2 Yule Be the Death of Me (25 page)

“Mommy.”
Connor ran over to Natalie and tried to touch the rope, but the silver rope
shocked him and he tumbled away into the snow.

“Quickly, we
must get her to the cemetery before the spell wears off.” Octavia ran over and
grabbed hold of Natalie who continued to scream at them silently.

With
Vivienne’s help, they loaded her, Connor, and the unconscious body of
officer
Jeff Waverly into the patrol car and sped across the
field to the Cayuga Union cemetery. “How long is the spell going to hold?”

“Not long.”
Miss Octavia yelled back as they bounced along through the snowy field.

Vivienne spied
the main gates, which were closed and appeared locked with a chain. She gunned
the accelerator. “Hold on.”

The patrol car
smashed through the gates, knocking them off the rusty hinges. Vivienne turned
sharply to the right, narrowly missing taking out a large marble obelisk. The
path to the cannons was barely visible in the fading sunlight, as they roared
uphill and came to a halt just shy of the monument.

Vivienne and
Octavia jumped out of the car and dragged Natalie to the space between the
cannons.

“What do we do
now?” Vivienne asked.

Octavia pulled
out her supplies from the deep pockets of her jacket. She pulled the stopper of
the vial of holy water and drizzled it onto Natalie.

The water
bubbled and steamed as Natalie found her voice again. “I’m not ready to go
yet.” She screamed. “You must not do this.”

Octavia hurled
a bottle of silver powder to Vivienne. “Walk a circle and keep it tight around
her.”

Vivienne
pulled the stopper off the powder and poured the silver powder onto the ground.
She walked quickly in a tight circle around Natalie, trapping her inside the
magical boundary.

“Blessed be
the light that draws you near.” Octavia spoke in a monotone voice. “With love
and reverence, we bid thee spirit farewell.” Octavia raised her hands upwards
and closed her eyes. “Your business here amongst the living is done. Feel the
burden of sorrow no more.”

Natalie shook
violently and then arched her back, as a bolt of white energy crackled out of
her mouth like lightening and struck one of the cannons.

Vivienne
covered her ears as the wind roared around them. “Is it working?”

“You tell me.”
Octavia looked at her in surprise. “I’ve never done this kind of thing before.”

A thick, black
smoke poured off the ground between the cannons and coalesced into the spectral
image of Edgar
Rothwell
. He appeared even more
fearsome than Vivienne remembered. His blue-tinged flesh was pulled taught
against his skull, eyes sunken deep and glowing like two red-hot coals.
Vivienne stood frozen in terror as he stepped toward them. “You’ve done well,
witches.”

“Leave them
alone.” Natalie cried out. “This is between the two of us.”

Edgar raised
his palms in the air and then flipped them upwards in a jerking motion. “You
are correct.”

Both Vivienne
and Octavia dropped over backwards, pressed to the cold ground by his magical
force.

Natalie
squirmed inside the circle. “I tried to destroy him before he could walk the
earth.” She yelled to Vivienne.

“You were
going to kill all of us.” Vivienne yelled back, still pinned to the ground. “I
couldn’t let that happen.”

“I will have
your silence.” Edgar glowered at them both. “You women are always at the root
of corruption.”

“You haven’t
been a paragon of virtue yourself.” Vivienne spat back. “Murdering your family
because you felt guilty after being rejected by your maid.”

Edgar howled
with rage.

“Big man you are.”
Vivienne mocked him.

“You shall pay
for your insolence.” He pointed at her.

“Come and get
me.” Vivienne challenged.

Edgar charged
at her with murderous intent, stepping onto the silver circle which encircled
Natalie.  A split-second later, he was on fire, screaming in agony as his
spirit form was disrupted by the sacred barrier.

“You should
look where you step.” Vivienne felt the pressure holding her down release. She
sat upright as he continued to burn, the flames ripping his spectral body apart
piece by piece. “You’re not human anymore, silver is like poison.”

“I’ll kill you
all.” He cried out in defiance. “Witches.” He screamed and writhed in agony and
with a sudden popping sound dissolved into a wisp of dark smoke. It snaked
upwards, curling toward the vortex that hovered about twenty feet over their
heads.

“One of the
portals.” Vivienne gasped and helped Miss Octavia to her feet.

