Chapter 45: Chapter Eighteen: The Testament of Shana MacArthur

The baggage cart might not have been the most comfortable place to spend the several hour train ride, but it was the most private, and I had grown accustomed to it. While my infamy didn’t span too far into Haven, I had spent my life mostly in the first three circles, so sneaking and hiding aboard trains in the outer circles had become the norm. Not going to lie, I kinda preferred it that way. When I had actually bought tickets and rode with other passengers, it always felt like everyone knew I didn’t belong there. I’m a boxcar girl, that’s where I belonged. Fuck the cheese bags sitting comfortably in their satin lined seats, I didn’t belong cause I was better than them. At least, that’s what I told myself...

 I laid on top the softest cargo I could find, in this case it was some pricey looking furs I pulled from a crate, and tried to clear my mind. 

“Just how much of our lives have been spent like this?” I asked Gabby, staring at the ceiling.

“It truly feels like we live on trains, doesn’t it?” Gabby sighed, “though it’s been a while since we’ve had to hide, that’s a plus.”

“Think that twenty-thousand’s going to start sounding more appealing to people?” I mused.

“Even if it does, I’m with you no matter how tough things get,” my familiar reassured me. It wasn’t like she had a choice, still it made me smile. “Next time let’s try and take a train in a city you’re not wanted in,” Gabby laughed.

“Hey how am I supposed to keep track of little things like that,” I smirked. I sat up and stretched my arms, taking up as much room as I could in the cramped car.   

“Less than a day till we pass into the next circle,” Naomi nudged me, “you ready for whatever may be waiting for us?”

“It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I shrugged.

“You spring a lot of witches out of death row?”

“I mean, no, but I’ve ruffled the church’s feathers a few times,” I crossed my arms and leaned against a nearby crate.

“You know, you’re a bit of a myth among the witches in Los Keldos,” She told me, “honestly I didn’t even think you existed. Kinda like that Deadman Jack.”

“Oh yeah? Well I’m the real deal sister!” I struck a cocky pose and winked.

“Yeah real deal alright, and you’re just as daft as I’d thought you be.”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean?” I hissed.

“Sticking your neck out for me like that was pretty stupid,” she scoffed, “though I guess it’s this lady Kara that was givin you the orders.”

“Yeah, well maybe I’d have helped anyways, ever think of that?”

“Why?” her question was so direct, so fierce even...

“Well, I mean, why not right?” I honestly couldn’t formulate the right answer. I didn’t know. When did I start caring about other people so much? About Reli, and Josie, and Kara, and even this Naomi girl. About Dario and the others at the manor. Shit, when did the thought of losing them become such a big nightmare for me? I sat there thinking about it. Wondering what the hell was wrong with me, why had I become so soft? It was me and Gabby against the world! That’s how it had always been, and that’s exactly how it should have been...Right?

“Keep putting your life on the line for others, and you’ll lose it.” Naomi clicked her tongue, and slumped back on a sack of some sort.

“Maybe, it’s worth it,” I didn’t even realize the words coming out of my mouth till I said them.

“Sure if that’s what you think,” She twisted her lips, “don’t expect me to do the same. You get caught, and I don’t know you.”

“Oh geez, thanks,” I huffed, “So what the hell did you even do to get the special treatment?”

“Used my magic to make water, and gave it out for free,” she answered.

“That’s it?” I said in disbelief.

“What, you actually surprised that’s all it took to piss off the church officials?”

“No, I guess not,” I slumped down, holding my knees to my chest, “I’ve seen harsher punishments for lesser crimes.”

“It seems that is the case wherever you go in this world,” Naomi’s familiar said, “the church will continue to stretch its hand, till it covers all of Haven in its grasp.”

“It already has, and if you don’t think so then you clearly haven’t been around long,” I argued. 

“Except this brothel of yours,” Naomi scoffed, “I don’t get why a witch would get mixed up with shit like that.” 

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped.

“Selling women’s bodies is hardly what I would call a noble profession,” she crossed her arms as she spoke, “I’m still not convinced she aint going to sell us once the right buyer comes along.”

“You don’t know anything about Kara!” I shouted, “she doesn’t treat people like her property that she can profit from,” I stood, stamping my foot down, staring Naomi in the eyes, “the manor isn’t like that, it’s a family not a business.”

“And just how long have you known this witch for? The way you talk, makes it sound like you’ve been around for ages,” Naomi exchanged glares with me, “correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you just a lone desert hound till recently?”

