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  Witches’ Craft

  Witches and Wine Book 6

  Morgana Best

  Witches’ Craft

  (Witches and Wine, Book 6)

  Copyright © 2018 by Morgana Best

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 9781925674859

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The personal names have been invented by the author, and any likeness to the name of any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This book may contain references to specific commercial products, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and/or trade names of products, which are trademarks or registered trademarks and/or trade names, and these are property of their respective owners. Morgana Best or her associates, have no association with any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and / or trade names of products.

  By this act

  And words of rhyme

  Trouble not

  These books of mine

  With these words I now thee render

  Candle burn and bad return

  3 times stronger to its sender.

  (Ancient Celtic)

  Contents

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Next Book In This Series

  Also by Morgana Best

  About Morgana Best

  Glossary

  Some Australian spellings and expressions are entirely different from US spellings and expressions. Below are just a few examples. It would take an entire book to list all the differences.

  The author has used Australian spelling in this series. Here are a few examples: Mum instead of the US spelling Mom, neighbour instead of the US spelling neighbor, realise instead of the US spelling realize. It is Ms, Mr and Mrs in Australia, not Ms., Mr. and Mrs.; defence not defense; judgement not judgment; cosy and not cozy; 1930s not 1930’s; offence not offense; centre not center; towards not toward; jewellery not jewelry; favour not favor; mould not mold; two storey house not two story house; practise (verb) not practice (verb); odour not odor; smelt not smelled; travelling not traveling; liquorice not licorice; cheque not check; leant not leaned; have concussion not have a concussion; anti clockwise not counterclockwise; go to hospital not go to the hospital; sceptic not skeptic; aluminium not aluminum; learnt not learned. We have fancy dress parties not costume parties. We don’t say gotten. We say car crash (or accident) not car wreck. We say a herb not an herb as we produce the ‘h.’

  The above are just a few examples.

  It’s not just different words; Aussies sometimes use different expressions in sentence structure. We might eat a curry not eat curry. We might say in the main street not on the main street. Someone might be going well instead of doing well. We say without drawing breath not without drawing a breath.

  These are just some of the differences.

  Please note that these are not mistakes or typos, but correct, normal Aussie spelling, terms, and syntax.

  * * *

  AUSTRALIAN SLANG AND TERMS

  Benchtops - counter tops (kitchen)

  Big Smoke - a city

  Blighter - infuriating or good-for-nothing person

  Blimey - an expression of surprise

  Bloke - a man (usually used in nice sense, “a good bloke”)

  Blue - an argument

  Bluestone - copper sulphate (copper sulfate in US spelling)

  Bluo - a blue laundry additive, an optical brightener

  Boot (car) - trunk (car)

  Bonnet (car) - hood (car)

  Bore - a drilled water well

  Budgie smugglers (variant: budgy smugglers) - named after the Aussie native bird, the budgerigar. A slang term for brief and tight-fitting men’s swimwear

  Bugger! - as an expression of surprise, not a swear word

  Bugger - as in “the poor bugger” - refers to an unfortunate person (not a swear word)

  Bunging it on - faking something, pretending

  Bush telegraph - the grapevine, the way news spreads by word of mouth in the country

  Car park - parking lot

  Cark it - die

  Chooks - chickens

  Come good - turn out okay

  Copper, cop - police officer

  Coot - silly or annoying person

  Cream bun - a sweet bread roll with copious amounts of cream, plus jam (= jelly in US) in the centre

  Crook - 1. “Go crook (on someone)” - to berate them. 2. (someone is) crook - (someone is) ill. 3. Crook (noun) - a criminal

  Demister (in car) - defroster

  Drongo - an idiot

  Dunny - an outhouse, a toilet, often ramshackle

  Fair crack of the whip - a request to be fair, reasonable, just

  Flannelette (fabric) - cotton, wool, or synthetic fabric, one side of which has a soft finish. Breathable.

  Flat out like a lizard drinking water - very busy

  Galah - an idiot

  Garbage - trash

  G’day - Hello

  Give a lift (to someone) - give a ride (to someone)

  Goosebumps - goose pimples

  Gumboots - rubber boots, wellingtons

  Knickers - women’s underwear

  Laundry (referring to the room) - laundry room

  Lamingtons - iconic Aussie cakes, square, sponge, chocolate-dipped, and coated with desiccated coconut. Some have a layer of cream and strawberry jam (= jelly in US) between the two halves.

  Lift - elevator

  Like a stunned mullet - very surprised

  Mad as a cut snake - either insane or very angry

  Mallee bull (as fit as, as mad as) - angry and/or fit, robust, super strong.

