When Sparks Fly (Netherworld Series Book 3)

by Olivia Hutchinson

  He debated where to look next as he walked back to the manor house from the crypt. It was nearly impossible to wipe out the witches without bringing attention to himself, but so far he had been successful. The most powerful covens of Louisiana and Virginia were gone. Unfortunately, he couldn’t touch the most powerful coven in Massachusetts without the notice of the Netherworld council, but one day that would change. For now he needed somewhere else to search.

  He was running out of places to look as the majority of the witches had gone underground after the disappearance of so many of their sisters and brothers. They knew. They knew he was coming for them. He may be able to deny it to the rest of the Netherworld, but the witches always knew when another light was extinguished.

  He would call upon the Warriors of Locke in the morning and they could resume their endless searching. Until then he would crawl into his bed with the little solitary witch whom his warriors had delivered to him earlier that afternoon. He would use her to help ease the ache created by the now slaughtered witch’s luscious curves and red, pouting lips.

  When the trees rustled in a nonexistent breeze and that familiar sense of warmth slithered up the back of his neck, a slow smile unfurled beneath his hawk-like nose. This was turning into a good night indeed.

  The ripples in the atmosphere from the magic that was currently being created filled him with excitement as he walked through the brown blades of grass. Any magic that was created called out to him like a beacon in the cold night. And this particular beacon burned brighter than any he’d seen in a long, long time.

  The distance between himself and the Ultimate Power was growing shorter by the second, but it could wait for one more night. Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow the warriors would go hunting.

  1

  18 years ago

  The leaves had already turned their most brilliant shades of red and yellow, a sure sign the bitter cold of winter wasn’t too far away. Before long the frigid air would steal in through the cracks of the cabin walls and chill Maggie’s toes which would be nestled inside her favorite pink and purple striped socks.

  Every long weekend and holiday, Maggie and her father would steal into the wild mountains surrounding the small town of New Freedom. Her father could teach her everything she ever needed to know in those mountains. He taught her how to hunt and how to fend for herself. He taught her how to skin a moose and prepare the best bear meat stew in all of Maine. What could a fancy city school possibly show her that her father could not?

  Since her mother died when she was five, her father acted as both parents to her. He raised his precious little girl and showed her how to take care of herself.

  “You have to be independent, Maggie. You can’t rely on anyone to take care of you. Not me. Not anyone else. The only person you can count on is yourself,” he’d say to her after dinner before she’d curl up in front of the wood stove with her book. This week she was reading Animal Farm.

  “Animals prancing around, speaking as if they were human. Isn’t it funny, Daddy?”

  “There is more to it than that, sweetheart. Read between the lines, don’t just understand what the words say. It goes deeper. Much deeper.” That’s what she had been thinking about as she wandered through the woods on that brisk day.

  She loved it out there. The fresh air and the open spaces. How could anyone not love the tranquility of the woods? She’d get lost but she would always find her way back to the safety of the cabin. Back to her books.

  It was in the woods where her imagination was let free. It was in the woods where she felt like a fairy princess. She, the trees, and the animals around her were one. She was part of nature. If animals could talk, she could finally understand their secrets. They could whisper to her the secrets of the wild mountains and streams. The birds could speak to her of the trees and what it felt like to soar high above them. The bear could tell her of what he dreamed during his long winter sleep.

  She hopped over a fallen log and twirled in the sunlight that shone through a hole in the canopy of golden leaves. Giggling to herself, she whipped her thick long black hair over her shoulder and pushed her hands into her pockets. Kicking the fallen leaves, she hadn’t even known he was there – watching – until he spoke.

  “I never saw a girl your kind dance in the woods before.” His voice, cracking with the onset of puberty, made her jump.

  The boy was standing on a rock ledge only a few feet from her. He wore a light jacket, his arms wrapped around his thin waist. Dark brown hair fell into his eyes. They were the most remarkable shade of grey she’d ever seen. They matched the jutting rock he stood upon. He wasn’t much older than she was, but she’d never seen him before.

  The few times she ventured with her father into town she rarely saw any children. Just adults as old as her dad and some even older than that.

  “Where did you come from?” she asked him, wary.

  With one graceful leap, he stood on the ground in front of her. If she had tried to make that jump, she would’ve landed in a heap and probably sporting a broken bone to boot. He did it with ease and the confidence that came only with repeated practice.

  “You’re in my woods. I should ask where you came from,” he said with a frown. He stood a good foot taller than her and she had to crane her neck up to look at him. He didn’t appear angry at her intrusion, only intrigued. She didn’t fear him even though he was a stranger. Instead, his presence piqued her curiosity.

  “These aren’t your woods. Nobody owns them,” she said, tilting her chin to make her point and daring him to contradict her.

  “I own them.” He took a step toward her and she thought her neck would break.

  “You do not. No one can own the woods. Only the animals have rights.”

  “I am an animal.”

  He had yet to grow any fuzz on his face and she pegged him to be around the age of eleven or twelve. He didn’t look like any animal she’d ever seen before, even if he did claim to be one.

  “We are both animals then,” she said. He frowned at her, shaking his head as if her words were ludicrous.

