Page 97 of The Neighborhood Witch

She backed away and glanced up the stairs. Johanna was careful to keep a watchful eye on Alice. Another bolt shot from the wand. Alice shrieked.

“Who’s Gally?”

The knocks grew louder. Max barked at the commotion.

“Help me!” Alice screamed.

The knocks grew louder and louder. Max’s bark was nearly drowned out by the sound of wood against wood. It echoed and then stopped. Johanna tried to look up the stairs while never losing sight of Alice.

The sound of wood shattering emanated from upstairs as the bedroom door exploded from a collision. Galahad raced down the stairs, bouncing off the walls as it turned in the tight corners toward Alice below. Johanna shot at the charging broomstick, but missed. The broom smacked Johanna against her chin in a glancing blow. She spun around, knocking over a candelabra on the console table.

Galahad flew into the living room. It circled around and charged back at Johanna. She ducked behind the wall as Galahad flew past and back up the stairs. Alice rose to one knee. Johanna flicked her wrist and sent another black bolt to meet Alice. She screamed yet again as she collapsed to the floor.

Johanna fired another bolt back toward Galahad. It flew up the stairs as the bolt dissipated in an inky cloud against the wall. She waited for it to return, furiously looking up and then back to Alice.

The hardwood floor felt cold against Alice’s face. She could barely move. She wanted the pain to end. Alice mustered enough willpower to reach into her pocket. She pulled out the black onyx ring. Her fingers collapsed around it as she drew her hand close to her heart.

“Find Hugo,” Alice yelled. “You have to go find Hugo at the cemetery.”

The sound of glass shattering came from the bedroom upstairs. Galahad was gone, off to find Hugo Dodds.

Johanna shocked Alice again. She released the ring in the excruciating pain. It rolled across the hardwood floor, into the living room through the other entryway. It wavered and fell over in the middle of the room.

Alice laid helpless on the floor, crying in pain. In agony. In torment. Her mind raced for anything that could help her in that moment, but could only offer a solitary thought.Why?

Johanna moved and stood over her body. She grabbed Alice’s shoulder and flipped her over onto her back. Johanna was careful to never let the wand point away from Alice. She squatted down, inches from her. Johanna traced the wand along Alice’s face.

“Do you feel that?” Johanna asked.

A line of fire burned across Alice’s skin as it followed the tip of the wand, yet, there was no flame. Tears ran down Alice’s face, but they could not quell the burning sensation. She wanted to scream, but the numerous hits temporarily paralyzed her.

“That’s the feeling of fear. Of dread. Of hopelessness. Centuries ago, that’s what I felt. I want those feelings to be seared into your memory as they were into mine.”

Alice’s eyes widened. She tried to snap her fingers. To call forth her powers of arcane magick. Nothing happened. In that moment, she was powerless to act.

Johanna stood up. The wand remained pointed at Alice. “Grab your keys,” Johanna commanded. “We’re going for a drive.”

Chapter 25

The Grave

The warm spring breeze became chilly as the sun sank in the sky. Trees waved back and forth; their budding leaves emerging from their winter slumber. It was quiet. Solemn. Peaceful. The quiet was only disrupted by the occasional bird chirp.

Hugo turned his car onto a paved path that led into Newbury Grove Memorial Park. The path wove itself through the cemetery along the rolling hills like a ceremonial black carpet affair. The tree branches played the role of welcoming hands that greeted any new and potential future residents. Small offshoots diverged to various parts of the cemetery.

Each pathway was guarded by gray and black tombstones, silently observing anyone who dared enter the hallowed grounds miles out of town. Hugo kept his eyes focused on one particular path. A path he had not traveled since the previous spring.

The car slowed as it approached a bend in the back of the cemetery. Hugo put the car into park and shut off the engine. He sat in silence for what felt like a lifetime lived years ago. His hands gripped the steering wheel. His knuckles turned white. He focused on hisempty ring finger, barren of his prized black onyx ring. The ring he should have kept on. The ring he should have brought to see his wife.

He took deep breaths, holding each before he exhaled. He looked through the passenger window toward a tree. A mighty oak tree tasked with standing guard. It waited. Watched. Judged. Hugo exited the car.

He tugged at his leather jacket. He brushed his hair, making sure every piece was in its proper place. He combed his beard, so it was presentable. He stood there for a moment and gathered the courage to continue.

I should have kept the ring on. She kept the ring from me on purpose.

He pinched his ring finger only to find it barren. His fingers unfurled, and he clenched them into fists. He kept his eyes on the solitary oak tree and took a step onto the grass. He navigated between the headstones, careful to not actually step on the graves. The granite stone markers might as well have been blank. He didn’t bother to read any of them. His eyes focused on the correct one.

He stopped in front of the mighty oak tree. Its branches swayed in the spring breeze to welcome him back. He nodded to acknowledge a job well done protecting the grave site—Elizabeth’s grave.

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