A Witch's Path Page 4

  "Rodriguez, let me introduce Landa, Mander, and Elron. This is Rodriguez, from the local sheriff's office. He wanted to hear your account of this morning's events. Would you mind talking to him?"

  "Not at all, dear. Sit down, have some food, son." Landa loved to feed people.

  Rodriguez collected a plate before asking questions. "If you don't mind, I'd like to start with Elron. Tell me what happened."

  One by one they each recounted their sides of the story. While they were talking, I munched on an orange muffin, unwilling to return to my rooms right now. It took nearly thirty minutes for them to finish detailing their stories. By that time I was tired of hearing about the creepy events.

  "Can we clean the window?" Landa asked

  "Of course. The evidence has been collected, so you are free to deal with it as you see fit," Rodriguez answered.

  "Thank you, lad. I don't want that graffiti on my house any longer than necessary," Landa said.

  "I would feel the same way. Unless you have any more questions for me, I think we're done."

  I interjected, "Could you send copies of the report, and any results from the evidence, to Jones over in Forsyth County? If this is connected to the other events, they should know."

  "Sure, not a problem. Anything else?" The others shook their head. "Alright, thank you for your time."

  "I'll walk you out." I said.

  "As soon as I have any useful information I'll let you know." Rodriguez sighed, "But there isn't much for us to go on."

  "I know. Thank you for coming out so quickly," I said.

  "You'd do it for me." He closed the front door.

  Walking back to the dining room, I knew I was going to be answering a few questions. Sure enough, two expectant faces were looking at me. "Where's Mander?" I asked, stalling.

  "He went to talk to a few fey friends of ours," Landa said.

  I didn't need to read between the lines to know he was calling in favors, or trading favors, to have more protections placed on the lodge.

  "Child, why would this be connected to previous events?"

  It was hard to refuse Landa, so I changed the subject. "Elron, why are you still here?"

  "Me? I'm an old elf. Everyone knows the old have no manners. I'm exercising my right to be crotchety and nosy." He smiled and picked up a butter cookie.

  The grinding of my teeth was involuntary, and from the way his smile changed, I knew he could hear the screeching.

  "Michelle, how dare you," Landa scolded.

  "What! He doesn't-" Her look stopped me in mid sentence. Not only has she asked me to be understanding, and helpful, but by his own admission he was having a difficult time adapting to life outside the forest. He'd come to help me this morning as well, and that couldn't be discounted.

  My breath huffed out in a long sigh. "My deepest apologies, Elron. There is no excuse for such rude behavior."

  "If I'd awakened the way you did, I'd be difficult as well. All is forgiven." For a moment the snarky jester retreated, letting me catch a glimpse of the caring, and fragile, side of him.

  "Now, if you children are done, I want to know why this might be connected to previous events."

  I sat, wrapping my hands around a mug of tea. "Landa, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. After the trolls were captured, the sorceress went to a federal prison because the local prison didn't have a good way of holding her. She died horribly the first night, and one of the things she was yelling before her death was, 'It's not over.' She specifically named me as a future target. No one is sure who's after me, but they don't like me." Those words had been written on the cell walls in blood too, but I didn't see how telling Landa that tidbit would help anything.

  "You should have told me, Michelle."

  "I'm sorry. I would've told you, but I didn't want their threats to change how I live my life."

  "There's a difference between letting threats control your actions, and taking precautions," she glared at me.

  "I know, Landa, but I never thought this would happen." In the days since I'd learned about the threats, I'd convinced myself it was idle talk. That theory had been blown out of the water by this morning's events, and the undeniable truth that someone wanted me dead.

  "Let's make sure this is the worst occurrence at the lodge. I can't protect you everywhere, but this will be a safe place." She crossed arms, silently daring me to object.

  "I'd like that."

  Elron said, "While I may not be able to work any spells, I can add additional protections as well. I must be going. The additional protections will be finished tomorrow night. Landa, I'll keep you informed. Michelle, keep busy. It'll help." He was out the door before either of us had a chance to say anything.

  "Michelle, you need to call your parents before they hear about this from someone else. You know how much it upsets them when something happens to you," Landa reminded me.

  "Thank you for the reminder, I'll go call them." I headed back to my apartment, where I'd left my phone.

  A little luck was with me, because I hadn't missed any calls from the police. With great reluctance, I dialed my mother's number. She wasn't going to be happy.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, Mom."

  "Hi, Michelle. How are you?"

  "I'm alright. I had a bit of trouble this morning. Is Dad there?"

  "No, I'm afraid not. He's still planning on coming by to spend time with you, and help prepare for the class you're teaching. What happened? Do you need to talk to him right away?"

  "No, I was trying to tell both of you at the same time—"

  "Tell us what?" She demanded.

  "Mom, I can't explain if I can't get a word in." Silence was the only answer I got, so I blurted out the news. "I may not have mentioned it, but the sorceress I helped capture died in prison. Before she died she made several threats, mostly focused on me. One of those threats, 'It's not over,' was painted on my bedroom window this morning." I braced myself, she wasn't going to like this.

