The Trouble With Witches (35 page)

I eased the boat toward shore.
Darci
and I hopped out barefoot and pulled the bow far enough in that Abby could step out onto dry land. Slipping on my shoes and jacket, I swung the backpack to my shoulder and we were off, flashlights in hand. Our beams bounced through the trees as we climbed the hill.

At the top, I stopped to get my bearings. Once sure I knew my directions, I pointed to my right and we began our hike.
Darci
walked on one side of Abby, and I on the other, ready to reach out if she so much as faltered.

In the half-light of the moon, I saw Abby's smile. "Girls, I'm not decrepit, you know."

I touched the sleeve of her sweater. "Humor me, okay."

Walking in silence, I concentrated on leading us through the trees. I was relieved when our flashlight beams caught something shiny in the distance. The wire fence was directly ahead, its hole visible.

Reaching the hole, I held the wire back while
Darci
scrambled through and then helped Abby from the other side. I tossed my backpack through the hole and joined them.

"The cabin's this way," I said, pointing my flashlight through the trees.

While we walked, the darkness became more complete as the tall pines thickened, hiding the moon. The air around us was totally still, and a sense of something waiting just beyond our wavering lights came over me. My eyes traveled to Abby, walking beside me.

"Yes," she said, her voice hushed. "I feel it, too."

"Wait."
Darci
halted suddenly. "Is that the cabin?" she asked, moving her flashlight in a wide arc ahead of us.

The light reflected back at us from one of the broken panes of glass.

She took a step forward, but Abby stopped her.

"Slowly,
Darci
."
She turned toward me. "Ophelia, how close were you to the cabin when you found the circle of cedar?"

"About fifty feet."

"Hmm, it's so dark, it's hard to judge the distance," Abby said.

Remembering the zap I received when I tried to cross the circle of cedar, I glanced at Abby. "You'll feel it when you touch it."

Abby stiffened her spine. "Let's go."

Side by side, the three of us approached the cabin, one small step at a time. I noticed the beam of
Darci's
flashlight trembling on the ground in front of us, shaking like the hand that held it.

I didn't blame her. My fear churned inside me, too. The only one who radiated calm was Abby. I felt her energy expand until it seemed to wrap both
Darci
and me in a protective circle.

Without warning, Abby's hands shot out and pulled the both of us back.

She released us and extended her hand.
"Right here."

I closed my eyes and tried to feel what lay in wait on the other side of Walks
Quietly's
circle. Again I detected the smell of rotting things, but this time the scent of garlic seemed to overpower the odor.

Grasping our hands, Abby looked first at
Darci
, then at me, before returning her gaze to the center of the clearing. "We're going to step over the circle, but we don't have a lot of time to reach the cabin. We'll need to move fast. Ophelia, when we're inside, lay out everything I've brought in your backpack.
Darci
, you hold the flashlights."

"O-Okay,"
Darci
stuttered.

Abby cocked her head at a defiant angle, and giving our hands a quick squeeze, urged us forward.

Together we rushed across the clearing. Through the fabric of my jeans, I felt the lodestone grow warmer and warmer with each step I took. Abby's energy surrounded us like a bubble, but from beyond the protective layer, the darkness swirled in an evil cloud.

We hurried up the broken steps and through the crooked door. Stopping just inside,
Darci
and I quickly scanned the room with our flashlights. The wooden floor was missing several boards, exposing the ground beneath the cabin.

I released Abby's hand and gave my flashlight to
Darci
. Stepping over the holes in the floor, I crossed to the center of the room and emptied the backpack on an old table sitting there.

Darci
and Abby followed. And so did the cloud.

Abby snatched a pouch from the table and scattered the contents around the room as if she were sowing seeds. She crossed to the door and laid a thick layer down at the threshold.

Without being told, I lit the two black candles Abby had brought. The wicks sputtered and popped before the flame finally flared to life. Picking them up, I placed them at both ends of the table.

As I did, the darkness that I'd felt chase us across the clearing grew smaller and smaller in the light of the candles. It sank like a heavy mist and receded out the door.

I exhaled the breath that I didn't know I'd been holding.

Looking over at
Darci
, I gave her a weak smile. "You did
good
,
Darce
."

