Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches) (5 page)

There were two men seated at a table; one she didn’t recognize, and the other was William.

He looked up as she came in; she couldn’t read the expression on his face as he got up and walked toward her.

“What are you doing here, Sabine?” he rasped out as he grabbed her arm and quickly hurried her out of the tavern. “I thought I was clear last time we met. I cannot be what you want me to be. I will never love you, nor will I stand by and watch you destroy the people around you,” he spat through clenched teeth.

Jilly was stunned. She didn’t really know what to say. She obviously wasn’t this Sabine person, so whatever she said might not go over well. As she opened her mouth to speak, she felt as though someone had shoved her roughly backward.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her living room, more confused than ever.

She pushed herself off the couch and grabbed her phone on the way up to her room. She sat down on her bed and opened her phone. The words she clicked out read “Who is Sabine?” After she clicked send, she lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Jilly woke up to the smell of coffee and pancakes wafting up the stairs. She rolled over and glanced at the clock. 8:30 A.M.
Too early to be up
, she thought as she pushed herself out of bed. Snagging her robe from the hook next to the door, she walked out into the hall. By the time she was in the kitchen, she was a little more alert.

Caroline was sitting at the table with a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes in front of her, and a steaming cup of coffee in her hand as she read the paper. When she heard Jilly come in, she glanced up and smiled. “Thanks for last night, Jill. I really needed to just let it out. Did you want me to make you a plate?”

“No, I’ll get it, you enjoy your breakfast,” she said as she walked over to the stove. She grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and loaded it up. As she headed to the table she grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee and cream, and sat next to her sister. “So how did you sleep?” she asked between bites.

“Like the dead,” Caroline said with a laugh. “I think I was just so emotionally spent, it’s been a long few days for me.”

“I bet. I don’t know how I would deal with that if I were in your shoes. So what’s your plan for today? Do you want to go to the shop and get your hair done?”

“Yeah, I think I would actually, I think I’m ready for a change,” Caroline said as she ran her fingers through her long auburn hair. “Maybe I’ll go shorter. What do you think?”

Jilly sat back in her chair and studied her sister’s face for a minute before saying, “Yeah, I think shorter would be really cute; maybe shoulder length with a ton of layers? And put in some chunky blonde highlights too; that would look amazing with your blue eyes.”

“Ok, can you call and set it up for me for maybe 2:30? I have a few errands to run before I go over. Is there anything you need while I’m out? I can stop by the store and grab stuff for dinner before I come home if you want.”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about William coming over tonight. He’s supposed to be over around six,” Jilly said in a rush of words.

“Who’s William?” Caroline asked with an eyebrow raised in question and a knowing smile.

“It’s not what you think,” Jilly said quickly, obviously flustered. “Or maybe it is; I’m not sure yet. Do you mind if he joins us for dinner, or should I meet him somewhere?”

“No, don’t change your plans on my account. I don’t want to disrupt your life any more than I have to,” Caroline said as she cleaned off her plate and stuck it in the dishwasher. “Do you have any preferences for dinner? Or should I just pick up whatever?”

“Just get what you want; I’m sure whatever you make will be fine,” Jilly said absently.

“Ok, well I’m going to go out for a run. I should be back in an hour or so,” Caroline said as she tied her shoelaces and headed out the door.

Jilly was sitting at her desk in the den. She had just set up her sister’s appointment at the salon, and she was contemplating calling William. She hadn’t heard back from him after she texted him last night, and she was unsure if she should call or not. She must have dialed his number five times before actually getting the nerve to let the call go through.

He answered on the second ring. “Good morning, Jilly,” he said before she could say hello.

“Good morning to you too,” she blurted. “Did you get my text last night?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Yes, but I was not sure how I wanted to handle it. Sabine is a very complicated person. Why did you ask about her? I am sure I have never mentioned her to you, or anyone for that matter.” His tone was wary.

“I had a dream about her last night, or rather I was her in a dream and Sabine is the name you called me. We were in London, I’m not sure of the year, but I’m guessing late 1700s by the fashion of the clothing.”

