Chapter 21 #2
They started walking. At the edge of the trees, he stopped her. “Close your eyes,” he said.
She did.
“Listen,” he added.
“I don’t have my magic.”
“You don’t need it.”
She stilled. Something tugged at her. Not physically, just a sense of direction.
“We’re not supposed to go back to the mansion,” she said.
“I got the same feeling,” Duke replied.
She opened her eyes and looked toward the deep woods. “Of course we’re going in there.”
“We don’t have to, but one thing an occult librarian learns is to follow where ‘intuition’ leads.”
Victoria shrugged and faced the dark woods. “Okay, I’m game, but I should tell you, I’m not as comfortable with the unknown as you are. I’m a helicopter pilot. My life could depend on knowing exactly where I am and where I’m going.”
“I understand.” Duke squeezed her hand. “If we feel like we’re being led astray, we can turn around at any time.”
She relaxed a little. “Okay. That makes sense. I trust you.”
The woods felt full of mystery and danger. The two of them proceeded cautiously, alert and ready to react to any hazard that might appear. Now and then, Victoria would stop and listen for clues from the elements. She could feel the wind whispering encouragement, and the trees murmuring warnings.
The light dimmed almost immediately. The air cooled.
Victoria moved carefully, stopping now and then, letting that faint pull guide her.
About an hour later, they reached a clearing.
She stopped.
“I know this place.”
Duke scanned the area. “It feels familiar?”
“Like I’ve been here before,” she said. “Or seen it somewhere.”
He nodded. “Then we’re close.”
They moved on to the top of a ridge. Glancing down the other side revealed a lake.
Sunlight broke through the clouds, catching the surface and turning it into a wide, shimmering expanse.
Victoria felt it immediately. “She’s here.”
Duke agreed. They followed the shoreline. The lake was a vast expanse of blue, like a sapphire that stretched on for miles. In places, the water rippled and glistened.
Even though it was calm and peaceful for the most part, there was some kind of energy humming under the surface. Victoria knew immediately that this was the place. “I know she’s here,” she said. “I can feel it.” She glanced all around, wondering if they were being watched.
Duke nodded, and the two of them steeled themselves before heading into the unknown.
They made their way around the lake, their senses guiding them. The sun shone brightly on the water, and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shoreline filled the air. The damp grass tickled their legs as they walked, and the scent of wildflowers perfumed the air.
Although they were both determined to bring the woman back to the mansion, they were also both dreading the confrontation that was sure to come.
The lake seemed to go on forever, but eventually, they reached a place where the reeds grew thicker near the shore and an unnatural stillness seemed to convey that they should stop.
Duke and Victoria stepped down to the lake's shoreline, their senses guiding them.
The sun was high in the sky, its warmth radiating off the lake's surface, and they could smell the freshness of the lake's water.
Victoria took a deep breath and let it out.
“I wish we could just be here for a picnic and enjoy the day.”
“But we have to focus on the task at hand.” Duke's eyes scanned the lake as he listened for any sign of the woman they were searching for.
He could hear the birds chirping in the trees and the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.
He looked over at Victoria and saw the determination in her eyes.
“How long could you hold your breath underwater—in your other body?”
“Seven minutes.” Victoria grabbed Duke's hand, and they kept their eyes peeled for any sign of the woman. Then… A splash. Movement in the water.
“There,” Victoria said, pointing.
A tall woman dragged in a breath and struggled to stay underwater, so the two of them quickly waded into the lake and grabbed her before she could swim away. They dragged her to the shore, kicking and screaming.
“Trying to hide like 'The Lady of the Lake'. Really?” Victoria said to her own body.
Talking to her double was bizarre.
The woman who looked like Victoria after a shower struggled in the water, trying to stay submerged.
Too late. Duke grabbed her. Victoria moved behind the woman, locking her arms in place, while Duke grabbed her legs, cutting off movement.
The fight was brief. Duke murmured something, and the woman went as limp as her hair. They dragged her to shore, then Victoria looked down at her own face.
“This is surreal,” she said.
Duke adjusted his position and lifted the unconscious woman over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Victoria felt a wave of relief wash over her as they reached the mansion.
She knew that she and Duke had done what they’d set out to do.
She could almost feel her body starting to return to her.
