Chapter 10

"Alice! What are you doing? That could be anything!"

"Exactly. And don't you want to know what it is?" Alice grinned.

Mrs. Rice was still clattering around the kitchen, so the girls took the box into a corner of the living room. They were just about to open it when she appeared in the doorway. Alice thrust the box at Beth, who tucked it behind her. "Girls? Who was it?" she asked, drying a long spoon on her apron.

"No one," they chorused. Mrs. Rice seemed surprised at their simultaneous answer. Beth thought quickly and amended her response, "It was… a Jehovah's Witness. We told him we already had a church."

"And he left already?" asked Mrs. Rice, heading back into the kitchen. "Must've been new."

When she was gone Alice started to ask Beth about her explanation, but Beth interrupted, "Look, I got rid of her. Let's see what's in the box." She pulled it out from behind her.

"It's for Lyness," Alice realized. The box was long and flat, but rather heavy. The return address was written in French.

"So what? She's just as weird as her mother. I'll bet whatever's in here is for something dangerous." Beth began to pick at the packaging tape.

"Wait-" said Alice.

"Is that my box?" whispered a soft voice from the landing at the top of the stairs. Lyness had come out when she heard the doorbell and was gazing vacantly at a spot on the wall behind Alice and Beth. Beth glanced behind her before giving Lyness a suspicious glare. "Maybe it is," she remarked. "Why don't you tell us what's in it, and we'll know if it's yours."

Alice frowned. Lyness seemed so lost, childlike and ethereal. She was certain that Beth's fear was misplaced. The older girl was no threat. If anything, Lyness was the one who needed protection. Alice took a deep breath and met Beth's eyes. "Or we could just read the label. See, here it is: Miss Lyness Rice. I reckon it is yours," she said clearly, over Beth's protests. Lyness smiled a little and Alice drew the courage to take the next step. "One moment. I'll bring it up to your room." Lyness murmured a thank you and disappeared toward her room.

"What did you do that for?" asked Beth. "Now we can't open it."

"We can still find out what's in it. I'll take it up to Lyness, and when she opens it I'll see… whatever it is."

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Whyever not?"

"It's just… not."

Alice raised her eyebrows.

"Look, I just don't think going in there is a good idea. I mean, you're lucky nothing happened last time. I can't believe you'd want to go back there."

"You're the one that was so curious. This is the safest way to find out what she's up to - I'll simply ask her," Alice retorted, grinning.

"What makes you think she'll tell you?"

Alice looked up to the landing where Lyness had been standing. "We have something in common."

A few minutes later Alice was knocking at Lyness's door. "Come in." Lyness's room was dim as usual, and the willowy girl was kneeling just as Alice had found her on Friday. The trunk altar supported several more glowing candles, in addition to the silver basin Lyness had shown her last time. The wooden figures had been replaced by an array of glass phials and jars, some fancy, others which looked more like they were meant to hold cheap fruit jellies than delicate dried leaves and fine powders. The curved knife lay untouched to one side. Lyness was arranging a wooden mortar and pestle beside a yellow plastic cutting board. "I've had to make do with what I could get from the kitchen," she murmured. "I'd love a stone tray, or even a wooden board, but this will serve it's purpose." She patted the tacky cutting board, "Even if it doesn't quite live up to one's… aesthetic desires. At least I found all of the ingredients."

"I've brought your package," Alice said, shutting the door behind her.

"I knew you would." Lyness turned and met Alice's eyes for the first time since their meeting, when she had sworn her to secrecy. She held up her hands for the box. Alice reached behind her and locked the door before taking a step toward Lyness. "What is it?"

Lyness simply smiled, her arms raised. Alice, with a feeling that she was presenting an offering to a god she didn't know, placed the box in Lyness's open hands.

"Thank you," said the older girl, "Come, sit." Alice did as she was bid and Lyness set the box on the floor between them. Without acknowledging her visitor further, Lyness pulled back her thick hair and secured it loosely with a leather tie. Taking in a deep breath she took up the scythe and used it to cut the package free of its wrappings. She ran her hands over the smooth white box inside and lifted the top. Under a layer of tissue and padding she revealed a long silver dagger with an engraved handle. She let out her breath with a delighted grin. Alice gasped. "It's… beautiful," she whispered. Lyness lifted the knife free and ran her hand softly over the blade. "Yes." She placed it on the trunk with the scythe. "Now we can begin."

