Blood Witch Read online

  The last thread was a woodier scent, less familiar and also less pretty. It was a low-growing, crinkle-leafed plant, with slender stalks of miniature flowers. I crushed some of the leaves in my hand and smelled them. It was earthy and different, almost unpleasant. But intertwined with the other three scents, it made a beautifully balanced whole: it added strength to their sweetness and tempered the pungent odor of the ginger.

  "I want to say skullcap," I said tentatively. "But I'm not sure what that is." I opened my eyes to find David watching me. "Very good," he said with a nod. "Very good indeed. Skullcap is a perennial. Its flowering stems help diminish tension."

  By now the tea had cooled a bit, and I took a sip. I didn't notice the actual flavors so much; I was more aware of drinking the different essences, allowing them to warm me and infuse me with their qualities of healing, soothing, and calming. I perched on a stool next to the counter. But then, without warning, all the unsettled aspects of my life crept up and made me feel like I was suffocating again. Matt and Jenna, Sky and Bree and Raven, Hunter, being Woodbane, Mary K. and Bakker ... it was overwhelming. The only thing that was going right was Cal. "Sometimes I feel like I don't know anything," I heard myself blurt out. "I just want things to be straightforward. But things and people have all these different layers. As soon as you learn one, then another pops up, and you have to start all over again." "The more you learn, the more you need to learn" David agreed calmly. “That's what life is. That's what Wicca is. That's what you are.” I looked at him. "What do you mean?" "You thought you knew yourself, and then you found out one thing and then another thing. It changes the whole way you see yourself and see others in relation to you." He sounded very matter-of-fact.

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  "You mean, one does these things or me in particular?" I asked carefully. Outside, the weak afternoon sun gave up its struggle and faded behind a bank of gray clouds. I could make out the hulking shape of Das Boot, parked in front of the store entrance, and I saw that it was already covered by at least an inch of snow and tiny rocks of ice. "Everyone is like that," he said with a smile, "but I was speaking of you in particular." I blinked, not quite understanding. David had once said that I was a witch who pretended not to be a witch.

  "Do you still think I pretend that I'm not a witch?" I asked. He didn't seem concerned that I knew what he had said. "No." He hesitated, forming his thoughts. He looked up at me, his dark eyes steady. "It's more that you don't present yourself clearly because you aren't yet sure who you are, what you are. I've known I'm a witch my whole life— thirty-two years. And I've also always known—" He paused again, as if making up his mind. Then he said quietly, "I'm a Burnhide. It's not only who I am, it's what I am. I'm the same thing on the inside as I am on the outside. You're different in that you've only recently discovered—" "That I'm Woodbane?" I interrupted. He gazed at me. "I was about to say, discovered you're a witch at all. But now you know you're Woodbane. You've hardly begun to discover what this means to you, so it's almost impossible for you to project what it should mean to others."

  I nodded. He was beginning to make sense. "Alyce once told me that you and she were both blood witches, but you didn't know your clans. But you're a Burnhide?" "Yes. The Burnhides settled mostly in Germany. My family was from there. We've always been Burnhides. Among most blood witches your clan is considered a private matter, So many people lost all knowledge of their house that nowadays most people say they don't know their clan until they know someone well enough."

  I felt pleased that he had trusted me. "Well, I'm Woodbane," I said awkwardly. David grinned without prejudice. "It's good to know what you are," he said. "The more you know, the more you know."

  I laughed at that and drank my tea. "Are there any ways to really identify the clans?" I asked after a moment "I read that Leapvaughns tend to have red hair."

  "It's not incredibly reliable," David answered. The phone rang, and he cocked his head for a moment, concentrating, then didn't answer it. In the back room I heard the answering machine pick it up. "For example, lots of Burnhides have dark eyes, and lots of them tend to go gray early." He gestured to his own silvery hair. "But that doesn't mean every dark-eyed, gray-haired person is a Burnhide nor that all Burnhides look like this." Page 69

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  I had a sudden thought. "What about this?" I asked, and pulled up my shirt to show him the birthmark on my side, under my right arm. My need to know outweighed my embarrassment. "Yeah, the Woodbane athame," David said matter-of-factly. "Same thing. Not all of you have them."