“Yes, it was London; I was there in the 1790s for a decade or so before Sabine found me again. There are those of my kind who would use their power to hurt or enslave the human race. Sabine is one such person. We met in France in the early 1700s; we were at a ball held for the king’s cousin. She knew me for what I was the second she laid eyes on me. I was younger than her by about five hundred years, and I was enraptured by her. She was the first of my kind I had met and she captivated me by the sheer novelty of being with another like myself. I had many questions for her, but she had few answers to give me. She only knew that there were more of us scattered around the world.

“I stayed with her for two years, more out of need for companionship then actual feeling for her. After the first six months, I began to see her for what she was; a monster. She was truly an evil person, and she liked to inflict pain and suffering on others around her. Her servants lived in fear of her, and her house had an air of darkness surrounding it. I guess you become a bit jaded and lose your humanity after being alive for so long, and I vowed I would never become what she was no matter how long I lived. I stayed far longer than I should have; I was afraid of being alone. I thought I loved her, but that was a young man’s foolish fantasy. Sabine is not capable of love or kindness. She only knows cruelty and possession. That’s all I was to her; another thing she thought she owned.

“I had been alone for ten years before I met Sabine, and her company, however, dark was still a comfort to me. But my conscience got the better of me, so I fled France and traveled around Europe for nearly eighty years before I returned to England. That is where she found me, sitting in the back room of a small tavern I owned. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. We went outside in the street and argued until we started to draw a crowd. She was trying to convince me to join with her and a few others of our kind in an endeavor to gain power in France. I refused, of course, and she was livid. She told me that I would regret defying her one day. I’m not sure if they succeeded or not; we tend to not make ourselves known too often in history. If we were to take credit for our accomplishments, there would be too many questions about us raised. So we stay in the background of history.

“I’ve only seen her one other time since then. In 1978 she was boarding a plane as I was exiting one on the same tarmac. She looked the same of course, and when she saw me, she smiled that same horrible smile that sucks all the warmth out of your bones, and she was gone. I had not thought of her since then until you asked who she was. It makes me wonder, since I know it was not myself who sent you back, was it her?”

Jilly could hear William pacing, and it made her nervous. “Ok” she said, “well, I’m not sure where to go from here, do we look for Sabine? Or was it maybe Liza and Mary who sent me?”

“I don’t think it could have been Liza or Mary for that matter, since neither of them were there to have that memory. It had to be Sabine, which begs the question of how close she is to you, and what does she want?”

“We can talk more about this tonight when you come over. My sister is in town; she just came in last night and surprised me, so she’ll be joining us for dinner. We can talk afterward in my office if you like.”

“I shall see you at 6:00 then, Jilly. Be careful,” William said before he said good-bye.

Jilly hung up the phone and sat back in the chair. She still had a few hours to kill before Emily came over, so she decided to go for a quick run. Apparently a passion for running in the outdoors was a family trait. Just as she was leaving, Caroline was coming back from her run, her face flushed red, and her hair flying wildly around her face.

“It’s cold out there, so don’t stay out too long,” she said as Jilly passed her on the stairs.

After a quick five minutes of stretching, Jilly took off through the small wooded area between her house and the house about five miles from her. It felt great to be outdoors in the wind, with her ponytail streaming behind her like a red flag. She cleared her mind of everything and just ran.

She stopped and turned around when she had run two miles and made it back to the house without incident. She climbed the stairs in the back of the house that led to the porch and made her way into the kitchen. She found Caroline there, getting ready to leave.

“Oh good,” Caroline said. “I’m glad you got back before I left. I’m going to go run my errands, and then get my hair done, I’ll see you around 5:30. Thanks again for treating me to a makeover.” She waved good-bye on her way out and Jilly was once again alone with her thoughts.

