Mystic Coven: Winter Wiccan (Supernatural Academy Graduates Book 2)

by Jennifer Rose McMahon

  Then, before I could say another word, Asher launched himself into the open gullet of the deep passage and disappeared.

  Every muscle in my body tensed as I watched Asher vanish into the darkness of the passageway. My heart stood still in my chest as I willed myself to yell for him to wait.

  But it was too late.

  He was already gone.

  "Come on," I called to the others as my reflexes sprang back to life.

  In a rush of movement, we barreled down the narrow passage after him.

  I wasn't sure why I was so terrified by Asher's enthusiasm to race down to the catacombs. Clayton, Hattie, and I had already been down there before and knew there was no danger.

  But this night was different.

  Our entire coven was here, including Noah and Piper, and somehow, that brought a whole new feel to the mission. Reading the records in the archives had been the primary focus, but now that had shifted.

  Asher had created the shift.

  "Asher!" I called down into the black abyss.

  Distant sounds of his steps echoed up the narrow passage.

  "Asher, wait for us," I yelled.

  My voice bounced back at us, causing my eyes to squint. Shouting in such a sacred place of rest was just wrong.

  But something wasn't right.

  "Answer us now," Clayton commanded. "And don't take another step." His voice rang with annoyance.

  The sound of Asher's distant trotting went silent as the rest of us landed at the bottom of the uneven stone stairway. The dank air hung on our faces as if the tunnel into the deep earth had just been dug. I shuddered as a feeling that we were violating sanctified ground shook through me.

  "I found it," Asher's voice pierced the air, causing me to go rigid.

  "Asher, don't move," I whispered, following his voice.

  We followed the glow of our lights deeper into the chilling catacomb until we found him.

  Asher stood in the pitch darkness, pressing his hands again the side wall. He dragged his fingers along the engravings in the stonework. With eyes closed, his lips moved silently, reading the ancient epitaphs.

  "What is this place?" Piper whimpered, shining her light along the tombs.

  Like a mortuary, coffins were stacked within the walls, sealed by stone slabs carrying stories etched into their surfaces.

  "It's the family catacombs," I breathed, as if speaking to myself.

  Piper focused her light onto carvings near Asher.

  "Hanged?" she murmured, stepping back. "Is this place for real?"

  "The history of the original family is intense," I said. "They were murdered for harboring witches."

  "It was a money grab for their estate," Clayton added. "They were targeted for being the wealthiest family in the town, but also for having connections to the supernatural—things the villagers didn't understand."

  "It was the witch hunt hysteria of the 1600's," I added. "The intensity of it still lingers..."

  My voice was cut short by a strange sound that moved through the catacomb all around us. Hattie grabbed onto my arm and pressed in close to me.

  "What the hell was that?" Noah spat.

  The vibrating sound turned into a steady moan, one that resonated around us like a shock wave through the universe. It came from everywhere, yet at the same time, came from nowhere.

  A lost wail of pain and sorrow, it shook through me, and I covered my ears to make it stop.

  "Limbo," Asher whispered, lifting his gaze upward.

  He strained to listen as the rest of us stared at him with gaping jaws.

  "What did you say?" I stepped closer to him, studying his focused expression.

  "The sound of limbo," he repeated. "It's the sound of trapped souls, suffering."

  My breath fell out of me as my eyes darted all around, searching for the source of the eerie sound.

  It faded in and out as if moving through the stony walls on either side of us, echoing through centuries.

  "I don't think we should be here right now," Piper murmured. "Something doesn't feel right."

  My trembling nerves proved my agreement with her. It hadn't felt this way last time we were down here. It was as if we weren't alone now, like a force had been awakened.

  "She's right," Clayton added. "I have an unsettled feeling. Maybe we aggravated something last time we were down here."

  His words resonated through me, and I agreed with every one of them.

  We had to leave.

  There was no doubt in my mind that we shouldn't be there.

