Any Witch Way You Can (25 page)

I think we were all relieved when we made it to the center of the maze. Thistle dropped the duffel bag on the ground haphazardly and immediately started pulling things out of it. She handed Clove the candles and instructed her to light them in a circle.

My mom and the aunts were busy looking around the clearing. “This isn’t very festive,” my mom said finally.

“It was meant to be scary,” I said. “But they took all the scarecrows out when Shane’s body was found.”

I looked around the clearing. At first I didn’t see them, but then Shane and Sophie solidified in front of my eyes. “That’s a neat trick,” I told them.

“We’ve been practicing,” Sophie said proudly.

“What’s all that stuff?” Shane was watching Thistle rummage through the bag with genuine interest.

“It’s for a ritual,” I told him.

“To make us remember?”

“Not exactly. We think, maybe because you guys were drugged, that your memories are always going to be blurry. You might not have intact memories – and we can’t wait any longer. We have to remember for you.”

“So what will the ritual do?”

“We’re hoping it will show us what happened here. Like an echo.”

“So, you’re trying to make the maze remember?” Shane asked. He didn’t fully understand. I didn’t blame him.

I considered the question for a second. “Actually, that’s about the best way you could put it. Certain locations can tell us what happened there, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

“Will we all be able to see?” Sophie asked.

“We should,” I said. “I can’t guarantee what you guys – as ghosts – will be able to see. I don’t think you should be any different than anyone else, though. We’re in unchartered territory. I guess we’re all about to find out together.”

“So, it will be like watching television?” Shane asked. He still wasn’t truly grasping the situation.

“No, it will be more like being in the television – but not being able to interact with the actors,” I clarified. “In theory, we’ll see what happens, but we won’t be able to change anything.”

“And the murderers won’t be able to see us?” Sophie asked nervously.

“No,” I soothed her.

“That sounds cool.” Shane was excited, despite himself.

I didn’t think he’d feel the same way when he saw himself being strung up like a scarecrow – but we were beyond protecting him at this point. I think we always had been.

Twenty-Seven

It took us about five minutes to get everything set up. It probably would have taken longer if my mom hadn’t distracted Aunt Tillie from micromanaging the setup. Once the candles were all lit – there were twelve in total – we all took our usual circle positions.

“It’s so pretty,” Sophie sighed.

“Yeah, it’s great for a murder scene,” Aunt Tillie sniped.

Sophie glared at her. “You don’t have to be so mean.”

“We need to concentrate,” Aunt Tillie admonished her. “It’s quiet time. Just embrace it.”

I smiled at Sophie sympathetically. I didn’t chastise Aunt Tillie, though. She was right. The longer we stayed here, the likelier the chance that we would be caught. And, as much as Chief Terry liked my mom and her sisters, he probably couldn’t ignore the fact that the seven of us were out here acting like idiots. And, in jail, we wouldn’t be able to get any space from each other.

Aunt Tillie started to chant. She started by calling to the four corners. We all concentrated. We knew how important this circle would be. No one could half-ass the effort.

Magic started to swirl around us. You couldn’t see it, but you could feel it. Even Shane and Sophie seemed surprised. Sophie’s eyes widened in suspended shock. “What is that?”

None of us answered her. We were all too intent on our task. Marnie started intoning next. We all took our turns. As each person took on the repeating refrain, the tapestry of power we were starting to weave strengthened – like an extra-strength cobweb.

Slowly, the vision in front of us became clear. We all watched as a dark figure stumbled into the maze. I had to remind myself this was the past, not the present, and to control my heartbeat.

The dark figure was wearing a large gray jacket. It looked like any typical work jacket. I could see he was wearing gloves. The back of his head was facing us, so we couldn’t see his face yet. He was dragging something into the clearing. I swallowed hard when I realized that it was Shane’s body.

“That’s me,” Shane whimpered.

Another figure entered the clearing. It was a smaller figure, but just as furtive. The smaller figure was wearing a wool mid-length trench coat. It was clearly a petite woman. She was wearing a dark winter hat. I couldn’t see her face yet. All I could see was hints of blonde hair sticking out from under the hat.

