After several quiet minutes scanning the table of contents, I came across the chapter on concealment magic that Faith mentioned. Scrolling through the subheadings, I found a spell for creating a “strong barricade spell for doors and other hidden areas to prevent entry.”

Eagerly, I turned the page and read through the spell, but my heart sank as I read the instructions. From what I gathered, I had to create pressure from inside the room and from the outside of the room to make the barrier. It was hard to break because I had to dismantle the protections from both sides.

Taking Theresa’s wand out of my purse, I stared at it as I turned it over in my fingers. I looked over at Jade, only to see that she’d fallen asleep on an easy chair. In moments like that, it was hard to remember she was a human being. The sight was positively cute.

Heading down to the basement, I clutched the wand like a lifeline. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I approached the carved white door, the bar still securely over the middle.

Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I reached out with my senses to the barrier. I was surprised that I could find the position of the opposing columns of pressure covering the door. With a deep breath, I tried to relax into my mind’s eye, and gradually, the forces driving from either side towards the door became more solid.

The book had talked about finding a way to drive back the forces depending on what type of spell was used, but how? I had no idea what kind of spell had been used. It was like trying to contain the ocean or push away air.

Raising my hands, I tried focusing on the forces inside the door. Moving them forward, I raised the wand and pictured pushing the force back and away from the door. Nothing.

Grinding my teeth, I tried throwing my hands down and forcing the pressure away. Nothing.

Are you trying to stab something?

I let out a cry and jumped, badly startled by Jade’s sudden voice in my head. Whirling around, I glared at her.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

She chuckled. Sorry. I didn’t see you when I woke up, so I figured you were down here.

I held a hand to my rapidly beating heart.

“It’s okay, I guess. While you’re here, do you have any idea how to deal with this spell?”

I explained the basic mechanisms, but Jade just licked her paw in response.

I was never really good at spells. I’m better at potions. But give it one more try.

I stared again at the door, my heart pounding. Maybe if I tried working on the force on the other side of the door, I could undo the one on this side more easily.

Reaching out my hands, wand extended, I drew my hands towards me, trying to absorb the power. In my mind’s eye, I saw the barrier stretch towards me like silly putty. For a few breathless moments, I felt like I had it, but then it sprang back into place.

Chapter Fourteen

Letting out a feral growl of rage, I turned and stalked away from the door. Jade trotted after me.

Give it another shot. I’m sure you’ll get it this time. It started to move.

“No, I’m done. I’m really tired.”

I settled in my bed a little while later, my body exhausted, but my mind going a million miles an hour. What on earth was in that stupid room? Maybe I could just bust through the door with an axe. A picture of a rebounding axe came to mind, though, and I dismissed the idea. I had to open it with magic, but how?

***

The next day, I awoke groggy and grumpy. It was the first time I really wasn’t looking forward to running the shop, but businesses didn’t run themselves.

As I walked to the shop, the cool air revived me a little. Despite my frustration with the random door and the break-ins at the house, I realized I still felt glad to be here. I lived in a paid off house, with a paid off shop and owned my own business. No landlord, no pressure to pay rent. It was pretty ideal.

My mood lifted further when I noticed a tidy pile of packages on the front porch of the shop. It was the supplies I’d ordered from WitchNet.

It took a few trips to get all the goodies inside, and I delayed opening to re-stock the potions items. I found a long, narrow box among the larger packages. Inside it, I found my wand. I caught my breath as I stared at the intricately carved and painted wood, the white swirls of leaves twirling up the handle even more beautiful than the online photo.

When I picked it up, I felt the same rush of heady tingles that Theresa’s wand had induced, but ten thousand times stronger. This wand felt even more natural than hers had, a true extension of my body. It was almost as if it had been designed with me in mind.

When I gave it a little flick, a ripple of glittering sparkles trailed from it.

The first hour or so after opening was quiet, so I played around with the wand, practicing some of the basic spells I’d found in the book of basic spells. I could now blunt or sharpen any needle, knife, or pair of scissors. I could move things across the room with ease, even very heavy items like furniture. My main goal was practicing the stronger shield spell Faith had explained. I could erect the walls now but trying to put them together made beads of sweat break out on my brow.

The bell over the door rang. I thrust my wand into the space under the front counter where customers couldn’t see. An older woman, maybe in her sixties, ambled in.

“Welcome to Woods Crossing Wellness and Herbs!” I greeted her. She gave a small wave and smile, then continued browsing. I paged idly through a catalogue of herbal products while the woman shopped and didn’t look up until I heard her clearing her throat.

She stood before the counter, looking a bit uneasy.

“Can I help you?”

She shifted on her feet.

“Do you um…do you sell all the things that Celeste used to sell?”

I gave her a reassuring smile. “Are you talking about the apothecary?”

A palpable wave of relief broke over her face. “Yes. Oh, thank goodness, I wasn’t sure where I was going to get my ingredients.”

“What do you need?”

The woman asked for two bottles of Slippery Elm and one of Marshmallow Root. Hurrying to the back, I grabbed the bottles and took them out to the front.

“I’ve got a dry cough that won’t go away,” the woman explained as I wrapped up the bottles. “Normally, I just go to the doctor, but I’ve had coughs slip into pneumonia before, and potions are better at getting rid of it quick.”

My face creased with concern. “I’m so sorry! I hope these help you feel better.”

When she left, I wondered vaguely if the woman knew the Farrows. Just how many witch families lived in Woods Crossing? The lady was an older witch, so maybe she knew something about the feud and all the things that had happened. I felt stupid for not asking. All I could hope for was that she would come in again sometime.

Throughout the day, I wondered about the Farrows while I practiced my magic. I knew that Chandra had turned against Grandma over some murder that Jade had committed. She’d been turned into a cat as punishment, but it hadn’t been deemed a good enough punishment by Chandra or the council.

It sounded like the council had been corrupted as well. Chandra had turned everyone against my family, but why? It seemed a stretch that she was mad about the way a murder had been handled. There had to be more to it.

Theresa had warned me that I was in danger, and I now knew that she’d been warning me about the Farrows, but why? She herself was a Farrow, and somehow related to Chandra. Jo had hinted about the dark history between the Blacks and the Farrows, but he made it clear that he thought the Blacks were to blame for the whole thing. So what was the truth?

Faith’s words flashed through my mind; I imagine not all of the Farrow coven members enjoy being under Chandra’s thumb, especially those who were born into it and never chose that life for themselves.

Faith had also called Theresa one of the “nicer” Farrows. Could it be that Theresa had been kidnapped by her own family? The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the answer that made the most sense. The Farrows had killed numerous members of the Black family over the years, so Jo had to be mistaken that the Blacks were worse.

The ringing of the bell made me jump. A few younger women came in, chattering amongst themselves.