Ashes: Witches of Whitley Bay Book 2

by Katherine Heason

  Lillith looked into the man’s eyes. She saw fear in them. He was probably like Uma, and Cassandra; just a nice witch, fearful for his life. Lillith chose a spot on the ground, close enough to the man to scare him, but far enough away that he wouldn’t be hurt. She concentrated very hard, and summoned a bolt from the sky.

  It struck the exact spot where the man was standing. Lillith felt the electricity from it, but it didn’t harm her. The man’s grip slackened. One side of his body was black, and his hair stood on end. His eyes were wide, and pain was etched into his face. His body crumpled to the ground.

  Lillith gasped, and covered her mouth with her free hand. The other held tightly to the U.V. marker. She stood in shock for several seconds, staring into the lifeless face of the poor man. She hadn’t meant for that to happen. She’d just needed to get away. Tears spilled down her face. She was an evil witch. No wonder people were terrified of her.

  Lillith realised that a crowd had started gathering. She backed away from the body, spun on her heels and ran as fast as she could. Lillith wasn’t sure where she was going. She just ran, even though her side hurt. Even though her chest burned, and she couldn’t see because tears blurred her vision. She ran through a wood. Amber and brown flurried past her eyes, fallen leaves crunched under her feet with each step, and the smell of trees filled her nostrils with every sharp breath in. She ran into a field, and the smell turned into that of animals and dung.

  Lillith couldn’t breathe any longer. She stopped, and turned abruptly, squinting through her tears. It didn’t look like anyone had followed her, but she felt exposed in this field. A sheep bleated close by, and she jumped. The U.V. marker was still in her hand. She could add ‘stealing’ to her long list of crimes, although that one was far less to worry about than murder.

  Lillith shoved the pen into her pocket, and felt her chest tighten. That man hadn’t deserved to die. He’d looked nice. He’d held the door open for her. Nasty people didn’t do that. She sobbed, and tears rolled down her cheeks. What was she becoming? That wouldn’t have happened if she’d stayed at the house. It wouldn’t have happened if she’d stayed in her own time. Why had her mind come back here, anyway? To show her how evil her former self had been?

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, and looked around. Another thought made her stomach sink. Where was she? Where was home? Surrounding the field, on three sides, were trees. Straight ahead was more field. Lillith began to walk towards the wood on the opposite side to where she was, thinking that the cover of trees was preferable to an open field. It was muddy, and her feet squelched as she walked. Her hairs stood on end as she approached the dark wood. Was she sensing something inside, or was it just fear? Thoughts of the man she’d just killed faded into the background. All her senses were focused on where she was, and what she was about to encounter.

  Lillith could hear the faint bleating of sheep behind her. In front of her, a breeze rustled leaves, and made branches creak. The wood was dark. Orange and brown leaves covered the ground. Something moved in the corner of her eye, and she spun to look at it. A squirrel shot up a tree. She breathed out with relief, and walked on. The sound of sheep could no longer be heard. The trees became denser and taller, and Lillith wasn’t sure which direction she was heading. She just continued, a little faster now. She wanted to find her way out of these trees. The light was fading. That meant it was already late afternoon. Would Gloria and Donovan be worried? Would they come looking for her?

  Lillith heard a rumble, and she stopped and listened. A tractor, maybe? She looked behind her. The field she’d been in was too far away for the noise to be coming from there. There was another rumble, too smooth to be a tractor. Was it a car? Lillith smiled inwardly. Was she hearing a road? If there was a road, there’d be signs, and she could find out where she was.

  Lillith ran towards where the noise had come from. She was right. There was a gap in the trees ahead, and Lillith saw a car fly past. She ran towards it, stopping just before the edge of the trees. An old fence circled the perimeter of the woods, followed by a ditch, then the road. Lillith suspected that people might be looking for her, so she walked parallel to the road, but behind the trees, staying hidden.

