Time Witch - Part #23
Recap: In 1910, Evangeline, Samuel & Charles are trying to decide how to approach the Coven when a woman steps out of the shadows of the library and announcers she’s a witch.
LINKS: The Beginning, Last Part (#22), Time Witch page
“I come in peace.”
The self-proclaimed witch wore a simple blue dress that fell just above her ankle as if she’d stepped away from working in the garden. Taking off a bonnet, she released the faintest shower of sparkling dust. It glittered in the air around her, slowly fluttering to the floor, vanishing. The action also revealed rich, red hair. A uniquely vibrant red that instantly reminded Evangeline of a Coven member from her time: Nixie. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were related, which would mean they were about to meet an original Coven member.
The witch tilted her head to the side, curious. “The shock on your faces is quite remarkable,” she commented. “You sent out a rather unique calling card, yet expected none to respond? We assumed it was an invitation.”
“You felt the earthquake, too?” Evangeline asked.
The woman’s chuckle came with no reproof. “I’m quite sure the whole county felt the trembles, along with some cracks in their ceilings.”
Evangeline stepped forward, hoping to set the right tone. “I’m Evangeline Moss, and I believe I have met your descendant.”
“Descendant?” It was the woman’s turn to show surprise.
Realizing that the 1910 Coven would have no idea about her abilities, the tunnel, or that she’d come from the future, Evangeline felt her stomach drop. Oh no! Rookie mistake! Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything but lean into the error. “Right, you don’t know about me.”
“She has arrived from the future.” Charles moved to refill his mug, but the cider bottle was empty. “Oh.”
“A time witch?” the woman asked.
“I’m not a witch,” Evangeline said, feeling like a broken record.
“Did my descendant welcome you?” the witch asked, a slight smile on her lips. The expression was more humoring, as if faced by a child’s wild tale.
Evangeline shrugged. “Not as I’d hoped, but she was probably on a mission from the Coven, and none of them understood that I wanted to help. How about you?”
The witch considered her answer, taking a moment to study the library’s blank interior. She took it all in, from the bare walls to the picnic blanket. Her curiosity, however, focused on the brothers.
“The Covington-Yorks usually have more to say,” the witch teased. “How have you silenced them, my dear?”
Evangeline bit her lip. The men hadn’t done much to intervene. That can’t be normal, she thought, certainly not for men of the day. It had to be hard to silently stand by.
“I think they’re being polite,” Evangeline guessed.
Samuel bowed his head. Charles winked.
“I see,” the witch said, appearing to be charmed.
“I know of you, Miss Starlight St. Clair,” Charles said, introducing the woman in a backhanded kind of way. “You are most welcome to join us if I have anything to say on the matter.”
The witch gave a slight curtsey in thanks. “I also offer welcome and will bring you to the Coven if you wish.”
“An offer for Evangeline or for the whole party?” Samuel asked. He tried to sound neutral, but his expression said otherwise, as if he’d intervene. His whole body language said he’d act fast if the woman expected to spirit Evangeline away.
Starlight returned his bow. “The welcome extends to all present. However, it must be this very day. The Coven awaits you.”
Evangeline glanced back at Samuel, and he nodded.
“No time like the present, I always say,” Charles agreed, without waiting to read the room.
Evangeline laughed. “As you must have heard, we also want to meet your sisters of the craft.”
The label brought a curve of pleasure to Starlight’s lips. “And so it shall be.”
“Best view in Baxter Creek!”
Standing on the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Charles Covington-York stated the obvious. He probably didn’t know what else to say since the location was an unlikely spot to meet with the mysterious Coven.
Evangeline, Samuel, and Starlight stared at the same view, but none commented. A tension had developed, as they drew closer to the cliffs. It dampened the mood.
“What do you know of the Coven?” Starlight asked. “Our Coven, not the one of your future time.”
With a sideways glance at Samuel, Evangeline decided to stick with the truth. “It’s not like a hundred and fourteen years has suddenly made witchcraft a common hobby.”
“Hobby?” Starlight made a face.
“A hundred and fourteen years?” Charles practically choked on the time span. “Samuel spoke of a future time, but I could hardly have imagined it being so vastly ahead. Egad! Tell me, did the Wright brothers ever perfect flight?”
“They did,” Evangeline said.
“Astounding!” Charles put a hand on his heart, truly moved. “Have you flown?”
Struck by his excitement, Evangeline had to answer, even if they were in a bit of a hurry. “I have. People fly every day.”
For a second, it appeared that Charles couldn’t breathe. He grabbed her arm. “By golly, every day?”
Samuel gave his brother a withering look. “Not now, Charles.”
“Flight?” Starlight was equally impressed. “I have not seen such magic.”
Evangeline turned back to the witch. “It’s not magic,” she admitted, “it’s science. Most people don’t believe in witches other than as interesting fictional characters. I think they’d like to know magic exists, but it is as hidden in my time as it is in yours. Probably for the same reasons.”
Starlight nodded.
“Why have you brought us to this location?” Samuel asked, a hint of suspicion in the question.
Starlight took in the view again. It seemed to calm her. “We are taking a great risk in bringing you here, although I would have thought the Covington-Yorks would have more knowledge of us. Your family is part of the pact.”
Evangeline snapped her fingers. “The Wedding Pact?”