We all watched the scene unfold in silence. The only noise that could be heard was our breathing – which was dramatically increasing as the garish tableau continued in front of us.

“Grab his feet,” the male voice ordered.

“That’s gross,” the female complained.

“I can’t do it by myself. Stop being such a bitch.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me that way!”

The figures were getting closer to us. The man was almost on an even level to me. He was looking down as he dragged Shane’s body past us – but I managed to get a good look at his face. I gasped when I saw it – and recognized it.

“Who is it?” Clove asked. She was on the other side of the circle and she couldn’t see as well as I could.

“It’s that guy from the inn,” I said.

“Our inn?” My mom looked horrified.

“Which guy?” Clove asked.

“Ron.”

“The newlywed?” Thistle asked.

“Yeah.”

“That must mean. . . “

We all turned and focused harder on the woman. She trailed behind Ron, making sure not to touch the body. When she got closer, my suspicions were confirmed. “It’s Emily,” I breathed out harshly.

“That nice couple? It can’t possibly be.” Twila looked horrified, even though the scene was playing out in front of her, too.

“Well, it is,” I said simply.

We continued to watch as Ron struggled to hoist Shane’s body up onto the cross. I cringed involuntarily when I saw the body tumble to the ground when he failed at his first attempt. We could hear the sickening thud the body made as it hit the ground.

“You have to help me,” Ron grumbled. “I can’t do it alone. He’s too heavy – and it’s awkward to try and do it myself.”

“I don’t want to,” Emily’s petulant pout was disgusting.

“We can’t afford to stay here forever,” Ron pointed out. “We’ll get caught – and I don’t think you’d like prison.”

“Will you buy me a nice dinner when we’re done?” Emily asked.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want if you just come over here and help me,” Ron growled.

Emily sighed dramatically. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”

“Grab his feet.”

Even though we had all the information we needed, we all continued to watch in grim curiosity. I couldn’t make myself look away. I was so involved in watching what had happened in the past, that I didn’t notice what was actually happening in our suddenly perilous present.

“What the hell is this?”

We all froze. The voice we just heard was familiar – but it was also solid, not like the hollow memory voices we had been listening to for the past few minutes. We all swung around to find Ron and Emily standing inside the clearing watching us – rampant disbelief etched on their chalk white faces.

Oh shit.

Emily looked surprised as she took in the scene. “Are you guys really witches or something?”

None of us answered her. We were all still shocked by the situation we found ourselves in.

Ron was watching the ghostly memories still play out around us. He seemed intrigued, despite himself. “That’s a pretty cool trick,” he said. “How did you do that?”

“They’re magic, stupid,” Emily interjected. She was watching the scene curiously, though. “Remind me not to wear that coat again. It makes me look fat.”

I finally managed to find my voice. “Why are you here?”

“We saw the car outside the maze when we drove by. We were understandably curious. Who sneaks into a corn maze in the middle of the night? Only freaky people.”

Says the guy that dragged the body of a mutilated teenage boy in here under the cover of darkness.

“I knew something was fishy about all of you,” Emily said snottily. She was wandering around the maze – but she didn’t get too close to us. “I thought all this magic stuff with the town was all fake, but when I met you guys, I knew you were different. I didn’t think you were really witches, though. I just thought you were all nutcases or something.”

If she was fishing for accolades for her superior intellect, she wasn’t going to get them here.

“I was suspicious of you guys right away,” Emily continued. “I just couldn’t figure out why you were so involved. So I decided to sit back and watch. It wasn’t easy. You guys are all over the place.”

“That was a nice way to divert attention from you guys, being the one to discover the body with me,” I said, faking admiration for their purported exploits. I wanted to keep them as calm as possible for as long as possible.

“Yeah, that was a nice touch,” Emily smiled.

“Why did you risk going to the maze that morning?” I felt the need to stall – although I didn’t know what benefit that would bring us.

“We just couldn’t stay away,” Emily said. “Ron didn’t want to come at first, but he can never resist seeing how the public reacts to his work.”