  "Maybe we should come back another time," Noah mumbled, stepping back toward the passageway.

  As his words turned us toward our exit route, the eerie sound of the wailing voice grew in intensity. The sound moved around each of us, causing us to twist and jolt to avoid it entering into our bodies. It seethed over us as if searching for something.

  "Don't move," Asher commanded. "Don't give it access to your soul."

  I froze in place, staring wide-eyed at Clayton. He swallowed hard, keeping hold of my gaze. His stare beckoned me to not move a muscle as the strange and sorrowful cry whirled around us.

  All eyes tracked the seething moan as it moved through our group.

  And then, my breath caught in my chest as it surrounded me like a shroud.

  My head fell back as the energy surged around me, growing in its pain and suffering. Its cruelty prickled my skin as it attempted to find access into my being.

  I fought against it, squinting my eyes and covering my ears.

  And then the familiarity of the sound popped my eyes open in terror.

  The banshee.

  She was back.

  Terror welled within me as I recognized her suffering and her hate.

  "It's the banshee," I whispered, fighting against her attempts to reach into me.

  As the words left my mouth, Clayton shot over and grabbed my arm. He pulled me from the trance I'd fallen into. The resonating sound of the whirling moan had frozen me in my spot, but the sudden jolt of his tug snapped me back.

  "Let's go," Clayton commanded, ushering Hattie ahead of him. "Noah, grab Asher. Come on!"

  The six of us flew up the passageway in a frenzy of stumbling feet and panicked breath.

  As we struggled to climb the narrow stairway, its top step remained distant, impossible to reach. The walls narrowed on us as if we were being swallowed back down.

  "Why can't we reach the top?" Piper cried.

  "Keep climbing," I screamed as the sound of the banshee churned behind us.

  Our frantic gasps and pounding steps filled the constricting escape as we pushed on each other to get away.

  Clayton kept a strong hand on my back as he pressed on me, but the others up ahead slowed my pace. Exhaustion from climbing endless steps took hold as Noah shouted for us to keep going.

  Clayton looked back as he continued to push on me. As the last person in our line, he was the closest to whatever it was that was after us.

  "Go ahead of me," I spat, pressing against the side wall. "It's me she wants."

  "Keep fucking going," he commanded, pushing me forward.

  As my eyes focused in the depths of the darkness below, I caught sight of a black flapping cloak.

  "She's there!" I screamed.

  The striking energy in my voice surged through the group, adding a final burst that shot us to the top.

  One at a time, we fell out of the passageway onto the hard-tiled floor of the chapel. The pentagram in the tile-work mocked me as terror of a crazed witch shook my every bone.

  Panting, we looked back into the narrow black hole, expecting the banshee to explode out of it.

  Silence hovered around us as we clamored back to our feet.

  "Let's go," Clayton urged us, pointing to the stairs that led to our freedom.

  Climbing those stairs and bombing into the safety of the kitchen was my only focus.

  Noah went first, and in a steady stream, we followed in line, with Clay
ton at the back.

  Asher continued to look back as if reluctant to leave.

  "Keep going, Asher," I blasted. "We need to get out of here."

  His feet slowed on the stairs as if he were considering going back down to the catacombs.

  "Don't even think about it," Clayton barked.

  Asher shook his head, shocked by his own thinking. He turned and moved faster up the stairs.

  Just as we got to the top and Noah reached for the door, a loud clunk resonated from the other side.

  Noah twisted on the knob, shaking it to open the door.

  He turned to us with terror-filled eyes. "It's locked."

  Chapter 5

  Noah's words silenced us.

  How could the door be locked?

  But we'd all heard it—the clunk of the turning key.

  Someone had locked us in.

  Noah banged on the door.

  "Hey, we're down here," he yelled. "Open the door!"

  "Pound harder," I called up to him. "Hurry, before they walk away."

  I turned my gaze back down the steps to be sure the banshee hadn't followed us.

