The Binding Witch and The Fortune Taker

Say Goodnight, Kate

Once back home, Mom called the Bindan colony to check on Lily and Ella. Their fevers had subsided and they felt fine. Between this, my full examination and recovery, Mom was satisfied the effects of the talisman had also worn off the other victims.

We climbed into our beds: mine on a shelf bunk above hers, which was the sofa that pulled out into a bed. It was then Miri's words drifted into my head as I stared at the ceiling, "How do you live with this?"

"Mom?" I shifted to my side and propped my head up on my hand. "What is Indira?"

In Mom's bed, Gringo purred like a chainsaw.

"Hmmm?" she said.

"She knows about witches." I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Sleep was near. "That's not something humans typically know about."

"Indira is familiar with the witches of her homeland, called daayani. I have met some in my travels." Mom yawned. "Their power comes from the earth, the moon, and the sun, as mine does, but they use different rituals to bring it forth. They are formidable, in their own way."

I smirked. Mom could be kind of obnoxious about her own power.

"So, Madame Miri said something weird and it's been bothering me." I picked at the little lint balls on the blanket. "She said the reason she wanted to get rid of the fortunes she took is because mine was too powerful for her."

Silence.

"What did she mean, Mom?" I said.

"I'll ask her when I find her," she said. "She still needs to answer for what she did to you."

"And the others." I said.

"Right," she said. "Them too.

"But-"

"Kate, she's not a witch, right?" Mom said. "She has no connection whatsoever with the elements or-"

"She said she's a hedge witch, like me," I said.

"Case in point: can you detect my power?" she said.

"Nope."

"There you go," she said. "She has no experience from which to draw her conclusions."

"But she definitely took something from me, because I felt chilled, like I had a fever, like Lily and Ella," I said. "Miri said they had power, too, but a lot less. That doesn't make sense if I have no magic." I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling again. "Right?"

Mom sighed. "Talismans do crazy things, Kate, especially very old ones like those. They have had many masters and take on attributes of those individuals over time. That can cause new owners, especially ones like hedge witches, to experience the results in ways that are too difficult for them to interpret. It's like trying to learn a new language by reading a complex novel. The subtleties of the language and culture are lost. Does that make sense?"

"I guess." I couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it. "You're sure my Dad wasn't a witch?"

"Trust me, I know exactly what your father was." Mom hesitated. "I'm sorry, Kate. I really am."

I sighed. "That's okay."

"You're an amazing young woman who will do amazing things," she said. "Just not amazing magical things".

"I guess I'll just have to settle for being the best gosh-darn hedge witch in the world, then," I said.

"You already are." Mom sounded a little sad. "Say goodnight, Kate."

"Goodnight, Kate." I turned over and fell into the fitful sleep.