*I’ve divided this chapter into two parts because it came in at a hefty 8,000 words or so. I’ll include a link at the bottom of the page to the last half of the chapter.
Jude woke with a start as a pressure he hadn’t even realized had been there suddenly disappeared. He looked groggily around the room, his vision spinning momentarily with dizziness before stabilizing. A shout sounded somewhere in the house, followed by an answering shout and his chest tightened in unease. Something was happening, but he didn’t know what it was. He tried to clear his mind and focus on the surrounding magical energy but there didn’t seem to be any magic at hand. He had the strangest sensation that Kojack was nearby though. He tapped an impatient finger against the shackle that held his wrists bound. Maybe this was it and a rescue was imminent.
**
Daniella was asleep in Chad’s bed when the spell of protection surrounding the house was broken. She awoke when the sheets around her ruffled, as if in a breeze. She sat bolt upright, and was looking around for the source of the commotion when she heard Chad’s shout from down the hall.
“Daniella! They’re here. We’ve gotta move.”
She jumped out of the bed in alarm, spilling the sheets to the floor in the process. Then she looked around frantically.
“Okay,” she yelled back to Chad. “I just have to get dressed.”
She hurried over to the chair by the wall where she had draped her bra and the shirt she’d worn the night before. She pulled them on quickly and then ran to the closet. There was a pair of shorts hanging there and she ripped them down forcefully, the hanger detaching from the shorts and flying over her shoulder to land somewhere on the bed behind her. While she pulled them on she scoured the room for her shoes. She didn’t know why she could never find the darn things when she needed them. She was always just kicking them off as she hopped into bed and then had to search for them all over again every morning. She pulled up the sheets that had pooled on the floor beside the bed and found one of the sneakers. Then she leaned over further to peer up under the bed and found the other one nestled beneath. She grabbed it and pulled them on quickly. Then she ran out the door and into the hall, nearly running head first into Chad, who was coming down the hall towards her.
“We gotta go now,” he hissed. His eyes were wild and he kept checking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to pounce at any moment. “Come on, this is what we planned for. They disabled the protective shield, so I know they’re coming. We’ve got to take what we’ve got so far and get out before they get here.” He grabbed for her hand and pulled her harshly towards the kitchen.
“Ouch, Chad, that hurt!” Daniella yanked her arm back and rubbed sulkily at her wrist.
“I’m sorry babe, but we don’t have time to mess around. You go get the blood and the other supplies from the kitchen and I’ll get Rubrum. We’ll probably need her to fight back.”
“Rubrum? You really think she’ll help? And what about Jude?”
“Don’t worry about Jude. I’ll just dose him with the forget potion so he won’t remember what he was here for. If we kill him they’ll never stop looking for us. And Rubrum will come, I’ll see to it.”
Daniella nodded and ran down the hall towards the stairs that led down to the kitchen. Chad ducked into the bedroom to retrieve the forget spell he’d kept separate and then went to the window, throwing open the curtains and sliding up the glass pane. He whistled loudly, three times in rapid succession. Then he stood tapping a hand on the glass impatiently as he waited.
Rubrum was a Dryad, or a tree nymph, who lived on his property. She was bound to an old Maple that grew just outside the yard; the origin of her name, in fact. And she had lived there as long as he could remember. The Dryad was a master at runic magic and was familiar with humans, having known Chad’s parents before him. He’d run across her again recently when searching the woods for magical creatures that might be useful for Daniella’s spell. And after Chad had befriended her, she had been instrumental in placing the protection spell that had guarded the house. Although Dryads were fiercely protective, he didn’t know exactly how far those loyalties would extend. She didn’t know anything about Jude though, so she might join in on the fight if she thought that she was protecting Chad. And he figured he could always threaten her tree if worse came to worse.
Having already been alerted to the fact that her spell had been broken, Rubrum was close at hand when Chad whistled; and she hastened through the trees to the perimeter of the property. A wild creature of magic and nature, she was hesitant to cross into the open and she slowed as she reached the line of trees that bordered the yard; standing in the shade and peering warily at Chad in the upstairs window. A gangly arm emerged from the window, waving madly and beckoning her closer. Rubrum made a face, her delicate greenish brown features scrunching together. She debated for a moment but then made the choice to cross the yard and approach the house. She glided effortlessly across the grass, her insubstantial weight leaving no tracks behind on the dewy grass. Chad continued to gesture frantically from the window, pointing around the house towards the front door, where he assumed the rescue crew would try to enter when they arrived. When she got close enough he whisper-shouted “Intruders!” Then the window went dark as he disappeared from view.