  Noah hit the door harder with his fists and I stiffened from the sound that was certain to wake the dead.

  "Hey!" he shouted again. "Unlock the door. We're trapped down here."

  We listened for any sign of rescue, praying that whoever locked the door hadn't walked too far off.

  Then the subtle sound of a chuckle moved through the door. The chuckle turned into an irritating laugh.

  "Not a chance," the voice moved into the the cold stairway. "You'll have to wait for the morning staff to find you down there... in the forbidden catacombs."

  Josie's sinister voice straightened my spine.

  I pushed past Asher and Hattie, making my way closer to the door. Piper moved aside as I jumped next to Noah.

  "Josie, let us out," I demanded. "We're in danger down here."

  "Wait, what?" she mocked me. "Danger? What a shame."

  The sound of her footsteps moved away from the door.

  "Josie, don't leave," I screamed. "You can't leave us down here. Something bad is going to happen to us."

  I begged for her to let us out, not caring for a second how my pleading might sound to her.

  Silence responded to me.

  "Josie?" I called. "Are you still there?"

  I panted as panic surged through me.

  How could we spend the rest of the night in this place? It would be hours before sunrise.

  "How the hell did she know we were down here?" Noah barked. "What the actual fuck?"

  Clayton shrank on the steps below us as he checked his pockets.

  "I left the keys in the lock," he muttered.

  "What?" Noah shouted.

  "I left the keys in the door," Clayton repeated, closing his eyes against Noah's glare.

  "Great," Noah blasted. "Now we're trapped. Please tell me you had nothing to do with this. Tell us you didn't set us up!"

  My heart plummeted in my chest as I stared at Clayton.

  Could it be true? There was no way.

  "Shut up, Noah," I shot. "It was an accident. We need to stay focused, together, to figure a way out of here."

  But it was too late. Clayton had already seen the millisecond of doubt in my eyes, and his gaze went cold.

  I moved back down the stairs toward him, but he shifted his attention to Hattie and Asher.

  "We'll take care of you guys," he said. "I promise. We'll keep you safe."

  Hattie nodded and moved closer to me. She pressed her weight against my side, and I felt her fear move through my shaking muscles.

  Asher moved down a step, closer to Clayton.

  "Don't worry about us," he said. "The lost soul seeks only one." His eyes moved to me. "We need to send it back from where it came."

  His words held confidence and wisdom beyond his years, as if he were speaking from the knowledge of elders.

  I knew he was referring to me. The lost soul of the banshee was after me. And now, I had Josie to blame for conjuring it again.

  "We need to get off the stairs," I said, feeling the hard edges of hand-cut stone beneath my feet. "We can form a circle of safety on the pentagram."

  I thought back to my training and the spell of safe-keeping. Maybe if we created a strong circle chanting the spell, we could ward away the banshee until morning.

  Everyone moved off the stairs with clear reluctance, shifting nervously on the tiled floor. All eyes were on the dark opening that led to the catacombs.

  "My phone's at eleven percent," Piper murmured.

  "I'm at eight," Noah added.

  Clayton and I checked ours as well, and my heart sank as I stared at 7% on my screen.

  "We need to conserve our flashlights," Clayton said. "Only use one at a time."

  As each of us clicked off our lights, the space around us grew darker. Clayton remained with the only illumination and he kept it focused on the pentagram.

  In silence, we each took a place around the outer circle of the star-shaped symbol of the witch, and then sat.

  The pentagram was large enough that we had space for six more people around it. I hated the fact that our knees weren't touching, and that I couldn't reach Hattie next to me, or Clayton on my other side. But at the same time, once our circle was complete, it gave an immediate sense of security.

  Maybe we'd have a chance after all.

  As I scanned the circle, I looked beyond Clayton into the gaping darkness of the passageway. He'd positioned himself as the closest one to the opening, and I pressed my lips together in annoyance.

  But then, I had to remember his beast.

  The beast had fought against the banshee before, and that must be why Clayton felt responsible as the first line of defense.

