“What do you want me to say?” Conri said.
“How about explaining why your dog brought something that was used to kill a man into your kitchen?”
“Dogs dig stuff up. I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before in my life.”
“You’re into black magic, you’re a furious fly-off-the-handle type. An effigy of a murder victim appears in your house and, what? That’s a coincidence?”
“That’s exactly what it is,” he yelled.
I wanted to get out. Suddenly the open house was claustrophobic, and Conri seemed all the bigger, taking up too much space too close to me. I was trapped, a rabbit in a wolf’s lair.
I hurried to the front door, still clutching the muddy doll. Russet followed, his tail wagging. Conri didn’t move to follow, but he yelled after me as I slammed the door.
“You don’t know what you’re doing, Belinda.”
He was right. I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know what I was doing trying to catch a killer, and I didn’t know what I was doing getting mixed up with someone like him. I tossed the poppet onto the passenger-side floor of my car. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it.
I drove home on autopilot, not even aware I’d made the journey until I was there.
I fell into my chair and squeezed my eyes tight. My chest was filled with stone, my mind full of sludge.
Either Hemlock could pick up that I wasn’t in a cuddling mood, or he could smell Conri’s dog all over me, but whatever it was, he stayed on the other side of the room, watching me as if he were waiting for me to explode. Which I thought was likely.
My phone beeped in my pocket. It was a message from Henry, saying he was bringing an early supper for our Scrabble night.
I’d forgotten all about our plans. My spirits lifted a touch. The distraction might be what I needed to stop thinking about the vet. And perhaps I could ask Henry if he knew anything about him, and maybe tease out some information about Henry’s own role in this seemingly endless supernatural community of Blackthorn Springs.
Ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the back door, unexpectedly soon.
“Hey, Henry. What did you bring?” I called, moving to the door. “I’m starving.”
I pulled open the door.
“Sorry, Belladonna. Didn’t know you were expecting me to bring you dinner.”
Rowan Jackfort stepped into my kitchen. I froze.
“I don’t have any food with me, but we can go and eat out if you like.”
Hemlock shot under the credenza, where he crouched low, hissing and bristled.
Jackfort snorted a mocking laugh. “Hi, kitty. You remember me, do you?”
“Get out of my house,” I seethed. I’d had enough games.
“I didn’t see your assistant today? Lila, is it? Is she still around? She’s smoking hot.”
“You stay away from her.”
“Give me what I want.”
“I have nothing you want. I can’t tell you where Quentin is. I don’t know.”
He reached his long arms toward my waist. I stepped away, and he moved closer again, this time grabbing me by the shoulders, wrenching me toward him.
“You’ve always got something I want.” He licked his lips.
“Get your hands off me, you creep,” I said.
I shoved my hands hard against Jackfort’s chest. It was enough to get me almost loose for a second, but he was too strong. He grabbed me again, tighter, turning me so my back was pressed against him. With one arm pinned across my chest, he held the other to my face. A surge of magic passed through me like a hot current, and I was washed underneath a wave of black nothing.
I woke. It was dark. I was lying on cold grass, wet from dew. Pain pressed my body. Fear gripped my belly. I pulled myself into an awkward sitting position.
“Hello.” Jackfort stood above me, almost a silhouette in the dim light. He grinned a sick smile.
“What… what have you…? Where are we?”
I looked around. We were surrounded by dark walls on all sides. A single low bush stood in the middle of the space where we were, a cement bench beside it. I understood. We were in the center of the hedge maze.
I wasn’t tied up, so I guessed Jackfort thought I was too meek to run from him.
“Do you think anyone in town knows what the shape of this thing means?” Jackfort said, mirth in his voice.
I shook my foggy head. It was so ridiculous, I nearly laughed. “That’s your plan, Rowan? You’re going to kill me in the middle of the ghost maze? What? You expect me to haunt it forever after that?”
“Isn’t that what the legends say about ghost mazes? I know this is a special one too. You’ll be dead soon enough from just being in the center.”
“So doesn’t that mean it’s going to kill you too?” I said.
He plucked a leaf from the nearby bush. If only it were as poisonous as I’d initially told Neville it was.
“I’ve protected myself with a shielding spell. It’s pretty advanced. I doubt you’d have heard of it.”
