Third Time's a Charm (Halloween LaVeau) (11 page)

A loud bang sounded out. Annabelle and I
hurried over to the foyer. The gang of coven members rushed through the front door like they were being chased by a crazed clown carrying a chainsaw.

“Where have you all been?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I felt like I was their mother asking why they’d been out so late.

“We’ve been busy exploring the outside of the manor.” Rebecca motioned over her shoulder.

I eyed them all suspiciously. “Well. Okay. I guess that’s okay. Did you all do anything in the house while I was gone? It looked as if you used the cauldron in the kitchen.”

“Oh, was that not okay?” Rebecca asked.

“We just did a spell for beautiful weather so that we could enjoy the outside.” Barbara smiled.

That seemed a little too innocent if you asked me. I furrowed my brow. “Well, considering I asked you not to do any more spells…”

Suddenly a crash rang out. The noise had come from the kitchen. We ran across the room and when I reached
the kitchen, I found the cauldron had fallen onto the floor. What the heck had happened?

“Oh dear.
That’s unfortunate.” Rebecca shook her head.

What had they done to the cauldron? That cauldron had been in my family for ages. Maybe I didn’t get a lot of use out of it, but I still didn’t want it destroyed.

“We’ll help you lift it back up,” Sarah said as she motioned for the women to join her.

With some grunting and groaning, the coven members and I lifted the cauldron back onto its hook. I wiped my hands on my pants and turned around to see that Kelley was looking at me
oddly. I knew I had to explain that I had the Book of Mystics and that I’d brought back the other witches too. Surely she would know about the book if she was a coven member. If the women from 1785 knew, then she had to know of its existence too.

Had I really brought back all of the witches?
The odds were likely that I had. How else would they have gotten here? Nope. There was no other way. It was definitely my fault.

“I have the Book of Mystics,” I said
, looking at Kelley.

She nodded. “Well, since you’re the leader, I assumed that you had it. I hope everything is all right,” she said with a look of concern.

So she was aware of the book. That led me to my next question. “Who was the leader when you were here last?” I asked.

She frowned. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I’m not so good with names. I can’t seem to remember many names since I’ve returned.”

“Oh, I understand. I’m sorry,” I said.

I hated to press her for info, especially since the poor girl was having memory issues, but any little details she could provide could possibly be of tremendous help.

“Do you remember anything about the leader? Was it a man or a woman?” I asked.

I should have been able to find this information at the library. If she couldn’t remember, maybe I’d go back and take a look.

She scowled in concentration. “It was a man. Yes, it was definitely a man. I think he had dark hair and was very tall.”

“Is there anything else you can remember about him?” I pushed.

Maybe I was being paranoid, but the description she’d given sounded a lot like Giovanni. I wasn’t sure why he was the first one who came to mind when she’d described him.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I can remember about him.”

I waved off her apology. “Please don’t apologize. I totally understand,” I said.

Annabelle gave Kelley a pitying smile.

“Maybe the name will come to me soon,” Kelley offered.

There was just one more question and I promised myself that I would stop making her try to remember things.

“What happened to him?” I asked. “Was he still the leader when you died?”

She nodded. “As far I know, yes, he was still the leader.”

Okay, I’d said it was the last question, and I really meant it this time. “Was there anything unusual about his time as a leader?”

“You heard the girl, she doesn’t remember anything, now stop asking,” Rebecca said in a frustrated tone.

I frowned. “I’m just trying to find out what I can about former leaders.”

“Go to the library,” Barbara said.

Annabelle and I exchanged a look. So they knew about the library? What else did they know?

Now that I knew they were aware of the library section, I decided to ask them about the strange symbol on their clothing.
“As a matter of fact I’ve already been to the library.” I folded my arms in front of my chest. They paused and stared at me. “And I found out a little about you all,” I said.

“What did you discover?
” Rebecca stiffened.

“Not a lot, but I did see a picture of the symbol that’s on your skirts.
” I pointed. They looked down at their dresses. “What does it mean?” I asked.

“It helps us with our spells
,” Rebecca said matter-of-factly.

That was interesting. Maybe I could get this symbol to help with my magic?

I held up my index finger. “Wait here. I have something I want to show you.”

I retrieved the p
aper I’d discovered and hurried back to the witches. I motioned for them to come closer. When the coven had gathered around, I asked, “I need to know more about this symbol?”

I showed the
m the paper. Rebecca picked it up and studied it, then passed it around to the other coven members. When they’d finished looking at it, they handed it back to me. I looked at them expectantly. By the looks on their faces, I was sure they had the answer to my question.

Rebecca looked at me,
then said, “It looks like our symbol, but maybe it’s not quite the same. Something seems different.”

My mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? It’s the symbol associated with your coven. I discovered it in the book I found at the library.”

“We had a problem deciding on just one, so we tested quite a few,” she said.