  The road seemed to go on forever, with no signs at all. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour of walking, there was a crossroads, and a road sign. Lillith was elated, and ran closer to it. It said ‘Richmond Hall’. Her heart raced. That was where Lilly, Donovan, Gloria and her dad had lived. It was where they’d gone looking for Tristan that night, and it was where Arthur had lain in wait for them. Eighteen years in the future, Arthur would try and kill her at that very hall. She wondered if that’s where Arthur was now. It was a long shot, but if he was there right now, she could kill him. There wouldn’t have to be a fight on Friday. She could end all of this, here and now.

  Lillith stared at the sign, breathing deeply. Thoughts appeared in her mind; thoughts of Tristan’s lifeless body, with sand in his nostrils. Pain stabbed at her chest, and tears stung her eyes. She clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth. It was Arthur’s fault. She could have had a nice life. He’d spoilt everything. What was his problem, anyway? She’d killed his wife somehow, but if Gloria was right, all the killings had been in self-defence, so if his wife hadn’t attacked, she wouldn’t have died.

  Lillith took a step towards the fence at the edge of the wood. Was she really going to do this? She climbed the fence, and jumped over the muddy ditch below the road. Then, she climbed the gentle bank and stood at the roadside, still staring at the sign saying ‘Richmond Hall’. All she had to do was cross the road and walk in the direction of the sign. Lillith breathed in, filling her chest and began to cross.

  Lillith didn’t hear the car approach, but she heard the tyres scraping the road as it stopped beside her. She turned to face it. It was dusk, and there was little light. She squinted to make out the colour of the car, and saw two shadows get out. Someone called her name, and her body stiffened. They’d caught up with her. Her first instinct was to run, but just as she was preparing to spin on her heels, she heard her name called again, and recognised the voice. It was Brody’s voice.

  Lillith squinted at the shadows, and Donovan’s face became visible as he walked closer. He wore a frown. “What you doing, Lillith?” he asked.

  Gloria was the other shadow. She looked worried. “When you didn’t come back, we were worried,” she said. Her eyes flitted to the sign saying ‘Richmond Hall’. “Where were you going?”

  Lillith shivered. They were going to hate her for what she’d done. She felt her lip quiver, and a tear sprang out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. She shook her head.

  “I was lost,” she said. It was the truth. “I was found out.” She looked from Gloria to Donovan and back again. They both looked worried. “I killed someone,” Lillith admitted, and immediately sobbed.

  She held her hand to her chest, and could no longer hold back the tears. Gloria grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, squeezing tightly. Lillith felt Gloria’s body shaking.

  Donovan put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go home,” he said. “You can tell us what happened there.”

  They hurried back to the car, and Lillith sat in the back. Her head was pounding after crying so much. Gloria had collected herself. She started the car and turned into the road where the sign pointed to Richmond Hall. Lillith held her breath, but Gloria was just using it to turn around. Lillith stared at the turning as they sped away from it, and felt a little pinch of regret.

  Chapter 30: The Plan

  Lillith explained what happened in the village. Donovan and Gloria sat still, listening intently. Their faces wore concerned expressions. Lillith ended by saying she’d been looking for road signs to find her way home. She said nothing of her plan to find Arthur.

  “Are you sure he was dead?” Gloria asked.

  Lillith felt a pang in her chest, and swallowed. “I didn’t stop to take his pulse, but he looked it,” she said.

>   “If a healer got to him quick enough, he may be okay,” Gloria said.

  Lillith looked up. “Mam’s – I mean, Uma’s a healer,” she said, hopefully. “Can a healer bring someone back from the dead?”

  Gloria shrugged. “Sometimes. Even non-witches can bring people back from the dead, with the right training and equipment.”

  Hope soared through Lillith, but not for the man she’d killed. For Tristan. She swallowed it down, feeling guilty.

  Gloria was still talking. “In this case, it depends if the burns are too great. If so, he may not be able to be healed and resuscitated,” she said.

