CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
~
“The crone!” Faith said, pointing to the near distance as they came upon a quaint cottage that Faith hadn’t been to before. The auburn-haired woman was out tending to the garden, and Faith grinned like she’d just spotted lunch.
“For the love of God, be nice,” Lex groaned, rolling his eyes to make his point before he turned his attention back to the road and the little driveway beside the cottage.
“But Nana said I don’t have to be nice because it’s all on you,” Faith said, her eyes flashing with amusement and mischief as she thrust open the door before the car stopped and jumped out.
“I knew I’d regret this day; I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon,” Lex grumbled as he parked and jumped out to follow Faith.
The witch had spotted them coming and was already on her feet, but something stopped her in her tracks, and she was staring at Faith. “You turned her?” she said, disgust etched on her face for the vampire’s actions.
“And not by choice,” Faith said, stirring the pot.
The witch pulled her magic to her fingertips and lifted her hands, but Lex knew that move from experience and was behind Faith in a heartbeat. “Now, now, there is an explanation.”
“Am I supposed to care?” The woman demanded, lowering her chin and eyeing Lex over Faith’s shoulder.
Faith twisted in place and eyed Lex with amusement. “Well, look at you cowering like a scared bunny.”
“You would be, too, if you knew what you were dealing with,” Lex said. “And as I can’t just leave you here to fend for yourself…”
“I have no qualms about killing the both of you,” the witch said, eyeing Faith with disdain.
“Okay, time out,” Faith said. “The Others from the veil killed me with a giant wave – I just died with vampire blood in my system, and as this is all new to me, I suggest you don’t try to zap me because I might not have the level of patience I once did.”
The witch pulled her head back on her neck and eyed the vampires. “Why are you here?”
“The veil,” Faith said, noting that Lex was no longer hiding behind her as he moved to her side.
“We think there might be a little gap in it,” Lex said.
The witch paused for thought. “That’s bad.”
Faith offered a sarcastic chuckle. “Gee, ya think?”
“Be nice,” Lex said, elbowing Faith in the ribs.
“This is me being nice,” Faith said, glaring at him.
“I think I’d like to know why you’re here,” the witch said, eyeing them with suspicion. “Why would you bring a newbie to my door?”
Lex was asking himself the same question but for different reasons. “The witches are sort of busy with public enemy number one here whose only reason for being at the moment seems to be to protect the child witch…”
“Interesting,” the witch said, eyeing Faith. “You’ve fed. I can see and sense you’re a full vampire.”
“Yes, but can you sense anything else in me?” Faith asked, standing her ground because she wasn’t sure what the witch might throw at her to find out.
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like an Other of some kind?” Faith asked.
The witch looked from Faith to Lex, questioning their sanity. “Is this a joke?”
Lex stepped forward, hands at chest height to show her he was no threat. “Hear us out.” The witch shrugged. “When Jennifer, the child witch, was taken into the shipwreck, she died, and the ghost child came back to life…”
“What?” The witch looked from one to the other.
“Relax, the ghost gave her life back to Jennifer, and she’s normal,” Faith said, then frowned. “At least we assumed she was normal.” She turned to look at Lex.
“We never checked,” Lex said.
“All those witches and not one thought to check?” the witch said, her eyebrows high on her forehead. “Too busy partying or looking for buried treasure?”
Faith grumbled under her breath before she turned to Lex. “Do I still need to be nice?”
“Yes,” Lex snapped.
“The child could be the conduit from which the Other world keeps the veil open,” the witch said. “As could she.” She nodded to Faith.
“Which is why we’re here,” Faith said. “What’s your name again?”
The witch straightened and lifted her chin. “I never gave you my name, and with good cause, obviously, your witches have no clue what they are doing over there.”
“I don’t like her,” Faith said, curling her top lip. “But I shall call her Mystique, as she’s such a mystery witch.”
“I like it,” Lex said, turning to the witch. “Mystique, it is. Now, Mystique, we need your help.”
The witch rolled her eyes. “Call my Moira, it’s what he’s always called me…”
“But not your real name?” Faith said, smirking.
“No,” Moira said, placing her hands on her hips. “Why would I want to help you?” she asked Lex.
Faith jumped in. “Because, as you said on the beach, you cast the spell that started this whole ball of poop rolling; in a way, you owe me for this,” she said, motioning down her body.
“Every witch has to take some responsibility for her actions,” Moira said.
“I agree,” Faith said, motioning down her body again.
“When are you going to take responsibility for yours?” Moira asked her.
“Touche,” Lex said, grinning until Faith planted an elbow in his ribs that made him double over in pain.
