Chapter 25

"Why did you tell him I was kidnapped?" I asked as we headed back to Flora's house. "He could have locked you up. I'm pretty sure he still wants to lock you up."

"Course he wants to lock her up," Tilda said. "She was one of his teachers in high school. Tell me one person who would pass up that opportunity."

"You're a teacher?" For some reason the thought that my kidnapper was charged with the molding of impressionable young minds was slightly disturbing.

"Retired," Maude said dryly as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Oh, that's good."

"The school district agrees," muttered Tilda from the back seat.

"What the...?" Maude barked as she pulled up at Flora's house. A car I hadn't seen before was parked out the front.

"That's Marigold's car," noted Tilda.

I searched my memories of the last few days as we walked up to the house, trying to remember where I had heard that name before. A familiar figure stepped out onto the porch, the witch healer who had put a salve on the cut on my hand.

"What are you doing here, Marigold?" Maude sounded wary.

Marigold clasped her hands before her and gave the air of a penitent nun. "Isobel and Margot needed someone to watch over Flora while they looked into something."

"Looked into what?"

Marigold shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed important."

"Sadie," Maude ordered urgently, "check on Flora."

I raced into the house and made my way to the bedroom. A cursory look didn't indicate that anything was wrong, but there was something happening with the blue aura that surrounded the woman on the bed. I put my hand on her arm and, unlike the last few times I had done that, the tendrils barely swept my skin before falling back down.

"What's happening?" I asked Maude who was hurrying through the door.

"She's getting weaker," Maude replied as she took up a position on the opposite side of the bed. She brushed Flora's hair to one side. "I hate this." I could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.

I pulled back my hand. "We're not doing her any good here. We need to look at that tablet."

Maude followed me into the kitchen where we found Tilda at the table alone, staring at the small box which was sitting in front of her.

"Where's Marigold?" Maude asked sharply.

Tilda sighed. "She kind of got the idea that she wasn't very welcome, so she took off."

"I didn't..."

"I know you don't mean to do anything, Grandma, but you need to think before you speak. Marigold is the coven healer and she's a little miffed that she wasn't called in as soon as Flora became...whatever it is that she is. After this is dealt with, I can pretty much guarantee there are going to be issues regarding how we shut the others out. You can't make unilateral decisions like we've done without there being consequences."

Maude lowered her head. "I know, it just took me by surprise that someone else was here."

"Why should it? The coven knows what happened to Flora, we can and should be calling on all of them to help. Margot and Isobel did the right thing getting Marigold to watch Flora."

It was when they were arguing that I could see the similarities between the two women. They had identical eyes that flashed when they were trying to make a point.

"I don't mean to interrupt what I'm sure is a discussion that could go on for days, but I'm pretty sure that we have a limit to how long Flora can hold on," I said, hoping that they didn't decide to turn on me.

"Very well," Maude said. "We need to examine the tablet."

I went to open the box but stopped when Tilda put a hand on my arm.

"Before you open it you should be aware that the box is as important as the tablet. It's blackthorn."

If it was at all possible, Maude drew back a bit further from the box. "Are you sure?"

From the look on her face I could tell that Tilda was not impressed by Maude questioning her expertise. "I'm the one with a forest growing inside my house. If I'm saying it's blackthorn, that's what it is."

I raised a hand. "As the non-witch in the room, what is blackthorn?"

"You are a witch," Maude snapped, "but dealing with that is a problem for another day. Blackthorn is a type of wood that has always been associated with witches. Its use has been outlawed for decades as it does have some less than desirable magical properties." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, when we first looked around the cave, we didn't see the box. It was only when you pointed it out that it became apparent. It's interesting that we were unable to see it initially, but you could."

"It was in the shadows of the cave, easy to miss."

"Maybe."

"I've never heard of blackthorn making something invisible to a trained witch," interrupted Tilda, "Blackthorn isn't dark magic on its own, but it magnifies and directs dark magic. It's like the diabolical frosting on an evil cupcake."

"So, what happens when you put a curse tablet inside a blackthorn box."

Tilda grimaced. "Kind of like a nuclear missile with an unmissable guidance system."

"Okay, just so I'm completely caught up with everyone else. By having a curse tablet in a blackthorn box, you're saying that things have now got worse."

"So much worse," murmured Maude.

"Let's get this thing out," I said as I opened the box. Using the scarf, I grabbed the tablet and laid it on the table. By now I knew that holding the curse tablet with the scarf was completely useless, kind of like wiping the dirt off a piece of food that has fallen on the floor. Still, it gave me a sense of protection. At this stage, I needed that.

The three of us peered at the tablet, only to find symbols carved into it.

"I thought there would be words," I complained. "How are we supposed to break the curse if there are no words telling us what the curse is about."

"These are ancient symbols of witchcraft. When we start your training, you will learn them." Maude pointed to one symbol which looked like a bird with one leg and an extra wing. "This symbol represents Flora or rather her position as coven leader."

