The Trouble With Witches (33 page)

She whipped her head around and glared at me. "I don't care. I'm going with you." Her eyes became narrow slits. "And if you sneak off without me, I'll follow you."

"I don't know if I can protect you from whatever's in that clearing. What if it attaches itself to you?"

"I've already thought about that." She fluttered a hand in my direction, dismissing my concern. "I'm not a psychic. I won't be as open as you are."

"
Darci
—"

"Quit worrying about it. If anything happens, you can exorcise me later." She gave me a wink.

"
Darci
, that's not funny." I picked at the hem on my T-shirt. "I have so many things to learn about
magick
yet. I don't know if I have enough skill to protect us."

"We could take Abby."

"Oh Lord, no," I exclaimed. "The cabin is deep in the woods. I can't let Abby tramp all that way."

"I guess it's up to you, then." She calmly pulled away from the curb.

I exhaled slowly and thought about what I needed to do. Suddenly an idea hit me, and I pointed to the sign I saw on the left. "
Darci
, pull over to that gas station."

She whipped into the parking lot, and I hopped out and ran inside. A few moments later I was back in her car with a piece of paper in my hand.

"Here," I said, handing it to her. "We need to find this address."

She read it quickly. "What is it?"

"A New Age shop.
We're going to buy a few supplies."

Lucky for us, the store was only a few blocks down the street. By now it was late afternoon and stores were starting to close.
Darci
slowed to a stop. I jumped out and ran into the store while she found a place to park.

The door chimed as I walked in, and the woman behind the counter gave me a pleasant look. Long crystal earrings dangled from both her ears and ropes of beads hung over her ample chest.

"May I help you?" she asked, strolling out from behind the counter.

"Yes." My eyes scanned the store. "Where are your crystals?"

"Over there." She motioned with a ring-covered hand to a shelf on the other side of the store. "Is there a particular stone you're looking for?"

"Lodestone."
I held up my hand, stopping her when she made a move toward the shelf. "That's okay, I can find them."

I rushed past the books and the scented candles, over to the crystal display. While I looked over the bins of crystals, I heard the door chime again. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw
Darci
come in.

I motioned for her to join me.

"Wow, what a cool store." She took a deep breath. "I love the way it smells in here." Her eyes strayed across the shelves. "Do I have time to look around?"

"
Darci
," I hissed, "we're not here to shop. Now which stone do you like?" I asked as I held out two black rocks.

"This one," she replied, touching the stone with a long red fingernail.

"Okay." I turned back to the bins and selected one for me and one for Abby. Stepping over, I examined the crystals in the next bin. Picking one up, I turned to
Darci
.

No
Darci
.

She'd wandered over to the books and was engrossed in browsing through one. Abruptly, she looked up and waved wildly for me to join her.

Shaking my head to myself, I replaced the crystal and crossed to where she stood.

"Look what I found." Her voice vibrated with excitement. "It's a book on nineteenth century spiritualists. Frederick Von Schuler is in here."

"Great." I handed her the crystals and took the book.

I opened it to the index and found Von Schuler's name. Quickly, I found the pages that referred to him.

The author had written a very complete biography of Von Schuler that covered the time until he disappeared. And, yes, Von Schuler had been a very talented medium. In addition to his magic show, he had conducted many séances for the wealthy throughout the country.

My eyes moved rapidly down the page with a growing sense of dread.

Von Schuler had soon grown tired of only contacting the dearly departed; he figured out a way he could use his gift to increase his own personal power. Or so he thought. Instead, his experiment had led him down a path of scandal and self-destruction.

Von Schuler had gone mad after summoning a demon.

I paid for the three lodestones and the book and hustled
Darci
out of the store.

"What
is
wrong with you?" she asked when we were on our way again. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No," I mumbled, staring out the window at the passing stores.
"A demon."

"I must not have heard you right." She gave a nervous laugh. "I thought you said a demon."

"I did." I watched
Darci's
reaction. "Frederick Von Schuler became involved in what most people call the 'black arts.' "

Her mouth dropped open but no words came out.

"My thoughts exactly," I said sarcastically.

