Malice: A Barrington County Novel

by Stacy Charasidis

  She turned to Elanah. “Betrayer. Murderer.”

  Sadie wasn’t finished. She addressed her father-in-law. “She spelled the champagne at the grand opening of the hotel and put you all in her thrall. Your free will is gone. She used all of you for her own gain. Helping the town was only secondary to her primary goal, which is to live and rule over an enslaved Barrington. The witch must be stopped!”

  Everyone started whispering. John was frowning.

  Furious, Elanah twisted her wrist and they fell too. “Shut up!” she screamed, pointing at Sadie. A bolt of green energy left Elanah’s hand.

  Everyone’s hair began to float at the static charge filling the barn. Sadie gasped, falling to the ground, pain ripping through her. Luke yelled and ran to her side.

  “How dare you!” Elanah hissed viciously, cutting the palm of her hand and letting blood drip into the brazier. “I know you, witch. I tasted your magic and know my enemy. I am in control. Everyone will die, but you will be first and I will make sure no one remembers your name.” She restarted her eerie chant and the brazier began to glow. Small streaks of lightning quickly started to flicker outward.

  It was pandemonium.

  Sadie moaned as she turned to look at Luke and shriek. “She’s casting! Her spell is more advanced than I thought! Do something, Luke! Break the ring!”

  The brazier burned red hot as Elanah shouted the last word.

  Jenna collapsed, and then the rest of the witches in rapid succession, screaming as if they were being burned alive. Agonizing shrieks filled the night air as the spell tore their magic from them. Elanah began to glow as their power filled her. Her clothes and hair whipped about her body. She laughed exultantly.

  Jenna was the first to fall silent.

  Sadie screamed and curled into a ball, her power blazing as it fought Elanah’s spell.

  No one noticed the middle-aged woman standing in the doorway of the barn, her hands full of blood. A glowing figure stood with her.

  But Elanah had. She was looking at the glowing figure, her mouth open with shock and fear, and she faltered. “Hester?”

  “Hagar!” Luke screamed with relief when he saw who it was. “Help us!”

  Hester’s eyes flashed white as she lifted her arms. Sadie started to drag herself forward to try and break the salt circle around Elanah.

  “Elanah Von Vixen!” Hester hissed as she rushed toward her. Elanah shrieked in fright and reared back, turning to run and stepped over the salt circle around her, breaking her own protective ring.

  Hester rushed right into her.

  Sadie was slumped on the ground, panting. The excruciating pain was gone. She could see the brief struggle for Elanah’s body, but it didn’t last long. Hester stood, firmly in control. Elanah may have been a powerful witch, but she was a novice compared to Hester. Where Elanah had learned witchcraft, Hester had been born to it at her mother’s knee.

  Hester quickly bent down and placed her hands over the brazier. The spell attacking the girls retracted into a glowing ball, burning brightly above the brazier, rotating slowly. Hester took the ball and turned it on herself. She left Elanah’s body quickly as the spell hit Elanah and she fell to the ground, screaming in agony as her power was ripped from her. Without the protection of the salt circle, there was no way to contain the power so it was returned to the earth.

  Within seconds Elanah’s ill-used power was gone, and she lay limply on the ground.

  Vail watched tensely as if witnessing a horrific accident. Not even a minute had gone by and her mother was down and not moving. She wasn’t sure the girls were still alive. They had all crumpled to the ground and were still. At the corner of her eye she thought she saw Ella stirring slightly, but she was too overwhelmed with concern for her mother to check.

  Hester was back at Hagar’s side, a white blue glow in the shadows of the barn. Her face was peaceful as she folded her hands in front of her stomach. “She is immortal so she has survived the extraction of her power, of course,” but then Hester looked at Vail sharply, “but maybe she should not.”

  Before Vail could respond, Elanah sat up, shaking and angry, and got to her feet. She may have survived the spell because she was immortal, but what was immortality without power? She stared at her powerless hands. “What have you done, you imbeciles!”

