by L. C. Mawson
Nightingale glared at the man who held her. “Let her go.”
My cousin moved faster than I could see.
But not fast enough.
“Stop,” the attacker growled.
I strained to see once more, but all I saw this time was red.
Blood.
Nightingale stopped dead in her tracks, and all I had to judge the extent of my mum’s injury was her reaction.
But I couldn’t parse her wide-eyed stare and my stomach twisted with the thought of how bad it might be, my breath refusing to come in anything but short, sharp spurts.
He’d had the knife at her throat, if he’d cut her...
I struggled against whatever was holding me, but it was no use.
I remained frozen.
“Come any closer, and I will kill her. Then him.”
My stomach lurched. She wasn’t dead.
Not yet.
But that didn’t do anything to calm my racing heart.
Nightingale didn’t move.
“Now,” the first figure said, “hand over the little Witch, and we’ll let the Humans live.”
It took me a moment too long to realise who the ‘little Witch’ he was referring to was.
But he was looking right at me.
Nightingale immediately moved to my side as my auntie pointed her glowing stick at him.
“Never,” she growled.
“You cannot protect her alone.”
“You underestimate my friends if you think I’m still alone.”
A sword burst through his chest, cutting off any response he might have had.
I stared, my mind taking a moment to catch up with the sight before me as he collapsed to the ground, revealing a woman with a long golden ponytail and crimson eyes holding the sword.
“You know, it ruins the surprise if you tell them that we’re here,” she said to Auntie Jess.
But before my auntie could answer, a voice cried out from next to me.
“Caroline! Quick, my healing spell isn’t working.”
I strained as best I could to see a woman with short, dark hair and dark brown skin holding my mother, a glowing stick just like my auntie’s in-hand.
The golden-haired woman – Caroline – rushed over with a frown. “Shit. Something’s clinging to her, but I can’t identify it. We need to get her to Sarah.”
Chapter Two
I barely registered what happened next. It was all a blur, and then I was in a hospital waiting room, able to move again.
I wasn’t even sure how I’d gotten there. One moment, I’d been in the car park, and then I was in the waiting room.
Dad sat in a chair in the corner. I wanted to sit next to him, but I was too restless, and I knew that if I sat down, I wouldn’t sit still.
Being on my feet seemed less annoying.
I wanted to ask him what was going on – what was happening with Mum, and what had happened in the car park – but I wasn’t sure that he would be able to answer.
Maybe Auntie Jess could, but she wasn’t with us.
She’d disappeared along with everyone else when we’d arrived.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d been waiting, but it was long enough for me to be at the point of almost pulling my hair out when Auntie Jess finally returned.
“You can go through and see her now,” she said, and Dad bolted from his chair, both of us hurrying after Auntie Jess as she led us through to the otherwise empty ward where Mum was.
The lights were dark compared to the rest of the hospital, and I briefly wondered what time it must be before I stepped forward, close enough to see my mum.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t to find her unconscious, her skin a sickly pale grey.
“How is she?” Dad asked as he moved to Mum’s side.
I stayed where I was, a few feet away.
Would she even want me close after...?
Tears pricked in my eyes and my throat burned.
Auntie Jess grimaced. “She’s stable. There’s not much more we can say. We have no idea what he did to her...” She moved over to her brother, her hand going to his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
He jerked away, glaring at her. “Don’t. Don’t, Jess. If you try to take my memories again, I’ll never forgive you. It never sticks anyway, and I can’t lose another daughter. Not like last time.”
I frowned. Another daughter? What was he talking about? I was an only child.
Pain shot through my skull once more, but I ignored the fire coursing through my brain, gritting my teeth to keep my focus.
A headache was the least of my worries right now.
Auntie Jess’ eyes shone with tears as she struggled to meet her brother’s gaze. “I’m so sorry, Ryan. I had no idea that you remembered.”
Dad looked down at Mum, taking her hand in his. “Yeah, well, I guess not everything skipped me.” He then looked over at me, and I shuddered at the pain in his gaze.
What could possibly have him looking at me like that?
“Amy’s like you, isn’t she?” he asked, the words clearly meant for my auntie, though he kept his gaze on me. “That’s why you were so insistent on her going away to that school. It’s for people like you.”
“Yes, she is. And yes, Ember Academy is a school for young Witches.”
I almost gasped in agony as pain tore through my head, far more intense than before, as I struggled to reconcile the words my auntie was saying with reality.
Yes, the man who’d attacked us had called me a Witch, but...
They couldn’t be talking about real magic, right?
I knew that my auntie dabbled in Wicca/Pagan-esque practices, but I always thought that it was just one of her quirks.
Until I had been frozen solid, unable to move, while men with glowing red eyes had attacked me and my family.
My auntie continued as if nothing strange had been said. “I thought Amy might come into her magic in the next year, and I thought it would be the best place for her. No need for the pain of last time. But I guess I should have acted faster...”
I had already figured out that she was talking about magic, but there was something about her saying it that made it tangible.
