Im sorry, you guys, Sharon said. But I think Alisa
Its all right. Actually, why dont we call it a night? Hunter said quietly. Well talk about this next week, when weve had a chance to sort it out.
Right. Robbie got to his feet. He didnt look at me.
Bree peered around him. Morgan?
Im staying, I said. Hunter, you can take me home later, right?
Hunter confirmed with a nod. In a few moments everyone had said their good-byes, and the house was empty except for Hunter, Sky, Erin, and me. The blood witches.
Sky extinguished the candles, and we moved to the kitchen, where Hunter poked around, looking for new lightbulbs.
Well, that was a very interesting circle, Erin said brightly as she pulled up a chair to the farmhouse table.
I ladled hot cider into four cups and handed them out. What happened? I asked as I warmed my hands on the sides of my cup.
I was about to ask you that, my dear, Erin replied. She took a sip of her cider.
It wasnt me, I said again, feeling resentful.
Erin put down her cup. Leaning forward on one arm, she looked at me closely. Are you sure? she asked. I opened my mouth to reply, but Erin held up a hand. Im not saying that you caused it on purpose. It might have been an accident. Leaning back in her chair, she added, It was my understanding that there were only four blood witches here tonight. And only one who hasnt been trained. Or initiated. You.
It wasnt me, I insisted. I would have known if I were making something happen. I would have felt power flowing through me. I turned to Hunter. Right?
Hunter looked at Erin. Morgan is extremely powerful, he said. She may not be initiated, but she has gained a great deal of control over her magick.
Erin shrugged. Perhaps, she said. I couldnt tell if she was convinced. All right, then, she went on, turning to Sky, what else might have caused it?
Hunter and Sky exchanged glances. Amyranth? Sky asked. Hunter nodded, and I felt a tightening in my chest. Amyranth. Ciarans coven. They had kidnapped me, tried to drain my power. Were they after me again?
Was. . was Ciaran himself after me? I felt cold at the thought. I was more or less certain that he knew Id worked with the council to try and trap him. He might want revenge. True, I was his daughter. His flesh and blood. He loved meI really believed that. Then again, he had loved my mother. And that hadnt stopped him from killing her.
Erin cocked her head and thought for a moment. There are sigils of protection on this house, I presume?
Yes, of course, Hunter said. But I should redraw them.
Erin stood up. Do that. She put a gentle hand on my shoulder. Sky and I will do a few spells to protect Morgan herself.
I looked up at her in surprise, but she just continued to watch Hunter as he grabbed a flashlight and went out the back door. In a few moments we could hear his footsteps crunching through snow as he visited each window and door and retraced the runes of protection on them.
Erin took her chair again, and then she, Sky, and I joined hands around the table. Erin began to chant. Though I didnt understand them, the words sounded beautiful in her lilting voice. The energy flowed between us, and suddenly I felt filled with light, with magick. Serenity flowed around me.
After a few moments Erin let go. Picking up my hand, she traced a sigil on my palm, one I had never seen before.
This will protect you. Her voice was strong and sure. I looked into her cool, clear eyes. Shes a master of magickal defenses, I told myself. I can believe her.
Anyway, what choice did I have?
4. The Vision
September 15, 1971
The sky in the color of steel today, and the bitter wind has begun to blow from the North. The flags are flying at half-mast, and there seems to be a hush over the town of Gloucester. We heard this morning that the Lady Marie went down in last nights storm.
All five fishermen abroad are believed dead-Captain James Dallman, Tim Flanagan, Arnold Jenning, Jason Dallman, and Andrew Lewis. The storm came up so suddenly that the men on board werent even able to radio for help. They sank fifty miles off Eastern Point.
They havent found the bodies.
Sam has been quiet all day. He knew Andrew Lewis pretty well. We all did, actually-Drew grew up only two blocks from our house. He was two years older than I am and was a big baseball in the neighborhood games and taught them how to field and bat. Sam looked up to him.
Some people said that Drew should have tried for a career in baseball-he evn got a college scholarship to play. But Drew just wanted to be a fisherman like his dad. He didnt want to leave Gloucester.
And now hes gone. Of course, thats the risk you take, being a fisherman. Its a dangerous job. Not even all the magick of Wicca can save you from the full force of a storm.
