by S. L. Baum
“I don’t know,” I said, through ragged breaths. “I feel like I am boiling inside! Aaaaahhhh,” I yelled out in pain.
The dark room grew brighter, and I looked down at myself and realized that I was the source of illumination. The confused faces of my friends reflected in my glow as it intensified. They put up their hands, to shield themselves from my light, and turned their faces away. Soon, the whole room was washed out by white light.
I closed my eyes, threw my head back, and screamed as I burned with the white hot light.
Then, almost instantly, the burning subsided. The bright white dimmed from the room. I opened my eyes to find that the candles were lit once again and a glow came from the fire burning in the fireplace.
Color danced all around me. It was crisper, more defined, and bursting with hues that I’d never seen before. I could see the blood pumping through Lulach’s veins, the chill that was passing through Catherine, and the microscopic beads of sweat that had formed along Link’s brow. Link was consumed with worry. I could somehow see worry! Not just suspect it, or guess at it. I could SEE it!
“Charity, your eyes,” Link began.
“What?” I asked.
“They are fl-flaming!”
“Oh no, no, no.” I violently shook my head and then ran past the fireplace, to the powder room, and looked in the mirror.
I stared into the mirror and tried to figure out who, exactly, was staring back at me. My hair should be dark, almost black, but it was an inky mixture of both blue and black. My eyes used to be pale blue, but they were a luminescent blue, with flames dancing within them. This wasn’t right... this couldn’t be...
I ran out of the bathroom and ran over to where The Book of Spells had landed when I’d pushed it off of my body. It had burned my fingers when I’d touched the leather cover. I stood in front of it, stared at it, and waited for it to jump at me... but it stayed where it was. Then I reached down and picked it up. It now felt cool to the touch.
The words on the cover vibrated slightly and shimmered. I knew that it was written in a language that was unknown, but yet, somehow I was able to read it. The Caster’s Sacred Book of Spells was now sitting in my hands. It was my book now, and only I could read it. Only I could touch the leather, only I could read the words on the parchment pages, and only I could cast the spells within.
“I am The Caster!” I breathed.
“No!” Elizabeth whispered, from where she lay.
“No, what?” I said, and walked over to her.
“You... can’t... be...” she struggled to say each word.
“But don’t you see? I am holding The Book and Nikola is no more,” I sneered. “Look into my eyes, Elizabeth darling. Watch how they sparkle and flame.”
She stared at me with a mixture of horror and jealousy.
“Uncle said... that when I found you... I should keep you close...” she breathed heavily, struggling for the strength to continue. “He said I... would be powerful... before he... before he... He could see... the future.”
I looked down at her pitiful weakened body and gave her a cruel smile. “But you have been powerful, up until now. He said you would be powerful before he what, Elizabeth? Whatever happened to Uncle?” I asked.
“I... I killed him... I wanted... his powers... I want yours,” she said.
I circled around her, replaying her words in my head. I could feel the flames in my eyes starting to dance merrily. I began to thumb through the book casually, as I told her what was on my mind.
“Maybe he knew that you’d kill him one day, and he wanted to make sure that you got what was coming to you. Maybe that is why he told you to find me, and keep me close. Maybe he knew exactly what this day would bring for you.”
“Maybe.” She smiled a sad defeated smile.
“Yes, maybe. Ah, here it is. The power transference spell,” I said, when my fingers had reached the page I was searching for.
I looked over to where Marcus lay, turned my palm up, raised my hand, and floated him over to the table. Eve stood by the chaise, mouth agape.
Elizabeth looked up at me as I began to chant the words. She closed her eyes in defeat as the red mist came from her, for once, instead of a kidnapped Witch. I chanted the ancient words until the threads were full, and swirling, and Marcus’s powers were removed from Elizabeth. I flung my hands toward him, and the threaded mist entered his body. His eyes opened wide, for one brief second, then he passed out again. He was too weak to react to the pain of the transference.
