“I am a woman with driven needs, High Witch. In the end, I always get what I want. Always.”
“No matter the cost?”
“The costs matter very little to me. It’s the objective which remains important.”
“That’s part a famous quote from a former American general during the Great War. Todd Bering.” Ashley pointed out then. “ ‘It matters not the cost or how many are sacrificed, so long as the mission objectives are met and peace for all mankind is secured.’
“The man died at Bunker Hill defending that ridge. Him and his entire army—wiped out by a force of vigilante magical kinsfolk who took things into their own hands to secure the area and return the sacred place back to…our ancestors.”
Kara chuckled at her subdued voice. “You can say it a little louder, honey. I won’t say anything terrible in your defense. We are—after all—fighting for the exact same cause; but constantly reminded of our roots of origin.”
“And you would betray your own kind to help the humans?” The woman voiced abruptly.
“My ‘kind’….was an aberration—a constant reminder of what should have never been in the first place. Because of my mixed heritage I am constantly having to pick a side of where I want to win on that day. But I fear those days are quickly coming to an end. I can feel it in my bones.”
Ashley leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.
“So the rumors were true after all: You are one of the last known clan of Black Sky dragons to exist. And here I thought they were only a legend. A myth.”
“Afraid not.”
“Are you—were one of your family members an elder or a master?”
“Vicar actually. My great-grandmother.”
“Ah. I see. And where do you sit in this illustrious family tree of yours?”
“If the old ways were still in force, I would be 17th in line for the throne. But because my family decided to intermarry—?”
“That must have pissed off your great-grandmother something fierce.”
Kara took a sip from her own cup of tea before setting it down on the serving tray in front of her.
“She wasn’t happy to say the least. Swore that such a decision would curse future generations of my kind to an early grave.” She said with a bit of unhappiness in her voice.
“But you survived. You stand here as a testament to your fortitude and strength.” Ashley appraised with open support.
“I only got here through careful concealment and one part deceit. But that didn’t stop me from doing my job.”
“—of which you do so well.”
Kara looked at the other woman sitting next to her so very casually.
“I would be more happier if you followed my orders to the letter instead of playing games with your intended target.”
“I had her, Captain. She surprised me in the end. That’s a mistake I won’t be making twice.”
“Even though she possesses the Dragon’s Tear?”
Ashley hesitated then. Uncertain.
“Well, I’ll figure something out which will neutralize her advantage with her connection to the First Being.”
“Wait? Connection?” Kara pondered then. “What connection?”
‘It’s a psychic link between the wearer and the stone. I remember something about it from discussions with the High Sorcerer after Greta Freeman got a hold of it—but I didn’t think much of it until news broke of a contested battle between Greta, Alicia Gunderson and her little girl—who was about eleven at the time the incident happened. She had only awoken as a witch for a very short time but we are amazed by how strong and powerful she was from the start.”
Kara nodded attentively. “So the intelligence reports were true—to an extent. The girl has grown powerful in her ways. Much more so than Greta Freeman in some respect.”
Ashley nodded in turn. “Greta was jealous of Alicia. And especially of her daughter. At the time, she had yet to take possession of the stone, but when she did—? Things started to change for her. The essence of the First Being offered her a pact with her soul—in exchange for its power. She took it—not realizing the cost.”
“So her soul is trapped inside the stone?”
“Yes. It is. And since Tillie is now in possession of it, the battle begins for two souls’ domination within the stone itself: Who is the stronger. Greta or Tillie?”
“What’s the verdict?”
Ashley shook her head. “Nobody knows yet—which is why we have to take this one step at a time. Draw her out yes, but making damned sure that she isn’t hurt or injured in the process. Susha won’t be too happy about its bearer if that were to happen.”
“The ancient dragon will awake at that time if she were?” Kara postulated.
The other woman nodded.
“Yes. And the entire city could be in jeopardy because of it. Nobody has ever seen what happens when the full power of a First Being is put to a test. And the legends foretold aren’t very forgiving either in that respect.”
“Hmm…” the other woman mused thoughtfully. “I wonder what Susha would think of meeting someone like me who is rightfully descended from the Black Sky dragon clan?”
“I don’t think even he would be impressed. Your clan lineage may be mighty and feared in ancient times, but First Beings were feared even more so.” Ashley laughed lightly.
Kara smacked the woman in the arm for the comment. “Keep it up, witch. Keep it up.”
“Just telling it like it is.”
“Perhaps, but I would think that we would be able to subdue the essence of an ancient dragon quicker than we would have with the original.” Kara analyzed then.
“But the stones were said to contain such great power. Each one powerful than the last. The set was said to have the capability to subdue civilization as we know it and reshape the world to whatever the person saw fit.”
“That’s why the Regency Council under the direction of my former lover has ordered our intelligence bureau to conduct a thorough search and investigation into the matter. We need to find the rest of the five stones—now that the girl is in possession of the first.”