  “You're no animal.”

  “I am as much an animal as you are. Have you never heard of Darwin? We are from a common...," she tried to remember what the word was, "a common ancestor. But I think you are more of a monkey than me.”

  He snorted. “Maybe. What’s your name? Or should I just call you Darwin?”

  “Call me whatever you like but I only answer to Maggie,” she snapped, stepped around him and continuing with her quest.

  “I’m Jonah.”

  “Like Jonah and the Whale?” she asked, not bothering to look behind her. His shoes crunched on the leaves as he followed her.

  She was on her way to explore a cave she had found only a few days before. This time she had come prepared with a flashlight that she had tucked away in the back pocket of her light brown corduroy pants. Before she had only been able to step inside a few feet before the darkness overwhelmed her and she was forced to retreat to the safety of the bright morning sunlight.

  “Huh?” When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw his face wrinkled in confusion.

  “Nevermind.” She trekked on and still, he followed. Torn between wanting to be alone because it was what she was accustomed to and relieved to finally have someone to explore the woods with, she said nothing to him.

  He wasn’t as content with the quiet as she was. “What are you doing way out here anyway?”

  “I’m going to a cave I found,” she said, ducking under a low branch.

  “No, I mean in New Freedom. Your kind doesn’t come out here.” Twigs snapped beneath his boots.

  “My daddy and I stay in the cabin sometimes, especially during hunting season. He says he’s going to teach me to use a bow next year.”

  “You’re the Alfieri girl.” He said it on a breath as if it were a revelation.

  She stopped short and spun around. Jonah took a hurried step back to keep from bumping into her.
She glared at him.

  “What’s it to you?” Had people been talking about her and her father? And if they had, what could they possibly have to say? They kept to themselves. They didn’t bother anyone. Why would anyone care if they were staying at their cabin? He stood erect and observed her.

  Her face burned once she realized Jonah was just as curious about her as she was about him. She felt as if she had been caught, although she had done nothing wrong. Butterflies beat against the inside of her stomach and she felt queasy and lightheaded.

  She didn’t know this boy and she shouldn’t care, but for some reason she wanted him to like her. She had no friends in New Freedom and even having just one would be a nice change.

  He shook his head and held his hands up in front of him. “No, no. It’s nothing.”

  Relaxing slightly, she took a deep breath.

  After a second he put his arms down and sighed. “So where is this cave anyway?” She turned, and this time walked next to him instead of in front him. Maybe they could be friends after all.

  “This way,” she said, pointing down a steep slope that began a few yards in front of them.

  “We can’t go down there.”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s No-Man’s-Land.”

  “Huh?” she asked, glancing up at him and waiting for an explanation.

  “We’re not supposed to go down there. My parents told me so,” he said, planting his feet.

  “I’ve been down there before, and nothing jumped out to get me.” Shaking his head, she wondered if he was going to stay there or come with her. Just when she had started to enjoy his company he seemed to be chickening out on her.

  “I don’t know about this…”

  “It’s fine. Look.” She ran in front of him and made her way down the slope, sliding on her butt a few times but reaching the bottom without so much as a scratch on her.

  “See?” she yelled up at him, blocking the sun from her eyes with her hand. She could see his resolve melt away and he followed her down the steep slope. He did it without falling as she had and was much quicker. He probably had plenty of experience playing in the woods, since he was a local.

  He stood next to her and looked around as if assessing for danger. Only when he determined there was none did he finally step forward. They made their way around the side of a sheer rock face until they finally reached the crack in the rock that was the entrance.

  “This is it?” he asked when they stopped.

  “Yes,” she said, pulling the small blue fairy flashlight out of her pocket.

  “I’ll go in first and let you know if it’s safe.” He took the flashlight from her and clicked it on. She waited while he squeezed through the crevice. Not waiting for him, she ducked through behind him and stood inside the small cave chamber.

  “Cool, huh?” she asked, coming up behind him. He was scanning the room with the dim light.

  “You didn’t wait.”

  “No. I’ve been here before, not you.”

  “But still…I’m the man. I should protect you.”

  “You’re not a man. You’re a boy and I can take care of myself.” With a laugh, she grasped his hand and pulled toward the next chamber as he grumbled to himself. It was as far as she had gone before without the aid of her flashlight, but now that she had the light and someone with her, nothing was stopping her.

  He let her lead him through one chamber after another. Deeper and deeper they went into the side of the cliff. She was careful to keep track of where they had come from, lest they get lost in the deep recesses of the earth without a way out. They wound their way through the stalagmites until Maggie was sure she heard running water not far off.

  “You hear that, Jonah? It sounds like a stream.”

  “Yes,” he said, excitement growing in his voice.

  He was enjoying it as she was. Up until that moment she hadn’t been sure. When they entered the next chamber, they saw it. The water reflected the light, making the clear blue appear to be sparkling with diamonds. Steam rose from the water, meeting the cool air of the cavern. Maggie dropped his hand and raced forward. Kneeling at the edge of the underground lake, she dipped her hands into the warm water.