“Right after you do,” Faith replied, matching Moira’s glare.
“Touche,” Lex said, straightening and rubbing the sore spot at his ribs.
Moira considered her words and nodded. “Fine, what do you want from me?”
Lex shrugged. “Maybe poke around in Faith’s head and see if there’s anyone else home?”
“I’m not getting anywhere near a newbie,” Moira said.
Lex rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said; a heartbeat later, he was behind Faith, and before she knew it, he’d snapped her neck and caught her on the way down. “Better?” Lex asked Moira.
Moira grinned. “Only because you’re going to pay for that one later.”
“With cherries on the damn top,” Lex grumbled.
~
Amy noticed Zeke heading for the stockroom corridor from the corner of her eye and rolled her eyes. She guessed he thought she’d be too busy to notice – wrong. She’d sent Darcy in there with a list for restocking the bar only a few minutes earlier; her attention span was longer than a gnat.
Amy put down the towel she’d been using to polish the glasses from the dishwasher and turned, ready to get out from behind the counter. Dani stood with her hands on her hips, making her pull up with a curious look. “Really?” Dani asked.
Amy frowned. “I can’t answer that because I have no idea…”
“Sure you do, Darcy and Zeke…”
“Those sneaky little…”
“Stop!” Dani said, snapping her palm out in Amy’s face.
Amy pulled her head back on her neck and frowned at her friend. “I know you need those fingers for cooking and don’t want to lose them,” Amy said.
Dani snapped her hand back from in front of Amy’s face, wiggling her fingers before she folded her arms to ensure the digits were all working. “Yes, I do.”
“Then cease and desist…”
“I could say the same to you as you’ve been thinking about how best to get yourself out of the hole you dug,” Dani said.
“Hole?”
“Big one, lots of worms.”
Amy’s top lip curled, and she screwed up her face. “Yuck.”
“The walls are starting to cave in around you. It”s time you grab a lifeline and pull yourself out.” Dani raised her eyebrows expectantly.
“Can you enlighten me on what this soon-to-be buried alive with the worm”s hole is?” Amy asked, folding her arms and tilting her head to one side, curious.
“Zeke.”
“Ah.” Amy looked busted right before she frowned. “How did you know I was trying to escape that hole?”
“I know you…”
“Take that back!” Amy said, pulling her head back on her neck. “I’m an unpredictable mystery surrounded by cunning twists and turns…”
“And you have a poopy face.”
“Excuse me?”
Dani allowed a wicked smirk to take her lips. “You have a tell and an attitude to match.”
“Do not,” Amy said, disgusted at the thought.
“I know you,” Dani said with a giant shrug that brought her shoulders up near her ears. “You can’t kid a kidder.”
Amy considered it for a moment. “And if I allow fate and nature to take its course with Darcy – you’ll tell me what my tell is?”
“Why would I do that?” Dani asked, chuckling at her friend’s uneasiness.
“That’s what friends do,” Amy said with a shrug of her own.
“Pah! You want me to give you the homecourt advantage?”
“Yes.” Amy gave an enthusiastic nod to that idea.
“Noooo,” Dani said, slowly shaking her head.
Amy unfolded and refolded her arms as she fidgeted on her feet, looking for a way to get Dani to spill the beans. “You’d leave your friend at a disadvantage…?”
“Yes,” Dani said, nodding.
“How is that not being insensitive to the needs of others, that other being me?”
Dani considered it. “If I tell you what your tell is, I need to look for a new tell. Do you know how long it took to find the tell you have?”
Amy scowled. “I feel like we’re going around in circles here, and you’re buying time for Zeke and Darcy to play kissy face in the stockroom.”
“You might be right,” Dani said, leaning in. “And if so, it worked.”
Amy slapped her hand on her chest and drew back with a gasp. “You little con artist.”
“Takes one to know one, and I’m picking up a lot of handy tips from all of you since I’ve been here,” Dani said, grinning.
Amy eyed her friend for a long moment, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Way to go, you!” she said, breaking into a heartfelt grin.
“And now my work here is done; I shall take my bottle of red wine for my sauce and be gone,” Dani said, reaching over and grabbing a bottle from the shelf.
“Wait!” Amy said, bringing Dani back around to face her. “Do I actually have a tell?”
Dani offered her a mocking grin. “I’m not telling.”
“Ugh!” Amy said as the witch walked off with a spring in her step. She turned and placed her palms on the counter, giving a little side eye to the stockroom corridor. “Meh,” she grumbled, snatching the towel up and resuming her polishing duties. “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I have become the three monkeys.”