Free Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn Page A

plodding slowly uphill. On either side, oaks, maples, and birches towered over us, blocking the sky with their leaf}' branches. Thick moss covered the earth and grew soft on the trees. Boulders reared from the ground, dappled green and blue and yellow with moss and lichen. Ferns grew tall and lush. It was an enchanted forest, just as I'd thought when I'd first seen it. Anything could happen here.
    Intact, it already had.

9
    W HILE T INK WATCHED, Dad filled a bowl with dry cat food for Kieryn. When he set it in front of her, she sniffed it suspiciously and recoiled.
    "What's the matter, my lady?" Dad asked. "Isn't Tink's food good enough for you?"
    Kieryn mewed pitifully and gave me an angry look. "Maybe she's not used to dry food," I suggested. "What about milk?"
    Dad selected a small bowl from the cupboard. He hesitated in front of the refrigerator. "It seems to me I read somewhere milk isn't good for cats."
    "But she's so little. Surely it can't hurt her."
    Dad sighed and poured some milk into the bowl. When he set it in front of Kieryn, she drank it greedily.
    "I hope it doesn't make her sick," he said.
    "Oh, Dad, you're such a worrywart." I hugged him.
    He shrugged and smiled. "Just because I'm a worrywart doesn't mean there's nothing to worry about."
    I watched him make a pot of tea for the two of us. The rain had begun again. A strong wind drove sheets of water against the windows and lashed the trees and bushes. Lightning whipped across the sky, and thunder boomed.
    Dad looked out the back door. "I love a good storm," he said.
    "What would happen if lightning struck the tower?" I asked him.
    "See those metal poles on the roof?" He pointed. "Those are lightning rods. They're designed to redirect the lightning away from a building and into the ground." He smiled. "Great-Uncle Thaddeus thought of everything."
    I nodded and sipped my tea, sweet with honey and milk. It was cozy to be at the kitchen table with Dad. Kieryn sat in my lap, purring, and Tink crouched on the windowsill, peering out at the wet world. If only Moura hadn't come into our lives, everything would be perfect.
    As if he'd heard me think Moura's name, Dad said, "I hope the weather doesn't keep Moura from joining us for dinner tonight."
    I felt Kieryn's body tense. "She was here just last night," I said. "And this morning. Why is she coming again tonight?"
    Dad hesitated and stirred more honey into his tea. "Well, we agreed it would make sense for her to live here while she inventories the contents of the house." He went on stirring his tea, his eyes on the cup, not on me. "After Moura appraises their value, I can make an educated decision about what I want to sell and what I want to keep."
    "But she has a house! And a shop, too. Why should she stay with us?"
    Kieryn put her paws on the table and looked at Dad as if she were as upset as I was.
    Still avoiding my eyes, Dad stirred more honey into his tea. "We're so far from town, it makes perfect sense for Moura to live here, instead of driving back and forth between our place and hers."
    "Where is she sleeping?"
    "She'll have her own room," Dad said quickly. "It will be perfectly proper, Jen."
    "What if I say I don't want her here?" My voice rose.
    "Moura's my fiancee, Fen." Dad set his cup down and looked me straight in the eye. His voice was patient but firm. "You'll have to get used to sharing me with her."
    "But—"
    He raised his hand to silence me. "Believe me, Moura understands. She'll do everything she can to make things easy for you."
    Holding Kieryn tight, I jumped to my feet. "Well, I won't make things easy for her!"
    Without waiting for him to reply, I ran to my room, with Tink at my heels. Slamming the door shut, I sank down on my bed and wept. Kieryn touched my shoulder.
    "I'm sorry for ye and yer dad," she whispered. "
Her
has wicked strong magic."
    I nodded. No one had to tell
me
about Moura's power. It was Dad who needed to be told. But he wouldn't listen to a word against her.
    I raised