Red Witch: Book Two of the Wizard Born Series (38 page)

“Do the oath and we’ll tell you.”

“What’s it say?”

Carl handed him a slip of paper with the oath on it, and after reading it, John Paul handed it back and said, “That seems okay.” He pulled the Bible from the shelf and regarded Carl for a moment, as if sizing him up. “But still, this is a strange request, and I wouldn’t do it if you weren’t a cop.”

* * *

Carl clutched the steering wheel with two hands as his truck roared down the highway. John Paul sat in the passenger seat and Jamie sat behind him. While the two men talked, Jamie sorted through his store of Eddan’s memories, and one thing became clear: As powerful as Eddan was, he was wary of witches.

“That was something.” John Paul said, shaking his head. “Really, really
something
. I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I’ve always heard that Rita and Cassandra were real witches and did real magic, but I…wow.” He gave a nervous laugh. “How long you been doin’ magic like that, Jamie?”

“Most of my life.”

“We have an unusual household,” Carl said, flicking the headlights to high beam when they passed the last streetlight.

“And Fred’s a witch,” Jamie said. “That’s why Rita and Cassandra kidnapped her. They need her for their triad.”

“Well, I don’t know anything about that kinda stuff,” John Paul said, “but these women have been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. I’ve heard they use their magic to help their criminal friends, but I can’t prove it. I’d
love
to bust them for kidnapping…love to bust them for anything. It’s hard to make charges stick to those two.”

“They’re probably using magic to weasel their way out of trouble.”

“That would explain a lot.” John Paul pointed down the dark highway. “We’re gonna go another couple miles and turn left on a dirt road. They live down that way about a mile or so. It’s a good thing we’re not in my cruiser, ’cause they’d know something was up if they saw it.”

They turned and drove down a dark, rutted lane for a bit before John Paul had them pull off into the bushes and hide the truck. They walked the last fifty yards in the dark. Jamie said quietly, “They have wards up around the house, so we can’t just break the door down.”

“What are wards?” John Paul asked.

“Magic alarms, kinda. Think of them as invisible trip wires. If we cross one, the witches will know we’re here and they’ll come back.”

“Then we can arrest them.”

“We should get Fred first and then I gotta take care of the voodoo doll. They could kill Fred if we’re not careful.”

John Paul stopped. “Voodoo doll? I thought that was all nonsense.”

“Tell that to Fred. They’ve been torturing her with it for days.”

The house came into sight, a squat wooden structure with a single light illuminating the small front porch. They tiptoed up the steps and Jamie whispered, “I’ll go first.” He inspected the door for a moment, fingering his chin as he did. “I don’t know what a witch’s ward looks like, so I’ll try this.” He traced a magic doorway on the face of the front door, careful not to disturb it.

“Wow.” John Paul whispered when the outlines began to glow. Jamie pushed it open, looked at the men with his finger to his lips, then stepped through. He took a quick look around the cluttered front room and closed his eyes, listening with his magic, then turned back to the door.

“All right, Fred’s alone,” he said.

Carl and John Paul stepped inside and John Paul said, “How can you tell?”

“There’s only one heartbeat, and I’m pretty sure it’s hers.” He cupped his hands to his mouth. “Fred?”

“Back here!” he heard from somewhere deep in the house. He ran toward her voice, his heart pounding with his footsteps. He saw light seeping below the last door on the right and he pushed it open. He found her sitting on the edge of the bed in the weak glow of the bedside lamp, barefoot, hands clasped between her knees.

“Fred!”

She leapt up and threw herself on him, arms clutching his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, laughing and crying at the same time. “I’m so glad we found you,” he said into her mass of hair while she moaned into his shoulder. The surge of emotion that swelled through him was nearly overpowering.

Fred’s voice was muffled by Jamie’s shirt as she said, “What took you so long?”

Jamie heard footsteps behind him as Carl and John Paul ran into the room.

“Fred, are you okay?” Carl said. She nodded and slid off Jamie. Then she hugged Carl and began to sob. Carl patted her back and his expression grew tender. “Sure did miss you,” he said softly.

Fred let go and wiped her eyes as Carl introduced John Paul. “He guided us here.”

“Where are Rita and Cassandra?” John Paul asked.

“They went to a party.”

“They’re probably at the Rusty Screw.” He pulled his radio from his belt. “I’ll send an officer over there to pick ’em up.”

