* * *
The woman in the black dress stumbled over the broken olive branch. Liam raised his arm and the woman’s body swung around to face him. She struggled against his magic. Liam calmly stood in front of her.
He squeezed her throat. “Where is it?”
“Burn in Hell, Liam.”
“Where is it?”
She closed her eyes, readying herself for what was to come.
“WHERE IS IT?!?” The blue sky darkened. Bolts of lightning struck the ground around them. A fierce wind blew the woman’s hair and dress.
She opened her eyes. “You will never find it.”
* * *
Five men in brown robes surrounded Lorenzo as bolts of lightning flashed across the darkened mid-day sky.
The man opened the satchel and revealed the fake ruby containing the white diamond. “Young Lorenzo, you and your father have done humanity a great service.”
“Thank you, My Lord.”
“What has become of Camilla?”
“I do not know,” Lorenzo said. “She brought it to us this morning. She was still wearing her gown from last night.”
The man placed the gold necklace around his neck. The ruby hung at his chest, near his heart. He smiled at Lorenzo. “May God’s light shine down upon her and upon the Great Fraternity of Gamma Omicron Delta.”
* * *
The woman in the black dress - Camilla - convulsed as a hole formed in the center of her stomach. She screamed in agony. Her body withered as the fire spread. Flames flickered from the hole and melted over her black satin dress. She whimpered when the fire reached her face. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her body went limp.
Liam walked away, never once looking back at the woman he most certainly loved.
The dark paneled ceiling came into view. I rubbed the smooth planes of the fake gem inside my purse. My eyelids were heavy. Too heavy to stay open.
I was half-asleep. I tried to wake myself, but the lure of sleep was too much. Too strong. I relented. My body felt weightless as the visions took me far away.
Jebediah Van Curen was no longer a portrait on the wall of the Gamma farmhouse or in the attic of the Salem Witch Museum. He was here in the flesh. The large nose. The small eyes. It was him. Washing his hands in a porcelain bowl. There was a bed and a table in the room. A fireplace. An old rug. That was it. No television. No electricity. No sign of modern day amenities.
Of course not.
Jebediah Van Curen presided over the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
The fake ruby ring, holding the diamond that contained Lara Ross’ spirit, hung from a thick gold chain around his neck. He wiped his hands with a towel and discarded the crumbled linen beside the washbowl.
Jebediah retrieved a silver flask from his coat pocket. He took a deep swallow and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. His cheeks flushed pink as the alcohol hit his system.
He grabbed his hat, a Bible and a gas lantern and headed out the door. Night had fallen, but it was a different type of darkness in 1692. A primal absolute darkness void of any light pollution from surrounding cities. There wasn’t anything around, but the wild New World frontier.
Jebediah raised his lantern. Log cabins lined the dirt road that led to town. They were modest homes, freshly constructed of strong cedar. Jebediah whistled to himself as he waddled down the street.
He abruptly stopped. “Who goes there?”
A man sat on a split railed fence in the darkness.
Jebediah held up his light. “Who goes there?”
“Good night to you, Mr. Van Curen.”
“Who’s there, I say!” Jebediah repeated. His arm holding the lantern stretched out as far as it would go.
The man stepped out of the darkness and into the soft circle of light from Jebediah’s lantern.
“Liam Ross!” Jebediah clutched his chest. His hand inched toward the ruby around his neck, but he quickly dropped his hand. “What are you doing in Salem?”
“I might ask you the same question, old friend.”
Jebediah’s lip quivered. “I arrived by ship last week. I’ve been appointed counselor to the magistrate. I’m to oversee the hearings.”
Liam tilted his head. “Hearings? Are they truly hearings? Or a brilliant cover for your official slaughtering of my kind?”
“No pure bloods are involved, sir.”
“By my account, neither are any half-bloods.”