I turned my back to Naomi, “maybe I’m tired of going it alone.” I pulled my hat to cover my face as I sat back down on a crate. 

“I’ll work this one job, I owe you that at least, but after that, I’m out of here,” Naomi said, “I’m not making the same mistake twice.” 

“Perhaps you should reconsider? We have been on our own for longer than I care to recall,” her familiar suggested. 

“I don’t need no one but you, just like any witch,” Naomi told her, “that’s not to say I’m not grateful for your foolish medlin that saved me,” she yelled to me. I simply waved my hand in response. “Hey, if you want my advice, don’t let anyone own you, be your own witch. Your own person, family or whorehouse or whatever you want to call it, don’t let them chain you down.” I did not respond. “Fine, don’t listen to me, what do I know right? I’m just the witch that almost got herself killed helpin ungrateful ingrates,” Naomi sighed.

For some time we remained silent, nothing but the ambient noise of the train to fill the air, till at last the tension was cut as Delun intruded into the car, “Trains a bit ahead of schedule, I suggest we prepare to hop off once we reach the city limits, unless you want a squad of inquisitors awaiting us when we arrive at the station.”

“Aren’t you gettin a little bit ahead of yourself?” I asked standing from my crate. 

“Hey, I just want to be safe, you know?” He said, looking around the car.

“Sounds a bit paranoid to me,” Naomi laughed, “sit down and breathe before you have a melt down.”

“Hey, I’m not paranoid, I’m experienced,” Delun snapped back, before jamming his knee against some luggage and cussing up a storm.

“Oh yeah, so what’s the deal with you and Josie, sounds like you had quite the history.” Naomi asked him, while we both tried not to laugh at his pain.

The man continued muttering curse words, before clearing his throat to respond, “Like he,”

“She!” I corrected him.

“Like she said, we were a part of a posse together. Me, Josiah,”

“Josie,” I corrected him yet again.

“Josie, my old lover and a couple others.”

“So then what happened?” Naomi asked, “seems to me you got some bad blood.”

“Nah nothing that dramatic, a robbery went sour, we lost a few friends, then the four of us went our separate ways.”

“Three?” I asked.

“Yeah Josie went on to work for lady Kara with her buddy Dario, as you know. I became a sheriff before being hired by the church as a bodyguard. And then my old lover went off and became a bounty hunter.”

Naomi laughed a little, “that’s why I don’t do family, can’t rely on no one but yourself.”

“What about Bara?” I asked.

“She knows where we stand.”

“Sounds like a cold way to speak of a lover,” Gabby spoke up.

“Who said anything about a lover? I’m not one for that stuff, we’re companions that’s all there is to it.”

“How awful!” Gabby said with almost as much shock as if she were the one being offended.

“That is our relationship,” Bara responded for herself, “there doesn’t need to be a sexual attraction to make us any more or less partners than the two of you.”

“Seriously, ain’t ya being a little judgey considering you haven’t done the deed either?” the witch laughed. 

“That’s none of your business!” Gabby said indignantly.

“And ours is none of yours,” Bara scolded her right back.

“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” she sounded deflated. 

“Yeah, as much as I love standing around and listening to these one sided conversations y’all have, I think I’m going to duck out.” Delun walked for the exit to the next car.

“Where you headed, church boy?” Naomi called.

“Dining car, you witches drive me to drink!” He waved his hands, then slipped out of the car.

“So what’s the deal with calling Josie a man?” She asked, “like is there some kind of inside joke I’m not aware of here?”

“It’s complicated,” and I wasn’t about to out Josie like that to her. So I left it at that. 

Things went quiet again, and eventually I found myself dozing off. I woke up in the middle of the night to hear Naomi crying in her sleep. She cried about a fire, and called out for someone named “Kiki” while sobbing uncontrollably. 

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked her familiar, who sat by her feet, watching over her. 

“She has the same nightmare every night,” she answered, “there’s nothing I can do to ease her of this pain.”

“Damn, that must be rough,” I certainly was no stranger to nightmares, and it sounded like we hated fire pretty much the same. “Do you know why she keeps having the same dream?”

“I believe she is reliving a traumatic event from her childhood,” Bara answered, and yeah I absolutely could relate to that, “I believe she lost her home. When we met, she was just a street urchin, with nowhere to go. She was lost, helpless, and so very afraid. I vowed to do everything I could to protect her from that day on.” Bara spoke while holding back sobs, “And then I failed her. I couldn’t protect her, and she almost died because of it.”

