by KT Webb
So, there was hope that Sutton and the others could live full lives once they got rid of the sons of Carman once and for all. Odessa posed another problem, but she had a feeling Odessa would take off once the real power players were gone.
“If you continue on your current path, you will not end up like us.”
“Why wouldn’t we want to be like you? You had full and happy lives after helping the people of Ireland.”
You misunderstand, I did not mean you’d be unhappy or unfulfilled. I meant you won’t find yourselves lost and unsure. You won’t just be the witches who stopped an evil sorceress. You will be much, much more.”
Her eyes fluttered against the raindrops hitting her face. She sat up abruptly. Grace and Harper were already awake. They were staring at her with nearly identical expressions of relief.
“Did it work?”
Harper wiggled her fingers, bright orange sparks appeared at the tips like ten living sparklers defying the rain. Sutton grinned. They’d done it.
“Is there a reason neither of you conjured an umbrella?”
Laughter erupted from both girls. Sutton waved her hands in a half circle and an invisible barrier between the elements and the witches. She wondered if the other girls had seen a member of the first coven while they slept. Lucy was still breathing deeply beside her.
“How long were you awake before I woke up?”
“Harper woke up first, I woke up a few minutes later.”
“And then it was about the same amount of time before you woke,” Harper shared.
“So, we should be expecting sleepyhead here to wake up any moment now.”
All three stared expectantly at their friend. Minutes turned to hours, she still hadn’t roused. Sutton tried to wake her but had no luck. She had no idea what was going on inside her mind, there was no way to tell if she was in the Otherworld or just exhausted from the magic they’d performed. Harper told them about her trials and the moment she was sure she would never wake up. Grace told them about her time with Samhain. Sutton told them what Beltane had said about them being much more than what the first coven had ever been.
After another few hours, all three girls were still wide awake, staring helplessly at Lucy. They’d said everything they could say and were fighting their bodies to stay vigilant for the moment when Lucy would regain consciousness. With every passing second it became more apparent that she wouldn’t be waking anytime soon.
“We need to do something. We have to try something to wake her.” Grace’s voice was laced with panic.
Sutton gently placed two fingers on Lucy’s neck, checking her pulse. It was steady and strong. Whatever was going on with her, she didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger. She couldn’t be certain what the best course of action was, but she knew she was already tiring out herself. The time she’d spent in the Otherworld with Beltane hadn’t exactly left her feeling well-rested.
“How about this, we go back to the field and set up our tent. We’ll let her rest and get a good night’s sleep. She’ll be awake before we are and we’ll probably have to answer a million questions about how we got there and why we didn’t wake her.”
Harper and Grace didn’t seem convinced, but they agreed to the plan. They too were still feeling the after-effects of the Awakening. Working together, they managed to transport Lucy back to the field they’d slept in the night before. The sun was beginning to rise as they pitched the tent again. This time, there were no jokes from Harper; only silence as they got their friend inside and collapsed onto their beds.
It could have been hours or days later when she opened her eyes again. Sutton had no sense of time. She rolled off the bed and padded to the bathroom. The mirror reflected a tired, pale teen with sparkling green eyes, but she hardly recognized the girl staring back at her. It was nearly impossible to believe that she’d been away from her plush home in California for nearly five months. Oddly enough, she only felt a tiny twinge of guilt at not putting her parents’ minds at ease. She couldn’t help but feel like it would do them some good to wonder where she was; maybe they’d learn to appreciate her.
After her shower, the mirror was fogged over. Before she could wipe away the condensation something caught her eye; an erratic movement that seemed out of place, and unrelated to her own reflection. She cautiously approached the reflective surface and slowly raised one hand. The reflection didn’t copy her. Sutton stepped back and pulled the towel tighter. Should she call out to others? Her heart beat against her chest as the movement in the mirror became clearer.
It was Lucy. Wait, no. The girl waving to her in the reflection wasn’t Lucy, she just looked like her. Lughnasadh was mouthing something and desperately trying to get her to understand. Sutton shook her head to indicate she wasn’t catching any of the message the other girl wanted to convey. Lughnasadh looked around her; something was coming, and it was evident she was afraid.
“I don’t know what you’re saying!” Sutton said, louder than she’d intended.
Lughnasadh hung her head sadly. With determination, she tried one more time. Sutton focused on her mouth as she said the words that sent shivers up and down her spine.
“Help Lucy!”
She didn’t waste another second try to communicate with the witch who was likely in the Otherworld. Sutton snapped her fingers and she was dressed. As she rushed out of the bathroom she found Lucy still sleeping peacefully in her bed. The other two girls were just beginning to rouse when they saw Sutton rush to Lucy.