  “Something that should have been done centuries ago,” Sadie said harshly, pushing Elanah aside and stepping into the casting circle. “Luke!” she called.

  Elanah turned hostile eyes to Sadie and hissed at her. “What are you doing now?”

  “Curing the sick, something you omitted to do.”

  “I was curing them!”

  Sadie laughed. “You were killing them. You are very smart, I’ll give you that. I was momentarily confused as to why the poison was still within me after you’d cleared it from the land. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You knew we knew your plans, so you changed your ‘cleaning’ spell at the last minute to leave the human hosts sick. We would have no choice but to let you cast the second spell to ‘cure’ us, leaving you unopposed as you stole our power, cleaning it as you pulled it from us. That was your insurance. Keep us sick until spell number two was complete and we were are all dead!”

  “No! I—Wait, Sadie. You need me!”

  “No, I do not.” Sadie said confidently. “I’m smart too, you see. I couldn’t pull the poison from the surrounding country. Such old magic, lying in wait for centuries, was embedded in everything. You’re right, I have power but not experience. Only the original caster, keyed to the original dark spell could do the perfect clean-up job, and you’ve done it. But what I can do is use your magical residue to make what I call ‘spell antibodies’ for all the witches.”

  Luke tossed her a bag of herbs and Sadie sealed the salt circle. “A chant, a little abracadabra, and the poison will be removed from every witch from here to Limerick.” She tossed the bag into the brazier and the smell of lavender and eucalyptus filled the barn. Sadie sliced her hand open and blood dripped into the blazing brazier as she started to chant:

  “Healing herbs, infuse the air, make a remedy strong and fair.

  Healing herbs, be not faint, use this spell to remove the taint.

  Healing herbs, with thy power, cure the taint within the hour.”

  As she chanted, power flowed from the brazier into Sadie. She absorbed it, her eyes began to glow a pale purple tinged with black. As she drew power to herself, her hair began to undulate again as if it were alive. The black tinge disappeared as Sadie cured herself, and spreading her fingers, she sent it spinning outward.

  The infected girls began to writhe on the ground, purple power enveloping them like a cocoon, the light visible in the dark night to anyone with the sight. Purple glows could be seen around the town, and beyond, as Barrington and Limerick witches healed.

  Only Jenna didn’t glow. The power skipped over her.

  Elanah was enraged. “You’ll pay for this, Sadie Kellar,” she said ominously. “I’m so sick of you and your family. You’ve caused me nothing but pain!”

  Unnoticed, Luke had circled around and now approached Elanah from behind with Rive in his hand. One slice. That was his job. Once slice and justice would be served.

  Hester spoke up. “We should destroy you once and for all. Elanah Von Vixen, you have been nothing but trouble in every century you’ve existed in.”

  Vail, who was eyeing Luke, became angry at Hester’s comment. “That was not our agreement, Hester!”

  The spectre only gave an angry shake of her head.

  Elanah watched Sadie helplessly, unaware of the new threat until John stirred, and seeing his son creeping up behind her with a knife, shouted a warning. When Luke froze momentarily, shocked at his father’s betrayal, Elanah turned and snatched the knife from his hand.

  Luke was horrified. The most dangerous knife in the world was now in the hands of the craziest witch on the planet.

  Luke started to hyperventilate.

  Elan
ah held the knife reverently. “The Witch’s Dagger,” she said softly, turning the sheath in her hand and running her finger along the handle. “I know just who to use this on,” she said angrily, looking at Sadie. She tried to remove the knife from its sheath, but it wouldn’t open. Gasping for air, Luke lunged as she fumbled with the clasp, and the knife was knocked out of her hands. They watched in terror as it flew through the air toward Max, who caught it.

  “Max! Don’t touch it!” Luke screamed.

  Hagar gasped in fear. “My God, be careful with that thing!”

  Elanah walked toward Max menacingly. “Give me the knife RIGHT NOW,” she said, her voice shrill, “or I will rip you limb from limb.”

  “Mother!” Vail yelled. “You have to stop this right now!”

