The Witch Collector Part II (2 page)

My dad lifted the small tree, cradling its roots with his hand. “Everything deserves a good start,” he said, and lowered the tree into the hole we’d dug. He tucked it into the earth with the same care he took when he tucked me into bed every night, drawing the soil gently around the tree’s base. “And nature always provides that start. We just need to trust her enough to put down our roots.”

“Not bad,” Miro said as I stumbled a little, disoriented from the vision and the residual pain. He brought me the mug Shelley had left for us, put one hand at the back of my neck, and slowly poured the tisane into my mouth. Still hot, the tisane gently opened my lungs again.

“How did the magic feel this time?” he asked after I’d mostly recovered.

“Like the branch
wanted
to help me,” I whispered, conscious of his touch.

Miro didn’t step away from me. “In a way, it did,” he said softly. “Nature always wants to come to our aid. That branch is her representative.”

I nodded slowly, thinking of my dad. Then a forceful wave of nausea sent my head spinning. Miro’s face swam before me, his words indecipherable. I felt numb, my senses shutting down. Frantic, I focused on the one thing I could—his scent, the warmth of cinnamon and cloves keeping me in the world. I breathed it in, again and again, until everything roiling inside me settled.

“I’m okay,” I said, placing my hands on his chest. “It’s fine now.”

Miro stepped back, concern knitting his brows. “You need your rightful talisman. I could be putting you in danger practicing without it.”

“If I don’t practice, I’ll be worse off. I can’t stop the transition and it won’t wait for me to sort things out.”

Miro nodded.

“My parents will have it,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “I’m going to find them. I know it, Miro. I
feel
it.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment; then his attention shifted to the apartment building behind me. “Look,” he said, pointing toward the second floor.

Shelley stood in a window watching us intently. When I gave her a little wave, she smiled and flashed a thumbs-up sign.

“I’ll give you whatever help you need to find your parents,” Miro said without hesitation. “But don’t involve her.”

“I wasn’t going to,” I responded just as quickly, and with almost enough force to convince myself. I hated thinking it, but I selfishly did want Shelley to help. I wanted a friend, and she felt like a true one. I did trust Miro, but like our kiss, our interactions seemed clouded by too many questions.

Shelley breathed on the window, and then traced out a symbol: a spiral, growing outward, large enough to cover the entire pane of glass.

Rebirth. Transformation. Embracing the new.

Then she drew a
B
in the center.

Me. Smack dab in the middle.

Whether I liked it or not.

Chapter 2

I
heard from Brandon once more after dinner. Two words.

Alley. Midnight.

I decided to stay at Dobra’s another night, though when I wasn’t panicking over my parents’ whereabouts, I wondered again and again if I should be. Miro had a closed-door meeting with his dad after our training, and Dobra hadn’t left his office since.

I didn’t tell either of them about Brandon’s text. My vision stuck with me, and I felt protective toward him. I didn’t think by not telling them that I was betraying my new friends in Chicago, but I couldn’t get Seralina’s tarot cards out of my head.
Betrayal.
I’d been thinking of myself as the victim, but maybe I was wrong.

I wouldn’t make any judgments about Brandon until I could look directly in his eyes. But time was ticking by so slowly, and I was crawling out of my skin waiting to see him. Dusk had only just settled.

Since I couldn’t call the moon, I shut myself in the spare bedroom, hoping the cool, blue walls would temper the storm of fear, magic, and frustration raging in my veins. I needed to plan.

I grabbed Shelley’s cardigan and shoved my feet into my ballet flats. Midnight wasn’t going to come any faster with me sitting around waiting for the clock to strike. Since it was dinnertime, chances were Sandy was home. I had some questions for her and there was no reason to wait.

“Are you going to see your boyfriend?” Shelley said from the doorway.

I jolted, nearly dropping the window screen I had just removed. “What?”

She glanced at the floor, abashed. “Miro told me you have one. I’m not upset like he is. I think it’s fine to keep some secrets to yourself. Especially if you’re trying to protect someone.”

“That’s not what I was doing,” I said, flopping on the bed. “Or maybe it was, just . . . not right now.”

Shelley snapped the window screen back in place. “I could go with you.”

