The Doctor Witch (The Ward Witches) (9 page)

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Thank you.” This time it was her turn to blush.

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I’m still going to work you hard though, perhaps even harder.”

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Fair.”

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First, as every cheesy magic movie says, we’re lighting candles. Watch the candle, then force your will onto it by visualizing it burning. Then we hope it will, in fact, burn.”

She tried three times with no success. He kept encouraging her and giving little tips. Then, it clicked. She had the idea in her head of photography, where if you expose a negative twice you’ll get a superimposed image. If she could superimpose a burning candle upon this candle, maybe it would light.

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Ah, shit!” Timothy exclaimed as he beat back the smoke. He contained it with his magic so that they could see what happened. The entire candle was melted, and it had gone up like some kind of bonfire. “Control it, don’t let it control you. You have the raw strength, yes. But you need to focus. Just draw a little power, because it’s a little candle.”

It took until the end of the week, trying to get just that perfect amount of magic directed on to the candle, for it to actually light reliably.

By quitting time, she could get it right every time, but she was bone deep tired.

“
What’s on tap for tomorrow, Tim?”

“
Hell, girl, it’s Friday. I believe your arrangement with the Ward brothers specifies nine to five Monday through Friday. We’ve got a major investigation in progress on what happened to Leo and Seb, and I’ve been missing out on much of it during the day. In fact, unless you hear otherwise from me, take Monday off too. I’ve been briefed each evening, but I really need the extra time to do my own work.”

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I’m sorry. I didn’t even consider that taking a student would be a burden on you.”

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I came down here willingly, remember? And it has actually been a rewarding experience. But I need to focus more on the investigation. Give me your cell number in case I need anything. Same goes for you.”

After exchanging information, Tim hurried off to do his real job. Skylar realized that she didn’t have anything in particular ready for dinner that night, so she went out to the grocery store.  It was lucky that Leo and Dymphna had given her plenty of money for a food budget.

While she mixed her bread crumb topping, Skylar brooded. So she had this supposedly great talent to beat back the forces of evil. Like Spiderman or something. But the gift she wasn’t even sure she wanted came with the curse of not being able to have a relationship except with one specific person. Justin was right that she couldn’t commit. How was she to know that it was because being a witch meant that your life was ruined for all relationships except for with that one person you were supposed to be with.

She moved on to whipping her batter and more brooding. So Leo, or Pantaleon, was supposedly destined to be her man. While she couldn’t argue that he was extraordinarily attractive, she was only getting to know him during the nightly movie watching sessions. He didn’t even seem to like her particularly much. Should she have asked Justin if this alignment bullshit could be one sided? Or maybe Leo felt it too and didn’t want it any more than she did.

She was sick of pondering by the time Dymphna came home.

“
You’re early.”

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Yeah. I won my case, but at what price? Do you have any alcohol?”

Skylar made her a cosmopolitan, and Dymphna downed half of it in one swallow.

“
Slow down, girl. Tell me what’s on your mind. Sometimes it’s just better to spill than to keep it bottled up inside. No names of course, but tell me what’s on your mind.”

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The boss was a lecherous pig for sure, and he shouldn’t have been stealing looks at my client’s cleavage. Then when he smacked her on the ass, she came to me. I was suitably outraged of course and began my case. He didn’t get any time, but a very hefty fine, much of it payable to my client. I took my percentage, and that should have been that. But I’d been building my case and trying to go through mediations for weeks. I know his assets. I also know his lawyer, and how much his lawyer would be charging for defending him. So with all probability, the jerk will have to sell his business or take out another mortgage on his house. My client won and can go home with her dignity intact and money in her pocket. It’s kind of a win for all women, if you want to be all supercilious about it, but the man she was suing now has to go home and tell his wife and two boys that he’s lost. I try to tell myself that maybe the boys will learn from their father’s mistakes, but I’m just trying to assuage my guilt.”

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Hey now,” Skylar said softly as she kneaded Dymphna’s shoulders. “I know it’s easy to say not to bring your stress from work home with you, but I think that maybe you need some way to vent that stress. Basically, what I’m saying is that I’m always here to listen, and that perhaps you should try working off some of your aggression at that gym over at the Coven House.”

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Thanks, Skylar. You don’t know what that means to me.”

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I’ve had Selby to vent to for years, and it worked. I miss him terribly, and it would help me to help you.”

Dymphna laughed. “What more could I ask for?”

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How about spicy breaded chicken and a cake to celebrate the end of our vigil on Leo?”

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You’re like some kind of goddess.” They both laughed.

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I’ve got to get the cake in the oven, so spill while I work.”

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I do love being a lawyer, and I try to help people. But sometimes, like today, I wonder if by helping the victim, I’m not only giving him or her more than adequate compensation but crippling the aggressor at the same time.”

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We’ve never really talked about what you do in specific,” Skylar asked as she returned to massaging the serious kinks out of Dymphna’s shoulders.

“
I’m a lawyer, clearly.  Litigation, usually in cases of workplace harassment. I work with two other lawyers, Jackie and Maria. Jackie handles mostly victimized females, including victims of spousal abuse and whatnot. I don’t understand how she does that and maintains her sanity. Maria works on discrimination cases, which is close to her heart since she’s Hispanic. All of us work purely on commission when or if we win the case. But like I said, sometimes I have to question if we’re really helping anyone.”