I stared in disbelie
f. “You should still know what each one that you thought about using means.”

“Well, we can’t remember all of that
—after all, it’s been a long time. We have good memories, but not that good.”

I couldn’t believe that they were that useless. “Well, can you all at least help me try to figure out this mystery?”

Rebecca shrugged, then the rest of them followed the gesture. “Sure, we can give it a try.”

I loaded the women into my car and we headed to the library
. The women chatted non-stop about all the things that had changed around town. They were surprisingly accepting of all the things they saw around them.

When I passed by the bakery, Kimberly leaned forward in the seat. “Can you stop off at the bakery? We are really hungry.”

I looked at her in the mirror. “Are you serious? I’m kind of in a hurry.”

I looked back at all the scowling faces and realized that they were completely serious. I pulled my car over and parked along the curb. I couldn’t believe that I was taking a group of witches from the 1700s to the bakery. I was kind of curious as to which type of doughnut they’d pick.

Technically I still wasn’t allowed in the bakery. I missed the chocolate glazed doughnuts. Unfortunately, the witches had purchased several of the scrumptious aforementioned doughnuts. After they finally got their pastries, I got the women back in the car and I hurried the rest of the way to the library.

“You need to slow down,” Barbara pointed out.

“My driving is fine.”

A horn honked from somewhere behind me.
The ladies cackled. “That’s what you think,” Rebecca said.

I pulled the car into the parking lot and all the women climbed out. They still nibbled on their goodies.

“You have to finish eating before we can go inside,” I warned.

I watched as the women chewed the last few bites of food, and then we walked into the library and they looked around.

Their eyes widened. “I still can’t believe all the books. There are so many,” Sarah whispered.

I walked across the library and motioned for the women to follow me. I wondered if they would have the same feeling about the creepy basement as I did. We reached the stairs and I hesitated.

“What’s the problem?” Rebecca asked.

I shook my head.
“Nothing. It’s just a little weird down there,” I said, pointing to the basement.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, that
’s ridiculous. Now come on, we have other things to do today.”

I snorted. “Like what? Cause more chaos around the manor?”

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say,” Barbara said with a wave of her finger.

I shrugged. It was the truth though. They followed me as I led the way down
into the dimly lit basement.

“I don’t know what your problem is with this place. It seems fine
to me,” Rebecca said.

She would say that. I wasn’t surprised that it didn’t give her the creeps. Rebecca seemed tough as a cast
-iron cauldron.

When we
reached the room, I motioned for them to follow me inside. We stepped inside the space, they looked around in amazement.

“All of these books are about us?” Barbara asked.

“Well, not about you all. Just all witches from Enchantment Pointe.”

She looked at me as if she was pondering this information. I got the impression that she was a little disappointed by this news. It ha
d been quite a few years and more covens had come along since then, although witches did have a longer lifespan.

She released a sigh. “Well, I guess you can show us the book now.”

I walked across the room and moved to the spot where I had found the book before. For a moment I didn’t see it and I began to panic. But finally I spotted the book. It had been moved to a different spot from when I’d found it before. Had someone else been in the room? I didn’t think there would be many witches researching that often. There couldn’t have been too many people who would have looked at the book. I figured I had been the only one down there in this room for a long time. I pulled the book from the shelf, carried it back to the table, and placed it down in front of the witches.

I flipped open the old cover and leafed through the pages until I found the spot with the symbol. “See,” I said
, tapping the page. “There it is. Can you help me reverse his spells?”

The women gathered around the book and peered down. They were quiet way longer than I wanted them to be.

Finally, I had to say something. “Well, what do you think?”

Rebecca flipped the cover closed and headed toward the door. “Okay. We’re ready.”

“What do you mean you’re ready?” I asked.

She turned around and looked at me. “We’re ready to help you.”

I picked the book back up and placed it back on the shelf where I’d originally found it. I hurried out of the room because the women had already left me and were moving up the stairs.

“Hey, don’t leave me down here in this place,” I said.

We piled back in to the car and headed for LaVeau Manor. Thank goodness they didn’t ask to stop off for more pastries, although Rebecca and Kimberly did want to stop and pick up a Diet Coke. They’d become obsessed with them. Soon I’d have to stage an intervention.

Once we finally arrived back at the manor, I was exhausted just from listening to all their chatter and we hadn’t even started to cast a spell yet. They claimed they could help me get rid of the spells that had been added to the Book of Mystics. I was a bit skeptical, but I could use all the help I could get, so I had to let them try.

I wasn’t sure how they knew which spell would help break anything that Giovanni had done. There was some feeling deep down that told me they had no idea what they were doing. It was all so complicated, but none of this had ever been easy.

We gathered around the big black cauldron. The wind whipped as the witches cast their spell. We held hands and recited the words. A white misty cloud circled our heads and then fell down to our legs. It whirled around the ground, weaving in and out between our legs, and then rose back up and hovered over our heads.

