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I dropped my purse on the console table next to the door, then headed over to the corner where the stove was. A pellet stove, it was designed so that it didn’t need electricity to burn should the power go out. It was automatic, but it also had a manual setting and I’d decided to use that during the summer and set it to light automatically once autumn arrived. I turned on the stove and within a few minutes, the fire was crackling behind the glass.
Then, making sure the door was unlocked, I returned to the car and carried the flowers from the back over to set them on the ground along the walk, where I wanted to plant them.
After I finished, I glanced at the sky. Still no sign of rain, though I could feel it coming—a while out yet, but it was there. It was still light enough to see, but out in the country the night came earlier. I could hear the birds singing their evensong, and decided to call it a day.
* * *
My name is Elphyra MacPherson.I’m a witch by birth. My clan’s known for being blood-connected to the elements so deeply that we’re almost a part of them more than we are human. It’s our destiny to hunt down the demons of the earth, regardless of their origin, and most of us answer the call willingly. We’re magical by blood, detectable in the DNA, unlike the witches who choose the path. Their magic is a different sort—more kitchen witchery rather than full-fledged magic.
I was born in Port Townsend, and I lived there most of my life. I attended Port Townsend High, where I met Bree. After that, I entered Glendale College, a private four-year college. By the time I was twenty-two, I had my BA with primary studies in magical herbs and divination, along with a minor in botany, and promptly took a job with a plant nursery. I was managing the store within two years, and had worked there until a year ago.
I was working there when I met Rian and it was love at first sight. When I moved in with him, we talked about opening our own businesses—maybe an herb shop, and we could clear and bless houses on the side. I thought of hiring myself out as a magical gardener for those who wanted their gardens to have that extra-special feel. And if that wasn’t lucrative, well, Port Townsend certainly had enough ghosts to go around. I was also good at reading cards and creating spells for people.
But then…everything crashed and I ended up back at home, lost in a mire of depression and PTSD. It’s been a struggle to pull myself out, but now I’m okay. Mostly. So I took the trust fund my father left me—I hadn’t touched it, planning on using it for later when Rian and I married—and I bought the cottage with three acres in Starlight Hollow. I did my best to say goodbye to Rian, and now, I’m determined to get on with my life and move into my future, instead of being chained by my past.
* * *
Next morning,the air was crisp and cool at sevena.m., and the echo of birdsong echoed through my yard. My land was mostly wooded with a few paths through the thicket, and a small stream—Juniper Creek—ran through the back half of it. Several clearings dappled the copse, and one of them I intended to turn into a grove.
I had decided to get up early and start in on the flowers before the day heated up. I was thinking about my great-grandmother’s letter, still trying to figure a way to wiggle out of it, when a friendly voice hailed me.
“Elphyra! Good morning!”
I glanced over at one of the trailheads that was near my workshop. There, waving as she hustled my way was May, my neighbor. I sat back on my heels, smiling.
“Hey, May! What’s up?” I stood, arching my back as I stretched. I was wearing a pair of black denim shorts and a green halter top.
“I brought you over your mail—the mail lady delivered it to me again.” She pulled a packet of envelopes from the pocket of her apron.
May was in her late sixties and as active as I was. She wore her long silver hair in a ponytail, and she had on jeans and a floral button-up shirt. Her apron had a continuous row of deep pockets across the front. May was my closest neighbor. She owned Brambleberry Farm, the last house on the road.
“Thanks. I talked to her yesterday but I swear, she tunes out everything she doesn’t want to hear.” I took the packet and thumbed through the letters. Mostly junk mail, but there was a letter reminding me to renew my license tags, and another with my business license. I walked with May over to the front of the house as I opened that envelope.
“Look!” I held the paper up in front of her.
She took it and read, “Silver Thorns. A Magical Apothecary. Congratulations! I love the name.”
“I do too. It’s different and it stands out in a good way. I’m now legal to set up my magical practice. So, have a seat.” The weatherproof benches were a find. I wanted to eventually build a deck out of the same material. I also had a rocking chair, a picnic table, and a grill. “Would you like some lemonade and cookies?”
“I ate, so I’m good for now,” she said, sitting in the rocking chair. “I see you’re adding color to the place. It’s so beautiful here, and peaceful.”
“I’m working on it,” I said. “I still need to cast a protection spell over the whole place, and I need to enchant and bury crystals and obsidian arrowheads to enforce it.” I stretched out my feet, crossing them at the ankles.
“Are you glad you moved here?” May asked.
I nodded. “I think I am. It’s beautiful. I wanted peace and quiet, though I didn’t realize how quiet it was going to be. But I can live with that.”
After a moment, May said, “Starlight Hollow’s going to have a street fair tonight. You should think about going.”
When May made a suggestion, I usually followed it. From the first time she showed up at my door, I trusted my instincts about her. She was a kitchen witch. She wasn’t born with it in her blood, but she had a knack and she was strong with the Sight. The spellcraft that kitchen witches practiced was considered basic, but in truth, theirs was the foundation for all of the stronger magical systems, based on a connection with all the elements, but especially with the earth beneath our feet.
“Maybe I will. I wonder if Bree’s going. I’ll give her a call.” I took a deep breath. “It smells like rain. I smelled it yesterday, too. It will be here before dawn.” I closed my eyes, feeling the moisture as it began to cluster and call to the clouds.
“Oh, rain will definitely be here before dawn tomorrow. I can feel it in my bones. I may still be active, but my joints always tell me the truth.” May motioned to the flowers waiting to be planted. “Would you like some help?”
“You don’t have to offer—” I started to say, but she waved away my protest.
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.” She pulled a trowel out of her apron. “See, I came prepared!”
