Last Witch Standing

chapter 19



The Present

Earth



Candice drove them to a discount motel on the outskirts of Melville and parked in the back lot. “This is where we will be staying. It’s not much, I know, but you’ll be safe here. Queen Annalisse and the Citadel Witches have shielded it from Katie.”

The asphalt parking lot radiated heat from the summer sun. Crabgrass grew in the sparsely watered lawn in front of the motel office. The plate glass windows reflected the freeway and the sign from a Taco Bell restaurant on the corner.

The concierge set down her magazine when they entered, but did not rise. The woman’s hair was arranged in a bun, and her dress, with thick shoulder pads, would have been out of fashion twenty years ago.

“Good afternoon, I’d like a room for two, please.”

The woman rose from behind her desk, came to the counter and, without a word, pushed a laminated price list towards Candice.

“This one will be fine.” Candice pointed at one of the boxed specials.

“That’ll be $59.95, plus tax,” the concierge said.

Candice paid and got her keys. The hotel receptionist did not show them to their quarters and Rachel had to count room numbers to find it.

“It’s that way, even numbers,” she said.

After settling into the room, Candice walked Rachel to a coffee shop down the street.

Rachel had so much she wanted to ask them. How were her sisters among the lower Mountain Witches: Gertrude, Eustice, Agnes? What plan did the queen of the Upper Mountain Witches have to stop Katie?

“That man. He really is Katie’s brother? I met him and his son at Walmart a year ago.”

“Yes, we know. I interviewed him when searching for you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I never really fit into this world.” Rachel noticed Candice looked at her like as one would a ghost. Rachel had to remember that she was dead in this world.

“Okay.” Candice took a breath before continuing, “Dan was eleven years old when his little sister died of meningitis in early-1972. He had a good relationship with her and Queen Annalisse believes we may be able to shock Katie back into human awareness by presenting him to her.”

“How will you get her to you. Am I to be the bait?”

“Only if you agree to be. Right now, Upper Mountain Witches, Citadel and Citadel-aligned Witches are pouring into this world. More, perhaps, than even one such as Katie can handle. Annalisse was wise enough to choose a place of battle that is to her advantage. She thinks long term. Katie acts more on the spur of the moment. That gives the queen an advantage.

“How did Queen Annalisse recruit you? How long have you known about their world?”

“I disappeared to this world about a year ago, around the time they found your body in the tent. The queen summoned me to the Mountain Witch world, and I have been there for all but the past month.”

“Did you stay with my sisters, then? How are Gertrude and Eustice? Agnes?”

“They are fine. I stayed with the Upper Mountain Witches for most of the time, but I did visit with your friends.”

Rachel looked at Candice. “What are they like, the Upper Mountain Witches? What kind of homes do they have? I know so little about them. Today is only the third time I’ve seen Queen Annalisse.”

“Well, some live in caves, others in hollowed out trees. A few have built cottages into the side of the mountain, using the terrain as their back wall. There is a flat area of ground, hidden deep in their mountains where they meet to conduct business. This is rare, though. Most hang out in groups of two or three witches.”

“Yes, they are very secretive.”

“I wouldn’t say secretive. That is just their way. They are not social animals,” Candice said.

Rachel paused, then said, “There are just so many coincidences here – as if someone is manipulating people and events.”

“I know. Karen, from the Citadel, said that the Power seeks itself out. A sort of quantum entanglement. That is why some cities and towns have many witches – or potential witches – and other, larger cities may not have any,” Candice said.

“Still, this is too much of a coincidence that I met them at Walmart.”

“It is. At some point, Melville became a locus for Katie’s power. It is possible that the Edward family’s move to Melville was somehow influenced by the Power. The Gift has a mind of its own, in a way.”

“Well, you now know more about the Power than I do,” Rachel said.

“Perhaps. Except how to use it.” Candice removed the emerald necklace and handed it to Rachel to look at.

“I have one of these. Queen Annalisse gave it to me.”

“Yes, I know. It was how we tracked you. The Citadel Witches have a facility on their world where they can do such things. I have only been there once, and it is quite impressive – in many ways similar to the Pentagon in Washington.”



***

Rachel stayed up past midnight. Candice slept peacefully beside her in the twin bed. Since her “death” Rachel needed much less sleep. After all, her body was now more energy than matter. She could draw some strength from food, but most of her energy was obtained from solar energy or water. She could dip her hand into a warm pool and withdraw the kinetic energy from the liquid, turning it to ice. It would be great to take a swim. Swim and withdraw power. The motel had a heated pool. If nobody was there, she could draw some power out of it – just not so much as to turn it into ice.

She looked down on the sleeping Candice. Would it hurt so much to go and take a quick dip? They were shielded from Katie, weren’t they?

Rachel grabbed the room key from the nightstand and tiptoed to the door. She was grateful it didn’t creak as she opened it slowly. A shaft of light entered the room from the lamps in the hall outside the room.

At the pool, Rachel glanced around. Nobody was outside and the lights were off in all the rooms facing the pool. She could see the motel office, but it was at an angle and they would not be able to see her from there.

She sat on the edge of one of the reclining lawn chairs that lined the wrought iron fence enclosing the swim area and untied her shoes. Then she chucked off her shirt and slipped off her pants. Now in her underwear, Rachel looked around again, hoping nobody would see her. Yes, she could mask herself from view of any passing motorists or pedestrians by channeling, but that could summon Katie.

The water warmed her foot as she stepped onto the first concrete pool step. The water shimmered around her, reflecting the streetlights and motel sign and the occasional headlights from a passing car.

Rachel slipped fully into the water; it came up to her chest. Ten to fifteen degrees of heat should do it. Any more and the pool might not reheat before morning, when other guests might use it. For an instant, she contemplated taking enough energy to make the pool ice cold, but not frozen – the motel managers would just think the heater turned off accidentally, or was faulty. No. She might not be the only nocturnal swimmer and water did not have to be freezing to present a grave threat of hypothermia to someone jumping into it unaware.

The Power coursed through Rachel as she swam laps across the pool. Freedom! While she didn’t think it was over with Katie – not by a longshot – for the moment, at least, she was free. Soon she could return to her sisters in the Kingdom of the Mountain Witches.

At the edge of the motel roof, above the skylights, a small, round face peered down at her. Rachel stopped swimming and look directly at the creature.