“Hey don’t blame yourself for that,” I felt almost like my words were being mirrored back at me from that day I watched Josie suffer. It wasn’t that long ago really, the pain of failing to protect someone was still fresh for me too. “She’s alive, and you guys are together again, that’s all that matters.”

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“But it isn’t,” she shook her head, her tears continuing to flow, “I owe you more than I could ever repay, Ms. Shana.” Oh geez, again with the ms. stuff. “I always thought I was the one keeping her safe, but I know that I would truly be lost without her.”

“Nah, you don’t owe me nothin,” I smirked, “just be there for eachother, and watch our backs too, that’s all I’m gonna ask.”

She smiled at me, then turned to her partner and ran her hand over her face, “I will be always. I will not waste this second chance you’ve brought us.”

Before I could say anything else, Delun came bursting into the car, the fear of a devil distorting his face.

“Yo, we at our stop already?” Naomi seemed to break from her nightmare, and jolted up her eyes still half closed.

“We need to get off this train now!” He said heaving me to my feet. 

“We should make for the caboose, easiest place to ditch from,” Naomi stood up and made her exit before anyone could respond. 

“Right, I’ll try and find Josiah and that girl,” Delun said.

“Josie” I cocked my head.

“Oh right, Josie,” he corrected himself, “a lot has changed since we used to rob banks together...” he began to mutter, while scratching at his arm.

I shook the stiffness from my body and headed towards the rear exit, “yeah you find them and tell them where to meet us,” Delun nodded and we went our separate ways.

“Bank robber, huh. Who would have thought pretty little Josie was hiding such a secret,” I mused.

“Either way it doesn’t change anything,” Gabby chirped, “she’s still the same Josie I would say.”

“Yeah guess so, I barely know her, but somehow the more I learn about her the less I feel I know,”  I said, crossing over into the next train car.

“I can almost say the same for you,” my familiar said.

“What’s that mean?” I whispered, as I walked past the other passengers. 

“I just think you’re growing, or perhaps it’s just wishful thinking,” she answered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I continued to speak in a hushed voice. 

“Maybe it’s just my imagination then.”

“Maybe,” we went through several more cars before I opened the door to the last passenger car, and passed into the caboose where Naomi sat on an unoccupied bench.

“Took you long enough,” she sassed, “the others behind you?”

“They should be here soon enough,” I answered, closing the door behind me. 

“Not much longer now, how big a welcome party do you think they’re going to have for us?”

“Hell if I should know,” I sat on a bench across from the other witch, “so where the hells the crew?”

“What crew?” Naomi cocked a brow.

“What do you mean what crew?” I waved my arms emphasizing our empty surroundings, “train crew, don’t they usually use the caboose as a sort of employee rest area?”

“Oh, let’s just say, they got to see the wastes up close and personal,” Naomi chuckled.

I looked at her with disbelief, though quickly shrugged and threw my head back, “guess I can’t blame you for that one,” the ride had gone so smoothly, it only made sense that was part of the reason we hadn’t been caught. 

Once more the two of us found ourselves sitting in silence together, waiting for someone to come and fill the space between us. I tapped my foot impatiently, my mind buzzing with all the terrible things that could be happening to my friends. The train was a decent size, but certainly not huge, Delun couldn’t possibly have gotten lost searching for them. Clicking my nails on the bench, I glanced back at the door repeatedly, time moving in slow motion as we sat. Finally something happened, though not what I had hoped.

Bursting through the door, Delun shouted in a panic, “Train, jump, now!” as he ran past us and sprung the door open.

“What’s going on pretty boy?” Naomi exclaimed, jumping from her seat.

“Inquisitor on the train, coming!” He said positioning himself onto the back panel of the speeding vessel. 

“Where’s the girls?” I leaped off the bench and ran forward.

“Jumped, we should too!” he gave no further explanation before vaulting off the train, rolling across the ground till his body became a distant sight.

“Shit, come on girl we need to go!” Naomi said, grabbing me by the wrist.

Just then the door slid open and a man called out, “Just how much of a fool do you take me for, Shana MacArthur?” It was a dreadful voice to hear, again.

I stood in shock, turning my face. I saw none other than Salem MacArthur looming in the doorway.

“How the hell?” Naomi said in shock, “didn’t we drug that bastard and?” 

“Just how stupid do you take me for, Shana MacArthur?” He repeated. 

