The Witch Stone Read online

  “Men from the city. I guess they are from the church,” Rowen said. Ivy stood up and stared into the fire.

  “They’re going to attack here.” Ivy’s wizened old face glowed in the orange flickering light of the fire.

  “Yes. We must warn everyone. You have to lead your people deep into the forest. These men do not know the woods very well and are easily lost. They have been told to clear out every village they can find. But if we take down the sign out front and burn all of the cottages, they will think they have been here already,” Jonathon paced as he talked.

  “Since Hawthorn’s warning, many have left already.” Ivy sounded tired.

  “It’s the only way to ensure the safety of your people. Order the remaining villagers to pack only essential items and lead them far into the valley. There is a small village there, awaiting you.”

  Ivy frowned. “How do you know they aren’t going to target that village?”

  “A rumor was started about an outbreak of the red fever. They won’t go near it. You will be safe.”

  Ivy looked at Rowena. “I’m sorry to hear about your village, Rowena.”

  Rowena nodded her head and smiled an empty smile. Jonathon squeezed her shoulder. Although she had only just met him, his presence was a great comfort.

  “Ivy, we also need to send your town messenger to relay the same message to other villages. Can you arrange that?”

  “Yes. Thank you so much.” Ivy smiled at them both. Jonathon helped Rowena up and donned his hood.

  “You’re leaving already?” Ivy said.

  “Yes. We are on our way to Darkwood, where all of the women are being imprisoned.” Jonathon and Rowena said their goodbyes to Ivy and headed in the direction of Darkwood.

  Chapter Four

  Now

  Bright sunlight severed Brenna’s dream. She stirred and tried to roll over but couldn’t as there was something heavy and warm pressing on her back. She opened her eyes adjusting to the bright sun and looked around, seeing two large round amber eyes staring at back at her. Tiddles meowed a deafeningly cry in Brenna’s ear. Guess it was time to get up.

  “Tiddles! If you make me deaf, I won’t be able to hear when you are hungry.” She turned over slowly and laughed as Tiddles rolled off of her back and slipped into her arms, purring loudly. Brenna ruffled up his fur and planted a kiss on his furry head.

  She yawned and slid out of bed. She padded across the soft carpet to her wardrobe and dressed in a smart pair of black pants with a black singlet topped off with a sheer purple blouse. She slipped on some black high-heeled boots and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face before applying a thin coat of mascara to her long lashes. She finished the look with a nude shade of lipstick. She checked her reflection in the mirror, found it acceptable, and pulled her long hair back into a tight clasp, leaving a shiny ponytail hanging behind her back.

  She went into her room to fetch her luggage. Something made her stop and turn around at the door. A feeling she had forgotten something seized her. Brenna looked around the bedroom. Brenna gasped. The wooden box was sitting on her unmade bed. She walked cautiously to the box and picked it up. There was nobody else in the house, yet it had appeared on her bed. She unzipped a suitcase and made room for the box and carefully placed it inside. This box obviously wanted to come for the ride.

  After dumping the luggage in her car, Brenna went back into the house and wrote Maggie a note telling her where the cat food was and thanking her once again. She pulled out a box of chocolates from a cupboard and left them with the note.

  Brenna said goodbye to Tiddles and left her chubby cat alone in the large two-story townhouse. She hopped into her car, reversed out of the driveway and headed for her shop.

  Brenna pulled in front of the little shop and got out of her car. She fought her handbag for the shop keys once again and unlocked the ornate door and stepped inside. True to her word, Maggie had left a cardboard box on the counter. She checked out the box and rummaged through candles, herbs, and little blue bottles filled with magical oils. Brenna smiled. Maggie had packed enough spells to keep ten covens of witches busy for weeks yet, she was only going to be in Oakwood for a week. Hidden in the bottom of the box was a little piece of white paper folded in half. She pulled it out and read the note out loud. “Just in case… Love Maggie.” Brenna laughed. Maggie was always prepared for just about everything.