**
James reached the porch first, having run top speed across the open yard to the house. He took the steps two at a time, Kojack at his heels. Maria and Callie were close behind. He braced himself and then jumped towards the door with a foot outstretched, landing the kick squarely near the door handle. The door flew open, hitting the wall behind with a loud crash. Kojack ran on ahead, barking loudly as he went, and James didn’t bother to shush him. Right now he cared more about finding Jude than catching the Mayhews, and Kojack was a formidable opponent, even when injured. He would most likely be able to take care of himself.
He turned around to wait for Maria and Callie before entering the house, fumbling the potions out of his pocket in preparation for whatever they would encounter inside. As he turned, Maria leaped lithely up the steps and onto the porch beside him; but something had slowed Callie. She was approaching from several feet away, almost to the bottom of the steps now when the air suddenly filled with the overpowering resonance of wild magic. James stiffened and Maria spun to look at Callie. A creaking, rending sound came from one of the porch railings beside Callie and she froze in fear, the blood draining from her face. They watched in horror as the old board began to quiver and crack. Small buds of new green growth erupted from the emerging fissures, like molten lava from a volcano. Each one elongated rapidly, writhing and twisting into long branches as they grew.
Callie regained her wits and jumped back against the other railing, shrieking and holding her hands out in front of herself to ward them off. She pressed herself up against the far railing, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the undulating tendrils of animated wood. Suddenly, the railing at her back began to rupture too. It shivered and split and tiny buds burst forth. The buds became twigs that quickly lengthened and thickened, until large questing branches danced around her like writhing cobras. The limbs soon filled the walkway, snaking around her and wrapping tightly around each of her wrists and ankles. Callie unleashed a scream as they surged along, carrying her with them into the air until she hung suspended above the sidewalk. Even after, the limbs continued to spring forth, weaving themselves together to form a canopy overhead, and leaving Callie completely enclosed in an endlessly overlapping web of branches.
Maria gasped and started to move towards her, but James held an arm out in front of her, keeping her back. He motioned to the corner of the porch, where a strange creature had just appeared from around the side of the house. She was small and slight, the size of a child but obviously grown. Her skin and hair were a mixture of greenish browns and her face was formed of delicate, elf-like features. She appeared to be wearing an outfit fashioned out of moss and leaves that clung to her body and shifted in graceful waves as she moved. As she crossed the lawn, headed for the porch steps she held a tiny hand out in front of herself, as if in warning. And as she approached, the newly formed branch canopy overhead rippled and shifted towards her, as if magnetically drawn to her.
James stepped forward, pushing his wife behind himself and then held his arms loosely at his sides in anticipation. “Run,” he said, over his shoulder. Maria seized the opportunity and bolted into the house in search of Jude. When she was clear of the doorway James uncapped a bottle of the plank potion and tossed it deftly towards the Dryad.
Rubrum made a sweeping gesture with one hand and a thick cluster of leaves blossomed on the branch that hung beside her shoulder. The whole branch shot forward to intercept the liquid potion, batting it back towards James. The potion scattered into droplets that peppered his face and chest, the remainder dripping from the leaves to the steps in large splats.. Although his shield potion had held he was at a loss. Might as well try reason.
Peering at her through the mass of branches that surrounded her and held Callie, he said questioningly, “We have no quarrel with you, Dryad. Why do you attack us?”
The Dryad flinched as if startled, her dignity affronted. “I did not attack you, witch. You laid siege on someone to whom I owe a debt.” She tossed her mossy colored hair behind a shoulder and sniffed.
“He has my son,” James pleaded. “He kidnapped him. Why are you helping him?” He gestured wildly with his hands and turned to look into the house. “He might be hurting him right now. Or trying to escape.”
“Why should I believe you,” the Dryad asked, moving closer until she stood on the porch in front of James. She gazed up at him intently, as if she would determine his intentions from his eyes alone.
James reached for the focusing stone in his shirt pocket. The potion may have been a bust, but he could still form a runic spell. As soon as Rubrum saw him reach for his pocket, she thrust a tiny hand out in front of her, fingers splayed. The unsullied railing along the front edge of the porch split and tiny sprouts erupted, growing quickly to form thick branches. James ducked to the side and tried to roll out of the way, but before he could escape one of the questing tendrils locked onto his ankle and yanked him into the air, upside down. He hollered in protest as the shifting tide of branches covered over him, locking his hands and feet into place and leaving him defenseless. They lifted him high into the air beside Callie and then closed in around him to form a thick matted web.
