Ashes
Book 2 in The Witches of Whitley Bay Series
By Katherine Heason
Text Copyright © 2020 K M Heason
All Rights Reserved
Dedication
To my amazing mam, who I love and appreciate her more than she knows. She’s given me the opportunity to write for the past 6 years. She’s my biggest fan and reads the first draft of every one of my books as soon as I finish them, and she’s the first to tell me how proud she is of me.
Acknowledgments
To all my alpha/beta readers, THANK YOU so much. Your feedback keeps me on the right path, and encourages me to continue.
To my editor, Connie. I learned so much from your suggestions, thank you. I’m certain that the changes I made, from your recommendations, have made this a better book.
Table of Contents
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: Brody’s Trial
Chapter 2: The Verdict
Chapter 3: The Regression Spell
Chapter 4: Lightning
Chapter 5: Christmas Day
Chapter 6: Boxing Day
Chapter 7: The Truth
Chapter 8: Plan to go to York
Chapter 9: In York – Meeting Charlie
Chapter 10: Meeting the Under-grounders
Chapter 11: Tristan’s Story
Chapter 12: Tour of York
Chapter 12: Trapped in a Pentagram
Chapter 13: The Repulsion Spell
Chapter 14: Home from York
Chapter 15: Arthur’s trial announced
Chapter 16: Brody’s parents
Chapter 17: Arthurs Trial
Chapter 18: Back to York
Chapter 19: Sophie, Matthew and Darren
Chapter 20: Impossible Magic
Chapter 21: Impossible Magic Goes Wrong
Chapter 22: Telling Mavis
Chapter 23: The Coup
Chapter 24: Facing Arthur
Chapter 25: The Past
Chapter 26: Lillith Meets Her Mam
Chapter 27: Lillith’s back story
Chapter 28: A Trip into the Village
Chapter 29: The Accident
Chapter 30: The Plan
Chapter 31: Halloween
Epilogue
Before you go
Prologue
Lillith knocked on the door of the old Gothic building. The knocker was heavy, making the sound loud and deep. She shivered, more from nerves than cold, fingered the letter in her pocket and breathed out. A fog of air puffed out in front of her.
The black, carved door creaked open, and an older woman appeared. Lillith recognised the woman’s face, but couldn’t remember her name. The woman smiled.
“I’m here to see Arthur,” Lillith said.
“Yes, of course. Come inside, Lillith.” Her grey hair was tied loosely into a bun on top of her head, and it wobbled when she spoke.
Lillith felt guilty that she couldn’t remember the woman’s name. She stepped through the door and into the familiar vestibule. A Christmas tree in the corner, decorated in red and gold, was the only indicator of the festive season. The rest of the vestibule was as dark as usual.
“Can I take your coat?” the woman asked, holding out her arms and smiling. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes twinkled. She looked like Lillith imagined Santa Clauses wife; Mrs Claus, would look.
Lillith smiled. “It’s okay, I need it to stay warm.” She folded her arms around herself, and shivered a little. “Besides, I won’t be long.”
Mrs Claus smiled. “No problem. I can get you a warm drink, if you’d like.”
Lillith shook her head. She appreciated the offer, but she just wanted this to be over. “No, thank you,” she said, as nicely as she could. “I’d just like to go straight down.”
“Of course, my dear. And it’s Diane.”
Lillith looked at the woman, confused.
“My name. It’s Diane.” She pointed at her head. “I can read minds.”
Lillith replayed her thoughts over the past couple of minutes, hoping none of it was offensive.
Diane laughed. “It’s okay. I’ve been thought of as much worse. Santa’s wife is quite flattering.”
Lillith bit her lip. “Sorry,” she said. She tried not to feel like Diane had violated her privacy.
“I don’t read minds all the time. It takes a lot. I’m sure you understand it was necessary today.”
Lillith frowned, beginning to understand. It’d been a test. She was here to see Arthur, who was imprisoned here because he’d tried to kill her. The coven would suspect anyone in that situation. The fact that Lillith was also considered to be a dangerous, powerful witch who might turn dark at any point only added to that suspicion.
Diane smiled. “Exactly,” she said. “Wait here, I’ll get Eddie to take you down.”
Eddie left Lillith in the same corridor that she’d waited in to see Brody two weeks earlier. It was just as cold and just as sparse as then and reminded Lillith of that visit, which was the reason she was here now. Lillith pulled out the letter from Brody and scanned the words. Brody was her twin brother, although she’d only just found that out. He betrayed her to Arthur, which nearly got her killed. She needed to know why, which had prompted her visit to him. Obviously he hadn’t said all that he’d wanted to during that visit, as she received his letter the day after.
In it, he seemed genuinely sorry. He said he was convinced that his parents were alive, which was why he betrayed her. Apparently, Arthur had promised him that no-one would be hurt, but that was a lie. Lillith didn’t know whether visiting Arthur would help, but she didn’t know where else to start. If Brody’s parents were alive, he was the one person who could confirm it. She jumped when Eddie appeared at the door.
“You can go in, now,” he said.