“Thanks, but—”

“It’s not up to Miro whether I get involved or not,” Shelley said. “He told you to leave me out of things, didn’t he?”

“Like you said, sometimes we keep things from people to protect them,” I said, thinking of my parents and all they’d kept from me.

“Dobra and Miro took my mom and me in when we needed help, but that doesn’t allow them to run my life. I still make my own decisions.”

“I appreciate that, but it’s not your decision to make,” I said as gently as possible. Miro’s voice sounded in my head.
Don’t involve her.
Part of me knew he was right, and part of me agreed with Shelley. I didn’t like other people making decisions for me, so why should she?

“You shouldn’t be out alone,” Shelley insisted, further breaking my resolve. “I saw you in the garden today, Breeda. You don’t know what you’re doing yet. You need me and I like to be needed, okay?”

If I said yes, Miro would be upset, and rightfully so. Still, I could relate to Shelley’s desire to control her life. I knew Miro was being protective of her, but shouldn’t Shelley be allowed to choose?

“Okay,” I said finally. “I was going to Sandy’s apartment. She’s already met you, so it’s probably not a big deal if you come with. Can we get out of here without anyone noticing? It shouldn’t take long.”

Shelley brightened. “Sneak out the front door while Miro’s cleaning up. I’ll tell him I’m heading home.”

Inside, I cringed at the deception. But my reservations didn’t stop me from grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

The rain had given way to a cool, pleasant evening, and Chicago’s streets were teeming with life. Everyone moved with purpose, smiling and dressed to be noticed. Shelley’s blond curls were piled on top of her head, tendrils falling artfully to her shoulders. Her white, tiered skirt brushed the sidewalk with every sway of her hips. Men stopped midstride to watch her cross the street, but she barely noticed, her attention focused on me. “We can take a break,” she offered when I slackened our pace. I was still exhausted from training with Miro. “Maybe sit down for a while?”

I shook my head, slowly, like a windup toy running out of steam.

“Training during the transition is difficult for everyone,” Shelley said gently. “Don’t think it’s just you.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to regulate my breathing.

“I know you will be,” she said quickly. “Miro worked you too hard for your first session, though. He knows what he’s doing but he’s still an ass.”

I smiled at her. “I don’t think I gave him an easy time of it.”

Shelley threaded her arm through mine and leaned in. “I don’t think he minded,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

I stopped, pulling her back awkwardly.

“What?” she said, laughing. “You feel it, too. I can tell.”

What did I feel? Everything and nothing. My emotions churned close to the surface—I could cry any second, or lash out in anger, or tumble into a deep and all-consuming kind of love. It was dangerous and frightening and tempting. But was it real? I knew who I was back in Oregon. My nerves twisted when I thought about how different I was after just a few days here. Would Brandon notice the change in me?

I tried to focus my mind on the task at hand as we rounded the corner. St. Sylvester’s spire pierced the late-afternoon sky. As we walked toward the church, I spotted Father Brennan sitting on the steps, sipping from a huge Starbucks cup. In the diminishing light his white hair was more subdued, and he looked even smaller than I’d remembered. He spotted me and waved.

“You know that guy?” Shelley said.

“He saved me from the demon,” I said, waving back to the priest.

“Seriously? That coffee looks like it’s too much for him to handle.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

He stood as we approached the church steps. “Breeda,” he said. “Just the witch I wanted to see.”

Shelley and I looked at each other. “What did you call me?” I asked.

“Well, it’s not a secret, is it?” he said. Father Brennan took a sip of his coffee. “Can I speak freely in front of your friend?”

“Of course,” I said, though a small knot was forming in my stomach. What did he want?

“When you left last night,” he began, “your magic should have left with you.”

“And?” Shelley said.

“It didn’t,” he said. “I can still feel it.”

Shelley looked puzzled. “Why would you be able to feel it in the first place?”

Father Brennan shrugged. “I just always have. Legend has it my family has witch blood running through it, but . . .” He gestured toward his collar. “There can’t be much left if I chose this life, right? Then again, we haven’t persecuted witches in centuries.”

“But we haven’t forgotten,” Shelley said, though she smiled at him. “Do you mind if I step in the church to see if you’re right?”