  It was somehow shocking to hear so casually that I had been marked this way my whole life, marked with the symbol of a clan, and that I had never known. "What about... the International Council of Witches?" I asked, my brain following a series of thoughts.

  The brass bells over the door jangled, and two girls about my age came in. Without deliberately deciding to, I sent out my senses and picked up the fact that they seemed nonmagickal: just girls. They walked through the store slowly, whispering and laughing, looking at all the merchandise. "It's an independent council," David said softly. "It's designed to represent all the modern clans—there are hundreds and hundreds who aren't affiliated with any of the seven houses. Its main function is to monitor and sometimes punish the illegitimate use of magick . . . magick used to gain power over others, for example, or to interfere with others without their knowledge or agreement. Magick used to harm."

  I frowned. "So they're sort of like the Wicca police." David raised his eyebrows. "There are those who see the council that way, certainly." "How do they know if someone is using magick for the wrong reasons?" I asked. Behind us the girls had left the book aisle and were now oohing and aahing over the many beautiful handmade candles the store stocked, I waited to hear them come across the penis-shaped candles. "Oh my God," whispered one, and I grinned. "There are witches within the council who specifically ] look for people like that," David explained. "We call them Seekers. It's their job to investigate claims of dark magick or misuse of power." "Seekers?" I said.

  "Yeah. Wait a second. I can tell you more about them." David ducked out from the counter and headed down the book aisle. He paused for a moment in front of a shelf, then chose an old, worn volume and pulled it out. He was already thumbing through pages when he got back to me. "Here," he said. "Listen to this."

  I stared at him as he began to read, sipping my tea. "'I am sad to say that there are those who do not agree with the wisdom and purpose of the High Council. Some clans exist who wish to remain separate, secretive, and insulated from their peers. Certainly no one could fault a clan for guarding private knowledge. We all agree that a clan's spells, history, and rituals are their province alone. But we have seen in these modern times that it is wise to join together, to share as much as we can, to create a society in which we can fully participate and celebrate with others of our own kind. This is the purpose of the International Community of Witches.'" Page 70

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  He paused for a moment and glanced at me. "That sounds like a good thing," I said. "Yes," he said, but there was an odd tone in his voice. His eyes flashed back down to the page. "'One cannot help but question those who refuse to participate, who work against this goal and use magick that the council has decried. In the past such apostasy was the undoing of countless numbers. There is little strength in being alone and little joy in unsanctified magick. That is why we have Seekers."' There was something about the way he said seekers that gave me a chill. "And what do they do, exactly?" I pressed.

  '"Seekers are council members who have been selected to find witches who have strayed beyond our bounds,'" he continued." 'If they discover witches who are actively working against the council, working to harm themselves or others, then they have been given license to take ac
tion against them. It is better that we police our own, from within, before the rest of the world chooses once again to police us from without' " David closed the book and looked at me again. "Those are the words of Birgit Fallon O'Roark She was high priestess of the High Council from the 1820s to the 1860s." My tea was starting to get cold. I finished it all in a big gulp and placed the mug on the counter. "What do the Seekers do if they find the witches working against the council?” I asked. “Usually they put binding spells on them,”said David, looking troubled. His voice sounded strained, as if the words themselves were painful to say. “So they can't use their magick anymore. There are things you can do, certain herbs or minerals that you can make them ingest...and then can no longer get in touch with their inner magick.”

  A cold wind seemed to pass over me. My stomach twisted. “Is that bad?”I asked. “It's very bad,”said David emphatically. “To be magickal and not be able to use your magick—it's like suffocating. Like being buried alive. It's enough to make someone lose their mind.” I thought of Maeve and Angus, living in America for years, renouncing their powers. How had they borne it? What had it done to them? I thought about my suffocating dream—how intolerable it had been. Was that what their everyday life had been like for them without Wicca? "But if you're abusing your power, a Seeker will come for you sooner or later," said David, shaking his head, almost as if to himself. His face seemed older, lined with memories didn't think I wanted to know about.

