Chapter 7

"She's been cursed," muttered Margot.

"Don't be ridiculous," snapped Isobel. "Nobody would curse Flora.

"If Flora's been cursed," Maude started slowly, completely ignoring Isobel, "Our timeline may have just changed. We thought the next full moon would be the best time for a healing spell, but breaking curses is a whole other story."

"How hard is it to break a curse?" Two days ago, I would never have imagined asking that kind of a question.

Believe it or not, curses are pretty rare." Tilda dragged her hand through her curly red hair. "Despite what popular culture might have you believe, witches don't throw curses around. Doing something like that requires you to sacrifice a piece of your soul. Most people aren't willing to do that. The problem is, the longer a curse goes for, the harder it is to break. The whole coven will be needed."

"So, who would be the curse breaking expert?"

The four women looked at each other. "There is no such thing as a curse breaking expert," said Maude. She lifted her eyes to the house "The strongest witch in our coven is Flora, and she would not be able to begin to break even a simple curse, let alone whatever this is."

That was not useful. I scrubbed my hands through my hair. I couldn't think anymore. I was tired, sore and I still hadn't had anything to eat. Any moment now I was going to pass out from hunger alone.

"I need to get back inside to Flora. I don't like her being alone." Isobel strode back into the house.

At least one of us knew what they had to do. As of this moment, I had no idea what I was doing, or what the next step should be. I was reacting to the situation around me, but I hadn't had much of a chance to really understand it.

"How are you going?" Tilda asked tentatively.

"I think I'm done for the day. I don't know how to help her."

"You seem to be getting upset," commented Maude.

I was stunned. "Of course, I'm upset. That woman is trapped in some magical prison, and none of you seem to be able to tell me how to fix it, despite the fact that you kidnapped me because you had some misguided belief that I would be able to do just that." My voice rose until I was almost shouting.

The three women were staring at me as if they couldn't understand why I was having a meltdown. It seemed perfectly logical to me.

Margot turned to Tilda. "I think you need to feed her."

Finally, somebody was understanding my problem. "Maybe we should also do some research into curses," I suggested.

"That would be easy if books on curses weren't banned," said Tilda.

"What are you saying?"

Maude sighed. "What she's saying is that there are no books on curses in Walker Bay. Even showing interest in curses is a binding offense."

"As in magic binding." I remembered what Collias had told me.

Margot whistled. "Look who's learning fast."

"I wasn't really given a choice now, was I?" I said sharply.

Maude put her hands up. It looked like everyone was beginning to get concerned about my attitude. "You're going to stay with Tilda tonight, and tomorrow we'll start looking at what our options are."

It looked like my kidnappers were now desperate to get rid of me.

* * *

As I followed Tilda into her house, I couldn't stop thinking about all I had learned today.

"You're going to need to shut down your brain at some point. It isn't going to help anyone today," Tilda said as she threw her keys on the table.

I was going to answer her with my new-found attitude, but then I got a good look at the house I had stepped into. It was completely filled with plants. There were dozens of small pots overflowing with greenery scattered around the rooms. Ivy was actually climbing up the walls on the inside of the building. I couldn't say a word. I had never seen interior decorating choices like this before in my life.

"Yeah, I know. My place is unique." It seemed Tilda was expecting criticism.

"I like it," I protested. "It's almost like the house is alive."

Tilda glanced over at the kitchen, and I smiled when I saw the kitchen bench was covered in more plants.

"I was working on herbal remedies earlier today that we could use in the healing spell for Flora," she said apologetically. "Then Grandma called me, and I found out about what she did with you. I just ran out and left everything as it was." She smiled apologetically. "Would you be okay if we go to the diner for something to eat? I don't think my kitchen is suitable for cooking. Some of those plants can have unpleasant side effects if they contaminate food. I'm going to need to sterilize the whole kitchen before I can cook in there again."

"Sure," I said. "But, if we're going out, is there any way I can have a shower, and maybe borrow a change of clothes."

"Of course," Tilda said, leading me to the small bathroom.

Once again, I found myself competing for space with multiple plants.

Tilda smiled apologetically. "I like having plants with me at all times. It makes me feel calmer. I couldn't live without them."

