The Witches of BlackBrook (3 page)

Karina and Kara helped their mother into the parlor, while Kenna gathered the spilled items from her basket.

“What’s wrong with her?” Kara begged.

“I’m not sure yet. Give me room.” Karina took a deep breath, then placed her hands on her mother’s head and heart. Drawing on her magic, Karina focused within her mother and felt a deep seeded wrongness. Whatever was causing their mother to be in this state, was not natural.

“Kara, quick, gather a cup of the herbs I have on the fire. Kenna, bring me my book of shadows.”

The girls moved at lightning speed. Returning the requested objects in seconds.

Karina lifted their mother’s head and slowly poured drops of the herbal concoction past her lips. Handing the cup back to Kara, she then quickly grabbed her book from Kenna’s shaking hands.

“Illness from an unnatural place, be gone from this person, leave in grace. Cleansed and healed you are anew, blessed by the Goddess, through and through.” Karina repeated the spell she’d written only minutes ago.

A deep careening sigh escaped their mother as if she herself were a tea kettle set to steep. The girls stood back, held hands, and waited.

Karina rushed back to her mother’s side when her eyes fluttered open.

“You’ve done well, my child. You’re a strong healer, Karina. And girls,” she reached for Kara and Kenna, “your powers of foresight have proven keen as well. I’m so proud of you all.”

Trin woke to the sound of sizzling bacon and percolating coffee.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Kit teased.

“Morning.” Trin looked around the living room, noticing her empty wine glass and a discarded blanket on the floor. “Must have fallen asleep on the couch,” she mumbled.

“Obviously.” Kit laughed. “How much of that wine did you end up drinking?”

“Just the one glass.” Trin shook her head, attempting to shake the strange grogginess she was experiencing.

“Well, hopefully you got a good night’s sleep, because today, we’re going shopping.”

“Wait. What? I told you I have plans this afternoon.” Trin rubbed her eyes and she poured her first cup of coffee. And yes, there would be multiples.

Kit scowled as she turned back to the stove. “Oh, that’s right.”

Trin took a seat at the bar and sipped her coffee as she watched Kit work. Her auburn hair was pulled up in its usual high ponytail, her tan complexion was sprinkled with freckles, just like Trin’s. “What is wrong with you? The first time I mentioned going to the Hardy’s you bust a wine glass in your hand, and now you look downright pissed. What gives?”

Kit forked the bacon onto a plate and set it in front of Trin with a sigh.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt. I think the more time you spend with them, the more ways you’ll try to justify that Caris is, in fact, Kara, and I’m not ready to pick up the pieces again.”

An image of herself crying into Kit’s arms flashed into Trin’s mind. Uncertain if she, or Kit, projected it there, she clenched her jaw and kept her mouth shut. Kit may be right, but she wasn’t going to change her plans because of it.

“Look. Go. Have fun with your new friends, but keep in mind that that’s all they can be. Caris can’t possibly be Kara if she has a male cousin. Soul travel doesn’t work that way. I’ve shown up as your friend, stranger, roommate, etc. over multiple lifetimes, but it’s always been just me––a single female until we found one another and our power sparked. Regardless of our outward circumstances, it’s then that we become true sisters again.”

Trin took a bite of the bacon and smiled. “Don’t worry, sis. I’ll be fine.”

Kit left the kitchen without another word, leaving Trin to plan her day in peace. She glanced at the clock––10:30am. First, a shower, obviously. Then a trip to the market was in order.

Trin dressed in jeans and boots, then layered a thick cream cable knit sweater over her tank top. Donning her fur-lined jean jacket, she settled her long auburn hair in place with a cream beanie.

Digging out her car proved less difficult now that the sun had rose to its mid-point in the sky. The snow was still thick on the ground, but the warm rays not only thawed the ice, but also brightened her mood. Trin pulled her Volvo into the grocery store parking lot a little after one o’clock, excited to gather the items on her list.

While Jason had indicated all she needed to bring was the wine, Trin couldn’t in good conscience arrive with nothing to contribute to the meal. She gathered fresh sweet and yellow potatoes, some course sea salt and black pepper, and a small jar of extra virgin olive oil. Stopping next at
Lost in Time
, she picked up two bottles of the sweet moscato she’d enjoyed last night.

Jason’s text came through around three o’clock, supplying their address and indicating that she could head over whenever she liked. Trin fired up her GPS and began to follow the turns being announced. Twenty minutes later she was further out of town than she’d ever been, pulling onto a lone dirt road off the 9N. “Your destination is straight ahead,” her phone announced.

Trin eased her car up the heavily tree-lined lane, gasping when she rounded the final corner. The Hardy’s home was not elaborate, but a stunning plank-frame structure with a square lower level and jutting peaks, reminiscent of the old world.

Reminiscent of her old home.

IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS

1689

“Karina, please retrieve the potatoes from cellar.”

“Yes, Mama.” Karina looked at her mother’s frail frame, happy she was still alive. The spell she’d survived had changed her physically; she no longer had long raven hair, but instead, a sickly gray she always tied up in a bun. Emotionally, however, she was still the strong, loving woman the girls had always known. After their father’s untimely death, their mother had been their only provider and had never left them wanting.

Returning with the few remaining potatoes, Karina gently took the knife from her mother’s hand and led her to the chair by the fire. “Rest, Mama. Kara, fetch Mama her tea.”

Karina finished preparing their meal, while Kara and Kenna doted over their mother, bringing her the healing tea Karina kept in full supply and covering her with a blanket.

