Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  Witchling

  Curse of Kin

  Book 1

  Ari Harper

  Lycaon Press

  Calgary, Alberta

  www.lycaonpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

  persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Witchling

  Copyright© 2012 Ari Harper

  ISBN: 978-1-77101-859-3

  Cover Artist: Victoria Miller

  Editor: Deadra Krieger

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations

  embodied in reviews.

  Lycaon Press

  www.lycaonpress.com

  This story would never have been written if it wasn’t for a conversation with my daughter-in-law Sharyn and son-in-law Ben over Christmas a few years ago. They encouraged me to write and pushed until I started it. Thank you so much, I owe you one.

  Deadra Krieger, my awesome editor. You rock honey. I love how you gently steer me in the right direction to get the best possible from me without making it hurt too much.

  The rest of the team at Lycaon Press: Justyn, Victoria, and Jana who all had a hand in this series. Thanks for everything.

  My family and friends, thank you for the encouragement and love. It is so much easier to write when you have great people at your back.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The smell of smoke pricked at my nostrils and dragged my concentration away from my math test. I looked sideways and watched it swirl over the floor like a silent, deadly serpent, coiling around the desks and feet of my classmates. I listened for the crackle that accompanied the smoke and saw the flames licking along the floorboards. Cold sweat broke out on my neck and ran down my spine, galvanizing me out of my chair.

  I tried to call out, but my throat was locked. No one seemed to notice the flames creeping up the walls toward the ceiling. I was shaking so hard I could hardly walk. I pushed between the desks toward Mr. Devon at the front of the class. Surely he could see the flames creeping up the walls by now.

  He looked up from his desk. “Nera, please go back to your seat and finish your test,” he said, his brow wrinkled in a frown.

  My mouth worked as I tried to get the words out, but they refused to budge past my burning throat. Changing track, I turned toward the door in a blind frenzy. I had to get out! Tears were pouring down my cheeks, blurring my vision, and I could hardly breathe for the smoke that surrounded me. I reached for the door handle and jerked my hand away as the hot metal burned my palm.

  “Nera, what are you doing?” Mr. Devon hurried toward me.

  I slumped to the floor, burned and struggling for breath.

  “Brie, get the headmistress!”

  I pulled my body into a ball and opened my mouth in a halfhearted attempt to scream. Somehow I knew that the pain in my throat would only get worse if I tried, so I closed it again. The kids crowded around me, oblivious to the flames engulfing the room. Their voices faded away, and I sank deeper into my own little dark hole.

  When I resurfaced from my inner retreat, I forced my eyelids open a crack. The voices in the room were loud after the silence of my own mind. I was in the headmistress’s office lying on my side on the old threadbare brown couch, its scratchy fabric prickling my cheek. Dad was kneeling down beside me.

  “Nera, honey, are you okay?” he asked as he stroked my hair from my eyes.

  “I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I was doing my math test, and things just went a little fuzzy. I couldn’t get out of the classroom.”

  I looked at the floor, unwilling to meet his gaze and reveal the untruth of my words. The smell of smoke clung to my hair, and my throat was raw. . My hands were red and angry. I hugged them close to my body so he couldn’t see the blisters.

  “You know how teenage girls are now, Mr. O’Reilly,” Mrs. White said. “So dramatic, and it was only a test. Nera could well do with some breathing exercises to calm her down a little. So over the top.” A frown marred her face.

  “I know my own daughter, and she is not dramatic. Now, if you will excuse us, I am taking Nera home.” Dad leaned down to pick me up off the couch. The headmistress was brushed to one side as my father walked out the door with me hugging into his chest, the safest place I knew.

  Dramatic, my ass. I chewed over her words. I was anything but dramatic, and even if I hated to admit it, I really needed to sort this out. Nightmares in the privacy of my own room were one thing, but having them during the day scared the crap out of me. For more than three years I had almost talked myself into being used to them but not after today.

  Brie and Sully, my two best friends in the world, were hovering outside the school building waiting for us. Brie fluttered around me making soothing noises while Sully followed quietly.