  Elanah’s eyes had caught the fire from the brazier and it looked as if the pits of hell were burning in them. Terrified, Max hesitated. He tried to open the catch on Rive’s sheath but it wouldn’t budge. What good is a knife you can’t unsheathe? he thought frantically. Everyone was screaming around him.

  Looking up, he saw Katie walking discreetly by Elanah’s side, miraculously awake, motioning frantically for him to throw her the knife. She should be unconscious like the rest of the charm bearers, but she’s not.

  Throw it you I-D-I-O-T, Katie mouth silently to Max, waving her arms in a frantic kind of way.

  But she’s a traitor... Max’s brain was sorting information like pieces of a puzzle, putting them together. Katie was calling him names. Now she was making rude gestures at him and he finally understood what was happening. He sent the knife sailing toward her.

  Elanah snatched it right out of the air.

  Max was horrified. Holy shit, what had he done?

  But then Elanah did something incredible.

  “Hold this,” she said to Katie, passing her the knife. “I need to disable those boys.”

  The knife unsheathed easily in Katie’s hands and she stared in awe at the ancient weapon crusted with old blood. For a split second she was tempted to use it for herself as she stared at Ella, who was reviving and sitting up. The knife waited on her decision. Sighing, she stabbed Rive into Elanah’s shoulder instead.

  Elanah gasped as the knife entered her body. “Noooooo!” she screamed in pain, clutching her shoulder and twisting around to see who had betrayed her. “Why?” she asked Katie when she realized who had stabbed her. “Do you know what you’ve done?” she shrieked before she clutched her head and bent forward, crying out in agony. The transformation from immortal to mortal was quick. The muted glow that characterized Elanah and enhanced her beauty faded until she looked like a normal, pretty woman like every other female in the barn.

  Appalled at what she’d done, Katie dropped Rive and its sheath to the ground and stared at her hands. The knife pulsed once and turned black. The rest of the unconscious people began to revive and sit up. No one remembered what had happened.

  Vail rushed to grab Elanah, who was rocking back and forth on the ground moaning “no.”

  “Mom?”

  “How could you do this to me Vail? How? My immortality was your father’s gift to me. Now it’s gone,” she sobbed, heartbroken.

  “I know,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

  Luke raced to pick up Rive and carefully put the knife back in its sheath. “I got ya buddy,” he whispered fondly. “Good job.”

  Sadie had fallen to her knees once she’d completed the spell. Hester inclined her head once, in respect and approval, and was gone. Hagar also inclined her head before disappearing from the barn. She’d done her part. It was time to let the Barrington folk pick up the pieces.

  Nathalie had been keeping an eye on the girls but was now busy holding her sister in check. Rain’s temper raged out of control now that the seriousness of the situation had passed. “Beating her up won’t change what’s happened,” Nathalie said desperately in Rain’s ear.

  “I don’t care,” Rain said angrily. “I’m going to kill that troublemaking witch and then slap Tess’ deceitful face once, just once, the two-timing boyfriend-stealing slut!”

  “Rain, no!”

  “Why didn’t you just mind your own business you stupid witch!” Rain screamed at last, unable to break away from her taller, heavier sister.

  Elanah turned and hissed at her balefully, her eyes full of tears. “You didn’t deserve him! That’s why you selfish, self-centered little bitch! Tess loves Gabriel with all her heart, not just the piece she grudgingly shares with him. For the binding to work, there had to be a spark in both people in the first place! So think about that and suffer, Rain Parker!”

  “Mother!” Vail, admonished. “That’s enough!”

  “You girls had everything and didn’t appreciate it. I’ve lost everything! Everyone—” Elanah continued to sob.

  Nathalie spoke up and asked pointedly. “And what about me? Did I not appreciate Dean? Did I deserve this?”

  Elanah didn’t respond or look at Nathalie.

  The fight went out of Rain. She just stared at Elanah and then at Gabriel and Tess.

  Gabriel was helping Tess up and looking at Rain with trepidation.