Real.
That I was going to have magic like her.
That thought should have freaked me out.
I knew that the rational thing would be to reject the idea out of hand.
But I couldn’t.
Something deep inside of me refused to reject this new knowledge, accepting it without question.
As if part of me had always known.
Or maybe my rational thoughts just weren’t processing my underlying disbelief, which might explain why I felt as if needles were stabbing through my eyes.
The door opened, and I was glad for the relief of a doctor stepping through and distracting me from these thoughts.
Returning to some sense of normalcy.
Or as normal as anything could be when my mum was still lying there, not moving.
I frowned as the doctor approached my mum’s bedside. She looked vaguely familiar. She was tall and thin with dark, black skin, her hair tied back in braids, and large glasses over her dark eyes. But as I tried to place her, my headache grew stronger, causing my vision to swim.
I averted my eyes, and the headache abated, though I suspected that it would only be for a short time.
It had never been this bad before...
“Are you Mr Bennett?” she asked Dad, and he nodded. “I’m your wife’s doctor. The good news is that she’s stable for now, and we’ve got no reason to think that will change. Unfortunately, we’re not sure what’s wrong with her, and until we’re sure, we can’t treat her.”
Dad turned to Auntie Jess. “Isn’t that something you can help with?”
She shook her head. “We brought Margaret here because of Sarah.” She nodded to the doctor. “She’s a Witch like me, and one of the best healers around. If she says that there’s nothing we can
do, there’s really nothing. Not until we figure out what kind of magic this is, but if it’s a curse, it’s unlike any I’ve ever seen. The only information we have is that the curse was probably transferred through the knife that cut her, but even that’s not certain, and we haven’t been able to find the weapon. It’s as if it disappeared.”
Sarah frowned at Jess. “There’s no point in telling him this now. He won’t remember-”
“I’m not taking his memories, Sarah. Screw the secrecy rules. He may not be able to carry a wand, but spells never stick to my brother. All that ends up happening is that he remembers and has no explanation for what happened.”
“Oh,” Sarah said, her voice suddenly soft and understanding. She turned to Dad. “So, you remember the last time Demons attacked you?”
He looked her over. “I knew I recognised you. You worked at the coffee shop with...” He trailed off and Sarah nodded.
“Yes, I did. And we can talk about that later, if you want. For now, my worry is for your wife and daughter. As I said, Margaret is safe for now, but until we can figure out how she was cursed, we can’t figure out how to lift it. And if they were after Amy, then I fear for her safety.”
The door opened once more and Caroline stepped through, along with the other woman who had been with her during the attack. “Apologies for interrupting, but it sounded like you were talking about something we could help with.”
The woman next to her gave them a small smile. “I apologise for my wife. She has a tendency to get straight to business. I’m Mina, and this is Caroline. We’re friends of Jess’.”
As she’d said that Caroline had a tendency to get straight to business, Caroline had frowned, but then Mina had put her hand on her arm, in an unambiguously intimate move.
It was simple, but I found myself unable to look away from the sight.
I knew that women married other women. Of course, I was aware of it. But it had always been hypothetical. Like American food chains or Disneyland.
I believed that it existed, and I was familiar with it from TV, but seeing it in person was something different.
Like it made it real in a way that it hadn’t been before.
They were older, married, and they seemed happy. Though that was a snap-judgement after two moments of seeing them together...
I was pulled from my thoughts – which had jumped away from the conversation in a way that had me cursing my decision not to take my medication before coming out – by Mina turning to me.
“Your aunt says that you’re new to all this.”
I nodded, too surprised by her addressing me to figure out an answer. I didn’t think anyone had spoken to me since I’d come into the room.
“I know it’s not easy, and you’re probably overwhelmed right now, but you’ll be okay. Trust me, it takes some getting used to, but you will get used to it.”
I nodded, but my thoughts remained with my mum.
Sarah had said that she wouldn’t get better until they figured out how she was cursed. And she’d only been cursed because of me.
How could I ever get used to that?
Jess turned to Caroline, bringing the conversation back. “Do you have any idea who attacked us?”
Caroline sighed. “Yes. And I doubt you’re going to like it. Tell me, what do you know of Maria Brown?”
Jess frowned. “Just the basics. She invented about half a dozen strains of spellcraft still in use today, but she had no respect for the balance. Other Witches tried to reason with her and her followers, but they couldn’t, and then an Angel was forced to step in. They entombed her and her entire coven under a thousand spells to keep them from continuing their work. But that was hundreds of years ago.”
“It was, but the tomb is now empty. We don’t know when she got out – it could have been weeks ago, or it could have been years – but what little trail there is leads to Lord Uther’s old hideouts. We think she might be looking to continue his work. Which might be why she went after Amelia. According to the history books, she always had an interest in unusual magic, especially from Angels, and if she’s looking for examples of that...” She gave me a significant look that I couldn’t decipher.
“Amelia?” I blurted out, my mind sticking on her use of my full name.
