Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
Lenny sat up straight and glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Almost eleven. Sephy put down her glass and watched her sister.
‘What is it?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I just got a full body shiver. Almost as if someone is meddling with magic. Someone that shouldn’t be.’
Sephy snorted. ‘Lenny, it’s October in Salem, Massachusetts.
I can guarantee there are a whole lot of people meddling in magic that have no right to be.
Do you know how many tourists there were in the city today, flooding the shops, buying tarot decks, spell kits, poppets and whatever else they could get their hands on? ’
Lenny shook her head. ‘That’s not it, this is bigger.’
‘Bigger than a collective of people who are playing around with forces they can’t handle because they think they’re now witches after being here and buying stuff?’
‘Yes. Bigger than the tourists, but I can’t put my finger on it. Can you not feel it? Something is off.’
‘Maybe when the vodka and wine wears off I will. What do you want to do about it?’
‘Nothing, what can I do? It’s just my sixth sense working overtime, I’m sure it’s fine.’
Lenny smiled at her sister. She didn’t want to worry her about something she wasn’t sure about just yet, but deep inside of her chest Lenny knew they should be worried.
Dora had left them to go and meet Ambrose, so it was the two of them and Ophelia the cat. Hades had retreated to his favourite oak tree in the garden still pruning his singed feathers.
It was Sephy who asked, ‘Is it Corwin? Is that what you can feel? Please, Goddess Hecate I hope not, we have endured enough of that brute for all our lifetimes.’
‘No, I don’t think it is. Although this does feel dark, darker than most of us.’
‘Well, let Clara handle it. Give that old witch something to get her teeth into and maybe she’ll leave us alone for a bit.’
Lenny laughed. ‘You know Clara is going to be watching our every movement, don’t you, waiting for one of us to fuck up.’
‘She can watch all she likes. Tomorrow I’m going to resume Dora’s magic lessons. She has had enough time to grieve and process what happened that night with you know who.’
‘Do you think that’s wise if Clara is watching?’
‘It’s precisely the reason why. If that old witch has nothing better to do, she can waste her time spying on us.
Besides we both know she’s jealous. She has no one in her life to share it with, has alienated just about every possible friendship she could have with her superior attitude.
Clara was the heart of this town at one point, she used to be nice, I don’t know what has happened to her over the years, but to say she hasn’t aged like a fine wine is an understatement.
I think she turned sour when the love of her life left her for another witch.
She never talks about it, and he really did do the dirty on her by sneaking around with her best friend Tabitha.
When Clara found out about it, she had a complete meltdown.
At one point I used to feel sorry for her, but then she turned her heartbreak into resolve and decided to monitor all witches closely…
too closely. I am pretty sure she turned Tabitha and Solomon into birds or mice, as they were never heard from again.
It was as if they’d just disappeared into the ether.
After that she set about enforcing the rules that she expects us all to abide by, yet I think she’s the biggest hypocrite of us all.
It’s only because Arnie and Brandon are so sweet that they still do her bidding.
We could overthrow her position as the leader of the witch’s council if we wanted to in a heartbeat. ’
‘Would you want to do that?’ Lenny asked.
‘No, I would not, I couldn’t think of anything worse. I’m merely mentioning that we could if we wanted to.’
‘Sephy, you’re drunk. Go to bed.’
Sephy giggled. ‘I am drunk and yes, I am going to bed.’ She stood up, wobbled a little towards the doorway then turned back to stare at Lenny. ‘I love you, Lenora, and I miss Lucine dreadfully, but I’m so glad that Dora is back home where she belongs. Thank you for making that happen.’
Lenny waved her hand in Sephy’s direction. ‘Definitely drunk, you get too soppy when you drink that much. Get to bed.’
Sephy blew her a kiss then wobbled her way to the stairs, Ophelia close on her heels.
Lenny whispered, ‘I love you too, Sephy,’ quiet enough that only the cat heard it. She turned around and made eye contact with Lenny, then let out a loud purr as if to say she agreed wholeheartedly with her.