Sarah Curtis
Let me take you home. Hunter stood over me, worry etching fine lines around his mouth. Ive finished with the sigils. There isnt much else we can do tonight.
When I stood, I felt like every muscle in my body was aching. The nights tension had made me stiff.
Erin and Sky were talking together in the living room, and they both seemed subdued as we said good-bye. Still, there was something in Erins gaze as she looked at me that seemed sharp and wary. I felt like I had spent the evening under a microscope. I was on edge until Hunter and I were safely tucked into his beat-up Honda. He turned the key in the ignition, and we were off.
As we neared a heavily wooded dip in the road, the fog grew thicker and Hunter had to slow the car. My senses snapped to alert. The road revealed itself only a yard at a time, and deer were known to dart out onto the asphalt. It could be very dangerous.
Hunter slowed even further as we headed into a curve that I knew all too well. It was here, almost two months before, that Cal had suddenly reappeared after he and his mother had left Widows Vale. It had been a dark night like this one, and Cal had been standing right in the middle of the road. At the memory, the hair on the back of my neck began to prickle, and without even realizing it, I cast out my senses.
I felt nothing. I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. Theres nothing here, I told myself. Focus on your breathing and calm down. Another deep inhale and Hunter was easing around the curve, beginning to accelerate slightly. I felt better.
Just then, Hunter slammed on the brakes and the car swerved sickeningly.
Someone was standing in the middle of the road.
Cal! An involuntary cry escaped me.
Goddess, help me, I thought desperately. Hunter muttered curses and fought with the steering wheel. I felt the jarring pressure of the seat belt across my chest as we came to a sudden skidding stop and I was thrown forward in my seat. We were half on, half off the shoulder.
I turned to make sure Hunter was okay and saw that his eyes were huge. He was staring straight ahead, still gripping the steering wheel. In front of us, the figure in the fog had not moved.
I stared at it, my lips moving dumbly for a moment before I realized that it wasnt Calat least, not in any incarnation I knew. The figure had a human form, but it was shadowy and indistinct. It looked vaguely female. Whoor whatwas it?
I leaned forward to look at it more closely and saw that it seemed to be part of the mistas if the fog itself were struggling to come to life. For a moment I thought it was an optical illusion, a trick of mist and light, but then the figure actually turned and looked directly at us. Its eyes seemed to see, and it gazed at us mournfully. Sadness gripped me with iron claws. Holding my breath, I didnt dare to look away.
I reached for Hunters hand and found that it was icy. After a long moment the figure disappeared.
What was that? I whispered.
Hunter didnt respond. Instead he merely closed his eyes, and I knew that he was pouring every ounce of concentration he had into casting out his senses. I leaned back against the plush car seat and did the same. Around us, by the side of the road and into the forest, I cast out with my mind. I felt the heartbeats of a brood of young fox kits, frightened by the footstep of a doe nearby. I sensed a small field mouse and the silent swoop of an owl overhead, diving toward its prey in an elegant, deadly arc. I felt the quietness of the trees, their collective silence that had stood sentry and witness, rooted to that spot, in some cases, for over a century.
But there was no human presence in the woods.
A shudder rippled through Hunter, and I knew that he had felt what I had. Nothing.
Was it Thinking again of Cal, I felt my body grow cold. Do you think it wasa ghost?
I didnt even know whether such a thing was possible, but Hunter didnt laugh at me. I dont think so, he said slowly.
Something about his tone of voice made me ask, Do you think it could be another message from your parents?
For a moment Hunter was silent. Yes, he said finally. It could be. But it could also have been a number of other things. I realized that Hunter was holding back, but I didnt ask him what he was thinking. I could guess. Amyranth. Ciaran.
I think we should tell Erin about this, he said.
At the mention of her name, a mental image of Erins appraising glance flashed through my mind, and I felt a small pinprick of impatience. But I immediately pushed the feeling aside. Hunter was right, and I knew it. When can we meet? I asked.
Are you free tomorrow night? Hunter asked, and I nodded. That was the last thing we said as the car plodded forward at its snails pace. Wrapped in fog, the night had a sense of unreality, and I was so, so glad to have Hunter sitting next to mestrong and sure, like the trees that loomed in the mist, standing guard over the forest.
