4 Witching On A Star (25 page)

“Yes, ma’am,” I pursed my lips to keep from laughing out loud. “Your wish is my command.”

Thistle snorted into her green beans appreciatively.

“Stop it,” she ordered.

“Stop what?” I asked innocently.

“Whatever it is you’re doing,” Aunt Tillie said.

“Okay.”

“I mean it.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Okay.”

“Stop it!”

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Clove said defiantly.

We were back at the guesthouse and getting dressed for our evening excursion. Like with all of the rest of our late-night adventures, we decided to dress completely in black – including a hat to cover my blonde hair.

“You always think it’s a bad idea and yet you always go,” Thistle said. “Why is that?”

“I blame you,” Clove said pointedly.

“You always do,” Thistle replied cheekily.

“Can we get back to the point where this is a bad idea?”

“No,” Thistle shook her head. “We’re not looking at it as if it’s a bad idea. We’re looking at it as if we’re trying to save kids. Remember that.”

Clove sighed. Even she couldn’t argue with Thistle’s rationalization. “Fine,” she said. “When this goes wrong, though – and it always goes wrong when we do crap like this – I’m going to bring it up for years to come.”

“You always do.”

“That is, if we don’t die,” Clove continued.

“We’re not going to die,” I scoffed. I was seventy-five percent sure I was telling the truth.

“We’re not going to die,” Thistle agreed. “And we actually could save lives.”

“Fine,” Clove said. “I said I was going and I’m going. Let’s get this over with.”

Thistle smiled like she always did when she managed to bully Clove. I think that’s what keeps her skin looking so young. Meanness cleans your pores, I guess.

We took Thistle’s car out to the Dandridge – mostly because it was dark and it wouldn’t stand out in the inky black of night as easily. “Should we park on the access road or in the parking lot and hike in?” Thistle asked.

“Access road,” Clove piped up immediately. Hiking through the dark wasn’t exactly high on her list of things she wanted to do. I wasn’t as sure, though.

Thistle glanced at me. “What do you think?”

“Parking lot,” I said finally. “The car will stand out more if we abandon it on the side of the road at night.”

“Plus, if someone’s out there, they’ve probably parked there, too,” Thistle said knowingly. “This way, we can sneak up on the property easier. I agree. Parking lot it is.”

“Why does my vote never count?” Clove pouted.

“It counts,” Thistle countered. “You just got out-voted.”

“So, it didn’t count,” Clove said.

“Do you ever stop whining?” Thistle complained.

I ignored both of them as we parked and exited the vehicle. Thistle popped the trunk and rummaged around for a few seconds, coming out with two flashlights. “You came prepared?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Well,” I hedged. “Usually we just figure things out on the fly.”

“That’s why I put the flashlights in the trunk,” Thistle said grimly. ”I figured we would need them sooner or later and – look – I was right.”

I took one of the flashlights and Thistle kept the other. Clove followed close at our heels as we started to move up the trail. “How come you two get to hold the flashlights?” Clove complained.

“The two people at the front get the flashlights,” Thistle shot back. “Do you want to be in front?”

“No,” Clove said hurriedly. “You can keep the flashlights.”

“That’s what I thought,” Thistle said knowingly.

It took us about fifteen minutes to hike to the Dandridge. When I saw the silhouette rear up in the night sky, I clicked the flashlight off instinctively. Thistle followed suit almost immediately.

“What are you doing?” Clove hissed.

“
Shhh,” Thistle admonished her. “Just listen for a second.”

We all stood in silence for a few moments, soaking in the night air. I could hear a few birds nestling and – far off – the sound of the waves rolling in behind the lighthouse. I couldn’t hear anything else, though.

“I don’t think anyone else is out here,” Thistle said finally.

“That’s good, right?” Clove asked nervously.

“I don’t know,” Thistle shrugged. “I guess it’s just easier. I don’t really think Dean would care if we’re out here – but explaining to him what we were doing would be . . . complicated.”

“Where do you want to do the spell?” I asked.

Thistle moved farther into the clearing surrounding the Dandridge and considered my question. “I think the dock is the easiest place.”

I followed her gaze, the moonlight illuminating the aged wooden structure and the dark expanse of water beyond it. “That’s as good of a place as any,” I agreed. “Plus, it’s out in the open.”

“Which makes us easier to see,” Thistle reminded me.

“It makes the boat easier to see, too,” I countered.

“True,” Thistle agreed. “Let’s go.”

We picked our way to the dock, being careful to avoid any errant rocks that might cause us to trip, and then filed down to the square end at the edge of the water. “It’s a beautiful night,” I breathed in the spring air appreciatively.

