Chapter 21

I was grateful that Tilda wasn't home yet. Unfortunately, the evening had left its mark on me, most noticeably on my throat in the form of massive bruises which caused me to wince when I saw them in the mirror. There was no way I was going to be able to hide what had happened, so I decided my best plan was to retreat to the bedroom. I didn't come out when I heard Tilda come home, and pretended to be asleep when she carefully opened the door to check on me. I just needed a bit of time to work out how I was going to explain what had happened and, most importantly, why I had felt this overwhelming need to wander through the forest.

I was no longer surprised to find myself in the dark tower with Flora sitting with her back against a wall and her head resting on her knees. If it was at all possible, she looked worse than she had the previous two nights.

"Are you getting any sleep?" I asked.

"No sleep, no food and nobody comes to visit." She gave me a rueful smile when she raised her head. "You know, I'd almost be grateful if the villain turned up to mock me at this stage. At least I'd know who the bad guy is."

I sat down next to her and mirrored her position. "Have you come up with any idea as to who did this to you?"

Flora shook her head. "I didn't think I'd done anything in my life that would warrant this kind of hate."

"When I was first brought here, the coven thought you'd been getting sick over the last couple of months. They thought something was happening with you, both mentally and physically."

Flora ran her hand through her hair, only to have it get stuck at the top of her scalp. "This is so disgusting," she sighed as she tried to disentangle her fingers.

I wasn't going to disagree.

"The last couple of months I've been feeling a bit strange, a little forgetful, just generally unwell. I saw Dr Collias and he had some tests done, but he said there was nothing physically wrong with me." She took in a shuddery breath. "I was afraid there was something happening mentally."

Things started coming together in my mind. "Is it possible that someone was doing something to you? Maybe some low-level spells or potions, not meant to kill you, just to soften you up."

Flora's eyes sparked. "In preparation for the curse."

"It's a thought. My understanding is that as coven leader you're a pretty strong witch. Maybe, whoever did this was concerned that you'd be able to fight off the curse and thought weakening you before casting it was a good way to go."

"You could be right."

"Which also means that it wouldn't be a one-off thing which could mean a stranger. If we believe they did it over a couple of months..."

"It would have to be somebody I knew and was comfortable with," Flora finished the thought.

"Yeah."

"I don't like that line of thinking," Flora said, anger sparking in her eyes.

"Look, I can understand that. I'm an outsider to this town and have no idea how it works. I'm just throwing suggestions out there so we can see what sticks." I waited for her to think about it.

"It's possible," she whispered.

"Do you have any thoughts as to who it might be?" I was trying to be gentle. This had to be hurting her.

Flora laughed bitterly. "Do I have any thoughts as to who among the people I trust and call friends would hate me so much as to trap me in this place for eternity. I have to say, I have no idea."

Okay, we needed to try a new tack. "They would have had to have easy access to you and your potion supplies."

"My home is open to everyone. Anyone could have accessed those things."

"You might want to re-think that policy when we get you out of here," I muttered.

"I think you could be right," Flora laughed, though there wasn't any humor in it.

Which brought us to a question I really did not want to ask. "The night before you ended up here, did you take a sleeping potion?"

Flora nodded. "I take some when I have trouble sleeping. The last couple of months I've had a touch of insomnia."

"There was originally a concern that you overdosed, on purpose."

Flora shook her head. "No, nobody could possibly believe that."

"I'm afraid they did. It seems there was a whole bottle of the sleeping potion that was full the night before, and was empty the next morning."

"No, that can't be right. I remember, it was a new bottle and I only had about a teaspoon of it, well within the normal range."

"Then that means somebody got rid of the rest of the potion to make everyone believe you overdosed. A couple of months of physical illness and mental confusion played right into it. It wasn't until Dr Collias examined you that we determined that it was a curse. Without him it might have been weeks before we worked out what was wrong."

"Whoever cast the curse was in my house that night while I was asleep."

"Do you have any security?" I asked.

"No," Flora said ruefully. "Until right at this moment I never thought I needed any."

"So, it could have been anyone in Walker Bay." I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Flora said in a small voice. "I may have got complacent. I never wanted to believe that the intrigues of witch politics could strike us." She looked at me carefully. "What happened to your neck?" She pulled my hair back to examine the bruising.

"That's another thing I needed to talk to you about. I went wandering in the forest and got attacked by something called a golem."

"There's a golem in Walker Bay?" Flora's voice started to rise, and I could detect the note of panic.

"Yes, earlier this evening it tried to kill me, and I'm pretty sure I was the target. It seemed rather single-minded in getting to me."

"How did you get away from it?" Flora asked.

"I really don't think that's the important part of what happened." I wasn't going to betray Sheriff Tolan, even though Flora wasn't in a position to tell anyone else. "What I need to know is, what is a golem and why was it there?"

"Simply put, a golem is a creature that can be manufactured out of something like clay and given a semblance of life using magic spells. They are usually created to protect something of great value. They are dangerous and impossible to destroy."

I had to stop myself from correcting her on that point.

"If there is a golem running around in the forest, then there is something out there that is very important to somebody," Flora leaned forward, urgency in her voice.

"What are the chances that it is related to what happened to you?" I asked.

"Creating a golem is difficult and takes a level of magic that is comparable to a curse. The belief that we have two witches in Walker Bay who are not only capable of this kind of magic, but willing to sacrifice part of their soul to do it, is too disturbing to contemplate."

"So, in answer to my question, you're saying that I need to go back up there and find out what it is that the golem was protecting."

"I really wish I wasn't saying that," Flora said, quietly.

I wish she wasn't saying it either.