“Wait,” Fred said. “Rita’s armed with powerful magic. You need to let Jamie take care of her first.”

* * *

Rita was walking to the dance floor with Louis when she felt her bracelet vibrate.
Uh oh
. She let go of Louis’s hand and pushed through the crowd to Cassandra, who was already dancing with Big Dan. Rita grabbed Cassandra’s elbow and leaned close to her ear so she could be heard over the raucous music. “We gotta go. Somebody’s at the house.”

“But I just started dancing’,” she protested.

“We can come back.” She pulled Cassandra toward the door. “Hurry.”

* * *

Jamie surveyed the sparsely furnished room, better suited to a nun than a vibrant seventeen-year-old-girl like Fred. “It’s exactly like you made it in the dreams.”

Fred raised her foot and pointed to the chain at her ankle. “Do you mind?”

“Oh. ’Course not.” Jamie knelt beside her and touched a fingertip to the metal cuff. It popped open and clanked to the floor.

“Ah!” Fred sat on the bed and rubbed her ankle, eyes closed in a look of pure bliss. “You don’t know how
good
that feels.”

Carl watched her, his eyes lowered to slits, jaw thrust out, full G.I. Joe. “They’ve kept you chained up the whole time?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Except for when they put the Compliance Bracelet on me and made me clean out my chamber pot.” She glanced at the white ceramic vessel near the bed, dented on one side from where she banged it against the would-be rapist’s head. “But I don’t remember any of that.”

“Those women are evil,” he said in a hard, level voice.

“I could’ve told you that,” John Paul said from the hall, where he had retreated to watch the front door. “I just saw headlights through the window. I think they’re here.”

“How are we going to handle this, Jamie?” Carl said.

“Stick close to me and follow my lead.” He touched his finger to his lips again. “We’re gonna disappear.” Jamie walked to the corner by the window and the men followed. Jamie raised his hands before him and the air around them shimmered yellow, then went clear.

“You’re invisible!” Fred grinned.

Jamie heard the front door bang open. “Fred?” a woman called.

“What?” Fred yelled.

A moment later, two women walked into the room, a tall bleached-blonde wearing tight-fitting clothes and too much makeup, and a shorter, pudgy red-head with a malicious glint in her eyes.
Cassandra and Rita
, Jamie knew at once.

Rita had her hand on the chain of her jade pendant as she scanned the room. “Check the closet, Cass.”

“What for?” Fred said.

“Somebody’s here.”

Fred watched as Cassandra pulled the closet door open, looked inside, shook her head and closed it. Jamie crept closer to Rita, hands still out, maintaining his shield, with Carl and John Paul close by his side.
Hope the floor doesn’t creak,
he thought as his heart hammered in his chest.

“Look under the bed, then.” Rita jiggled the pendant and Jamie stepped closer still, close enough to touch her, he and the two men still invisible to the women.

It’s now or never,
he thought. He dropped his shield and thrust his hand out in one motion, seizing the pendant.

Rita screamed and grabbed at Jamie’s arm as his fingers closed around the jade baby. White light flashed from between his fingers, and as it faded, Jamie opened his hand. The pendant crumbled to the floor in pieces. Rita gasped, hands to her face, eyes wide with shock.

Carl and John Paul drew their guns and John Paul said, “Hands where we can see them. Down on the floor, now!”

But Rita already had the little white doll in one hand, the other holding the pin to the doll’s head. “Drop your guns or I’ll kill her.”

“Can she do that?” Carl said without taking his eyes off Rita.

“Yes,” Fred said. “Jamie?”

“I’m on it.” Jamie focused his mind on the doll’s head, zeroing in on it and searching through the tangle of yarn until he found it — a single strand of curly red hair. He willed it loose, and as it floated to the floor, he pointed a finger and sent a thin stream of energy at it, vaporizing it instantly. “Okay. You’re safe.”

Rita’s eyes grew wild and she jabbed the pin into the doll’s head. Fred grinned and Rita jabbed again and again, her face growing more frantic.

Fred laughed. “Doesn’t work anymore, Rita. You can stop now.”

Rita’s mouth dropped, and Cassandra’s hands fluttered before her like startled birds.

“But, but….” Rita spluttered and looked from Fred to Jamie.