  Nathalie pulled Rain away and put her arm around her, with the realization of what Elanah had said sinking in for her as well. They were both stunned. Nathalie could feel Dean staring at her. A spark had to be there. Dean must have felt something for Elanah. Pain lodged deep inside her. Nathalie turned her back on Dean and took Rain to check on the girls.

  Tess stared at Rain stonily, wrapping her arm possessively around Gabe. She too had looked at Rive momentarily, tempted to permanently rid herself of her rival, but instead she turned her back and buried her face in Gabriel’s neck.

  Rain gave them both the finger.

  Dean blinked in bewilderment and rubbed his eyes. Nathalie was ignoring him, and he could tell that she was seething mad. He watched her from where he was, but didn’t approach her. He felt as if shackles had been removed from his will, and he remembered everything he’d done. What could he say at this point? He hadn’t even thought about it himself. In the end he quietly checked on Ella, and lifting her in his arms, left without speaking to anyone.

  Ella allowed Dean to pick her up and carry her away. She was not interested in talking to Max, who’d been cornered by his parents, along with his brother Luke, and it looked as if the conversation would be pretty intense.

  Sheriff Holt was standing by Jenna and radioing the station to get Doc Peabody to the west barn. There was a casualty. The Sheriff didn’t let anyone near her. He told everyone to go home but not to skip town.

  Savannah and Bella, looking much better, went home with their fathers.

  Katie waited until Max was free before walking over to him. She had that irritatingly smug look on her face that drove him nuts, but tonight, Max didn’t care. Today, Katie Fairchild had earned her weight in gold.

  “You have a terrible throw,” she said when she reached him. Max laughed before he bent down and kissed her full on the lips.

  Katie beamed at him. “Wow, that good an actress, eh?” she said, fishing for a compliment.

  “Words cannot begin to describe your incredible performance. How did you do it?” Max asked. He had so many questions. “You had me convinced you’d been spelled.”

  “No, I pretended to be. It was just easier to get her to trust me if she thought I was in her thrall. She told me everything. That’s how confident she was in her spells and our loyalty.”

  “How did you escape the tendrils of her magic when everyone else was firmly caught in her snare? I saw the necklace she gave you.”

  Katie nodded. “The moment she wanted to put the necklace on me I realized my mistake, but it was too late. She was so nice and it would have been very suspicious to freak out and yank it off. I waited for something to happen, but it never did. But notice that I didn’t let you touch the bracelet she made for you. I was protecting you, even though you are such an ingrate.”

  Max s
huddered. That could have gone very badly.

  “Her magic had absolutely no effect on me. I still don’t know why.”

  “I can tell you why. It’s because you’re a Fairchild,” Vail said, overhearing their conversation. “Elanah’s spells are subtle, perfectly tuned so your mind never realizes it has been invaded and that your will is not your own. We know of only one family who are immune to magic, the Fairchilds, and in 1597, the Fairchild in question was a boy named Amos. I am guessing you never told my mother your family name. If you had she would never have let you near her.”

  “I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want Dean to know my father was his boss!”

  “Who on Earth is Amos?” Max asked, confused.

  “Amos Fairchild was a little boy my mother befriended at the banishment site. He was inadvertently the catalyst that turned the Limerick townsfolk against her.”

  Both Katie and Max looked shocked.

  “Trust me, he didn’t mean to hurt her. He loved her, but he was just a kid. She thought she had spelled him to forget her when he left the site, not realizing her spell didn’t work on him, and that he was resistant to magic. His brother had forgotten her, but not Amos. Not all Fairchilds are resistant, just some, but it does run in the family. It may skip a generation, who knows, but you definitely inherited the gift. Because of that uncanny ability, Fairchilds became premier witch hunters, but with a heavy price. Many of them, with and without the ability, were murdered by witches or died mysteriously in the centuries that followed.”

  “That’s horrible!”

  Vail looked at Katie. “I wouldn’t publicize your ‘gift’ if I were you, Katie. Evil witches do exist, and Fairchilds are not their friends. You could put yourself in grave danger.”