  Brenna cradled the big box in her arms and placed it next to her luggage in the trunk and hopped into the driver’s seat. The red convertible purred loudly as Brenna turned the keys. She pulled into the early morning traffic and drove in the direction of Oakwood.

  She sped past a sign announcing Oakwood was still hours away. Brenna sighed. Her arms were already rigid from five hours driving around twisty hills and steep cliffs.

  A faded sign caught Brenna’s attention, Sleepy Inn, Great Food and even Greater Beds, Next turn on the left. Stop in for our great café! The sign was cheesy but if it was accurate, it sounded great. Her stomach had been growling for the last couple hours.

  A dirt side-road ran off the smooth tarmac road. Brenna pulled onto the road to the hotel, eyeing a plume of dust in her rearview mirror, as she drove along the bumpy path. A wide barren space, empty apart from a three-story motel that was as faded as its sig that led her there in the first place. A large concrete car park out front looked as though it could accommodate more cars than there were rooms in the hotel. Brenna parked near the back (always a good idea to get the extra exercise when driving long distance) and emerged in scorching heat. Leaving her air-conditioned car and stepping outside was like getting into a hot bath, except you didn’t feel clean. She longed for a cool breeze as she footed it to the door, regretting parking so far away. All she could hear was the steady clomp of her (too hot) boots and the relentless racket from nearby crickets.

  When she made it to the door she froze. A cockroach crawled out from under the door. She tried hard not to let out a screech and shrank against the wall, waiting for the bug to scurry past. She shook away her fear and pushed the heavy glass door and entered the building. The inside was much better looking than the outside with a fresh coat of cream-colored paint on the walls. Tasteful art had been arranged at regular intervals, showing flower-laden landscapes, or idyllic sea views. The best part about being inside was the temperature. A man slept behind a wooden desk beside a large staircase. He slouched in an armchair with a baseball cap pulled firmly down over his eyes. An open doorway with Café written above it in bright red letters just as the sign on the highway had promised caught her attention. The smell of fresh coffee beckoned her growling stomach. Her nose followed the delicious scent. A cabinet full of pastries and sandwiches greeted her as did a pretty teenaged girl who beamed a smile at her.

  “What can I get ya?” the smiling girl asked as her high ponytail bobbed along with her bouncy head.

  “I’ll have a chicken and brie sandwich, a large cappuccino with a piece of chocolate cake thank you,” Brenna said. Then she looked at the girl’s slim waistline. “Actually, scratch the cake and give me one of those sultana scones.” She walked to a fridge containing soft drinks, orange juices, energy drinks, and water and took a carbonated orange drink to the counter for later. The bubbly attendant bagged her items and added the prices in her head as the store was missing an electric till.

  “That’s eleven-fifty, no wait, twelve…fourteen-fifty,” the attendant’s face grew red and she looked away from Brenna. Brenna gave her a twenty, telling her to keep the change. She left the hotel with a full stomach and a lighter purse.

  A loud ringing sound surprised Brenna and she dropped a white paper bag containing the leftover sultana scone onto the car park ground. The cellular phone Hector had given her was screaming from her within her handbag. She knelt on the ground and prepared to struggle with her handbag for the phone but was surprised to find the phone sitting on top of everything else vibrating like mad. She pulled it out and pressed a couple of buttons until she
pressed the correct one and put it up to her ear.

  “Hello?” Brenna bent down to pick up the scone and juggled the phone and her handbag.

  “Miss Ravenwood? This is Mr. Hector,” Hector’s raspy voice leaked out of the small phone and drilled Brenna’s ear.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. Hector?” Brenna rolled her eyes, wondering what the creep wanted now.

  “I was wondering if you had made your decision yet.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I haven’t even arrived in Oakwood yet.”

  “I’m going to call you in two days. You don’t want to know me if you say no, Miss Ravenwood.” Hector hung up the phone, leaving Brenna listening to a dull beep. To be honest it sounded more pleasant than Hector had. She shook her head and threw the phone into her bag, after briefly thinking about leaving it to melt on the searing concrete.