“Honestly, I actually might give you too much credit,” I drew my revolver and aimed it at the inquisitor.

“Come on now, is that any way to greet your dear sweet uncle?” Salem chuckled, “haven’t we been over this already? The moment you stepped foot in that bar, I knew what was up!”

I cocked the hammer on my gun, “Did you know what was up when a shifter seduced you?”

“Shifter? She was a ma, a man...” He stammered, before correcting his tone, “I told you, I knew from the start, I’m always one step ahead of you kiddo.”

“Ignore him girl, we need to jump!” Naomi yelled over the roar of the train.

“By all means go ahead and jump, I won’t stop you.” Though I couldn’t see it, I knew he spoke with a devilish grin behind that ugly mask of his.

I kept my gun trained on Salem, my eyes fixed on his gaze. He had no weapon drawn, in fact he seemed to be completely unarmed, yet this brought me no comfort. Meanwhile the train kept speeding on, the city getting closer and closer.

“Damn it Shana,” Naomi grabbed me and pulled us out the train door, a bubble of water cushioning our bodies as we slammed against the paved earth. Though I dropped the revolver Josie gave me in the process.

Mere seconds later, I turned to see my dick of an uncle leap from the car we had just escaped. He landed with the poise and grace of a trained acrobat, demonstrating talent way too elegant for some simple man. Slowly he approached us, a cocky swagger in his steps, not menacing, but playful.

“Shana get up!” Gabby ushered me. 

I wrestled myself out of Naomi’s powerful grip and wrangled myself to my feet. My body felt agile, all the cramping had gone and I was ready to throw down. Drawing my silver revolver, I aimed it at my enemy, my eyes blazing with a fiery hatred, “not one step closer asshole!” I threatened. 

“Oh, are you going to shoot me?” Sarcasm in his voice, “I’m quite scared, how could I possibly defend myself against this scary ol’ witch?”

“Shut up!” I moved my second hand to the gun handle, steadying my shaking arm, “you really want to die, you spineless pig?”

He skipped two steps forward, waving his arms, “well come on princess, I’m wide open, take the shot,” he laughed. 

I gritted my teeth, and squeezed my finger over the trigger ever so slightly.

“I haven’t got all day!” He jeered, bouncing forward another couple of steps.

He began to leap once more, and I quickly aimed my gun down and shot the ground right before he landed. The wind bullet broke into the floor creating a sizable hole, which the cocky inquisitor’s foot got caught in, sending him tumbling.

“Clever bitch,” he cursed, not catching himself in time as his head came crashing down face first. 

“Naomi come on!” I grabbed the other witch’s hand and made a mad dash away from the disoriented inquisitor. Together we ran in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between us and him.

“The others shouldn’t be far, we just need to make it back into the city limits,” I said between frantic panting.

“Would have been closer if you jumped sooner,” Naomi retorted.

Looking back there was no sign of Salem, though that gave me no solace. I bound forward, as fast as my legs could take me, if we could regroup with our friends then just through sheer numbers even an inquisitor wouldn’t stand a chance.  

There they were in the distance, fleeing into the city! Though my initial relief was quickly replaced by dread as four more inquisitors pursued them.

“Shit, how the hell did they find us out here?” Naomi cursed. 

“We’ll worry about how later,” I said, drawing my revolver once more, “now we just need to figure out what we’re going to do about it!” I aimed my gun at the nearest inquisitor and prepared to fire a shot.

“I wouldn’t be so hasty if I were you,” Salem said as he approached from behind.

“How the hell does this guy keep catching up,” Naomi swung around, her fist raised in a defensive stance.  It was just then I noticed that she must have forgotten her rifle on the train, probably when she was busy getting me to jump. Shit, that’s my bad…

“What do you think you’ll accomplish here?” He laughed, “unarmed except for your ineffective magic, you going to punch me to death, little witch?” He mocked her.

“Come closer and find out” she growled back.

“Drop your weapon Shana, we both know it isn’t loaded,” he sighed.

“You so sure about that?” I said, turning my gun on him, “it’s been some time since we’ve last met, I’m a lot smarter now.”

He shrugged, “could have fooled me,” he took a step closer and reached for the gun. Pulling me in, he held the barrel to his helmet, “go on then, make my day.”

Clenching my jaw, I placed my finger on the trigger. 

“Cocky bastard,” Gabby said, “seems to be a family trait.”

“He’s no family,” I said, then pulled the trigger.

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