Charlie laughed. “I’d have gone somewhere hot myself, but that’s just me.”
Lillith looked between the two of them. That wasn’t the only reason they were here, and Tristan knew it. He might have had a plan, but Lillith was impatient. “Tristan also thought you could help,” she said.
Charlie looked at Lillith over the rim of her coffee cup, so that Lillith could only see her eyes. They looked like they were smiling, and they had a little twinkle in them. “Aha, now we get to the real reason for your visit. Okay, give it to me quickly,” she said, placing her coffee cup on the table, and wearing a wide grin.
Lillith heard Tristan laugh. “We don’t need that much. I just thought Lillith could meet the under-grounders, that’s all.”
Charlie’s grin disappeared and was replaced with a serious expression. “Okay,” she said. “That’s no biggie. I’ll arrange a meet up.”
Tristan smiled by way of thanks.
Charlie grabbed her cup of coffee and took another drink. “Can I ask why?” she said, then immediately held her hand up. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I’m just nosy.”
“Of course I’ll tell you. I know can tell you anything,” Tristan said. He took another drink of coffee, then relaxed back into the settee again.
Lillith sat back as well. This was going to be interesting. She’d just needed to get away from her lying friends and family, and get some space from her twisted life. Tristan had told her that she needed to meet these witches, these under-grounders, so that she could see a different perspective, but she wasn’t sure she’d learn that much from them. She assumed they’d be like she was now. A witch who wasn’t in a coven.
Tristan began to tell Lillith’s story: finding out she was a witch, meeting Tristan, the coven, Arthur, the time Arthur had tried to kill her and put Tristan under a sleeping spell, Brody, Brody’s betrayal. He even told Charlie about the regression spell, Lillith’s history, and her being an evil witch. He left nothing out. Lillith was surprised. She tried to object at certain points, but Tristan had assured her that she could trust Charlie.
By the time he’d finished, Lillith had drunk all of her tea. Hearing everything back, all in one go, stirred up emotion in her. She was still unable to let go of the anger inside of her, however much she tried, and she still felt like she was spinning uncontrollably. It was like she was on a Waltzer car that wouldn’t slow down or stop. She wanted it to. She wanted to see something other than blurry visions, but she couldn’t.
A hand on her arm made her jump and look up. Charlie was bent over her, and looking at her with a concerned expression. Close up, Charlie’s eyes looked like they had a little bit of red in them.
“You all right?” Charlie asked.
“How would you feel?” she asked, avoiding the question.
“Like shit,” Charlie said.
That made Lillith laugh a little. “That’s how I feel.”
Charlie sat back down again and turned to Tristan. “So what do you think we’ll be able to do for you?”
“I just want Lillith to see a different side of witchcraft, and a different way of life. The only witches in her town are in the same coven together, all connected, and with strange views on what’s dark magic and what isn’t. That’s one way to live, yes, but it’s so limited, and it’s not for everyone.”
Tristan spoke with such fervour. Lillith stared into his deep eyes, and a flutter of warmth flushed through her.
Tristan fixed Lillith with a determined stare. “You know, covens came about to protect witches who weren’t that powerful. You are. You don’t need a coven and you don’t need people lying to you all the time. I want to see you free from the restraints they’ve bound you with. I want to see what you’re capable of when you feel truly free. That’s why I want you to meet some witches who stand on their own. If you can see there’s a different way of life, maybe you can become who you really are.”
That Waltzer Lillith was in was getting faster, not slower. Was she really going to like this journey? “What if who I really am is an evil witch?” she asked.
“Then you’re an evil witch. At least you’ll be true to who you are and not living a lie.”
Lillith shook her head. “I don’t want to be an evil witch.”
Tristan laughed. “Then you won’t be, because who you really are, is who you want to be. That coven have been afraid that you’ll become evil all your life, which is why they’re watching you, why they bound your powers and why they keep lying to you. Maybe if they stopped being afraid and stopped expecting you to become something else, they’d let you become who you’re supposed to be.”
