Eliza's Shadow (25 page)

I looked up from the page and gave Nan a concerned
look.

“Strangulating? That sounds painful.” I said,
scrunching my nose. My hand instinctively gravitated to my neck.

Nan waved her hand dismissively.

“The spell won’t cause permanent damage, maybe
just mild laryngitis for a day or so.” She said dismissively.

“Now, should we give it a whirl?” She asked, her
eyes brightening.

“Umm, I don’t know. I don’t know anyone who’s
spreading gossip.” I mumbled hesitantly. I was worried about the side effects
such a spell could cause if it stuck a person too hard.

Nan threw her hands up and expelled an exaggerated
sigh.

“Eliza, you will never learn to utilize herbology,
spells and casting if you don’t practice.” She chided with forced patience.

My cheeks flushed red and I shifted uncomfortably
in my seat under the pressure of Nan’s suggestion.

“Well, I really don’t know anyone who has a
problem with gossip so I wouldn’t know what to do with this spell.” I stammered
quickly in defense.

Nan leaned back in her chair, her lips pressed in
a pensive line.

“I do. Think about it for a moment. I think you do
know at least one or two people in your life who occasionally emit some
troublesome chatter about you.” She turned her head to the side and gave me an
owlish look again.

I stared at my hands for a moment then cast my
eyes to the glass ceiling. The light had faded as evening approached turning
the clouds from steel gray to a dusky purple. Suddenly two names appeared
glowing orange like hot branding tools on the face of the clouds beyond the
glass. My eyes flew open in shock and I jerked my face from the ceiling to
stare at Nan.

She shrugged innocently and casually folded her
hands in her lap.

“Absolutely not! Bryn is my friend and I am not
experimenting on her!” I stammered though my cheeks burned and my head pulsed
painfully with the memory of my previous experiment on Bryn’s mind.

“Alright, calm down, Eliza. I think you
misunderstand my intentions.” Nan stated firmly lifting her hand in a stop
motion.

I inhaled deeply trying to calm my bubbling
emotions.

“Your friend Bryn has a loose tongue and she
spends quite a bit of energy prattling to your other crony, Pete, about Ren and
your activities. The only reason I suggested Bryn was because I thought it
might make everyone’s lives easier considering the fact that you will never be
able to tell her the truth and her curiosity will only grow. This spell would
nip a growing problem in the bud.” She said with conviction.

I shook my head and frowned. Nan had hit a nerve.
I knew my relationship with Bryn was in danger and I didn’t know how I’d
explain myself the next time she demanded answers but putting a spell on her
was definitely not the solution.

“Nan, I just can’t do it. Bryn is one of my
closest friends and she has a right to be curious. Besides, I’ve already made
one mistake with her and I couldn’t live with myself if I made another. When
and if her speculation becomes a problem, I’ll deal with it as a friend not a
witch.” I responded.

Nan nodded in assent, a sympathetic smile on her
face. “Alright then. I respect that. What about Jack Connelly?” She asked with
a raised eyebrow.

I paused thoughtfully for a moment and recalled
the distrustful expression on Jack’s face the day Ren and I left the tea house
after I learned that I was a witch.

“Do you know for a fact that he’s been talking
about me? What does he say?” I asked Nan.

Nan nodded. “Obviously, Jack has affection for you
Eliza and the heated discussion you had with Ren in his tea house raised his
dander. He’s been asking people around town about Ren, checking into his
character, you know, that kind of talk. He hasn’t seen your aunt Jane lately
but it won’t be long before he crosses her path and when he does, he intends to
bring it up with her.” Nan’s lips drew together in an expression of irritation.

I imagined the fact that Jack was speaking
unkindly of her grandson was something that bothered her more than me. However,
the last thing I needed right now was to have to defend my relationship with
Ren to Jane, which was the tipping point.

“Ok, let’s try it. You’re sure we’re not going to
hurt him, right?” I asked Nan sternly.

Nan laid a hand across her heart and smiled. “I
promise Eliza. Obviously, I have not entirely gained your trust yet so you’ll just
have to take my word for it. I do not practice evil witchcraft. If I had any
doubt about our ability to cast this spell safely I would never even attempt
it.” She stated direly.

