Page 67 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
"Well, you know, I thought I did, but I was probably mistaken. Yes, I'm sure I was. Plus, there is so much information in the book…most written in older and forgotten languages. I'm just an old woman who imagines things all the time." Aunt Justine tried to smile but looked anxiously from Lucy to Moira as though she felt danger from both. But why would she fear Lucy? "Why don't you girls talk? I need a word with Tierra."
Thank you, Goddess.Who would have thought she'd thank her aunt for anything anytime soon?
"Sure, Aunt Justine." Tierra stressed the family relation in case anyone objected, and then wondered why she felt the need to. "Please excuse us." She gathered her cup and saucer of tea and turned toward the solarium. She attempted to keep her pace steady even though she wanted to bolt. Hopefully the overflowing clusters of flowering plants would help rid her nose of the stench that hung over the kitchen like a festering disease.
Tierra kept moving until she reached the purple-pink heliotrope. The vanilla and cherry pie scent complimented her mint tea, and she stood for a moment and soaked them in until her stomach stopped its persistent pitching. Once under control, she turned and faced Aunt
Justine.
Justine's face was strained, the skin dark under her eyes and hung from her jowls as if she'd recently lost weight too fast for her body to adjust. Tierra looked deeper and noticed the weakened color of her hair, more gray and fading to a pinkish tint that really couldn't be called red anymore. "Are you okay, Aunt Justine?"
"No, I am not. I need to move back home. Now. I can't stay with the coven any longer.Please, you have to allow it." The please came out as a whisper and Justine glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen.
They were far enough from the others to not be overheard, but
Tierra lowered her voice just in case. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is right. Nothing has been right since your…sistersarrived, and now there are dead men walking about.Zombies, have you heard?" Justine's lips twisted together in a sneer. "I can't bear to watch the evening news any longer."
"None of those are reasons to move back in."
Justine seemed to struggle with something and then ventured closer.
"Things…are different with Lucy in the coven."
"How? She and Gwen seem to be hitting it off nicely."
"Too nicely. They're thick as thieves," Justine muttered, though the words didn't hint of jealously. She focused on the pots with cheery bright yellow blossoms that Tierra had planted months ago. "Why did you plant so much St. John's Wort?"
If Justine thought this was a bunch, she should see what Tierra had cultivated out in the gardens and in the surrounding forests. In modern day, St. John's Wort was commonly used for depression and anxiety, but traditionally the herb was used to ward off evil spirits. Believers dried and hung the plant from religious symbols or iconic statues, and monks were still known to plant St. John's Wort around the perimeters of monasteries like their brethren had before them. Tierra figured it couldn't hurt.
Aunt Justine met her eyes. "You feel it, too, don't you?"
"Feel what?" She knew the answer before Justine spoke it out loud.
"The evil," Justine whispered.
Tierra narrowed her eyes. "What is happening at the coven?"
Justine glanced back to the kitchen and then grabbed Tierra's hand and strode to the farthest corner of the solarium. "Blood magic. Sacrifices."
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you were more than happy to experiment with blood magic and sacrifices mere months ago. Remember Moira and why she hates you?"
"This isdifferent. There are unnatural…activitiesgoing on with the coven. Sexual, demonic rituals.Blackmagic."
Tierra felt Justine's fear as if it were her own and swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. "What about Moira?"
"That girl is as backward as the possum-eating people she came from."
"Not the right thing to say to gain my favor. As we had the same mother, her people areyourpeople."
"That isn't what I meant, and you know it. You've seen how difficult she is."
"Difficult or not, she is my sister."
"And I am your aunt. I raised you, Tierra, and don't you forget it. I sacrificed the best years of my life to give you everything I could."
Except love. "You attempted to kill her." And who in the coven had attempted to kill Tierra's other sisters when they were babies? Would they attempt to kill her baby when the news was out? Lucy knew she was pregnant, of that Tierra was pretty damn positive. She laid a protective hand on her belly.