I chuckled. I was still shaky but managed to stand up. “You’re an idiot, you know that, right?”
He stopped smiling. “You think you’re in a position to insult me?”
I laughed again. “You’re right, Rowan. The town did accidentally build a ghost maze. Did. Past tense. This thing was disarmed last night. Now it’s just a bunch of harmless plants arranged in a pretty pattern. Any witch with any power could feel that.”
Jackfort looked around, a small wrinkle of confusion creasing his brow.
“It’s true,” I said. “I did the spell myself.”
“You?” he said. “You don’t have that kind of power.”
“That’s what I thought too,” I said. “But I had help from some friends.”
“You don’t have any friends, either. You’ve never had any friends. You don’t have anyone.”
I shrugged. “It’s working for me so far.”
He circled me at a slow pace, hissing between his teeth. A shadow passed above us, and I looked up to see an owl fly by with a soft hoot.
“Well, let’s say I was to believe you, which I don’t—ghost maze or not, there’s still nothing stopping me from killing you here. If you’re trapped here as a ghost, then that’s a bonus. If you’re not, you’ll still be dead.”
“I don’t have anything you want, Jackfort. How many times do I have to tell you? I can’t tell you where Quentin is because I do not know.”
He stopped walking. “You know, I’m actually starting to believe you on that.”
“Then why are you still holding me here? Threatening to kill me? Why are you still tormenting me every day?”
“Because you need to be taught a lesson, Bella. A long overdue one, and one your rat brother needed to learn too.”
“What?”
“Respect.”
“That’s rich, coming from you. You kill my neighbor, you poison my cat, you stalk me, you sexually harass me, and now you kidnap me, threatening to kill me? And that’s just this week. When have you ever respected anyone in your life?”
Jackfort’s backhand landed on my cheekbone in a sharp crack. My face stung and swelled instantly.
“I did not kill your neighbor. That’s amusing, but nothing to do with me. I keep telling you. But more importantly, you will learn respect for your superiors,” he seethed. “I am your coven high witch. You and Quentin both served the Bloodfire under me. You owe me your fealty.”
“I owe you nothing,” I said, pressing my hand to my cheek. “I was never a part of your stupid cult, remember?”
He slapped me again, harder this time. I cried out and hated how weak it made me sound. He grabbed me by the shoulders. “Your brother lied to me, he stole from me, he made a mockery out of me. And you expect that to go unpunished?”
“Then punish him for it. I had nothing to do with it, and I have nothing to do with Quentin.”
“You, the eternal twins, who looked the same and thought the same and did everything together at every minute since you squirmed out of your lost mother’s belly together? You might think you don’t know where he is, but I know all about the bond twins have.”
“What are you talking about?” I said.
He twisted my arm, pushing me to the ground. He pressed his other hand to my forehead.
The revolting ripple of Jackfort’s magic coursed into my brain like a hot wire, probing through every corner of my mind.
No. I was not to going to be violated. He would not take anything from me. I was weak, like my arms were made of cold iron. The only thing keeping my head from dropping was Jackfort’s palm pressing against my forehead. But I had to fight. I gripped his wrist.
“Get out of my head,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
Jackfort pressed harder, ignoring me. “I know he’s linked to you. I will find him.”
I gripped tighter, pulling at his arm. “Get out of my head,” I said, louder this time.
He pressed harder still, but the magic retracted a fraction, enough to tell me I didn’t have to take this. I had everything I needed to fight back, right there inside me already.
“Get out of my head!” I screamed. “Get out! Get Out!” I ripped Jackfort’s hand free, breaking the bond and his repulsive probing spell.
He was breathing hard; the spell had taken energy from him. I scrambled upward, starting to run before I was even properly on my feet. I stumbled but didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Jackfort was still dazed, and those blessed few seconds gave me the head start I needed.
I ran, twisting the dark paths. I had studied every corner of this maze from the second I’d realized what it was. More than that, the disarming spell had imprinted its pattern on me, so I knew it as intimately as I knew my way around my own apartment. Jackfort followed, wheezing as he ran behind. I only had to lose him around one corner, get him lost, trapped in a dead end, and get myself out of there, free—but he wouldn’t fall behind in his pursuit.