“At least it’s not raining,” Thistle agreed, pulling three candles out of the bag she had brought and placing them in a triangle on the dock.

Clove helped her light them and then turned to me expectantly. “Let’s get this over with. I want to go home.”

We stood in a circle, joined hands, and closed our eyes. The spell we had written earlier in the day required different threads of power. We had all agreed who would handle each thread earlier in the day. Hopefully, if this worked, we would be able to call the boat to us – or at least create a trail to follow to find the boat. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure how it would work. It was really just a hope and a prayer at this point.

We started to chant as one.

In this here, the darkening hour, we call upon the ancient power.

Help us find a ship in the night. Give us power. Help us fight.

There are young souls in need. Direct our power so they don’t bleed.

We join together now, clasped hands, earnest hearts.

We ask for aid.

Answer us now.

Give us the knowledge we seek so we can help the meek.

We glanced among ourselves curiously. Nothing appeared to be happening. For a second, it looked like the energy had convalesced, but instead of shooting out over the water it simply rose above us and dispersed.

“Did you ever think,” Thistle started tiredly. “That we’re the worst rhymers ever?”

“It’s not as easy as it should be,” I agreed.

“Our moms are much better at it,” Clove agreed. “And even Aunt Tillie. We just suck at it.”

“Don’t ever tell her that,” Thistle said hurriedly. “Her head will just get bigger.”

“She’s a little distracted right now,” I said, still scanning the area randomly, hoping for some sign that our spell – however weak – had worked. “Didn’t you notice that she and Kenneth left the inn together after dinner?”

“Snuck out would be more apt,” Thistle countered. Her head was jerking from left to right as she searched the horizon, too. She didn’t look like she was having any luck either. “I think they were going on a moonlit walk.”

“I like him,” Clove said decisively. “I think he could be good for her.”

“He could be good for us, too,” Thistle said. “If she’s fixated on him she can’t get distracted by us.”

She had a point.

“I don’t think it worked,” I said finally.

“We could try it again,” Thistle suggested.

“If it didn’t work the first time it’s not going to work the second time,” I sighed dejectedly.

“Well, let’s just look around,” Thistle said. “Just to make sure.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “We’ll have to split up.”

“Split up?” Clove’s voice rose an octave. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“The quicker we look around the quicker we can go home,” Thistle said sagely. “I would think that would appeal to you.”

“Fine,” Clove grumbled. “But I’m not going alone. We only have two flashlights.”

“You can go with Thistle,” I interjected quickly.

Thistle glared at me. “Or she could go with you.”

“I think you two make a better team,” I argued. “I’m the oldest, so I should be the one to go alone. You know, more knowledge and all.”

“Oh, so now you’re fighting about who gets stuck with me? I hate you both.”

“You’ll live,” Thistle said. “You can come with me,” she sighed finally. “We have less knowledge, after all.”

I moved off the dock to the left, exchanging one last look with Thistle as she and Clove moved off to the right. I slipped into the woods, clicking the flashlight back on as I did.

The terrain was rough, so I moved slowly. Even though the foliage had died over the winter, it was quickly regrouping and would be out of control within a few weeks. My foot snagged in the root of a nearby tree causing me to stumble – but not lose my footing completely. I bent over with the flashlight to make sure that I wasn’t going to fall when I pulled it out. When I straightened back up, I gasped as Erika flashed into view.

“Turn off the light.”

“What?”

“Turn it off.”

I did as I was told, even though I wasn’t sure why. There was an urgency to her voice that I couldn’t deny. Once the light was gone, I was plunged into darkness because of the heavy canopy over my head. I couldn’t see Erika. I couldn’t see anything.

“You found the boat,” Erika said. “I knew you would.”

“Where is it?” I kept my voice low.

“It’s over there.”

“Over where?” I strained my neck, but all I could see was black.

“Over there.” I got the distinct impression that Erika was pointing – but it’s not like I could see the gesture.

“I can’t see without the light,” I said finally.

“If you turn the light on, the people on the boat will see you.”

“I still don’t understand,” I said finally. “Where is the boat?”

I was surprised when I felt a flutter by my hand. It was like a wave of cold washed over me. “I will lead you,” Erika said. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

I didn’t have a lot of options – so I did just that. I cast one last glance over my shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Clove and Thistle. They weren’t there, though, so I let the flutter tug me farther into the woods and towards a boat I wasn’t even sure really existed.

“I don’t understand what I’m looking at,” I whispered.

My visual field was still encumbered by the dark, but it was now also enhanced with some weird squares of light that I couldn’t quite define.