After a brief moment, Father Brennan nodded. Shelley bounded up the stairs and disappeared into the church.

Father Brennan trained his bright, blue eyes on me. “Is there something off with your magic?” he asked, his tone mild. “Is that it?”

“I hope not,” I said. I didn’t know if there was or not, but I knew that I didn’t want to discuss it with a priest. “Maybe I’m just sloppy.”

“Maybe,” he said.

“And you neglected to tell me about your family’s witch blood last night,” I said, changing the subject.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t forthcoming. But neither were you.”

Shelley walked out of the arched doors, saving me from further conversation. “You’re right about the magic,” she said, frowning at Father Brennan. “But maybe it just needs time to fade. I’ll ask my coven leader what to do if it doesn’t.”

We said our good-byes, and then continued down the boulevard. “Do you think something is going wrong with my transition?” I asked her as we pushed open the iron gate in front of Evie’s apartment building.

She ran a hand through her hair and tugged on a wayward curl. “I don’t know. I wish I could reassure you somehow, but that would mean ignoring what’s going on with you. I don’t want to do that.”

“Thanks,” I said, and meant it. I didn’t want anyone shielding me from reality.

We walked through the small front yard and up to the main entrance. The front door was locked. My body knew what I needed, and magic stirred in my veins. I tried to cut it off, and quickly rang the bell for Sandy’s place.

She buzzed us in immediately.

“Not what I was expecting,” Shelley whispered. “Don’t let your guard down.”

I didn’t, but plastered a friendly smile on my face. Sandy’s door was open a crack, and I could hear noises coming from within the apartment. “Let me find my purse,” she trilled from behind the door.

When Sandy opened the door her face fell. “You’re not Thai Smile.”

“We just want to talk,” I said, before she could tell us to leave. “That’s all.”

“It’s enough of a trial that you’re living in my building,” she snapped. “But now you show up at my doorstep? Your mother knows better than to show her face.”

“Why are you so angry?” I kept my tone neutral, attempting to make the question sound innocent. Sandy wasn’t having it, and narrowed her eyes skeptically.

“Don’t you know what your mother did?”

I stared at her, keeping my expression blank.

“She broke the oath with Evie,” Sandy huffed. “She destroyed their coven, so she has no right to return.”

“Isn’t that Evie’s fight?”

Sandy’s eyes crackled with a dangerous energy. She took a step closer to me. “Seralina and I are forming a new coven. Evie will join us if your mother doesn’t stick her nose where it doesn’t belong anymore. She can’t repair what she’s broken, and if she tries, she’ll regret it. Now leave me be!”

“Can’t we come in for a few minutes?” Shelley asked, her voice sounding sweet and young. “Breeda doesn’t know her aunt very well and has more questions. It’s a touchy subject with her mom. I’m sure no one means to disrupt your plans.”

Sandy’s hand moved to the citrine stone hanging at her neck. “If you don’t leave right now, I will shroud your apartment in darkness until next week.”

Since we weren’t staying there, it wasn’t much of a threat. “We’re harmless, Sandy,” I said.

“I swear I’ll short-circuit the phones in your pockets,” she said coldly. “Go. Now.”

Now,
that
we didn’t need. We left.

“Well, clearly she doesn’t know where they are,” I complained to Shelley as we sat on a wood bench in the Friends & Neighbors Garden. “She doesn’t even seem to know they’re missing!”

The garden looked the same as it did the night before. The same hard, unyielding soil, the same trees waiting patiently to bud. Only my life was completely different. What if I hadn’t stopped here? Where would I be?

We’d listened at Evie’s door before we left, but the apartment was silent as a tomb. I decided not to risk using magic to open the door, and now I regretted it.

“Maybe we should have checked the apartment again.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Shelley said. “Vadim searched the whole building. Let’s see if we can glean anything from what Sandy said.”

“An alchemist, a Romany witch, and a crazypants,” I said. “What a coven.”

Shelley laughed. “If Evie and Ion are in the same coven, maybe she could scare him into beginning the transition.”

“Ha! Yeah . . .” I said, distracted. Something gnawed at my consciousness.