Chapter 34.
Cas drove the Lincoln until he saw a car parked at the side of the road with a woman at the wheel. He got out and went over to her, hoping Dean would linger over his breakfast.
"Are you Zorah?" he said. She had long, reddish-brown hair with highlights of silver, pentacle earrings and some kind of amulet around her neck. She was somewhere between forty and sixty-five and he suspected her exact age was nearer the latter, but her vitality made her seem a lot younger.
"I am." she said with a smile, "Are you Mr Clarence?"
"Yes."
"Hop in, honey."
"I need to conceal my car. Please wait here."
"Of course. Don't worry, a lot of Rowena's friends have to be discreet."
He hid the car in a small turning, where it was hidden from the road by trees. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. He had promised to call them, but he could always do that when he reclaimed the car. He put the phone in the glove box and then turned and walked back to Zorah's Camry.
"All done?" she said.
"All done." he said. He got into the car. "Do I need to pay you for this?"
She shook her head. "Rowena and I go way back. I'm way below her in terms of power, so there's not much I can do to repay her favours to me, but driving, I can do."
"You're a root woman, she said." he said.
"That's right." she said, starting the engine. "Rowena said to tell you, it's the hotel named after the archangel, right?"
"It is." he said, glad that Rowena had so easily cracked the code. He felt better as soon as they were moving. As they passed the first lot of traffic cams, he sent a surge of power through them. Sparks flew as they blew up.
"Wow!" said Zorah, "I need you on all my journeys."
"Someone may follow me. I need to make it hard for them."
"She never told me anything about you but your name. That's fine, but I am Hella curious."
He liked her. Most witches, Rowena included, made him uneasy, but Zorah seemed honest and trustworthy. Even so, he knew that saying too much would be unwise. "I need her help to protect my family." he said.
"Ah. Well, you picked the best. She has real power."
"Yes, we have worked together before."
"Few years ago, my father had a stroke. Paralysed down one side, aphasic, scared out of his wits. I called Rowena. I said, "Honey, it's my Dad." I didn't get any further. She was there, at my side. We went to see him and she did something and he stood up and hugged us both. Been fine ever since. That's why I love her. That and all the other times she helped me when she didn't have to."
"I can hardly believe she's willing to help me." said Cas.
"She talks like she doesn't care about anyone, but that's all talk. When she's your friend, it's forever." said Zorah.
"I've long suspected she is a much better person than she pretends.
Another set of traffic cams blew. Zorah said, "Alright!" She grinned at Cas. "I don't like Big Brother. I kinda wanna do my own thing."
Cas nodded. "Big Brother means well, no doubt, but constant surveillance can become irritating."
"You want some music?" said Zorah.
"I like music." said Cas.
"What kind?"
"Driver picks the music." said Cas.
"You okay with pagan songs?"
"I'm riding with a root woman to meet a Pagan witch." he said.
"Emerald Rose it is!" she said, pressing play. He rather liked the song that started playing, Fairies Stole My Keys. "Hecate likes this one, because it mentions a Toyota." she said.
"Hecate?"
"The car. What's yours called?"
"My friends call it the Pimpmobile." said Cas.
"Some friends!" she said.
"My ... my other friend calls it Kairos." he said.
"I like that. Why did you say the Pimpmobile?"
"The other friend and I ... It's complicated."
"Oh. And you don't have a name for the car yourself?"
"I have a name, but it's not for anyone else. It's just her and me." He had never admitted that to anyone before. It almost felt wrong. It felt selfish. Sam talked about setting boundaries and having things that were just for him, but it had never felt right, but if anyone knew the name, they would mock him or they would be offended and he didn't want either to happen.
"I understand." she said, "It's a personal thing, the relationship a driver has with a car. When I'm driving alone, I talk to my Hecate all the time. Crazy, right?"
"No." said Cas. He concentrated for a moment on a large collection of traffic cameras and watched them all fizz and burn. "Last ones." he said, otherwise they will themselves be too clear a trail."
"Who are you hiding from, honey? The FBI?"
"My brothers. They're better than the FBI."
"Bad blood between you?"
"No. Too much love. They worry about me."
"Is it anything to do with being involved with a powerful witch?" she said.
"No. Well, if they knew, it would be. They think I do stupid things."
"Are they older than you?"
"In some ways, yes."
"And they still think of you as a kid?"
"Exactly. I am a child in their eyes."
"See, to me, you seem mature and wise and ...I don't know ... serene. It feels like you have all your ducks in a row."
"I have no ducks." he said.
She laughed. "I like you. You're funny."
"I like you too." he said, "You're kind."
"I'm sure your brothers are good people. I'm sure they want to keep you safe, but safe ain't where the good stuff happens and you need to protect your family. You got kids?"
"Two, son and daughter. Grown up now, but that just means there's more danger around them."
"Believe me, I know. My girl's thirty-five. You think I ever let her go anywhere without an amulet? No way! The world is just not safe." She chuckled. "I bet I sound like your brothers. She's married with kids ... and not married to a loser, like I was, but in my head, forever fifteen."
"She's your only child?" said Cas.
"My miracle baby. My one and only. She's in real estate, mother to four gorgeous kids, out there in the world, succeeding. Still calls me every night. Still tells me, every time, she loves me. You have a good relationship with yours?"
"Yes." said Cas, "Jack and I have always been close. It took a little longer with Claire, but now, things are good."
"Their mom not on the scene?"
"No. Dead." he said, factually accurate, if not full disclosure.
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. They must be a comfort to you."
"They are, quite literally, all I have." he said, "That's why protecting them is so important to me."
"You have your brothers." she said.
"Yes, but they won't let me protect them."
"I could give you something that might restore the bond between you." she said.
"If they caught me using root magic to try to influence them, they would not be happy." he said.
"Not big fans of magic?"
"No. They distrust witches."
"So do I, a lot of the time. Some witches are not to be trusted. I don't trust the ones with demon connections. Nothing but puppets, but they think they're pulling the strings."
Cas listened to the music. "I like this one. What is it?"
"Merry May Folk. Careful, Mr Clarence, I may turn you Pagan."
"I think I've been everything else." he said.