Witchling Wars

by Shawn Knightley

  “I protected you,” she said, staring down at me as I died right before her haunted eyes. Bleeding out on my own bathroom floor. “I saved you from Brian. Now save me,” she shouted, kneeling down as I struggled to breathe. Nothing came out of my mouth but blood, seeping down my face and dripping on the tiles under my head. “Save me!” she screamed.

  I closed my eyes with a final glance of the world around me only to open them and see myself standing in front of my bathroom mirror in nothing but my bra and my jeans. The bathtub water hadn’t even started yet. I never turned it on. And there was only a single long crack going down the length of my bathroom mirror. A crack that told me she had been here. Emily was here. She was haunting me. Her spirit refused to rest. And somehow, I felt it was because of me.

  I didn’t know better than any human what happens after a person dies. I hoped they went to a better place. But I knew there was something other. Something humans call supernatural and others call spiritual. A place where the unknown is something that can come out to play and haunt you in your worst hours. Gran called the spirits who did this the croxa. A spirit that has practically gone rabid and won’t move on to whatever dimension holds the spirits of our loved ones.

  “Emily, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, still feeling her emotional transference in my body. Weeping inside me.

  The crack on the bathroom mirror continued to spread, moving across the length of the mirror until it split lengthwise from wall to wall. My reflection had split in two. I knew I wouldn’t be whole again until I figured out what was happening. And how to help Emily. If that was even possible.

  Tobias arrived the next morning with a knock at the door and a coffee in his hand from the local drive by shop.

  I took the cup from him in silence and then reached for my shoes by the door.

  “I wasn’t expecting to be greeted in silence,” he said with a jovial tone that on any other given day would have instantly launched me into a bad mood. Anyone who enjoyed mornings that much, particularly a vampire, was worthy of being scolded.

  Not this morning. I didn’t have the energy. I didn’t have the stamina to even put a brush through my hair. I just got out of bed, got dressed, put on the locket with Tobias’s blood inside, and headed for the door when I heard the knock.

  “Harper?” he said my name. “Harper!”

  “What?”

  “Where are you?”

  Damn him. I guess it came from him being a kruxa a long while back. Or so he claimed. He knew something was off. Perhaps he could even sense it.

  “I didn’t sleep well,” I said, taking a generous sip of the hot coffee and instantly regretting it. It barely had time to cool.

  Tobias came closer and took my chin into his hand again like he had the night before.

  I shrugged him away. “Please don’t do that,” I said. In reality, I wanted to say back the hell off before I shove you away because there’s no chance in hell I’m going to let my blood spontaneously mark you, asshole. But he was watching over me. Serving as a sort of guard that I couldn’t get rid of and leaving his coven master duties in order to do so. I would be as formal as I had to be. Especially now that I knew what he was up to. And what he ultimately wanted. Or at least I had suspected.

  “Did you have another vision?” he asked.

  How did he know these things? His magic had been poisoned by being a vampire. He couldn’t possibly be that intuitive.

  “Kinda,” I said, refusing to look at him.

  I stepped outside into the hot sun and walked toward the car parked outside in front of my house. I had been dreading this day for weeks. I reviewed the emails Mr. Bricker, the Congressman’s attorney, had sent me at least fifty times detailing what was going to happen and what the process would be like. And yet, I still didn’t feel the least bit prepared.

  The driver opened up the car door and let me inside. Tobias took the seat next to me. I hung my head and took an occasional sip of the coffee as it cooled, deliberately not letting my eyes make any sort of contact with Tobias.

  “Take my hand, Harper,” he said.

  I placed both hands around the coffee cup. “I don’t need my hand held like an infant. I’ll be fine.”

  “Take it,” he ordered.

  I wasn’t sure how far his demands would go. I wasn’t sure if I was expected to do every single little thing he said. I wasn’t sure if there was a line between appearing ungrateful or just appearing like a grumpy morning person. But I didn’t take his hand. I looked out the window and ignored him.