  "Hmmm." Outside it was dark. I wondered who Cal was meeting and if he would call me later. I wondered if Hunter was really from the council. He seemed more like one of the bad witches the council would send a Seeker to track down.

  I wondered if Maeve and the rest of Belwicket had been successful in renouncing the dark side. Would the dark side allow itself to be renounced? "Is there a dark side?" I said the words tentatively, and felt David draw back. "Oh, yes," he said softly. "Yes, there's a dark side." Page 71

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  I swallowed, thinking of Cal. "Someone told me there was no dark side—that all of Wicca was a circle and every, thing was connected to each other, all part of the same thing. That would mean there aren't two different sides, like light and dark," "That's true, too." David sounded thoughtful. "We say bright and dark when talking about magick used for good and magick used for bad, or evil—to give it a common name." "So they're two different things?" I pressed. Slowly David ran his finger around the circular rim of his cup. "Yes. They are different but not opposite. Often they're right next to each other, very similar. It has to do with philosophy and how people interpret actions. It has to do with the spirit of the magick, with will and intent." He glanced up at me and smiled. "It's very complicated. That's why we have to study our whole lifetimes." "But can you say that someone is on the dark side and that they're evil and you should stay away from them?"

  Again David looked troubled. "You could. But it wouldn't be the whole picture. Are there witches who use magick for the wrong purposes? Yes. Are there witches who deliberately hurt others for their own gain? Yes. Should some witches be stopped? Yes. But it usually isn't that simple." It seemed that nothing in Wicca was simple, I thought "Well, I'd better get home," I said, pushing my mug across the counter. "Thanks for the talk. And for the tea." "It was my pleasure," said David. "Please come back any time you need to talk. Sometimes Alyce and I . . . feel concerned about you."

  "Me?" I asked. "Why?"

  A slight smile turned up the corners of David's mouth. "Because you're in the middle of becoming who you will be," he said gently. "It isn't going to be easy. You may need help. So feel free to ask us for it."

  "Thanks," I said again, feeling reassured but still not quite understanding what he meant. With a little wave I left the warmth of Practical Magick and went out to my car. My tires slid a tiny bit as I backed up, but soon I was on the road heading back to Widow's Vale, my headlights illuminating each unique, magickal snowflake.

  14. Scry

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  Litha, Early this morning Uncle Beck and I sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the sun come up, my first sunrise as a witch, and he told me the truth about Mum and Dad. In all the years since they disappeared, I have fought back tears at every turn, telling myself not to give in to childish grief. But today the tears came, and ti's strange, because now I am supposed to be a man. Still, I wept. I wept for them, but mostly for me-for all the anger I have waste. I know now that Uncle Beck had good reasons for keeping the truth from me, that Mum and Dad had to disappear in order to protect me, Linden, and Alwyn. That he's heard from them only once, two years ago. That he hasn't even ever tried to scry for them.

  And I know why.

  And now I also know what to do with myself, where I'm going, what I'll be, and it's funny, because it's all in my name anyway. I am going to hunt down those who ripped my family apart, and I won't stop until I draw Yr on their faces with their blood. -Giomanach