I reached out toward the fireplace, grabbed at the air, and hurled it at Elizabeth. She erupted in flames. It was the only way to kill a Witch. Beheaded and burned was the best way, but simply burned would also work. I had already removed the head from one being, and I didn’t want to do it again. A spell popped into my mind, and I said the words aloud. Elizabeth, as well as the empty shell that was Nikola, was instantly transformed into a pile of ash.
“What did you do to Marcus?” Eve asked.
“I returned the powers that Elizabeth stole from him. He will wake up in a little while. Don’t worry, Eve,” I told her.
“Thank you,” Cozmo smiled at me and went over to the table to hold onto his brother’s hand.
“Is she really dead?” Barbie squeaked from the doorway.
“Yes,” I answered. “She really is.”
“This shouldn’t be,” Lulach smiled at me. “The Caster has always been a Witch, always. You continue to puzzle me, Charity. First Vampire blood that fuses with your own, and now you have become an Immortal Caster. You are a conundrum, my dear, an enigma to be sure. I will go check on Christopher now, and your mortal friend Summer,” he said, with a shake of his head.
“Yes, please do.”
As Lulach left the room, I glanced at James and Catherine. They were standing beside each other, looking at me with concern.
“I’m going to be just fine,” I assured them. “A little altered, but fine.”
“We know you will,” Catherine smiled.
“We are here for you. Whatever you need,” James added.
Catherine nodded her head. “Always.”
“Thank you,” I mouthed, smiling back at them.
I could feel the flames as they began to dissipate from my eyes, and a sense of calm blanketed me. I released The Book and let it slowly float down to the ground. I turned to find Link. I needed his arms around me. The worry was still within him, but he came to me without hesitation, and enveloped me in his loving embrace.
“You amaze me,” he whispered into my hair.
“Apparently, I’ve got powers,” I whispered back, my face buried in his chest.
Link softly laughed. “Yes. Extremely awesome powers,” he said, and kissed the top of my head.
I looked up at him and smiled. He stared at me, and a quizzical expression appeared, before he said, “Those black eyes are going to take some getting used to.”
“How about the blue flaming ones?” I asked.
“Those too,” he nodded and bent his head down to place a soft kiss on my waiting lips.
I needed that.
We heard a crash coming from another room in the house and our heads snapped toward the doorway where Barbie still stood.
“I bet that’s Drew. We left him tied up in there,” she said.
“Drew’s been a very bad boy.” I shook my head and walked out of the room, in search of the young Witch.
I found him tied to a chair, which had fallen onto its side on the floor. His face was swollen and bruised, and he stared at me with a look of defiant anger.
As I approached him, I could feel the faint buzz of electricity as he attempted to reach out to me. He was trying to pull out his barrier, but I waved it away.
“What is happening here? Where is Elizabeth?” he asked.
“Gone,” I answered. “Elizabeth doesn’t exist anymore.”
“What are you talking about? How could she not...”
I cut him off with just a look, a
nd he closed his mouth as the true meaning of my words sunk in. “Nikola?” he asked.
“Gone too. You have a choice to make, Drew darling,” I mimicked Elizabeth’s tone. “Leave here now, and decide to lead a better life, or I’ll find you. If I have to come looking for you, you will end up like my friend Summer did. You’ll be a mindless servant without a will of your own. Make the right choice.”
“You’ll let me go?” he asked with astonishment.
“Yes,” I assured him. “Right after I remove a few memories and implant a few ideas.”
On my command, the chair lifted itself back up. Drew’s eyes widened as he looked into mine. He suddenly realized what I had become. I grabbed onto his shoulders, as my eyes began to flame, and peered into his mind. I extracted all knowledge and information about Nikola, Elizabeth, and my friends. But I left the memories of me... of him leading me down a hallway, on what should have been my wedding day, and locking me in a room... of his uncaring attitude toward me. Then I reminded him of my power, and reiterated my threat to hunt him down.
