Shadow Witch (19 page)

“The witches are coming out of the woodwork, aren’t they?” Uncle Charlie chuckled, and deep laugh lines formed in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. “Speaking of wood, why don’t you ask the horse if we are near a good spot for your stick?”

Jamie leaned forward in his seat and said, “What do you think, Sugar? Are we close to something?”

Sugar whinnied and tossed her head, her pale mane flipping across her glossy brown neck. Suddenly she turned down a little-used path, barely a cart track through the overgrown field. “I guess that’s our answer,” Jamie said. He glanced at Uncle Charlie. “Are you sure I can’t pay you for doing this? It’ll probably take you a long time to carve my stick.”

Uncle Charlie gave him a Sphinx-like smile. “I’m sure.” He spread his hands and gazed about, his smile broadening. “I am here on another world, a beautiful one at that. This is an experience like no other. Some people would pay a fortune to be in my place right now.”

They rode in thoughtful silence for a while, until Jamie said, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Renn’s staff. How do you think it did what it did?”

“What exactly did it do?”

“It seemed to amplify or focus Renn’s power. Eddan had fought him a couple of times before and didn’t have a problem with him, but when he showed up in Eddan’s tower with that staff, boy, he packed a wallop.” Jamie touched his chest with one hand as the memory of Renn’s attack flashed through his mind. “It really hurt.”

“Tell me more about the staff. Did you get a good look at it?”

“Oh yeah. A
real
good look. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, since he was pointing it at my parents and threatening to kill them with it.”

“What did it look like?”

“Well, the top was carved into the shape of a dragon’s head, and it had two red stones set in its eye sockets. This creepy red light was coming out of those, and that’s what was paralyzing my parents.”

“How long was the staff?”

“Almost as tall as Renn.”

“Any carvings on it?”

Jamie thought for a moment and said, “Lots, that I recall. Little symbols that I didn’t recognize.” He pressed his mouth tightly and lowered his brow. “But I don’t know of anyone around here who could have made something like that. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I’m sure Eddan didn’t know anybody who could, either.”

“Are you worried that there might be another staff out there like it?”

Jamie gave a short, nervous laugh. “More like scared to death.”

“Did the staff look old?”

“Hard to say. It was really dark wood.”

“Maybe it isn’t from this world. Maybe it’s from Earth. The
real
Earth.”

“Huh.” Jamie twisted his mouth to one side while he thought about that. “Maybe so.”

“It could be very old magic. A sorcerer could’ve brought it through a doorway long ago, and after he died, it could’ve gotten lost, or maybe even hidden.”

Jamie rubbed his face thoughtfully and Sugar pulled the carriage ahead, the main road behind them no longer in sight. “Do you think the stick you’re carving for me will be anything like that? I mean, what do you think would happen if I sent a strong bolt of magic energy through it?”

“It would probably burn the wood to ashes.”

“Oh. Well, what do you think the stick will be capable of?”

“Maybe nothing. We’ll just have to see.”

The growth became denser, and soon they were deep within an old forest. Jamie recognized some of the trees — pine, oak, and maple — but some he didn’t. There were many stumps near the path.

“Looks like a woodcutter has been here,” Uncle Charlie said as they rolled along.

“Everybody cooks and heats with wood or coal,” Jamie said. “But I’m looking into a natural gas system for the school. You can buy kits for collecting your own, and the one that seems promising sits over a septic tank. That would be pretty easy to implement, I think.”

“There are other systems that convert organic waste into usable gas,” Uncle Charlie said. “I know a guy who has one. He throws all of the leftover stuff from his garden in there, like plant stalks and things.” He nodded. “Then, as it composts, the gas from it collects in a tank. He pipes it into his house, and he burns it all winter. Cooks with it, too.”

“You can use it to run a car or truck,” Jamie said, “if you convert the engine. I was thinking about buying a small bus or a big van for the school so we can pick up some of the kids who live farther out. It’s a long way on foot for some of them.”

“Attendance would probably be better.”

“No doubt,” Jamie said, “but Granddaddy Pete said we’d better wait to do that, because it would be expensive.”

Sugar slowed to a stop and looked back over her shoulder at Jamie. “So this is the spot?” Jamie turned to Uncle Charlie and shrugged. “I guess she has decided.”