  Miles - while Australians have kilometres these days, it is common to use expressions such as, “The road stretched for miles,” “It was miles away.”

  Moleskins - woven heavy cotton fabric with suede-like finish, commonly used as working wear, or as town clothes

  Mow (grass / lawn) - cut (grass / lawn)

  Neenish tarts - Aussie tart. Pastry base. Filling is based on sweetened condensed milk mixture or mock cream. Some have layer of raspberry jam (jam = jelly in US). Topping is in two equal halves: icing (= frosting in US), usually chocolate on one side, and either lemon or pink or the other.

  Open plan (house interior) - open concept

  Pub - The pub at the south of a small town is often referred to as the ‘bottom pub’ and the pub at the north end of town, the ‘top pub.’ The size of a small town is often judged by the number of pubs - i.e. “It’s a three pub town.”

  Red cattle dog - (variant: blue cattle dog) - referring to the breed of Australian Cattle Dog. However, a ‘red dog’ is usually a red kelpie (another breed of dog)

  Shoot through - leave

  Shout (a drink) - to buy a drink for someone

  Sk
ull (a drink) - drink a whole drink without stopping

  Stone the crows! - an expression of surprise

  Takeaway (food) - Take Out (food)

  Toilet - also refers to the room if it is separate from the bathroom

  Torch - flashlight

  Tuck in (to food) - to eat food hungrily

  Ute /Utility - pickup truck

  Vegemite - Australian food spread, thick, dark brown

  Wardrobe - closet

  Windscreen - windshield

  * * *

  Indigenous References

  Bush tucker - food that occurs in the Australian bush

  Koori - the original inhabitants/traditional custodians of the land of Australia in the part of NSW in which this book is set. Murri are the people just to the north. White European culture often uses the term, Aboriginal people.

  Chapter 1

  The off-leash dog beach was all but deserted. A man with five Dalmatians had passed us earlier, and now there was just a thin man running with a red Kelpie. I usually loved walking along the off-leash dog beach at Lighthouse Bay, but today, my senses were on full alert.

  The sky had been bright and sunny that morning. Now, the static electricity in the air was tangible, signalling a brewing storm. Coastal storms could come with no warning, and I assumed that was why the beach had been abandoned.

  There had been several news reports lately of people being struck by lightning on beaches in Sydney and Newcastle. In fact, I had always avoided going to the beach when a thunderstorm was approaching, but now I had no choice. Nothing was going to keep me away from seeing my parents again, not after five years.

  The sand was hot under my feet. I automatically took a step to my left onto the sand left damp by the ebbing tide, deftly avoiding a small jellyfish as I did so. The blue jellyfish in these parts could inflict a nasty sting.

  I tried not to stare at the approaching figures in case we were being watched. I looked out to sea and forced my attention on a ship on the horizon. There was only so long I could stare at that, so I turned my attention to the helicopter overhead, the local helicopter that daily looked for sharks so it could warn the swimmers. Only the other day, the beach had been closed due to shark sightings.

  I rubbed my forehead and tried to force myself to concentrate. Lucas had said to act normal, but how was that even possible?

  I had not seen my parents in five years. They had gone missing—so I’d been informed—while on sabbatical in Kyrgyzstan and the Australian government had officially pronounced them missing. It had only been recently I had found out that they did it to keep me safe.

  I still had trouble understanding the politics between the Council and The Other. All I had managed to grasp so far was that the Council was peaceable, whereas The Other wanted to wipe out Shifters. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if things weren’t so black-and-white.

  A friend of my parents, Beckett Maxwell, had told me there was an attempt on my mother’s life and that was what had prompted her to leave. Beckett was murdered within minutes of telling me that. While my mother was missing, no one else could be voted onto the Council. Membership was hereditary—I knew that much. I was next in line. If someone managed to murder my mother, then I would have a seat on the Council. After the attempt on my mother’s life, she had gone into hiding to protect me.

  I looked up. It didn’t seem that my parents were much closer. I let out a sigh and sensed Lucas tense beside me.

  Beckett Maxwell had been about to tell me something about my parents just before a man working for The Other murdered him. What had he been about to tell me? I assumed I would soon find out. If my parents had come back to Australia, I would surely be able to meet with them again. My only contact could not be this walk on the beach.

  That made me wonder why we were having this meeting. I would certainly ask Lucas about it later.

  The sound of the waves was interrupted by the seagulls screeching overhead and the sound of the helicopter as it moved closer on one of its circuits. People didn’t usually swim at the off-leash dog beach because there were no flags, and there were signs warning of dangerous rips. The other end of the dog beach was actually a swimming beach. I had never gone to the swimming beach, given that I was something of an introvert and not exactly a people person.