  Excitement sparked through Lillith. Uma was there on the beach. There was a chance that in the present, in her present, Tristan and the under-grounders were alive. Now, she wanted to get back there more than ever. Her excitement was short-lived, and was replaced by a thought as heavy as lead. She’d never get back there. She was planning to change history, and that meant that she wouldn’t even exist in that time. Sadness hit her, like a crashing wave. She’d never see Tristan again, but at least he’d be alive.

  “Maybe they won’t attack us, now,” Donovan said. “Maybe you’ve changed their plans by, you know, killing that man today.”

  Lillith looked at Donovan and opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly remembered something and breathed in sharply. She shook her head. “Killing that man is what makes them attack,” she said. She looked between Gloria and Donovan. “My mam, Uma, told me that Lilly and Donovan disappeared for a year, and when they returned, Lilly sent a message by killing someone. That’s what I’ve just done. I’ve just killed someone. I’ve just sent that message.”

  Both Gloria and Donovan stared back at Lillith, wide-eyed.

  “I’m supposed to be changing events,” Lillith said, shaking her head. “But instead, I’ve just made it happen.”

  “Maybe not, maybe…” Donovan tried, but he trailed off, and looked at the floor.

  “I’d been wondering how they found us,” Gloria said, with a note of regret in her tone. “We’ve been hidden from them for so long.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lillith said. “I wish I’d remembered earlier. All I had to do was stay here. That would’ve changed everything.” Lillith blinked back tears.

  “Or delayed it,” Gloria said, shaking her head. “If I’m honest, I’m pleased,” she said. “We’ve been imprisoned here. We can’t go out unless in disguise. We can’t go anywhere on holiday; in case we’re detected. We’re constantly alert, looking over our shoulders. Whatever the outcome, at least it’ll be over.” Gloria looked down, despondently. She was preparing herself for her fate. One where she had no future.

  Lillith’s stomach sank. There was no outcome where everyone won. Someone always had to die. She pushed her feelings down, and reached into her pocket. She could still change this. She pulled out the UV pen, and held it up.

  “This is how we’re going to stop Arthur,” she said.

  Donovan half laughed. “The pen is mightier than the sword?” he guessed.

  “We’ll draw a pentagram with it. It’ll be invisible, until we shine an ultraviolet light on it.” She pointed at the flickering strobe light above them. “I wasn’t able to get a light, but that might work with a little bit of magic. We just need to get Arthur to stand in the middle, then we switch on the light.”

  Both Gloria and Donovan’s expressions changed simultaneously; first confusion, then realisation. Once inside the pentagram, Arthur would be trapped, and his magic wouldn’t work, anymore. He’d never knowingly walk into a pentagram, but he could walk into an invisible one.

  “What about the others?” Donovan asked.

  Lillith had already thought of that. “I don’t want to hurt them,” she said. “I can freeze them.” Lillith remembered what she’d done to the coven on the beach. They’d been unable to move. She was sure she could do that again, especially as her powers seemed to be stronger here.

  “Okay,” Gloria said. “We’ll try it your way.”

  Lillith went to bed that night, sadder than ever.

  Chapter 31: Halloween

  She spent the next few days learning how to tap into Donovan’s magic. Doing that was a lot like being in a dark room, hearing an extremely low noise and trying to find where it was coming from. It wasn’t easy. Donovan helped, by reaching his energy out to hers, and eventually she got it. Feeling his energy was like wrapping herself in a warm cloud. She felt the heat and pressure of it, but there was nothing physically there.

  Once Lillith was able to connect with Donovan, everything, even the impossible, was easy. She simply wanted something to happen, and it happened. There was no effort or concentration, just desire. No wonder witches were scared of their power when they were together; it seemed to have no limit. In a strange way, that was what convinced Lillith that Lilly and Donovan weren’t inherently evil, which was comforting. With their collective power they could wipe out the coven easily, but they didn’t. They hid from them, instead. It was true that Lilly had done some inexcusable things in high school, but she and Donovan had paid the price for that. They knew how to defend themselves, and had killed witches when they were attacked, but Lillith understood that, and didn’t see another way.

