The Wizard Returns: Book Three of the Wizard Born Series (14 page)

“Why don’t you let me run to the ATM and get some more?” Rachel said, standing nearby with her hands squeezed tightly to her chest. “Or better yet, wait until your father and John Paul can go with you. Your father is going to be angry if you go without him. He still thinks you’re going on Saturday.”

“I believe it’s better if just the three of us go,” Jamie said.

Rollie raised one hand to volunteer. “I’ll be glad to stay behind.”

“You gotta go, Rollie,” Fred said. She turned to Rachel. “Tell Mr. Sikes not to be mad at Jamie. Tell him it’s my fault. Tell him I know Momma Sue won’t let us in if he and John Paul come with us. They’ll want to bring their guns, and I doubt we’d be able to get within a mile of her house.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes ma’am, if what Rita said about her is true.”

“I thought you said you’re probably a stronger witch.”

“Both Rita and Cassandra think so, but Momma Sue’s got
way
more experience, and that counts for a lot in the witchin’ business. Besides, it’s
her
house, after all. Nobody wants strangers knocking on their doors with guns in their hands.”

Rachel stepped back and looked deeply into each or their faces. “Okay...but I don’t like this. Not one bit.”

“Mom,” Jamie said, “it has to be done.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I just wish there was somebody else who could do it.”

“There isn’t. It’s just us. Fred, Rollie, and me.”

Rachel bit her lower lip and nodded. “All right. Please call me if you get into any trouble. Do you have your phone?”

Jamie patted his pocket and gave her a reassuring smile. “We gotta go, Mom, before it’s too late. Dad might come home.”

Jamie outlined a doorway and Fred said, “Do you know where we’re going?”

“I checked it on the computer map a while ago, and I made a peephole just to be sure.” He pushed open the glowing portal and they stepped through.

They found themselves in front of a weathered-looking, one-story wooden house with a rusted tin roof and a sagging porch. The air was damp and heavy, full of the sound of insects buzzing and clicking, and the sun filtering through the trees was warm. A battered old pickup truck sat next to a run-down shed, and ancient live oaks loomed hugely at the edges of the clearing like vigilant, gnarled giants from a fairy tale.

Fred pointed to something hanging from a tree, a strange little sculpture that looked like a demented dream catcher. It was a hoop of slender wood with feathers, bells, and trinkets strung inside, and a child-sized glove hung beneath it from a string, twisting slowly in the soft breeze. “One of Momma Sue’s hexes, no doubt.” She gestured at others, hanging from nearby trees. “They’re all over the place.”

A crow cawed from a branch overhanging the yard and flapped away. “Is that one of her familiars?” Jamie asked.

“Rita called them proxies.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Beats me.” Fred walked to the house.

“Let me go first,” Jamie said.

Fred turned and said, “This is a witch’s house, Jamie. She probably won’t let you in if you go first.”

“Oh...okay. Just be careful.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Rollie said, pulling up the rear as they stepped onto the wooden plank walkway.

“No babies allowed, Rollie.” Fred reached the top step at the edge of the porch and turned to face them again. “Let me do the talking at first. And don’t freak out if weird stuff happens.”

“Freak out?” Rollie said. “Weird stuff
always
happens when I hang around you guys. Why would I freak out?”

Fred reached to knock on the door, but the doorknob turned and it creaked open on its own before she could touch it.

“O...kay.” Rollie halted at the bottom step, eyes wide. “Maybe I will freak out.”

“I thought something like that might happen.” Fred bobbed her head slowly. “Rita told me that Momma Sue likes to show that she’s in control here.”

Jamie and Rollie followed Fred inside. The front room was wide and shallow, with shelves covering the walls, full of knickknacks, books, and potted plants that trailed slender vines over them as if they were protecting them from prying eyes. There was another doorway on the next wall, and it was open.

Suddenly, Jamie felt fearful for Fred
. I know she’s strong-willed, but she’s only seventeen, and this woman is old...and powerful, a voodoo queen. Fred’s only been a witch for a little while
. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Fred, are you sure you’re up to this? I mean, Momma Sue is a strong witch, and...can you handle it?”

She locked eyes with him, then gave a brief nod. He didn’t know what to say to help her just then, so he used the trusty L word. “I love you, Fred.”

“I love you, too.”

“Oh
jeez
,” Rollie rolled his eyes. “Can you guys keep a lid on the mushy stuff for a few minutes?”

