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“Selene Beaumont is a member of the New York Coven. She’s been missing for about ten years, and she is the mother of exactly one child. She was a seer, and one of the most powerful witches in our coven,” Alice shifted her weight back and forth on her heals. “It’s a shame her talisman disappeared right around the time she did. It could’ve come in handy up against some of the more psychotic witches I’ve known in my life. Could’ve helped me heal quite a few broken bones…it could’ve helped with all kinds of things.”
“How do you find a talisman like that?” I asked, careful to keep my question as vague as I could.
“Only a witch’s blood kin can find a lost talisman. The closer the blood connection, the easier it is to find. I mean, a daughter could easily find her mother’s talisman with a basic spell. Wouldn’t take much forethought, or much magic.”
I nodded in thought. I had plenty of books back at the house that could track down Selene’s talisman, and once we weren’t on witch territory, Jamie and I could plan how to go after Claudette.
“Thank you, Alice. Your magic lesson has been extremely informative.”
Jamie snorted. “It has?”
“It has, now, if you will grant us safe passage, we’ll leave your territory…for now,” I said.
She nodded. “You have leave to come and go as you please, as long as you come and go in peace.”
Jamie looked unconvinced. “Your grandmother isn’t going to try and flay us alive as we leave, right?”
“My grandmother has an unpleasant history with your kind,” Alice said. “But I’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt you.”
“Thank you, that would be greatly appreciated,” I said, backing toward the stairs.
“Wait,” Alice called out. “Before I break the seal on the room. There is one more thing I need to ask of you.”
“What’s that?” I sighed.
Alice placed her hands on either side of the plinth, her palms resting on the edges of the salt circle. “All I ask is after you face down your enemy, please remember that not all witches are alike. The scary ones I mentioned are rare. The rest of us just want to live in peace, just like you.”
I nodded again and turned back to Jamie. “Let’s go.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to know?” He asked, grabbing me by the wrist. “Now is your chance.”
I shrugged. “Even if she could answer, she’s not the one I have questions for.”
“Okay.” He nodded, letting me go.
I gave Alice one last glance and started up the stairs. She’d given me a few solid leads to work with. Now, I just had to take action.
Step one, find a spell to track down Selene’s talisman. Whether or not my mother would be with the object, I couldn’t tell, but it would be useful one way or another. Step two, find a healing spell and use the talisman to stave off the effects of the plagues until we can complete step three and kill Claudette. The witch that cast the curse.
Passing by the front room, I saw Sarah stood at the front window with her arms crossed, peering out over the street. She didn’t spare us a glance as we opened the door, and I didn’t bother saying goodbye.
I did however freeze halfway to the SUV. A woman stood with her nose pressed to the glass on the passenger side door.
Jamie arched an eyebrow at me, and we walked closer, side by side. Jamie cleared his throat and the woman let out a loud yelp, spinning around.
“Oh my,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you—I mean obviously, I was being nosey. I’m sorry. We’re just not used to new people. I’m Martha.”
The woman’s dark hair fell like a curtain to her shoulders. Young and vibrant, but as she extended her hand in greeting, I got a whiff of something older. Something about her wasn’t exactly as it seemed.
Reluctantly, I shook her hand, and I felt a warning tingle against my palm. I pulled back and cleared my throat. “Hi. We’ll be going now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t scare you away,” she said, and her tone set off an alarm in the back of my mind.
I narrowed my eyes at her and inhaled deeply. “You’re the other witch from the woods. The one that wanted to—”
The woman’s face paled, and she tossed a loose brown powder at our faces. I coughed, squeezing my eyes shut against the burn. I could hear Jamie coughing beside me, but when I opened my eyes again, the world went white for a moment.
I blinked and squinted at the woman. “Oh, god. I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