*

After a quick shower, Jilly was back in the kitchen, getting everything set up for when Emily came over. She was humming to herself, enjoying the busy work of preparation when Emily called from the entryway. Rushing out to help her with her things, Jilly reflected how lucky she was to have Emily in her life. “Wow,” she said, “you look like you popped out quite a bit since yesterday. What are you feeding that kid?”

Laughing, Emily quipped, “I know, right? I’m huge all of a sudden. I guess what the books say is true; you really do get big overnight. Is everything all set up?”

“Yeah, I have most everything set up in the kitchen. Do you want anything to eat before we start?”

“Um, no, I think I can make it a few more hours,” Emily said with a smile as Jilly led her into the kitchen.

“So, I had a very interesting experience last night. After I talked to you, I had another time travel dream. Only this time I was someone named Sabine that William knows. Apparently she’s a baddy too, and she wants something from me. William sounded nervous when he told me about her this morning. I feel like I should be nervous, but I’m not yet. I guess I think that if she really wanted to hurt me, she would have done it last night. She’s obviously powerful, although William never told me what she can do, or what he can do for that matter. He’s coming over for dinner with Caroline and me tonight at six.”

Emily raised her eyebrows in question, and Jilly held up her hands and said, “I know, it’s weird, right? Caroline is being overly nice. I’m not sure how to act around her. I sent her to the salon to get her hair done while we do the spell. Shelly is going to do it for her; Caroline said she wanted a change, so who knows what she’ll come home with.” Both girls laughed as they finished laying things out on the counter.

At ten minutes to four, Rosemarie rang the doorbell. Both girls looked over at the clock and Jilly said, “Well, I guess it’s good we finished our prep early,” as she went out to let her in.

Rosemarie was short and plump, and she had always reminded Jilly a bit of a garden gnome. Her cheeks were always rosy, and she had long white hair that she usually wore in a bun. Today was no different. “I hope I’m not too early, but I finished my errands early, and I didn’t want to drive all the way back home,” she said.

“You’re fine, don’t worry, Emily and I are usually done with our prep early, so you’re right on time,” Jilly said warmly as she led her into the kitchen.

Emily was seated at the table with the grimoire open in front of her. “Ok,” she said, “Rose, would you mind having a seat next to me at the table while Jill finishes the circle of protection?”

“Of course, dear,” Rosemarie said as she sat down next to her.

Jilly finished the circle, and grabbed the pan of water and the three bottles off the counter and brought them to the table. She lit the red candle on the table, and set the pan in front of Rosemarie. “Ok, Rose, when Emily and I start chanting, I want you to picture your mother in your mind with your eyes closed. Once you’ve got a firm picture, open your eyes and dump in one of the bottles.”

“Ok, I can do that. When are we going to start?”

“We can start right away if you like,” Jilly said as she took her seat next to Emily.

Jilly joined hands with Emily, and Rosemarie closed her eyes. Both girls began to chant, and a few seconds later they heard the plop of the bottle being emptied into the pan of water. The room smelled strongly of sage and pennyroyal, and the warmth of the magic flowing through her to Emily made her feel electric.

Thirty minutes later, the spell was complete and Emily was blowing out the candle. Rosemarie was softly weeping in her chair, and Jilly went over to her and gave the older woman a hug.

“Jilly, there are not words enough to thank you girls for what you’ve done for me. At the time of her death, my mother and I were not speaking; the last words we said to each other were in anger. I have lived with that guilt for twenty years, but not anymore. Now I know she is at peace, and I can be too,” she said as she got up and hugged both girls firmly. She handed Jilly a small envelope with a wink and said “For supplies” before saying goodbye.

Once she was gone, Jilly opened the envelope and was shocked to find a check for $2500 in it. “Wow, that was very generous of her,” she said. “We never discussed money at all; I was just happy to help her.”

“I know, so was I,” Emily said, “but the money helps a lot, especially now.” She rubbed her growing stomach as she spoke.

Jilly walked over to the table and began to clear away the pan and the candle. There wasn’t much more to do, so she told Emily that she could go on home and she would finish up. Before she left, Emily gave her a hug and told her to have fun.