Already she felt taller! Glancing down, however, she was still looking at short legs. It must be wishful thinking.
At the mansion, the witches secured the woman to Victoria’s four-poster bed with silk scarves.
Duke prepared to leave again to bring back the final ingredient… The corpse plant.
Victoria watched him go, then turned to the others. “Thanks for the assist, everyone. I never thought we’d get here. So much has happened.” She was relieved that Duke was gone, in a way. She had so much to tell her L.A.W. sisters—privately.
The witches were celebrating Samhain the following night, the feast honoring their ancestors, the bounty of the last harvest, and the beginning of the pagan new year.
It would be a typical Wiccan ritual with all the witches of the L.A.W.
in attendance. Hopefully, they would have everything they’d need to incorporate her body-switching spell into the circle of power. Then it couldn’t fail.
After relaxing and catching up for the remainder of the day, Victoria confessed to her wonderful friends how her feelings for Duke had grown. It was beyond gratitude. Beyond admiration. She was scared it might be love.
Rayna groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, no.”
“Another one bites the dust,” Lioness said, perkily.
The witches offered to take turns and make sure that the thief who looked like Victoria was safe and secure.
The group stayed up late, talking about their experiences and discussing the spell.
As the night wore on, they decided on a plan to make the woman relax.
They would purposely foster a sense of belonging and comfort with the witches to better understand what happened from the other woman’s point of view.
Villains always think they’re in the right.
What went into this woman’s decision to ‘steal’ another person’s life?
The following evening, the lawn behind the mansion didn’t so much host a ritual as become one.
Lanterns flickered to life along the perimeter, their glow catching on low-hanging branches and turning the whole place into something halfway between a sacred fairy grove and a very exclusive outdoor party.
The grass had that crisp, late-autumn crunch underfoot. Breath showed in faint puffs.
Magda, Sahara, Joell, Crystal, Lioness, Brianna, Rayna, and Victoria took their places in a loose circle while a very disgruntled Rosa remained tied to Victoria’s four-poster bed.
Somewhere above them, Brianna’s owl let out a sharp hoot, like it was thinking, “You’re late…”
“Noted,” Brianna muttered, glancing up. “We’ll be spooky on schedule next time.”
Crowe moved at the edge of the clearing, a sleek shadow that caught the lanternlight just enough to remind the world he was not decorative.
He paused, sniffed the air, then continued his patrol with the quiet confidence of someone who had learned to break bones.
Joell trained him, after all. If Duke showed up hauling that corpse plant, Crowe would smell him coming and let him through.
Joell watched him for half a second, a faint smirk tugging at her mouth. “He’s in a mood.”
“He’s always in a mood,” Crystal said.
“Yes,” Joell replied. “But tonight it’s leftover from when he was my black cat.”
“Ah, yes. You always put him on lockdown during Samhain.”
“Idiots capturing black cats for nefarious purposes should be shot.”
“And would have been with your cute little Derringer,” Lioness quipped.
The other witches’ snickers filled the circle until Sahara stepped forward, and the noise died without anyone being told to shut up. She didn’t need to. Something about the way she held herself pulled the others taut.
“Circle, casting,” she said calmly.
Hands lifted. Everyone took three deep pranic breaths, picturing the air flowing from above their heads through the soles of their feet, into the earth, and back again to connect to the sky.
As energy flowed through them, the world outside the ring softened, blurred at the edges as if it had politely agreed to mind its own business.
Sahara walked the perimeter, her wand tracing an invisible line that didn’t stay invisible for long. The air shimmered blue in her wake, a faint distortion, like heat over pavement.
By the time she returned to her place, the circle was cast. Victoria felt the safety of the circle settled behind her, a quiet presence.
Magda crouched beside the cauldron and struck a match.
The flare snapped bright in the darkness before the flame took hold of the kindling.
Wood caught with a low crackle, and soon the fire was alive, licking the underside of the iron pot.
The scent of burning wood curled into the night, warm and grounding.
The first chant started low, almost conversational, then layered as the others joined in. Voices braided together, some steady, some musical, some a little too enthusiastic, but all of them anchored in the same rhythm.
The ground seemed to thrum. Or maybe that was Victoria’s pulse. Hard to tell anymore.