In slow motion her knees gave out and she sank to the floor.

Abby was at her side in an instant, and crouching down next to her, she took both of
Darci's
hands in hers. "Are you all right?"

"I—I think so." She rested her forehead on Abby's shoulder. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in all my life."

Abby stroked her back. "We're safe for the time being, but we can't linger. Whatever that thing is, I haven't banished it. It's still sneaking around somewhere—"

Releasing Abby,
Darci
jumped to her feet. "What do you want us to do?"

"Look around. See what we can find," I answered. Making a slow circle, I scanned the room.

Two doorways were to my right. Both had curtains hung across them. I walked over to the first and pulled the curtain back to look inside. "
Darci
, bring me a flashlight, will you?" I called over my shoulder.

After she handed it to me, I shone the light around the room. It was empty.

I wandered into the next room. The beam of the flashlight revealed a rusted metal-frame bed sitting in the middle of the small room. Covering the mattress was a tattered blanket. The floor was littered with what appeared to be food scraps. A bundle lay in one corner.

I disappeared inside the room and returned holding the bundle—a fatigue jacket. "Hey, will you look at this," I said, shaking the jacket out.

Darci
and Abby were crouched over one of holes in the floor. They both looked up when I called out.

Darci
squinted in the dim light to see what I held in my hands. "Duane Hobbs wore a jacket like that."

"I know." I stuck my hand in the pocket, hoping to find some ID, but all I came up with was a can of tobacco and a half-chewed toothpick.

"What if it is Duane's? Is there any blood on it?" she asked.

"Yuck." I held the jacket as far away from me as possible and peered at it in the candlelight. "Nope, I don't see any."

"Maybe it's not Duane's," she said with a shrug. "But look at this. Someone has ripped up these boards on purpose." She held up a crowbar. "Abby found this laying by the stove."

"Someone is looking for something?" I asked.

Abby pursed her lips and nodded. "I think so."

"Duane?"

"Hard to say, but I'm more interested in
what
they're looking for. Something Frederick Von Schuler left behind?" Abby held her wrist in front of her face and examined her watch. "It's late. Whatever dwells in this clearing will gather strength after midnight. We need to leave.
Now."

Abby didn't have to say it twice.
Darci
and I flew around the room, extinguishing candles and loading everything into the backpack. I shoved the fatigue jacket in the bottom.

The three of us paused at the door, and I felt again Abby's energy circle us. We took a step onto the rickety porch.

The presence of whatever had chased us across the clearing was no longer there, but we didn't waste time wondering why. We dashed over the ground and across the circle of cedar.

Abby took the backpack from my shoulder and quickly removed her sea salt. Starting at the northernmost point of the clearing, she walked in a clockwise direction and poured a thin layer of salt next to the cedar. Finished, she returned the salt to the bag.

"One last thing—there should be a plastic bag in the front pocket of the backpack. Will you please hand it to me?"

When I did, she opened the bag and held it out. "Drop your cloves of garlic and the lodestones in here."

"What?
Toxic waste?"
I plunked my stone in the bag.

"Yes. The lodestones and garlic are full of negative energy now." Abby passed a hand in front of her eyes, and in the glow of the flashlight, I saw her sag.

I grasped her arm and steadied her. "We need to get you back to the cabin."

Darci
clasped Abby's other arm, and we returned to the boat. Within twenty minutes we were safely back in the cabin.

I insisted Abby go straight to bed, and for a change I took care of her. Armed with a tray of hot lemon tea and lavender oil, I knocked on her door.

She sat propped up on her pillows, a journal lying across her lap, when I walked into the room. The soft light of the bedside lamp illuminated the weariness on her face. Scooting over, she patted a spot next to her.

"What have you got there?"

I placed the tray on the nightstand and handed her the mug.
"Lemon tea and lavender oil.
I thought the oil might help recharge you."

Abby handed the mug back to me and shook out a couple of drops of oil in her palm. Immediately, the room filled with the sweet scent of lavender. After spreading the oil on her fingers, she massaged her temples. The fatigue in her face faded, and with a sigh, she eased back on her pillows.

"That's lovely, dear. Thank you."

I tucked the blankets around her. "You're welcome." My face tightened with concern. "Are you going to be okay?"