  A brisk wind came up, moving the sand sharply across my bare legs. I bent down to rub my legs, but the wind passed quickly.

  I was almost upon my parents now. What would I do? What would they do?

  Lucas touched my elbow briefly, and dug his fingers into my arm ever so slightly. I figured that was a warning. Perhaps we were being watched. I certainly hoped not. In fact, I doubted it, because my mother would be in serious danger if anyone knew she was there. Still, I supposed Lucas didn’t want to take any chances.

  I realised that, if anything, Lucas and I were probably the ones being watched, so we could not do anything to draw attention to my parents. I nodded slightly, drawing a puzzled look from Lucas.

  My parents were closer now. I did not know whether or not to stare at them. I wondered if someone had a telescope trained on my face, but then I figured that would be impossible, given the angle.

  I stepped over some shells and some pretty polished stones scattered across the wet sand in front of my feet. I had always wanted to take some for the cottage, but remembered someone once saying no one should take things from the sea. I didn’t know if that was true, but I hadn’t been game to risk it.

  My parents were close now. Lucas edged me up onto the beach a little so my parents would pass on the water side. I did my best to calm my breathing and pretend I was passing any other couple walking on the beach. I figured we would stop and chat, and wondered how to make it look natural. I never stopped to chat to strangers on the beach unless they had dogs.

  I wondered how this was all going to play out but figured Lucas had it under control. I would have to trust him to know what to do. After all, I had only discovered I was a vampire a short time ago, and I assumed he had known he was one for years.

  My parents were close. I locked eyes with my mother and then my father. I could see my mother biting her lip. She looked as though she might cry. I wondered again whether I should say, “Nice day. Do you think it will rain?” or something banal like that, but I figured I would follow Lucas’s lead.

  They were close now, so close I could almost reach out and touch them. I realised how much they had changed in five years—or was it simply a disguise?

  They both had different hairstyles. My father’s normally curly hair was now cut short, and my mother’s former short, red hair was now long and chestnut brown.

  I feared we would walk past them without saying anything, when suddenly my father tripped. It seemed to happen in slow motion, but as he was in mid air, it struck me this was a ruse, a way for us to go to him.

  Lucas and I hurried over to him. I saw him slip something into Lucas’s hands. Lucas helped him to his feet. My father dusted himself down. “Thank you for that,” he said with a forced chuckle. His face was strained.

  I realised it was all something to be played out under the assumption people were watching. I desperately wanted to hug them both, but I knew that would put them in grave danger. In fact, that was all that stopped me.

  They smiled and walked away.

  I stood, rooted to the spot, but Lucas whispered urgently at me, “Pepper.” He took my arm and gently steered me in the other direction.

  I walked slowly with him away from my parents, the dark clouds in the sky mirroring my mood.

  Chapter 2

  I don’t know how I made it back to Mugwort Manor without saying anything to Lucas. It seemed to take an age, as if everything was happening in slow motion. Once I turned around, I scanned the beach for any sign of my parents, but they were gone. A crack of thunder overhead at least allowed us the excuse to walk faster. We reached Mugwort Manor just as the first drops of rain fell.

  Breena made to run out the door and I bl
ocked her automatically. She was a Shifter cat, and as yet had been unable to tell us why she had been stuck in her cat form for years. She was still having trouble acting as a human, which meant we had to hide her from other people. She still had her cat characteristics, and tried to run out the door at every opportunity. It was difficult for me to think of Breena as my former cat, Hecate.

  Aunt Agnes loomed over me. “What’s wrong, Valkyrie?”

  “I assume we’re alone in the house?” Lucas asked her.

  Aunt Agnes nodded. “Yes, we only have one boarder at the moment, a Mr Jones. He is a rather irritating man…”

  She would have said more, but Aunt Dorothy interrupted. “He says he hates pets. He emailed us I don’t how many times to say we had to keep pets away from him.” She giggled. “As soon as he arrived, Breena sat on his lap.”

  Aunt Agnes waved a hand at her. “Hush, Dorothy. Lucas is trying to say something and Valkyrie is clearly stressed.”

  She turned to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Witches’ Brew. “I’ll pour some for the two of you. You look like you could use some.”

  I thought Lucas would decline in his hurry to tell us what happened, but he took the goblet and thanked Aunt Agnes.

  It was all I could do not to scream with impatience. I had just seen my parents, who had been presumed missing and possibly dead for the past five years. I had recently discovered they were alive, yet to my dismay, everyone was making inconsequential small talk and drinking wine. Sure, it wasn’t the usual wine, but the potent Witches’ Brew which all vampires needed to supply their daily vitamin and mineral requirements.