As Karina placed the new batch of pottage on the table, their mother called them over. “Girls, gather ‘round.” Sitting cross-legged on the thread-bare rug, the sisters looked up into their mother’s loving eyes. “I fear I do not have much time with you left.” She held up a hand to stop any arguments. “My magic is almost gone and my body is becoming too fragile to contain my soul. You need to prepare to let me go.”

Kenna, not so little any more, began to cry. Kara’s bottom lip wavered, but she remained strong. Karina’s unshed tears were accompanied by a sad smile, for she knew her mother was looking forward to her release.

“I’ve left the house to you, Karina. Take care of it and your sisters when I’m gone.”

“Of course, Mama. Now come, let’s have some food.” Karina gathered her sisters around the table, while returning to her mother to feed her from the spoon.

“Karina, you are the healer and the strength of this house, and it will always recognize the duty I’ve placed upon you. Return to the cellar and tell me what you see.”

Karina set the bowl aside and did as she was asked. The shock and joy upon her face when she returned was answered only with her mother’s knowing nod. Three more potatoes had replaced the ones she’d cooked earlier this eve.

“No more than you need, but never shall you want.” Her mother kissed her cheeked and tasted her sweet tears.

That winter, just before Yule, they laid their mother to rest.

“Hey in there!” Jason tapped on the car window. “You okay?”

Trin shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Yes. Sorry. I was just...”
Lost
, she thought. Lost in memories, lost in emotion, lost in her belief that she and her sisters would ever reunite.

Jason opened the door and held out his hand to her. “Need me to carry anything?” He nodded to the grocery bags in the passenger seat with a wink.

Trin laughed. “I couldn’t show up with only wine.”

“We like to eat around here, so anything you brought will be most welcome.” Jason took the bags from Trin and led her inside.

The Hardy’s home was light and airy. A cozy fire roared in the old stone hearth and the most heavenly smells permeated the air.

“Trin! I’m so glad you made it,” Caris exclaimed, crossing the kitchen to give her a friendly hug.

“Thanks for the invite. Like I told Jason, I didn’t want to intrude on your guys’ day off, but I can’t deny that I’m happy to be here.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you. I’m just putting in the roast, did you want to join me in the kitchen?”

“Yes. If you don’t mind, could I borrow a baking pan and a rack in the oven?” Trin asked, pulling the bags from Jason’s hands.

“Of course.’’ Caris washed her hands then pulled out a Pyrex dish from the cabinet, setting it on the butcher’s block in front of Trin. “Need anything else?”

“Nope. That’s it, I have the rest all here.” Trin emptied the potatoes into the sink and pulled the potato peeler and knife she’d brought with her from her bag. Peeling, washing, and chopping the sweet and yellow potatoes into cubes, she layered them in the glass pan, drizzled them with olive oil, and coated them with sea salt, pepper, and a sprig of rosemary she’d brought from home.

“Those look great,” Jason remarked from over her shoulder.

“They’re so simple to make and taste fantastic. I hope you’ll both agree.”

“I have no doubt. You seem to know your way around a kitchen.” Jason smiled.

The blush on Trin cheeks reddened when she caught the grin on Caris’s face.

“My stuff should be ready in an hour, how about your potatoes, Trin? How long do they need?”

“About thirty minutes at 400 degrees.”

“Perfect. I’ll set the timer to put them in the oven in a bit,” Caris offered.

“Would you both like a glass of wine while we wait?” Trin held up the bottle she’d brought and smiled.

“Yes, please,” Caris replied as Jason retrieved three glasses from the rack.

“I hope you like moscato,” Trin stated, suddenly unsure whether bringing two bottles of the same thing was the smartest choice.

“Oh, yum! I’ve had that kind before and loved it. Great pick, Trin.” Caris’s smile put her at ease.

They popped the cork and moved into the living room, chatting easily while they waited for the food to cook.

“You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you,” Jason replied, taking a seat next to Trin on the couch. “It’s been in the family for years.”

Trin looked at the river-rock chimney, up the clapboard walls to the exposed beams and sighed. It was so odd to sit in a modern home and long for one that had been gone for over three centuries. “Wait. I thought you two just moved into town?” she questioned.

“We did, but the house belongs to my father. He kept it rented until we announced we’d both be relocating to BlackBrook.”

“Well, you’re very lucky. I’d love nothing more than to live in something rooted in such history.”

Caris tilted her head at Trin’s comment. “Have you not always lived here, Trin?”

“Oh, I have,”
In this life at least,
she
thought, “except when I was attending school in the city.” Trin took a sip of wine. “Where did you two live before moving to BlackBrook?”

“Massachusetts,” Jason declared.

Trin’s glass froze against her lips and her head started to spin. She tried to heed Kit’s words,
“friends...that’s all they can be,”
but something about this seemed like so much...
more
. And it wasn’t just that she and Caris had similar features with their auburn hair and green eyes, but the familiarity she felt with Jason, the house, and their connection to Massachusetts. All of it seemed too important to ignore.

Trin thought back to her vision to pinpoint its origin, realizing it only happened once she’d made contact with Caris’s back during her massage. She quickly ran though the events of today, and so far, they had not yet touched skin to skin; Caris’s hug had been at arm’s length, her forearms only touching Trin’s sweater due to her dirty hands.

Trin set her glass on the rustic coffee table and reached across for Caris’s hand.

Another shock arced between them.

“Wow. I can’t wait until winter is over,” Caris laughed, rubbing her fingers on her jeans.

“Sorry. I was only wanting to ask if you’d like another glass of wine while I check the timer,” Trin diverted.

“For sure. Thanks,” Caris replied.

Trin walked into the kitchen, leaving Caris and Jason alone in the living room. She reached the island and gripped the corner. It was happening again. Visions of her and her sisters full of joy and magic filled her head.