Chapter 4.

My pulse racing, I duck behind the unsteady stack of crates. Only a few moments later, the mob streams into the cul-de-sac.

"The ladder," says a clear voice, just on the other side of the crates. "You four, up after her. The rest of you, divide up and check nearby streets. Paul will have the roads out of town covered by now."

I hear a few assenting mumbles, and the shuffle of many feet moving out of the alley. The ladder creaks, and then the cul-de-sac is silent.

I sir back and wait a little longer. The moment I decided it might be safe to come out, I hear the clearing of a throat on the other side of the crates. I lower myself back down as silently as I can.

"What do the brothers do with 'em, anyway?" asks a gruff voice.

The clear voice answers, sounding disinterested. "I'm just glad to be rid of them. The Order must have picked up the old man by now."

"Well, sure..."

A shoe scoffs the cobblestones.

"You don't think they kill 'em?"

The clear voice sighs. "I don't know. Without the order, this town would be dead already. Far as I'm concerned, that's worth a few oddballs."

The guff voice starts to speak, but a distant shout cuts him off. Without another word, the two men run back down the alley. I listen to the silence for another minute before emerging from my hiding place.

I might not be able to get back to Uncle John's house along the roads, but I have to try while it's still dark.

I start down the road, trying to keep close to the shadows.

"I wouldn't go that way."

I whirl around to see the old woman from earlier who had been offering me help.

Where did she come from?

"They will be searching down that way." She points down the road. "We must not tarry here. Quickly, come with me!"

If she wanted to harm me, she had her chance when she snuck up behind me.

The old woman leads me down several winding alleys. From time to time, she stops to chant something in a strange language. When I ask what she's doing, she shushes me.

I arrive at the cellar doors where I first saw her. She chants again in a low murmur. The doors open and she leads me in.

The woman leads me into a cramped earthen tunnel. I have to duck my head to keep scraping down the ceiling, and the old woman is unfortunate enough to be a few inches taller than I am. A ghostly blue light perches above her palm, illuminating the way ahead.

After a few minutes, the woman stops and turns to me with a tired expression.

"We should be safe for the moment." She catches a few wayward strands of grey hair and tucks them back into her bun. "I need to explain a few things before we move on."

A sudden memory strikes me. I've seen her before, at Uncle John's house. I was six or seven at that time, and she had joined the family for dinner. I can remember mother arguing with her, but can't remember the subject. I haven't seen her since then, but my uncle speaks of her often.

"You're Lavinia."

"Mrs. Porter to you dear, dear. Keep your voice down."

"What's going on?"

Well , I don't know everything, but I will tell you what I can." Lavinia sighs. "You know Cutler Key, yes? I believe it's visible from your uncle's house."

I nod. "I've never really had a chance to go there."

"Nor should you. It has been an important site to a certain cult: the Order of Reshketh. You won't have heard of them."

A surprised shout echoes down the tunnel. I know the stone slab has been replaced, but it can't be that hard to find.

Lavinia glances down the tunnel. She speaks a little more quickly. "The important thing to know is that the order has been taking our kind for a very long time now. It used to be one every ten years or so, but now they've struck some type of deal with the town council. Until you showed up, your uncle and I were the only ones left."

"Wait," I say. "What do you mean by 'our kind?"

"You've figured it out by now, I'm sure." Lavinia frowns. "If we were doing this properly, you would receive instruction, but we do not have time for that."

She starts walking again, her heavy lilac skirt trailing in the mud.

"If you're anything like your uncle, the magic will come naturally. I expect they will come for him tonight, if they haven't already."

"Come for my Uncle? This is just..." I shake my head. "I don't know."

"Not what you expected for the summer?" Lavinia chuckles. "Hold still for a moment." She leans forward and places a hand on my forehead.

She mutters that I can't quite make out. Her hand grows warm, and the warmth spreads through me. I can't imagine being more comfortable. By the time Lavinia withdraws her hand, I feel much stronger.

Lavinia shakes her head. "Very basic. You will likely learn it soon enough, yourself."

"I have felt this...whatever it is... and used it."

"Magic. Go ahead and call it what it is, dear," she says. "And what have you used this magic for?"

"I'm not sure. I think I can sort of punch out, and can shield myself, too." I glance back down the tunnel behind me. I could have sworn I heard a shout just now.

"Such spells are instinctual", Says Lavinia. "That sort of self-preservation will come to any witch in danger."

"A witch? Is that what I am?"

"Let's not worry about the labels for the moment," she says. "For now, just keep your spells simple. Intuitive. I will teach you more when we have the luxury of time. It is high time we parted ways."

"Shouldn't we stick together?"

"That would put both of us in greater danger." Lavinia leads me farther into the tunnels at a brisk pace. "You aren't the only one the old god's servants are searching for tonight. Two witches traveling together would be like a beacon to Reshketh's creatures. The beast hungers for our power."

The tunnels are disorienting in their repetition. After a series of twists and turns, I'm no longer sure I could find my way back.

Just when I'm considering asking Lavinia if she's lost, the old woman comes to stop beneath a metal hatch.

"what do you need me to do?" I ask.

"I don't know what the cult does to those they take, but none have returned." She gives me an appraising look. "Normally, I wouldn't risk setting a new witch to this sort of task, but..."

She shakes her head. "Take the stairs back up to the streets and... You know where the old well is, yes? Not the one in the main square."

I nod.

"At the bottom, you will find a tunnel that should take you out of town. Get to your uncle's house and tell him to meet me at the shack. He knows where it is."

Lavinia pauses to listen. "They've gone but they will still be searching for you. I will do what I can to distract them. Be careful out there."

I nod.

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