No matter how much I squinted there was no way I would have been able to tell that.

"And this symbol represents chains or keeping her confined."

Nope, I wouldn't have picked that one either. It looked like a spread-eagled spider that had been pinned to a piece of cardboard.

"And this one..."

I put my hand up. "We don't have time for a lesson here. You're going to need to give me the translated version."

Maude sucked in her breath and I could tell she was trying to suppress her natural desire to teach. "Basically, the tablet says that Flora has committed a crime against the witch who created it and her punishment is to be trapped inside her mind, her body unable to move until the time of her natural death."

"That's it?"

Maude nodded sadly. "Most curse tablets are pretty simple. It takes a lot of time and effort to carve stone, so that generally cuts down on the loquaciousness."

"Loquaciousness?"

"Too many words," Tilda supplied as she rolled her eyes. "Grandma was an English teacher. Sometimes she likes to show off."

"I'm guessing smashing the curse tablet won't destroy the curse."

Maude smiled sadly then shocked me by picking up the tablet and throwing it at the ground where it made a solid thud. I picked it up and examined it. Not even one small chip had come off.

"How is that possible?"

"In theory, destroying the tablet should break the curse. In practice, the magic used to create the tablet makes the stone indestructible."

I furrowed my brow. "So, you need to get rid of the dark magic and then destroy the tablet."

"That's the idea," said Maude.

There was a noise at the front of the house, and we all looked up.

"We've found it." Isobel stalked in and slammed a book on the table. Dust flew up from the pages.

"Found what?" asked Maude after she stopped coughing.

Margot was bouncing on her feet with excitement. "Isobel found a way to break the curse."

"Are you sure?" Maude looked skeptical.

"Yes," Isobel replied. "About a hundred years ago a coven was able to break a curse tablet using a cleansing ritual, and they wrote down how they did it."

Maude furrowed her brow. "A cleansing ritual? I wouldn't think that would be powerful enough."

"It requires the whole coven to be involved."

Maude still looked skeptical. "We need to know more."

Isobel took in a breath and I could see she was trying to calm herself. "During the fourteenth century there was a witch hunter called Paul Raynard. He did what most witch hunters did and went after innocent human girls who were falsely accused of witchcraft by jealous neighbors. However, one day he was unfortunate enough to execute a real witch. Her sister created a curse tablet that basically meant that every Raynard male died in his thirtieth year. Those that were older than thirty, including Paul, survived but they watched all the younger males in the family die without fail before their thirtieth birthday, starting with Paul Raynard's beloved younger brother. If any Raynard male tried to destroy the tablet they would die immediately. Paul Raynard met his end doing just that, driven mad by the knowledge he had destroyed his family. By about a hundred years ago they'd gone from a very large family to just one Raynard male left. Michel Raynard was almost thirty and his wife was pregnant. He sought out a local coven leader who claimed he would be able to help the child, but that Michel would die immediately if the attempt was made. Michel Raynard was desperate to save his child, so he accepted what was happening to him and didn't fight the curse, all so his child would be saved if it was a boy. Raynard relinquished the curse tablet to the coven. The whole coven took part in a cleansing ritual. Michel Raynard died that night and his son was born three days later." Isobel smiled. "The child died peacefully in his sleep at the age of seventy-four. The Raynard family has flourished ever since." She started flicking open the pages of the book. "Here, read it yourself."

Maude and Tilda pored over the book, their eyes racing across the page.

Tilda looked up with a smile on her face. "It might work. We've got everything we need. It's a clear night tonight, perfect for a cleansing ritual."

Maude hesitated. "Maybe we should do more research so we can make sure we do it right."

"She's getting weaker," I reminded her. "How much longer do you think she'll last?"

Maude took in a deep breath. "You're right, we need to move on this now. The longer we wait the less chance she'll be able to pull out of it."

Tilda was already moving and grabbing her phone, ready to gather the army of witches.

"We'll need to take the tablet," motioned Margot.

"Keep it separate from the blackthorn box," cautioned Maude. The last thing that monstrosity needs is extra strength."

"So, what do you need me to do?" I asked.

Maude stopped and glanced over at Isobel who shrugged. "We need you to stay here with Flora."

"I thought you required a family member," I pointed out.

"We needed a family member for a healing spell. A cleansing ritual is something completely different. Having an untrained witch will drag down the power level. You can't be anywhere near the coven while we do this."

Well, that felt like a kick in the teeth. After everything I'd been through, I didn't think I'd be tossed over at the end.

Isobel left the room, and Maude came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I know you want to be a part of this, but we will need every bit of power that we can get hold of for this to work. The coven will be performing this ritual tonight in the magic circle. It is the place and time that we will have the most power. I need you to stay with Flora and call Tilda if there is any sign that something is going wrong."

"Tilda will be taking a phone into the magic circle during a cleansing ritual?" I wanted to clarify that to ensure I heard it properly.

"She'll have it on vibrate," Maude reassured me.

That didn't make it any less weird.