Jebediah tugged at his collar. “We are not yet certain of anyone’s guilt or innocence. We need to conduct hearings to determine if those in question are practicing witchcraft. We are within the laws. I have a decree from the Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts.”
Liam laughed. “Does the paper make your murdering official?”
Jebediah lowered his eyes.
“Did you inform your colleagues about how to spot a witch? Did you tell them these hearings are unnecessary? That all you need to do is check for the birthmark on their necks?”
“Times are changing, sir.”
Liam laughed again. He looked up at the moon. “And they call me evil.”
“I do not know your meaning, sir.”
“They’ve given you the official capacity to slaughter and you are taking full advantage, Mr. Van Curen. Even when you know those in custody are not witches.”
Jebediah shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“I’m not judging, good fellow.” Liam bowed. “Kill as many as you like. Innocents. Half breeds. I do not care.”
“There have been reports of witchcraft in the area,” Jebediah said. “You and I both know witches exist.”
“Not here in Salem. However, I’ve heard of a few large covens north of here. In a settlement called Hazel Cove. I might have a look about.”
“I’m aware of the infestation in Hazel Cove,” Jebediah said.
“Yet you do not hunt them? You hunt humans here instead?”
“I do not have the resources to hunt the northern covens. Their numbers are too great and I do not have my fraternity brothers with me. Alas, I’ve employed other methods.”
“Such as?”
“If I can scare the covens in Hazel Cove with my actions here in Salem, then they will go into hiding until I can take them out one by one when my reinforcements arrive.”
“Seems like you have a sound plan.” Liam placed his hands behind his back. “I’ve heard that I have family members in Hazel Cove.”
Jebediah shuffled his feet. “Tis’ true. There is a Ross Coven there.”
“Don’t touch them.”
“Yes, sir. But you’ve not answered my question as to why you are in Salem? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Liam’s eyes crinkled. “I have my reasons.”
* * *
Jebediah mounted the brown stallion and took off down the dirt road. He rode for miles and miles, stopping three times to rest and water his horse. Finally, as the sun rose in the east, he reached a tiny village nestled near the ocean. It was much smaller than Salem; maybe a quarter of its size. The thick forest hugged the row of log cabins bordering the sea.
He passed a wooden sign that read, “Hazel Cove, established in 1628.” Jebediah rode with a purpose into the thick woods until he turned onto a dirt path. He dismounted and led the horse through the overgrowth of trees.
“Who goes there?” A man appeared.
“Jebediah Van Curen.” He held up his lantern.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“I’m here now.” Jebediah tied his horse to a branch and followed the man.
The forest thinned into a clearing that surrounded a giant cedar tree. The roots of the enormous tree pushed up the soil around the base of the trunk. The tree was over fifty feet tall and had a low branch that extended at a ninety degree angle. Set beneath the branch was a crudely made wooden platform.
“Who do we have scheduled?” Jebediah yawned.
The man pointed to three people sitting on the ground near the platform.
An old man and two women. They were gagged and their hands were securely tied behind their backs.
“Maggie Longfellow, Sue Ellen Humphrey and Jamie Ross,” the man said.
Jebediah glanced at the old man sitting on the ground. “Jamie Ross, you say?”
“Yes,” the man said. “One of the founding fathers of Hazel Cove. He has a large family and three grown children, but he has the fingerprint mark on the back of his neck, sir.”
“Of course he does.”
“Shall I proceed?”
“Quickly,” Jebediah said. “However, for the record, Jamie Ross was hanged last week.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jebediah headed for his horse.
He didn’t turn back. Not when the man led the three prisoners up the wooden platform. Not when the ropes went around their necks.
And, certainly not, when the three limp bodies swayed in the crisp morning air.
CHAPTER 13
Last night’s dreams or visions or glimpses into the past - whatever they were - they were disturbing. Was the ruby telling me its story? Was my proximity to the receptacle, showing me what happened so long ago?