“Well, I can put your mind at ease right now, Captain, and tell you that I don’t think Tillamook is interested in finding the other five.”
“T-Tillamook?” Kara sputtered in laughter. “Blessed Be…”
“Her mother gave her that nickname because of her daughter’s innate fondness for a certain brand of cheese. It stuck of course.” Ashley giggled.
“Maybe I should lay out traps baited with cheese to draw her out instead of executing Operation Tiger Shark? It would be a lot quicker and easier. But the Regency Council wants the indigenous population of magical kinsfolk dealt with and eliminated to the best of our ability, so…I can’t very well go against orders.”
“Might want to try it anyways. She’d probably be more receptive and thank you for the snacks.” The other woman playfully suggested.
Kara glared back at her. “Maybe instead I should put you out on the front lines as convenient bait for the girl and let her deal with you?”
Ashley’s jovial mood collapsed in a heartbeat. “No need for dramatics, Captain. I know my role. I know what I have to do—to make things easier for you to deal with and capture her in the end.”
“Make sure that you follow the plan exactly. Because if you don’t—?”
The other woman nodded hastily. “I am fully aware of what will happen to me if I don’t hold my end of the bargain. I know.”
“Good. Good. Now then, would you like a snack from the appetizer tray? My treat.”
“Some broccoli wedges please.” Ashley countered. “I’m suddenly in the mood for a salad.”
Kara handed her a few pieces of broccoli and then stood up. “All you had to do was ask. Would you like shrimp in it?”
“Please.”
“Then I’ll be right back.” Her host said—getting up from her seat.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
A Worthy
Sacrifice
The door opened up as Charlie stepped into his humble abode and allowed his new girlfriend and best friend enter unencumbered. They both piled in onto his bed—each fighting for a spot—as Rachel D’Amboise quietly surveyed the place.
“Not bad, Charlie. Not bad at all. I’ve seen worse in some of the underground quads in the North Sector of the Midwest—during my travels there. But this place is pretty well kept. And beautifully maintained.”
Charlie blushed at her endearing praise. “I pitched in here and there.”
“Bull.” Roz said, while trying to fight the other girl off. But it become something of a tickling match between the two. “I—helped!—out.” Then she turned her full attention on Tillie and snarled: “That’s it witch girl. Prepare for your doom!”
“Come at me C-cup.” Tillie antagonized playfully—dropping the gauntlet in front of her.
“No wrestling you two.” Charlie reminded them both staunchly. “My bed isn’t made for that sort of horse play.”
Roz rolled his eyes at him while she fended off another attack by her rival.
“I was bouncing on this thing two years ago and it held up pretty well—” she said before the other girl redoubled her efforts and went in for what she saw was a possible kill.
Rachel watched on with quiet amazement.
“What’s gotten into those two?” She wondered out loud.
Charlie sighed. “Damned if I know. But please, have a seat next to the work station and I’ll get you something to drink.”
“Sure.” Rachel demurred softly, finding the spot where he had been pointing to—while turning her attention to the two teenage girls having a brutal tickle war to end all wars.
Roz on was top of course, having pinned her opponent to the bed—while Tillie was trying to fend off both her advances and attacks and not having much luck in the situation. There was a lot of laughing, giggling, shrieking to beat the band before the other girl surrendered to her unconditionally after a full ten minutes had passed.
Roz got off of her—satisfied with her inherent victory—while Tillie lay there in a daze—gasping and breathing heavily.
“I thought you were more able to handle your opponent in a heat of battle—Tillamook?” Rachel called out to her then.
“I wasn’t….” the other girl started in quiet defense of herself. “I wasn’t using my skills and abilities to gain the upper hand. My mom always said there would be a time to fight and a time to play and this was the latter.”
“So you just wanted to play?” Rachel murmured incredulously.
Tillie took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “Yeah. It’s been far too long since I had the chance with my other friends, Ariel Carson and Richard Turner.”
“Who are they?”
Tillie turned herself over to face her former instructor and teacher.
“Friends of a human classmate at George Washington Alternative. It‘s a different kind of high school for kids who don‘t—or can‘t—fit into a regular high school setting or have had grade problems.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say a certain someone and witch had been getting too involved with the human world.” The other woman lightly accused. “You do know that there are rules against us associating with them—right? Especially out in the open and out in public?”
Tillie laughed somewhat at her ex-teacher’s words.
“My father is a full blood, Instructor. My mother as you well know was an accomplished and highly respected High Witch. I am the product of two worlds. I have to know my heritage and familial lines if I ever hope to make it in this ever increasing and troubled world of ours.”
“So you would choose to be human just to be rebellious at times?”
“The moment I awoke as a witch, I chose that path out of respect for my mom and because being a witch was a lot easier than being human. I couldn’t be both and expected to do my job as a High Witch in training. Or as a future Field Mage.”
“But you surround yourself with humans, Tillamook. Your friend for one: Charlie. He’s human.”
Roz ducked her head around the corner in time to say: “That’s up for debate.”