  On the evening of Halloween, Lillith held Donovan’s hand in hers. She was nervous. Her breathing was shallow, her heart beat fast, and beads of sweat ran down her face. She was pleased that she’d practiced using her powers this week. It made her a little more confident. Lillith watched the surveillance screens as the coven approached the perimeter of the house.

  “They’re approaching the second defence,” Gloria said.

  Lillith watched as they all held up their hands and began to chant. The monitor was small, and the picture was grey and grainy, but Lillith could see Arthur clearly. He looked exactly the same, standing in front of his followers. White hair, billowing in the wind. Bright, glowing eyes. His arms were outstretched, with his staff in one hand. His mouth was opening and closing widely as he said the chants. Lillith searched the crowd behind him. There were a few faces she recognised.

  Her heart skipped a beat; she could see Uma, her adoptive mam, on the monitor. Memories of her mam came back to her, warming her insides. She remembered her childhood, and how lovely it had been. Uma had been an exceptional mother. She’d taken care of her and loved her. It was the little things that Lillith remembered most. When she’d helped her make sense of some rather stubborn homework. When she’d kissed her grazed knee better, after Lillith fell over. When they played Monopoly together. A tear rolled down Lillith’s cheek. Could she really wipe that future out?

  Gloria gently stroked Lillith’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Lillith composed herself. She pointed to the screen, and to Uma’s face. “That’s my mam,” she said.

  A silence followed as Gloria studied the monitor. “She looks nice,” she said eventually, with sadness in her tone.

  Lillith regarded Gloria. She felt guilty, but she wasn’t her daughter. She was Uma’s. She turned away and examined the monitor again. “Is our father there?” Lillith asked. Curious to know what he looked like.

  Gloria and Donovan exchanged a look.

  “I can’t see him,” Gloria said.

  Donovan shook his head, but didn’t meet Lillith’s eyes.

  Lillith looked from Donovan to Gloria, and back again. Then she looked back at the monitor. She had more pressing things to worry about than whether Donovan and Gloria were lying about being able to see their father.

  “Let’s get into position,” Lillith said, after a few moments of watching the monitor.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Gloria asked. “It’s not too late to change our minds.”

  Lillith looked down. She closed her eyes, and focused on breathing calmly. Was she sure she wanted to do this? No, she wasn’t, but why else was she here? Lillith looked up, positively. “Yes, let’s go.”

  Gloria and Donovan went to the kitchen, where they’d
drawn the invisible pentagram earlier. They lit a couple of candles to add some light to the room. Gloria positioned herself by the dining table, which was pushed against the back wall, and Donovan stood in the doorway, with his fingers ready to switch on the light when needed. Lillith hid in the shadows of the lobby, facing the front door.

  Lillith heard them first. They were trying to be quiet, but there were too many of them for that. It wasn’t the sound of talking or whispering, but the sound of coats rustling, and footsteps. Lillith’s heart beat faster than she’d ever known it to, and her stomach was doing somersaults. She tried to control her breathing, so as not to be heard, as much as anything else.

  The door clicked open, and Arthur entered. Lillith could almost feel the heat from his glowing amber eyes as he scanned the room. His eyes rested on the corner where she stood. She stopped breathing, and stood as still as possible. She needed Arthur to see her, but not yet. Not until the rest of the coven were in the room. Arthur’s eyes narrowed. Lillith held her breath. This is it, she thought, but eventually, his gaze moved on. She let out a long and quiet breath. Arthur beckoned for the rest of the coven to follow him.

  Lillith waited until all coven members had entered the lobby. Then, she moved out of the shadows. The sound of her movement caused every coven member’s head to flick her way. Lillith spotted Cassandra. She was pregnant, and showing. Her bump was quite large and round. Lillith estimated her to be seven months pregnant, at this point.

  She froze for a moment. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. She heard murmurs from a few of the coven members, which grew into a chant. They’re chanting the regression spell, Lillith realised. That spurred her on, and she held up her hands, directing magic at them. They froze, just like the coven had done on the beach. She was still surprised at how easy magic was in Lilly’s body.