I nodded in acceptance of her promise. “It’s not
that I don’t trust you Nan. It’s just that so far, nothing I’ve done has come
out exactly as I intended.” I said shaking my head.

Nan chuckled and patted my shoulder. “That’s the
way it goes at first, Eliza. And that is exactly why you need practice,
practice, practice.” She said with exuberance and hopped to her feet.

“Alright then, let’s gather our ingredients, shall
we?” She said extending a hand to me.

I took her outstretched hand and rose to my feet.
As soon as I gained my balance, Nan was off darting down one of the narrow
aisles of the greenhouse.

“Eliza, can you bring the book with you? Better
make sure we don’t forget anything!” She shouted back at me.

I scooped the book up with one hand and took a
minute to review the list of ingredients.

For this spell
you will need:

Leaf and sprig of
Adder’s tongue for direction

Fresh bud of
Clove to weaken the gossip

Fresh Dodder, any
variety will do, for strangulation

Dried or fresh
leaf of Peppermint to dispel wicked thoughts

I shook my head in amazement at the descriptions
listed in the book then set off swiftly after Nan who was quickly fading into
the foliage. When I finally caught up with her, she was leaning over a large
flowerbed lush with an informal growth of plants. Most of the plants looked
like weeds. Yet Nan’s glasses were perched on the tip of her nose and she
picked through the rangy greenery with an air of purpose.

“This here is adder’s tongue. It’s easy to spot.
See how the sprig sprouts next to the fan leaf?” She gestured instructionally,
peering at me over the top of her glasses.

I squinted at the weedy looking plant, attempting
to discern its unique qualities from the rest.

“Ah, well, there are pictures in the book. When
you need to find something, you can use your guide. I suppose you shouldn’t
worry about that for your first spell.” She mumbled after absorbing my
confounded expression.

She turned her attention back to the bed and
plucked leaves and buds off several of the plants without further discussion,
all the while stuffing the contents hastily into the pouch in her apron.

“Alright, then. That should do it.” She said
looking satisfied after a cursory review of the list from the book she’d taken
out of my grasp. She turned on her heel and headed in the direction of the
table where we’d left the dodder.

Nan spread the spoils of our harvest along the
table in neat little piles and studied them individually as one would inspect
the quality of fruit in a market. She laid the book on the table, leaving it
open to the page containing the spell’s instructions.

“We just need one last essential item.” She
muttered excitedly before retrieving a medium sized cast iron pot from a shelf
against the wall.

“Our cauldron.” She said with a wink in my
direction.

“Alright Eliza. Now for your first casting lesson,
come stand next me so that you can follow along.” She directed squinting down
at the instructions in the book resting on the table.

I quickly stepped to her side and glanced down to
review the instructions as well.

1.     
In sequential order (Adder’s tongue, Clove, Dodder, Peppermint leaf) add a
thimbleful of each herb to your cauldron. Use the same hand to select and add
all herbs.

2.
    Once all herbs have been properly added to the cauldron,
ignite contents with a clean flame*. USE OPPOSITE HAND or that of a fellow
witch to toss the flame.

3.
    Repeat the name of the gossip monger three times before
chanting the spell below. Take care to complete the chant before the smoke
dissipates. Should the fire go out before you have completed the chant, the
spell is useless and you must dispose of the cauldron contents and repeat steps
one through three.

I read the fine print on the bottom of the page.

* Clean flame
– a flame originated by magical means and unpolluted by a physical
catalyst.

I lifted my eyes from the page to find Nan’s
watchful gaze upon my face.

“Would you prefer the ingredients or the flame?”
She asked pointedly.

I pondered the thought for a split second before
remembering that I had no idea how to produce a clean flame.

“Uh, ingredients, I guess.” I said.

Nan’s lips spread across her face as if to smile
but halted in a line and her brows drew together.

“Alright then, Adder’s tongue first.” She prompted
and nudged my elbow gently.

I gingerly took a pinch of each herb and dropped
them into the pit of the pot. When the last ingredient was added my shoulders
sunk in relief and I turned to Nan for assistance.