“It’s pulling
the dark energy back in.” Octavia nodded. “We have to destroy it.”

“But how?”
Vivienne wondered. “I don’t have a spell prepared.”

The portal
swirled faster and faster as a jet of black smoke-like energy hurled to the
ground.

“He’s
re-forming again.” Vivienne cried out.

“Untie the
silver rope and I’ll destroy the portal.” Natalie spoke up.

“No, Vivienne.
Don’t trust her.” Octavia warned.

“Please, let
me right these wrongs so that I might rest in peace.” Natalie begged. “I give
you my word.”

“What should I
do?” Vivienne asked Octavia, casting a wary eye on the smoke that began to take
Edgar’s spectral form again.

“Whatever it
is, you better do it fast.” Octavia shook her head. “This is your moment.”

Vivienne
looked into Natalie’s eyes. “Swear on Connor’s life.”

“I swear.”

Vivienne
darted into the circle and began to untie the silver rope around Natalie. As
she did, Natalie’s physical body went limp as her spirit form soared upwards.

“I hope you’re
right about this.” Octavia replied.

Natalie’s
spectral form drifted over to the now almost fully formed figure of Edgar and
embraced him. “Tie us up.” She yelled. “Hurry.”

Vivienne
dashed over to their location with the rope in hand. She made a loop and tossed
it over Edgar’s head where it came to rest at the base of his neck. She then
ran quickly around them, binding them tightly.

“Don’t worry
darling. This is only going to hurt for a little bit.” Natalie hissed at him.

“You wretched
fiend.” Edgar’s voice boomed. “What have you
done.
”

“What should
have been done long
ago.
” She looked at Vivienne one
last time. “Now toss the end up toward the portal and run as far as you can.”

“Thank you
Natalie.” Vivienne tossed the rope upwards where it was caught in the vortex
around the portal. It grew taught and yanked both Natalie and Edgar upwards.

Vivienne and
Octavia ran as fast as they could to the other side of the patrol car and ducked
down as the forms of Natalie and Edgar were sucked into the portal. There was a
popping sound and then a blast of wind as the silver reacted to the dark
energy. Like a great wheel on fire, the portal spun wildly in the air and then
imploded, disappearing into the night sky with a thunderous boom.

After a few
moments, the two women peeked over the car and found the cemetery dark and
empty once again.

“It worked.”
Vivienne smiled. “She sealed the portal.”

“One down.”
Octavia nodded. “Goddess knows how many more to go around here.”

“One less
entry point into Cayuga Cove.” Vivienne smiled. “I’m happy with that.”

“I wanted to
say I’m sorry.” Natalie’s voice startled them from behind.

“Natalie.”
Vivienne gasped. “I thought you were destroyed when the portal sealed.”

“The dark
magic that allowed me to leave this cemetery has been sealed.” She spoke
softly. Her visage was serene. “I’ve returned to ask you for one last favor so
that I may cross over.”

“What is
it?” 

She floated
through the car and stood between the cannons. She passed her hand through the
cannon on the left. “When Edgar murdered me, he hid my body in the cannon to
deny me a proper burial.”

Natalie paused
for a moment and turned her face toward the sky. “I only knew bitterness and
anger as the years went by and we were forgotten.”

“It is time to
rest.” Octavia spoke softly. “You are free now.”

“Where are we
going mommy?” Connor bounded from the patrol car and held tight to Vivienne’s
legs.

“I’m going
someplace far away, my love. Far beyond the stars.”

“The stars.”
He smiled and stepped toward her. “Can I go to?”

“Not yet, my
sweet darling.” She kissed him on the head. “Be a good boy and mind your
manners.” He closed his eyes and fell to the ground in a deep sleep.

“He will have
no memory of these events. Will you see that he has the chance to live a full
life?” Natalie asked.

“I will.”
Vivienne replied.

 As the
wind died down, Natalie faded away into a wisp of fine smoke that loaded itself
into the cannon where her remains were interred.

Natalie’s
cannon craned upwards slowly as a bolt of blazing energy erupted from the
cannon, burned cross the sky and headed for the gas equipment. A few seconds
later, an enormous explosion rocked the ground as the tanker and drilling equipment
was destroyed in a massive fireball. 

