Chapter 8

[Woods—just beyond Wabash Center]

Deborah peered through the trees toward the village's center feeling very much annoyed at the situation. Several times their prey had evaded them. The Cranes' collaborators had driven them back off of the trail. She could feel the allies' auras congregating by MacLindy's near the church. They will not escape me again! Goddess, be my witness to that!

"The Cranes are not there, Deborah," Margaret noted.

Deborah shot her a stern look. "I am aware of that. However we can watch and wait for our targets to appear."

Rebecca suppressed a scream. She caught her breath. "The demon has reappeared. I can feel its chill."

"If it is lurking then the others cannot be far behind," Deborah noted. She waved her hands cloaking them in an invisibility spell. "Come. We shall watch at a closer venue. Once we get closer, other things can be done."

The two followers looked at each other anxiously. They both remembered the last time they'd tried to invade Wabash and what they'd paid for doing so….

…what their sister, Elizabeth, had suffered in sacrificing herself so that the others could escape the fire demon's Rowenshire lair….

Admittedly none of them wanted a repeat of that fiasco.

[MacLindy's—Fifteen minutes later]

Abbie frowned while taking the last right turn into the village's center. Admittedly it had been a long drive from Sleepy Hollow—one made more so due to resisting the use of the siren so that they could do ninety all the way up I-87. "We're here."

"Let's hope Crane hasn't dug something up we can't deal with," Jenny presumed while eyeing her weapons cache in the backseat.

"In this case, I'd put that on Katrina." Abbie parked the car by the decades old diner and shut it down. "Let's hope the reverend has something for us."

"Caldwell wouldn't have us drive up here for nothing. Come on." Jenny got out of her side and started for the diner's front door.

We can hope! Abbie eyed her cell phone anxiously. She looked about the square in that same frame of mind. For some reason, she felt apprehensive. Enough ghosts around here for a lifetime. That's for sure! She shook her head. Probably Dubois' pet demon skulking about. Deal with it.

"Hey, Abbie! Coming?" Jenny called from the door.

"Yeah. Be right there." Abbie advised. She shut out her previous fears and entered the eatery. To her relief, the diner was half full. "I would've expected the place to be packed."

Jenny shook her head. "Breakfast does a bigger crowd, I'm sure."

"The lunch crowd has been evaporating over the past half hour, Ladies. Good afternoon," Brother Tony greeted. He motioned to a corner booth. "I saved us a table with some degree of privacy. Did you both have a good drive up here?"

"Lots to think about. The Sisterhood sure hates Crane, don't they?" Jenny supposed.

"I wouldn't know about that. The records do not speak of the relations between Captain Crane and his wife's former coven. I do know that they were here in this village," he clarified. Seeing a young teenaged waitress approaching them, he eyed her curiously.

"Is something the matter, Sir?" the blonde girl inquired.

"Brother Tony?" Abbie asked; her anxiety picking up again.

"My apologies. I haven't seen you before. Have you just moved to town?" he queried.

"Why yes! I'm Wilma. Just started here a few minutes ago! Just moved here from Watertown. Can I get you folks some coffee while you're looking at the menus?" the waitress introduced herself.

"Coffee would be great. Thanks," Jenny accepted.

He watched the waitress curiously as she returned toward the counter. "Odd."

"What's up?" Abbie asked.

"Usually the manager shadows the new waitresses for a few customers at least. This one's a first," he noted. Although nothing seemed out of the ordinary on a cursory level, a nagging feeling burned in his gut.

"Maybe she's experienced?" Jenny guessed.

"Perhaps," he conceded. Still he watched her with concern. Something still didn't fit….

Wilma, in the meantime, stole over to the counter's far corner. She could feel his eyes watching her. The minister suspects! No matter! She set a tray on the counter and placed three mugs on top of it. Then she poured three coffees in a seemingly normal fashion.

Then she produced a small vial with a pink powder inside of it. A small sprinkle of said substance went into each mug before disappearing from view.

That should have the desired effect! Those three will be just the hostages we need to make the Cranes come to us! She concealed the vial once again and took the tray over to the Mills sisters and Brother Tony. "Here we go. Have we made up our minds?" She set the mugs before each person while trying to keep a straight face in the process.

"Still thinking. Thanks," Abbie agreed. She poured some creamer into her cup and stirred it with her spoon.

"The chili burgers are good here. So is the chicken soup," he recommended. He picked up his cup and raised it toward his lips for the initial sip.

Jenny nodded. "Chili sounds great. Hope that Dubois and Crane show pretty soon." She went to sip on her coffee. As she did, her nose twitched detecting something off about the hot drink. A wave of drowsiness numbed her scalp for a second before she pulled herself back awake. "Your coffee okay?"

"Should be," Abbie presumed before raising her mug again.

Jenny stopped her. "Don't! I know that smell from somewhere. I can't place it but I've smelt it before. Just play it cool." She got up and approached Wilma again. "Excuse me, Miss. Can you brew something fresh? Those cups didn't work out."

"Sure. Be right back." Wilma bumped against Jenny before collecting herself. "Clumsy me! I am sorry!"

"Yeah." Jenny raised the vial into the air. "Not as sorry as you're going to be. Now I know what the smell was from. It's a Far Eastern herb for sleep. What's the deal putting that in our coffee, Lady?"

"A trade!" Wilma raised her hands making her form ripple like heat coming off of a summer sidewalk.

Before Jenny could react, Margaret paralyzed her with another spell dropping her to the floor like a piece of meat. "We have our hostage, it seems."

"Not so fast!" Abbie trained her pistol on the sorceress. "Hands where I can see them, Lady! I ain't foolin' around!" She called out to the crowd. "Sorry, Folks, I'm with the Sleepy Hollow Police Department. Our waitress here is a known fugitive. Maybe one of you can call the local sheriff?"

"Good heavens!" Brother Tony rose to his feet. He grabbed for his Bible and cross before making his way toward Abbie's side. "Is she one of the coven?"

"Looks that way, don't it? Now we have something to bargain with too," Abbie presumed.

"My sisters are nearby and…." Margaret grimaced as she felt the backlash from something hit her square. She staggered and felt numb.

Outside the now familiar screeching shattered the village's quiet.

The patrons stiffened in their seats. They knew the screeching's source of course from either direct experience or legend. Still they didn't want to be at ground zero for a dark skirmish.

"Look! Outside!" a heavy set woman realized.

Abbie shoved Margaret against the counter and cuffed her. "Local sheriff will have to forgive me." She grabbed a hand towel and gagged the witch's mouth with it. "That'll keep any spells from coming."

"What the Hell?" Jenny muttered.

Brother Tony followed his congregants' eyes through the window and outside toward the green. There he saw the remaining two Sisterhood members dueling with the Child and Katrina.

I say enough to this conflict! a feminine telepathic voice commanded in all of their brains.

Then a bright light washed across the entire site.

When they could all see again, the group found Margaret gone from where Abbie had held her.

In addition the battle on the common had ceased as well.

"What the Hell just happened? We had her!" Abbie demanded in frustration.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Brother Tony, did Dubois do something?" Jenny questioned.

"He seemed to have his hands full. Whoever that was, she seemed not to be trifled with," he presumed. May the Lord protect us from it if that be a new threat!