Chapter Thirty-One #2
Luke shook his head. ‘I found my birth certificate when I was nine, so I knew my birth mother was Irish, and knew Mom’s actually my biological aunt who adopted me. Mom always told me to keep the secret between us. Said it would be easier if no one knew I was adopted.’
‘I didn’t want the witch hunters who killed your parents to know that Molly and David had a son,’ Calista said. ‘It was to protect you.’
Luke nodded, not looking at his mother. ‘Witch hunters. You should have told me this, Mom.’
Calista shook her head. ‘I was so afraid they would come after you. The witch hunters killed several of their friends overseas – other witches fighting for witches’ rights and safety.
They didn’t know Molly and David had a son in Canada.
I knew it was safest if we didn’t live as witches.
’ She sighed. ‘I was only supposed to be in Moonbeam Hollow with you temporarily while your parents were in Ireland. I had just finished culinary school in France. But after they died, I stayed here with you. I gave up magic and chose not to tell you what we are to protect you. My older sister had already left the area, and my parents had moved to an old witches’ home in Romania by then. So, I raised you alone here.’
No one said anything for a while. Blair squeezed Luke’s hand. What a heartbreaking story. But it was something else she and Luke had in common – both had parents killed by witch hunters.
‘There are old witches’ homes?’ Belinda asked. Blair was surprised to learn this information, too.
But Calista was still looking at Luke. ‘I should have told you when you were old enough to understand. I regretted it so many times. But after keeping this from you for so long, I didn’t know how to tell you.’
Luke blinked. It seemed like he wasn’t quite ready to forgive his mother – yet.
‘I always got the feeling that you didn’t approve of me and Luke being together,’ Blair said. ‘It’s because you knew I was a witch, right?’
Calista nodded. ‘I knew your whole family were witches. In fact, your parents moved to Moonbeam Hollow because of my brother. He’d met them years earlier while travelling in Zanzibar, and when he learned that they needed to leave East Africa for safety, he offered to help them get settled here. We were all friends.’
That was exactly what Blair had asked Bianca to find for the Briarwoods – someone far away to help them get settled in a new place.
Blair wished she’d known this. The part that hurt was this meant there was a witch, Calista, in Moonbeam Hollow who knew that Blair, Belinda and Bianca were three young witches who’d lost their parents.
Calista knew how alone they were, and she might have been able to help them.
Even help them continue their witchcraft practice.
‘I don’t remember you being friends with our parents,’ Blair said.
Calista nodded. ‘Another thing I regret. Your parents were lovely people, but after David and Molly died, I told them I was going to stop practising witchcraft and wouldn’t associate with any witches to make sure Luke was safe.
They understood. They had a baby by then, too.
You. They would have done the same for you, if necessary.
I was devastated when they both passed so young.
’ She exhaled. ‘Too many have died. I wanted to protect you. Both of you.’
Blair had a lot of complicated feelings about this, and she’d need some time to tease through it all.
Luke squeezed Blair’s hand and she squeezed his back.
What was remarkable was that Blair, Belinda and Bianca were born in Moonbeam Hollow because of Luke’s parents’ kindness.
Their parents had been close. Was it any wonder that Blair and Luke would eventually find their way to each other?
‘I’m sorry, Blair,’ Calista said. ‘And sorry to you Bianca and Belinda, too. I was protecting my son, but I should have been there for you after your parents died.’
‘Did you know there was a vengeful spirit here when you decided to open the bakery?’ Bianca asked from the passenger seat.
‘No,’ Calista said. ‘Not until I arrived in town yesterday. Luke hadn’t mentioned the strange things happening—’
‘I didn’t want to worry you right before you moved,’ Luke said.
‘I knew something wasn’t right the moment I got here. The cats gave it away.’
Kass meowed loudly from Bianca’s lap.
‘The stray cats?’ Blair asked. Her and her sisters had seen stray cats in Moonbeam Hollow so many times since the fall equinox, and they still hadn’t figured out what they meant.
Calista shook her head. ‘They aren’t stray cats. They’re guardians. They appear when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its thinnest. Think of them like protectors, keeping spirits out of our physical world. Not everyone can see them.’
‘If they’re protectors, then why has Hecate been able to cross into the physical world?’ Blair asked.