The wind died down and I hoped that we had finally finished the spell. I was drained
of all energy. I wasn’t sure how long I could continue. But I had to keep trying. Giving up was never an option.

The women released hands and looked up. The clouds had disappeared. “The spells should be gone from
the Book of Mystics,” Rebecca said.

I reached for the book and opened
it to the back. The spells were still on the pages. I released a deep breath and tapped the page with my finger. “Sorry to break it to you, ladies, but the spells are still there.”

A few gasps rang out from the women. Rebecca shrugged nonchalantly.

“That can’t be,” Barbara said, leaning over to look.

“Well, it’s the truth,” I said.

“I hate to break up your conversation,” Rebecca said. “But Kimberly wants more food.” The reanimated sure were hungry. Rebecca didn’t seem too concerned that I was having a spellbook crisis at the moment.

“I don’t know if I have any food left,” I said.

“Maybe you should go to the store,” Kimberly said.

I frowned. “Yeah, I guess I should. But I have a little matter with the Book of Mystics that I have to figure out first.”

Kimberly shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Come on, I’ll see what I can dig out of the pantry.” I motioned over my shoulder.

As I rooted around in the cabinet looking for a leftover rice cake or a pack of forgotten saltines, Rebecca stood behind me. I’d felt her presence. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw her standing there with her hands on her hips.

“You have more power than you realize. You should cast a spell on
your own to see if a spell appears in the book. Then maybe you’ll have the answer you’re looking for,” Rebecca said.

I doubted what she said. Besides, I wasn’t sure that I wanted the answer. What if I couldn’t add a spell? Would that mean that I would have to give up
being the leader of the Underworld?

“Yes, dear, you should give it a try,” Barbara said.

I sucked in a deep breath and said, “Fine. I’ll give the spell a shot.”

The women were standing around the room, patiently waiting for me to begin. I stepped over to the book on the counter and everyone gathered around.

Annabelle stood in the corner and watched. Kelley jumped right in as if she’d been around forever. Now that we’d secured the cauldron back on the hook, I opened the book and waited for something to happen. But there was no wind, no lights… nothing. It was as if the book had stage fright. The witches looked at me.

“You realize you can place a spell on the book so that no one but you can touch it?” Rebecca asked with a stern look on her face.

“If it was as easy as placing a spell, then why didn’t the previous leader do that?” I asked.

“I would assume that she did, but I don’t know the circumstances
,” she pointed out.

“If a spell to keep people away can be added, then why was the book hidden when I found it? Obviously my aunt hadn’t wanted anyone to find it,” I said.

“Well, she wasn’t the leader of the Underworld,” Rebecca said.

I supposed she did have a point there, but something still made me skeptical. Maybe it was because my magic had been bad in the past. But I supposed it was worth a shot. What was the worst thing that could happen?

“Let’s hold hands and we can help you with the spell. You can use our energy.” The women gathered around and held hands.

Now that wasn’t such a bad idea. I’d used Nicolas and Liam’s energy in the past and it had helped me pull off complicated spells.

Kelley and Annabelle watched from a distance. I didn’t blame Kelley for not wanting to get involved.

I grasped the witches
’ hands and recited the words. They were silent as I spoke, but soon they started chanting. I had never in all my years taken part in a spell where the witches had chanted as a part of a spell that I had been trying to cast. The air changed and the temperature grew hot. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I’d never felt this way before and I knew something was wrong.

Without warning, a ring of fire encircled the book and it inched its way closer to the vulnerable pages. I leapt forward and reached past the flames, grabbing the book. I fell backward with the book clutched in my arms. Gasps rang out and the witches jumped forward with towels,
patting out the flames.

After the fire was out, I looked at them. “What the hell was that all about?”

Rebecca had a sheepish look on her face. “Oops. I guess we got a little carried away.”

A little carried away? That was an understatement. “You almost caught the book on fire.” They were a walking disaster.

Kelley walked over and helped me to my feet. “Are you okay? That was scary.”

I nodded and brushed the hair out of my eyes. “Yes, I think I’m fine.” I looked down at the book. Thank goodness the flames hadn’t touched it and it was perfectly fine. What would I have done if I’d allowed them to destroy the book? What would happen to the Underworld? It would be chaos. But after all the madness, had the spell to protect the book really worked?

Kelley must have read my mind because she asked, “Did the spell work?”

I released a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“May I try to touch the book? That way you’ll know if it worked.”

I looked at her reluctantly.

“Come on, what would I do with the book if I tried to take it from you? You and your friend would tackle me and have it back within two seconds.”

Yeah, but what if she tried a spell and took the book that way?
Then again, if she wanted to do that she wouldn’t need me to hand it to her, right? The more I thought about it the more confused I got. She grinned with that sweet face and I suddenly felt as if I could trust her. I handed her the book.