His work? Did this guy think he was an artist or something?

“Didn’t you think it was risky to actually be one of the people who discovered the body?”

“Not really,” Emily shrugged. “Especially since I wasn’t alone. I was actually just waiting around to see if someone else would discover it. When I saw you looking, I just couldn’t resist.”

“Glad to be of assistance,” I said wryly.

Emily regarded me seriously for a second, her green eyes were speculative. “I knew that we should have checked out of the inn when I realized you were investigating the case with the police. We didn’t want to act suspiciously, though. So, instead, we just kept watching you. All of you.”

“Did you enjoy the show?” Thistle was looking at Emily with genuine distaste.

“You’re all very amusing, I’ll give you that. Of course, I’m betting now that you wish you would have stayed out of this.”

“On the contrary,” Thistle shot back. “We like to know when we’re living amongst monsters.”

I was surprised that Aunt Tillie hadn’t started spouting off yet. She just seemed to be taking in the scene, though. She didn’t look particularly worried. I didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad sign. My mom, Twila and Marnie had moved subtly closer to one another, but they weren’t saying anything either.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Emily seemed surprised by the request. I noticed that Ron seemed content to just let her run the show. I didn’t know what he had planned, but I doubted it would be pleasant. “By all means, ask away. You might as well have your curiosity sated – while you still can.”

I ignored the veiled threat and plowed on. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you kill Shane and Sophie?”

The ghosts, for their part, had remained silent. They seemed enthralled by what was happening, but helpless to affect it in any way.

“Oh, that,” Emily waved Shane and Sophie’s deaths off like I’d told her that her shoes were untied. “We didn’t have anything against them specifically. They were just a means to an end.”

“What end?”

“Rebirth, of course,” Emily answered simply, but there was a malevolent glint in her eye.

“Rebirth?”

“They were a sacrifice to Osiris,” Emily explained.

“The god of life and death? You were making a sacrifice to him? Why?” All practicing Wicca – and
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
fans -- were familiar with Osiris, the Egyptian god that was usually referred to as the lord of the dead, or the afterlife.

“To regenerate themselves,” Aunt Tillie said. I was surprised that she had finally spoken. She seemed to be grasping the situation fairly easily – despite the danger we were obviously in.

“Very good,” Emily seemed pleased.

“I don’t understand,” Thistle said honestly.

“You were right,” Aunt Tillie said. “The murders thirty years ago were done by the same people. These people.”

I looked at Ron and Emily – who both looked to be in their mid-twenties, early-thirties at the most – and felt doubt wash over me. “I don’t see how that’s possible,” I said finally.

“It’s dark magic,” Aunt Tillie said simply. “Every thirty years they sacrifice two teenagers – one male, one female – and they absorb their life force. It’s pretty advanced black magic. Most people today haven’t even heard about this type of magic, let alone tried to harness it.”

“She’s smarter than she looks,” Emily laughed. “She’s also spot on. Tell me, how did you figure that out?”

“I’ve been around for a very long time. Though not as long as the two of you, I would imagine.”

“Probably not,” Emily giggled. “It’s too bad, really,” she lamented. “We could probably learn a lot from you. We just don’t have the time to stick around. We’ve already stayed too long. We just have to finish the rituals tonight, they have to be done under the full moon, and we’re out of here.”

“Well, have a nice trip,” I offered brightly.

“They’re going to kill you,” Shane said sadly.

I know. Oh, boy, did I know.

Ron reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but seeing it pointed directly at my head caused the breath to hitch in my chest.

“How do you think you’ll get away with this?” I managed to keep my voice even. Now was definitely not the time to panic. From the sound of Clove hyperventilating behind me, I didn’t think we could afford for us all to fall apart.

“We won’t be here,” Ron said. “We’ll be gone long before you’re discovered. And why would anyone suspect the nice newlyweds from the inn? What would our motive be?”

He had a point.

“Do you really think you can get us all?” I had hope that everyone else would be able to at least try to make a run for it through the maze. There were too many of us for Ron and Emily to get all at once.