  Immediate guilt moved through me as I realized his predicament.

  He hated the beast. But at the same time, he knew he would need to reveal it. And his willingness to do so for all of us made my heart ache.

  I took a deep breath.

  "First, we need to bind our magic within our coven. Suppress your individual power and join together as one." I squeezed my eyes shut, straining to remember the incantation. "Fire, Earth, Water, Air. By these elements we bind our circle. We follow in the steps of our ancestors. We fight against the forces of darkness. In this circle, we find our power."

  I took another breath, and this time the others joined me.

  "Fire, Earth, Water, Air. By these elements we bind our circle. We follow in the steps of our ancestors. We fight against the forces of darkness. In this circle, we find our power."

  After repeating it three times, we lingered in silence, allowing the strength of our circle to grow.

  Then I started, "Sea below and sky above, bound, keep harm away from us. Earth and fire, join together to bring our desire."

  The others followed as we recited the protection spell over and over in a rhythmic cadence. The resonance of our voices filled the chapel causing us to rock and move with the steady hum. The sound blanketed us in safety as we closed our eyes and continued the chant.

  As my mind whisked away on a plane of comfort and security, my muscles relaxed, allowing me to sink into my sitting posture. My shoulders slumped as my back rounded.

  I continued to chant the spell in a monotone beat, as it lulled me into a space of meditation.

  As my mind went deeper into new realms, I had a strange sensation of leaving my body. I hovered over the circle and looked down on my coven. Clouds blew past me as I floated in the sky with a sense of immense time and space.

  Like levitation, I'd felt this feeling before, only now, I was separated from my body.

  Astral projection.

  I'd practiced it before but never achieved it to this point—the level where I could look back at myself as if separated from my body.

  As the clouds and wind began to move me farther from my coven's circle, fear poked at my gut as I wondered if I'd be lost foreve
r. The thought of being separated from my body and from my coven jolted my mind back to awareness of the present moment.

  With a thump, I landed back into my sitting posture, and my eyes sprang open. I searched through the circle of my coven to see if any of them had witness what just happened. And at the same time, all of their heads shot up as their eyes flew wide.

  Fear coursed through our circle like a shock wave as the sound of the wailing banshee shattered our veil of protection.

  We shot to our feet in an instant as the blood-curdling wail of the banshee filled the space around us. Reaching for Hattie, I pulled her close, and we all huddled together searching for any sign of the crazed witch.

  "Is she coming for us?" Hattie whimpered, hiding her face in my jacket.

  I shot my eyes to Clayton. His worried expression sent a clear message that we had to get out of there, and fast. But we were sitting-ducks trapped in the basement with no escape.

  "We have nowhere to hide," Piper choked.

  As soon as her words hit the air, my mind raced through our options.

  And there was only one.

  I glanced at Clayton, and then at the dark opening of the passageway.

  The sounds of the wailing banshee rose out of the black abyss, as if searching for our location.

  "She'll find us any minute," Asher said. "She's getting closer."

  My blood froze in my veins, slowing my ability to function, and I fought against my crushing fear.

  "I'll hold her off," I blurted. "I'll distract her while the rest of you hide in the archives."

  Clayton's eyes widened, looking at me like I was crazy.

  But at the same time, his subtle nod acknowledged that it was our only hope.

  "I'll go with you," he said.

  "No," I shot. "I need you to get everyone into the vault safely. You know how the hidden door works."

  I thought of the huge stone slab that appeared to be a wall, but when pressed in the right spot, it shifted, allowing access to the secret room. I needed Clayton's speed and strength to get the rest of the coven to safety. I was sure that once inside the archives, we'd be able to fight to keep the banshee out.

  The only problem was, we had to go straight into her lair to gain access to the hidden fortress.

  Clayton's eyebrows pulled together, resisting my refusal for him to go with me. His pursed lips held back his retort, making it clear he knew I was right.