Witching There's Another Way: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 4) by Constance Barker Page B
Authors: Constance Barker
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by force—or worse.
She didn’t, though. Instead, she hobbled closer to them, taking the rocky path like a mountain goat with short hops between slow steps until she was near enough that she didn’t have to shout over the dull roar of the ocean.
When she was close enough, Frances begged forgiveness. “There’s a girl missing,” she explained. “We think… well, we tried to find her with the scrying mirror but when it took us toward the cave the spell broke.”
“Did you attempt a dweomer for the interference?” Rita asked, as though Frances had been confused by something obvious, like the setting of the sun.
“The water was ruined,” Chloe said. “It turned so cold it boiled, and then froze solid in the space of a few moments.”
Rita grunted. “What do you want from us? We don’t have any more scrying water.”
“We have a theory,” Aiden said, respectfully enough but still somehow offending Rita, who glared at him. “We believe the girl may have been taken to Faerie.”
Rita tapped her cane on the rock thoughtfully. Then, she waved a hand. “Then she’s lost. Go home.”
Chloe and Frances both sighed, but Bailey charged forward between them to stand before Rita. “That’s it? You just want us to give up? How can you just dismiss it like that?”
She felt Chloe’s hand on her arm, and tugged it away.
Rita turned dark eyes on Bailey, and took a step forward. It forced Bailey back. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” she said, her voice raspy and grave. Rita surveyed them all. “None of you do. So go home. Let this run its course. Let the parents mourn their child and move on with their lives. None of you are going to Faerie on our watch.”
“So, there is a way,” Avery said tentatively. “If we wanted to go… it’s possible.”
Rita ignored him. “Faeries aren’t to be messed with lightly. They aren’t like you or I. They are creatures of wickedness, through and through. To us, they’re hopelessly insane. You can’t talk with them, can’t reason with them, can’t understand what motivates them.”
“What will happen to Isabelle?” Bailey asked coldly. Rita met her eyes, but Bailey didn’t look away, no matter how much Rita terrified her. There was something… otherworldly about the woman. Like she no longer belonged in the world. Maybe that was why she supposedly lived in the cave. Though, no matter how Bailey tried to make that fit with the geography and the structure of the caves, it didn’t make any sense. “If the Faeries took her… what happens to her, then?”
Rita sighed. “You don’t want to know.”
“We do,” Chloe said. “We know the stories but… they go light on the details. Do you know, or not?”
With a heavy sigh, Rita nodded. “Oh… I do know.”
For the first time, she looked haunted instead of angry.
“Tell us,” Bailey urged. “Please.”
The old woman made a disgusted face, and stared at the rock wall. At length, she spat, and then struck the wall with her cane.
There was no shifting of stone, not rush of magic—no indication at all that anything had changed. And yet, Rita took a step forward and there before here was a cave entrance—not a small crack, easily overlooked, but a four or five foot wide archway, easily accommodating Rita’s form, and then Chloe and Frances as well as they passed Bailey and followed the old woman in.
Bailey just stared.
Behind her, Avery whistled. “That’s… some trick. Where’d they just go?”
“A glamour of some sort,” Aiden said. “If I were to guess.”
Chloe said something quietly to Frances, who in turn caught up to Rita and passed along the message. Bailey couldn’t hear them clearly from where she was.
Rita turned, frowned at Bailey—or at the two wizards behind her—and finally rolled her eyes before she pointed, her lips moving. Frances returned, and stepped out of the entrance. She pointed at the nearest wizard, Avery. “Take my hand. You,” she said to
She didn’t, though. Instead, she hobbled closer to them, taking the rocky path like a mountain goat with short hops between slow steps until she was near enough that she didn’t have to shout over the dull roar of the ocean.
When she was close enough, Frances begged forgiveness. “There’s a girl missing,” she explained. “We think… well, we tried to find her with the scrying mirror but when it took us toward the cave the spell broke.”
“Did you attempt a dweomer for the interference?” Rita asked, as though Frances had been confused by something obvious, like the setting of the sun.
“The water was ruined,” Chloe said. “It turned so cold it boiled, and then froze solid in the space of a few moments.”
Rita grunted. “What do you want from us? We don’t have any more scrying water.”
“We have a theory,” Aiden said, respectfully enough but still somehow offending Rita, who glared at him. “We believe the girl may have been taken to Faerie.”
Rita tapped her cane on the rock thoughtfully. Then, she waved a hand. “Then she’s lost. Go home.”
Chloe and Frances both sighed, but Bailey charged forward between them to stand before Rita. “That’s it? You just want us to give up? How can you just dismiss it like that?”
She felt Chloe’s hand on her arm, and tugged it away.
Rita turned dark eyes on Bailey, and took a step forward. It forced Bailey back. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” she said, her voice raspy and grave. Rita surveyed them all. “None of you do. So go home. Let this run its course. Let the parents mourn their child and move on with their lives. None of you are going to Faerie on our watch.”
“So, there is a way,” Avery said tentatively. “If we wanted to go… it’s possible.”
Rita ignored him. “Faeries aren’t to be messed with lightly. They aren’t like you or I. They are creatures of wickedness, through and through. To us, they’re hopelessly insane. You can’t talk with them, can’t reason with them, can’t understand what motivates them.”
“What will happen to Isabelle?” Bailey asked coldly. Rita met her eyes, but Bailey didn’t look away, no matter how much Rita terrified her. There was something… otherworldly about the woman. Like she no longer belonged in the world. Maybe that was why she supposedly lived in the cave. Though, no matter how Bailey tried to make that fit with the geography and the structure of the caves, it didn’t make any sense. “If the Faeries took her… what happens to her, then?”
Rita sighed. “You don’t want to know.”
“We do,” Chloe said. “We know the stories but… they go light on the details. Do you know, or not?”
With a heavy sigh, Rita nodded. “Oh… I do know.”
For the first time, she looked haunted instead of angry.
“Tell us,” Bailey urged. “Please.”
The old woman made a disgusted face, and stared at the rock wall. At length, she spat, and then struck the wall with her cane.
There was no shifting of stone, not rush of magic—no indication at all that anything had changed. And yet, Rita took a step forward and there before here was a cave entrance—not a small crack, easily overlooked, but a four or five foot wide archway, easily accommodating Rita’s form, and then Chloe and Frances as well as they passed Bailey and followed the old woman in.
Bailey just stared.
Behind her, Avery whistled. “That’s… some trick. Where’d they just go?”
“A glamour of some sort,” Aiden said. “If I were to guess.”
Chloe said something quietly to Frances, who in turn caught up to Rita and passed along the message. Bailey couldn’t hear them clearly from where she was.
Rita turned, frowned at Bailey—or at the two wizards behind her—and finally rolled her eyes before she pointed, her lips moving. Frances returned, and stepped out of the entrance. She pointed at the nearest wizard, Avery. “Take my hand. You,” she said to
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