“You work as an electrician,” I said. “No offense, but how stressful can your job get, exactly? All those electrician papers you have to file? So many electrician meetings to attend.”
“You clearly have no idea, then,” Roth said, folding his arms, indignant. “And speaking of meetings, I might not know what the hell just happened here tonight, but I do know that you guys could use my help.”
Roth jerked when Gil tugged on his belt loop. I hadn’t even realized that he was still holding on. “You have no understanding of the forces at play here. How could you possibly be of any help to us?”
“Oh yeah?” Roth lifted his chin in defiance, his teeth practically sparkling as he smiled. “I heard you boys were looking for a witch.”
Asher closed in. I peered at Roth’s face, searching his eyes for traces of dishonesty. “And what would you know about any witches, exactly?”
“There’s rumors in town, that a witch makes her home right here in the Silveropolis woods. The Everett House isn’t the only freestanding structure out here. You know that, right?”
Asher folded his arms, mirroring Roth’s posture. “I didn’t know that, actually. Tell us more. It definitely sounds like you know the area better than we do, and we could certainly use the help.”
Oh, good cop, bad cop, then? Asher really was insidious under that facade of bumbling innocence, wheedling and weaseling his way under someone’s skin. Roth lit up, parting his hands like he was about to tell the scariest ghost story at a campfire.
“Legend says that a powerful witch lives right here in the woods, working right out of her own hut. Creepy stuff. This whole forest is like her home base. She’s the real power here, has her totems planted all over the place to defend it, to keep watch and keep guard.”
The boys and I exchanged cautious glances. I cocked an eyebrow at Roth. “Totems? Like fetishes? Do they look like bundles of twigs?”
Roth shrugged. “Dunno, honestly. I guess I’d recognize one if I saw it? I’ve only ever spotted them a couple of times. It’s like a scavenger hunt. They’re everywhere, but they’re hidden pretty well.”
“And what do you do when you find them?”
“Leave them alone, of course. If the witch stuff is true, then you don’t want to mess with her shit. And besides, when it comes to nature?” He pressed his palms together, breathing in slowly. “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.”
Gil bared his teeth. “I’m gonna fucking kill this guy.”
“No, don’t. I’m helpful. I promise.”
“The fetishes – sorry, the totems.” Asher nodded towards the far end of the clearing. “Do they look like that?”
Roth looked over, then perked up at the sight of the bundle of twigs. “That’s it, exactly. Sometimes they’re like this one, hiding down in the roots, but sometimes they’re up in the branches.” He approached it, squatting to get a closer look. “I wonder what it’s for.”
“That’s the question we’re trying to answer,” I said. “Well, one of several.”
Gil clapped him on the back, his expression no longer as somber. “You should head home now. Thanks again for the work on the cabin.”
“Oh, it’s no bother. Tell you what, it’s on the house. Least I could do for bothering you gents tonight.” He reached for his nape, scratching, looking around awkwardly. “But you don’t really expect me to just traipse off like a good boy now that you’ve planted this mystery thing in my head, do you?”
Gil cracked his knuckles. “I take it back, I really should kill you.”
“I know where she lives,” Roth blurted out.
I poked him in the chest. “What? You just happen to know where this all-powerful witch who guards these woods hangs out?”
Roth shrugged. “Well, sure. I think everyone does. It’s just a rumor, remember? Her place isn’t hard to find. Nobody ever sees her, though.”
“So you know where she lives,” I droned. “But you’ve never seen her.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, man. Like I said, it’s a rumor. Or a legend. I guess it’s both.”
Gil backed down, pacified for the moment. “I suppose I can alway kill him later. Show us the way.”
Roth gulped.
23
We couldn’t have been walking more than twenty minutes. The night was bleeding into very early morning, the air in the forest icy and sharp. Through it all I could still sense the impatience from the members of our little witch-finding party. Asher had been grumbling under his breath. Gil was stormy and silent, his muscles tense. To be fair, though, that was his default setting. Roth was gamely marching in the lead.