Witch at First Sight (Wicked Witches of Pendle Island Book 7), page 5
“Werewolf,” he said, holding my eyes as if to deliver the point dramatically. I raised my brows after I realized that was all he had.
“Oh, is that it?”
“Is that not a good guess? You saw that thing; it had some sort of animal body and it’s face looked half-human!”
“I uh… I mean it’s not bad a guess, but I’ve seen a few werewolves close up, and they didn’t look anything like that thing.”
“Oh,” he said with a note of defeat.
“Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble.” We walked a few more paces before Deacon spoke again.
“Wait a second, are you telling me that werewolves are real?!”
“Boy, I really have to re-educate you on everything, don’t I?” I said in a moment of glum realization.
“You mean to say I already know about all this stuff?” he asked.
“Sure, you do, my gardener Adam is a werewolf. Though I suppose you’ve never actually met him because you and I haven’t been together… uh, this is messing with my head.”
“What else is real?” he asked. “Like, witches and magic are real, and now werewolves too. And… whatever the hell that thing was that run us off the road. Is there other stuff out there?”
“Oh yeah, tons of stuff. The world is actually bonkers, like, full on bonkers. My lawyer is a vampire now, ghosts are real, cats can talk—”
“Cats can talk?”
“Well, just the annoying ones. But yeah, my point is that a lot of weird stuff exists. I don’t even know half of everything that is out there at the moment, I only got my powers when I came back to the island recently. I mean, I only just learned that I’m meant to be this big, once-in-a-generation witch that is supposed to be super important. I don’t even know how to unpack that one, I can barely magic up noodles without causing some sort of accident.”
“So, you’re a pretty big deal?” Deacon said, grinning as he looked over at me. “Once in a generation?”
“Something like that, to be honest I’ve not fully delved into all that yet. As soon as I got back from fixing Fairview, I spent the last week trying to fix you not knowing me.”
“Well, hey, if it’s any consolation, I’m super proud of you, even if you are a complete stranger. Sounds like you got a serious promotion! If we ever get to my cabin we should celebrate!”
I smiled at him, feeling a myriad of happiness at his unquestioning support, mixed with sadness at him calling me a stranger. Talk about a curveball of a situation.
“Ah, here we go!” Deacon said with enthusiasm as we finally reached the top of the hill and came back to the road from which we had departed. “One step closer to…” Deacon and I both stopped at the top of the hill, staring in confusion at the scene before us. “…Civilization,” he finished.
“I don’t understand,” I said as I looked out at the continuing forest, no sign of a road in sight. “Where’s the road? This is the hill we rolled down, right?”
We both turned around and glanced back down the hill, squinting at the headlights of Deacon’s beat up truck in the distance. The tires had carved huge chunks of earth out of the slope as the truck had gone down, so there was no mistaking it, we had climbed up the right hill.
“Yep, one hundred percent,” Deacon said, scratching the back of his head as he examined the confusing scene. “This is… definitely a little confusing. I’ve not seen this before but, I—well.” He paused, folding his arms as he tried to put the puzzle together.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It might sound crazy, but right before we went off the road, do you recall me talking about tourists going missing out here in the sticks?”
“…Yes?” I recalled him briefly mentioning something about it.
“Well Pendle Island has its fair amount of missing persons cases. Now truth be told most rural communities have a track record for tourists going missing. City folk come out to the sticks and go hiking, not enough gear or experience. They end up wandering off track and then poof—they’re gone, never to come back.”
“But we didn’t wonder off track. The track wondered away from us.”
“Right, and it doesn’t make much sense, does it? I told you there are old myths about the trees moving out here. Now you might be thinking I took to your magical secret pretty quickly, in part that’s because I’ve always suspected there was something different about this place. Things I can’t explain, little oddities that go unnoticed. I’ve been out here hiking before and I’ve lost my way, and I don’t mean to honk my own horn, but I’m an experienced woodsman with advanced orienteering skills. I don’t get lost.”
