Copper Cauldron

By Terri Talley Venters

Copper Cauldron

Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of a doll--a Nürnberg, doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terri Talley Venters
• Release date: Jun 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370660346

Terri Talley Venters

Terri Talley Venters, Author of Carbon Copy, Tin Roof, Silver Lining, Luke’s Lithium, Copper Cauldron, Cobalt Cauldron, Calcium Cauldron, Chromium Cauldron, Zirconium Cauldron, Sulfur Springs, Europium Gem Mine, Noah’s Nickel, Manganese Magic, Platinum Princess, Plutonium Princess, Under The Magic, Iron Curtains, Body Of Gold & Elements Of Mystery Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives on The St. Johns River in Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons. For more information about Terri’s books, please visit her website  www.ElementsOfMystery.com. Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones, Bred In The Bone, The Closer The Bone & The Bonnie, Bonnie Bone. For more information about Leslie’s Cozy murder mysteries, please visit her website www.MakeOldBones.com

Book preview

Prologue

Can you tell me a bedtime story, Great-Grandma? Penelope asked.

The nine-year old girl looked at her great-grandmother whose eyes matched her own, one blue and one green. She lay in her pink bedroom on the second floor of the ancestral mansion located in the Garden District of New Orleans. Penelope, born in this house, represented the seventh generation of Manchester Witches to live here.

Of course, my dear. Which story would you like to hear? Or do I even need to ask? Violet said, smiling.

You know the one, my favorite, Penelope answered. She laid her small head down. Her long black hair spread across the pillow.

I love this story too. Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Penelope. Her beautiful long black hair hung to her tiny waist. Her pale skin gave her a beautiful, youthful complexion. She possessed the most unique and treasured eyes, one blue and one green. One day, she will meet her one true love, her soul mate, her destiny. He is a warrior of God, with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own, Violet said.

Thank you, Great-Grandma. When are Mommy and Daddy coming home? Penelope asked.

Your parents are busy fighting bad people. I hope they’ll be home very soon.

Why didn’t Grandma Beatrice go with them this time? Penelope asked.

Beatrice wanted to stay behind and keep an eye on us, Violet replied.

Why do we have to keep our powers a secret? Penelope asked.

Because it scares people, Violet said.

Am I really the youngest Manchester Witch to receive her powers? Penelope asked.

Yes, you are. You will be a very powerful and very good witch. It is part of your destiny. Your true love will be very powerful, too. But your children will be even more powerful than you, Violet explained.

When can we go see another Church of St. Michael? Penelope asked. She looked over at the wall behind her great-grandmother. She stared at the painting of St. Michael the Archangel, her family’s patron saint.

We just went to the one in Charleston. How many St. Michael’s churches do you want to visit? Violet asked.

I want to go to all of them.

What is your infatuation with St. Michael the Archangel? Violet asked.

He’s the one I’m going to marry. He is my destiny, Penelope said, smiling as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter One

20 years later

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil, May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." Penelope recited the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. She knelt in front of the altar at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Germany, and marveled at the ornate beauty of the church, one of the grandest she’d seen so far.

Penelope loved her tradition of traveling the world in an effort to meet her goal of seeing every single St. Michael’s church. She’d seen nearly half of them in her 29 years. This trip to Germany and Austria marked her completion of two continents - North America and Europe.

She loved to allocate an entire day to each one. She always began with the prayer to St. Michael. Then she would stare in awe at the beauty of each church, taking pictures of every nook and cranny, buying every book and postcard in the gift shop, and ending with another prayer to her beloved St. Michael the Archangel.

As Penelope knelt at the altar, memories of her great-grandmother, Violet, swam through her mind. She wished her nearly one-hundred-year-old ancestor could have made the trip with her. Although they began the tradition together, Penelope would have to finish on her own as her life-long obsession with the Manchester family’s patron saint continued.

She rose up and traversed the marble floors of the long aisle. As she arrived at the back of the church, she turned for one last look at the beautiful altar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a beautiful young man. He looked about her age, with golden curly hair and an angelic face. The man disappeared into the side chapel.

Penelope looked to her right at the enormous portrait of St Michael. She stared at his face, awestruck at his beauty. She thought of the man she’d just seen a moment ago. The familiarity struck her. She raised her hand to her heart. No, it couldn’t be.

She walked towards the side chapel in search of her mystery man. Her eyes frantically searched, but disappointment washed through her at the sight of the empty chapel.

"We’re now closed, Fraulein," a priest said.

"Es tut mir leid," she replied, ashamed that she even needed to apologize.

She exited the church onto the Marian Platz in old Munich. She walked past the Glockenspiel and wished she’d been there in time to see it perform.

So how was it? Cat, short for Katrin, asked.

Wonderful, the most beautiful of all the churches I’ve seen, Penelope answered, looking into a pair of identical eyes.

Cat Manchester, of the Scottish Manchesters, accompanied Penelope on her trip to Germany and Austria. Cat and Penelope made a striking traveling duo. They looked identical, except for Cat’s platinum-blond locks, which sharply contrasted with Penelope’s black ones.

You say that about all of them, Cat lectured.

How was your day? Did you find everything? Penelope asked.

I’ll tell you all about it over a beer, Cat said, grabbing Penelope’s arm and leading her down the pedestrian area of Munich’s city center.

The pair strolled along the cobblestone streets and arrived at the Hofbräuhaus. They stopped at the entrance and took pictures of one another under the sign like good tourists.

Would you like me to take one of you two together? a young American tourist offered.

"Bitte," Cat said, handing the cute young man her camera.

The contrasting pair stood close with their arms around one another. They smiled and posed for the picture.

Great picture, you’re both very beautiful, the young man flirted.

Thank you. Penelope blushed.

Would you like to join us for a beer? Cat asked.

Sure. He looked at the pair of women quizzically. His eyes darted back and forth. Whoa, look at your eyes. You both have one blue and one green eye. You two are freaks! He turned around, shaking his head as he walked briskly away from Cat and Penelope.

I know what you’re going to do, Penelope. Cat grinned, referring to her own special power of foresight.

Penelope smiled wickedly as she spotted several pigeons perched on a nearby ledge. She wiggled her fingers and her mind commanded the pigeons to fly in unison above the fleeing American’s head. Although she only needed her mind to control creatures, she enjoyed wiggling her fingers as she cast the spell. She wiggled her fingers again, and the pigeons simultaneously pooped all over the freaked out man.

Ahhh, yuk, he exclaimed.

Penelope laughed hysterically and turned to Cat for approval.

Good one, but I thought we were only supposed to use our powers for good, Cat chided gently.

Oh, you have no idea how ‘good’ that felt. You really foresaw the pigeon poop? she asked as they walked into the Hofbräuhaus.

"Yes, I did. But my foresight shows only a few moments into the future. Except