  I was barely two miles from my house when I saw the headlights behind me. First there was nothing, not another car in sight Then I rounded a corner, and suddenly the lights were right there in my rearview mirror, blinding me, filling my car as if it were lit from within. I squinted and flashed my brakes a few times, but whoever it was didn't pass or turn off the brights. The headlights drew closer. I slowed Das Boot, sending the message of "get off my tail," but the other car glued itself to my bumper, tailgating me. Mild road rage started to build. Who could be following me like this? Some practical joker, a jerk kid with his dad's car? I jammed my foot on the gas, but the car sped up as 1 did. The tires skidded slightly as I rounded another corner. The car matched my movement. A prickle of nervousness shot down my spine. My wipers were click-clicking away-matching my pulse—clearing away the falling snow. I couldn't see any other lights on the road. We were alone. Okay. Something was definitely wrong. I'd heard stories about car jackers . . . but I was in a Valiant. No matter how much I loved it, I doubted anyone would try to steal it from me by force, especially not in the middle of a snowstorm. So what was this idiot doing? My eyes shot to the rearview mirror. The headlights bored into my pupils. I blinked, trying to clear my vision of a sea of purple dots. Anger began to turn to fear. I could barely see a thing in the darkness . . nothing except those lights, the lights that seemed to grow in strength with each passing second. But for some reason, I couldn't hear the other car's engine. It was as if— Magick.

  The word slithered into my thoughts like a snake. I bit my lip. Maybe that wasn't a car behind me at all. Maybe those two lights were some manifestation of a magickal force. I had a sudden, vivid memory of Hunter Niall peering under Cal's Explorer, of Cal showing me that rune-inscribed stone. We knew Hunter had tried to use magick on us once already. What if he was doing it again now, to me? Page 73

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  Home, I thought. I just needed to get home. I flipped up my mirror so the light wouldn't blind me. But there was about another mile and a half of road until I made it to my street. That was actually pretty far. "Crap," I muttered, and my voice shook a little. With my right hand I drew signs on my dashboard: Eolh, for protection; Ur, for strength; and Rad, for travel....

  The lights seemed to flash even brighter in my mirror. My left hand jerked involuntarily on the steering wheel. All at once I felt something bumpy under my wheels. Before I knew it, I was sliding sideways out of control into the deep drainage ditch. Goddess! I screamed silently. Fear and adrenaline pierced my body, a slew of invisible arrows. My hands gripped the steering wheel. I had lost control; the tires screeched. Das Boot lurched sideways on an ice slick, like a heavy white glacier.

  The next few seconds unfolded in slow motion. With a sickening crunch the car's nose rammed a pile of ice and snow. I jerked forward and heard the shattering of a headlight Then silence.
The car was no longer moving. But for a few seconds I sat there—paralyzed, unable to move. I was conscious only of my own breathing. It came in quick, uneven gasps. All right I finally said to myself. I'm not hurt. When I lifted my head, I thought I saw the briefest flash of two red taillights, vanishing into the night. My eyes narrowed. So ... it had been a real car after all. With a trembling sigh I turned off the engine. Then I threw open the door and hoisted myself out of the driver's seat—no easy feat considering Das Boot was skewed at a crazy angle. It was hard to concentrate, but I called on my magesight and peered down the road in the direction that the car had disappeared. All I saw, though, were trees, sleeping birds, the faint glow of living nocturnal creatures. The car was gone.

  I leaned against my door, breathing hard, my fists clenched inside my pockets. Even though I was pretty sure those lights hadn't been magickal, the fear didn't subside. Somebody had run me off the road. Das Boot was hopelessly lodged in the ditch. A lump formed in my throat I was on the verge of bursting into tears, shaking like a leaf. What was going on? I remembered the runes I had drawn on the dash right before the wreck, and now I redrew them in the chill air around me. Eolh, Ur, Rad. The brisk movement helped calm me slightly, at least enough for me to try to figure out what to do. Actually, there was pretty much only one option. I had to walk the rest of the way home. I didn't have a cell phone, so I couldn't call anyone for help. And I didn't exactly feel like waiting around in the darkness on this frozen, lonely road all by myself. Heaving open the driver's door again, I fished inside for my backpack and carefully locked Das Boot I shook my head. It was going to be a long, miserable march to my house. But as I heaved the backpack across my shoulder, a flash of dim light illuminated the snowflakes around me, and I heard the faint rumble of a motor. I turned to see a car slowly approaching . . . from the same direction the lights had vanished.