  He let a single finger trail down the length of my arm causing the hairs to stand up straight at the feel of his cold touch.

  “What are you doing?” I said.

  Before I could utter another word his finger was grazing mine over my coffee cup, slowly and tenderly. Like one might a lover and not someone who was practically their ward.

  A slight surge of energy sputtered in my hand, causing it to open without me even realizing it. Like an electrical jolt prying it open. He slipped his hand into mine. The surge spread through my hand and up my arm, slowly descending up my neck then down my spine.

  I instinctively tried pulling my hand away. He folded his fingers over mine and wouldn’t let go.

  ‘No, you’re not doing this. You’re not going to tempt my blood to mark you.’

  “Stop it!” I practically yelled at him.

  “Calm down,” he demanded. “I want you to channel me.”

  “Huh?”

  ‘Channeling? Like what I did with Madison? I could only do that because she had vixra blood in her system.’

  “Just try it,” he insisted. “It will help you.”

  I was trapped with him in the car until we reached the attorney’s office. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

  I closed my eyes and felt for something. Anything. I wasn’t used to channeling. I was shocked the first time I attempted it that I was even capable of doing it.

  A soft wind passed between us. A sort of gentleness that calms a crying baby, or makes a person in pain feel a sensation of relief. A sense of calm. One that I wasn’t used to and I wished would return to my life once things went back to normal. Which I knew would never happen, so I didn’t hold out much hope for it.

  “You’re on vixra blood,” I said as I opened my eyes, finally allowing them to meet his.

  “I’ve been taking small doses for nearly seventy years. It’s been useful.”

  “A vixra gave you that much blood over the years?”

  He smirked. “Nathaniel isn’t the only one with connections. I allow him to think so because he believes it gives him an edge. And if he believes he has an edge, he’ll have more confidence to do what I want.”

  ‘You devious bastard.’

  “Do you feel better?” he asked.

  It was hard to deny that I did. I wouldn’t say I was peaceful but the rough spirals of my stomach’s nervous knots bending into eternal twists and turns had stopped completely. I was able to think clearly. I didn’t feel as though I might bump into someone from the groggy fog engulfing my mind from lack of sleep. And I wasn’t scared. A bit cautious, but not frightened as I was when I went to bed that night, fearing Emily would appear to me again. Fearing the absolute worst. That her spirit had turned into a croxa. And that she would continue to haunt me until I went completely mad.

  “Yes,” I said weakly, not wanting to admit it to him but aware that he already knew the answer.

  “This bit of unpleasantness will be over soon,” he said. “I promise.”

  Chapter 6

  Two hours later I was briefed by the Congressman’s attorney on exactly how to behave, what to say, and what not to say. I rehearsed every answer to his questions three times each. I knew what the prosecutor was likely to ask and I was prepared for an onslaught of the most invasive, dismissive, and rude prying I had probably endured since I was presented before Tobias and the entire Catach-Brayin coven. In all honesty, this was a walk through t
he park in comparison to that. I wasn’t going to die. That much I knew. I didn’t have to fear for the rest of my family. And the odds of a vampire biting into my neck or wrist with teeth like razor sharp knives was relatively low.

  For whatever reason that I couldn’t fathom, my thoughts were consumed with Nathaniel when I walked through the back entrance of the courthouse, wishing he was there with me instead of Tobias. Wishing he could at least send me a message as far as where he was and what was going on. If he was alright. Even though I knew he was fine. He was a vampire after all. An old one. He could take care of himself. He had been doing so for centuries. And I could blame his absence on Tobias who had sent him away.

  I shook my head absentmindedly, knowing that such thoughts were probably brought on by weakness. A longing for affection that I missed from Caleb. A dreaded fear that Tobias wanted more from me than I was willing to give. And the familiar flash of lights as the media swarmed us the second they saw a red-haired woman get out of the car and step into the courthouse in a black and white dress suited for the trial.

