Witch's Awakening (18 page)

Brenna was amazed at the flow of memories. If Sarah and the elders had talked this way right after Garth died, maybe they would have learned more about their history. She started to ask a question, but caught herself as the elder aunts continued reminiscing.

“No doubt Mrs. Bobbitt's guilt over trying to kill her son-in-law is what's holding her to this world.” Doris sighed and sat back in her chair, looking tired and old. “So much happened that spring. Remember the boy who was sweet on Rose? He got killed up on Bear Mountain.”

Sarah said, “He was running moonshine. Mother and Father didn't like him.”

“That's right,” Frances agreed. “Everyone said that he was just showing out the night he died.”

“Rose sent him away that very night,” Doris pointed out. “She had strung him along for quite a while. Then she told him there was no hope.”

“He was real upset. Rose told me he went tearing off like hell on fire,” Doris continued. “Later that night his car went off the road. He burned to death when it exploded.”

“Funny thing was there were no skid marks.” Frances sniffed. “We decided it was the Woman in White.”

“But why would she do something like that?” Eva Grace asked, frowning. “I don't understand.”

“Neither did we,” Sarah retorted. “But later on, after Rose was gone, we looked at everything that happened, and we saw it was all connected to the Woman. Rose felt so bad about his death. She was weak by the time the Woman came for her.”

Brenna couldn't stop her question this time. “Why have you never told us any of this?”

Sarah and her sisters exchanged glances that didn't quite hold. Brenna noted they didn't answer her.

“And now the Woman has killed poor, sweet Sandy.” Frances suddenly looked as old and tired as Doris. “What are we to do?”

Maggie burst into tears. Brenna fought her frustration with the whole lot of them, while Lauren and Fiona soothed the coven's most sensitive witch.

Eva Grace looked agitated. “Everything is pointing to me as the next tribute. First, I lose Garth and now Sandy. I'm under attack from all sides. It's obvious the Woman in White wants me.”

A babble of protests broke out around the table, but Eva Grace was insistent. She really believed she was the next target. Most of all, she told them, she hated thinking that others were being taken because of her. Brenna couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain.

Before she could say anything, her father spoke up, “Have any of you considered that tonight wasn't the Woman in White's work?”

“Why do you say that?”

He frowned, studying the peaches and pound cake on his plate. “I'm just thinking. Tell me about what it was like in Eva Grace's shop tonight. How did it feel?”

Fiona frowned. “Evil.”

“No, that's not what I mean,” Aiden responded. “What did you feel, smell and taste?”

Fiona said, “It was kind of warm.”

Brenna nodded. “Very warm, actually. I figured the attack had somehow damaged the AC Unit.”

“We thought we smelled smoke,” Eva Grace added.

“That's not good,” Delia said.

Aiden dug into his cake, still looking thoughtful. “You should call your sheriff,” he told his oldest daughter.

Brenna frowned at the way he referred to Jake as hers. “Why?”

“Tell him to have his crime scene techs check for remaining pockets of overheated air throughout the building.”

“I'm on it,” Fiona said, digging out her ever-present iPhone. She headed out of the room, phone to her ear.

“But what does hot air tell us?” Brenna pressed her father.

“Could be a demon.” Aiden speared an errant peach slice with his fork. Brenna noticed that her studious father looked more than a little excited about his theory.

“A demon?” Maggie wiped her tears and blew her nose into her napkin. “That's nonsense.”

“Demons and witches are natural enemies,” Doris stated. “They've come to our town before. One I remember in particular. Such a handsome devil.”

“Yes, very handsome,” Sarah agreed with a look that had Brenna wondering just how well she had gotten to know this demon. “But he was a new demon with limited powers.”

Doris's green eyes twinkled. “We made quick work of him.”

“That we did, sisters,” Frances said.

Sarah sat forward, resting her chin on her clasped hands as she thought. “We've crafted our protective spells especially to ward off demons. New Mourne is such an accepting place that we've had them sneak in now and again, but we learned our lesson.”