They climbed out of the carriage and surveyed the area. They were surrounded by tall, mature trees. What little sunlight came through made soft dappled patterns on the forest floor, and the air was much cooler in the deep shade.

“Did you bring a hatchet or saw?” Uncle Charlie said.

“I’ll cut it with my magic.” Jamie wiggled his fingers. “How do I know where to find what I need?”

“Let’s ask the horse.” Uncle Charlie patted the animal on the shoulder. “Where should he start, Sugar?” She tossed her head to the right, and the old man said, “There’s your answer.”

“But which one?” Jamie looked around at the trees. “There are so many to pick from.”

“Try closing your eyes and holding out your hand. Maybe you will feel something.”

Jamie did, moving his arm slowly in front of him. He suddenly felt a gentle vibration, a thrumming, in one spot. “Wait!” He carefully pushed his hand back through the air and felt it again. He opened his eyes and gestured. “Over that way.”

“There is a downed tree about twenty yards ahead,” Uncle Charlie said. “Perhaps that is it.”

Jamie closed his eyes again and swept his arm about as he carefully stepped forward. The vibration was definitely coming from the direction he was heading. “This feels right.” He went directly to the downed tree, lying on its side with its massive root ball sticking out of the ground as if it had been pushed over by a giant. “Do you know what kind this is?”

“Never seen it before.”

When Jamie reached it, he put his hand on the trunk and felt, almost heard, the thrumming. He turned to Uncle Charlie and raised his eyebrows. “Can you hear that?”

Uncle Charlie shook his head. “I don’t have any magic.”

“You keep saying that, but sometimes I wonder.” Jamie turned his attention back to the tree. “Which branch do you suppose is the best one?”

“I don’t know. See if one breaks off easily, before you resort to cutting with your power.”

Jamie grabbed the nearest one and yanked on it, gritting his teeth with exertion, the dead leaves on it whispering a dry rustle as they shook, but it held fast. He released it and said, “Not that one.” He reached for the next. “Let’s try this.” He wrapped his fingers around it and prepared to pull hard, but it broke easily from the trunk with a barely audible snap. “Huh.” Jamie turned to Uncle Charlie and raised his eyebrows again. “This looks promising.”

“Do you feel anything special in it?”

Jamie grasped it tightly and closed his eyes for a moment and felt a faint tingle in his hands. “A little bit. Nothing dramatic, but....” He turned back to Uncle Charlie. “Does that mean this is the one?”

“Try a couple of other branches just to be sure.”

Jamie set it down, grabbed another and pulled with all of his might, but it didn’t budge. “Well, not that one, either.” He tried the next closest one, but got the same result. He followed the trunk almost to the end, where it narrowed to an unusable size, snatching at each branch along the way, but none broke free.

He went back to the one that had come loose so easily, picked it up and examined it. It was about eight feet long and nearly straight, with several smaller branches sprouting from it. It was thicker than his wrist at the point where it had joined the trunk, tapering to finger-sized at its end. “Should I strip it here?” he said to Uncle Charlie.

“That would make it easier to carry back to the school.”

Jamie grabbed a radiating branch and it snapped free with little effort.
That doesn’t surprise me
. The rest came off with the same ease. He turned back to the old man and showed it to him. “Isn’t it too long?”

“Feel near the end and see if you can find a convenient breaking point. That branch seems to be accommodating.”

Jamie gripped the wood with both hands where he thought it was too slender to be useful. “My gramma snaps asparagus like this.” The branch broke cleanly in two while he spoke, before he even applied any pressure. “Whoa. That was cool.”

“I guess that is how long your walking stick will be.”

Jamie eyed it and guessed at its length. “It’s about four-and-a-half feet. Is that a good length?”

“I think the stick has made its own decision about that.”

“How can a stick do that?”

“How can a teenage boy fly through the air and blast the tops off of mountains?”

“Good point.” Jamie took another look at the forest around him and said, “Do you need any more wood?” Uncle Charlie shook his head, and they climbed into the carriage and headed back.

Aiven was the last student to leave the school that day. Jamie waited out front with Evelyn, Aunt Connie, Sammi, and Uncle Charlie and waved to the boy as he drove away in the carriage, heading for the stone house to pick up Mrs. Tully.

“Okay,” Evelyn said. “We’re all locked up and ready to go home. Jamie, you can make a doorway now.”