**
After summoning the Dryad, Chad had gone straight to the room where Jude was being held, to dose him with the forget potion, so that he wouldn’t be able to report back on what had happened during his time there. That way, if they did manage to escape, there was still a chance that he and Daniella could get the potion to work and live happily ever after. Once Chad had dosed him, Jude’s face had gone blank and then he’d fallen right to sleep. Chad had left him in the room and then gone to collect Daniella. He had found her downstairs, in the kitchen; loading a backpack with the baggies of blood they’d taken from Jude, along with the other ingredients they’d need for the spell.
While Daniella continued to fill the backpack he had gone straight to the cupboard where he had stashed a little armory of potions, just in case something like this were to happen. Inside the cabinet, there was a little palm sized squirt gun, along with a variety of disabling spells to choose from. He chose one spell at random and then fumbled with the little lid on the back of the gun, popping it out and then carefully pouring the spell into the interior, making sure not to splash any of it on his skin. This wasn’t the safest way to use a spell, with the risk of it leaking or splashing out, but it would definitely work in a pinch.
As the front door was kicked open and Kojack burst into the house, Chad raised the gun. He held it in front of him with both hands and slid down the wall, to a crouch. He waited a moment and then peeked a wary eye around the wall. Kojack was standing in the open space at the foot of the stairs, and he stood momentarily, scenting the air before barreling up the stairs towards the room where Jude was being held. There were strange noises coming from outside the house and Chad could just make out the figure of James standing motionless on the other side of the door. He turned to look at Daniella and motioned with one hand for her to hurry it up. If the others were being held back by Rubrum right now, this might be their only chance to make a clean escape.
Daniella’s eyes were wide and wild, and her frazzled hair was sticking to her face on one side. “I can’t find the dew moss,” she cried in frustration.
The spell required a certain kind of moss, scraped from the south side of a tree after the sun had risen, but before the dew had dried, on the day of a new moon. It would take some time to replicate, but they could do without it.
“Leave it,” Chad hissed. “We’ve got to get out of here while we’ve still got the chance. As long as we’ve got the blood, we can get more of any of the rest of it.”
Daniella nodded and swiped absently at the sleep stuck hair on her face. Her eyes were still wider than usual and she looked very young and very frightened. Chad paused, his anger fizzling as he realized just how hard this must be for her, being entirely unused to the ways of witches.
“I’m sorry love, it’s okay. Just grab the backpack and let’s get the heck out of here.”
Daniella nodded again and began to zip up the pack containing the blood and the ingredients she had been able to find. Just then, Chad heard footsteps down the hall and peeked around the door frame to look. Maria had just come through the door and was walking cautiously through the front room, looking around for danger as she slowly moved further into the house.
“Damn,” he said softly, but with conviction. He shook his hands in frustration, but then remembered that the gun might leak and he forced himself to be still. He looked anxiously at Daniella in worry and she held her hands up in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture. He nodded and motioned for her to come crouch beside him, where she would be hidden from view as Maria walked further into the house. Daniella shouldered the back pack and then tiptoed across the kitchen, dropping to one knee beside him. He motioned for her to flatten herself against the counter and then clung to the side wall, scooting out just far enough that Maria wouldn’t be able to see him until she was nearly on top of him. If he could just wait until she was far enough into the house that James wouldn’t hear her fall, he might be able to take her out and get Daniella out of here before Rubrum was through with the rest.
The seconds ticked off as he waited for her to advance down the hallway, the only noise the far off barks and scratches of Kojack repeatedly launching himself at the door to the room where Jude was being held. Chad waited silently, breathing steadily and holding the squirt gun at the ready. He watched from the doorway as Maria searched through the entry room and then began to make her way down the hallway towards them. He pulled his head back behind the wall as she padded stealthily up the hallway, peeking quickly into every room she passed.
Finally, her footsteps came to within a few feet of the kitchen and Chad stood, pressing his back tightly up against the wall. He waited with bated breath as she took the final few steps towards the kitchen and then burst around the corner, nailing her with a steady stream from the squirt gun. The potion hit her solidly on the neck, but nothing happened. It fizzled slightly, dripping harmlessly down her skin and onto her shirt, making a little dark spot as it soaked into the fabric.