Lillith realised that he was right, and her spirit soared. She was afraid to use her power, in case she became what they all expected her to become. She was afraid to ask questions anymore, because the truth had become harder and harder to hear. Tristan was right to take her away from that. She needed to stop feeling all their fears, and just let herself be whoever she needed to be.
Charlie clapped. “I’m all for that,” she said. “I’ll text the under-grounders now. We’ll meet up with whoever’s free tonight.”
Chapter 10: Meeting the Under-grounders
York was bustling that evening. Young people in heavy coats and scarfs wandered in and out of pubs. Other people of all ages wandered around the ancient city, taking photographs with their phones and cameras. Lillith, Tristan and Charlie passed many entertainers, from musicians to mime artists, each with small crowds around them. Smells of coffee, cooking, and sweets wafted through streets as they walked through them. To Lillith, the atmosphere was electric, although she wasn’t sure if it was the city, or the fact that she was away from all the tension of home.
They reached The Jorvik Viking museum, which was currently closed. Charlie took out her phone and tapped the screen a couple of times, then pressed it to her ear.
“We’re outside,” she said after several seconds. She put her phone back in her pocket, and smiled at Tristan and Lillith.
Lillith smiled back, but no one said anything. After a few seconds, Lillith heard locks being turned, and the door to the museum opened. A tall man with small green eyes, brown, shaggy hair, a long face and large nose peered out. Charlie pushed past him without speaking and disappeared through the door into the famous Viking museum.
Lillith and Tristan followed. They entered into a medium sized room, darkly lit, with a desk to one side and the start of a spiral staircase that disappeared downwards immediately in front. There were posters of Vikings and artefacts that were presumably exhibits in this museum around the walls, as well as a large price list behind the desk. Lillith was immediately hit by a pungent, sweet scent, which turned her stomach. “What’s that smell?” she asked, holding her hand over her nose.
Tristan laughed. “The smell of excrement,” he said.
Lillith was repulsed. “What? Why?”
The man who’d let them in began to laugh. “It’s how it would have smelled when the Vikings were settled here. It’s authentic.” He looked like he was in his late twenties and his face reminded Lillith of a rat, somehow.
Lillith wrinkled her nose, and gave a look of disgust.
Charlie grinned. “I’m the same. I’ve always hated the smell,” she said, and beckoned them to follow her down the spiral staircase ahead of them. The tall man followed them down. At the bottom, there was a large curved room. It was dark, except for the floor, which was made from clear glass, and was lit from underneath, displaying what looked like an archaeology site, with holes and marked out squares.
The tall man, probably seeing Lillith craning her neck to look at it, started to explain. “It’s a dig site. Re-created from an actual dig site here in York, when they discovered dwellings from when the Vikings lived here,” he said.
“Cool,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, Lillith was impressed to think that Vikings lived here. Actually here.
“This entire museum is basically a journey around a Viking
city,” the man went on.
Lillith continued to look around. Televisions adorned the walls. They were all switched off, but she assumed they played videos of real excavations when the museum was open.
The man held his hand out towards Lillith. “I’m Matthew, by the way,” he said.
Lillith shook his hand. “Lillith,” she said.
“Pretty name,” Matthew said. He stood a little too close, and his hand lingered a little too long on hers, making her shiver. “You should come back when the museum’s open. I’ll show you around properly, and take you on the ride.”
Lillith felt her cheeks flush and her stomach turned again, for a different reason this time. She pulled her hand away and looked for Charlie and Tristan, but she couldn’t see them anymore. She turned back to Matthew. “You know Tristan’s my boyfriend, don’t you?” she asked.
Matthew shrugged, and walked forward. Lillith followed, hoping he was taking her to Tristan. She made a mental note not to find herself alone with him again. They came to a door marked ‘Staff Only’, and went through. Inside was a small staff room with blue walls, square tables, chairs, two vending machines, and a water dispenser. About half a dozen people sat on top of the tables, chatting animatedly. Charlie and Tristan were at the vending machines, locked in conversation. Lillith felt that pang of jealousy again, and she swallowed it down. She began to walk towards them, but a girl, who looked a little older than Lillith stopped her.
