The Witch Hunter Chronicles: Hunted

“Do you think he’s had dinner yet?” Mrs. Lin asked. “Should I warm him a plate?”

“When I called him at the office, he said he’d eat something on the way,” I lied. “He’d probably like some cake though.”

Merlin’s face was an unhealthy shade of red when I left the room. At the front door, I peeked through the peephole and saw dad’s smiling face staring back at me. We have the same brown hair and fair skin, though somehow the Irish freckles skipped his generation. I opened the door, relieved to see the cat carrier in one hand and my suitcase in the other.

“You ok, my sweet and sour girl?” he asked. It used to be just sweet, but that was false advertising.

I stepped out and closed the door behind me. It was sunset, and the sky was a mix of pink and blue. The sweltering heat of midday had given way to a moderately warm evening.

I’m a reincarnated king, Merlin the Magician in in Mrs. Lin’s kitchen eating cake, and an Instagram influencer turned into a tiger and tried to eat me.

I frowned and shrugged.

“You look like you need a hug.”

“Nope,” I lied, “but I suppose you can kiss my forehead.”

“Oh, how gracious of you,” he answered. “You’re too good to me.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He put down Ben’s cage and the suitcase and kissed my forehead, then pulled me in for a hug. I guess wasn’t horrible.

“So, Merlin’s here?” my father asked.

“Huh? Oh, well an old guy who says he’s Merlin. He can do magic and saved us from a witch, so,” I shrugged and sighed. “Probably?”

He let go and I bent down to check on Ben.

“How’s my little Bennie-Boo?” I asked, in baby-voice that I’d never do in front of anyone but dad and Jordan. Ben answered through the thin bars of the cage with a series of sad little kitty meows.

“You missed me, didn’t you buddy?” I asked. He mewed again, longer and more melodramatically.

“He just wants dinner,” dad said.

He had a valid point. Fat boy was always hungry.

“You’re hungry and you missed me,” I amended.

“I hoped I would never see that cantankerous old goat ever again,” he replied. “It would have meant that you were safe. Plus, he’s insufferable.”

“Is all this King Arthur stuff really true?” I asked.

“Whether or not it is true, Merlin believes it is – and those witches certainly do as well,” Dad said.

“You knew about the witches too?” I asked.

“Unfortunately,” he replied. “Why do you think I forced you to take all those Judo and Karate classes?”

“Because of teenaged boys,” I replied.

“Okay, there were two reasons,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“But you can’t keep secrets,” I said. “Like, comically so. You have no impulse control. When was the last birthday or Christmas present that I didn’t know about months in advance?”

“We can get into that later,” he said, picking up the suitcase. “We better go in before old spinach chin starts to wonder if we skipped town.”

As Dad reached for the door, I said, “Mrs. Lin served meatloaf tonight.” His hand froze inched from the knob. “And there were leftovers.” He instinctively took a step back. I smiled and said, “Mrs. Lin served Merlin seconds.”

“Ha!” Dad replied. “I wish I could have seen that. It would have almost been worth eating Betty’s food.” He paused for a moment before adding, “No, that’s not true at all.”

“I told her that you ate something on the drive over,” I added.

“Thanks, I owe you,” he replied.

Everyone was halfway through their cake when we arrived – except Jordan, who just had a lonely glass of milk in front of him. Merlin had proof of his treat stuck in his beard. He used a napkin in a futile attempt to wipe chocolate frosting from the whiskers.

Could that rats nest ever be classified as clean? How he can he stand having to all that hair stuck to his face?

“Aedan, how good to see you,” Merlin said, once his beard was cleaner. It was as if Merlin’s face wasn’t told that it was supposed to look happy.

“Aedan,” Mrs. Lin said, her face breaking into an easy smile. “I didn’t know you’d be stopping by.”

“Hi Betty,” Dad answered. “Sorry to intrude, but it looks like Mackenzie and I will be going on a last-minute trip.”

“You’re going too?” Merlin and I said in unison.

