Page 22 of Carnal Magic
Somebody had a wicked sense of humor.
Not everything had changed, though. Martha’s table with the raw bark edge was still in the dining area, along with the two chairs and her afghan in front of the fireplace. Though the fireplace itself had been given a modern facelift with sleek gray slate threshold. A painting of Bourbon Street sat on a new black mantle.
Sipping my coffee, I sat down at the table once more with a large piece of pie and Martha’s journal. I was glad the table had stayed. I could imagine all the meals she’d eaten here during happier times. Maybe Sam when she was sweet on him, before he’d married. Or Rebekah’s father.
Who would sit at this table with me?
I sighed, shaking my head. I was terrible at relationships, suffering that particular Redwine curse long before I’d even known about it. I didn’t have any interest in getting married or having babies. That wasn’t the life I’d dreamed of living.
Though again, I’d never dreamed of living in Arkansas either.
I checked in with Keneesha, who swore she was fine. If all my things were here already… But I couldn’t leave her to deal with cancer treatments alone. Yeah, she had her son, but if he was carrying the burden of the shop, she’d need help at home. She hated to ask for anything for herself.
I had to be there. I had to take care of her.
Unless I could heal her.
I spent the next two hours flipping through Martha’s journal, looking for any notes she’d made about healing. When Katherine had fixed that man’s broken legs and back, had she made a potion? Said an incantation? How had she turned carnal magic into a healing spell?
A shape shimmered across from me at the opposite end of the table, slowly solidifying into another version of Martha. Of me. Only she was dressed in nineteenth-century attire. Her forehead was permanently creased in a frown, where Martha had laugh lines. Her back was ramrod straight and she had perfected an impeccable resting bitch face.
“Katherine?”
“One in the same,” she replied tartly. “Ask your questions, grandchild.”
“How did you turn carnal magic into healing?”
She slammed her palm down on the table, making me jump. “Are you a witch of my line or not?”
“Um, yes, of course, but—”
“You don’t need a potion or herb or crystal or tarot card or wand to work your magic. All you need is your own goddamned will. You have a mind. Use it. Focus it.”
“Like meditation? That’s it?”
She rolled her eyes. “When Martha was a youngun’, she begged to go to town with me. Once a month on a Saturday, near or before a new moon, I chose to go to town for supplies. It was all for show, of course, but the townspeople already talked too damned much. One time, I made the mistake of giving her a goddamned lollipop, and she focused on that thing like it was made of gold. She wanted one so bad, she’d lie awake all night before our trip to town, unable to stop talking or close her eyes for fear she’d miss it. She wanted that lollipop so much she could taste it.”
I nodded slowly, not really sure where this story was headed.
“One night, there was a bad storm that blew the roof off the barn. I cancelled the trip to town so I could focus on clean up and repairs. Martha whined and cried a little, but she was a good girl. She cared about the animals and helped me work all day. I wished I could get her that lollipop as a reward, but I wasn’t going to head down the mountain in the dark, and I needed my magic to put the barn back together. I sure wasn’t wasting a moment of effort on a piece of candy.
“The next morning, she woke up with her own lollipop on her pillow. She wanted it so badly she made it happen. You want it? You got it. That’s how magic works.”
I tried not to laugh. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep a straight face. Katherine didn’t look like the type of woman to enjoy a joke. Especially if I was laughing at her.
“You look like you swallowed a toad,” Katherine said, her tone dripping with irritation. “That’s how you do it.”
She disappeared, and I burst into laughter. Evidently my Great Great Grandmother was an Ariana Grande fan long before her time.
Hopefully I wouldn’t have to fuck the entire town to generate enough power to get what I wanted.
15
Irang the Woodwards’ doorbell and hoped I hadn’t made a mistake in coming for dinner. I’d called Drew’s number to get their address, and he’d been delighted that I was coming. At least that’s what he’d said. I was a little nervous about driving the mountain road in the dark, but it’d been a short drive to their farmhouse.
If I was going to stay here even part of the year, I needed to get along with people. Dare I say, make a few friends. I didn’t want to be stuck up on the mountain all the time alone. I’d drive myself crazy with boredom.
Since it was Halloween, I’d decided to dress up a little with one of the new outfits that had appeared in my closet. My dress was based on an old-fashioned velvet dressing gown, complete with long sleeves, high collar, and tiny buttons down the bodice. Black velvet hung all the way to the floor, sweeping about my ankles in a loose, full skirt. A little concealer covered the bruises on my throat.