Lillith stood up and put the letter back in her pocket. “Thanks.” She walked towards the door. Her heartbeat quickened. She breathed deeply as she reached the doorway.
Eddie stood in her way. He pointed at a purple rock on the floor. “The crystal there means there’s a magical barrier around Arthur.”
Lilith looked at the crystal. “I understand, but you don’t need to worry. I’m not here to hurt him.”
Eddie shook his head. “It’s not him we’re worried about.”
The barrier was meant to protect her. She appreciated that. Eddie moved aside, letting her through. Lillith took a deep breath and entered. The room was empty except for a table and two chairs on either side. There was only one window at the far side of the room, which was round and dirty. The walls had been painted white some time ago, but were now yellowed and flaky with age. The room smelled like sweaty socks and urine. Arthur sat in one of the chairs, his expression gaunt, making him look old. His white hair was longer and wilder than ever. His thin lips were almost invisible, and his eyes; those glowing amber eyes, like burning embers, never left Lillith. They followed her as she took the seat opposite him.
Lillith cleared her throat. It felt constricted. She kept her hands beneath the table so Arthur wouldn’t see them shaking. She looked into his bright eyes with her own luminous green ones. The smell of sweaty socks and urine was stronger now, and Lillith realised it was coming from him. Her nose wrinkled at the sickly sweetness of it. She parted her lips to speak, but Arthur spoke first.
“I won’t help you,” he said, in a deep but quiet voice. It was more subdued than Lillith remembered.
“You don’t even know why I’m here.”
“You want to know about Brody’s parents,” Arthur said, without moving anything other than his mouth. It was unnerving.
Lillith wa
s surprised, but she tried not to let it show. “Are they alive?”
“That would be helping.”
From her few dealings with Arthur, she knew him to be a proud man, who liked to boast of his many accomplishments. Her plan before coming here had been to try and use this, but now that she was here, she wasn’t sure she could. She smiled, in an attempt to goad him.
“I knew it wasn’t true,” she said. “I knew you’d only made that up to tempt Brody into joining you.” Lillith saw Arthur’s jaw clench a tiny bit. It was a micro-movement, but it encouraged her to continue. She sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “Poor Brody, you really fooled him.”
Arthur’s expression was unchanged. He remained silent.
Lillith continued to stare into Arthur’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Either way, Brody’s innocent.”
Arthur stared back, silent and unmoving.
“If they’re alive, there was good reason for Brody to do what you said,” Lillith went on. “And he might even have saved their lives. If not, it makes him gullible, but not a betrayer.”
Arthur still didn’t react.
“Now that he knows your true colours, he won’t be on your side any more, and you’re in prison, where you can’t get to him anyway. If I free him, we can be together, and help each other to develop our powers.”
There was the reaction. Arthur lurched forward. A deep growl permeated from within. He hit an invisible shield, and was pulled back into his seat. It was like he was attached to an elastic band.
Lillith’s heartbeat quickened, but she managed to stay in her seat. She tried to look like she was unmoved by that sudden burst of anger, but she wasn’t sure she managed to look like anything other than a startled rabbit. Lillith licked her dry lips, and sat forward in her chair.
“Thank you,” she said. Her voice wavered slightly. “You’ve helped me a great deal.” She attempted to smile, then stood, ready to leave.
Arthur looked like an angry tiger. He was breathing heavily, and he let out a low growl every time he breathed out. His yellow teeth were bared, his brows furrowed, and his eyes glowed brighter than Lillith had ever seen. She almost expected him to break the magic shield and pounce at her with a roar. With that in mind, she wasn’t going to hang around. She spun on her heels and walked to the door. She knocked twice, and Eddie opened it, waving her through. She took a quick look back, to see that Arthur was still seated, but staring after her. She left the room, hastily.
Chapter 1: Brody’s Trial
It was Christmas Eve, and day six of Brody’s trial. Everyone hoped that this would be the last day. Lillith sat in the cold lobby with the red and gold Christmas tree, waiting to finally give her story to the coven. She folded her arms across her chest, thankful that she was wearing a thick coat. Tristan had come with her. He wasn’t allowed in the trial, because he wasn’t part of their coven, but he’d wanted to be here for her.
He put his arm around Lillith’s shoulders. She smiled and leaned into his embrace, breathing in his scent. Meeting him had been the best thing that’d happened to her since she discovered that she was a witch. It’d only been two months ago, but it seemed like she’d known him all her life. Tristan was a similar age to her, but had lost his parents and been on his own since he was sixteen, so he seemed more mature or more worldly-wise than her.
“I swear it’s colder in here than outside,” Tristan said.
“It certainly feels it,” Lillith agreed.
“How’re you feeling?” Tristan looked at her with those dark eyes of his. They were like black pools that she could dive into and get lost in. He had a long face and nose, and his ears stuck out a little, and right now his short, dark hair was wind-swept, so wasn’t lying straight. Lillith still thought he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
She shrugged. “A little nervous, but thankful to get my turn at last.”
“You’ll be great.” Tristan squeezed her.
Lillith closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness. Tristan had been asked to give his story on the first day, but as he’d been knocked out for most of the event, his time in the hot seat had been extremely short.
