Page 110 of Last Witch Attempt
“You haven’t answered the question,” I pointed out.
He held up his hands. “I won’t tell him. I prefer not knowing the specifics of your plan.”
“That’s fine with me.” I meant it. “Go inside for lunch, Spencer. When Landon asks where I am, tell him I’m going after Millie. You don’t have to lie to Steve about it. Landon will understand.”
I FOUND MILLIE ON THE BLUFF.She kept getting drawn back to the inn.
“Hello.” I greeted her with what I hoped was a friendly smile.
She scowled at me. “Can’t a witch get a little privacy? I didn’t ask you to join me. How did you know to find me here?”
“Because you’re Aunt Tillie.”
“I am not that woman.” Millie was appalled. “You’re on my freaking list. I hope you know that.”
My lips quirked. “I have no idea why I would say anything of the sort.”
She rolled her eyes.
I sat down next to her without invitation. “You know you can’t stay here?” I wasn’t trying to hurt her. Now was the time for honesty. “There can’t be two Aunt Tillies.”
“I know.” Her upper lip twisted into a sneer. “My original plan was to replace her. When I realized you didn’t know there were two of us, that seemed like the simplest plan.”
“That’s why you were in the lobby that night. You were testing the waters.”
She nodded. “You didn’t doubt for a second that I was Tillie.”
“I would’ve figured it out eventually. I was flustered that night.”
She stared at the hills. “I don’t want to be Tillie. I want to be myself. That’s all I want. Tillie wants to take that away from me.”
“Actually, she doesn’t.” Ruefully, I shook my head. “That’s the last thing she wants. She feels guilty. She created you and thought when she made you go away that it was okay. That you wouldn’t be aware of what was happening. Obviously, she was wrong.”
“Very wrong,” Millie agreed. Her smile was mischievous. “Do you want to know how I was created?”
I didn’t have much time, but I was willing to stretch things out to get the story. “I really do.”
Her grin widened. “She used a poppet and infused it with her essence. She thought she would be working with a golem—onethat she could control and would have her spunk and wit—but she went too big.”
“Ah, the story of Aunt Tillie’s life.” I bobbed my head.
“She used too much of her essence and made me. I even have a small part of her soul.”
“Which is why you’re not hellbent on destroying us,” I guessed.
She shrugged. “I don’t want to punish anyone. I don’t want to be put away again like a forgotten toy. When she was finished with me, she tried to reabsorb her essence. Instead, she made a small compartment inside of her, and that’s where she trapped me for more than two decades.”
“I’m sorry. No, truly.” I shook my head. “I don’t want you to be hurt, but two Aunt Tillies is one too many.”
“You want me to sacrifice myself,” she said.
“In a way of speaking.” I took a deep breath. “There’s a plane door at Torch Lake. The naiad wants to go through it. Many of her people have migrated to that world. I don’t know much about it, but if the naiads are interested I can guess there’s a lot of nature and water.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“They don’t have an Aunt Tillie. They definitely don’t have a Millie.” Tentatively, I reached out and touched her wrist. “You could go there and live your life. You won’t be in anyone’s shadow, and no one will be able to put you back in the box.”
“You’re going to let me go, just like that?” She was incredulous.
