Putting on the Witch (15 page)

But none of the prints we'd taken matched the one on the knife that had killed Makaleigh. It was frustrating. I had a taste of what Joe went through every day.

“That only leaves five people on the council that we haven't printed,” Brian said. “And speaking of the council, my grandfather and my parents talked to me again about taking Makaleigh's place. They're really giving me a hard sell. My grandfather said he wouldn't take no for an answer.”

“I don't understand why they aren't asking your mother or father to do it.” Dorothy pouted. “They probably want to be on the council. You don't. What else is there to say? How much clearer can you make it?”

“It is odd that Abdon wants a family member on the council and he doesn't want your father,” Elsie considered.

“And I know my father would be more than happy to take the seat.” Brian frowned. “I don't get it either. Maybe I should ask my parents about it away from my grandfather. My father might be afraid to speak up around him.”

“I spoke with the witchfinder,” I told them. “Nothing is turning up for him either—whatever he's doing. Someone is very good at hiding their tracks. We have to get these other fingerprints.”

“And then what?” Dorothy asked. “What if none of the council members' prints matches the one on the knife?”

“Then we have to start with the other hundred and ninety or so people here,” Elsie responded. “Not to mention the staff. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.”

“There's something else too.” I looked each of them in the eye and knew I could trust them with my life and Joe's. “I didn't get Hedyle's fingerprints, but we did have a chat about her forcing a discovery spell on me.”

“My grandfather mentioned you hearing Makaleigh's last words again too,” Brian replied. “He didn't say anything about Hedyle wanting to do a spell on you, but he was very concerned about you keeping what she had to say a secret from the council. It made me wonder what they're worried about.”

“Me too.” I shared my fears with them as well as the moment in the blue room with the spectacular ocean view when I thought I might succumb to Hedyle's will.

“I'm surprised she didn't just do it.” Olivia pushed herself out of the Dorothy's bracelet enough to speak. “Why didn't she just force the spell on you, Molly?”

“She wasn't sure if she could,” I told her. “When she began to weave the spell around me, my amulet started glowing and she backed off. She asked me for permission—I wouldn't give it.”

Dorothy looked puzzled. “Why not? Maybe you really did hear something and you don't realize it. It could make a difference and we could all go home.”

Elsie came behind me, lightly touching my shoulders. “Because you don't know what someone will find with a discovery spell. Hedyle could find out about Joe and the Bone Man's agreement to protect him from the council. There is no stopping a spell like that, especially with a powerful witch like Hedyle. It could ruin Molly's life.”

We stood in the noisy kitchen, out of the way of the cooks and servers, surrounded by the scents of cinnamon rolls and biscuits.

“But the three of us could do a discovery spell without taking anything from you, Molly.” Dorothy took Brian's hand in hers. “Let's at least give it a try.”

I nodded, glad that I didn't have to ask them to bear whatever secret might come from it with me. “Thank you. That's exactly what I was thinking.”

We ate breakfast on the way upstairs to our rooms. It was delicious, and the orange juice was filled with champagne. Elsie ate strawberries until I thought she might pop. Brian was quiet and didn't eat much. I thought he might be worried about being forced to take the council seat he didn't want. Dorothy stayed close to him, watching him as though he might slip away when she wasn't looking. She ate only a few bites of French toast.

I thought about discovery spells. They weren't difficult usually. They could be more complex depending on the depth you were trying to reach. I was willing to fight not to have it done, so Hedyle would have had to use strong magic to coerce me.

Olivia, Elsie and I knew discovery spells. They weren't the good ones that we would have had if our spell book hadn't been stolen. We were still waiting for our new spell book from Elder Magics, but that would be a while. Even then, the old spells that had been handed down from our
ancestors were lost. We'd decided to start fresh with the spells we remembered—few enough—and add new spells as we went along. It was better than nothing.

But not helpful with a discovery spell of this nature.

We were upstairs with the door locked and the room carefully cleansed for a big spell. Candles were lighted, and Brian had smudged the room with sage and rosemary for memory.