“Wake up! Lucy, you need to wake up.” She gently shook the other girl as the panic rose within her. “LUCY! Can you hear me?”
“Sutton, what’s going on?”
She glanced at Grace as though she were a fly she wanted to swat. “I saw Lughnasadh in the mirror. Something is wrong. Lucy needs our help.”
“What did she say?” Harper tried to brush the wild red mane from her face.
“I . . . don’t know. The only part I understood was ‘help Lucy.’ She looked terrified.” Sutton hung her head.
She was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t listened to her friends or her gut when they insisted something was amiss. Lucy hadn’t stirred at all since the ritual, and now they were getting warnings from the other side. She took Lucy’s hand in hers and held tightly. There was only one thing to do.
“Grace, get the book. We need to find a way to wake her.”
Without hesitation, Grace turned on her heel and rushed to her backpack. She pulled out the leather-bound grimoire and hurried over, already flipping through the pages, desperate to find anything that may help. Somewhere, deep inside her, Sutton knew there would be no answers for this problem in the book. They had done too much, and Lucy wasn’t ready.
She hadn’t been strong enough to recover from the Awakening, and now everyone would pay the price.
Lucy
Chapter Thirty
Trapped
When she first fell asleep during the Awakening, she found herself standing on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher. A girl she recognized as Lughnasadh stood just a few feet away, her hair whipping in the wind.
“You’ve done it.”
“We did?” Lucy was confused, she thought the ritual must have failed if she was in a dream world talking to her ancient ancestor.
“Harper is facing the trials now. Soon, she will be awake and her powers will course through her. You’ll be ready to face our enemies once again.”
Relief flooded through her. After everything they’d done to get to that point, it was good to hear that something went right. Despite the calming effect those words had on her, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was standing there.
Lughnasadh turned to face her. “You need to rest. You’ll wake soon enough.”
Lucy nodded. That made sense. She decided to take the opportunity to see what she could learn about the enemies she faced and what they were capable of.
“What do you know about Odessa?”
A sigh escaped the witch as
her hair continued to fly behind her in the breeze. “Everything.”
“What happened to her? Why is she like this?”
“One thing at a time, child. Odessa was never meant to be. All the women who carry the true magic in our family lines were single births. Delfina was meant to carry the power, it was hers. Odessa was born with jealousy coursing through her veins.”
“So if our magic plays such a big role in our family line, how was she born?”
“Our magic isn’t the only magic out there. The Fomorians have ways of asserting their will, even in our well-protected family lines.”
“The Fomorians are the bad guys right?” Lucy didn’t know what else to say about them.
“That’s putting it lightly. Yes, they are the darkest of dark forces. The enemy of the Goddess, Danu. Somehow, they ensured that Delfina would not be born alone. Somehow, they knew Odessa would be the evil instrument they needed to set their plans in motion.”
Lucy was confused. Why were the Fomorians so hell-bent on causing problems for them? “I thought the Fomorians wouldn’t like Carman because of her baby daddy. Why would they want to help her?”
“They are willing to work with anyone who may further their cause. They do not care who they have to use, they want to bring down Danu and her Tuatha De Dannan.”
Lucy felt a knot form in her stomach. Things were starting to look darker and more ominous with every bit of information she learned. Before she could say another word, the sky above them darkened. Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed and the flapping of wings sounded overhead.
Lughnasadh locked her eyes on something behind Lucy. “Run.”
Against her better judgement, Lucy turned her head to look over her shoulder. A swarm of crows was descending upon them. In the center of the swarm was the biggest crow Lucy had ever seen. It swooped low with claws extended as though it meant to grab her. She screamed and ducked. Lughnasadh did the same, and crawled over to her side.
“Lucy, you need to hide. This is the Morrigan.”
Even the name scared the crap out of her. She looked around, trying to find an opening to run for cover. No opportunities were presenting themselves, and she was beginning to feel desperate. Before Lucy could say another word to Lughnasadh, the claws found their target. She was swept into the air, sharp nails digging into her skin like knives. At first, she struggled, trying to get the Morrigan to drop her. She soon realized that was the worst possible idea as they rose higher and higher in the air.
If the circumstances were different, she may have enjoyed the view, but blood had begun to drip down her arms and she felt weak. They began their descent, and a foreboding edifice grew uncomfortably close. Lucy couldn’t be certain, but she had a bad feeling they were heading straight for the massive building with gaping holes carved into the side.
