Chapter 24
24
Dora ran down Chestnut Street as fast as she could, but she wasn’t a runner and as far as she knew never had been. She felt a black shadow in the sky above her and looked up to see Hades flying overhead. As she pushed the gate open and ran down the path, he swooped down to land on her shoulder, rubbing his beak against her ear.
She paused and pressed her head against him, then whispered, ‘What am I supposed to do, Hades?’ For once he didn’t answer.
When she opened the front door and walked inside, the house was silent. The radio had been playing when she’d left, she was sure of it. She walked down the hallway to the kitchen where both Sephy and Lenny were sitting at the battered old pine table, jars of freshly ground black salt in front of them and solemn expressions on their faces.
‘I can’t do this. All of this.’ Dora waved her hand around, pointing at the jars on the dresser stocked with teas and potions. ‘You know that, right? I must go home, something has happened to Katie, there’s blood in my shop and the police are with Mabel.’
Dora spoke quietly but there was no mistaking the fury in her voice, it was also tinged with fear.
Lenny stood up. ‘What do you mean, there is blood in your shop? Where is Katie?’
‘I don’t know, if I knew that I wouldn’t be panicking, would I.’
Sephy walked to Dora and wrapped her arm around her.
‘Come sit down and we can talk this through, dear. I’m sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase but you needed to meet Ambrose and I couldn’t think of a better way, sometimes we all need a little push in the right direction. Did you find him?’
Dora let her aunt guide her to a chair. Hades hopped down onto the table and Lenny shooed him away. ‘Bird, you know the table is out of bounds, scat.’
Hades hopped across it and then glided to the windowsill. Sephy smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Hades. Now Dora, explain how you know all of this please.’
As she talked Lenny looked horrified. ‘You didn’t take your phone, did you, please tell me you haven’t used it, Dora?’
‘No, I went and got an ancient one from some guy in the mall called Arnie.’
‘Oh, that’s okay. We would have struggled to keep you safe if you had.’
‘Keep me safe? What about everyone else? George whoever he is Corwin has hurt and taken Katie, I’m sure of that, and unless I go home God knows what he will do to her. I won’t stay here and hide like a coward; you must understand that. I’d never live with myself if I didn’t go back. I’m not afraid of him, whatever he is.’
Sephy’s eyes shone with tears, and she dabbed at the corners with a cotton handkerchief.
‘Oh dear, this is most troubling.’
Lenny rolled her eyes at Dora. ‘Excuse her, she always was an emotional wreck. How do you know all of this, who told you?’
‘I phoned the shop and Katie with no reply so then I tried Mabel, and a policeman told me.’
‘Did you get his name and rank?’
‘No, I didn’t think to ask. I was too shocked at what he was telling me.’
Lenny looked at Sephy this time. ‘How did you know he was a policeman?’
Dora let out a small gasp and lifted her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh no, Mabel, what if he wasn’t?’
‘He could be keeping both her and Katie hostage to get you to go home, Dora, to get to you.’
She stood up. ‘Then I have no choice. I’m going back and once I’ve found out what’s happening, I’ll come back here.’
‘Oh, you can’t, dear, it might be a trap and you’d be walking straight into it. Without us or your own knowledge of your power you’d be helpless to defend yourself.’ Sephy was wringing her hands.
‘Look, I’m sorry, both of you, but for all I know the pair of you are as crazy as a box of frogs. I love you both dearly, but I need to go home and find Katie, make sure Mabel is safe. Surely you both understand that?’
Lenny nodded. ‘You’re a grown woman, Dora, maybe it’s time to let all of this go, what will be will be.’
This time it was Sephy who gasped. ‘Lenny, we can’t, we just can’t.’
‘What else are we to do, tie her up and keep her captive, for Christ’s sake? Sephy, she doesn’t remember so what does it matter? This time around we failed, maybe we were meant to, and she is to take a different direction in life. Next time might be different. Are you not tired of this same, centuries-old bullshit? Why do we bother trying to break this curse?’
Sephy straightened up. ‘No, Lenny, I am not; this is not bullshit. This is our life, our history, our heritage. We might finally be able to stop that maniac but not if Dora goes back to London, we can’t agree on anything and Lucine dies her slow, pointless death again. I love my life, I love helping women that need a little push in the right direction, I love brewing potions and casting spells. I love you and Dora, I love Lucine and Ambrose as if he were my own son. We are not going to let Corwin win again, we need to stop him. Dora is destined for something more than this.’
Lenny nodded her head. ‘That was some speech.’
‘It’s how I feel. Dora, I can’t stop you from leaving, but I’m begging you to please consider the danger you could be putting yourself in, all of us in. What if Lenny went instead and then you and Ambrose could try to figure out what you did with Lucine’s spell book, where you hid it because I’m certain that is the key to this whole mess?’
Dora’s head felt as if it was going to explode. She had never imagined that the quiet, gentle-natured woman in front of her would be so passionate about standing up and fighting some evil force that Dora didn’t understand and wasn’t sure if she ever would.
Lenny was staring at Sephy, who was still dabbing at her eyes. Standing up, she swiped a bottle of the salt off the table and handed it to her. ‘I’m sorry, Lenny, we can’t let her go back alone, it’s far too dangerous… But you could go and find out what’s happening. We could keep Dora here; you know him, you will spot the signs and be able to keep yourself safe.
‘Take this with you, it’s not much, but enough for you to get away. If you have any left, throw it in his eyes and blind him. Come on, I’ll drive you to the airport.’
Dora stared at the jar of salt and felt hot tears prick at the corners of her own eyes. She didn’t want to let Lenny go back and face Corwin, it was her mess, her responsibility, but she knew something had to be done.
Lenny was shaking her head but left them there and went upstairs to grab her passport. She didn’t bother packing her stuff back into the case, it could stay here. All she needed was her purse and documents.
She walked down to Lucine’s bedroom and knocked on the door.
‘Come in, sweetheart.’
Lenny walked into the room, the smell of lavender tinged with the underlying, cloying smell of decay in the air. Lucine looked frailer today than she had yesterday, and a sudden rush of guilt filled Lenny’s head.
Lucine patted the bed. ‘Come, don’t be afraid. You’re leaving already.’
Lenny sat on the edge of the bed. ‘How did you know? I’m sorry, Dora’s friends are in danger.’
Lucine nodded. ‘What good will it do you leaving?’
Lenny shrugged. ‘I wish I knew, sister; I love you and I’m sorry that this time I didn’t spend time with you like I should have. We should have known that he’d find us, that he wouldn’t forget. All that time apart from you both, living in a different country, and for what, for nothing.’
Lenny bowed her head, her shoulders quivering a little, and Lucine pulled her close. They lay and sobbed together, knowing it might be the last moment they ever spent together.