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Book: Be Careful What You Witch For (A Family Fortune Mystery) by Dawn Eastman
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Authors: Dawn Eastman
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which one was enjoying it more, Seth or Tuffy.
A hush fell as Diana stood and raised her arms. After a brief welcome, she asked us to join hands. Ugh. I hated holding hands with strangers. I grabbed Seth’s hand and he took Skye’s hand as if his life depended on it. I turned to my right with my hand out and was surprised to see Lucan sitting there. He was very quiet for such a large man. At least he wasn’t a complete stranger.
Diana thanked everyone for participating, and said she would send positive energy through the circle. It reminded me of my Girl Scout days when we would hold hands and pass the squeeze around the circle. Then a lit sage stick made its way through the crowd just like on Halloween—Wiccans were big on clearing energy with smoke. She asked us to sit, and allowed the crowd of about forty to share some favorite experiences from the festival. This, of course, began to devolve into a discussion of Rafe’s death. After a few queries about Rafe, his coven, and his allergies, Diana firmly steered everyone to more pleasant subjects, such as the workshops, food, and camaraderie. I still heard muttered comments about Rafe, but the group respected Diana enough to move on. When the comments had died down, Diana raised her arms in the center of the circle. The group fell silent.
Diana turned in a circle and said:
Lady of Darkness, Lord of Shadows,
Fire, wind, air, and water
We offer love and thanks
For this Sabbat rite.
O ancient ones, we bid thee farewell.
Blessed be, and so mote it be!
She threw a lit match into her cauldron and blue flames shot out. Fire was a big crowd-pleaser.
“Wicked,” Seth whispered next to me.
“So mote it be,” said Lucan.
Scattered murmurs of “blessed be” made their way through the crowd and people began to collect their belongings and gather in small clumps to say good-bye.
The ceremony over, Seth, Skye, and Faith approached Diana. I could tell Seth really wanted to get a look into the cauldron. It was just rubbing alcohol and would eventually burn itself out but Seth looked like he thought it was real magic. I nodded to Lucan, and Baxter and I headed toward Diana. She was guarding the cauldron from curious visitors.
“Have you ever set anything on fire with that thing?” a small, elderly woman asked with a bit too much excitement in her voice.
“No, it’s really quite contained. But you need to be careful if you use it inside.” Diana smiled at the crowd that was gathering. Maybe she’d sell a couple of cauldrons before the night was over.
After a few more questions about the cauldron and some passing-out of business cards, Diana was ready to go. The teens took photos of one another and exchanged phone numbers.
Diana let Seth put out the fire by dropping the lid on top. We left him to guard the cauldron while we trucked the rest of her supplies out to her car. Lucan had been standing off to the side and now stepped forward to help carry our bags. Diana smiled and nodded her thanks. By the time we returned, the cauldron had cooled and we carried it to the lot as well. I gave Diana a long hug and promised to stop by her house the next day. She said she wasn’t going to the store but was letting Bethany open up. This alone told me how hard the last couple of days had been on her.
12
The next day, Monday, Seth slept in. I took the two dogs for a business walk and promised them a longer one when Seth woke up. Baxter groaned and slumped onto the couch when I got my keys out. Tuffy’s eyebrows went up into his hairline and he did his nervous dance. He followed me, looking forlorn as I shut the door behind me.
I called Tom Andrews on the way to The Daily Grind and he agreed to meet me. Mac was never forthcoming with information on an open case. Tom was more generous. I hoped he was in the loop on the whole Rafe Godwin situation. After what Diana had told me about Dylan’s suspicions, I was getting a sick feeling in my stomach. Sometimes it was hard to
A hush fell as Diana stood and raised her arms. After a brief welcome, she asked us to join hands. Ugh. I hated holding hands with strangers. I grabbed Seth’s hand and he took Skye’s hand as if his life depended on it. I turned to my right with my hand out and was surprised to see Lucan sitting there. He was very quiet for such a large man. At least he wasn’t a complete stranger.
Diana thanked everyone for participating, and said she would send positive energy through the circle. It reminded me of my Girl Scout days when we would hold hands and pass the squeeze around the circle. Then a lit sage stick made its way through the crowd just like on Halloween—Wiccans were big on clearing energy with smoke. She asked us to sit, and allowed the crowd of about forty to share some favorite experiences from the festival. This, of course, began to devolve into a discussion of Rafe’s death. After a few queries about Rafe, his coven, and his allergies, Diana firmly steered everyone to more pleasant subjects, such as the workshops, food, and camaraderie. I still heard muttered comments about Rafe, but the group respected Diana enough to move on. When the comments had died down, Diana raised her arms in the center of the circle. The group fell silent.
Diana turned in a circle and said:
Lady of Darkness, Lord of Shadows,
Fire, wind, air, and water
We offer love and thanks
For this Sabbat rite.
O ancient ones, we bid thee farewell.
Blessed be, and so mote it be!
She threw a lit match into her cauldron and blue flames shot out. Fire was a big crowd-pleaser.
“Wicked,” Seth whispered next to me.
“So mote it be,” said Lucan.
Scattered murmurs of “blessed be” made their way through the crowd and people began to collect their belongings and gather in small clumps to say good-bye.
The ceremony over, Seth, Skye, and Faith approached Diana. I could tell Seth really wanted to get a look into the cauldron. It was just rubbing alcohol and would eventually burn itself out but Seth looked like he thought it was real magic. I nodded to Lucan, and Baxter and I headed toward Diana. She was guarding the cauldron from curious visitors.
“Have you ever set anything on fire with that thing?” a small, elderly woman asked with a bit too much excitement in her voice.
“No, it’s really quite contained. But you need to be careful if you use it inside.” Diana smiled at the crowd that was gathering. Maybe she’d sell a couple of cauldrons before the night was over.
After a few more questions about the cauldron and some passing-out of business cards, Diana was ready to go. The teens took photos of one another and exchanged phone numbers.
Diana let Seth put out the fire by dropping the lid on top. We left him to guard the cauldron while we trucked the rest of her supplies out to her car. Lucan had been standing off to the side and now stepped forward to help carry our bags. Diana smiled and nodded her thanks. By the time we returned, the cauldron had cooled and we carried it to the lot as well. I gave Diana a long hug and promised to stop by her house the next day. She said she wasn’t going to the store but was letting Bethany open up. This alone told me how hard the last couple of days had been on her.
12
The next day, Monday, Seth slept in. I took the two dogs for a business walk and promised them a longer one when Seth woke up. Baxter groaned and slumped onto the couch when I got my keys out. Tuffy’s eyebrows went up into his hairline and he did his nervous dance. He followed me, looking forlorn as I shut the door behind me.
I called Tom Andrews on the way to The Daily Grind and he agreed to meet me. Mac was never forthcoming with information on an open case. Tom was more generous. I hoped he was in the loop on the whole Rafe Godwin situation. After what Diana had told me about Dylan’s suspicions, I was getting a sick feeling in my stomach. Sometimes it was hard to
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