Awakened

by Moni Boyce

  She was almost to the motor home when two people appeared out of thin air right in front of her. When she whirled around, she realized there were three in total. She wasn’t sure who they were, but she had an idea. After getting over the initial shock, she found her voice and yelled for anyone to hear her.

  Mathilda busted out of RV seconds after she screamed. Instantly, she hurled a fire bolt from her hand. One intruder jumped out of the way, narrowly missing being engulfed in flames. Morgana was engaged in combat with the other two. Willow did the only thing she could think of and hid beneath the RV. As she cowered underneath the vehicle, she watched the witches fight, who she was sure were vampires, Killian’s minions.

  She was helpless to defend herself against the supernaturals. Other people fought her battles, and it infuriated her that she was of no help. Then she remembered the weapons and other hardware they acquired from Samson. While Mathilda and Morgana kept the others engaged in combat, she scrambled out from under the RV and ran inside. She hoped to find one of the guns or the supernatural grenade launchers. Frantically, she searched. While she hunted she realized she needed to tell Eli what was happening, so he’d return to camp.

  Please let this work.

  It surprised him when she could do it last time so she could only pray it worked now.

  ‘WE’RE IN TROUBLE. COME QUICK.’ She sent the telepathic message, hoping Eli received it, while she continued her search for one of the weapons.

  Got it.

  She pulled it free. Thankfully, she pulled the right one she realized, remembering the weapon when Samson displayed it with pride at his warehouse.

  You can do this.

  Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she hoped the mental pep talk made her feel like Ripley from Aliens.

  “One... two... three...” She kicked the door open and kept her finger on the trigger firing multiple vervain grenades. Soon, a fine mist of spray clouded the air. They were definitely vampires, because the vervain had an instant effect on them, their skin reacted like they had received an acid burn. Just as they started to stagger around, Phaedra came charging in with a mighty roar, shouting words she couldn’t decipher. She twisted and pointed her fingers in the direction of one of the vampires. The minute she did this, it made the vampire’s neck snap. They fell to the ground unconscious.

  Willow’s eyes became as big as saucers when she saw Max run towards the fallen vampire. But he wasn’t in human form or dog form. He was a mix of man and wolf, a hybrid of sorts. His body was large in stature with the head of a wolf. The musculature of his arms and torso were that of a man’s and covered in fur. He stood on the hind legs of a wolf and had deadly claws. With his superhuman strength he hefted the unconscious vampire into the air and plunged his sharp canines into their throat, then ripped the head from the torso. Once he did so, he threw the decapitated head and carcass away from him like it weighed nothing. Then he tipped his head back and let out a howl that raised the hairs all over her body.

  Morgana, Phaedra and Mathilda dispatched another vampire by setting him ablaze. When she looked around, the third one had fled. She dropped to the ground and panted. Her heart was in her throat and the beating was so loud, for a minute it was the only sound she could hear. It was a while before she processed Phaedra standing next to her, calling her name. Morgana and Mathilda showed concern. When she looked up, Max had even returned to human Max and was wrapped in a blanket with blood staining his mouth. She glanced at everyone in a daze. Her eyes landed back on Phaedra.

  “I think you went into shock.”

  “I’m okay.” When she stumbled to her feet, she didn’t protest when Phaedra reached out a hand to steady her.

  “What happened?” Eli’s voice rang out in disbelief and concern. He stood over the charred remains of the vampire they had roasted.

  “I tried to reach you, but I guess it didn’t work.” Shame and disgust ate at her and she averted her gaze. “I’m sorry I wasn’t any help.” She mumbled and wrapped her arms around her body.

  “Are you kidding?” Morgana came closer and gripped her by her arms. “If you hadn’t thought to run in and find the Vervain Launcher, we may not have gained the upper-hand. It was your quick thinking that turned the tide on their ambush.” She squeezed her biceps and offered her a warm, reassuring smile.

  Eli walked towards the group wearing a grim expression. “At least this confirms they are working with a witch. How else would they have been able to get around our cloaking spell?” His eyes sought hers. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Just trying to understand why I could talk inside your mind the other day and today... nothing.”

  “What did I tell you? Don’t beat yourself up. That night you weren’t afraid. Having to use your abilities under pressure in a life or death situation takes practice... I’ll teach you...” He made a move towards her and then caught himself. “I’m glad you’re okay.” His eyes were still locked on hers as he rubbed the back of his neck. After a few more seconds, he looked away and spoke to the group. “We’re leaving tonight. It’s not safe here anymore.”

  “Mathilda?” Everybody turned to find Zoriana rushing towards them. She dropped whatever she’d been carrying. “Is anyone hurt? Is everyone okay?” She meant the questions for all, but her eyes zeroed in on Mathilda and raked her body, checking for injuries. Willow half expected her to perform a physical examination. It seemed the only way she would be satisfied her daughter was unharmed.

  Zoriana took more steps towards Mathilda and reached out her open arms to hug her when the girl stepped back.

  “I’m fine.” Mathilda’s voice was a mix of hostility and embarrassment. Anyone could see how badly Zoriana wanted to hold her daughter. Her arms twitched. Maybe she sensed her mother’s need too, because she stepped forward and let her mother embrace her. The whole time her arms hung limp at her sides. Once she deemed it enough, she pried herself from her mother’s grip and walked away.