"What are you going to do?" she asked when she got her voice back.

"I don't know." I tugged on my lip. "
Darci
, promise me you won't tell Abby about Von Schuler?"

"I promise. But don't you think we should? She'll figure out we're hiding something."

"I'll take the risk. I don't want her near that cabin until I figure out what's going on."

"Are we still going?"

"I don't know." I hesitated. "Let me rephrase that. I don't know if I'm going. I do know you're not."

Darci's
face took on a mulish look. "Last time I checked, I was overage, so I don't think you can tell me what to do, Ophelia."

"I can this time." My voice rose. "And you're not changing my mind."

"I'll follow you."

"No, you won't," I said, my tone final.

She shoved back against the car seat and her fingers drummed an angry beat on the steering wheel. The rest of the ride back to the lake passed in silence.

She parked next to the SUV, shut off the motor, and jumped out, slamming the door. By the time I reached the cabin, Abby stood in the center of the kitchen with a perplexed look on her face.

"Why is
Darci
so angry?" she asked. "She tore through the house and out to the deck."

I shoved my hands in my pockets. "I suppose I should go talk to her," I said, and took a deep breath.

I took another breath and let the difference I felt inside the cabin sink in.

No headache, no buzzing, no sudden nausea.

"Abby," I said, my worry over
Darci's
anger momentarily forgotten. "The atmosphere feels great."

A smile teased at the corner of Abby's mouth.
"A bunch of amateurs.
It took me no time at all to get rid of their spell." Her eyes twinkled. "And this time I added a little extra something to protect us. If they try it again, they're going to get a surprise."

"Do you think it's the Finches?"

She nodded.
"Or Winnie."
Her eyes lost their sparkle. "I'm concerned about
Tink
. She's very sensitive, and she's never been taught how to guard herself. It's like she's a sponge, soaking in whatever energy comes her way. I'm afraid all this fooling around with
magick
could have a damaging effect."

"But you showed her how to shield this morning."

"Yes, but as you know, proficiency takes practice."

One more worry to add to my already full bag. I'd think about
Tink
later, right now I had
Darci
to deal with. I started to cross to the sliding glass doors.

Abby's voice stopped me. "I'd leave
Darci
alone for now, if I were you, dear. Whatever it is that's bothering her, give her time to work through it."

If Abby only knew, but I had no intention of telling her.
Abby would be as insistent as
Darci
about going with me, and a lot harder to dissuade.

My hand found the lodestones in my pocket. I pulled one out and handed it to Abby.

"What's this?" she asked with a pleased smile.

"I didn't know if you had a lodestone or not. And with everything going on…" My voice trailed off when Abby gathered me into a hug.

"It's very sweet of you, dear," she said, stepping back.

I withdrew the other stone and handed it to her. "I bought one for
Darci
, too. Would you give it to her when she comes in? I want to do some reading in my room."

"Of course.
I'll charge it with protection, too." Abby looked at me with a hint of suspicion in her eyes, and I saw the questions flitting across her face.

I beat a hasty retreat to my bedroom before the questions were asked.

My decision had been made as I listened to Abby talk about
Tink
. Abby had called the girl a sponge for energy—like the energy that lurked around the abandoned cabin. She would be an easy target for whatever prowled that clearing.

The lodestone I'd selected for myself was perfect for what I had in mind.
A large stone, with one side relatively fiat.
First, I intended to charge the stone with the purpose of absorbing negative energy. My next step would be to write a
bindrune
—a group of runes combined together in such a way that they created a design on the lodestone. The runes I selected would be those known for their powers of protection. I had a feeling I would need it.

The procedure would take a couple of hours. All I had to do was figure out a way to avoid Abby and
Darci
in the three-room cabin for two hours. And not raise their suspicions in the process.
Easy, right?

I groaned and paced the small bedroom.

Drug them?
Naw
, that would be a bit severe, and I'd never drugged anyone before. It seemed kind of cold for my first attempt to be on my grandmother and my best friend. Send them on a wild goose chase? Where?
Brainerd?
Maybe I could enlist Rick's help?