River Witches (eBook)

Chapter 1

The Pazzi Conspiracy

Genevieve Medici walked into the lavish parlor of her family’s multimillion-dollar manor at the Victorian Garden District of New Orleans. She had purchased the mansion in 1846 with seventy pure gold German ducats. Genevieve had never disclosed the vast wealth of her family to anyone except her daughter. The witches from Europe possessed astonishing supernatural powers, linked to their proximity to major rivers.

It was unusual for the Medicis to live in the Louisiana home before November, but Genevieve was becoming impatient for her daughter, Anna, and niece, Avery, to wed. She wanted more female offspring to train as witches. Numerous galas and social invitations had been arranged. Yet, on this early morning saunter into the foyer, Genevieve was intrigued by the lingering effects of a dream. Anna was already there, sipping a cup of coffee while watching a passerby stroll down St. Charles Street.

“Good morning, Anna.”

Anna looked up and smiled. “Hello, Mama.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“No, please.”

Genevieve sat down and faced Anna from across a small antique Renaissance pedestal table they had brought from Europe more than two hundred years earlier. Anna’s glance drifted slightly to again peer outside.

“I wanted to thank you for the delightful dream you sent me last night.”

A servant named Bailey arrived with coffee and muffins and quickly disappeared.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” Anna said, turning her attention back to her mother. “Did you say a dream that I sent you?”

“Yes, Anna. It was quite lovely. Seeing the Nile River, and then Rome and Florence again, was very uplifting. I enjoyed it very much.”

Anna frowned.

“I’m sorry, Mama, but I didn’t send you a dream. To tell you the truth, I have been inundated with disturbing visions of late, and they have disrupted my usual focus. I have been out of touch lately.”

Anna received visions and dreams of future events. They were not linked to her magical powers. The visions were always true and unfailing. Anna never doubted the stone cold truth of the revelations.

“Well, no matter. Maybe it was a real dream, then. In any event, it was refreshing.”

“Tell me about it.”

Genevieve smiled broadly. “Certainly. I was on a voyage up the Nile. The weather was lovely, and the birds were gliding over the blue-green waters, diving for fish near the surface. Palm trees lined the banks. It looked just like it did three hundred years ago. Then the dream transformed, and I was sitting on our terrace by the Arno at our palace in Florence. The flowers were in bloom, and I could smell the sweet fragrances. I felt my powers were as strong as they had ever been. I was with my Aunt, Queen Catherine of France. We were having lunch and drinking wine from our vineyards.”

“No, I did not send you that dream.”

Genevieve took another sip from her cup and gently returned it to the saucer.

“Have you any plans for the day?”

“Yes. Avery and I are going to a military dance later this month. We thought we would get fitted for something to wear.”

Genevieve grimaced. “I have planned many events for you and Avery this autumn. Am I to presume the event you are referring to involves that navy person you often talk about?”

“I do not often talk about Victor.” Anna bridled. “Not that you should be concerned. But, yes, it is a military Thanksgiving dinner and dance for him and others. Director Jones and his wife invited us. You are also included.”

“Oh,” Genevieve remarked icily, refraining from mentioning Anna and Avery’s previous marital disasters. She had nothing but scorn for men of the sea, and Victor Williams was a US Naval officer.

“Well, I’ve decided to go.”

“I beg your pardon, Mama?”

“Back to the Nile River, and then to visit the Tiber and the Arno.”

“What are you talking about, Mother?” Anna shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t permit it.”

“Well, you obviously don’t need me around here. You are making your own decisions about the future.”

Anna glared at her mother. “You want to go to Africa and Europe after all this time? You are delusional.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m just window dressing here. You two girls get to go out and socialize. I’m a sideshow. How do they say it? ‘Three are a crowd’?”

“You forget your place, Mama. We are a family here in America, and it is my family now. Not yours. There will be no more discussion of your leaving.”

“I don’t think you know what it is like to grow old.”

“So you are thinking you would like to leave us. Abandon us after you brought us here.”

“No. No, my sweet angel. Just a trip. A visit. One more time before I’m too old to travel.”

“But why, Mama? You love it here. Avery and I will be courted. I have had promising visions for us both. You might soon have bambinas to teach.”

“You did not send me the dream, Anna. Maybe I had it for a reason. Perhaps it is telling me it might be better if I left for a while to give you two some freedom.”

“You have asked us to find spouses. Avery and I will do so. You will train new witches, and I will preserve the power of the family. You must stay. I will not allow you to leave my shield of protection.”

Anna was the supreme leader, and if Anna forbade her, Genevieve could not go. However, she was certain she needed to return to the homeland and felt compelled to go. She was being pulled to the old rivers like a moth drawn to the light of the moon.

Mother and daughter sat at the table, neither speaking. Finally, Anna raised her eyes and spoke softly.

“You never told me why we left our palace in Florence.”

Genevieve nodded. “You deserve to know, and I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”

“So?”

“Power is adrenaline. It’s a constant, unremitting flood of pulsating energy. It will feed upon you if you let it. Only the most powerful can master and control the power, and we Medici women do it. Historically, the women of the House of Medici used our powers to dominate Europe. We controlled the world banks and the papal funds. We directed commerce worldwide. Religion was not essential to our pursuit of power, but we used our influence to manipulate the Vatican. Our men became popes. After centuries of supremacy, some of us perceived an alteration in our destiny. I saw it coming. So did Catherine and your grandmother. By the seventeenth century, the House of Medici was losing its bases of political power. We utilized our special powers, Anna. With our magical abilities, we significantly controlled the present and the future. We believed we were impregnable as long as we lived near a great river. We were wrong.”

Anna leaned forward.

“We refined our powers. Mere mortal men were not able to comprehend us. They refused to acknowledge our superiority. The state of world affairs languished. Our house had many enemies, but one family in particular had powers similar to ours. It also was led by women with magic. We had to take steps to protect ourselves before they defeated us. We had no choice, Anna.”

“What do you mean?”

“They murdered one of our male ancestors centuries ago in the Florence cathedral on Easter.” Genevieve’s eyes flared red. “They stabbed Giuliano nineteen times. It was an ancient family from Venice. Sea witches. They abhorred us. Before they could overthrow us, we trapped them. We eliminated all of the men. We nullified their source of power. We completely destroyed them.” Genevieve smiled triumphantly. “We killed or exiled all of the females.”

“Who were they?”

“The Pazzi family.”

Genevieve’s voice faded, softened.

“My Great Great Grandfather Lorenzo arranged for his daughter, Catherine, to marry the French king, Henry II. She and I handled all of the family affairs. Shortly before we came to America, Catherine had a strong premonition. Just as she predicted the Pazzi attack on our family in the fifteenth century, Catherine warned if we remained in Europe, we three would be murdered. She was convinced the attack was imminent. I believed her. I brought you and Avery to America with me.”

“After all of that, you still want permission to return there?”

“Centuries have passed, Anna. And, yes, I do yearn to return. Just for a short time. I am getting older, and Catherine is also near her end.”

“She is still alive?”

“Yes, I sense her life presence, but it is fading. If you allow me to go, I will try to locate her.”

Anna became quiet and returned her gaze out the front bay windows. The magnolias were...