Fred stuck her tongue out at him, turned and strode through the open doorway. “Momma Sue?”

“In here, Child.” Jamie heard a woman’s raspy voice, and they followed it inside.

At the far end of the sparsely furnished room, sitting in a low, cushioned chair by the window, was a wiry, leather-skinned woman. Her thick, gray hair was held back by a wooden clasp. She was dressed in a loose, bright yellow blouse and a long, billowing, multi-colored skirt. She had at least a half-dozen beaded necklaces around her wrinkled neck and wore wide hoop earrings that matched the gold rings on her fingers.

Jamie glanced about and noticed indentations in the straw floor mat where furniture had been.
She must’ve had chairs in here recently, but she took them out. Did she do that so that we’d have to stand, or sit on the floor?

Fred hesitated for a moment, then stepped toward the old woman. “Momma Sue? I’m —”

“Fred,” Momma Sue said. “Fred the Firecracker. And that blond-haired boy behind you must be your sweetheart, Jamie the Sorcerer, and that handsome one behind him,” —she pointed one gnarled finger— “must be Rollie Wilkins, the newly-made sorcerer.” She grinned and showed a mostly full set of yellowed teeth.

“Do you know why we’re here, Momma Sue?” Fred said.

“Of course. You need some information.” A knowing smile spread across her wrinkled face. “But there’s time for that later. Let me get to know you a little better, first. Come closer, Miss Fred.” She gestured with one finger. “Let me get a feel of ya’.”

Fred held out her hands, and Momma Sue leaned forward and took them, closing her eyes as the room grew silent. “Mmmm,” the old woman murmured. “You’re a strong one.” She held Fred for several more moments before opening her eyes and releasing her. “How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Oh, to be so young and so strong!” She shook her head slowly. “Mmn mmnnn,” she said through her nose. “No wonder them witches wanted you in their triad. But Rita and Cassandra didn’t know what they were getting’, did they? They bit off more than they could chew, messin’ with a firecracker!” She cackled and slapped the armrest of her chair with one hand.

Jamie smiled uncomfortably as Momma Sue continued to hold Fred prisoner with her bright, black-marble eyes. “You have the prettiest hair, too,” the old woman continued. “Real, honest-to-God red, not phony-baloney-from-a-bottle like Rita.” She chuckled and leaned back in her chair. “Tell me, Fred the Firecracker, what’s your special talent?”

“I’m a....” Fred paused, and Jamie knew she was about to say
Dream Fairy
, but instead she said, “I’m a Dream Talker.”

“No! You don’t say?” She narrowed her eyes and scrunched her face into a pile of wrinkles. “That’s rare, almost as rare as a Shadow Witch. Never met one, myself. This must be my lucky day.” She folded her hands together in her lap. “So you can talk to people in dreams? I bet you dream-talk to that blond-haired sorcerer boyfriend of yours.”

Fred blushed and glanced over her shoulder at Jamie. “Yes ma’am. He was the first one I ever talked to. I...I can make a setting in a dream, like a meadow or my living room, and we can visit.”

“I
bet
you visit.” She nodded wisely. “Probably do some kissin’ and cuddlin’, don’t ya?” She chuckled. “I would, too, if I had me a beau like that. Can you make nightmares, too?”

“Yes ma’am. That’s how I finally escaped from Rita and Cassandra.”

“Yes.” She tapped her thumbs together as she regarded Fred. “We’ll talk more about that in a minute. First, I need to see these boys.” She gestured at Jamie. “Come here, Mr. All Powerful Sorcerer.”

Fred stepped aside, and Jamie took her place in front of Momma Sue. “Do you need to hold my hands?”

“No. I can’t feel wizard magic.” She riveted him with a steady, unreadable gaze. “So, Jamie, what all can you do?”

“Well, I can make doorways to other places. That’s how we got here from North Carolina, and that’s how I helped rescue Fred. I can even make them to other worlds.”

“Other worlds, you say? I’d like to see that. What else? Can you fly?”

“Yes ma’am.” He raised his arms slightly from his sides and floated from the floor, hovering in the air with his head near the ceiling.

“That’s a nice trick, but I want to see something...dramatic.” She put extra emphasis on the last word and widened her eyes. “Something
wild
. Can you do that?”

“He loves to blast things, Momma Sue,” Fred said.

“Well, go on then.” The old woman gave one hand a casual flip. “Blast something.”