I told Drew to pack a bag, leave Elizabeth’s house, and never return to Las Vegas. He immediately started to follow my directions in an almost robotic mode. I was sure that by the time he made it out to the main road, he would wonder how he got there. I think he’d been with Elizabeth for quite awhile, and all of that would be a blank hole for him now. I almost felt sorry for him.
Lulach and Christopher returned from the guesthouse with Summer walking along between them. Her eyes were blank and expressionless. She still didn’t recognize me when I went toward her. I needed to find the exact spell that Nikola had used on her, and reverse it. The Book was still in the other room, but I found that if I called to it, it would come to me.
I slowly paged through The Book until I was told to stop by a quiet whisper in my mind. The blue flames flickered, as I chanted the words that would free Summer’s mind.
When I closed The Book, Summer shook her head and rapidly blinked her eyes. She looked around the room, at my bloody disheveled state, at her unfamiliar clothes, at my altered appearance, at the people gathered around her, and then she started to cry.
“I’m back. It’s really... real. I’m fully in charge of my own body. And you are here, and I can talk to you, and reach out to you,” Summer sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “That Nikola guy... he trapped me in my own mind. I was aware of everything but could control nothing. It was terrifying. He was talking to Elizabeth about all kinds of evil. They are bad news, Charity.”
I hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry we got you mixed up in this. I never should have dragged you into my life. It is just too dangerous. Maybe I should make you forget all this. Forget me,” I cried with her. “It would be simple.”
“No. You can’t do that. I don’t want you to. So there is magic in this world, and beings that are not supposed to exist. I’d rather know. I’d rather know you,” she declared and stepped back. “What are you?” Summer asked.
Link circled his arms around my waist, pulling my back into his chest, hugging onto me tightly. “She is something special, Summer. Something entirely new.”
****
chapter sixteen
I’M ON MY WAY
Lulach had his plane fuelled up, waiting at the North Las Vegas Airport, ready to take me back home. Vegas had used and abused me, and I was done with her. After torching Elizabeth’s house to the ground, we had returned to our hotel to shower, change, and check out. Then Christopher drove the whole gang of us and we headed toward the airport.
He had made a simple call to the car service and traded the smaller limousine they had been using, for a crazy long, stretch limo that was big enough for all ten of us - eleven with Christopher driving. Barbie had decided to go out on her own, in search of her birth father. We made sure she had money and then programmed our phone numbers into her cell phone. If she ever needed anything, we would be there for her.
James had called Summer’s mom, explained that engine trouble had caused the flight delay, and promised that her daughter would get home safe. We were cutting our trip a little short to escort her home, ourselves. That was our story and we were sticking to it.
Before we reached the airport, we made a quick detour. It caught me off guard, because I was exhausted and wanted to get on that plane. But when we pulled into the parking lot, my face lit up in a huge smile. We all piled out of the car, and I almost danced my way into the building. I had a sudden burst of energy after seeing my favorite, brilliant smile appear on Lincoln’s face.
“What do you think?” Link said with a laugh.
“It’s perfect,” I answered with a smile.
“Glasses,” Summer reminded me.
“Right. Thanks,” I said as I pulled my sunglasses out of my purse and put them on to cover my strange, new, black eyes.
“I’ll keep mine on too,” Link smiled. “We’ll look too cool for the room, together.”
James opened the door and those classic, cheesy, Vegas sights and sounds accosted us. Fake Elvis was standing inside and instantly struck a pose.
“What can I do for you lovely people? Uh-huh.”
“Marry us!” Link and I said in unison.
“I still have the old, new, borrowed, and blue ring on,” I said to Catherine.
“Then you are all set to go,” she smiled.
Link and I were married, in the same twenty-four hour wedding chapel that Dee and Burke were, by the very same Fake Elvis. Our wedding attire consisted of jeans and tee shirts, and it was absolutely perfect. Our list of guests consisted of the truest friends, and the only people I would have wanted to by my side. Summer sat next to Christopher and Lulach on one side of the chapel. After James walked me down the aisle, he sat next to Catherine, Cozmo and Lizabelle on the other side of the chapel. Marcus and Eve stood up with us, as our Best Man and Maid of Honor.
