The Curse of Dark Root: Part Two (Daughters of Dark Root Book 4) (24 page)

Dark Root, Oregon

Late July, 2014

Harvest Home

“MAGGIE…”

I rolled onto my side, spooling the blanket around me.

“Maggie Mae…”

The whispers echoed around my bedroom, like raindrops falling into a dozen buckets. I clutched the blankets to my chest as my eyes fell to the rocker. It was unoccupied and mercifully still.

But the whispers continued, growing in volume, until they filled the room like a rampant heartbeat.

Maggie. Maggie. Maggie. MAGGIE!

“Shane!”

The whispers ceased.

I looked around the room, sliding my wand from atop the dresser. It didn’t react. Next, I reached behind me and opened the window, expecting to find his spirit wandering the garden. But all was quiet outside.

“Shane?” I whispered urgently in the dark, trying not to frighten him off. “Where are you?”

The only answer was the hum of the air conditioner and the old pipes rattling in the cellar.

My door began to open, creaking ever so slowly ajar.

My wand brightened... and the baby monitor flashed.

I snatched the monitor. Someone stood over Montana’s crib––a dark figure with gnarled hands, reaching for my son!

I tripped over my blanket as I fought my way out of bed, landing hard on the floor. I reclaimed my footing and scrambled towards the nursery as Michael bounded down the attic stairs and Eve’s door flew open. Without a word, they raced behind me. We all burst into the nursery together. I flipped on the light switch but the room remained dark.

A dark mist hovered beside Montana’s crib. It turned towards me as I bore down upon it. The specter’s hair was a mass of tangles, long and wormlike and slithering. Its eyes were rubies against a black velvet backdrop.

 
Juliana Benbridge!

“Go away!” I commanded, pushing at her. My arm slid, without resistance, into her chest. There was nothing within, only the chill of death.

Michael snatched up Montana while Eve grabbed Mother’s spell book.

I retracted my hand, feeling Juliana’s icy touch wind its way up through my fingers and coiling around my arms.

“What do you want?” I demanded.

My grandmother smiled as her opaque hands reached for her own throat. I understood in that moment that she desperately wanted to tell me something, and I knew we wouldn’t be rid of her until her truth came out.

“Juliana, were you choked?” I asked urgently. “Or hung?”

Her smile wilted. She offered me a pitiable look before melting into thin air, dissipating into the blackness of the room. The temperature rapidly dropped... and moments later, all felt normal again. The overhead light snapped on and the mobile over the crib resumed its slow spin.

Eve’s face was ashen as she studied Mother’s book.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. I couldn’t find a spell in time. But I think I know how to keep that thing out of this house for good now.” There was a fire in my sister’s eyes, a look of rare determination.

I nodded quickly, my chest constricting. “He’s safe now,” I whispered, caressing my son’s tiny fingers.

“What the hell was that thing?” Michael demanded, rocking Montana in his arms.

“Our grandmother.”

“Yes,” Eve agreed. “She was hazy, but it was definitely her.”

Michael laughed uneasily. “Maybe she just came to see her great-grandson?”

“Well, she’ll have to phone ahead next time,” Eve said, her fingers traveling up and down the pages of Mother’s book. “We need to find mushrooms that only grow during a harvest moon, and whiskers from a dead cat. I think we have all the other stuff at the shop.”

“Whiskers from a dead cat?” My stomach soured, remembering the thatch of cat hair in Montana’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Mags. I’ll handle it,” Eve said.

I felt an intense wave of love for my younger sister. “Thank you. I just wish I knew what Juliana wanted. She keeps clutching her throat. Do you think she was murdered?”

“Mom would have known if she was,” Eve attempted to reassure me. “She would have told us.”

I wasn’t so sure. Judging by the globes, there were many stories Mother hadn’t told any of us.

Michael cleared his throat and placed our sleeping son back into his crib. “Maggie, you’re positive this is your grandmother?”

“What do you mean?”

He fingered the cross dangling from the chain around his neck. “There are malevolent entities who hide in the guise of a spirit. An entity masquerading as another entity, if you will.”

“But why?”

Eve looked up from the book and snapped her fingers. “Because demons can only enter homes if they are invited! They know we won’t let them in, so they have to trick us. It says here they do that through falsifying their identities, haunting objects, or slipping through unsealed portals.”

“Like Gahabrian did by following Armand out!”

“Huh?” they both asked at once.

“Nothing.”

“We need to be careful,” Michael cautioned, reaching into the crib to brush Montana’s cheek. “If it’s not safe in Dark Root, we’ll move somewhere that is.”

“There’s no safe place, Michael. Don’t you get it?” I stepped into the lit hall and beckoned them to join me. “You of all people should know that. You built Woodhaven, thinking it would keep us safe, but all it did was keep us fearful.”

“Sounds a lot like Dark Root,” he argued.