  Tobias led me forward, covering his face with a piece of paper he swiped from Mr. Bricker’s office so the cameras didn’t get a shot of him. And he didn’t let me have the option of not taking his hand. I didn’t want to. I even tried prying it loose a couple times only to have him stare daggers at me, warning me to be submissive. But I knew the truth. If I didn’t channel him I would be a bundle of nervous knots.

  ‘This can’t become a habit. Knowing him, he probably wants me to become addicted to feeling at peace again. Like a drug.’

  Once we walked into the courtroom and I saw the crowd seated on both sides of the aisle, I peered through the array of miscellaneous heads to see the Congressman seated to the right. Mr. Bricker was seated next to him with his briefcase and a pile of paper I assumed was notes. The judge walked into the courtroom and took his seat as everyone rose to their feet.

  There was tension in the room. One that was thick and made the air difficult to breathe. Not the kind of thickness that I got from having a vision. The sort of thickness that makes one sit up straight even when no one is watching.

  I could hear my heartbeat quicken as my name was called to take the stand. Tobias had been holding my hand the entire time. The sensation of steadiness and calm that I gained from channeling the vixra blood inside him fled the instant I let go. It was then that I realized something. Something that I couldn’t believe didn’t occur to me before.

  My hand was only a bit cool. It wasn’t freezing. His skin wasn’t like an icicle as it was before. Either he was using the vixra blood to somehow warm his skin for me, or my blood was doing something I desperately didn’t want it to do.

  ‘No! You’re not going to mark him, damn it. That man is responsible for what happened to Emily! Always remember that!’

  I took the stand and waited to sit down. A man approached me with a bible in his hand.

  “Place your right hand up, ma’am,” he ordered.

  I did so.

  “Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?” he asked.

  ‘No chance in hell. You wouldn’t believe the truth even if I told it to you.’

  “I do,” I stated.

  “Please be seated.”

  I lowered myself down in the chair and sat up as straight as I could, trying to appear confident in a way I certainly wasn’t. I was a witness in one of the most anticipated trials of the year. I had to lie to protect the vixra as well as myself. I had to do my best to evade the media. And to top all that off, I had to do it in front of a vampire who was the coven master to the Catach-Brayin. Not to mention he had some sort of crush on me and he was tempting my fate as well as his by trying to get me to mark him.

  I folded my arms in front of my chest, just in case my insides got any funny ideas about tumbling out on the floor in front of the entire courtroom.

  “Miss Ashwood,” Mr. Bricker approached me.

  My gaze drifted over to the Congressman. His eyes were tired. His spirit despondent. His hope completely gone. I caught a glimpse of his hand on the wooden table. It was covered in bandages, still recovering from the burns Emily had given him after she set him on fire. From what little I saw that night, I managed to put it out before any tremendous damage was done. But a few of the flames still licked his skin. And no doubt his soul.

  Congressman Carlton Larsen may have been a neglectful father. He may have expected too much from Emily and Samantha. And yet, at that moment, I could see that he did love them. In his own way. And that he truly didn’t care how the trial turned out. His career was gone. His family was gone. His life was gone. He was appearing on a stage for a final show that he didn’t want to give. And the cause of it all was sitting a few rows behind him. Only the Congressman had been lured not to remember Tobias at all.

  ‘I’ll never let my blood mark you, Tobias. Not after all the damage you’ve caused. No matter how many coffees you buy me or fancy mansions you own.’

  I shivered in the harsh light of the brightly lit courtroom. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. If the magic in my blood wanted to mark him, it would do so whether I liked it or not.

  “Can you confirm to the court the service you provided to Officer Andrew Parker of the Dilton county police department?” Mr. Bricker asked me.

  My palms were already starting to sweat. I crunched my fists into my dress. Everyone was staring at me. If my magic randomly appeared, I wouldn’t be able to stop it. My heart was pounding. My throat was thickening. And as soon as I opened my mouth to answer, my mind went blank.