I cleared my throat before speaking. “How are you
going to make a clean flame?” I asked tentatively, hoping my question did not
disrupt the flow of the spell.

Nan did not answer my question. Her eyelids
lowered, leaving just a slit of iris showing. An arm drifted from her side and
curved at the elbow bringing her hand, palm up, to the front of her body. As
quick as lightening, I detected a snap of her fingers and twist of her wrist.
Before I even had a chance to blink, a tiny flame appeared in her palm.

Without even a moment’s glance my way, Nan tipped
her palm and with a flick of her wrist the tiny flame fell into the pot.
Instantly the contents caught fire and began to emit noxious blue smoke.

At last Nan turned to me. “Repeat Jack’s name
three times, Eliza. Then we will chant the spell together.” She said urgently.

My lips felt thick and clumsy as I blinked against
the dense smoke swirling around my face.

“Jack Connelly.” I muttered.

“Speak up, Eliza!” Nan retorted loudly.

“Jack Connelly, Jack Connelly!” I repeated.

Almost instantly the smoke cleared from my face.
It formed an orderly funnel directly out of the top of the pot and curled
gracefully toward the glass ceiling.

“Good. Now for the chant.” She said.

       Together we
carefully read the words off the page in unison.

Swift as an arrow

Fly like a sparrow

Find the tongue

Of the troublesome one

Limit the feast

And weaken the beast

Cinch the fool

By pinching its tool

With the beast stoned

Scatter the bones

At the last word the small blaze in the pot
snuffed out as quickly as a candle is extinguished. The stream of smoke detached
from the fire and floated purposefully toward the glass ceiling.

“My goodness I forgot to open the hatch!” Nan
shouted with alarm.

She dashed toward the wall and flicked a switch. A
concerning amount of creaks and groans echoed from above. One of the panels
detached itself from the lattice of metal trim and glass and slid back pulled
by a rusty metal coil providing a small portal to the cold sky beyond. A
current of air strong enough to blow strands of hair into my face rushed upward
toward the opening.

The cloud of dense smoke at the ceiling crept
toward the opening as a snake slithering toward a rabbit’s burrow and slipped
out. When the last remnants of smoke disappeared through the hatch, my heart
quivered with worry.

Nan flicked the switch again and the rusty metal
coil pushed against the glass to force it back into place.

“How will we know if everything goes ok?” I asked.

Nan smiled and sauntered toward me, a relaxed
smile on her face. “Eliza, you are a natural worrier. Has anyone ever told you
that?” She jibed, trying to lighten my mood.

I crossed my arms tightly around my chest. “Is it
such a bad thing to have a conscience?” I asked crisply.

Nan uttered a soft tisking sound. “If you’re that
concerned why don’t you drop by Jack’s place tomorrow? I assure you, you’ll
notice a hoarse voice but nothing more.” She said and turned toward the table
to clean up the remnants of our experiment.

I frowned at her back, concerned by her attitude.
There was something that bothered me about the way Nan dispassionately chose
Jack Connelly as our guinea pig. I wasn’t suspicious of her motives or worried
that she was an evil witch contrary to her promise. I believed that she was a
good person but what surprised me was how little she cared about Jack as a
neighbor. Her lack of concern for Jack punctuated my observation that she was
suspiciously removed from the Port Rune community.

I’d first noticed Nan’s reclusiveness when I began
introducing Ren to people around town and no one ever inquired about his
grandmother. When he did mention her name, no one seemed to be able to place
it. It was as if they’d heard the name in passing but couldn’t attach anything
of importance to it to make it stick, which was shocking considering Nan’s
personality was not one that would make a light impression.

Her low profile seemed strange to me considering
that she had lived in town so long and her family had been one of Port Rune’s
founding families. Even if Nan herself was antisocial, her house was distinctly
grand compared to the rest of Port Rune’s residences and it had to be on the
historic registry, which would undoubtedly have brought attention to her over
the years. The more I thought about it, the more it puzzled me that Nan had
seemingly lived such a reclusive life in such a small town.