  "What?" She screeched. "Are you safe there? Did they try to break in? What were you thinking not telling us about this?"

  "Mom, I'm perfectly safe. After I found out about the threats, I added more protections to my room. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Landa is adding more protections to the lodge, because she wants this to be a safe haven for me. As far as the police, or I, could tell, they didn't try to break into my rooms. In fact, it doesn't look like magic was used at all."

  "I still don't think you're safe."

  "Well, what would make you think I'm safe?" There was a long pause before I continued, "Mom, I'm doing everything I can to stay safe, but I won't abandon my job or life because someone made a few threats."

  "I want you to call me every day, ok? If someone is hunting you, I need to know you're alright."

  "Fair enough. I'll call you every day. I won't promise what time, but if you don't hear from me by late evening, give me a call. Will that work?"

  "Yes, but I'm not happy about this, Michelle."

  "Mom, I'm not asking you to be happy. I'm asking you to support my desire to be happy."

  "Fine, fine. When are you going to look into those suicides?"

  "When the police ask me. I've told you, I can't show up and start investigating." I could hear her take a few deep breaths, but there was nothing I could do. She'd brought a string of suicides to my attention while I was hip deep in missing trolls, and the local police hadn't asked for my help.

  "If they don't ask you soon, I want you to talk to them."

  "Can I wait a week or two?"

  "If you must."

  "Thank you, Mom."

  "I worry about you, Michelle. Now I'm going to worry more. I want you to call me tonight. You also need to talk to your father."

  "Yes, Mom. I'll call you, and I will talk to Dad."

  "Good. Now, if you 'forget' to mention something like this again, I'll tan your backside. Make sure you call me tonight. I love you."

&n
bsp; "I love you too, Mom." I waited for her to hang up before I ended the call. That could've been worse.

  The day had started so badly I was tempted to start over. Without thinking about it, I was walking in my bedroom and contemplating lying down for thirty minutes. I returned to awareness, blinking to focus the room. The nap was still tempting, but any desire to lie in my bed died when I saw Landa furiously scrubbing at the words on my window.

  Feeling slightly ill, I returned to my living room, set an alarm on my phone, and tried to go back to sleep on the sofa. I must have fallen asleep at some point because when the alarm went off, I was dreaming of Elron. He was in my apartment, telling me how to care for a plant, and warning me he'd know if I wasn't properly attentive.

  There was a gentle rap at the door before Landa walked in, still carrying a bucket of cleaning supplies.

  "I cleaned the window. There isn't a speck of paint, or anything else left."

  "Thank you, Landa."

  "It was the least I could do. Come down for lunch, I think the company will do you good. If you need anything, call me."

  "I will." I reached down to give her a hug. "Thank you for looking after me, and cleaning up." I swallowed, trying not to cry.

  "Oh, enough with that. You'll have me tearing up. I was worried when Elron called me to your room."

  "What did he do? I've never seen anything like that before."

  "He told the house to tell me I was needed here. He has a connection to wood, and I have one to homes, especially my home."

  "Interesting."

  Landa smiled. "There is more to magic than you know. Michelle, you need to tell us if you're threatened. Mander and I want to help, but we can't when you hide things from us."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry anyone."

  "I know, so does everyone else. However, this is a time when more people knowing is better. What one eye misses, two can find. I need to do other chores. Make sure you come down for lunch."

  "I will."

  After Landa left, I retreated to my work room, locking the door behind me. I had plenty of things waiting to be disenchanted. Too bad I didn't want to look at work, but curl up and pretend this morning hadn't happened, and that my illusions of safety hadn't been shattered.

  I was placing the newly disenchanted door-knocker in the recycle bin when my phone rang. I answered, "Oaks Consulting."

  "Michelle, it's Jones. What's going on?"

  "What have you heard?" I asked.

  "Rodriguez faxed over a police report about writing left on your window."

  "Everything is in the report. I don't have anything to add."

  "Are you ok?" Jones asked.

  "I'm fine. I'd be better if everyone stopped asking me that question."

  Jones chuckled. "I'd feel the same way. The report says there are no suspects at this time. Are there any unofficial suspects?"

  "Nope, I was hoping you might have a lead. You were the one who told me I was going to be a target," I said.

  "I don't have anything helpful," He sighed. "I'm adding the report to the file, but that's the best I can do right now."

  "Thanks, if you learn anything can you give me a call?"

  "Sure, not a problem."

  "Did you get my report yet? I sent it overnight mail." It was worth checking. I'd had a letter take a month to travel forty miles.

  "I finished reading it shortly before the paperwork from Rodriguez landed on my desk."

  "Is it good enough?"

  "Yup, it's fine." Jones sighed, "I need to get back to pushing papers. Be careful."

  "You should do the same."

  He was laughing when he hung up on me. Neither of us were in the staying safe business.

  Elron

  Whilst a timely arrival to work was important, other things took precedence. I walked out of the lodge and into the woods as only an elf could, silently and hidden. When I was far enough inside the tree line to be hidden from view, I dropped to the ground, leaning against an old white pine.

  Resting my hands on the earth, I opened myself to the forest.