“Did we?” Brenna asked. “Then why has all of this happened?”

Multiple conversations once again started around the table. Maggie took up Sarah's claim that a demon couldn't cross the Connelly wards. Lauren agreed. Rather vehemently, Brenna thought.

Doris argued that demons could come in disguise, taking over a human's body to sneak past even powerful magic.

Diane and Estelle said they always felt Fred Williams was possessed by something evil.

Delia agreed with them, adding, “I once turned him into a rat when we were in high school. He looked very natural like that. He gritted his little rodent teeth at me and hissed like a snake. Celia made me turn him back. She always liked him.”

Brenna could see the discussion was getting out of hand and called a time-out. “Okay, so maybe we have a demon and the Woman in White. Doesn't that mean we're in twice as much trouble?”

The room fell silent. Once again, Aiden nodded.

“We need more information on who the Woman is,” Brenna said. “We've got to find the rest of the
The Connelly Book of Magic
. Fiona, Eva Grace and I tried to locate more pages in the house today with magic, but we didn't have any luck.”

“I can look again at home,” Frances said, though she seemed doubtful.

“I turned all my pages in.” Doris looked pleased with herself.

Fiona cocked her head to the side. “You know, I've heard the best historian in town is one of our distant relatives, Inez Connelly.”

“She was married to Craig Connelly,” Doris said. “She was thirty years younger than him.”

“Which is why she's still alive,” Frances said. “Craig was of our parents' generation.”

“If Inez knew something that could help us with all of this she would have told us by now,” Sarah said. Brenna felt her impatience returning. She didn't like the negativity Sarah kept bringing to their efforts. Didn't she want them to find a solution?

“Maybe no one has asked her the right questions,” Brenna pointed out. “Have any of you ever asked for her help?”

Sarah and the elder aunts exchanged disgruntled glances.

Brenna barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. “Of course not. That would be too logical, wouldn't it?”

“Brenna,” her mother said, holding up a hand to Sarah who looked ready to explode. “Let's not squabble over this.”

Though Brenna wanted to tell her mother to butt out, she controlled her temper. “I think Inez is worth a shot. Fiona and I will go talk to her.”

“Inez always dreamed of being a writer,” Doris said. “She researched all sorts of local history and wrote a lot of it in her journals. Remember, Sarah, she was so interested that we let her keep The Dead Box.”

“The Dead Box?” Fiona asked.

Sarah explained, “It's the record of all the deaths in the Connelly family. These days it's mostly obituaries clipped from the newspaper.”

The chime of the doorbell interrupted and Maggie cried out.

“Oh, for heaven's sake,” Brenna admonished her. “Do you think a demon is going to just ring the doorbell?”

“He might.” Lauren's very serious answer made Maggie chirp in fear again.

“I'll get it,” Brenna said as the bell peeled again.

But Marcus was already rising. “I've got it.”

No one spoke as they waited for him to return. When he did, Willow Scanlan was on his arm.

Aiden immediately stood.

Brenna, startled to see the old fae again so soon, got up as well. “Willow, please join us.” She expected Sarah to stand and greet the older woman, but Sarah glared at the fae in a way that was rude. Brenna saw that Delia regarded Sarah with the same surprise she felt.

Marcus grabbed his chair and set it beside Brenna's. The old woman sat down, keeping a hand on her cane. “I knew you would all be together after what happened tonight.”

“So the news is out?” Brenna asked.

Willow laughed. “It will be a fine day when I don't know all of what's happening in this county.” Her gaze snapped toward Sarah. “Others should be as watchful.”

“Why are you here?” Sarah asked. A gasp went around the room at the sharpness in her tone.

The fae glared at her. “Someone has to get all of you on the right track.”

Sarah sniffed. “As usual, you think you know everything.” The elder aunts each laid a hand on her arms, as if to hold her in her seat. Thunder rolled directly over the house.

Willow stared her down and the table shook, rattling dishes.

“Don't threaten me in my house.” Sarah drew out the words.

“Be careful,” Frances warned Sarah.

