The Witches (Book #1)

𝔄 ℭ𝔯𝔬𝔴 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞 𝔑𝔬𝔬𝔰𝔢

Books and old transcripts of the Trials cover the table where Joohyuk and I sit. The reference room of the public library is as stuffy as ever, but at least it's private.

I gesture at the book I'm reading. "This says Changbin was prejudiced against Kangs for his unorthodox beliefs. As far as I can tell, Kang's hanging was the only one Changbin attended. I haven't read the trial transcript yet, though."

Joohyuk nods. "I remember Kang Junho. He had an unfortunate history with my fiancée's family. He owed them money. Although he eventually repaid it, my fiancée was well acquainted with gossip concerning him. When she twisted the gossip properly, she formed it into an allegation of witchcraft. He became pinned as the ringleader of the witches because he was a minister."

It must be strange for him to research all these people his fiancée accused. "I'm not sure how these things tie together. It's so tangled. But there has to be some sort of common thread we're missing."

"Indeed."

I play with the cap of my pen. "I'm just thinking out loud. But what have we learned from the things I've seen? My first dream had a crow and a noose. The second was Changbin's sermon about witchcraft and it had another noose. And my visions consisted of Kai being crushed and the girl hanging from a rope. The one time I actually called on Changbin, I saw Kang Junho hanging. Before he turned into Seulgi, that is."

Joohyuk and I are both silent, considering for the hundredth time how these events connect. "Riddles, metaphors, double meanings," I say. "Did you find anything on the crow woman Mrs. Oh said my grandmother used to dream about?"

"Nothing near the time of the Trials. But people were more superstitious then and would refrain from committing to paper anything that could attract a curse or black magic. It is possible I am not looking closely enough. I will search for more-recent diaries, from the eighteen hundreds. It may even be that the bird is wrong. Or that I am not considering the right metaphors for a bird."

Metaphors for a bird . . . flight, flying, feathers. Feathers carved into a windowsill. House in the woods. Woman-with-dead-birds story. "I missed something," I say, putting my pen down. "I think I blocked it out, honestly. It happened before I believed most of this stuff could be real. Remember that day I spent with Sehun, when you were waiting at my door? Did you see where I went that day?" Saying Sehun's name out loud creates a sharp pain in my chest.

"No. I was engaged in my own research."

The one time it would have been helpful to have him noticing me, he wasn't. "We were in the woods. We went to find a house that's hands-down the creepiest place I've ever been. It has a bedroom with walls covered in scribbled rantings from some lunatic. And the windowsill has feathers carved into it. Sehun told me a story at the time about an old woman who lived there and ate birds. It sounded so crazy that is disregarded it completely."

Joohyuk sits unnaturally still.

"And my name and dad's name were written on the wall. Our first names, anyway. I never thought those feathers could be related to the crow woman." I'm really frustrated with myself for not considering it.

He snaps the pencil he's holding and puts it on the table. How could I be such an idiot? I should have told him about those names from the beginning.

"Where is this house, Sooji?"

"I can draw you a map."

"Quickly."

I draw the streets and what I remember of the woods. "Sehun could see an old trail that led to the house, but I'm not positive of its angle. I'm pretty sure the place is haunted."