"I'm sorry - begin what?" asked Alice.

"Begin the spell," she told the ingredients.

"Oh. Right." She watched Lyness lean over the silver basin. "What spell is that, exactly?"

Lyness was silent. She stared into the water, blew ripples across it and nodded at their progress. She took up one of the phials and sprinkled its dusty contents across the surface of the water. She took four round leaves from a jelly jar and sliced them into thin strips with her scythe. She stripped the small brown buds from a twig and tipped them into the mortar. She added some dry crystals and handed the pestle to Alice. "Grind it to a fine dust." While Alice mashed the contents Lyness slid the sliced leaves off the cutting board into the basin. She crumbled a few dried leaves in her hand and threw them in as well. Then she took the mortar back from Alice and threw three pinches into the water. She stirred the mixture with the twig she'd stripped. Alice thought she heard her whisper a few words in another language as the water slowly turned brown. Lyness sat back and looked at Alice.

"Is that it?" asked Alice.

"There's one more ingredient," she answered. She took up the dagger. Alice was entranced by the candlelight glittering on the blade. "Give me your hand."

Alice shook herself. "W-what?"

"Your hand," said Lyness calmly.

"I… I don't think…"

Lyness locked her gaze. "You can trust me." She held Alice's eyes for what seemed hours. Alice swayed a little in her trance. She somehow knew that Lyness's lips were moving, but didn't hear the words. A gentle voice in her head whispered that she was safe, that she should listen to this girl, whom she'd so recently met. She saw her arm rise. Lyness cupped her hand in her own. Alice barely felt Lyness's soft skin or point of the silver dagger. She leaned forward when Lyness pulled her hand over the basin. The witch turned her hand over and squeezed three drops of blood from her index finger. Each drop elicited a hiss and a wisp of smoke. Alice woke with a start and pulled back her hand. The water began to boil without any applied heat. Soon the water had almost completely evaporated. Lyness molded some of the mixture into a rough ball and slipped it into a small leather pouch. She pulled the drawstring tight and tied a long ribbon around it. Alice bowed her head, somehow knowing that it was for her. Lyness looped the ribbon around Alice's neck. Alice touched the bag, which fell nearly to her waist. It was cool. When she looked up, Lyness had put the basin away. She wondered briefly what had happened to the rest of the mixture.

"You'll be safe now."

"Thank you." Alice smiled.

"I hope it works."

"Me too."

The girls laughed. "Why is Beth afraid of you?" Alice asked before she could stop herself.

Lyness looked away. "She fears what is different." She sat back and settled her skirt around her feet. "She doesn't understand magick. Not like you do."

"But I don't understand it at all," said Alice honestly.

"There is strength in you. Do you not feel it?"

"No."

Lyness shook her head. "Yet it is there. Whether you believe in it or not."

Alice looked down and fingered the pouch around her neck. If its magic was dependant on her belief, it would do as much good on a shelf. The bag warmed in her hand and she heard the voice again, telling her it was real.

"What do we do now?"

"We go on, as usual," Lyness answered.

Alice met Beth at the bottom of the stairs. "So? What was it?" asked her cousin.

"A knife," whispered Alice, her hand on the pouch.

"A knife?!?"

"A dagger."

"And that's less scary than a knife how?"

Alice saw Beth panicking and led her to the living room. "It's fine, really."

"Fine? Weirdo gets a mail-order weapon and that's supposed to be fine?" Beth rubbed her head.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. What about you? You were up there forever with that freak and her knife."

"I told you she wasn't a freak," protested Alice, playing with the pouch. "She wants to help us."

"Help us what?"

"I don't know."

Beth rubbed her head again and clutched the arm of the couch.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Alice, sitting down beside her. Beth moaned and fell back against the cushions. "Beth!"