Willow's laughter rang out again, dry as old bones. “Listen to your coven, Sarah Connelly. I wouldn't be at your house for the second time in one day if I didn't have something important to say. I told the younger ones earlier today, but I thought there was still time. Now I know we must hurry. I decided I needed to speak to you all.”

“Then speak,” Sarah countered, an edge of sarcasm in her voice. “You have our attention.”

“Tonight, New Mourne moved to the dark side of The Mirror.” Willow turned to Brenna. “You must bring it back to the light.”

Being the focus of the crone's attention caused Brenna's stomach to flip. She swallowed hard. Why was Willow looking just at her?

Once again Maggie began to cry. This time, no one bothered to comfort her. The faces of the other witches were rapt.

“Can you explain your meaning?” Aiden's manner toward Willow was differential.

Willow's gaze swept from one end of the table to the other. “You must all take action or New Mourne will no longer be under the control of the Connelly family.” She scowled at Sarah. “You keep thinking you'll just pay your tribute and go on with your lives.”

Brenna was shocked to hear her own thoughts echoed by this strange creature, but if both of them saw it, then there must be some truth to her suspicion that the coven wasn't as strong as it needed to be.

“You've become complacent and think you're just like the humans,” Willow continued. “That's foolish. There's too much at stake to forget who forged this town and who made it a haven for people like us who can't exist in an everyday world.”

“Yes, we did that,” Sarah told her proudly. “The Connellys made this town. We're not likely to forget that.”

“But you could lose it to the evil that's creeping around corners and slithering under doors.” Willow leaned toward her. “Don't you feel it? Isn't it worse than it was when your other loved ones were taken?”

Sarah's chin lifted. “The Woman in White always opens doors to the dark side. We always close them.”

“But at what cost?” Willow looked from Lauren to Maggie, then to Fiona and Eva Grace. Finally, her gaze rested on Brenna. “Are you willing to pay that price?”

No
, Brenna thought,
I don't want any of us to pay for the deal our ancestors made.

The room was silent. Brenna heard the old timbers in the walls creaking. Her senses sharpened to the point that she could sense Tasmin prowling around the perimeter of the house. She could feel the cat's fear. Was she afraid of this ancient woman or of something more?

“We have work to do,” Sarah said at last. “What can you tell us of value, Willow Scanlan?”

“If I had all the answers I would thwart this scourge by myself,” Willow replied. “This is your fight if you'll just take up arms. Use your powers to discover the truth of the past. Listen to the world around you for guidance. Elect a strong person to take the lead and dig out the truth.”

“I'm the strongest witch in the Connelly clan. You know that.” Sarah's voice was tight with anger. “I've led this coven for many years.”

“Your magic will be needed, but this is not your time. It's up to the ones with their lives on the line to make the right choices. Your young ones have the skills and the desire to find an answer to the plague that visits your family and this town every generation.” She pointed a crooked, sharp-nailed finger at Sarah. “You have been a strong leader, but you need to be stronger. This is pure evil you're dealing with, and you'll need everyone's gifts to get it out of our town.”

No one spoke as the old woman rose and headed to the door. She brushed aside the hand that Marcus offered in aid. She took a step toward the hall, and then turned back to the group at the table.

“New Mourne has moved to the dark side of The Mirror,” she said once again. “Brenna must bring it back to the light.”

She was gone so fast that Brenna thought she had disappeared. Only the sound of the front door closing gave proof that she had even been there.

Marcus gazed from the hall to his wife. “What did all that mean, Sarah?”

Brenna thought it was obvious. “I think she just said I'm to be the tribute for the Woman in White.”

Fiona's voice rose in protest. Eva Grace got to her feet, shaking her head.

Sarah cut them off. “All it means is that Willow is sticking her nose in our business, and I won't have that.”

“I think she's got a point,” Delia said quietly.

Surprise flickered across Sarah's features. “And what would that be, Delia?”

“It's time for the younger witches to take a more active part in regular rituals and ceremonies,” Delia said. “How else will they carry on the traditions?”