“Just take off that old amulet, Molly,” Olivia said. “Probably anything will work on you if you aren't wearing it.”

“And if Hedyle thought it was too powerful for her,” Elsie said, “it would make mincemeat out of one of our spells.”

“Except that I trust you not to give Joe and Mike away,” I replied with a smile. “I trust you to hear whatever Makaleigh said to me that might mean something important about her killer. I don't trust Hedyle or anyone else on the council with that information. You know it's different. That was why she asked me to cooperate before she tried to force me to do it.”

Brian had been silent on the matter, standing away from us with a frown on his young face. “You know, I think Molly is right. I don't think this is going to be a problem. It's not like we don't know a few discovery spells, and together, we're pretty powerful. I think we should give it a try.”

“But here?” Elsie glanced suspiciously around us. “Can we trust this room not to have ears even though we spelled it?”

“We could create an enchanted bubble,” Dorothy said. “As I understand it, you could use it downstairs in the heart of the council, and they still couldn't listen in. Right?”

“That should be correct,” I agreed. “We could create the bubble and protect ourselves from whatever information comes out of me, just as an added precaution.”

“Right.” Brian nodded. “Let's do this.”

Between us we made a closed bubble that witches used for privacy. Not even the council could peer inside it or hear what was said, although too many energy spikes of that nature could bring the council down on whoever was doing it. They were very aware of the way magic was used and protected it zealously.

Olivia came out of the bracelet while we were in the bubble. “Oh, girls—and Brian—this is such a mess. I don't know if a discovery spell is a good idea or not.”

“It could be exactly what Hedyle was trying to goad you into doing, Molly,” Elsie warned. “Maybe she knew she couldn't do it herself but you'd try it.”

“I don't see where we have any choice,” I told her. “It sounded like muttering to me when Makaleigh died, but I guess I owe it to her to find out.”

“Why?” Olivia demanded. “She only talked about changing things. We really don't even know if she meant any of it.”

“I was still the last person she spoke to,” I reminded her. “I don't want to do this either, but I think we should.”

“Let's get on with it,” Brian said. “If what she had to say doesn't amount to the name of the killer, we're going to need those other fingerprints. We don't have time to waste. Ready, Molly?”

I nodded and closed my eyes, standing between them while they joined hands around me. As far as I knew, there were no other deep, dark secrets in me. My friends knew everything. I had to trust that it would be okay. I let myself relax and lean on the affection and faith we shared. They wouldn't hurt me and would guard my secrets with their lives, as I would theirs. This was the nature of a coven and why it was important for the right people to belong to one another.

Brian began the spell, stronger and more confident in his magic than Dorothy or Elsie. They joined in, holding hands,
eyes closed. I could feel their magic building. There was a protective nature to it that wouldn't have been there if Hedyle had done the discovery spell. I was glad that I had resisted.

I was in the pink parlor again. Everything looked as it had when we'd found Makaleigh. Olivia called us over behind the pink sofa, and I reached Makaleigh before Dorothy, Brian or Elsie. I heard a voice murmuring close to my ear—
Makaleigh
. She was beside me on the floor, her life energy draining away as she fought to say one last thing.

She kept repeating the same words, trying to tell me something important, but it made no sense to me. Was she speaking in another language? If so, I couldn't interpret it. She was saying the same words over and over. Three words that I couldn't understand. She was desperate to tell me. Her eyes focused on me, and her hand grasped mine tightly.

Aba. Mho. Ord.

I was repeating the words again and again as I opened my eyes, coming out of the discovery spell. Nothing seemed real, as though I had just stepped out of a dream world and was having trouble finding my way back into the real one.

Brian, Dorothy and Elsie were all staring expectantly at me. They weren't moving. I wasn't sure they were breathing. I reached to touch Elsie's arm but found I couldn't move either. My amulet was glowing brightly. I wasn't sure if this was a backlash from its magic or something else.

“A discovery spell?” the Bone Man harshly laughed. He was inside the bubble with us.
How was that even possible?
“You should know better than to let someone invade your inner secrets. Do they teach witches nothing these days?”

