AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The three women shifted in their seats, and Mariah realised she had guessed right. The narrative had been off. Could a priest really raise a godly barrier? It had been bugging her, but those words kept running around her head last night.
“What’s happened?” Prudence asked.
“You want to know? Fine, then I demand to learn what you’re deliberately missing out,” Mariah countered.
Rose-Marie turned to her.
“Witches,” she said.
Mariah’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.
“Pardon?” Whatever Mariah had been expecting, it hadn’t been that!
“It wasn’t a priest that raised the barrier. It was witches, and it is a little-known fact. This part of the Cotswolds was a sanctuary for those who owned real magic. Forget the Halloween idea and hags in the woods. Witches are people who work with earth magic. They use the power of air, fire, water, and earth. Many tend to be stronger in one vein than others, but four witches residing commanded all four.
“The priest visiting Benedict was true. But the witches were aware of great evil in their vicinity and followed him. They overheard what Benedict told the priest, and when Benedict beseeched the priest to raise a barrier, the fool thought he could. Instead, as he muttered his useless prayers, the witches raised a boundary around the inn, keeping everything inside trapped there,” Rose-Marie elaborated.
“They knew that Benedict wasn’t exaggerating. His power would have worked if the priest had truly believed in God. But the idiot was more interested in hiding relationships with women and drinking. The witches helped Benedict keep the evil locked up and away from innocent people,” Prudence elaborated.
“What was the evil?” Mariah asked.
“We don’t know. Nobody ever knew. Finally, the tale of Benedict keeping evil imprisoned faded, and it became known as haunted,” Hilary said.
“But you four know the true story. How?” Mariah asked, her gaze keen as she studied them.
“Because we’re descended from the witches. Hilde, Esme, Temperance, and Gertie. Gertie and Esme’s children wed and created mine and Rose-Marie’s line,” Edith explained.
“So, you’re witches?” Mariah spoke, cocking an eyebrow with disbelief on her face.
Wow, she was being asked to accept ghosts and now witches. It was beyond belief.
“She doesn’t believe us, Gran,” Rose-Marie said.
“Watch,” Prudence ordered.
She lifted a hand, and a blue flame flickered into focus. Mariah’s eyes almost bugged out of her head. Hilary smiled and opened her hand, and a small whirlwind appeared. Meanwhile, Edith winked and waved a finger in a circle, causing water to appear where her finger trailed. Rose-Marie picked up a flower, and Mariah’s gaze widened as it suddenly bloomed, and the colours became more intense.
“All of us control the four powers of the elements. We are witches, as are our granddaughters,” Hilary said gently.
“How many of you have powers?” Mariah gasped.
“All of us. Full and total command of the elements. But we are more than witches. Our ancestors swore an oath that night to aid Benedict in his sacrifice. We could not free him from his burden, but we could aid whenever he needed us,” Prudence replied.
“Call us Caretakers, because that’s what we are. Benedict guards one of the worst evils to walk this earth. We suspect the other five guard evil, too. But Benedict’s is a true scourge. The ancestors sensed the level of evilness and knew it was dire. We were given a sense of urgency when we were brought into the secret. As were our daughters and then granddaughters,” Edith explained.
“How many of you?” Mariah asked.
“I only have Rose-Marie. Her mother died, and I raised her. Rose-Marie is perhaps the strongest witch to walk the earth,” Edith said, looking at her granddaughter proudly.
“I have two granddaughters. They are at college, studying in Oxford,” Prudence announced.
“I have three. They are also away studying. And triplets too! Their power is so strong, but Rose-Marie is stronger, and there is only one of her. We think it’s because two lines merged,” Hilary explained.
“This is too much to take in. I didn’t believe in ghosts, and now I’m being asked to understand witches walk the earth?” Mariah bit out a bitter laugh.
“Not just witches. There’s a whole other world, Mariah. What you assume is make-believe isn’t. Caretakers like us protect the human world from the dangers of the supernatural. Like humans, races have their good and bad. We’re no different. We have a little extra something,” Rose-Marie added gently.
Mariah shook her head.
