Page 5 of Soul of a Witch

“Tidy yourselves up,” Father snapped, tapping his hand irritably against Jeremiah’s shoulder before roughly straightening his jacket. “All eyes will be on you the moment we step into that room.” His gaze fixed on me, so heavy my shoulders shrank. “Keep yourselves composed. We must reassure them we remain in control.”

“Yes, Father.” My words were so soft, I wasn’t entirely sure if he heard me. We followed him out of the attic. Jeremiah was right at his heels, then Meredith, Victoria, and then my mother and I. Mama’s hands were cold when she clasped mine as we made our way down to the courtroom.

We should have been gathered in St. Thaddeus tonight. It was the first church to be built in Abelaum, over a hundred years ago, and we had claimed it as a place of worship for our God. But the forests around that church and the White Pine mine shaft nearby were still crawling with state and local police, scouring for clues as to what exactly happened to Juniper. Local police were deep in my father’s pocket, but the others were a clear and present danger.

If they found the church, would they find the bloodstains? Would they realize the candles were recently lit, the pews dusted by flowing white robes, the herbal scent of incense still hanging in the air? Would they see my mother’s guilt? My father’s? My sister’s? My own?

Mama’s eyes were open, but her mind was in some far-off place. Powerful witches like her could cast their spiritual selves beyond the Veil, into the vast expanse known as the Betwixt, a place outside of time and space.

A skilled witch like Mama could wander there, but it was dangerous. She had never allowed me to attempt it.

Within the Betwixt, one could see and discover many things. One could walk through time, see into the future or the past, connect with spirits and otherworldly beings, even God Itself.

The courtroom doors slammed open, the entire congregation flinching in fear as my father strode down the aisle toward the podium. The rest of us took our seats at the front of the room: Meredith, Victoria, and Jeremiah on one side, my mother and I on the other.

As my father turned to face the room, the congregation fell silent. Soon, the only sound remaining was the patter of rain on the courthouse roof, interrupted by thunder.

Father spared us a brief glance. The intensity of his gaze withered my insides.

“Tonight, we had planned to gather here in worship and thanks,” he said. “Instead, we gather in sorrow, in repentance. For we have failed our greatest calling.”

Murmurs of horror and fear rippled around the room. Father sighed heavily, gripping the edges of the podium as he looked down upon us: his family, his flock.

Thunder crashed again, the rumble louder than ever. The building shook, and Mama’s hands flinched. We could both feel it: apresencein the back of our minds. Like snakes twining up our spines, like worms burrowing into our bones. God saw everything within this little town, but It was drawn to the magic in my mother and I.

“Someday, our God will rise,” Father said, his eyes fixing on me with a weighted sense of finality. “It will choose a blessed vessel, It will walk among us. It will bless those who have remained loyal, and It will inflict holy suffering upon those who refuse to believe. But first, we must fulfill our duty. We must offer three souls.”

Someone in the crowd was sniffling, their shuddering breaths making me twitch.

“Juniper Kynes was meant to be the first sacrifice,” Father said grimly. “My faithful daughter, Victoria, brought her to us, as gently as one would lead an innocent lamb. But such is the nature of man to fail. Our sacrifice escaped. She defied God, she wasted her bloodshed, she squandered her suffering. So we gather here to beg for forgiveness. And to condemn, wholeheartedly, the great betrayal that has befallen us.”

There was a crack of thunder so loud that several people cried out in despair. Some clutched their chests in terror; others squeezed their eyes shut.

“Who among us is the traitor?” Meredith said, her sharp voice grating on my raw nerves. “There is no place within the Libiri for disloyalty. God sees all.” She nodded determinedly, and although she didn’t glance over at us, my half-siblings did. Victoria’s expression was impossible to read, but Jeremiah’s narrowed eyes were sharp with suspicion.

But my mother and I had done our duty. Mama guided the sacrifice, I bore witness.

Neither of us could have known Juniper would escape. She’d been thrown into a flooded mine, twenty feet down a sheer muddy shaft, then boarded in and left to her fate.

My stomach lurched, twisting at the sickening memories. The screaming, the blood. She’d begged us to stop.

We should have stopped.

Mama’s fingers squeezed tighter in warning. She wasn’t a diviner, as my grandma Winona had been, but she still possessed an uncanny ability to sense my thoughts. My fears bled into hers, festering between us like an infection.

“The betrayer will be found,” my father said, his words heavy as his eyes combed over the crowd. “The Deep One knows their heart, their disloyalty. Retribution will come. Have faith! God’s will cannot be stopped. Juniper may be beyond our reach now, but there are other options from her bloodline.” Whispers spread through the crowd, the name “Marcus” dropping from several lips. “Now, I ask all of you to go directly home. Be cautious, keep your faith close to your heart but not your tongues. I will be speaking with the sheriff tonight. Spare your words if anyone asks what you saw. May the Deep One have mercy on us all.”

“May the Deep One have mercy,” the congregants echoed. My lips were numb as I repeated the words.

As the crowd dispersed, Mama led me out into the hallway. The Historical Society was dark, all the lights turned off except for those in the old courtroom and the entryway. Mama tugged me through the crowd, moving hurriedly, leading me into an empty storage room.

She let go of my hand to pace in the tiny, dark space. I watched her for a moment, waiting for her to say something, but she was wringing her hands silently.

“Mama, what —”

She grasped my arms before I could finish.

“Don’t speak of this to anyone,” she whispered, teary-eyed. “I need to tell you…Everly, you need to know the truth —”

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