Maria looked down at her chest in surprise and then quickly looked up at Chad, who was scowling blackly at her. He let loose a frustrated growl, bringing the gun up again to shoot several more streams at her exposed arms and then the place where her calves poked out beneath her linen skirt. Although each stream connected with skin the potion just beaded up and then dripped impotently to the floor.
Maria quickly shook off her shock and, unleashing a piercing cry, launched herself at Chad. She grabbed him by the shoulders with both hands and shook him roughly. Then she slapped a hand across his cheek so hard that it left a red hand print behind.
“James!” She yelled shrilly over her shoulder, hoping that he would hear her amidst his face off with the Dryad. She scrabbled at the voluminous fabric of her skirt, trying to find the pocket and the potions within.
Chad got his bearings quickly and as Maria groped around in her pockets he wrapped an arm around her neck, locking her in a choke hold. She bucked wildly and kicked at his shins, landing a few good blows with her sandaled feet, but he held tight. They struggled for a moment until Daniella came running out of her hiding place in the kitchen, carrying a large cast iron skillet. She held it out to the side of her like a baseball bat, shouting a warning at Chad and then took a swing, knocking Maria in the temple with the side of the pan. Maria’s head fell forward and she went limp in Chad’s arms. He stood for a moment, looking at Daniella in surprise and then released his grip. Maria slid unceremoniously to the floor in an unconscious heap.
“Holy cow,” Chad said, in a tone much more subdued than he felt. “I don’t know why the potion didn’t work, but thanks.”
He looked at Daniella, an eyebrow raised in approval. She grinned fiercely back at him, looking even wilder now than when she had been afraid.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done something like that before,” she said, in a rush of breath, the words coming out at an alarming speed. “But nobody messes with my babe.” She grinned and used both hands to pull the hair back away from her face, which was dewey now from exertion.
Chad grinned in response and stepped forward, caressing an arm until she dropped them to her sides. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly for a moment. Then he pulled back a bit, his arms still loosely encircling her waist. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s get her out of the hallway and then try to make it out of here before the rest of the cavalry comes riding in. Rubrum probably can’t hold them all forever.”
Daniella nodded, beginning to look a little more like herself as the rush of endorphins began to fade. She gave him a peck on the cheek and then hitched up the backpack, holding onto it as she bent to grab Maria’s wrists. She began to tug her towards the kitchen and Chad stepped around her prone form to pick up an ankle in each hand. Then, together they dragged/carried her into the kitchen, setting her on the floor next to the kitchen table.
“What now,” she asked.
Chad held up a finger and then went to a cupboard along the wall, digging around inside until he found a large checkered table cloth. He unfolded it and draped it over Maria. Then he dragged her wrapped form over near the wall, where the counters would block the view from the doorway. It would buy them a little bit of time anyway.
He looked at Daniella and she nodded in approval. Satisfied, he reached for her hand and led the way out of the kitchen. The door that led to the back yard was on the opposite end of the hallway. If they could make it there before Maria’s compatriots came in the front, they just might be able to make it out of this.
**
Jeff and Marge raced across town towards the Mayhew house, the farm land and ranch style houses appearing to fly past them as they rocketed down the country road. Jeff didn’t like to take the police cruiser on outings such as these, since he couldn’t explain a situation like this to his coworkers. He hoped that by sticking to the back roads though, he’d be able to push Marge’s SUV to its limits without attracting any unwanted attention. He felt a little guilty because he ought to be working on the missing persons case he’d been assigned right now. There was definitely something strange going on there. A similar case had cropped up in a neighboring town just yesterday and the upper brass were pretty sure that the two were connected. He wasn’t quite buying it yet, but there had been wisps of what appeared to be erased magic in the area where the abduction was suspected to have happened; and it was something he definitely needed to follow up on.
But Maria had texted them both as soon as they’d located the Mayhew house and Marge had run straight to her car, still in her nightie. Although Jeff had been getting ready to head in to work, he’d pled a family emergency to buy some time and then headed out with her; promising to come in to work as soon as possible.
He was kicking himself right now over not seeing this coming. Even without the benefit of a magical upraising, his cop instincts should’ve kicked in. He’d known that those Mayhew kids were no good, but after Tom’s arrest he’d been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If he had only followed through with them though…
Pushing the pedal further to the floor, he raced down the back road; almost to the unincorporated lands outside of town now. He hoped that they’d get there in time to make a difference.