  “Guys, why don’t you give Nera a call a little later this afternoon,” Dad said, looking over his shoulder at them. “Let me get her home to rest, and we can take it from there.”

  They stood looking at me, pale and silent while he belted me in. I saw them get smaller in the side mirror the farther we drove away. I snuck a glance at my father from under my lashes. His mouth was tight, and his eyebrows were drawn together in thought as he drove. He knew I was the level-headed one in the family. Not that I couldn’t throw a hissy fit every now and then, but generally I was a stable type of person, always had been. I could tell he didn’t know what to say to me.

  Same here. My God, what am I going to do?

  We pulled into the driveway, and Dad parked in the carport that was built on the side of the garage. Dad had renovated the garage into an office after he moved here from Dublin so he could work from home. It was nice to have him around whenever we need him.

  He came around to my door to help me out. When he slid his arm out to support me, I stumbled against the door, putting out my hands automatically to stop my fall. I grimaced as my blistered palm made contact with the car.

  “Are you okay, honey?”

  “Fine, just a little fuzzy still,” I mumbled. I hugged my sore hands to my body while he helped me into the house.

  He fluffed up a couple of pillows and settled me on the couch before ducking back into the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with a glass. “Water in case you get thirsty, Nera.” Stroking my head again, he dropped a kiss on my hair and promised to check on me later.

  I leaned back against the pillows, closed my eyes, and let my mind wander over the morning’s episode. As I waited for Brie and Sully to finish school, I tried to work out how this last episode unfolded. All I could remember was the headache and the smoke. I couldn’t wait until they came over to find out what they saw. From what I could tell I had two choices. It was either talk to them about it or let things go on as they had been. But that would mean slowly going insane by myself, and to be honest, I’d rather tell them everything and feel like I was going insane with my friends instead. I really shouldn’t drag them into this. It’s selfish to tell them just because I don’t want to deal with it alone anymore.

  The clock ticked on the wall, and I sat quietly a little longer, willing it to move faster. I realized then and there that I was going to tell the truth, regardless of how selfish it felt. Stuff like this was just too big to handle by myself, whether I liked it or not.

  They arrived after school like a small whirlwind. Brie ran in and grabbed me in a big hug, squealing as if she hadn’t seen me for weeks. Her eyes shone brightly, and she held her head tilt
ed to one side while she waited for me to spill my guts. Sully was picking at the skin around his fingernails, watching me from under his lashes. His forehead was tight, and he was giving me sympathetic looks.

  Brie stroked my arm; that irritated me half to death. She was honestly a sweetheart, but some days she just overdid the whole let-Brie-look-after-you routine. I much preferred to be snapped out of it, not pampered as she was doing now.

  “Nera, what happened?” Brie ran her hands down her skirt, smoothing the material over her knees before meeting my gaze again. “We were all doing our test, heads down and really into it when you started acting all weird and tried to get out of the classroom. You had a really desperate look on your face.” She was watching me closely.

  I had never been the nervy type, so I knew my behavior was totally out of character and I could tell she was itching for me to fill her in. Brie hated missing out on anything. I hadn’t told her about any of the nightmares. I hadn’t had a good enough reason to until now.

  “I really don’t know.” I ran my fingertips through my hair before tugging hard on a lock. “This is the first time I have had one of these dreams during the day.” I glanced between them for signs of disbelief. “But it wasn’t a dream, it felt real.”

  Brie’s mouth fell open. Sully shook his head and mumbled to himself.

  “What, Sully? Spit it out.” I swung my feet down to the ground.

  “It’s just that, well I…um, I think I know what it could be.” He looked at his hands, then his gaze found mine.

  “What? Tell me.” I stood up and started to pace the floor.

  “I think you are having premonitions. You know some people can see into the future. Maybe that’s what you are seeing.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Sully.” A small chill ran down the back of my neck. “That’s the sort of thing Brie would come up with, not you. And even if it was, I could maybe understand the fire, but the other dream, the one that I have when my throat is cut with a sword? That wouldn’t happen these days. No way. You are reaching there,” I said in reference to the other dream that plagued me.