I realized rather suddenly that that my voice had taken on a tinny tone – and that the sounds of a forest at night had been replaced by a hollow echo. “Are we in a cave?”

“Yes,” Erika whispered. “It’s a really big cave.”

“I don’t understand,” I started and then paused to listen again. “I still hear the water. Is the boat in a cave?”

“It’s a really big cave,” Erika repeated. “Maybe it’s not a cave, maybe it’s more like a hole in the rocks.”

“What rocks?” I was so confused.

“The rocks on the wall of the water,” Erika replied simply.

I searched my memory. A cliff, I realized. She was talking about a cliff. “Is there an inlet into the cliff?”

“What’s an inlet?” Erika asked.

This was getting us nowhere. “What are those lights?” I asked finally.

“That’s the boat.”

I narrowed my eyes to focus, breathing in evenly and trying to calm my nerves. I could do this.

“Open it to me, let me see, let me see,” I whispered quietly, letting the refrain wander through my mind. I could feel the magic building and expanding and suddenly things came into sharper focus.

We weren’t in a cave, which was a relief. I didn’t think there was a cave on the lakeside of Hemlock Cove that could have fit a boat – especially a large barge like I was looking at now – inside comfortably. What we had entered was a weird cove that was actually sheltered from the outside by three walls of rock. In other words, you would only see a boat if you knew it was already there.

The barge itself was large – and old. It looked like an industrial trawler, one that was regularly on the lake moving equipment from the west side of Michigan and the east side of Wisconsin to areas north of us. There was nothing about it that was distinctive. It looked like a regular workboat – which was probably why the increased patrols hadn’t picked it up. Well, that and the fact that it was hidden in a cove.

“I bet this is why they built the Dandridge here,” I said finally. “This cove.”

“They built the lighthouse here because of the cove?” Erika asked curiously.

“It was a way to hide boats,” I said. “A natural way. One that wasn’t obvious.”

“Is this where my boat was?”

“Probably,” I said grimly. “They probably took shelter from the weather here – and from other patrol boats. I would bet they had scouts out on the channel to tell them when it was safe to leave.”

“Do you think I died here?”

I glanced over at Erika. I could see her features now, but I wasn’t sure that was a help or a hindrance. “Probably,” I replied finally.

“So, what do we do now?”

I considered the question. “I’m going to try and get on that boat.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I want you to go find Clove and Thistle and get them over here. Tell them to call the police. Thistle has a phone and I didn’t bring mine – which seems like a terrifically stupid idea, at this point. I’m going to need help.”

“Gracie can do that,” Erika said. “I want to stay with you.”

“We don’t have time to look for Gracie,” I said. “Just go get me help. Make sure you tell Thistle to call the police before she comes. I’ll be fine.” I was hopeful that I was telling the truth.

Erika looked dubious, but she winked out – leaving me alone to gather my courage. “Just do it,” I prodded myself. The longer I sat here and thought about it the harder it was going to be to motivate myself to infiltrate the boat.

So I moved.

I kept to the shadows and started circling the barge. There had to be a way to board it – and I was hoping it wouldn’t involve me having to swim. When I got to the far side, I found that another dock had been erected – one that looked a heck of a lot newer than the one at the Dandridge. I inspected it for a second, but I didn’t linger. I followed the walkway of the dock until it ended at the metal wall of the trawler, scanning the side of the barge for a ladder. I saw it, about a foot back from where I was standing. I took a deep breath and started to ascend.

I tried to climb as quietly as possible. I had no idea what I would find on the deck of the boat, but I’d made up my mind and I was doing this either way. If I was lucky, the boat would be empty and I would be able to explore it – find the cargo I was looking for – and escape from the boat just in time to meet up with the cavalry and save the day.

Wait. Did that sound narcissistic?

When I made it to the top of the boat I ceased my forward momentum and waited. I couldn’t hear anything. The only sound was the lapping of the water beneath me. I swung myself over the lip of the boat, dropped to the other side, and remained crouching while I waited again. Still nothing.

Finally, I straightened up and looked around. The top of the barge was cluttered with the usual stuff you would expect to find on an industrial boat. It was obvious no one was being kept up here. I saw a set of stairs to my right and moved towards them. I stopped at the top of the stairs and debated switching the flashlight back on. Ultimately, though, I decided against it.

I held on to the railing to my right and took it one step at a time, listening as I dropped, and hoping that I wouldn’t find anything horrific at the bottom of the steps. Once I was safely in the bowels of the boat I practically choked on the smell that overwhelmed me. It was a mixture of urine, body odor and . . . something else. There was a musty, rotting smell that accompanied the other unwelcome odors I first detected. Oh, God, I realized, it smelled like a rotting body.