“Yep.” Dad glanced from Merlin to me, and the look in his eyes had that air of parental authority I generally didn’t care for. I didn’t mind so much in this moment though.

“Someplace nice I hope?” When no one ventured an answer, Betty added, “Would you like some dinner before you go?”

“No, but thanks for the offer.” Dad patted his stomach theatrically and added, “On Kenzie’s work nights I order myself a pizza from Steve’s, and tonight I ate way too much.”

“Betty,” Merlin said. “Why don’t you get Aedan a nice cup of tea to help him stay awake.”

Betty sat bolt upright, like someone gave her a sharp pinch on her backside. Then she smiled and said, “How about a nice cup of tea for the road, Aedan? To help you stay awake.”

“That would be great, Betty,” dad answered uncertainly.

As she rose from the table, she asked, “Do you still take milk and honey?” My dad smiled and nodded.

“Steff,” Merlin said, and Steff sat up strait like a trained dog waiting for is treat. “Perhaps you could carry the cream and sugar.”

“What just happened?” Jordan asked, as Steff and Betty left the room.

“You better not try that with me old man,” my dad said angrily.

“Let’s hope that I don’t have to,” Merlin replied.

Dad’s stoplight-red cheeks were my cue to step in. Irish people are either happily drunk or about to be arrested for assault when their faces go that shade.

“Merlin,” I said calmly. “I asked Dad to come along with us. He’s hopeless without me, and honestly, I’d fear for his safety if I had to leave him home alone.”

Dad smiled in spite of himself. Merlin’s lips became a thin line as his eyes moved between the two of us.

“Aedan, you remind me so very much of Sir Kay,” Merlin said with a shake of his head. “Oh, very well. I suppose it would be better if you came along too. The witches know who you are, and it’s quite possible that they would use you to get to Arthur.”

“It’s Mackenzie,” I said.

Dad chuckled and plopped down in the chair next to me, while Merlin waved a hand dismissively at my comment before knocking down the rest of his tea.

“What about my family?” Jordan asked.

“I’ve been giving your situation some more thought,” Merlin said, and he began to pull on his chin-spinach again. “Your soul has never been part of the cycle. It’s quite possible that the coven doesn’t know that you even exist.”

“They’ve probably never heard of Sir Bedivere either,” I added, in an attempt to lighten the mood. The glares I got from both Jordan and Merlin told me I hadn’t.

“Who exactly is Sir Bedivere?” Dad asked.

“That’s my point exactly,” I replied.

“Mackenzie…” Dad said.

I sighed. “Apparently Jordan is the reincarnation of my best friend from Camelot.”

“Wasn’t that Lancelot?” Dad asked.

“No, he was a frenemy according to Merlin,” I replied.

Merlin cleared his throat. For some reason he looked irritated. “As I was saying, the odds of the witches learning of your heritage and deciding to bother your family are quite long.”

Jordan nodded and sipped his milk.

Mrs. Lin and Steff returned with tea and fixings.

“Thanks Betty,” dad replied, staring quizzically at the tea. He drank coffee by the gallon, but I’d never seen him drink tea.

“Mom?” Jordan said. “Kenzie and I are going to go touring some colleges down south for a few weeks with Aedan and Mr. Ambrose.” He grinned and added, “With Kenzie’s GPA, they won’t let her set foot on campus without me.”

Mrs. Lin’s eyes narrowed, and she frowned. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier Jordan? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this arrangement young man.”

“Mrs. Lin,” Merlin said as he adjusted his spectacles. “Mackenzie and Jordan will be touring some of the finer west coast institutions of higher learning with myself and Mr. Flynn for the next few weeks. It will be a fabulous opportunity for young Jordan, and hopefully the experience will give him something to strive for in his remaining high school semesters.”

Mrs. Lin sat up straight again, and her frown transformed into an exuberant smile. “Jordan, this seems like a wonderful opportunity for you. Have you packed? No of course you haven’t,” Mrs. Lin said, already knowing the answer. “Go pack your suitcase while I whip you up some snacks for the road.”