The next day dawned clear and chilly, with a pale blue sky dotted with puffy clouds. Last falls brown, brittle leaves danced by my windowpane on the breeze.
It was such a beautiful day, the incidents of the night before seemed unreal. . and unlikely. Had everyone really freaked out over a few lightbulbs bursting? That could have been an electrical surgea problem in the wiring at Hunters house. And the figure in the fog could have just been an odd mist formation. Clouds took on strange shapes all the time, I reminded myself.
I lay in bed, enjoying the warmth of my flannel sheets and down comforter, listening for the sounds of my parents and sister as they went through their usual Sunday routine of showers and breakfasts. But the house was silent. Rolling over, I glanced at my digital clock. Nine forty-seven! They hadnt even bothered waking me for church.
I lay back against my pillows, unsure how I felt about that. Wicca was my religion, after all, the religion that felt like home to me, as natural as breathing. And I hadnt been going to church much lately. Still, our church filled me with warm feelings. It held lots of good memories for me, memories of my family and of my community.
Suddenly I felt like the last child to be picked up from a partyneglected and forgotten. I knew the feeling was childish, but I couldnt help it. It wasnt so much that I really wanted to go to church. I just wanted to be asked.
Slowly I crept out of bed, moving aside my cat, Dagdas, warm, furry form. He mewed softly, then stretched and rolled onto his back, only to curl up again and doze off. What a life.
After a long, steamy shower I began to feel almost human again. I puttered around the house awhile, reading the paper and microwaving myself a bowl of oatmeal. Desperate to talk to somebody, I called Robbie, but he wasnt home and I didnt leave a message. I didnt know what I wanted to say. Finally I decided to meet my parents for brunch at the Widows Diner. It was a tradition for my family to eat there after church. This would be a good chance to show my mom that I could spend time with the family and still be involved in Wicca. Besides, I wanted to see them.
Quickly I pulled on a gray cable-knit sweater and my faded jeans. I put on my thickest socks and sank my feet into my heavy brown boots. In just a few minutes I was in Das Boot, tearing up the road on the way to the Widows Diner.
As I walked into the diner, my stomach squirmed with nerves. Between Mary K being mad at me and the lecture Id gotten from my mom, I wasnt sure what to expect. I glanced around and saw that my family was sitting in our usual spotthe booth against the windows. They were all laughing at something someone had said. Across from my mom and dad was the back of Mary K.s head. . and someone else, a girl with thick, golden brown hair. I stopped short. Who was that? Then my mom looked up and saw me. She looked surprised and pleased. She waved me over.
Mary K. turned around in her seat. After a moment she flashed me an uncertain smile, and the nervous caterpillars in my stomach quieted. Had she forgiven me? I hoped so. I grinned back and hurried toward them. The other girl still hadnt looked up, so I didnt see until I got to the table that it was Alisa.
Hi, everyone, I said, sliding into the booth next to Mary K. The Formica tabletop was littered with my familys half-eaten lunch. Hey, Alisa, I added when she didnt look up from the straw wrapper she was fiddling with on the table. For a moment I wondered what she was doing there. But I knew that she went to our church and that she and Mary K. had gotten pretty tight ever since Mary K.s best friend, Jaycee, had found a boyfriend. Alisa had been close to Jaycee, too, so I guess that made both Alisa and Mary K. boyfriend refugees.
Alisa gave me a hesitant smile. Hi, she said. There were dark circles under her eyes and a strange note in her voice that brought back the eerie scene from the night before. Instantly I remembered just how real it had all been. Alisa went back to fiddling with her straw wrapper.
Have you eaten yet, sweetie? my mom asked, and my dad twisted in his seat to flag the waitress down.
Some oatmeal, I replied. I really just came by to see you guys.
Only oatmeal? Have a bagel, my mother urged, or a cup of soup. Its lunchtimeyou should have a bite to eat.
I realized that my parents wouldnt be satisfied until I ordered something, so I asked for some wheat toast and chamomile tea. By the time Id finished ordering, my mom and dad were engrossed in a conversation about some problem she was having with her boss. I turned to say something to Mary K., but now she had her back to me. She was whispering something into Alisas ear. My heart sank, and I had the strangest feeling. It was almost as if I were invisible. I sat quietly, staring out the window for a few moments, waiting for my tea. Here I was, right in the middle of my familyand missing them more than ever.