Last Witch Standing

chapter 22





The Present

Earth



Overhead, the thunder of airliners broke the stillness of the morning. Rachel looked out across the water. The turquoise ocean complemented the cerulean blue sky. This is as beautiful as Pangea.

Candice stood next to her as they waited for the shuttle that would take them to their hotel. “Have you ever been to Hawaii, Rachel?”

“No,” Rachel answered without averting her eyes from the scene. “This is beautiful. I can only imagine what it must have been like before man came.”

“I visited here for high school graduation. That was many years ago, I’m afraid. I can’t believe how little has changed in twenty years.”

“Maybe, someday, you could see our Pangea. It is unspoiled by pollution or noise.”

“What is it like?”

“Very similar to Africa. Not far from where Katie and I stayed, there’s a huge waterfall. Much like Victoria Falls in southern Africa. We have condors, though.”

“I would love to see it. The Kingdom of the Mountain Witches is very similar to Appalachia,” Candice said.

“Our worlds are connected,” Karen said. “Nearly everything you see on Earth can be found elsewhere in the Cosmos, with slight, local modifications.”

“Bears and mountain lions in the Mountain Witch Kingdom. Condors and gazelles on Pangea,” Rachel added.

“There are some Universes that are quite different. Ones without terra style planets and life forms entirely different than any seen on Earth or our worlds. I am a little surprised Katie did not take you to one, Rachel,” Karen said.

“She was going to, eventually, when I became skilled enough at storing energy without bleeding it off. I was to be her battery.”

“How considerate of her,” Candice said.

“She is not entirely selfish. She wanted me to see it for my own sake, as well as hers,” Rachel said.



***

“What better way to scout out the terrain than take a bike tour of the volcano?” Rachel held a steaming French fry in her hand. Candice, Jakob, Karen and Annalisse sat with her at the restaurant table. Behind them loomed Mount Kilauea.

“Why not? That’s a great idea.” Candice glanced at Karen and Jakob.

“We could certainly cover more ground that way. I don’t think we’ll have a difficult time finding a place for you to channel the Power, but some spots are likely to be better than others,” Karen said.

“Reconnaissance is always a good idea. You should have been a detective, Rachel.” Candice lifted her barbecue burger and took a big bite.

“So much power will draw the sorceress. Even if she has returned to Pangea, she will notice the spike,” Karen said.

Jakob glanced around the table at the empty lunch plates. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.” Candice dipped the last bite of burger into barbecue sauce and shoved it into her mouth.



***

Rachel bumped into a young man in the parking lot. “Oh, excuse me,” She said. He was dressed in khaki shorts and college t-shirt; strapped to his back was a pack with a sleeping bag secured under it. He struggled not to drop a telescope.

“It’s okay, my fault, I wasn’t looking,” he answered, barely looking up at Rachel as he fumbled with his gear. He regained control of his telescope and called out to one of his companions, “Wait, Kim!”

“Hurry up, Grady,” a young co-ed answered from the other side of the parking lot. She was dressed in blue shorts and the same college t-shirt as her friend and carried a pack as well.

“We are not going to be alone in this park,” Rachel observed as they walked towards the bike rental shop.

“I know. The queen has anticipated this. We have no choice, though,” Karen answered.

“What about a more isolated spot?” Rachel asked.

“We need Katie out in the open. She has too much of an advantage in wooded terrain. Also, Queen Annalisse believes this to be the most propitious place for our task,” Karen answered.

More students passed – many carrying packs and telescopes. Most had bedding rolled under their pack. Camping. They would be in the park at night, then.

The large number of hikers and other pedestrians stirred up small clouds of dust as they crossed the parking lot. Overhead, several birds flew. The air smelled fresh – nearly as clean as on Pangea, Rachel noted.

I must trust Annalisse. She would not lead us into a disaster.

The party reached the bike rental shop. Jakob was already there and had completed the paperwork and paid the deposit for their bicycles.

“The main crater is too obvious. I know Katie – she will sense it is a setup. During our time together, even before my death, she saw that I am circumspect. Such a bold, public, move on my part would be out of character for me.” Rachel held her bike by the handlebars as the party surveyed the scene. Mt. Kilauea towered in the distance.

“I trust your judgment on this,” Karen said.

“What about Kilauea Iki? It is less famous. Plus, we can approach from the forest. Queen Annalisse, can you fight from there?” Jakob asked.

“Yes, I believe so. Her confidence will be very high. She will not be concerned with being out in the open, even with me in cover.”

Jakob rented two-seated bikes and Karen and Candice shared one, Queen Annalisse and Rachel, the other. Jakob rode singly to scout the terrain ahead.

Rachel steadied the bike, prepared to use the Power to balance it. The queen’s feet did not reach the pedals. However, Rachel found the bike was perfectly balanced. Either Annalisse was channeling power so efficiently that Rachel, even next to her, could not detect it, or the witch weighed just enough to balance the cycle without adding to the pedaling load.