"Trust me, this isn't even close to the weirdest thing I'm dealing with today."

"I guess not."

* * *

By the time we got to the diner I was feeling almost human again. I shouldn't have been surprised that it looked like every other diner in every small town. Tilda kept trying to tell me that Walker Bay was perfectly normal. She grabbed a couple of menus from the counter and ushered me to a booth. Sitting down, I leaned my head back against the worn vinyl. I finally felt like I could breathe. Despite the various people and creatures I was seeing walking around the town, this felt normal to me.

"What...?"

Tilda put her hand up to stop me talking and her other hand in her pocket. She pulled out a smooth stone and placed it in the middle of the table. Closing her eyes, she touched the stone and muttered some words under her breath. I looked around, sure somebody was going to be pointing at the strange woman in our booth.

"Okay, we're good. You can talk now."

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the stone.

"That is a charm stone. A spell is put into the stone so that it can be used at a later time. That charm stone in particular provides privacy in a public place." Tilda looked around. "It means nobody can hear what we are saying."

"That sounds cool. You just carry that around with you?"

"Not all the time," Tilda said as she looked at the menu. "I just figured, considering our situation, that it might be smart."

"And by situation I assume you're talking about not wanting anyone to overhear the kidnapping victim."

Tilda smiled slightly. "That would be right."

"Is rampant eavesdropping a huge problem in this town," I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Let's just say that a lot of the people around here have enhanced senses, and aren't afraid to use them."

A waitress stepped up to the booth. "Hi, Tilda. What will it be today?"

"I'll have a burger with fries, Annie."

The waitress turned towards me. "And what would you like?

"I'll have the chicken salad sandwich."

Tilda smiled as the waitress walked away. "You really wanted that chicken salad sandwich, didn't you?"

"Been thinking about it all day. How was she able to talk to us if that spell stone was working?"

Tilda tapped the stone. "It works like a bubble. Annie stepped into the bubble and we were all able to communicate with each other. The second she stepped out of the bubble she couldn't hear us anymore."

I stared at the spot Annie had been standing. "Does she know when she goes through it."

"If you're asking if it hurts, it doesn't. If you're asking if she knew, the answer is yes. Annie's seen enough of these stones that she knows exactly what it is. It also means she knows pretty much how close she needs to be to us so we are be able to talk to each other."

The food arrived quickly, and I found that nothing had ever tasted so good. I couldn't tell how much of that was due to the quality of the meal and how much was due to the fact the last meal I clearly remembered eating was almost two days ago.

"You might want to slow down there," Tilda said worriedly. "The last thing we want is for you to get sick."

I swallowed and put the uneaten portion of the sandwich back on my plate. "You're probably right." I went to take a drink and then choked when a man in uniform stepped up to our table.

"Tilda," he said as he tapped the brim of his hat.

"Sheriff Tolan," Tilda replied, her voice a couple of octaves higher than it had been before.

I had to hold myself back from groaning. We didn't look suspicious at all.

The sheriff waited for a couple of seconds. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Tilda swallowed nervously. "Sure, this is Sadie Goodwin. She's just visiting for a little while."

The sheriff put out his hand. "Nice to meet you Miss Goodwin. I'm Conall Tolan, sheriff of Walker Bay."

I clasped his hand and felt the strength coursing through it. "Pleased to meet you."

His eyes stared into mine and I noticed how unusual they were, a pale blue that made me think of glaciers in the ocean. I felt my mouth go dry. I was going to assume it was from fear, although I wasn't sure what I was afraid of.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in Walker Bay, Miss Goodwin. If there's anything I can help you with, please do not hesitate to ask."

I pulled my hand back and was pleased when he relinquished it. "Thank you, Sheriff. I don't think I'll be here long, but I'll keep that in mind."

He tapped the brim of his hat again and sauntered back to the counter. Despite the fear I was feeling I had to admit that the view of him walking away was definitely one I enjoyed.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Why do I feel like I did something wrong? I'm the victim here."

"It's his gift," Tilda grumbled. "Whenever I run into him, I always feel like confessing the time I ditched school and sneaked into the movies without paying."

"Wow, you are a rebel. It's no surprise you've graduated to kidnapping."

