Page 50 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

‘She is none of your concern. Come near and die.’

The woman with us whimpers. He orders her back over to him. I offer my protection, but knowing not of me, she thinks me simply a woman the same as she, unable to protect her or myself from his fist. He flies into a rage upon her approach, striking her repeatedly. I raise my hand, using the wind to pummel him until my son stops me as a crowd begins to gather.

We find men and women whom we believe would suit, bringing them back to our land. There, we put Adam out of our minds while the men court my daughter and my son courts the women to find which one would suit the best. They are welcome to stay, should they not be chosen. I have younger children who will soon come of age and they are free to court one another as well.

As the days move by, I teach all the uses of magic. My children hold more magic than those not of my blood. My oldest two hold the most magic of all my offspring as they came into the world in my garden. But as Zohor holds a form of magic of his own, a magic not bestowed unto Adam, not as powerful as mine, but magic nonetheless, all my children have gifts above others.

I have started a grimoire with which they are to study.

My son has made his match. She is lovely.”

I stand to stretch. “This is getting intense.”

“Is it bad that I want to bang you against this table right now?”

“Connor!”

“What? All this talk of magic is turning me on.”

“Sorry, bud. Not the time for slap and tickle.”

“Simone, baby, it’s almost always the time for slap and tickle.”

“I could use something to eat, though. I’m starved. How long have we been here?”

He pulled out my phone from the backpack. “Uh…hours.” Then he stood to stretch as well.

“I don’t suppose we could get a meatball hoagie around here?”

“Baby,” he sighed. “We get home, I’ll buy you a hundred meatball hoagies.”

“One footlong will suffice.”

As we stood there talking about food, the strangest thing happened. A pot appeared bubbling away over the fire in the hearth. Freshly baked bread, bowls, spoons, and tumblers of wine materialized at the edge of the table away from where we had the scrolls and books piled.

“You do this?” he asked.

I shook my head. “But it’s good to know witches.”

Chapter

Thirteen

While we filled ourselves on the bounty given to us by witches—the stew needed a bit more salt, but otherwise was delicious—we read on. These scrolls grew darker in tone. And I had a feeling we were going to find out what we were after.

The blue, flaming words lifted from the paper again.“My daughter has chosen a mate. Baruch is a good man. His powers grow as he learns the ways of magic. My daughter is truly happy.”

“Okay,” I said, taking another drink of my wine. “So it looks like these early men and women, the ones Lilith chose to bring back to her land, held some magic like Zohor. Where do we think that came from?”

Connor shrugged. “I think humans have always had some sort of magic in them. Look at psychics. They aren’t supers. They just have the ability to tap into a magic that most people no longer have access to. For whatever reason, mortal people decided to suppress their magic to the point that it’s not there any longer.”

“My beautiful daughter grows heavy with child,”Lilith wrote.“Baruch dotes on her, keeping her comfortable. He is more of a partner and caregiver than Adam ever was to me when I carried my children, and he is every bit like my Zohor. She has chosen well.”

Her daughter was beautiful, looking very much like her mother. The pictures showed Baruch, his dark hair and tanned skin very much in keeping with that area of the world. But his eyes. They looked on his wife with so much love, I felt like crying, and it took a lot to get me to cry.

“Adam has shown today. Out of nowhere, he has invaded our land with his cruel heart looking for my dearest Shoshana, my eldest child, my flower who grew in my garden amongst his cruelty.

‘Where is she?’ he demands.

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