  As Brenna walked the rest of the way to her car, she noticed a tall, striking man staring at her from the dusty road. He had long raven black hair and a large white dog stood by his side. She rubbed her eyes. It looked like a wolf. That couldn’t be a real wolf, could it? She couldn’t avoid the man’s piercing stare as he looked into her eyes. She averted her gaze from the man’s dark eyes and fumbled in her bag for her keys. Her cheeks flushed as her car keys hit the ground with a loud jingling noise. She bent down and picked up her keys, then stood back up, looking toward the strange man. The keys almost fell from her hands again. The man and his wolf were gone.

  Brenna looked around the car park. She couldn’t understand where the striking man had disappeared to. Even more unsettled now, she unlocked the car and slid inside. She took one last look for the mysterious man as she turned the key. She could still feel the man’s dark eyes watching her as though he was still there as she pulled out of the parking lot.

  The sun was low in the sky as Brenna sped past a sign welcoming her to Oakwood. She was looking forward to exploring the forest and cottage she’d inherited, but the cottage had no power and it would be too dark to see anything, so she decided to check into a motel for the night. And besides, the thought of spending a dark night with a bed that was probably littered with creepy crawling bugs made her shiver.

  She pulled into the Shady Oak Motel and chose a park close to the office. Gripping her handbag tightly under her arm, she made her way into the small office and looked around. The room was empty except for a large logbook and a bell sitting on a white counter located in front of a doorway, reminding her a little too much of the Bates Motel. Brenna smiled, she’d seen those ring for service bells in over a hundred movies and had always wanted to test one out. She dinged the bell and stood patiently waiting for service. A short, middle-aged man appeared from the doorway, pulling up his trousers as though they were too big. He stood behind the counter and looked up at Brenna. What little hair he had left on his pate was grey, and he wore wide-rimmed glasses that looked big enough to be used for TV screens.

  “Can I help you, miss?” He pushed his glasses up just as they slid down his nose.

  “Sure, I’d like a room please.”

  “Any room in particular? We have spa baths in some.”

  “Anything is fine.” Brenna smiled at the man and fished around in her bag for her purse. The man disappeared into the doorway behind him and came back holding a small key. “How much for the night?” she asked.

  “Hundy for the night.”

  “That’s cheap.” Brenna paid the man and recorded her name in the logbook. He handed her the key to room six.

  “Name’s Clark by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you, Clark.”

  Brenna collected her things from the car and made her way to room six. She had to walk up some stairs and across a balcony. Once inside, she dropped her luggage on the ground and sat Maggie’s box on a dresser. The room was small but cozy with a double bed and thick green curtains. A small television sat across from the bed, as did a pay per view box. Brenna frowned. She had to pay for the room - and the entertainment. Oh well, the room was unusually cheap. Hopefully, that didn’t mean she would contract some hideous skin condition from using the shower. She sat on the edge of the bed and bounced up and down a little. Comfortable enough. Happy with the results, she lay down on her back and laced her fingers behind her head. Her eyelids grew heavy and she was on the cusp of sleep when she heard a faint chanting coming from outside.

  Curious, she jumped off the bed and pulled the curtain across and peered outside. The chanting sounded as though it was right outside her window but there was nobody in sight. Brenna felt chills run down her spine. The chanting was loud and steady and soulful. She couldn’t help but feel gloomy even though she couldn’t hear the actual words of the chant.

  The chanting faded away leaving the motel room quiet apart from the occasional car driving by. Brenna sat up straight on the bouncy bed. She no longer felt tired and decided to order a meal, after remembering seeing a sign advertising room service outside of the office. She looked around the room and found an old dust-covered menu on the window. Brenna blew off of the dust and skimmed over the options.

  Her stomach rumbled at the thought of a large slab of steak and chunky chips, but considering the impact on her thighs, she opted for a cooked chicken breast served with a fresh garden salad. Brenna looked around for a phone to order but couldn’t see one. She checked under the bed and in the tiny closet, then decided to go downstairs to the office and order.

