The Corner Store Witch by H D Lynn

Author:H D Lynn [Lynn, H D]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1537465422
Publisher: Throw This Book at Me
Published: 2016-08-31T05:04:20+00:00

Chapter 11

Leone led the way, staring at the ephemeral light at her feet to guide her. She handed the flashlight to Maya, but when she stepped through the door, it flickered and went out. Apparently, electric power wouldn’t cut it in the magical cave. She didn’t want to be the group leader, but it was someone’s thankless job. The sentient staff had chosen her. This was her pilgrimage. Behind her, Shandi hummed, and Leone muttered, “Could you stop that?”

“I don’t like dark places,” Shandi said. “You don’t mind when I hum at work. You said you don’t.”

Leone massaged her temples. She said, “It’s different right now. We’re all on edge. Silence is golden.”

“But duct tape is silver,” Courtney said. Leone glared at her, but Courtney only rolled her eyes. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“It’s ineffective,” Lakeisha said. She crossed her arms and nodded to Leone, who kept walking into the tunnel. It sloped down, leading them further into the mountainside.

Leone wrinkled her nose. The spicy scent of incense lingered in the air. She squinted, staring at an archway. The dense, smoke spirals curled lazily through the doorway. On the other side lay only blackness.

Maya ran her hands across the stone, which glowed from within. She whispered, “It’s a Shinto temple archway completely made of jade.”

“Do you think Shinto even exists here?” Leone asked.

Maya shrugged. She said, “I admit, I’m curious how this world came into being and what things it shares with our own. There’s clearly some cultural cross-talk. That would be an amazing anthropology project. Several lifetimes’ worth.”

Leone peered through the entrance, and by the light of the arch, she spied several burning sticks of incense set into stone holders. She frowned. These had barely burnt below their fat, wax-filled cauldrons. They had to have been lit recently, but there was no one else in this cave but the five of them.

You talked to a dead monk, she reminded herself. Maybe Paiten lit the incense or maybe the magic of the shrine did it. As the monk said—metaphysical.

Leone cleared her throat. “Let’s go inside,” she said. She took several tentative steps into the darkness. Her friends shuffled across the threshold behind her. A soft breeze blew through the room, even though there was no outside entrance. It carried the soft scent of cherry blossoms with it.

A candle sparked to life. Then, several more followed. Soon, several hundred tiny candles glowed upon a tiered altar. It reminded Leone of the inside of Catholic churches where people lit candles to pray to saints, but all these candles were plain. Paper strips hung on a string over the main altar. Each was inked with cracked, faint writing. Nine of them fluttered like fingers beckoning her forth.

At its bulbous top, the staff hummed and emitted its own light. The wood grain became visible like blood vessels held under a microscope. With widening eyes, Leone stared at the staff, her gaze traveling its length and landing at its base. On the floor, in

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.