Savannah was off and up the stairs.
They Aren't Naked. They're Skyclad
WHEN I GOT UPSTAIRS, I SHOOED A NEAR-HYSTERICAL
Savannah away from the kitchen window, lifted the blind, and looked out to see five women kneeling in a circle on my lawn. Five naked women. I mean butt-naked, not just topless or scantily dressed, but absolutely without clothing.
I jumped back so fast I collided with Cortez.
"What the hell is that?" I said.
"I believe the commonly accepted term is "Wiccan."
"Wiccans?"
"Or, I should say, that is how they introduced themselves when I ventured out to request that they dress themselves and vacate the premises. They indicated that they are members of a small sect of Wicca from a coven somewhere in Vermont. No relation to your Coven, I presume?"
"Ha-ha."
"They seem quite harmless. They're performing a cleansing ceremony for your benefit."
"How… nice."
"I thought so." He grinned then, an action I'd never have thought his face capable of performing. "One other thing it behooves me to mention.
On their behalf. A request. One that I really would advise you to honor."
"What is it?"
"They've asked you to join them."
I whirled around and, had I not been a firm believer in nonviolence, I swear I would have slugged him. Instead, I collapsed against the counter, laughing. Laughing far harder than the situation warranted. After one week of hell, I must admit, naked Wiccans on my back lawn was a welcome diversion.
"I take it that's a no?" Cortez said, still grinning.
"'Fraid so."
"I'll convey my regrets, then. And I'll ask them to leave."
"No," I said. "I'll do it."
"Are you sure?"
"Hey, these are the first supporters I've seen. The least I can do is tell them to get lost myself."
"Can I come?" Savannah asked.
"No," Cortez and I said in unison.
I peered out the back door before exiting.
Except for the Wiccans, my yard was empty. When I stepped outside, the Wiccans stopped, turning as one body and bestowing beatific smiles on me. I approached slowly. Cortez followed at my heels.
"Sister Winterbourne," the first one said.
She threw open her arms, embraced me, planted a kiss on my lips, then another on my left breast. I yelped. Cortez made a choking noise that sounded suspiciously like a stifled whoop of laughter.
"My poor, poor child," she said, clasping both my hands to her chest.
"They've frightened you so. Not to worry. We're here to offer the support of the Goddess."
"Praise be to the Goddess," the others intoned.
The first one grasped my hands. "We've begun the cleansing ceremony.
Please, unburden yourself of your earthly vestments and join us."
Cortez choked again, then leaned down to my ear and murmured, "I should check on Savannah. If you decide to comply with their request, let me know. Please."
He retreated to the house, racked by a sudden fit of coughing. I grabbed the nearest discarded robe.
"Could you please put this—could you all put these—could you get dressed, please?"
The woman only bestowed a serene smile on me. "We are as the Goddess requires."
"The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?"
"We aren't naked, child. We're skyclad. Clothing impedes mental vibrations."
"Uh, right. Look, I know this is all very natural, the human form and all that, but you just can't do this. Not here. It's illegal."
Another beatific smile. "We care not for the laws of men. If they come for us, we will not go without a fight."
"Oh, God."
"Goddess, dear. And take not her name in vain."
"Blessed be the Goddess," the other intoned.
"That's—uh—very—I mean—" I stammered. Be polite, I reminded myself. Witches should respect Wiccans, even if we didn't quite get the whole Goddess-worship thing. I knew some Wiccans and they were very nice people, though I must admit they'd never arrived in my backyard naked and kissed my tits before.
"You're—uh—from Vermont, I hear," I managed. That was polite, wasn't it?
"We're from everywhere," the first one said, still refusing to relinquish my hands. "We're roving missionaries, free spirits not enslaved by any traditional system of belief. The Goddess speaks to us directly and sends us where she will."
"Praise be to the Goddess," her companions chanted.
"Oh, well, that's very nice," I said. "While I do appreciate your support—" Oh, God, please get out of my yard before someone sees you!
"—this really isn't a good time to talk."
"We could come back," the leader said.
"Gosh, could you? That'd be so great. How about next Monday? Say, eight o'clock?"
I grabbed the robes and passed them out, nearly tripping in my haste.
Soon the Wiccans were dressed and heading for the side gate.
"Um, actually, you know, you should go out the back," I said.
"Through the woods. It's a great walk. There's lot of, uh… nature."
The leader nodded and smiled. "Sounds lovely. We'll do that. Oh, wait." She reached into the folds of her robe and passed me a card. "My cell phone number and E-mail address, should you care to contact me before Monday."
"Uh, right. Thanks."
I unlatched the gate leading into the woods and held it as they filed through. As the last one was leaving, a figure brushed past them and caught the gate before it closed. Leah stepped through, twisting to watch the Wiccans go.
"Nice friends," she said. "Witches, I presume?"
"Piss off."
"Oww, getting testy, I see. Rough week?"
"What do you want?"
"I came to"—she snatched a twig from the ground and brandished it—
"challenge you to a duel. No, wait. That's not it. I came to talk, though a duel would be kind of fun, don't you think?"
"Get off my property."
"Or you'll—" She glanced over my shoulder and stopped. "Oh, look who's still here. The baby Cortez."
Cortez stepped up beside me. "This is inappropriate, Leah."
She laughed. "Oh, I like that. Inappropriate. Not surprising, rude, foolhardy. No, it's inappropriate. He has such a way with words, don't you think?"
"You understand me perfectly well," Cortez said.
"Yes, I do, but perhaps we should explain, for the benefit of our non-Cabal friend. What Lucas means is that my presence here, unaccompanied by Gabriel Sandford, the sorcerer and, therefore, the project leader, is a direct violation of Cabal rules of engagement." She grinned. "There, I almost sound like him, don't I? Between you and me, Paige, these guys have way too many rules. So, Lucas, does your daddy know you're here?"
"If he doesn't, I'm quite certain he'll learn of it. Though, as you're well aware, that will hardly impact the situation."
Leah turned to me. "In English, that means Daddy Cortez doesn't give a damn… so long as his darling baby boy doesn't get hurt. If you think I'm nuts, you should meet his family." She twirled a finger beside her head.
"Certifiable. This one runs around acting like he's the last of the Knights Templar. And what does Daddy do about it? Brags about him. The kid ruins profitable business ventures, even for his own family, and Daddy couldn't be prouder. Then there's his stepmother… Can you call someone your stepmother when she was married to your father both before and
after you were conceived?" Leah leaned toward me and said in a stage whisper, "Born on the wrong side of the sheets, this one."
"I believe the technical term is bastard," Cortez said. "Now, if you're quite done—"
"What's the bounty up to now, Lucas?"
"I'm asking you to leave."
"Humor me. What is it? One million? Two? I could really use that kind of cash."
"I'm sure you could. Now—"
"Does Paige know about the bounty? I bet she doesn't. I bet you neglected to mention that tidbit, like you probably neglected to mention the reason for it. Here's a tip, Paige. If you ever want to make a fortune, have a talk with Delores Cortez. Or one of Lucas's brothers. They're all willing to pay very well to get rid of him. Can you guess why?"
"Because my father has named me as his heir," Cortez said. "A political ploy, as you well know, Leah, so please stop trying to make trouble. I'm sure Paige could care less about my personal situation."
"You don't think shed have a problem being indebted to a future Cabal leader?"
"I'm sure she's aware that such a coronation will never take place. Even if my father insists on pursuing his course, I have no interest in the position."