Seeing my ancestors and James’ ancestors was frightening. Hunter and hunted for hundreds of years. Witch versus witch hunter. It was a never ending cycle.
I probably shouldn’t have gone to school today. It was the Friday before Halloween. Technically, I had less than seventy-two hours until my sacrifice and showdown with Liam. I suppose I was a little nostalgic - today could officially be my last day of school.
Ever.
I didn’t have time to dwell on last night’s vision. My clock was ticking. Literally.
I grabbed a cheeseburger and French fry plate from the lunch line. A cup of Jell-O and a slice of chocolate pie fit on the tray, too. I paid for my lunch and made my way into the noisy cafeteria.
I was late and most of the student body was already eating. Olivia Humphrey and Jillian Emerson sat alone at a circular table to the right of the cafeteria. Sadie, Lucas, Logan and James were seated in the back corner at a long rectangular table. I’d have to pass Olivia alone - Lucas was usually with me - and I immediately wanted to walk around the side (way out of the way) to avoid her, but it would be too obvious now that everyone was seated.
I couldn’t lose face on possibly my last day of high school.
A rift occurred after what happened last March with Olivia and Peter. My friends believed that Olivia kissed Peter on the boardwalk to spite me. In reality, Olivia spelled Peter and kissed him on the boardwalk to spite me.
Either way, it was a major no-no. As a result, there was a falling out between my friends and sides were chosen. No one had been particularly crazy about Olivia to begin with - other than Jillian - and once they had a palpable reason, she was officially kicked out of our circle of friends.
Olivia’s expulsion from our “group” caused monumental gossip at Hawthorne. Olivia Humphrey cast out. I was indifferent (but secretly touched by my friends’ loyalty). Don’t get me wrong; Olivia and I were no longer friends, especially after she tried to kill me in the girls’ bathroom by levitating glass at my head. But I had bigger fish to fry than some bitchy half-blooded witch. To be honest, I actually felt a little sorry for her. Olivia’s high school status was probably the most important thing to her. And now it was gone.
I cut down the aisle between two crowded lunch tables.
Olivia’s ice blue eyes narrowed.
Jillian noticed me, too. She offered a tiny smile, but her attention quickly returned to her lunch. When sides were taken, Jillian chose Olivia. Of course, in typical Olivia-fashion, she forbade Jillian from speaking to any of us. I missed my redheaded friend, but, like I said - I had bigger fish to fry.
My tray stacked full of food was getting heavy, so despite Olivia’s death stare, I marched forward with my head held high.
“Tick, tock.” Olivia tapped the non-existent watch on her arm. “Do you know what time it is, Jillian?”
Jillian picked up her cell phone. “Um, one-thirty.”
“No, it’s two days before Halloween.” Olivia smiled nastily at me. “Tick, tock.”
“Do you have something to say, Olivia?”
“I heard your mom has a new boyfriend. A scruffy looking fellow from Boston.”
I wasn’t going to respond to questions about Ethan.
Jillian kept her eyes on her tray.
Olivia picked at her salad. “I also heard what happened to your house. Gas leak? What a pity.” She smiled again. “On the bright side, it was a really small house, so I bet you didn’t lose too much.”
“Thank you for your concern,” I said. “I’m doing just fine. James was kind enough to let us stay with him at his house.”
Olivia’s face reddened. She forked a cucumber.
The flyers on the bulletin board behind the lunch table fluttered in a non-existent breeze. Colored papers ruffled against the corkboard. A few students turned to look at the commotion.
“Now, now,” I said under my breath. “Temper, temper.”
Olivia shot me a murderous glare, but she inhaled and blew out of her nose. The flyers fell flat against the bulletin board.
I walked away from Olivia and Jillian and headed to my table.
“Wow, someone’s hungry.” Logan eyed my tray over his fashion glasses.
I shrugged. “Why not, right?”
James smiled.
“What did that witch say to you?” Lucas tipped back his milk carton.