“Gracie,” I practically choked on the solitary word.

“I’m over here.”

I heard her voice before I saw her floating in the corner. “I . . .”

“My body, it’s over here.” Gracie pointed to a tarp in the corner. It was clear there was something underneath it – and I knew what that something was. I didn’t want to see it up close.

“We’ll take it . . . you . . . off here soon,” I said calmly, fighting the sudden urge I had to throw up where I was standing.

“You can’t fix me?”

“No,” I shook my head.

“I didn’t think so.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I promised her.

“I know,” Gracie shrugged. “They can’t hurt me anymore.”

“Where is everyone else?”

“Over here,” Grace moved, beckoning for me to follow her. She led me down a dark hall, one that had three different doors – those ones that had wheels to open them instead of handles – and paused outside of the farthest one. “They’re in here and they’re scared.”

I moved to the door, tugging on the handle. It didn’t budge. I gripped it harder and pulled again, this time the handle swung around – squeaking loudly as it cranked over. Once I got it to the point where it wouldn’t turn anymore, I pushed on the door and held my breath as it swung open several feet.

I glanced up and down the hallway one last time – blowing out a sigh of relief when I realized that it was still only Gracie and I – and then slipped inside of the room.

I don’t know what I expected, but the horror I walked into was beyond all reasonable thought. Five different heads all jerked up when I entered. I glanced between them all briefly, counting three girls and two boys, and then moving towards the closest child.

Up close, he was filthy. He looked to be about seven years old and he had blond hair and green eyes. His ski-slope nose was dusted with freckles and his eyes were empty of both warmth and light.

“Who are you?” He asked dully.

“My name is Bay,” I said. “I’m here to get you out of here. All of you.”

“Really?” The boy didn’t look like he believed me. He had probably forgotten what hope really was.

“Really,” I nodded, frowning as I saw that he was bolted to the floor with a metal chain. “Crap.”

“You can’t get it off?” The boy asked.

“I’ll get it off,” I said grimly. I searched the room with my eyes but kept my body still so as not to frighten him. “Are there keys anywhere?”

“They keep them with them,” Gracie said helpfully.

I wrinkled my nose tiredly. I knew Chief Terry would be coming – and I could only hope he would be here soon – but I wasn’t going to keep these kids chained to the floor one second longer than I had to.

“We’ll just have to do it another way,” I said grimly.

“What other way?” The boy whispered.

“Magic,” I widened my eyes in mock play. I was trying to relax the kids, but I was telling the truth. I ran my hand over the padlock securing the chain to the floor, whispered a quick spell and pulled on the end of the padlock. It sprang open and I yanked it off.

The little boy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow,” I agreed.

“I’m going to go get everyone else and then we’re going to leave,” I said.

“Where are we going?” The boy asked.

“Away from here,” I said. “After that? We’ll figure it out. I just need to get you away from here for right now. Okay?”

“Okay.”

I moved to the next child, the other boy, and muttered the same spell. All of the children looked terrified, but I didn’t have time to cajole them all into trusting me. I had to get them out of here. The trust would come later.

Once they were all free, I watched as they all huddled together and watched me through a bevy of untrusting and sad eyes. I had to do something to prod them out of this room. “I bet you guys are hungry.”

They looked interested now – each and every one of them. “I promise you as much food as you can eat if you follow me out of here.” I moved towards the door, casting a glance back over my shoulder. “Whatever you want. Ice cream. Pot roast. Hamburgers.”

That did it. The kids all moved towards me. Once they were at my back, I turned around one more time. “Just do me a favor. Try to be really quiet.”

“Are the bad people here?” One of the little girls asked, her lip quivering.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “They weren’t here a few minutes ago but they may be back.”

The kids looked scared again. “The police are on their way,” I said. “My cousins are out there – and my cousin Thistle is badass. I’m going to get you out of here. I promise you that.”

I swung back around and pulled the door open wider so we could leave this hell and step out into the light. When the door swung open, I stepped back inadvertently as two figures stood in the doorway.

“It’s the bad people,” Gracie murmured at my side. “They found us.”

Apparently they had – and I was surprised at the two faces that were currently frowning at me with open distaste.

“Well, I have to say, I wasn’t expecting either of you.”

“I think we’re the ones that weren’t expecting you,” Dean said, stepping through the door menacingly.

Karen followed him, her features cold and angry. “What are you doing here, Bay?”

Now what?