After we exchanged our vows, Fake Elvis broke into song. When he got to the best part, Link and I began to sing along.
“I can’t help,” Link sang.
“Falling in love,” I replied.
“With you,” we finished together and punctuated the lyrics with a kiss.
“How do you feel, Mrs. Knight?” Link smiled at me.
“Pretty darn good, Mr. Knight,” I replied and raised myself up for another kiss.
“I could do this forever,” Link murmured against my lips.
“I would love...” I kissed his nose, “to continue this...” I kissed his lips, “at home. Let’s blow this popsicle stand. Take me home, husband.”
Link laughed and shook his head at me. “I’ll gladly take you home, wife,” he said.
When we finally arrived at the airport, loaded into the airplane, and secured the door, a sense of calm came over me. I didn’t think I’d be back in Las Vegas at least a hundred years. The next time somebody wanted to gamble, Atlantic City would have to do. Monte Carlo sounded even better though.
I leaned back in the seat, with The Book in my lap, and closed my eyes. There was a lot I needed to learn about my new mystical tome.
“Could you put that in your bag, please?” Link asked.
“Sure,” I shrugged.
“None of us want an accidental burn. We can’t touch it. What if we hit severe turbulence and it bounces out of your lap and lands on one of us? We’d be scalded,” he added.
“I think that if we hit severe turbulence, a little book burn will be the least of your worries. But okay,” I said, and I tucked The Book of Spells into my bag.
Summer eyed The Book with wariness - it had done her harm. Heck, it had done Marcus, me, and countless others harm. But it was in my hands now, and I planned to see how I could use it for good.
“I want to go over this again,” Summer said, looking around the plane at everyone.
“Go over what, love?” Oz asked.
“What everyone is,” she stated.
“Males and females, love. A big girl like you should know this already
,” Oz teased.
Lizabelle clamped her hand over Cozmo’s mouth, playfully, and looked at Summer. “Go on, Summer. I’ll keep this one quiet.”
“Thanks,” Summer smiled. “So... Cozmo, Marcus, and Eve are Witches. Lulach is a Vampire, which is another name for a Dark One. Charity aka Emily, Catherine aka Rachel, and James aka Jason aka Dr. Johnston are all Immortal Ones. But I guess Charity is no longer just an Immortal One, she’s The Caster now. Or The Immortal Caster, or whatever you want to call yourself. Lizabelle is a Shifter, and Christopher is a human, like me. Oh, and Link is a human, Vampire, Immortal mixture. Did I get it right?” she asked.
“That’s about the sum of it. Are you still sure you can handle it, or do I need to erase it all from your head?” I asked.
“I can handle it. Really. No mind melt necessary,” she insisted. “This has really opened my eyes. I’ve always suspected that there was more to the world than what was presented to me. I just didn’t realize exactly what that could possibly include. Oh, and I’m breaking up with Rusty.”
“Well, that came out of nowhere,” I puzzled.
“There is a great big, crazy, interesting world out there, and Rusty just doesn’t want to explore any of it. He wants to stay in Telluride, give board lessons, and that’s it. He’s content, and that’s fine for him, just not for me,” Summer explained.
“Okay, I get that, and to be honest, I haven’t sensed a ton of enthusiasm on your part for the relationship lately,” I admitted.
“Maybe I should text him, Dee probably would,” she laughed.
I glared at her. “Don’t you dare.”
“Kidding! I swear. I would never break up with someone by text. I’d have to see him every day at school and feel like crap that I didn’t man up and do it in person. But Dee totally would, and you know it.”
I heard a heavy sigh from across the plane and I turned my attention to Marcus.
Concern for him poured out of me when I looked into his face, saw the dark circles that were still under his eyes, and tapped into his sheer exhaustion. Even though he had insisted on standing up for us back at the chapel, he just couldn’t hide how depleted his body truly was. “How’re you doing?” I asked him.