The Morrigan said nothing as she swooped down and released Lucy. The teenager rolled upon impact and drilled into a rough stone wall. Now she was bleeding and fairly certain she’d dislocated her shoulder. As she gingerly rose to her feet, Lucy suspected it would be a long time before she would see her friends again.
She was in a small, oddly shaped room. The sound of dripping water echoed rhythmically within the dank stone walls. An opening in the exterior wall offered the hope of escape, but the reality of a messy death at the end of a fall. Lucy stepped back from the edge before she lost her footing.
“How nice of you to come for a visit.” Odessa startled the young witch.
She tried to step away, but a hand wrapped around her wrist and she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a plush grassy field, the sound of a creek gurgled somewhere behind her.
“Where are we?”
“It’s your dream, you tell me,” Odessa offered.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. What are you doing in my dream and where did you take me? I want answers.”
Odessa narrowed her mismatched eyes, “We’re in Ireland.”
“No shit, Sherlock. Can you tell me where in Ireland?” She hoped her expression didn’t give anything away. After everything they’d been through, the last thing she needed was the sorceress to find her coven through a dream.
“Where doesn’t matter. This is your subconscious depiction of various locations you’ve encountered during your time here. How about a history lesson while we’re here?”
Lucy rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. It wasn’t like she could force herself to wake up; she had to humor the crazy lady for a few minutes.
“A long time ago, a goddess named Carman was scorned by her lover. His name was Cichol, God of Death and husband of the most feared goddess, the Morrigan. She bore him three sons, and he abandoned her to return to his homeland. The goddess vowed to destroy him and everything he held dear. She journeyed to Ireland with her sons, intent on ripping out his heart the way he had destroyed hers,” Odessa paused for effect.
Lucy continued staring at her, wishing she’d just get it over with already. She’d already heard this story and nothing the sorceress could tell her would change how she felt about it. The last coven still needed to stop Carman from returning, and Odessa was part of the reason they had to do that.
“When she arrived here, the first thing she did was curse the land. No new life would grow, from the ground or in the wombs of the women who resided here.
“Battles were fought and many died. Carman and her sons were unstoppable. No one could stand against them. The Druids joined together to create the first true witches, the First Coven. The details of their creation are not known to me, I only know that the Druids began the summoning on each solstice and equinox; the witches were born halfway between each.”
Lucy knew the four major Wiccan Sabbats fell halfway between each solstice and equinox. She had also witnessed the creation of each witch. It was something she could share with her coven, but not with the wicked woman in front of her.
“Each time one of the witches was born, a big celebration was held in their honor. Those celebrations are still observed by the humans who call themselves Wiccans. Our grandmother and her coven were forced into the service of Druids. They had no choice but to comply with their demands even though they believed Carman to be misunderstood.”
“And how do you know that?” What she was insinuating was exactly how the girls had felt. Maybe their assessment of the facts wasn’t too far off from what Odessa was saying.
“Her sons told me. They let me see their memories. Our kind wanted to help her, not imprison her for eternity.”
Lucy’s feeling of unease increased and she felt something tugging at the corner of her mind. She pushed it firmly away. Before she would buy anything Odessa was selling, she had to confront her about what she did to her sister.
“Why should I believe a woman who murdered her own sister for the sake of power?”
Odessa stiffened. “Where did you get that idea?”
Lucy couldn’t tell her they’d learned it from the Druids; it would only further her plans to turn the girls against the ancient practitioners. Instead of answering the question, she stared evenly at Odessa and waited for her to cave. It took far less time than she’d expected when the other woman’s expression faltered and she sank to the ground.
“It wasn’t what I wanted. This plan was set in motion years ago, long before Delphine and I were born. We were twins. It could have been me with all that power, but she was born just three minutes before me, making her the eldest daughter.”
“If you didn’t want to do it, then, why did you?”
The mismatched eyes looked up at her, the green eye had a tear threatening to fall while the black eye remained as unfathomable as ever. Lucy hardened her resolve; she couldn’t let Odessa see that she unnerved her.
“Don’t get me wrong, I meant to kill her. She had to die in order for me to claim the magic. But, part of me regrets ending her life.”
“Probably the part that still has her soul trapped inside.”
“You keep saying this was a big, secret plan. Whose plan was it? Who are you helping?”
“You are just a little girl. You have no idea what’s coming. I’m not the one you need to worry about anymore. The transfer is complete, Carman is free, and I will be rewarded for my part in her resurrection.”
Lucy froze. Carman had been released? How? Lughnasadh was still days away, how had they managed to free her before the date of their ritual? She tried to ask her questions but Odessa seemed to be frozen in time.