Calista shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’ She sighed. ‘Maybe the cats are the reason there is only one vengeful spirit. From what I understand there were a lot of witches murdered before the town was incorporated. When did the strange occurrences start?’
‘Fall equinox,’ Bianca said.
Calista exhaled long. ‘It’s easiest for spirits to breach the veil when days and nights are equal. It also probably has something to do with the fact that it’s been one hundred years. Witches love nice round numbers. I’ll bet that Hecate was killed on fall equinox one hundred years ago.’
‘We’re here.’ Belinda turned into the parking lot on the festival grounds.
Blair still had so many questions, and Luke probably had even more, but it was time to stop Hecate.
It seemed like the parking lot was even more full than it had been when they left. There was no way they were going to find a spot anywhere close to the entrance. But if they ended up in the far side of the lot again, it could be ten minutes or more to walk to the actual festival grounds.
‘Just double park!’ Bianca yelled while Belinda drove slowly through the first two rows of cars without finding a free space.
‘That’s illegal,’ Belinda snapped back. ‘I’ve never had a parking ticket, unlike you, and I don’t plan to get my first on Halloween.’
‘Why do you think I’ve had a parking ticket?’ Bianca said, annoyed. ‘I don’t even own a car!’
‘Yeah, but when you borrowed—’
‘Stop!’ Blair yelled. She got a text. It was Agatha, telling her that she would meet them at the entrance to the festival.
She said someone had heard thunder, and that heavy winds had ruined three vendor booths so far.
It was 6:15 – they had five, maybe ten minutes before sundown.
‘Belinda, leave the car anywhere. Agatha’s waiting for us. ’
Belinda stopped her car as close to the entrance as she could, blocking in two cars in the process. As soon as the car was in park, Blair jumped out, holding the tote bag of supplies. Luke was close behind her.
Blair wished she could see inside Luke’s mind right now.
What must he be thinking? She had no doubt that he still loved Blair, even after everything he’d learned in the last thirty minutes, but what would happen when this chaos and adrenaline wore off?
Would he think the Briarwoods and his mother had all lost their minds?
Would he decide to walk away from all these complications he didn’t ask for?
Technically, Blair had no idea what witch powers Luke had, if he had any at all.
What if the blackthorn extract was wrong?
Maybe it had been in the fridge too long and smelled bad because it had actually spoiled.
If Luke wasn’t a witch, then the summoning circle would fail.
And actually, even if he was a witch they could still fail, because he had never done anything like this before.
But they had to succeed. Hecate wanted to destroy the festival – and after what she did to the bakery, it was clear she was capable of doing a lot of damage.
Blair could already smell Hecate’s power in the air – that earthy blend of ozone and soil that she last detected when Hecate destroyed the bakery.
They needed to start this summoning circle – and soon.
The prophecy said trust must be earned again – this was their only chance to earn Hecate’s trust.
When they finally got to the festival’s entrance, Agatha and Raj were there, waiting for them.
‘You brought the Caldwells?’ Agatha asked, confused. ‘How are they going to stop this . . . Is it your power shots? Or—’
‘We need to do a ritual in a circle,’ Blair said. She was well aware that they were outing themselves as witches by saying this, but they had no choice. At that moment a large gust of wind came, sending the banner at the gate flying. The volunteers at the entry table chased after it.
Agatha nodded. ‘Understood. Do you have candles?’
Um, did Agatha know they were witches? No one said anything.
‘Do you have supplies?’ Agatha asked again. ‘What do you need from us?’
‘A hard surface,’ Bianca said. ‘Big enough to make a three-metre circle. Not grass or gravel. Stone or wood works best.’
That was going to be hard to find – the festival itself was on a field, and the parking lot was gravel.
‘The stage?’ Raj suggested.
Blair looked toward the festival stage in the distance.
It was made of wood decking, and it was definitely big enough for a circle.
It was where they gave out the Best Of prizes at the end of the festival, like the biggest pumpkin, and best pie competitions.
It was where Luke beat Blair for best Halloween costume when they were sixteen.
But the stage was . . . open. Not private at all. By design, of course. It was literally the focal point of the festival. Everyone here would see them.
‘The stage will work,’ Calista said.
Agatha spoke into her walkie-talkie, telling someone to clear everything off the stage, and that they were on the way there. ‘Alright, let’s go,’ Agatha said rushing them toward the stage.