“You must be Lillith,” the girl said, smiling. “I’m Riti.” She was small and looked Asian, with smooth, caramel coloured skin. She was pretty with her black hair tied up messily, so that long tendrils fell around her face. Her hazel eyes were warm and twinkly.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Lillith said, wondering how the girl knew her name.
Charlie and Tristan appeared just then.
Tristan handed her a cup of tea. “Got you this,” he said.
Lillith smiled. “Thanks,” she said, feeling guilty for being jealous.
Charlie put her arm around Riti. “I see you’ve met my girlfriend,” she said, pulling Riti towards her and planting a very telling kiss on her lips.
“Just,” Lillith said. She felt much less jealous, all of a sudden.
Charlie grinned, and turned to the room. “Thanks to everyone for coming tonight,” she said, in a raised voice. “I’m sure you remember Tristan. Well, this is his girlfriend, Lillith and she’s had an invite to join a coven.”
There was a collective groan from around the room.
Charlie went on, seeming not to notice the reaction. “And Tristan wanted to introduce her to another way of life, before she gets sucked into it and can’t get out.”
Lillith frowned. Was it really that bad?
“So Tristan brought her to us,” Charlie said, with a small chuckle. She looked back towards Lillith and raised her coffee cup. “Well, here’s to another way of life,” she said, waving her coffee cup at the people in the room. “We’re all witches, but we’re not in a coven.”
Lillith raised her cup, too, and looked around the room at the six or so people looking back at her. Some were smiling, some wore frowns, but all looked interested. Lillith swallowed. Everything was a little new and unfamiliar, including these people. She wasn’t sure what she should do next. Was she required to speak? To her relief, Matthew broke the silence before she felt obliged to.
“So, should we go to the pub?” Matthew asked.
Charlie turned to Matthew, and she looked angry. “How does that help?”
Matthew appeared to be amused by Charlie’s question. His mouth turned up into a half smile. “We can all relax with a beer, and tell Lillith some of our stories.”
Charlie’s face relaxed a little, and she looked around, appearing to consider the option. Lillith hoped she’d say yes. She hadn’t had the chance to go to any pubs since she’d turned eighteen; there’d been too much going on. And the pubs here seemed so inviting. They played lively music and everyone inside seemed happy. She wanted to be part of that. She wanted to immerse herself in the excitement of it all. It would be a welcome release from the pressures of the last couple of months.
Charlie was looking at her. “Actually,” she said, “that’s not a bad idea. Let’s go to the pub.”
Elation pulsed through Lillith. She took a drink to conceal it.
Half an hour later, Lillith found herself in a quiet pub. They’d walked past all of the loud, exhilarating looking ones – pubs where people were dancing out of them and laughing. She was slightly disappointed, but she supposed they were there to chat, not dance. The pub had a quaint interior, a bit like a barn. Low hanging beams propped up the ceiling, and wooden plinths held up the walls. The lighting was dimmed, and it combined with the low music to create a relaxed mood. Everyone in this pub was sitting, unless they were at the bar, or walking to and from the toilets.
Lillith was sitting in a wooden chair with a small cushion and high back. She cradled a pint of raspberry cider and listened to the other’s stories with interest. She hoped once all the stories were finished, they’d be able to go to one or two of the livelier pubs. Charlie’s girlfriend, Riti, was sitting next to Lillith, and she was the first to start talking.
“My family are Hindus,” she began. “Hindu-witches are much the same as non-witch Hindus. We believe in arranged marriages with the right sort of family.” She said this last bit in a stern voice, like she was mocking it.
Lillith took a mouthful of cider.
Riti carried on talking. “That means I’m required to marry another Hindu-witch,” she explained. “One with the same station as our family, and one who is most definitely a male.” She paused, and sadness crossed her face.