“You can't be here,” I told him. “No one can break through the sanctity of the protective bubble.”

“No witch,” he agreed with a smirk to his red lips. “I, however, am not a witch, as you well know. There is more at stake here than protecting your husband and son. You are
privy to a few of
my
secrets as well, Molly. Did you think of that before you allowed your friends to rummage in your head?” He tapped my forehead sharply with his bony finger. “I think not.”

“I told them everything the last time I left Oak Island,” I confessed. “They're my friends, and my coven. I would trust them with anything, including
your
secrets.”

“I see.” He grinned horribly, showing rotted teeth. “I do not. I have given you the words you seek. Do not try this again. I know you have other plans for your life, but I could put them on hold so you could spend the rest of your time on Oak Island with me.”

“You can't just pop in and out of my life whenever you feel like it, because I know who you really are!”

He tipped his ragged hat to me. “Never make a deal with the Bone Man if you don't intend to keep your part of the bargain!”

He was gone before I could ask about the meaning of the words. I assumed he knew but wouldn't just share unless I made another deal with him. That wasn't going to happen. He already had access to more of my life than I was happy with.

An instant later, we could all move. Brian, Elsie and Dorothy were still chanting the discovery spell.

“I know what she said,” I told them, startling all of us.

“What?” Dorothy demanded. “Was it the killer's name?”

“I don't know.” I repeated the three words that were racing through my brain aloud again.

“Maybe it's the killer's name in code,” Elsie suggested. “Who brought their secret decoder book?”

The protective bubble slowly dissipated around us.

“I don't understand,” Brian said. “What do those words mean? What's the big secret?”

“That's what I thought too,” I agreed. “I remember hearing Makaleigh say those words now, but I don't know what they mean.”

“They must be something important,” Dorothy said. “Why else would Hedyle be so anxious to get them from Molly?”

We all agreed on that, except Olivia. “Gibberish,” she declared. “A wild-goose chase.”

“Maybe you should write the words down anyway so you don't forget,” Elsie suggested. “Maybe it's one of those things where the time isn't right yet but when it is, you'll need the words.”

“It could be anything,” Olivia said. “And it doesn't sound like it's gonna get us out of here any faster. We still don't know who killed Makaleigh.”

“Until we can figure out how to decipher the words, I suggest we get those other fingerprints.” Brian watched as Dorothy wrote down the words. “Maybe we should keep them with us in case someone gets in here while we're gone. We may not know what the words mean, but I'll bet Hedyle does.”

I agreed with him, shaking my head to clear a faint buzzing sound in my ears.

“Are you okay after the spell, Molly?” Elsie asked. “You look kind of pale.”

“Like you've seen a ghost.” Olivia laughed.

She didn't realize how close she'd come to the truth. I might have needed the Bone Man's help when the witchfinder was ready to torture me, but even that was debatable. I didn't need him in the enchanted bubble. It seemed he was entwined in my life now and there was no way to get him out. His magic was stronger and not part of our witchcraft. I had no idea how to get rid of him.

Not a pleasant thought.

Abdon was waiting in the hall, about to knock on the door, as we were getting ready to walk out. Dorothy almost walked into him and apologized before she got quickly out of the way.

“Good. I was hoping to find you all together.” His keen eyes fell on us with much the same impact as the witchfinder's needle. “I'd like a word with you. It seems, for better or worse, that you are Brian's coven now. I don't pretend to like it, but he needs you to stand behind him.”

“Grandfather—” Brian's voice was dry and embarrassed.

“No. I won't be silenced about this. It is an opportunity that may not come again,” Abdon said to him. “Brian needs you to encourage him to take Makaleigh's place on the council, ladies. Think of the advantage and prestige to your coven and your magic. Consider what a remarkable addition he would make to the council as my heir. I urge you to discuss this with him and help him make the right choice.”

“What about Schadt?” Elsie asked daringly.

“What about him?” Abdon responded impatiently.

“Why isn't he taking Makaleigh's place?” Dorothy added. “He's older and a member of your family. He'd like to be on the council. Brian isn't interested. Have you asked Schadt?”