**
Fin had been gathering primrose pollen around the edges of the Mayhew property when the shield had gone down. Being formed mostly of magic himself and more closely aligned to the Gaia than most creatures, the overpowering crush of magic formed by the spell hadn’t bothered him. But the pixies had known that something big was going on. When the spell was dissolved, the ensuing gust of magical energy had knocked him back a ways into the forest and he had had to spend more time re-gathering all the pollen that he’d already collected. He had been hovering near the forest floor, grumbling and shoving pollen into a little woven sack when he’d seem Rubrum, the Dryad leave the forest and approach the Mayhew house. He knew that she’d had dealings with the family ever since the elder Mayhews had agreed to spare her maple. It was well known around these parts that they had been considering cutting down a large swath of the forest to expand their yard, but had nixed the idea after Rubrum had pled her case. He supposed that the situation had left her in their debt, but he didn’t understand why she still continued to deal with the younger kin. The way they had treated the forest creatures once the elders had gone had been reprehensible. Dryads were funny folk though and he supposed that she must have her reasons.
He had been curious to see her summoned after the shield went down, and he had quickly shouldered his pack and flown to a high branch at the very edge of the forest to watch. He had seen Rubrum communicating with the very bad man in the house and then watched as she’d made her way around the house to the front entrance. Very worried now, after the animated discussion he’d witnessed between the two, he had quickly flown back to the nest to report what he’d seen to his parents. He’d found them making stew in the kitchen of their nest and rapidly relayed the goings on he’d witnessed at the Mayhews. Thoroughly alarmed, Bishop and his wife had got down the ceremonial shell knife once again and traveled with Fin back to the Mayhew house.
The three pixies were just leaving the cool shade of the forest to make their way across the sunlight yard when the very bad man and an unknown woman came rushing out the door and onto the porch. They appeared to be fleeing from something and, slamming the door to the house shut behind them they ran across the porch and down onto the grass.
Bishop turned to look at the others, a grim expression on his face. The air was once again charged with magic and there were strange noises coming from the other side of the house. “Whatever they’re up to it can’t be good. Don’t let them escape.”
Fin and his mother nodded in response and the three of them zipped across the yard toward the fleeing humans. When they reached them, the pixies each let loose a cloud of the most venomous pixie dust they could produce. It billowed out in dusty clouds, raining down on the pair and leaving angry red marks wherever it touched the skin. Defiant, the witches continued to race across the yard for the cover of the trees but the Pixies followed right over head, pixing them continually.
When they had made it about halfway the female stopped, screaming and clawing at her arms and face. “Chad, I can’t take it any more. We have to go back!”
The very bad man skidded to a stop. He turned and looked at the female and then nodded in agreement. The Pixies held back, watching as the pair retreated back across the yard and into the house, leaving the door open behind them in their haste.
**
Kojack had sensed Jude’s presence as soon as he’d entered the house and had gone directly up the stairs to the room where he was being held. He’d barked incessantly, waiting to be let in but Jude hadn’t come to the door. He’d waited as long as he could but then had started to panic, throwing his weight up against the door, over and over. His head and injured foreleg ached fiercely, but he knew he had to get to Jude.
After attempts at battering the door down, he had heard Jude calling inside the room, only increasing his frenzied lunges. He became a machine fueled on rage, repeatedly backing up to the far wall to give himself room to run and then hurtling himself across the hallway and into the door. He crashed into the thin paneled door over and over until finally it gave way and sprung open.
With a yelp of surprise he tucked and rolled as he barreled into the room, recovering his balance and then racing over to where Jude was shackled to the opposite wall. He ran over to him and, whining anxiously, licked at his hands. Jude reached for him, tears streaming down his face as he petted the dog’s soft fur and attempted to soothe him.
As he tearfully comforted his familiar Jude tried to remember how he’d gotten here and what had happened; but his memory was like a fuzzy, ephemeral cloud. The more he tried to focus on what had happened, the more the wisps of memory twisted and evaded him. What he did know though, was that there was no way he was going to get out of here like this. The cuffs bound his wrists too tightly for him to make effective hand motions and he suspected that they were enchanted to prevent the casting of runic spells anyway. He would need more help than Kojack to get out of this mess.
“Kojack, where’s Dad?” He held a hand on either side of the dogs face and looked at him very intently. “Go get Dad!”
The dog chuffed softly in response and then turned and ran back out of the room in search of James.
*Read the rest of the final chapter here-
Everyday Witches 
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