Lillith looked at Charlie, and understood immediately. Riti was not expected to prefer girls. Riti took a drink from her glass of wine, then looked into Lillith’s eyes. “My family are part of a coven. Its only purpose, it seems, is to arrange marriages for the younger generation. It’s more like a dating group than a coven.”
“Are you part of it, then?” Lillith asked.
Riti shook her head. “No,” she said directly. “I’ve refused to be part of it. My parents have accepted that, but they’ve forbidden me from joining any other coven. I think they think this is a phase that I’ll grow out of, eventually. Then I can join their coven and find a nice boy to settle down with.”
“So they know you’re a…” Lillith nodded towards Charlie. She wasn’t quite sure what word to use.
“A lesbian?” Riti finished. “Yeah, they know I have a girlfriend, they just don’t think it’s permanent.” Her expression dropped.
Lillith looked down. It made her feel lucky. Uma would have accepted Lillith, no matter what her sexuality had been. She looked at Riti again. “Do you want to be in a different coven?” she asked.
Riti laughed, and shook her head. “Definitely not. I like the freedom of not being in a coven.”
Lillith shook her head. “Freedom?” she asked.
“Yeah. Being in a coven is…” Riti’s looked to the ceiling as she thought about how to answer. “…controlling,” she eventually said, breathing out. “There are rules to abide by, and everyone is connected. So no one can do anything without the rest of the coven knowing.”
Lillith thought about the coven that her mam, Angela and Cassandra were all part of. Apart from the obvious problems with Arthur and his followers, they seemed happy enough to be in it. Uma had even said it made witches stronger, as they shared their secrets with one another, and, of course, being in a coven gave them all protection. So it wasn’t all bad. Lillith said this to Riti.
All the under-grounders laughed as she said it. Only Tristan didn’t. Lillith felt foolish, and a little angry. This was all she knew. They didn’t have to be so patronising.
Riti appeared to notice Lillith’s expression, and she waved her hand and stopped people from laughing. “I’m sorry, Lillith,” she said. “We’re not mocking you. We’ve just all been there. Yes,
there are definitely perks to joining a coven. You’re a part of something bigger than you. You’re more powerful together. You learn things from each other that you may never have learned otherwise. You protect each other, blah, blah, blah.” Riti’s face turned serious. “But all of that comes at a cost.” She took a sip of wine. “The freedom to choose your own path. To practice your own magic, your way and to live by your own rules.”
Lillith appreciated the explanation, but she wasn’t completely convinced. Those rules helped everyone live in peace and harmony, and kept some witches under control. If Arthur had been allowed to do what he wanted, she might not be here today.
Charlie spoke next. “It’s the connection thing that keeps me from joining any coven,” she said.
Lillith turned to meet Charlie’s gaze. She thought she saw fear in Charlie’s brown eyes. Lillith gave a little smile, encouraging Charlie to continue.
“I have that power naturally. I’m what they call an Empath.” She visibly swallowed. “It’s not nice,” she continued. “You feel everyone’s hatred, lust, desire, jealousy, and project it all back at them.” She breathed in, as if fighting back tears. “I never knew what my own feelings were, until I was able to block them out.” She pointed at her nose stud, looked at Tristan and smiled. “Which I can do safely now, thanks to Tristan.” She turned her attention back to Lillith. “I can’t imagine volunteering to connect myself to a group of people’s emotions.”
“I’m not sure it’s exactly like that,” Lillith started to explain. The coven only felt the big things, that’s what her mam had told her.
Charlie drank the last bit of lager from her pint glass. “I’m going to the bar; anyone want anything?” She slammed her empty glass on the table.
Lillith shook her head. Had she made Charlie angry?
Matthew, the boy who’d let them into the Jorvik Viking Museum waved an empty pint glass in front of Charlie. “I’ll have another.”
Charlie took his empty glass and walked away.
Matthew turned to Lillith. “I was in a coven, once,” he said.
Ashes: Witches of Whitley Bay Book 2 Page 7