  “I’m gonna put on some clothes. Man, I’m bummed. I liked those cargo shorts.” Max muttered on his way inside the trailer. Leave it to Max to bring some levity to the situation.

  Phaedra and Morgana dragged the bodies onto the flames so they burned to ash. Willow assisted them in packing up camp. The shock was taking its time to wear off. She was glad she was working alone so she could freak out on the inside and get herself together. Taking down the tent allowed her to focus on something else. She took a few deep breaths using the technique Eli had taught her and found it helped tremendously.

  CHAPTER 14

  Eli

  As they drove, he beat himself up over not being there to protect her. He shouldn’t have stayed out in the meadow. When she headed back to camp, he should have gone with her. It was hard not to lose himself amidst the tangle of guilt.

  They used magic to load the RV, so they could get on the road faster. For the last two hours, they’d driven aimlessly. Thirty minutes ago, he’d decided where they were headed, but hadn’t voiced it aloud. “Head to the coven.”

  “What? Are you sure?” Phaedra eyed him for confirmation.

  “After what just happened, we need to brief the Elders.”

  Unlike the other times when they traveled, no card games were taking place and no girl talk was exchanged. Willow wasn’t strumming her guitar, and she stayed in the bedroom with the door closed. He wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or still trying to process what happened. It was silent.

  Phaedra turned the vehicle off onto another road to head toward their coven.

  If they hadn’t been ambushed, he would have communicated with the Elders the way they always did. Given there may be a mole working with Killian, they had to be careful. A face-to-face was required.

  They had over a thousand miles to go to reach Salem. When Phaedra tired at six hundred miles into the journey, Eli took over driving so she could rest. Everyone slept as he drove the dark back road. Night had descended an hour ago. He had no co-pilot, but he enjoyed the solitude and ponderi
ng their return to the coven. It had been a while since he’d been home.

  “Hey” Willow whispered when she sat in the passenger seat.

  He gave her a quick look, before he returned his attention to the road. “I thought everyone was asleep.”

  “I was... I just woke up and saw there was no one keeping you company.” She yawned and stretched her limbs like a graceful cat. “Where are we heading?”

  “To the coven.”

  “Is it because of what happened?”

  He was silent for a beat. “Yeah... it’s not safe to communicate in the usual way right now.”

  She stared out the windshield with a vacant look on her face.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “That you still haven’t shown me any magic.” She smiled an impish grin.

  He chuckled. “What are you talking about? I disappeared and reappeared behind you the day we started your combat training.”

  “That doesn’t count. Today, I saw Phaedra snap someone’s neck using her magic and Mathilda shot a fireball from her hand. You gotta do better than disappearing.” She snorted and then giggled as she tucked one leg beneath her.

  “Aren’t you hard to please?” He teased her.

  “You have to wow me.” She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and relaxed into the seat.

  The quiet enveloped them. It was nice. For once he didn’t shy away from being alone with her. After a few minutes, she turned on the radio. She adjusted the volume level so it wouldn’t disturb the others. The Cure’s ‘Lovesong’ began to play. The lyrics washed over him and halfway through the song he realized how true they felt.

  No.

  He couldn’t go down that road. It only led to trouble. Without asking he leaned over and turned the station. Glam metal poured from the speakers. He adjusted the volume.

  “Hey... don’t tell me you’re not a fan of The Cure.”

  “They’re cool... it’s just ballads make me sleepy. Since I’m driving that might not be the best thing... Plus, the driver always gets dibs on song selection.” He smirked.

  “I thought it was the person riding shotgun that got control of the playlist?”

  “Wrong.”

  The one-word response cracked her up, and she doubled over in laughter. Her giggle was infectious and seconds later he was laughing too. She recovered after a few minutes.

  “How about we take turns picking the music? You pick a song, then I pick one, that way we both get what we want.”

  He considered her request. “Deal.”

  When her turn came again, she turned the dial until India.Arie’s ‘I Am Light,’ wafted through the speakers. At first she just hummed, but it wasn’t long before the songstress appeared and she was singing along. Her sound was soulful and rich. The notes and melodies she sang wound themselves around his heart. He could listen to it always. Again he was sorry the world would never know her voice.

  “I’m sorry.” He spoke so low he was unsure she’d heard him until she stopped singing. She didn’t ask him why.

  “I know.” Her response humbled him. Within a few seconds, she resumed.

  They went back and forth each taking turns choosing a song. It took another hour before they struck up a conversation and talked off and on during the music for the next few hours. For a while their talk was random, but then she asked about the talisman he wore. “What does your ring symbolize? Does it do something? I’ve noticed the others wear pieces of jewelry that have the same stone and inscriptions, except Max. I gather it has to do with being a witch?” She leaned her body over the armrest, eager for answers to her questions.