Uma, Lillith’s mam, had taken time away from her job at the hospital to attend the trial. Cassandra, her best friend’s mam, had closed her shop to attend it, and Angela, her best friend, had missed the last few days of school.
Lillith was the only one who hadn’t attended the trial so far, because no-one wanted her to be influenced by other stories before she gave hers. It’d been frustrating, because her mam, Angela and Cassandra had been talking behind her back all week. They’d also been heavily involved in the events, but Lillith had been the target, so she was being treated differently.
For this trial, all coven members had been involved in some way. Some of them had been at Lillith’s eighteenth birthday party, where Arthur had shown up and put Tristan under a sleeping curse. They’d felt it when Lillith found Arthur standing over Tristan’s lifeless body and knocked him to the ground. They’d witnessed the apparent fire in the hotel where the party was, which had allowed Lillith to escape. A fake fire, which Cassandra simulated. Brody had set off the fire alarm.
In the early hours of the next morning, they’d all received Angela’s video of Arthur and some coven members trying to kill Lillith. That had been the turning point, where they realised that Lillith was innocent after all. They’d also seen Brody’s betrayal. The reason Arthur knew about Lillith’s powers returning. The reason why Lillith showed up where Arthur and his coven were planning to kill her. It was all made possible through Brody’s betrayal of her.
Lillith wondered how the trial was going, and how the story was coming across from their points of view. It probably wasn’t looking favourable for Brody. Did they know his motives? Lillith thought of the letter Brody had written, and her stomach fluttered.
After over an hour of waiting, the witch who looked like Santa’s wife eventually stepped through the door. She held a clip board in her hand.
“We’re ready for you, now,” she said.
Lillith tried to remember the witch’s name. It’d only been a week and a half. Why couldn’t she remember?
“Diane,” the witch said.
Lillith looked at her, apologising with her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s fine. I only know yours because it’s written here.” Diane pointed to a sheet of paper attached to the clip board.
Lillith suspected that wasn’t true, although it did make her feel better. She stood up and breathed in deeply.
“Good luck,” Tristan said.
Lillith grinned at Tristan, then followed Diane into the room.
It was warmer inside, even though it was a large room. It was like a ball-room in both size and stature. Oblong in shape, the walls were painted white, and both the ceiling and wooden floor were separated from the walls with ornate, gold skirting. All fours walls were covered in paintings, most of which had dark backgrounds, and all looked old and expensive, with large over-the-top frames. Two other doors, both ornamentally varnished were tightly shut at the other end of the room.
Lillith had expected the setup of the room to be similar to a court room, like the kind shown on television dramas. It wasn’t. For starters, Brody was slumped in chair opposite the entire coven who were sat in rows of seats. He was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and trainers – no smart suit. Tea, coffee and biscuits were on offer, and people were helping themselves to them. They looked up as Lillith entered the room, but carried on pouring hot water or munching on biscuits.
Diane led Lillith to a chair not far from Brody, which faced the entire coven. Behind the chair was a large window with emerald green, velvet curtains drawn over it, so there was very little natural light. The main light source was from the three chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each with twenty bulbs. There was no judge or magistrate-type person. There didn’t appear to be anyone defending Brody, nor prosecuting him, and there was no jury; just the
coven, who were returning to their seats with their cups of tea and coffee.
Lillith glanced at Brody as she took her seat. His was skinnier than she’d ever seen him. His dark hair was matted, although it looked like someone had attempted to brush it.
Brody looked back, mournfully. His brown, almost black eyes didn’t twinkle like they used to do through his black-rimmed spectacles. He tried to smile, but it was weak, like he didn’t have the energy to lift the sides of his mouth. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes and sunken cheeks that cast shadows across his face. Lillith’s stomach sank. She had to get him out of this.
“Hello, Lillith,” said a voice.
Lillith turned and saw a small, old woman looking at her. She had her grey hair tied tightly at the back of her head, and she wore a peach cardigan with the top button fastened over a floral dress. She looked like she should be sitting in a rocking chair, knitting.
She smiled, although Lillith thought it looked forced, and started talking. “I’m Mavis. As the most senior coven member, the role of coven leader fell to me. It’s only temporary, of course, but it means I’m presiding over these trials.”
Lillith dipped her head in acknowledgement.
“So far, we’ve heard lots about the goings on in October. Now we’d like to hear it from your point of view, but bear in mind that we’re here to decide whether Brody is guilty of anything. We’re not here to decide anyone else’s fate. Is that clear?”
Lillith understood. Mavis was talking about Arthur; this wasn’t a trial about Arthur’s wrong-doings, but about Brody’s. She was being warned to keep this relevant. She searched the audience for a friendly face, and relaxed when she found Uma, Cassandra and Angela sitting together and beaming at her.
Mavis waved her hand. “Okay, start when you’re ready.”
Lillith was a little confused. She’d expected to be asked questions. Was she just supposed to speak? Where should she start? How much did they want to know?
Ashes: Witches of Whitley Bay Book 2 Page 1