Unfortunately, she was able to take it from my outstretched hand. Fortunately, my instinct had been correct and she handed it back to me with a smile.

“Try to do another spell,” Barbara said.

The bell rang and we all jumped. It was just as well that someone was at the door and had stopped me because the spells weren’t working anyway.

“I’ll get the door.” I grabbed the book, because I’d learned the hard way that I couldn’t trust anyone.

If Nicolas and Liam had gone to the Bubbling Cauldron, then who was at my door?

When I reached the door, I peered out and cursed when I saw who was standing on the veranda. I reluctantly opened the door. Giovanni gave a sneering grin and looked down at the book clutched under my arm.

“I see that you’ve brought the book to me.” His
mouth twisted into a wicked grin.

“Are you crazy?” I snapped.

He looked offended that I would ask such a question, but he didn’t answer.

“No, I didn’t bring you the book. What do you want?” I demanded.

“I’ve come for the book of course.” His voice dripped with mockery.

“Well, that’s not happening,” I said.

“Why doesn’t he add a spell if that’s what he claims he can do?” Kelley said from over my shoulder.

I looked back and everyone was standing behind me. Annabelle shrugged. Rebecca was proposing a risky situation. Was I willing to give it a try? What would I do if he really could add a spell? Would I have to give him the book?

I reluctantly allowed Giovanni into my home. Of course I followed him as he stepped into the kitchen. I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t make a wrong move. The book was still on the counter. I stood nearby because I didn’t trust him not to grab it and run away. I’d hate to zap him with magic, but I would if I had to. I never liked using magic against anyone and I’d only do it if absolutely necessary.

He smiled at the group of witches,
then began reciting the words. He waved his hands and the wind whipped. I’d never seen anyone do magic that aggressively before. I was positive that he had no idea what he was doing.

The wind wasn’t as strong as when I performed magic and I felt a little self-satisfied about that little fact. When the wind finally settled down, he opened his eyes and looked around the room.

“Well, have a look, ladies.” He gestured with a grand sweep of his hand.

I peered down at the book and sure enough
, the spell that he’d just performed had been added to the pages. I was devastated. What would I do now? There was no way around it. He had added a spell and I had not. It looked like he had won this match. Giovanni met my gaze and my stomach turned when I saw the look of satisfaction on his face.

Giovanni reached down and grabbed for the book. I snatched it up, but fell back onto the floor.

“Not so fast,” I said as I sat on the floor.

“The book is mine. I added the spell and you did not. There is no way around this now
, Halloween LaVeau. So be a nice little witch and give me the book.” He wiggled his fingers.

I looked around the room at the faces staring at me.

“It does appear that it is his book now,” Rebecca said.

The rest of the coven members nodded. Annabelle reached down and helped me to my feet. There was no way I would let him have the book without a fight. I needed time to confirm what he had said. I didn’t care what he’d added to the pages.

Giovanni stepped forward and I moved back a few steps. Annabelle stood beside me, holding on to my arms as we moved together. He had us backed into a corner. There was nowhere else to go. There was nowhere to get away from him. Maybe if Annabelle moved across the room, I could toss to at her.

In one swift movement, Annabelle reached down and grabbed the book. I let out a gasp as she ran out of the kitchen. Giovanni ran after her. He was tall and I was sure with his long legs he would close the distance between them in no time. The only adv
antage Annabelle had was that she was light on her feet. I scrambled up from the floor and took off out the kitchen door and through the house. I spotted Giovanni as he rounded the corner into the foyer.

When I reached the foyer, the front door was wide open and Giovanni was running down the front steps. I sprinted out onto the porch and looked around. Annabelle was sprinting across the lawn, and then she disappeared into the woods. Who knew that she could run that fast?

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me until I finally caught up with Giovanni. I needed something to stop him—something to slow him down so that he couldn’t get the book from Annabelle.

I recited the words and pointed my hand toward his back. Giovanni hadn’t looked back and didn’t even know what hit him when I zapped him with my spell. Power zinged through the air. He collapsed onto the ground and I ran past him. It would take him a
while before he could get up and catch up to us. But when I reached the line of trees, I knew that Annabelle had already made it to the other side. At least I hoped she had.

She’d taken off with the book and that had my stomach in knots. She was vulnerable now. What if Giovanni or someone else caught up with her and figured out that she had the book
? There was no telling what they would do to her. And she didn’t have magic powers to protect herself.

There had to be a way to counteract what Giovanni had done. I had to find a spell that would stop any of his attempts to add spells to the book in the future. Plus, I needed a spell that would delete the words he’d added to the book. We didn’t need his poison on the pages. Where
had he unleashed this power from? I couldn’t believe that he’d been able to achieve something as complicated as that.