  “Feel it, Jonah! It feels like a bath.” Laughing, she stood up and began peeling her jacket from her shoulders, followed by her pants. Jonah was bent by the water, feeling its welcoming warmth when she went racing past him. Dressed in only her underclothes, she jumped.

  “Cannonball!” she screamed as the water splashed up around her and she fell, cocooned in the heated depths. When she surfaced, she wiped her eyes and looked around for Jonah.

  He leaped from the side and into the water next to her. The water made a wave and it washed over her face. She was laughing when he came up for air and she immediately hit the water with her hands, showering his face with the spray she created. He was smiling as he splashed her back.

  When it was clear that he was winning, she went under the water and felt her way in the dark to his legs. Gripping his ankle, she pulled him under. When they both surfaced, she was giggling, and he had a broad smile on his face. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun in her entire life. Treading water, she splashed him again. When he grabbed her hand, the smile disappeared from his face and her own smile fell away.

  The kiss was innocent. It was the smallest peck on the lips, but it was her first. He pulled away fast, his grey eyes wide when he looked at her. Dropping her hand, he swam for the rock’s edge. She stayed in the water, watching him swim away from her, the smallest hint of a smile on her lips and her heart threatening to burst in her chest.

  Touching her fingers to her tingly mouth, she could barely suppress the laughter that welled up in her belly.

  “Liam! Boy, where you be hidin’?” The loud roar shook the rock walls. Whoever had yelled wasn’t too far off, perhaps only a chamber or two away.

  Terrified, Maggie trod water for only a second before she snapped out of it and made her way as quietly as she could to the rocks and to Jonah.

  “What are we going to do?” she whispered as low as she could. He switched off the flashlight and blackness enveloped them.

  “Shh. Let’s go,” he whispered in her ear.

  They climbed out of the pool and she went to where she thought she had dropped her clothes. Without any light to see by, she did the best that she could and finally found the pile she had left on top of a wide rock. Gathering it in her arms, she looked around for Jonah but couldn’t see anything, not even her hand in front of her own face.

  “Liam!” The man’s roar made her brain shake in her skull.

  “Jo-Jonah…?” she whispered, trying to find him in the darkness and praying that he hadn’t left her there with no light and no way to find her way out.

  “I’m here, uncle,” a boy called. It wasn’t Jonah, but he was close. Too close.

  She was temporarily blinded when a sudden flame erupted a few feet away. She shielded her eyes and felt Jonah come up to stand next to her. He was growling.

  “What are you doing here? You’re trespassing.” The first thing she noticed was the boy’s thick accent. It took her a second to adjust to what he was saying. He was perhaps a foot taller than Jonah, although both boys were close in age. His thick dark hair hung to his shoulders. He curled his lip, his focus solely on Jonah.

  “We’re leaving,” she said, pushing her shoulder against Jonah’s arm to nudge him toward the exit. All she wanted was to get out of there.

  “What have you found, boy?” A large man loomed in the space between two massive stalagmites. He was much taller than her father, his body extensive and broad. His grey hair was long and unruly, falling into his eyes. What should have been a kind face was marred with annoyance.

  “Trespassers,” the kid spat out. The old man came toward them, his booted feet striking the hard rock, the sound echoing off the cavern wall. Fear tightened Maggie’s throat and she was never as grateful as she was in that second for Jo
nah’s presence next to her.

  “You should know better than to come around here,” the man said as he stood next to his nephew, focusing on Jonah. The torchlight cast large, ominous shadows on the cavern wall. “You could disappear, and no one would know what happened to you.”

  Jonah’s chest puffed out. “Are you threatening me?”

  “You’re a rude little thing, aren’t you?” The man shook his head and clucked. “You should know better than to go traipsing around in places that are outside your territory, boy.”

  Jonah said nothing, and the old man glared at him, his blue eyes dark.

  “What are we going to do with them, uncle?” the boy asked, taking a step toward them. Maggie stepped back, but Jonah stood firm. His arm whipped out in front of her, acting as a barrier between her and the strangers.

  “They’re going to leave and they’re not going to come back here.” The man stepped forward, his huge hand reaching out and gripping Maggie’s upper arm before she could get away from him. She shrieked, trying to pull herself from his hold. His grip didn't hurt her, but he held fast.

  “Let go of her!” Jonah bellowed, throwing himself between them. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  Laughter erupted from the old man’s chest as he dropped her arm and took a step back. Maggie slunk behind Jonah, his larger frame acting as her shield. “Don’t worry, boy. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  The man’s laughter died, but the grin on his face remained. She realized he did have a kind face once he relaxed. “You need to leave. Go out the same way you came in and don’t come back. If I find you in here again, I won’t be as forgiving.”

  “We won’t come back,” Maggie said, staring at him over Jonah’s shoulder.

  “No, you won’t.” His gaze flicked between Jonah and herself. “Now go. Get out.”

  When Jonah grasped her forearm, she was overcome with relief. They left the strangers behind as they hurried from one cavern to the next, with Jonah tugging her along behind him. She could barely see where she was going, but he seemed to know the path and she trusted him to get them away. Finally, there was a blast of cold air, making her teeth chatter and then a little sliver of light that showed the way they had come in.