Jamie held the stick in his left hand and began tracing the outlines of a magic portal, when suddenly, a strange image flashed through his mind — thin, glowing lines, connected in a complex web that surrounded him. He shook his head and said, “What was that?”

“What was what?” Evelyn said.

“Just...something weird.” He extended his finger and started the spell for the doorway again, and the image reappeared, for a split-second. He turned and looked at his grandmother. “I had a little...vision, I’d guess you’d call it...lines.” He touched his head with the fingertips of one hand and eyed the stick. “All these interconnected, glowing lines.” He set the stick down and tried the doorway a third time, but nothing unusual happened. “Hmm.” He looked at Uncle Charlie. “That’s odd. I think the stick had something to do with it.”

Uncle Charlie shrugged broadly. “Don’t look at me. I’m just an old Indian.”

“Jamie, make the doorway already!” his grandmother said and picked up the stick and held it for him.

Jamie outlined the portal, but no glowing threads appeared in his mind.
Strange
, he thought as he followed everyone through to Fred’s house.

* * *

Fred was waiting in her living room for Jamie and Sammi after they returned from bidding Uncle Charlie goodbye. “She responded to my friend request,” Fred said.

“Who did?” Jamie asked.

“Nova, the witch that Sammi found.”

Sammi grinned and took Fred’s hand. “I told you she’d be your friend.”

“She’s agreed to meet with us this Sunday,” Fred said.

“Us?”

“Yes, all of us. You, me, Rollie, Bryce, and Melanie.”

“And me!” Sammi yanked on Fred’s hand. “I want to go. I’m the one who found her!”

“You can go if it’s okay with my mom and dad.”

“Aren’t you afraid of overwhelming Nova?” Jamie asked.

“Everybody needs to meet her anyway, so we might as well do it all at once and get it over with.”

Jamie blew out a long gust of air and locked eyes with Fred. “Well...it’s your call. Are you coming with us Saturday to paint the inside of the stone house?”

“I can’t get off work. Neither can Bryce or Melanie. You don’t need us anyway, since all of our parents are gonna be there.”

“How about me?” Sammi asked with another tug on Fred’s hand.

“You’re going with Jamie, where somebody can keep an eye on you.”

“Will any of my friends be there?”

“Probably just Aiven,” Jamie said. “Mrs. Tully is coming, and she’ll bring him for sure.”

“So you two can play in the backyard while the grownups paint,” Fred said. “That way you won’t get into any trouble.”

Chapter 8

Sammi yawned and Mrs. Callahan closed the book she was reading aloud, sitting in a chair close to Sammi’s bed. “That’s enough for tonight, little girl,” Mrs. Callahan said. “I think you’re ready to go to sleep.”

“Noooo,” Sammi groaned and rolled her head back and forth on her pillow. “Just one more chapter.”

“That’s plenty for tonight.” She looked at the cover for a moment and then turned back to Sammi. “You know, you’re almost old enough to read these by yourself.”

“I like it better when you and Mr. Callahan read to me.”

Mrs. Callahan didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she gazed at Sammi with one side of her mouth turned up. “Speaking of old enough, you have a birthday coming up.”

“This Saturday. I’m going to be seven years old,” she said proudly.

“Rollie’s is only a few days after yours, so we were thinking about having a party next weekend, a combined birthday celebration. We don’t really do parties anymore for our kids since they’ve gotten older, but we thought that this would be a good time to do one, since Rollie’s turning eighteen, and you’re definitely in the birthday party age.” Her smile broadened. “Would you like that?”

Sammi sat up in her bed. “A party? A real one, with cake and balloons and stuff?”

“Of course.”

“Yay!” Sammi clapped her hands. “I never had one before,
ever
. Can I invite Libby?”

“Honey, she lives clear across the state, plus we don’t want Mr. Gundy finding out.”

“Oh.” Her face fell. Then she said, “Can I invite my friends from the Rivershire School?”

“Well....” She knitted her brow. “We might be able to do that, if their parents don’t mind, and if Jamie will make the magic doorways for them.”

“He will, I know it. And their parents won’t mind if their kids come. They came here today, remember? And everybody trusts Jamie.”

“You really like those kids, don’t you? Which ones do you want to invite? Or do we have to invite all of them so we don’t hurt somebody’s feelings?” She looked away for a moment and shook her head. “Gosh, this reminds me of the old days.”