“So, you’re telling me the woods around here move? The wilderness moves?”
“Heck, I’m not telling. Look at the spot where the road was a moment ago and your eyes can tell you that much! I’m just putting forward my theory. We went off the road and the woods have shifted. Now we’re stuck somewhere else, and we’ve got to find our way out.”
“This island, I can’t even—” I pushed my fingers through my hair, wondering where to possibly even begin. “Fine, okay, so we’re stuck in the middle of somewhere, and we have to find our way back. How do we do that?”
“Lucky for you you’re stranded with me, and I just happen to have the knack.”
“The knack?”
“The knack.”
“…What is the knack?”
“The knack is the secret to surviving in the wilderness, it’s the one thing that separates the men from the boys.”
“Okay, and what is the knack?”
“…Basically, you just go to the highest point and look for water.”
I stared at Deacon for a few seconds, wondering why I ever fell in love with this beautiful idiot in the first place. “I don’t know if you’ve looked around Deacon, but this seems to be the immediate highest place, and I can’t see any water.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his eyes straining against the darkness as he surveyed the forest on all sides. Behind us was the hill, and on all other sides the trees stretched into darkness, the ground not seeming to shift much higher than this. “A good observation Miss Sponks, we’ll make a keen woodsman of you yet. My only other suggestion is to set up camp and perhaps prepare for the night. I’ve got a spare sleeping bag and enough food to keep us going for a few days. There’s more water in the trunk of the car and I can get a fire going in no time too. If we start now we can—” Deacon looked at his watch and did a double take. “What in the?!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“That can’t be right. We set off from the waffle house not long after seven. It should only be about eight now. My watch is saying it’s eleven. Maybe I bashed it in the crash.”
I looked at my watch too and found it said the same time. “It’s not just you, I’ve got the same time.”
“That means we’ve somehow lost a few hours then. We better start setting up camp quickly. Once midnight comes around the temperature really drops out here and the bears and coyotes come out.”
“Bears?!” I said in alarm.
“Ah, don’t worry, as long as we keep the food locked up, they won’t come near us. Coyotes on the other hand… well I’ve got a gun for them. They tend to stay away from humans though, unless they’re really desperate.” Deacon set his pack down on the ground and dusted his hands off.
“What are you doing? We’re setting up camp here?”
“Why not? It’s not like there’s a road here anymore, the ground is nice and flat, and we have a good vantage. If we stay close enough to the car too someone might see the headlights before they burn out.” He crouched down, unclasped a tent from the bottom of the bag and threw the rolled-up satchel onto the dirt. “You got much experience with camping?” he asked.
“Not really, but I watched The Parent Trap a lot as a kid.”
“Is that a long way of saying no?”
“Oh, come on, The Parent Trap! Two twins reunite at summer camp? It’s a classic!”
Deacon stared at me for a moment before he started unpacking the tent and other equipment. “How about I set up the tent and things while you get firewood?”
“You think there’s a store around here?” I asked in all seriousness. He stared at me blankly. “Oh… you mean from the ground.”
“Yeah, you want drop-wood, branches and twigs that have fallen off trees and dried out. Get about twenty branches the size of your forearm, and as many twigs as you can gather. You can use this,” he said throwing a nylon disk my way. It popped open in the air, turning into a quiver-shaped tube with a strap.
“Is this a foldaway wood gathering bag?” I asked.
“Bit of a gimmick, huh?” he smiled. “It was a freebie with my last pair of hiking boots. I hate to admit, but the darned thing has been useful. Now, go gather that wood, and stay close to the site. I don’t want you getting lost on me.”
“Aye, aye, captain!” I said in mock salute as I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed off to look for firewood.
Wilderness, prepare yourself. Deacon and Chelsea are back together, and they aren’t taking any fools!