  He looked at the ring on the pinky of his right hand. It was made of solid gold with mystical runic symbols carved into it. In the middle was a greenish-colored gemstone. Phaedra wore hers as a medallion hidden underneath her shirt. Mathilda wore hers this way too. Morgana and Zoriana both had theirs fashioned into rings like him. He kept his eyes on the road as he answered her. “It’s a talisman. Typically, it’s not worn, but since we’re always moving about, it helps to wear it as jewelry to keep it near us.”

  “Okay, but what does it do?”

  “It strengthens the magic we do.”

  “You pull your magic from it?”

  “No.” He smirked at her inquisitiveness. “This isn’t a source we can pull magic from per se, it just strengthens it, enhances it. Sometimes we draw from the elements, the earth or our ancestors. It depends on what we’re trying to do.” He faced her. “But magic comes at a cost.” He looked back at the road. “Since we’re hereditary witches, there’s a lot of magic that...” Willow cut him off.

  “Wait. Hold the phone.” She put her hand up in a gesture meant to silence him. “What does that mean? Hereditary witch.”

  He hadn’t realized when he woke up this morning he’d end up giving her a lesson on witchcraft. “The Walker bloodline is centuries old, because of that, most of us were born with magic. Learning how to use it came easier than someone that’s a student.” When he looked over at her, he saw her expression telling him he had to elaborate. “Students are witches that only have magic by training and studying.” Another glance at her revealed, the gears in her mind turning. He was certain she was planning her next question.

  “Zoriana and Phaedra aren’t Walkers by blood. Are they hereditary witches?”

  If she leaned on the decades old armrest anymore he’s afraid she would fall onto the floor, but he kept his mouth shut and answered. “Yes. Phaedra is a descendant of Tituba, a slave woman who confessed to being a witch during the Salem witch trials and gained her freedom. Zoriana is descended from a family of witches that survived and fled Spain during the Basque witch trials that happened during the Spanish Inquisition. Morgana is not a Walker by birth either, but she’s a hereditary witch. I’m not sure of her lineage. I just know the coven adopted her when her mother died.” He let the silence settle between them for a moment before he spoke again. “None of us could be Protectors without having hereditary magic.”

  “Because you’re more powerful?”

  He nodded. She seemed satisfied with their Q & A session and resumed listening to the music.

  An hour later, his song ended, and it was her turn to select the next one. When she hadn’t done so, he glanced over and found her asleep. In sleep, she looked peaceful. He turned the volume lower and concentrated on the road. His thoughts returned to home, the thing he’d been thinking about before she showed up to keep him company. He wasn’t certain what kind of reception their homecoming would receive.

  They hadn’t sent word they were coming, but he was sure they knew. Maybe they had an idea who was helping Killian. Whether or not they had something, he needed to come up with a plan. They couldn’t hide out at the coven forever. It put too many people in danger.

  CHAPTER 15

  Willow

  By the time they hit the outskirts of Salem, Zoriana was behind the wheel and Morgana rode shotgun. Everyone stared out the windows and watched fields turn into buildings and neighborhoods the closer they got to home.

  “Wasn’t sure when we’d see this place again.” It was unclear by her tone whether she was glad to be home.

  Willow squeezed in next to Phaedra, her head swiveled this way and that as she peered at the city. “I’ve never been to Massachusetts.”

  Minutes later, they pulled up to a large, three-story, dark grey, clapboard mansion that featured First Period architecture. Plumes of smoke curled out of the central chimney, even though it was a warm spring day. They piled out of the motor home and stood ogling the house for several seconds.

  Like other homes in the neighborhood, it was nondescript. Despite that, Willow found herself drawn to the house.

  “Wow.” Awe colored her voice. She gazed at the home in adoration before glancing up and down the street. “These houses are so interesting. You don’t see this kind of architecture everywhere.”

  “If you’re impressed by this, wait until you get a look i
nside the place.” Mathilda winked at her.

  Everyone snickered.

  “What? What about the inside?”

  Eli smirked. “You’ll see.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nevermind.”

  He led them up the steps to a monstrous oaken door with a large, round, iron knocker and removed a wooden key from his pocket that resembled the wood of the door. A keyhole appeared, and he inserted it into the lock. It twisted itself and the door swung open. Everyone stepped inside to a darkened lobby. A long corridor stretched out ahead of them with doors lining the hallway. Willow peered over his shoulder and tried to look around despite the lack of adequate light. Eli didn’t make a move to walk further into the house or enter one of the many doors.

  “Why are we just standing here?” She whispered.

  “We’re waiting for someone to come and collect us.” Amusement colored his words. “And why are you whispering?”

  She shrugged. “It’s so quiet. It felt like the right thing to do.”

  Footsteps shuffled along the corridor towards them. Talking ceased as they waited for the person to approach.

  “They sent me to bring you to the Elders.” The wizened old man had shocking white hair that stuck out this way and that like he was constantly pulling on it and he wore spectacles and a robe that swept the floor.

  “Hello to you too, Archie.” Eli greeted the curmudgeon and chuckled.

  The man harrumphed and walked back the way he’d come expecting them to follow.

  “You know he hates that.” Zoriana hissed.

  “Why?” Willow whispered again, not wanting Archie to overhear her.

  “He prefers his full name, Archibald. Eli’s been calling him Archie since he was a kid because he knows the old man despises it.” Zoriana explained.