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I’m sure you are. If nothing else, you really are setting precedent for other people to speak out. But let’s change the subject.”

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Please, I could use an excuse to stop my conscience from creeping up on me.”

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I’ve heard a little from Justin about magic relationships, but I’d like to hear about it from a woman’s perspective if you don’t mind.”

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I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

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What do you mean?”

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I’ll explain in a minute. So let me guess, you haven’t had a particularly good relationship history.”

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No. Goodness, I even got engaged to a man after knowing him for three months. It was the longest relationship I had ever had, and I really thought I loved him. But then I found him cheating on me. How cliche, right?”

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And then?” Dymphna prodded as Skylar lapsed into silence.

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Well, I broke it off, of course. But the part that still stings is what he said to me about our relationship in our last argument. He said that I was cold. I couldn’t, or didn’t, share emotionally. That I was good in bed, but that I still didn’t give any indication of enjoying myself or any spark. That hurt a lot. I suppose it still does.”

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It’s, well, it’s not alright. But it is pretty common among witches. We have this incredible power, but there are many downsides as well. There’s the grand overarching one that is our destiny to fight and stop evil witches. But there’s so many shades of gray in that area, and it’s an ongoing battle where neither side can really win or lose in the grand scheme of things. Then there’s the publicity. Humans know about us, but most of them either want to be like witch groupies or pretend we don’t exist. If they really knew more than the party line, they wouldn’t be nearly as accepting of our presence. They don’t want or need to know about the evil witches. But there are downsides that affect the individual witch as well.”

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Like relationships.”

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Precisely. As can be expected, it’s hard to have a business or make friends when you will need to be able to leave at any time if there’s an emergency. Leo and I can do it mostly because Seb and Justin try to take as much of the burden off of us as possible. They claim it’s in the interest of the Coven to have us working and making money to donate to the Coven. But I believe a lot of it is just them trying to be older brothers and take the strain off of their younger siblings. We’re not even that much younger, but still.

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So, back to what you asked about in the first place. Even harder than making friends is making a romantic relationship. They say it’s possible that there is one person who could fit your unique magical signature, so to speak. Sometimes that partner, or mate if you will, isn’t a witch and doesn’t know really what it means. But when they do, the couple usually gets along well.”

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My father was a witch, and my mother was not.”

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Precisely.”

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But my mother grew to hate and fear his magic until he died, and then she terrorized me about my own.”

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I’m genuinely sorry to hear that. You see, just because you are compatible with someone doesn’t mean you should act on it and seal the bond. My own mother and father had a very unhealthy marriage. But in most cases, the couple gets along well. It’s usually a good idea for them to get to know each other before they seal the relationship, because once it is solidified, it can’t be broken, except in death. But if you try to form a relationship with someone who is not your magical match, it will almost invariably not work. Some witches try really hard, and their partner does too. But the longest I’ve heard of such a relationship lasting was two years before the divorce. You can’t even have children with someone you’re not bonded to.”

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As I told Justin, that’s totally not cool.”

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It’s bullshit, you mean.”

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Precisely. Is there any way that this alignment could be one sided?”

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I’ve never heard of such. But you’re the lucky one here. You’ve found your mate.”

Skylar panicked a little. “What did you say?”

Dymphna rolled her eyes. “I’m not an idiot, girl. You and my brother. You’re both circling around each other, like fighters looking for a weakness. There’s some part of each of you that knows it’s true, but is avoiding it at all costs.”

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How did you know?”

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I’m not an air witch, if that’s what you’re asking. But I am a twin, and I know things through that special connection.”

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I don’t want to put you under any extra pressure,” Skylar said as the oven alarm beeped. She used it as an excuse to not show Dymphna how much she was blushing. “But what would your advice be? Because you’re right, I sense something special about Leo, and I’m very drawn to him like I’ve never been to anyone else.”

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The bond is sealed by having unprotected sex.” At Skylar’s clearly panicked expression, Dymphna laughed. “Come on, I’m a water witch. I can tell you don’t have any diseases, and I can tell Leo doesn’t either. Even if there were something, I could fix it. I’m very strong, I’ll have you know.” She giggled, undermining her attempt to be all pompous.

“
OK, I got it. But what should I do? Just your advice, of course, which I can follow or not depending on my own level of stupidity.”

“
As his sister, and understandably biased, I can say he’s a great man. And I really like you too, which helps. I think you’d make a great couple. But my opinion isn’t the key here. It’s the opinion of both of you. I think you two are acting like prize fighters in the ring like I said. I’ve heard you talking to each other, and it’s never about anything serious or even meaningful, just so much small talk. It’s a really bad idea to mingle your magic if that’s all you’ve got as the beginning of a relationship. So lower your metaphorical fists and stop fighting the attraction. Go on a date or something, but really talk to each other and see if you’d be compatible for more than just our magic and my feelings on the subject.”

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Easier said than done.”

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Of course. Now when will you be making that chicken? I’m hungry from all this talking.”

They laughed. “I asked Dave to call me when they leave the hospital. I’ll put the chicken in then.”

Like magic, or something, Dave called a few minutes later. Skylar got the chicken out of the refrigerator and arranged it in a baking pan. She starting to brown the prosciutto and onions that she would soon add the green beans to.