"You're never planning on letting that go, are you?" complained Tilda.

"I think it's good for at least a few more days," I said as I started eating my dinner again.

I glanced over at the sheriff who was now sitting at the counter, staring directly at me.

"You're sure he can't hear what we're saying?" I asked.

Tilda shook her head emphatically. "Definitely not."

"Then why is he still watching me?" I muttered.

Tilda shrugged as she continued inhaling her fries. "Don't worry about it. Sheriff Tolan is suspicious of everyone. New people around here have a tendency to tweak his radar, usually not in a good way. He'll keep a close eye on you, and then someone else will roll into town and he'll move on."

"Isn't that something we should be worried about, especially considering how I came into this town." The fact that I now used the word 'we' when describing the repercussions of my kidnapping just went to show how far down this rabbit hole I had fallen.

"As long as we all keep our mouths shut, and you manage to not pass out the first time you run into a troll, we should be okay."

"What is it about trolls that you're so worried about?"

"You'll know when you see one," Tilda said sagely. "They don't come out that often so you should be fine until we've sorted the rest of this mess out."

I watched as the sheriff collected his food and headed out of the diner. "What is he?" I asked, not sure why I was curious, and wondering whether that was even an appropriate question to ask. After Dr Collias, the sheriff looked normal to me.

"Werewolf."

I stopped eating for a moment and mentally checked to see how shocked I was by that answer. After a couple of moments, I realized I was not as shocked as I thought I would be. That was a little concerning.

I asked what I thought was the next most obvious question. "Are werewolves safe to be around?"

Tilda smiled. "They're perfectly safe, unless you're a virgin."

"They sacrifice virgins?" I couldn't keep the horror out of my voice.

Tilda snorted indelicately. "No, they don't kill them. They just have that whole animal magnetism thing going for them. Werewolves are really hard to resist when they decide they want something."

I thought about that for a moment. "Doesn't it get in the way of his job, I mean the whole turning into a wolf on the full moon." I paused as I considered where I had got that knowledge from. "Do they turn into wolves on the full moon, or is that another myth I'm going to have to reevaluate?"

Tilda nodded. "They do turn into wolves on the full moon. The more powerful can control the change at other times, but the full moon is irresistible to them. The sheriff's position is usually a werewolf. They seem to excel at it. In most cases one of the non-werewolf deputies step up and becomes sheriff on the night of the full moon. That isn't necessary for Sheriff Tolan. He can't turn into a wolf, so the full moon doesn't have any power over him."

"I thought you said he was a werewolf."

"He is a werewolf. He's also the son of the werewolf clan alpha."

I waited for her to continue but she seemed to be enjoying her burger too much. "Is being a werewolf who can't turn into a wolf normal?"

Tilda shook her head. "Nobody had ever heard of it before. If you're born to werewolf parents, around the time you turn thirteen, you start going hairy on the full moon. Sheriff Tolan has four brothers that all changed as soon as they hit their teenage years. He just didn't. His parents took him to heaps of werewolf elders and healers, but nobody could tell them what was wrong with him."

"Wow, that had to be hard for him." I couldn't imagine a young boy constantly being told he was broken, through no fault of his own.

"Rumors started flying around that his mom had an affair and I think his dad might have started believing it. She left soon after, so it was just the six males all living together."

"How did he become a sheriff if he can't turn into a wolf?"

"After he graduated school, he left town. Word is that he joined the military, but that's just one of the rumor's flying around. He's never confirmed anything, and nobody is brave enough to ask. When he came back the previous sheriff recruited him as a deputy. He proved himself and when the sheriff retired, Deputy Tolan was appointed the new sheriff in Walker Bay. An election not long afterwards confirmed the appointment."

"I've got a lot to learn about this town, don't I?"

"Depends how long you plan on staying with us." Tilda finished the last of her burger. "I want you to know, we won't force you to stay here. What Grandma and Margot did today was unforgivable. I know that." She swallowed nervously. "If you want to go home, I will drive you to Augusta tomorrow, and put you on a plane back to Georgia."

I nodded, grateful that she was trying to give me a choice. "Thank you for offering that. I'll sleep on it and make my decision in the morning."