There was a
groaning sound as Natalie’s cannon dropped the protective cap and lowered to
the ground.

Vivienne
watched as a pile of bones tumbled out onto the snowy ground. “It is done.”

“Yes.” Octavia
nodded back solemnly.

“But what will
we tell people?” Vivienne worried. 

Octavia walked
over to the area where Natalie’s physical body was huddled next to a faded
headstone. A bottle of
hydroxybenzene
and a note lay
on the ground next to her. “She wrote her own ending.”

Vivienne
picked up the paper and read it. “It’s a suicide note, explaining why she did
everything.”

“It’s more
than that.” Octavia pointed to sky. “Look up.”

A single star
was just visible in the evening sky. It winked and then disappeared as a mass of
winter storm clouds swirled overhead. Thick, puffy snowflakes began to fall to
the ground, but when they hit the ground they sparkled like fireflies. Each
snowflake lattice connected to the other and in a few moments the entire
cemetery was pulsing with a warm, golden light. The bones of Natalie Burdick
dissolved away as the energy flared brighter than the fire over at Gus Holt’s
drilling site.

“What is it?”
Vivienne shouted.

“An early
Christmas gift.” Octavia beamed. “Or a miracle?”

The golden
glow enveloped them both in a warm cocoon, as the magic pulsed and raced into
the town of Cayuga Cove.

The residents
could only stand and watch in amazement as the glowing snowflakes danced
through the air, passing through homes and buildings with ease.

All of the
hatred and bad feelings that had plagued the town was washed away as the spell
Natalie had cast dissipated. In the silence of the winter night, peace returned
once more to Cayuga Cove. 

Afterwards,
there were all kinds of guesses as to what the glowing snowflakes had been.
Most believed what the media had reported, it had been an adverse chemical
reaction from the fire out by the drilling site. A rare scientific reaction
that created a localized ‘aurora borealis’ effect over the town.

“Connor?” Gus
Holt’s voice called out from the darkness. “It’s time to come home. You know I
don’t like you playing in the cemetery.”

Vivienne
approached him. “That won’t be happening anymore, Gus.” She pointed to where
Miss Octavia had Connor wrapped in a blanket to keep him warm on the snowy
ground.

“What’s going
on here?” He asked angrily. He moved toward them and stopped when he saw the
crumpled body of Natalie. “No.” He cried out. “What happened to her?”

“She confessed
to everything.” Vivienne spoke softly as several police cruisers pulled into
the cemetery entrance. “I think Sheriff
Rigsbee
is
going to have a lot of questions for you to answer.”

He dropped to
his knees at Natalie’s side. “I just wanted to help her out. I was just being a
good neighbor.”

After the patrol
cars reported to the scene, Vivienne handed the suicide note to Sheriff
Rigsbee
and directed him to the body of Natalie. They
explained how Gus Holt had been hiding Connor for Natalie and he was arrested
for interfering in an ongoing police investigation.

Sheriff
Rigsbee
informed Vivienne that a new press conference was
scheduled that evening to thank the newest local hero for her efforts,
explaining the elaborate ruse and clearing her name in the process.

 “I won’t
feel better until my good name is restored.” Vivienne said as she and Miss
Octavia rode back with Sheriff
Rigsbee
in his
vehicle.

“Until then,
please try to remember what this feels like Miss Finch.” He replied.

“I won’t soon
forget it.” Vivienne agreed.

“Good.”
Sheriff
Rigsbee
replied gruffly. “So maybe you’ll
think twice about staying out of police business and focus on your own from now
on?”

“Yes sir.”
Vivienne gulped.

Miss Octavia
held Connor in the back seat. “At least Connor isn’t harmed. That’s a certified
Christmas miracle in my book.”

“I don’t
believe in miracles.” Sheriff
Rigsbee
replied as he
followed the convoy of patrol cars back to town. “What I do believe is that his
crazy mother had enough sense to drop him off before killing herself.”

“So what’s
going to happen to him now?” Vivienne asked.

“Our
investigation found no other living relatives, so child protective services is
taking him.” He explained.

“He’s an
orphan.” Miss Octavia sighed.

“But at least
he’s alive. He has an entire life to experience.” Vivienne nodded as the lights
of Cayuga Cove appeared in the distance.