I somehow gathered a fine selection of firewood, and by the time I came back to the site Deacon had set up the tent, made a stone fire circle and pulled up two logs as benches.
“Ah, there you are!” he said, smiling as I approached. I wasn’t quite sure how Deacon did it, but whenever he smiled at me, I went weak at the knees and my tummy filled with butterflies. I was glad it was dark because I was sure I was blushing. “How went the gathering?”
“Those branches don’t know what hit them,” I said, handing the bag to Deacon. “Gathered them up good and proper.” He laughed, nodded approvingly at my collection of firewood, and crouched to the ground as he started putting the fire together. I sat down on one of his impromptu log benches, wrapping my arms around my knees to keep myself warm. It wasn’t that cold yet, but a shiver escaped me.
“You cold already?” he asked, noticing the shiver. “The temperate hasn’t dipped yet, it’s going to get much worse than this.”
“I’m fine, I’ve just got thin skin, I think. You always say that I run a little colder than everyone else.”
“I do, eh?” he said, shooting another one of those knee-weakening smiles my way as he stacked branches over a cluster of twigs. “Well don’t you worry, as soon as this fire is up and started, you’ll feel a lot—oh, shoot.”
“What’s up?” I asked.
Deacon held up his lighter. “It’s busted. Must have got damaged when the pack was rolling around in the trunk. I’ll have to do things the old-fashioned way. It’ll take me a bit longer, but—”
“Nitras,” I said, holding my hand in the direction of the firewood and instantly setting it alight. A huge fire immediately filled the circle, lighting up the shadowy campsite and bathing us in warmth. Deacon blinked in amazement and nodded his approval.
“Okay, I have to admit, that was pretty cool. I guess I keep forgetting about the whole magic business.”
I smiled. “I didn’t want to deprive you of your moment, and you seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
“Hey, I’m not proud. If your magic can get us out of this situation then I’m all for it. Can you teleport us back to society or something? Shoot up a flare or signal for help? Do you have a broom?!”
I laughed. “I don’t have a broom. As for the other things, I might be able to do that stuff on any other given day, but to be honest I’m feeling a little fried after the crash.”
“Oh?” Deacon was busy pulling stuff out of his pack, setting down pots, pans, packets and cannisters. “So, a car crash can drain your magic?”
“Well, saving us from getting injured can. I only have a limited reserve of magical ability each day, and I think I used most of it with that golden shield, whatever it was. There’s not exactly a fuel gauge on the center of my forehead or anything, but if there was it would be hovering around empty. I think that fire there is my last magical contribution until tomorrow. I can probably get us help then.”
Deacon just grinned at me again. “Well, that means the camping trip is back on then.” He stood up and threw a thick woolen blanket around me, pulling it tight so I would warm up quickly. “There you go, that should get the warmth back in you.”
“Thanks,” I said. “What do we do now? Sit around and tell ghost stories?”
“I’m thinking we eat. Now I may not remember you, but you strike me as the type of gal that wouldn’t say no to a hamburger.”
My eyes lit up instantly. “Wait, you have that?!”
Deacon pulled out a small cold-box and held it up proudly. “I told you I’m good at camping, and a good camper always comes prepared. Does that mean you’re in?”
I nodded eagerly, not actually noticing how hungry I had been until Deacon had pulled out the food. My stomach was rumbling, and I was ravished. “Honestly, I’m so hungry I could marry you right now, uh… sorry. That’s not helping the weird stalker vibe.”
Deacon laughed it off. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of women have tried to snag me up after witnessing my cooking skills.”
“I bet. You’re probably fighting them off at the BBQ. Why not pick one, settle down?”
He pulled out a little skillet, sliced a nob of butter into the pan and set two of the patties down, the scent of sizzling meat filling my nostrils. My mouth filled with saliva. Deacon shrugged, looked back at me, and smiled. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve just not found the one yet. Maybe she’s out there… somewhere.”