I did a double take, but then realized Lucas was using the word as a derogatory term for Olivia. He didn’t know that she was actually a real-life witch.
James hid another smile behind an apple.
“Nothing,” I said. “She mentioned Halloween.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “We had to invite her.”
I swallow a mouthful of soda. I was smashing the calories today. “Invite her to what?”
“Our Halloween party.” Lucas placed the empty carton on his tray and gave me a strange look. “It’s tomorrow night, remember? The night before Halloween.”
“Devil’s Night,” Logan chimed in.
“That’s right.”
“Seriously?” Logan scratched his head. “You forgot? You’re really out of it sometimes, Alex.”
“Leave her alone,” Sadie said.
“Sorry.” I bit into my hamburger. “Olivia’s invited?”
Olivia’s planned appearance would’ve made me less likely to go. Not that I was planning on attending the Cooper’s Halloween party anyway. I had a big day on Sunday.
Lucas frowned. “My parents invited the Humphreys. We couldn’t add on the invitation - please don’t bring your evil youngest daughter.”
A sharp pain stabbed the middle of my stomach. My arm immediately went around my waist. Olivia. It had to be. I snapped my head in her direction, but she was in deep conversation with Jillian. Their heads were bent together and Jillian was smiling.
Strange.
Olivia’s magic wasn’t advanced enough to harm me without looking. She would need to focus on me. It couldn’t have been a spell, because I was wearing my silver ‘R’ necklace charm. I squeezed my half-eaten hamburger. Ketchup and mayonnaise oozed out the side. Bad meat?
Sadie touched my arm. “Are you okay?”
“My stomach hurts.”
“Cramps?”
“No.”
James leaned across the table. “Do you need to get out of here?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay.” The pain had subsided to almost nothing.
“It’s probably all of the food you just crammed down your throat.” Logan’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t know how you can eat like that and still be so tiny.”
“Logan.” Lucas shot his brother a dirty look. “Are you okay, Alex?”
“Really, guys. I’m fine.”
James didn’t buy it, but the others resumed their conversation.
“Did you get a costume?” Lucas asked
James.
“Uh, no. Not yet.”
“Dude, the party’s tomorrow,” Lucas said. “What is it with you two?”
“I have your costume at my house,” Sadie said to me.
“My costume?”
“I picked one out for you when I went to Kitty’s last week. You’ve seemed busy and I assumed you didn’t have one.”
I didn’t have a costume because I had no intention of going to the Cooper’s Halloween party. But it was a sweet gesture on Sadie’s part.
“Thanks, Sadie.” Another sharp pain flamed through my thigh.
So much for the bad meat theory. Olivia and Jillian had already left for class, so she wasn’t the culprit. What was going on?
“Are you okay?” James had been watching me like a hawk since my first stomach cramp.
I nodded. The feeling was gone. They were intense strikes of pain, but they disappeared quickly. The pain was similar to the sensation I had when Aunt Vanessa whipped me - momentary searing hot pain.
“Are you coming tonight?” Lucas asked me. “To the haunted house?”
“I have plans with Peter.”
“Cool.” Lucas didn’t argue. He was glad my relationship with Peter had returned to normal. Or maybe after all of these years, Luke had finally thrown in the towel on my involvement with haunted houses. “What about you, James? Are you coming?”
“Sure, I’ll be there.” James wiggled my lunch tray. “Are you ready to go to class?”
“I suppose. See you guys later.” I grabbed my empty tray. Maybe Logan was right - I did eat a ton of food.
“Don’t forget, Alex,” Lucas said. “Tomorrow night. Party starts at eight, but you guys can come at seven.”
I smiled. “Sure, Lucas.”
James and I walked out of the cafeteria. As soon as we were out of earshot, James pulled me against a row of lockers. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I had this sharp pain in my stomach and then in my thigh. They’re gone now. But it was pretty debilitating.”
“Was it Olivia?” James asked.
“I don’t think so.”