  Anger rolled into me, trying to drag me away from my physical form and into the spirit of the forest. Breathing deeply, I distanced myself from the emotions. When there was enough separation that I was no longer in danger of losing myself, I queried the woods. Why was it angry?

  The answers rushed back to me. Another man had tried to hurt Michelle. Michelle was nice to the woods, and the tress enjoyed her presence. They wanted her to stay, but if the she was injured or killed the earth would reclaim her. The forest had barely been able to save her before. She had been in the middle of that rock field, and without the bundle of seeds, it couldn't have acted in time.

  The knowledge flowed in faster than I could process it.

  "Slowly," I told the forest spirit.

  It obliged, and the onslaught slowed to the pace of a gentle rain. The images clarified, and I could see myself asking the forest to keep her safe, the moment when Michelle had been defenseless, the forest forcing the seeds to grow, and the forest using the magic in her blood to fuel the protective barrier.

  The forest moved to the man who had written on the lodge. Feeling his presence hadn't been enough, as the forest hadn't been able to identify his position and had been unwilling to capture him at the expense of innocents. Some shifters were out for a stroll, and a family of unicorns was nearby with their fragile offspring.

  I soothed the forest. It had done all it could, and had saved her when she was in the rock field. Once the forest had calmed, I inquired as to it's willingness to prevent others from frightening and harming Michelle.

  It quickly agreed, and I helped it understand the types of threats it should look for in the future. The forest absorbed the knowledge quickly, and the trees whispered their thanks.

  Thanking the forest, I got up to leave. My calling knocked me to my knees as the forest deafened with calls for my return. I quieted the forest, and dampened the call enough for me to comprehend the questions. The call was adamant that I was needed in the woods; I had work to be done here. The forest spirit was equally determined to show me something.

  After some time, the three of us came to an agreement. While both my call and the forest demanded that I give them their time, they were willing to be patient for a few days. After that they would drag me back, willing or not.

  I may not be a wise elf, but I was a prudent one. I would return of my own volition.

  Michelle

  There was a quick rap at the door before it swung open and Dad walked through.

  "Hi, Dad," I said. "It's good to see you." It was, but he had come into my life recently, and we were still getting used to being around each other. I figured he volunteered to help me with the class as a way to get to know me.

  "It's good to see you, Michelle." He smiled at me, and smoothed his hands down the side of his jeans. The green button-down shirt had fresh creases, and his black hair was neatly combed.

  I was closing the door behind him, when he said, "Cou-could I get a hug?"

  "Um," I turned, and saw his stiff posture, and furrowed brow. "Sure."

  He opened his arms and I stepped forward. With my head resting on his shoulder and his cheek pressed against my hair, I could feel the tension slide out of me. Seconds later, he pulled back. "Thank you, that brightened my day."

  I smiled, "It brightened my day too."

  Dad cleared his throat, "I know we need to look over the materials for the class, but your mother said you wanted to talk with me about something?"

  "Oh that, yes. Do you want some tea?"

  "Sure, could I get something herbal or low caffeine?" He asked.

  "How does a rooibos and lavender sound?" I hurried into the kitchen, filled the kettle, and put it on the stove.

  "Delicious." He watched me set out the mugs, pull out the jar of tea, and fill two strainers as the water came to a boil. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

  "Hold on, the tea is almost
ready." I shoved a tea bag in each mug and poured the boiling water. "Let's sit at the table."

  Dad followed me to the dining room table with his tea. Sitting down, I wrapped my hands around the mug, hoping the earth would give me courage. "What did mom tell you?"

  "Nothing. She left a voice mail telling me what we would have for dinner, and that you wanted to tell me something. Why?"

  I sighed, "It's a bit of a story."

  He cocked his head and arched an eyebrow.

  My leg started bouncing. I took a deep breath and dove in. "I didn't tell you and Mom about something that happened during the troll case because I didn't want to worry you. After the sorceress was taken into custody, she died alone in her jail cell. When she died she was yelling about how death was the first step, and that she would come for me. Written on the cell walls in her blood was, 'It's not over.' This morning, I woke up to find that written on the outside of my bedroom window." I took a big slurp of tea while waiting for his response, and then another.

  "You didn't tell us because you didn't want us to worry?" He dropped his head into his hands, sitting still as one minute stretched to two. When he looked up he was calm, but I could see the worry lines creasing the corners of his eyes. "For years I could only watch and worry from a distance. I have a chance to be in your life, help you, and be there for you. I'll worry even if you aren't in danger, but let me try to help you, and trust me to be able to handle the extra worry."

  "You took this a lot better than Mom." I wasn't protesting. It was an observation.

  "Mothers worry in different ways. Dads tend to tell you to keep your chin up and keep swinging. I'm worried, but I know you can protect yourself. You've proven to be mature, realistic, and trustworthy. Besides," his eyes hardened, looking nothing like the kind eyes I was coming to love, "if anyone hurts my little girl I will hunt them down."

  My mouth fell open. I wasn't sure what to say.

  "Why did the sorceress target you?" he asked, saving me from my shock.

  "I don't know."

  "I don't follow. You put her in jail, and you don't know why she would target you?"