“But I feel more in control here. I have my family here. We wouldn’t have that anywhere else.”

“She’s right,” Eve agreed, slamming the book shut. “I’ve seen what Maggie can do to someone when she’s pissed. She harnesses a lot of power from this place.”

Michael rubbed his temples and blinked his eyes. “I have no doubt that Maggie can handle herself against anything human; it’s the inhuman things I worry about.” He looked me over with tired eyes. “But I know how stubborn you are, and I know you’re not going to leave this town because of one spirit encounter.”

I almost laughed. If one spirit encounter was all it took to get me out of Dark Root, I would have left months ago. I slumped against the wall while Eve returned the spell book to the nursery bookcase.

Speaking only to Michael, I whispered, “So you think a demon is pretending to be my dead grandmother?”

“I didn’t say demon––Eve did. I said malevolent entity. And yes, it’s a possibility.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “Since when do you know so much about malevolent entities and demons? You’re starting to sound like Aunt Dora and Jillian now.”

“I’m a man of the cloth, my dear. Or at least I was, until my fall from grace.”

“Was it a fall, Michael? Because you told me that you were pushed.”

He sighed deeply, and just for a moment I felt bad. For all his preachy ways, he really did believe in what he was doing. And he was just trying to look out for our son.

“I’m sorry,” I said, as Eve returned.

She shook her head as she caught the tail end of our conversation.

“I’m sorry but I can’t listen to the whole Good Witch, Bad Witch thing right now. I’m going to get coffee.” She marched down the hall, her long braid swinging defiantly behind her as she tightened the belt of her robe.

“I’m coming too,” I called after Eve. Then, turning to Michael, “Are you staying with Montana tonight or should I?”

“I got him. Go spend time with your sister. I won’t let him out of my sight.”

“Thank you.” In the space between our words, I felt a connection with him I hadn’t felt in a long while. It was almost... nice. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“I’m sure I can find you if I need you. Now go.” His lashes fluttered as if he wanted to say more. He stepped closer, pressing his hand to my cheek. “I knew it. You’re burning up.”

“I am?” I touched my head. Sure enough, it was both clammy and feverish. I’d been so worried about my son, I hadn’t noticed.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m just engorged. Montana just wants formula now but my boobs haven’t gotten the message.” That much was true at least, but we both knew there was more to it.

He gave me a dubious nod. “I’ll bet your store has a cure for that.” He winked, letting me off the hook.

I left him, but as soon as I began walking away, I heard him praying.

For me.

EVE REGARDED ME from across the small kitchen table. “Seriously, Maggie. We have to get you cleansed or something. We can’t go anywhere without you summoning ghosts. But at least Aunt Dora and Jillian slept through the ruckus.”

An antique teapot hissed on the old iron stove, steam rising from its spout. My sister stood to turn it off, then poured the boiling water into two mugs, adding instant coffee. She handed one over to me and frowned, then touched the rim with her finger. The coffee instantly lightened. I smiled, impressed.

“Not bad,” I said. “But I like mine a little lighter.”

She tapped again, without success. “I think they’ve drained all the magick from this area,” she sighed, taking her seat. “None of my spells work around here, even with my wand. I guess we’ll have to add creamer to our grocery list.”

“First world witchy problems,” I chuckled, taking a sip. It was much stronger than it looked and my eyes popped wide open.

Eve blew on her steaming mug. “Don’t tease. As witches, we get certain perks. As with any job, remove those perks and the job is not as appealing.”

“What would you be doing otherwise?” I asked, truly curious.

“I don’t know. Writing songs, maybe.”

I blinked in response. I had no idea that Eve fancied herself a songwriter when she wasn’t casting spells.

“But back to the point,” she continued. “We’ve got a ghost in our house and we need to get rid of it. For good.”

“Or a demon,” I said, swallowing. We exchanged worried glances. “But the good news is that this kitchen is filled to the brim with ingredients to ward off ghosts, and mason jars to catch demons.”

“That is good news,” Eve replied, dryly.

I laughed, exhaustion catching up to me. “Hey! We could grow demons in our garden! We have one demon out back, why not forty more? We can start a petting zoo!”

“So, that’s where you stored Gahabrien?” she asked, her eyes narrowing over her cup. “I thought so. You’re always in that corner of the backyard acting all sketchy. Figured you were either checking on a demon or meeting a lover.” Her eyes ran the length of me, as if the answer to that riddle was obvious.

She quickly switched chairs, so that she was sitting beside me. “That was insensitive, wasn’t it?”

I nodded once.

“I know you loved...
love
Shane. And he loved you, too.”

She blew her bangs out of her face, and I noted bags beneath her eyes. She really was worried about me, in her own Eve way.

“I keep thinking it’s a dream and that I’ll wake up and everything will go back to the way it was.” I put down my cup and twisted the ends of my hair. “Eve,” I whispered. “I heard him.”