  Brenna made her way carefully across the dark balcony, clutching her purse. Thankful she left the light on in her room, as it shone dimly through the curtains, guiding her way. Except for the light from Brenna’s room, the office, and motel sign, outside was completely dark. She crept to the stairs and made her way slowly down each creaking step. She relaxed a little when she reached the office and felt the tension run out of her shoulders. Not sure why she was feeling so anxious, she ducked into the office. Clark was standing at the reception desk reading a newspaper. Brenna cleared her throat and he dropped his newspaper on the desk. “Something wrong with the room?” he asked, his expression drooping.

  Brenna smiled. “The room’s fine. I was hoping to order some food.”

  “Oh.” Clark scratched his head. “The chef left a long time ago, but I could whip up something for you.”

  “The chef’s finished for the night?”

  “No, he’s finished full stop. Went and quit about five years back now.”

  “Have you thought about hiring another one?”

  “To tell ya the truth, young lady, you’re the first to ask for food since the chef left.”

  “Don’t many people come through here?”

  His bony shoulders moved up and down in a shrug. “They used to. Ah yes, I was very busy running this little place. Now it ain’t even worth opening up most times, but I got nothin’ better to do anyhow.”

  “Well, what happened? Is it because the woods are supposed to be haunted?”

  “No. Everybody already knew about the woods, ya see those woods are haunted don’t get me wrong, but nobody cares about that. They say they are the restless souls of them witches that were burned so many years ago, but they don’t cause no trouble. There’s something new around here. I can feel it. Something dark.” The man’s words sent buckets of shivers all over Brenna’s body. Was that the sad chanting was she could hear?

  “Something dark you say?”

  “Very. I’ve even been tempted to move after running into some strange occurrences myself.” The man pulled up his sagging pants.

  “Why, what have you seen?”

  “It’s not what I saw, it’s what I didn’t see that scared me.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Just two nights ago I was walking up them stairs to the top rooms and along the balcony when I heard the steps creaking behind me. I spun around as I was the only one here as usual, but there was nobody there. I decided I was hearing things until a door slammed and the light in room number seven flicked on and off. I ain’t been up ther
e since then.” He pulled at his pants again. Brenna couldn’t help but wonder why he’d put her in room six. And, if he hasn’t been up there, was anybody cleaning the rooms?

  “Are you sure there was nobody in the room? Maybe somebody broke in.”

  “As sure as you’re the only one here tonight. There’s more. Peggy Dew, the resident nurse, was walking home one night from the local doctor’s office as she always did around seven o’clock. She heard a faint snarling sound and turned around to find two blood-red glowing eyes just floating in the air as though they were being held up by strings. They stared right at her podgy round face until she opened her trap and let out a high-pitched scream that woke the whole town. Poor ol’ Peg’s been shut inside her house ever since.” The old man rubbed his forehead.

  Brenna stood in the small office, reliving the mysterious chanting that appeared from nowhere.

  “Well, I guess I’ll get started on that food.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Brenna’s voice was a tiny squeak. Her mind was clouded with dark images of floating red eyeballs. Clark walked through the doorway behind him, leaving Brenna standing alone in the office. She crossed her arms and looked around the small bright room. A curtain-less window gave Brenna a view into the back of the motel. Too dark to see anything. Turning away from the window, she chewed on a fingernail.

  Clark returned holding a tray full of goodies. Brenna smiled; she was happy to see the food but even happier to see him. She didn’t feel like being alone but knew she would have to go back to her room sooner or later. He passed her the tray and she rested it on the desk so she could search her bottom-less pit of a handbag for some money. The man shook his head and refused to take any, saying he was grateful to have the company.

  Brenna chatted with Clark as she ate a ham sandwich and. Full, she placed the tray onto the counter and thanked Clark once again. She picked up the half-eaten packet of chips and unopened can of lemonade and stood up. “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”