She blows air through her lips, hissing through her teeth. “No. Braxton Hicks contractions. I’m good. Let’s keep walking.”
“If you have another, we should go back to the trailhead and have Derek pick you up.”
“Stop fussing over me. I already have one momma hen at home.”
“Give him a break. He loves you and doesn’t want anything to happen to you or the baby.”
She grins and her face lights up. “I know. Gwyn, you don’t have to answer, but a question has been gnawing at me. Why didn’t you have another kid? Did you have problems conceiving, too?”
“No. Nothing like that at all. After Tyler was born, Richard said he wasn’t interested in more children. He went and got snipped. Didn’t even ask me.”
“I’m sorry I asked. Do you wish you could have a baby with Archie?”
I take a breath and exhale. “Sometimes, but he’s been a great substitute dad for Tyler. He relies on Archie for advice. I can’t imagine having a baby at my age. I’m in a different stage of life. But I am ecstatic for you.”
We walk in relative silence, enjoying the sunshine and one another’s company. My mind drifts to thoughts of Archie as a dad. How wonderful it could have been if I’d had a baby with him instead of Richard, but I wouldn’t have Tyler. Besides, in his younger days, he was sowing his wild oats to avoid settling down. One doesn’t need offspring to prove love and commitment, anyway. But deep down, I must need something from Archie, or I would have moved in with him by now.
As we approach the bog, my abdomen tightens. A familiar aura returns, pulling at me like a magnet toward the water. A sense of unexplained urgency overcomes me.
“Ronnie, I can’t explain now, but I need to run ahead. Meet me at the bog?”
“Sure. But wait for me there. I don’t want to be alone for long.”
My legs move as fast as they can, kicking up stones as I succumb to the pull of the magic. My heart pounds deep in my chest, and an amber glow seeps from my fingers. When I reach the bend in the trail, I nearly crash into Courtney Erickson. My mouth snaps shut with a yelp.
“Oh, Courtney,” I say, huffing and puffing. “What are you doing here?”
Her mouth falls open. “I’m hiking? Same as you.”
“Were you practicing witchcraft in here?” My eyes narrow.
She stutters a bit. “Um…I…no. Why would you ask?”
“Well, you are a witch and you’re in the woods.”
Courtney chuckles. “So are you, Gwyn. John usually hikes with me, but he’s home preparing for the city council meeting. I assume the Bearsden Coven will attend?”
“Yeah. Of course,” I reply.
She snickers. “Do you have something up your sleeve?”
“What?” I get what she’s implying. “No. We don’t cast spells of influence anymore.”
“Then you’ll have to lobby along with the townies, I guess.”
Ronnie arrives a bit out of breath. “Hey, Courtney. Funny running into you here.”
“Hi,” she replies. “John’s expecting me. I better get home.”
Our ex-coven member prances down the path in her hiking boots, her pale-blond hair riding a zephyr.
“What a coincidence running into her here,” my best friend says.
“Yeah.” I stare into the distance at the murky bog. A faint haze rises from the water’s surface. Or was it?
Chapter thirteenMisguided Affections
When I arrive home, I nudge the red side door inward and hang up my jacket, kicking off my sneakers. Leslie is cooking dinner in the kitchen. I inhale the aroma of tomato sauce and spices.
“Hello, Gwynedd. I was about to put pasta into boil. Would you like some?”
“Thank you. I’d love not to cook tonight. I’m tired. This semester can’t end soon enough. I need a break…from everything.”
She pours small shell pasta into a pot. “You carry too much of the world on your shoulders. More than any one witch should bear. Perhaps you should focus on finishing Fall Semester. Put your research on the being in your vision on the back burner. Archie and I have had no luck. I assume your work with Seamus has uncovered nothing or you would have said something.”
“Nope. Without a picture, the monster could fit any of descriptions we’ve found. But none of them match a hundred percent. When the gray-skinned giant crosses over, do you think he’d pose for a photo?”
Leslie laughs as she stirs the tomato sauce. “My suggestion would be to ask and make a run for it.”
“Exactly my thoughts. I need to concentrate on increasing the strength of my witch’s intuition. After my last training session with Agnes, I began meditating with an amethyst geode she gave me. I think it’s helped a little, but I can’t replicate what happened at her house.”
“All things develop in time,” she says, placing utensils on the kitchen table. “I noticed you were wearing boots.”
“I just finished a hike with Ronnie in the North Basin. We were right around the corner from the bog, and my body reacted to the presence of magic. An aura overwhelmed me, and like a magnet, it dragged me toward the water. I ran as if my life depended on it. When I got to the bend, Courtney Davies appeared.”
Leslie dumps the pasta in the strainer over the sink. “Indeed. Was she alone?”
“Yeah. She said her husband had to stay home and prepare for the Monday council meeting. I asked her if she was practicing witchcraft in there. She answered no.”