“Wedding?” Starlight said the word with distaste. “Nothing of that nature, I assure you. The Coven, however, made an agreement with the founding families. A mutually agreeable arrangement, offering prosperity and safety for all.”
Charles made a rude sound.
“What my brother means,” Samuel interpreted, “is that we know there is an agreement. Our ancestors, however, felt the terms were better unspoken. Only respect for the Coven’s privacy and distance between all parties was passed down to us. They thought the details were better forgotten to protect what was forged.”
The wind along the bluff picked up. It tousled their hair and pulled at their clothes. Having changed into the unfamiliar dress, Evangeline felt the wind drag at the material. She didn’t think she could stand there too long, not if the wind intensified. The dress almost felt like a sail; if the wind were strong enough, it would launch her into the air.
“The unspoken must end today,” Starlight said. She pointed to the face of the bluff.
Charles leaned forward, unsure of what she meant. “I care little for venturing closer to the edge.”
“We have counted on that fact for several generations,” Starlight said. With a quick smile, she strode toward the bluff’s edge as if it extended six feet beyond the point of no return.
“My dear, take care!” Charles shouted.
Samuel started forward, and Evangeline gasped, equally alarmed. Their warnings, however, did not stop Starlight. She waved her hand in a slight arc and took a nimble step into thin air. Amazingly, her foot landed on the first step of a stairway chiseled into the cliffside.
Starlight turned back to enjoy their surprise. “Magic,” she whispered.
The other three walked forward. Their strides were not as confident, but they reached the top of the stairs and took in the full effect. A flight of steps led downward. They were part of the rocky cliff, hugging it all the way to the protected cove below. Waves crashed against the shore as if it had been untouched by a human soul since the beginning of time. Looks, however, were deceiving.
“If you want to meet the Coven,” Starlight said, “follow me.” Without any further explanation, she headed down the staircase. Her steps made a soft ping-ping.
“Gracious!” Charles laughed. “A truly amazing day, indeed! Dare we follow?”
“Dare we not?” Samuel asked.
With a nod of agreement from Evangeline, Charles took a tentative step onto the rocky stairway. The first one held solid, but he still took his time. The steps were deep, and there wasn’t a railing. He kept a hand on the rugged cliff but reached the other out into nothing to keep his balance. The yawning drop seemed to pull at him.
“Don’t look at the ocean,” Starlight called. “Eyes on me, and you’ll be fine.”
Charles smirked, clearly not minding to watch her backside. Navigating the tight stairs, however, was more challenging for a broad-shouldered man. The way had clearly been made for women.
Samuel motioned for Evangeline to go next but put a hand on her arm, stalling her descent for a moment. “Are we sure of this alliance?”
“I’m only sure about you,” she said.
Samuel smiled at the compliment.
“Like Charles said, it’s tangible,” Evangeline admitted. “Yet, I feel like I’ve missed something that came before my trip through the tunnel and our meeting.”
“Aye.”
“As with our first meeting not feeling like the first time, this seems familiar,” she admitted.
Samuel smiled. “I must agree that my thoughts of you are well beyond our casual acquaintance.”
“Time is not what we thought,” Evangeline said, glancing down to see that Charles and Starlight had reached the cove. They needed to catch up, but she wanted a moment alone with Samuel. “I’ve had proof that we’ll have—or we had—more time together than seems possible. Time I want, but it doesn’t make any sense.”
“The right way of the world hardly seems to matter anymore.” Samuel wove a finger around a lock of her hair.
Instinct told her she could probably slow time if she tried, just to stand next to him a little longer. She wanted to try.
A shout sounded from below. It had to be Charles, but neither of them looked.
“I have a memory of a girl with hair like yours,” Samuel said.
Evangeline felt a rush. It could have been more wish than reality, but a matching memory tickled to come out. In her tween years, when her parents bored her with long family trips, there had been a boy. He’d been kind and had brightened an otherwise pointless journey. The usual drama ruined things afterward, so she’d forgotten all the context. But there had been a boy. A few years older.
“Could we have met when we were younger?” Samuel asked. His eyes sought hers. “Is it possible?”
Shaking her head, Evangeline couldn’t be sure about the boy or when she’d met him, but she hoped it was true. “Perhaps we’ve both been waiting a long time to meet again. It’s a mystery.”
“We will figure it out together,” Samuel promised.
For the briefest of seconds, she touched her fingers to his lips, sealing the vow.
“Whatever happens below,” Evangeline looked down toward the cove, “I’m determined to find out two things.”
Samuel leaned in so she could lower her voice. Even though they were alone on the cliff, with the wind wiping their voices away, the sense of being totally exposed remained. The vast ocean before them witnessed everything.
“First, we must know if the Coven is for us, against us, or neutral,” Evangeline said, already guessing that she wouldn’t like the answer.
Samuel nodded, agreeing.
“Second,” Evangeline said, “We need to find out anything we can about Adas Abernathy. I believe he’s the real danger.”
Thinking it over, Samuel took her hand, reassuring her with the touch. “We shall not leave until both are answered, but we will face the darkness together, even if the Coven offers no help.”
The Coven… Evangeline knew they had answers, but if she’d learned anything from her encounter with Nixie, it was that the Coven could not be trusted. There were rules, and she’d broken them. Consequences could reach all the way back to 1910.
She put on a brave face for Samuel. “Let’s go meet these witches!”
Talk about walking into the lion's den for answers! Dang!