At last, I made the final turn. The end was in sight, the parking lot lights on top of the hill lighting up my path to freedom. As I neared the exit, my foot slipped on the wet grass. I stumbled but didn’t fall. As I stepped out into the open field, Jackfort leaped, grabbing my ankle as he fell, pulling me to the ground. I kicked at him, landing a lucky blow to his head.
“I’m gonna make you pay,” he shouted. I kicked again, planting my boot heel squarely into his nose. I broke free and got to my feet. I took a running step and then stopped. I turned slowly, my body fueled with terror and something else. Something I had only experienced once before, right here, when I had performed the biggest spell of my life.
Real power.
“You sick freak,” I said.
Dark blood flowed down Jackfort’s face from what I hoped was a broken nose.
“I am so going to kill you,” he said, spitting through blood. “After I take you, give you a taste of what I know deep down you’ve always wanted.”
“No,” I said calmly. “No, you’re not. You’re going to leave me alone, you’re going to leave this town, and you’re never going to come near me again.”
I stepped toward him. “Whatever happened to Quentin, it’s not me. It’s him. We might be twins, but where he is and what he owes you has nothing to do with me. And I think you know that, Jackfort. You know Quentin bested you, and you’ve got no power over him. That’s why you came after me. Someone you thought was weaker, someone within your reach. But guess what? I’m not weak.”
My hands shot upwards, my palms facing him. Heat like magma flowed through me, and the energy erupted through my fingers. Jackfort was thrown backward, a deafening crack tearing apart the quiet night.
He lay on his back, clutching at his still-smoldering chest, groaning. The air was tinged with the smell of his burning skin and clothes.
“Seems you’ve finally found your mojo, Belladonna,” he coughed.
“Don’t call me that,” I said. I flicked my hand, and a blue line like a snake of electricity shot out, sizzling across Jackfort’s cheek. He cried out again.
“Who’s teaching you?” he wheezed, one hand now holding his burning face. There was fear in his eyes. I liked it. I had no idea how I’d summoned a high witch battle spell, but I liked that too.
“Just working on my natural power, Rowan. Now if you don’t get out of my town, for good, I’ll strip your skin and feed it to my cat. Apparently, he needs more fresh meat in his diet.”
Jackfort scrambled to his feet. His wrist twisted as he prepared to release his spell, but I snatched at the air before the magic flew. His arms fell limp, paralyzed from the shoulders down.
“What did you do to me?” he gasped, his hands hanging as dead weights by his side. His neck muscles tensed as he tried to move.
“Think of it as a safety restraint. The spell will release when you get outside the town boundaries.”
I had no idea if it was true, but it sounded threatening enough.
Jackfort was white fury. “You don’t know who you’re messing with, Belinda Drake.”
“No, you don’t know who you’re messing with. Now get the hell out of here before I make it permanent.” I pointed at his arms, and he flinched away, frightened.
“What’s going on here?” a voice came from behind me.
It was Henry. His old green pickup was parked up on the ridge. How had he found me? Had he seen me perform battle magic? It didn’t matter. I had never been so relieved to see another person in all my life.
Jackfort sneered.
“This another new boyfriend, Bella? If I knew you liked them long in the tooth, I could have set you up with a vampire back in Loreton.”
“Pretty sure I told you to leave, Jackfort. There’s nothing holding your legs. Get moving. Or do you want me to set you on fire from the inside out?”
Jackfort shuffled past Henry and sniffed. “Wizard. That whose power you’re on, Bella? Borrowed power never lasts. I’ll be back for you, my girl. And then we’ll finish this.”
Henry pressed a balled fist into Jackfort’s chest as if he were giving him the world’s slowest punch.
“Get your hands off me, old man,” Jackfort said, but he didn’t move away from Henry’s hand. Henry lowered his arm slowly, his eyes near black in the gloom. He shook his fist at his side as though he were shaking something off onto the ground.
“This is not over,” Jackfort said and then left us.
We watched Jackfort run at a slow, loping gallop out of the field, his arms useless by his sides. Henry pulled me into a hug I didn’t shy away from.
“Oh, my dear, are you alright?” he said.
I did not know how to answer. “Henry,” I said, looking up at him with tears spilling down my cheeks. “Can you please take me home?”