Caroline frowned and Mina softly nudged her. “I don’t think she uses her full name yet.” She turned to me. “Sorry, it’s one of the hazards of being married to an Oracle. We’ve gotten used to referring to you as ‘Amelia’.”
I was so utterly lost by that statement that I just nodded, unable to think of another response beyond asking everyone to stop and explain everything from the top. Slowly.
“Regardless,” Caroline continued, “it’s not safe for her here, even with the Guardians watching her around the clock. We weren’t quick enough today.” She glanced over to my mother. “I think it’s time to contact the Underworld. She’ll be safe there.”
Jess shook her head. “Only if she declared herself a Dark Witch. No, she’s too young. She hasn’t even come into her magic yet, she has no idea if she’ll pull more from Dark or Light. No, Gail can protect her at Ember Academy.”
Caroline frowned for a moment, but then nodded. “She’d be safer in the Underworld, but you’re right. That safety would come with a price. And at Ember, she’ll be around other Witches.”
Jess finally turned to address me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you home and packed.”
I was too exhausted to do anything but nod.
Chapter Three
Thankfully, by ‘home and packed’, Auntie Jess meant ‘you get some sleep and I’ll pack up your things’.
I wasn’t sure if that had been her original intent, but I think she started to notice how I was swaying on my feet, barely able to keep my eyes open.
Dad stayed at the hospital with Mum, so it was just me and my auntie.
“Go on, get some rest,” she said, nodding to my bed as we entered my room. “I’ll try to be quiet as I pack up your things.”
“All of my things?” I asked as I kicked off my boots and pulled my bra out from under my shirt, before getting into bed in my shirt and jeans.
“I’ll take all of your clothes, so you’re not left without choice on the weekends, though there is a uniform through the week. And then I’ll bring your make-up, tablet, medication and laptop, along with chargers, headphones, and other bits. If you’ve got your phone and purse in your handbag, that should cover everything you’ll need. Unless you can think of anything else.”
My hand reached under my covers and found the old, worn toy rabbit that I’d had since I was a child. Mr Fluffy. It seemed silly to ask to pack him – I was sixteen, and I doubted the other kids at Ember would be kind about me still having a soft toy – but still, I clutched him to my chest, feeling a little better for his presence.
To my surprise, Auntie Jess made her way over, smiling and leaning over to gently stroke where the rabbit’s ears popped out from the top of the covers.
“I’m surprised my charm lasted this long.”
“Charm?” I asked, my voice a little muffled from my cheek being pressed into my pillow.
“I spelled the rabbit with a soothing charm when you were little. Though, I doubted it would have lasted this long with just my magic. Maybe your sister-” She cut herself off, as if realising what she had just said.
I frowned. “What sister? Dad said before that he couldn’t lose ‘another’ daughter. What did he mean? Does it have something to do with why we were attacked tonight? They were after me, weren’t they?” As I spoke, another headache formed, the burning behind my eyes getting worse with each word that left my lips. But I couldn’t stop. Not until I had answers.
Auntie Jess sighed. “How’s your head?”
My frown deepened at the random question. “Killing. Why?”
“Because your father wasn’t the only one who had his memories tampered with.”
“Then untamper them.” My words had
a little more bite than intended but I couldn’t bring myself to care. “If you took the memories, then surely you can give them back. Dad got his back.”
“I wasn’t the one to take your memories, Amy. And ‘taken’ isn’t really what happened, anyway. A block was placed on both your memories and your magic. The former was intentional, but the latter... Well, intentional or not, it gave you longer than most to have a normal childhood.
“Regardless, I don’t think I need to remove the block. You’ve been fighting it for the past few months, which is why I moved back here and why you’ve been getting the headaches. And why I’ve been pushing you to go to Ember. Gail knows more about this kind of magic than me, so she can take a look in the morning and see if she can help.”
I nodded, holding Mr Fluffy tighter. “You didn’t answer any of my questions.”
“No, I didn’t. I think answering them will weaken the block further, and I don’t want to risk that until Gail has had a chance to have a look.”
I nodded, having to admit that I didn’t want her to mess with something in my head until we were sure it was safe, despite my need to understand.
Despite the fact that people kept referring to a sister that I couldn’t remember.
Who was she? Where was she now? Did she have magic like me?
Even just thinking the questions caused my vision to swim with pain.
Right. The more I pushed the block on my memories, the worse the headaches would get.
Still, there was one question I couldn’t let go.
“But those attackers, they were there for me, weren’t they?”
Auntie Jess nodded. “The rogue Demons. The Demon Queen has tried to bring as many as possible back under the law, but many followed a Demon Lord – Lord Uther – who tried to lead a coup against her. There are still those who refuse to renounce Lord Uther’s cause, and they go around causing trouble. If Maria Brown has escaped and joined up with them... Then yes, you’ll be in danger.”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you that without weakening the block. But no one must know, Amy. You can’t say anything. Not even to Gail.”
“I don’t know anything to say.”
