Read Last Witch Standing (Mountain Witch Saga) for Free Online Page B

they were seated, Katie began, "My name is Katie.
I am a witch myself. A tiny one." She held out her hand to the girl.
    "I'm Rachel."
    "You are probably very confused right now. I can help
you. Please, ask me anything you want about what is happening to you."
Katie glanced down at the marbles the girl had been moving with the Power.
    “How did you know what I was doing?”
    “Unshielded channeling sends up a signal. You may as well
have stood on the roof of your house and fired a flare into the sky that said
‘here lives a witch’.”
    “Why is that dangerous?” the girl asked.
    “Because, the magical world is filled with malevolent
creatures as well as benevolent ones. You are very lucky that I am the first
magical creature to find you. I shudder to think of what may have happened to
you if I had not found you.”
    “How do I shield my channeling?”
    “For the moment, you lack the ability. What you need to do
is limit your channeling to small amounts. I can help shield you provided you
do not exceed a certain threshold. Over time, as you become more proficient,
you will learn how to shield yourself.”
    The two talked for over an hour, stopping only when Rachel
was called to dinner.
    "I cannot impress upon you enough how important it is
that you not channel unshielded. Right now, you are sending up a signal to any
witch in the area that you are here. As I said before, some of them are
malevolent." Katie stood up.
    "I won't," Rachel answered.
    "On my next visit, I will bring you a book about the
Power. Reading it will help you understand your new world."
    Rachel escorted Katie to the window. Katie waved as she
climbed over the sill, onto the roof tiles. Rachel returned the wave, closed
the window, and watched Katie until she had scaled the tree branches and
dropped out of view.
    This is the culmination of many years of work.
Soon, I will have my own witch to use and can explore the Cosmos, no longer
limited by my inability to store the Power.
     
    ***
    "I was worried you wouldn't show." Rachel held
the window open the next evening and Katie scurried through. “I thought you may
have been a dream.”
    "Do not worry. I keep my word." Katie set a
satchel on the bed, smiled, and withdrew a book. “And I am no dream.”
    Rachel hurried over. Katie pushed it to her and the girl
opened it.
    “Wow. There is so much out there I don’t know. I thought I
was alone,” Rachel said.
    “No. Not any longer. I will help you.”
    “I really thought I was going crazy.” Rachel paused at the
section on Mountain Witches. “Oh, my goodness. That’s what you are?”
    Katie smiled. “We will be good friends, together.” Katie
put her hand out.
    Rachel took the sorceress’s hand.
    Good. This girl feels in my debt. She is
dependent upon me for knowledge and guidance. If I move slowly and carefully, I
can maneuver her to my Pangea – by force, if necessary. This one is a keeper.

Chapter 11
     
    The Present
    Earth
     
    Would the disguise hold? Candice Strong walked back along
the path she had taken the night of her disappearance. This time it was midday
and she was on a mission for Queen Annalisse: to contact the man and his son in
Melville and have them wait on standby for the queen’s summons.
    She fingered the magic emerald necklace Queen Annalisse had
given Candice to screen her appearance. Candice had been missing on Earth for
nearly a year; her sudden appearance would cause a tremendous stir which could
compromise her mission for the queen. Besides disguising her, the necklace
would also allow her to do minor conjuring trick – tricks that would be
necessary to convince Dan Edwards of  what, Candice was certain, he would see
as a fantastical story – his little sister, Katie, who died forty years before
was now a sorceress in another universe and wreaking havoc throughout the
Cosmos.
    Karen, from the Citadel, had provided ample U.S. currency
for Candice to meet her needs. Still, it would take all the skills she