“In here?” Jamie looked around the room.

“You can do it outside.”

“All right, then.” Jamie gestured at the window behind Momma Sue and it slid open. He stepped closer to it, flicked his fingers and the screen popped free without him touching it, and fell to the ground.

“You might want to stand up for this, Momma Sue,” Fred said.

Momma Sue, Fred, and Rollie crowded behind Jamie. He glanced over his shoulder at them and pointed. “See that big tree over there, the one at the edge of the clearing? Watch.”

He extended his arm and pointed his fingers at the massive oak, then his hand began to glow brightly. He held his breath, summoned his will, and sent a white-hot blast of energy sizzling through the air. It smashed into the tree and it exploded at the point of impact. It toppled like a wounded Goliath, falling into the woods behind it with a titanic crash.

Momma Sue gave a low whistle, staring at the destruction. “No
that’s
something wild.” She turned to Jamie. “But I kinda liked that tree. The woods looks funny without it.”

“No problem,” Jamie said. “Watch this.” He pointed two fingers at the shattered stump, and a pair of shoots sprouted from either side of it, wiggling as they grew.
Faster
, he thought, and they surged upward. He twirled one finger and the two shoots bent and reached for each other, twisting together like a corkscrew while they rushed skyward.

“More,” Jamie muttered, and they continued their spiraling dance, growing thicker by the second until they were the size of Jamie’s wrist, then his calf, and after about a minute, his waist. He raised his arms and spread his fingers, and branches shot out in every direction, leaves sprouting furiously, until it was as tall and full as the trees around it.

Satisfied that it was enough, he dropped his arms and sighed.

Momma Sue clapped softly and admired the new, perfectly twined tree. “Now I like that! That was
good
magic.” She bobbed her head and smiled with one corner of her mouth. “That tree needs a name, though.” She looked at Fred. “How ’bout ‘The Lovers’ Tree’?”

“Sounds perfect, Momma Sue.”

Jamie gestured and brought the screen back in place, then pulled the window closed.

Momma Sue reclaimed her seat and said, “Now, I saved the best for last.” She hooked a finger at Rollie. “Come closer, you handsome thing. I want to see you better.” Rollie stepped within arms’ reach of her, and she shook her head gently. “Look at that beautiful skin! I had skin like that once, back when I was your age. You look sweeter than a piece a’ dark caramel candy, yes sir.”

Jamie almost laughed aloud at Rollie’s obvious discomfort but clamped his jaw tightly and managed to hold it in. Then he realized that he was starting to feel more comfortable around the intimidating woman.
She’s nicer than I expected
.

“Now, Mr. Rollie,” she continued. “I know you’re new to this wizard business. What all can you do? Have you tried any spells yet?”

“No ma’am, uh...I haven’t gotten around to it.”

“Haven’t gotten ’round to it? Listen to you. You’re a wizard! Don’t you want to try and see what you
got?
”

“He’s not exactly embracing his newfound power, Momma Sue,” Fred said. “His father thinks it’s evil.”

She rubbed her chin and drew down her eyebrows into a thoughtful V. “I can see how that could be a problem.” She pointed a finger at Rollie. “Just tell your daddy to come see me. I’ll straighten him out.” She threw back her head and cackled again, then adjusted some of her bead necklaces before continuing, “Well, you gots to be able to do
something
. What can you do?”

“I can run really fast.”

“How fast?”

“I don’t know. At least a hundred-and-twenty miles per hour, last we checked. Maybe faster.”

Momma Sue nodded again. “That’s fast. How do you do that?”

“Well...I....” He turned to Jamie. “You explain it.”

“He bends space, I think, He’s not translocating.” When he saw the confused look in her eyes, he added, “He makes shortcuts.”

“You wizards speak a different language than us witches. I’ll have to take your word for it.” She turned back to Rollie. “So go ahead. Show me.”

“Show you what?”

“Them shortcuts. Show me what you do.”

“There’s no room in here.”

“Hmmm.” She tapped her cheek lightly with one finger as she regarded Rollie. “At the far end of that dirt road out front is a little store, right on the corner of Highway 90. It’s about four, five miles away, maybe. Why don’t you run up there and fetch me a cream soda? A nice cold one. Can you run that far?”

“I think so.” Rollie dug his hand into the pocket of his jeans. “I don’t know if I have any money on me. Jamie, do have any?”