Carl kept his gun trained on them as John Paul pulled a set of handcuffs from his belt.

“What are you going to do with them?” Fred asked.

“Lock ’em up,” John Paul said. “You have the right to remain —”

“Wait!” Fred put her hand on his arm. “They’ll just use their magic to escape.”

John Paul lowered the handcuffs. “You think so?”

“I’m sure of it. No jail can hold them.”

Carl waved his gun at them. “We can’t just let them go!”

“No,” Jamie said. “Especially now that they know about me. I can’t let them spread that around.”

“Who
are
you?” Cassandra said.

“He’s my boyfriend, Jamie,” Fred said. “And he’s a powerful
sorcerer
.” She put extra emphasis on the last word.

“I thought he ran cross country.” Cassandra looked confused.

“He does, but he’s also a sorcerer, and he can blast you into a pile of slag if he feels like it.” Fred scowled and pointed at the women. “Go ahead, Jamie. Blast ’em!”

Jamie laughed as he shook his head. “That’s a little harsh.”

“Not to me it isn’t!” Fred protested.

Rita shrunk back a step. “How did you find us?”

“Fred kept in touch with me through our dreams,” Jamie said. “We just needed for you to tell us where she was so we could come get her.”’

Rita looked at Fred incredulously. “You’re a Dream Talker?”

Fred rolled her eyes. “I prefer
Dream Fairy
. But yes, I can talk to him in dreams.”

“You gave us the nightmares, didn’t you?” Cassandra said.

Fred nodded and smiled wickedly.

“That still leaves us with the problem of what to do with these two,” Carl said.

“Shoot ’em,” Fred said.

“No.” Jamie stepped to an open space in the room. “I have a better idea.” He traced the glowing outlines of another doorway as the two older women watched, suspicious looks on their faces. He pushed it open, revealing a wide field and a dirt road beyond. A startled bird tittered and flew away.

“Where is
that?
” John Paul said.

Jamie stepped back. “Not sure. It’s another world, though.”

“As in,
planet?
”

Jamie nodded. “It’s where Eddan used to banish weaker wizards when they tried to attack him.”

“Who’s Eddan?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you some time.” Carl said. “So you’re going to send these women there, Jamie?”

“Yep,” Jamie said. “It’s perfect.”

“Oohhhhhhhhh no!” Rita said, backing away with Cassandra “We’re not going to…to another planet!” They bumped into Carl, who blocked their path to the hall.

“Yes, you are,” Jamie said firmly. “It’s not so bad. There’s a village nearby and the people there should be used to strangers.” He grinned and nodded. “’Cause Eddan sent them a few, through a doorway just like this one. That means there are a few wizards around, so you better watch yourself. Might even be a few witches, too. You’ll fit right in.”

Carl herded them closer to the magic portal, but when the witches turned and tried to push past him, John Paul fired his gun into the ceiling. They froze and the room became silent.

Cassandra looked from face to face and squeaked, “I can’t! It’s got aliens…it’s —”

“Relax.” Jamie chuckled. “It’s like Earth, pretty much, except a little behind technologically. I don’t think they have electricity yet.”

Rita stamped her foot. “We are not going. We have rights! We should be —”

“Enough!” Jamie shouted. “You’re going and that’s final.”

She raised her chin. “And if we refuse?”

Jamie extended his arm from his side, palm out. He narrowed his eye lids and a stream of white fire exploded from his hand, blasting a bowling ball-sized hole in the wall near the window.

“Amazing,” John Paul muttered.

The women’s eyes grew wide with terror and Carl gave them another push toward the portal.

Cassandra moaned. “Nooo….”

Jamie extended his other arm and sent a bolt of energy through the opposite wall, narrowly missing the wash stand. John Paul joined Carl and pushed them to the edge of the open doorway.

“No!” Rita shrieked. “We can’t!”

“Just blast ’em, Jamie,” Fred said.

Jamie turned his extended hand toward them and the women scampered through the portal, stopping at the edge of the grass on the other side and turning back to them.

“But….but what about clothes?” Cassandra said pitifully.

Fred grabbed the two dresses and the pile of clean underwear from the top of the dresser and hurled them through the doorway at them. “There. That should do.”

“But…my makeup. What about money! What about —”

“You’ll be fine,” Jamie said. “Somebody there will offer you a meal or two.”