My heart started thumping in my chest at a million miles an hour. I don’t know why, but I could swear that it felt like he was talking about me. Was he really remembering me? I swallowed down my nerves and made some weird dorky laugh sound. “The power of hamburgers, am I right?!”
Deacon looked at me quizzically, chuckled to himself and went back to cooking. Meanwhile I shrank into my blanket, wishing I could disappear into the earth. The power of hamburgers? Really, Chelsea?!
Not long after that I had finished wolfing down my third hamburger and was watching the fire with a warm cup of cocoa in my hand, my eyes starting to droop sleepily as the night drew to a close.
“There is something so relaxing about watching fire,” I said dreamily. I let my eyes glance over at Deacon, staring at his handsome face as the light flickered over his features. He nodded in agreement.
“That’s why I like coming out here so much, just me, my thoughts, and the wilderness. I have to admit, having a little company has been nice too. I may have run my truck off the road, but this here might just be the best date I’ve ever had.”
“Same, it’s so calm and—” I began, stopping myself as I caught the word. “Wait, date?!”
Deacon seemed to notice the slip up at the same time and he straightened up. “Well, what I mean is that I had a good time, and you—”
I laughed. “I think date is a good word,” I said, struggling to keep my eyes open. It was cute to watch him squirm, but I didn’t have much left in the tank. “And as much as I want it to continue, I think I need to catch some winks.”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Deacon said, letting out a long yawn. He stood up and stretched, running his hands through his long golden-red hair. “Uh… so listen up, the sleeping arrangements, there’s only one tent, but there are two sleeping bags. Now if it makes you happy, we can sleep in shifts, keeping watch out for coyotes and what not, I’d sleep out here on the ground but it’s mite season and—”
“We can both sleep in the tent,” I said. “It’s fine.”
“Oh, okay. As long as you’re sure.”
I mean I already knew Deacon, so this wasn’t as weird for me. Obviously, he still didn’t know us, our full history, so he was going to be a chivalrous gentleman about things, but I didn’t want him sleeping outside in the cold, it was just a ridiculous idea.
A few minutes later I was a snug bug wrapped up inside my sleeping bag, Deacon lying beside me, a few feet separating the two of us. “Thanks for the food,” I said, my eyes fighting sleep hard now. “It was honestly amazing.”
“Thanks for the fire,” he said back. “Saved us quite a lot of time. Tomorrow we can pack things up and start looking for a road back to reality. When the sun is up it’ll be a little clearer, so…”
I don’t really remember what else he said. I was really just focusing on the warm timbre of his voice as it led me off to sleep, a rhythmic reassurance that felt like home, a grain of sound that held me as I drifted into peacefulness.
I can’t recall when I fell asleep, but when my eyes next opened it was in startlement. It was still pitch-black outside, and all around the forest I heard the most inhuman barking sound I had ever heard in my life.
Deacon sat up beside me, a finger pressed against his lips to urge silence. Another round of that ghastly barking erupted, filling me with cold dread.
“What is that?!” I whispered in part terror.
“I don’t know,” Deacon whispered back as he pulled something out of a side-pocket of his satchel. From the outline I realized it was a gun. “But it ain’t like no sound I’ve ever heard before. Stay here. I’m going to check it out.”
Before I could stop him, Deacon pulled open the zip and disappeared into the night.
“Deacon!” I shout-whispered. “Deacon!”
In a moment of utter dread, I realized I was going to have to follow him out there. Deacon was more than capable of looking after himself and he was armed, sure, but that barking sound… it came again, making the hairs stand on the back of my neck.
Whatever was going on here, my magical intuition told me this wasn’t an ordinary beast.
I couldn’t let Deacon handle this alone.
I had to help him.
6
I ran out into the dark, my hands trembling slightly from adrenaline and panic. With my wand steadied in my right hand I whispered a spell under my breath and a beam of light came out of the wand, illuminating the pitch-black woods.