Tillie giggled, then blushed, before she shrugged in the end.
“It’s not that bad, Instructor. I’ve learned a lot from them. I can most definitely trust a few because they have been my friends for a long time—even before I entered the Academy.”
Rachel wore a troubled look of her own in that span of time.
“But aren’t you worried that some may betray you to save themselves in the end?”
Tillie paused for a second and then laughed a little. “Betrayal is something you always come to expect no matter where—or who—it comes from. Greta Freeman betrayed the coven and us as well. She had to pay for her mistake. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them as well. The witch’s code demands it.”
“What if it was your friend? What then?” The other woman pressed.
“Charlie? Betray me? I don’t know what I would do.” The girl admitted with some open difficulty on her part.
Rachel nodded gently. “I don’t mean to put you into a corner over your feelings for him and the fact that you are in a relationship with the older boy, but you must know by now that we are almost an extinct group of people—thanks to the voraciousness of the Regency Council and the Supreme Chancellor; Merrick Reiter.”
“We’ve bounced back from worse, Instructor. We always have—even if there were only a few of us in the past. We always prospered and grew in numbers.”
“That’s part of the reason for the state sanctioned genocide against us: Our numbers were simply too great. We numbered in the hundreds of thousands across the country. The New Republic. We accounted for less than two point one percent of the total population—while magical kinsfolk were more. The human race was on a serious decline after the Great War. People were scared. Terrified that the old days would return and place humanity back into slavery for their inhuman masters—as it was during the Dark Ages.”
“Perhaps we should enslave humanity, Instructor. Give them a reason to appreciate what they have fought for so long over and lost all at the same time.” Tillie boldly proposed—before getting up and sitting up—feet touching the floor.
“But such a move would only serve to inflame tensions even more—perhaps start another Great War.”
The girl dismissed her old instructor’s concerns.
“If it is as you say that humanity is on a decline for the past thirty-three years, then we are in a prime position to take control of things and also the narrative as well.” She paused for a second. Then said: “Give them a reminder of who they are dealing with.”
“Do you really think anarchy and slavery together is the answer to this nation’s most pressing problems?” Rachel asked.
“We must do something to preserve ourselves and those that cannot fight or stand to be counted in this new era,” the girl responded stiffly. Fishing out the Dragon’s Tear, she added: “I have the power to effect that necessary change. But I won’t do it unless I absolutely have to.”
“To do so would mean losing your soul, Tillamook,” the woman responded sadly. “And I don’t think you would want that. Not here. Not now. Not when you have so much going for you at the moment.”
“I may not have much of a choice—especially if the armies of the Third Watch are gunning for people like us, Instructor.”
“I only came because I was concerned for your general wellbeing, Tillamook. A favor from your mother—whom I know so well. Do you know that she was a student of mine like you were these past five years?”
Tillie shook her head. “No. I did not that. Mom doesn’t discuss her past as much as I would like. Dad was able to fill in some of the blanks, but that was before mom got mad at him.” She told her.
Rachel nodded slowly in understanding. “A most wise decision—considering the circumstances at the time. The life of a witch is not meant f
or the ears of the others—especially humans. Like your friend for example.”
Tillie’s ears burned a bit at the unspoken truth to the matter and she sighed a bit in response.
“I know,” she said quietly. “But I feel I can trust Charlie with a few things.”
“You know as well as I do that humans aren’t exactly the most trustworthy sorts here in the Underground or the Resistance? Things do tend to change from time to time—even with the best of intentions at heart.”
“Are you saying that Felix and the others will betray me? To the armies of the Third Watch?”
“Well, you are the most hunted witch around. I’m not surprised that Ashley Dietrich told you that in your first encounter with her.” The woman revealed then.
The teen girl looked at her former instructor and teacher with shock.
“How do you know about that?”
Rachel laughed. “Word gets around like lightning around here. But…truth be told your mother and her friend explained things to me a bit when I met them at your old homestead up in Buffalo.”
“That’s where they are?”
“That’s where they were,” the other woman corrected graciously. “Your mother and her friend weren’t going to stay much longer. Not with the armies of the Third Watch still breathing down on them. And you. That’s why I came here to warn you about your blind trust in humanity at this point. It’s a most foolish and dangerous game your playing here right now, Tillamook. It could very well get you killed.”
“I’m willing to take that chance, Instructor.” The girl fired back defiantly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a home to go to. My old place was wrecked by a missile attack. The women’s mission on Level Two and Charlie’s place here on Level One is the only two places I can really call home at the moment. And I know for fact that neither would vehemently betray me to the enemy without just cause.”
Rachel sighed. “It’s not that simple, honey. It isn’t. Humanity suffered egregiously in the last war and I’m only here to tell you that they’ve come to collect on that due. What you’re doing is delaying the inevitable. And by doing so, you’re going to be putting not only your life in grave jeopardy, but others as well—especially the ones you love. And I’m not talking about your friend either.”
Generation Witch Year One Page 42