  ‘You can do this. It’s not like they don’t already know the details anyway.’

  “Um… Officer Parker called me in the morning and asked if I was available to help him out with a few cold cases he had sitting on his desk. I was hesitant at first but eventually said yes.”

  “Why is that?” Mr. Bricker asked. It was all according to plan. Explain to everyone that I was just some nobody. A girl who got trapped in an awful situation and just wanted to be a good citizen of Dilton. Or something along those lines.

  “My profession is to give psychic readings. Officer Parker had known about what I do for some time and was curious if my ability might be helpful to him since he had no further leads on his cases.”

  “Can you tell the court what your abilities are exactly?”

  This was the part where things got messy. And where I had to start lying. Everything had to be told in such a way that made me sound like one of those cheap psychics who owned a corner shop with a flickering street light that rarely got visitors but somehow managed to continue paying for the retail space.

  “I get feelings about things. I sometimes see through the eyes of other people when I touch objects. I’m also perceptive to the emotions of others.”

  Not entirely a lie. But also not the whole truth.

  “And what feelings or perceptions did you get once you agreed to help Officer Parker?”

  I had to remind myself to look up at Mr. Bricker. My gaze was drifting down to the floor in a sheepish way that didn’t suit me. A way that I was taught by gran to avoid getting too stressed. To avoid anyone discovering who I was. What I was. And what I could do.

  “I told him that one of the victims had been pursued in the woods and murdered by someone she trusted. And that he might find Samantha Larsen in a nearby swamp that I sometimes ride my bike through by Park Hill Lane. I only recognized it because I ride over the bridge to get to my sister’s house faster so I can avoid the cars on the highway.”

  He nodded his head as if to tell the jury that my explanation was understandable and there was no reason to suspect me of anything strange. Or of involvement of any kind. And I dared to hope it would work.

  My eyes unconsciously drifted over to Tobias who gave me a wink. A freaking wink! It didn’t help me feel any more at ease. Although, I’m sure he felt smooth.

  A hand came down out of nowhere and tried to scratch acro
ss my face. I ducked out of the way with a flinch.

  “Miss Ashwood? Are you alright?” asked Mr. Bricker.

  The entire court made strange faces at me. I searched all around me, looking far more nervous than I wanted to present and wondering where the hell that hand had come from. There was no one near me. Only Mr. Bricker and he was a few feet away. The jury was sitting there with their hands folded in their laps. I must have looked like a spooked child.

  “Uh…yes,” I stammered. There was nothing there. At least not that everyone else could see.

  “Miss Ashwood, what was your relationship with Emily Larsen?”

  “She was a client of mine. And a friend. We used to ride the school bus together and I would read tarot cards for her. She came around every few weeks for a reading after I graduated high school. We remained friends until…until she died.”

  “So you helped her over the years. Did you help Emily after her sister’s body was found?”

  I nodded. “Yes. But she didn’t want my help. She was too upset. She was grieving for her sister.”

  “The media, as well as many people in the court, have accused Carlton Larsen of neglect because you took in Emily instead of him. In your opinion, why did Emily want to stay with you after her sister’s body was first recovered?”

  Well, I couldn’t exactly blame anyone for that particular angle. But I wasn’t about to put the Congressman in more undeserved hot water. Especially after I knew the truth. Emily’s face as she stood up to look down at her handy work from strangling her own sister flashed through my memory. I had to force my mind to refocus on what Mr. Bricker was saying.

  “Congressman Larsen was so struck with grief that Emily wanted to give him some space. So she came to stay with my sister Madison. But she left in the middle of the night. I assumed she wanted to be with her father.”

  A lie. But one that wasn’t too far from the truth. The Congressman appeared so distraught that he probably didn’t even notice Emily was gone. Samantha was his golden child. The one who he hoped would give him grandsons. Who knows what he expected for Emily? If anything at all.