The Binding Witch and The Fortune Taker

Seeking Answers

My heavy backpack pinched my shoulders as I crouched between the Rennie trailers, and tried to figure out which one belonged to Madame Miri. I shivered, though it wasn't particularly cold that night. Most of the performers and vendors stayed in one section of the campground reserved for staff, so she couldn't be far from me. It was just a matter of finding her and...what was I going to do, exactly?

My pack was full of my unsold love charms (hey, they can be used offensively, if needed - love can make people so pliable), and a few others I had whipped up that morning with Mom. They were still within their window of efficacy before tomorrow's sunrise dissolved the magic.

There was a sleeping charm, a truth charm and something for dandruff, which I reverse-engineered to cause scalp-itch rather than cure it. Clever, but mostly useless unless we're talking gag gifts.

The one really powerful thing I added were several health potions in small brown bottles. Mom brewed these for her small clientele of humans who sought out alternative treatment for chronic illness like arthritis or fibromyalgia. They swore by it and she charged very little to keep them fully supplied.

I had noticed the stock was lower than usual and deduced she had taken some with her to the colony. If she thought it would help Lily and Ella, it might help me if she wasn't back by the time my symptoms progressed.

I silently cursed my human genes that caused me to miss out on my witch heritage and leave me powerless and reliant on some stupid charms. Who was I kidding? These were a poor substitute for real magic and, while useful for day-to-day maladies, were utterly useless for defensive purposes, to be honest. Other than throwing handfuls of random charms at her, I had no idea what I might use them for, but it was better than going in empty-handed.

Well, I wasn't quite empty-handed. I had a cool, carved staff from Mom's arsenal. Because carrying a big stick always seemed like a good idea when going up against someone who'd whammied you. I could start with civil conversation and, failing that, I could just hit her really hard.

I balanced the staff under my arm to zip up my jacket, and almost dropped it. The breeze picked up to a strong wind and whistled through the pine needles. Leaves scuttled across my path like scared little mice.

I was glad for the noise to cover my footsteps as I tried to act like I always took a walk in the dark with a backpack and staff. Luckily I was in the company of people who did the same thing, because I met a few. We nodded as we passed each other like we were part of some kind of secret Rennie society. Perhaps they were trying to hunt down their attacker too? More likely on their way to a role-playing game.

I shook my head. "Focus, Kate!"

"Focus what, Kate?" said a familiar, heavily accented voice behind me.

I jumped about three feet in the air and executed a quick turn and wild strike with my staff. Indira deflected it in a movement so graceful it could have been choreographed. My brain filed that away as my heart slammed into my ribcage. I registered her face and tried to catch my breath. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Indira grinned.

Irritation welled up inside me. "You did that on purpose!" I said and pulled down my sweatshirt with short jerks where it had twisted up to my ribcage in mid-flight. I glared at her.

"Nice night for walk, you think?" she said.

I glared at her.

"Don't be mad, Kate," she said. "You look so funny sneaky, I had to say hi."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm hilarious," I said. "Glad I could amuse you."

"I am happy you did not go to Fortune..." she grasped for the right word, "Taker."

I laughed. "It's Fortune Teller," I said, and wondered why she thought I didn't go see Madam Miri. "But I did go."

Her eyes grew wide and she looked me up and down. "But you look... same."

I tilted my head at that comment, thought about her swift movement just now, and considered her, for the first time, as a whole person who might have a life outside her Renfest tent. We did. It made sense everyone else did, too. I narrowed my eyes. "Indira, what do you do when you're not selling saris?"

She drew herself up to her full height, which failed to reach my chin. That would have been laughable if the look on her face wasn't dead serious.

"Kalaripayattu," she said.

My face screwed up into what my mom calls my "huh face" which, if I judged by the look on Indira's face, is probably every bit as annoying to her as it is to my mom. I wiped it clean and tried again, this time with words. "What is that?"

Her face settled back into an almost-grin and she shrugged. "Indian martial art."

"Ah!" I said and thought of her windmill-arm sweeping away my staff. "That explains your reaction when I tried to hit you with my staff." Hope welled inside me. Maybe I could persuade her to join me? If I had a bad-ass fighter on my side, the scales would surely be balanced.

"You not hit anybody with that staff," she said with a laugh. "I teach you. Later. Now say what happened when you see Fortune Taker."

I shook my head. "Fortune Teller, Indira. Teller."

Indira drew closer. "Are you sure, Kate?"

I made a face back. "Uh, no?"

She looked me up and down and narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to fight the Fortune Taker?"

"Why do you ask?" I said.

"I see her go in, people go in, come out act strange," she said. "Not right. Maybe I have seen before."

I gave her a sideways look. "Seen her before?"

"Seen daayani before," she said.

I shook my head. "Indira, I think what she's doing to people is more than making them strange, I think she's killing people. At the festival she was at before this, four people went missing. They were found yesterday. Dead. She's wanted by the police for questioning."

Indira put a hand to her chest.

"So I think I might be next." I said. "Me and everyone you saw in line at her tent."

"Where is your mother?" Indira said.

"She went to see the Bi-" I said, then corrected myself. "She went to help some other people the fortune teller might have seen. That was before I figured out what might be going on. I left a message for her to come back here, but I don't know if she'll get it. You know, in time."

She sucked in her breath.

"So, I'm going to see if I can get some answers." I said.

"You will not be alone!" Indira lifted her chin and clenched her fists.

"No, Indira," I said. How do I explain it if she sees Miri do something magical? "I don't think it's a good idea. I'll be fine."

"You will not be alone." Indira repeated.

The look on her face told me there would be no arguing.

I shrugged. "Fine." Maybe this would be a good thing. How bad could things get with this tiny ball of wrath on my side?