  “It’s not like I don’t believe in magic. I’m Irish too, you know.” Sully crossed his arms and turned away from me, his back straight and stiff.

  “Nera, it’s quite possible, you know, what he is saying. You don’t have to be a witch or going insane,” Brie interrupted looking back and forward between us, her voice rising. “You hear of people who can see the future, and they seem normal enough. They don’t have pointed hats and broomsticks or anything. It’s just a gift.”

  “Why don’t we go and see Jasper?” Sully turned back to me, his eyes lighting up at the thought of going over to my uncle’s castle on the headland. “I’m sure he can help. He knows about most things. You know he won’t say anything to your folks about it.”

  “Maybe.” I chewed on my bottom lip while my brain kicked into gear. “We could go tomorrow, it’s Saturday. Dad wants me to stay home today to get over the shock, but it’s more so he can keep an eye on me until Mom gets home.” I considered whether or not to tell my Uncle Jasper while they both looked at me with expectation lighting their faces. “Yeah, why not? You guys come over early so we can have the day with Jasper, rummaging through his library and picking his brain. He’s sure to know something. He always does.”

  After Brie and Sully left, I went upstairs and snuggled on my bed while I let Sully’s words churn over in my mind. Hugo, my big black Labrador and constant shadow, lay asleep on the rug beside me. The dreams were really starting to scare me now, and with Dad knowing something was going on, I had to find the answers before they thought I had lost my mind. Sometimes it felt like I had. If I was honest with myself, I’d admit that these dreams had not just started three years ago. I’d been having them all my life. Over the years, some of the dreams manifested themselves into my reality—something that I had brushed aside in ignorance or fear. Perhaps a mixture of both.

  What if I can see into the future? Would that be a good thing? Or would it be too much for me to handle? Why am I getting these dreams anyway?

  ***

  I woke up early the next morning as usual. Sleeping late was out of the question now that I’d decided how to tackle the problem. Curling up on the window seat in my room overlooking the front garden, I watched the neighborhood come to life. Dogs barked, and doors opened as the sun rose in the sky.

  The dirty, white paper delivery van chugged slowly down the street, papers flying out of its window to land on manicured lawns. It slowed down when it came to our house. A stranger glanced up at my window, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn’t look away from the guy at the wheel. My heart missed a beat, and my breath caught in my throat while our gazes locked. Then he turned away and continued down the street, throwing papers as he went. I tried to breathe normally and watched at the window until he was out of sight.

  What the frigging hell was that all about?

  My skin was chilled, and when I looked down, I could see the goose bumps on my arms. I clutched at a blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. The certainty that of someone had been in my head niggled at me. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that things were going so much faster than I could deal with. An irrational fear that Jasper wouldn’t be able to fix this problem sprang to my mind. A dark and insidious form flashed before my eyes, and I jolted back in the seat.

  Was that real, or had I imagined it?

  All of my emotions were shot to hell. I blamed it on the guy in the newspaper van. The feeling had started the moment he had slowed the van and met my gaze. I looked down the road but he was gone. I shivered, my teeth chattering with each minute shake. I needed to get into the shower to get the chill out of my bones. I threw off the blanket and headed for the bathroom.

  I told my parents of our plans over breakfast. “Brie, Sully, and I are going over to Jasper’s to study for the day. We want to use his library for a bit, and he’s cool with that. I called him last night to make sure. We’ll be there most of the day, I guess,” I mumbled, eating my toast and talking all at once.

  “Sure thing, kiddo.” Mom sipped her tea. “Give him my love and tell him it’s time he came over. I haven’t seen him all week.”

  “Will do.” I rinsed my plate and leaned it in the dish rack before kissing my folks good-bye. I grabbed my backpack just as Brie and Sully ran up the back steps, and we left, Hugo at our heels.

  “You are so lucky to have someone like Jasper, Nera,” Brie said, a moony look on her face. “I wish I had a handsome uncle like him living close by.”

  “Hey, what’s with that creepy guy that’s delivering the newspapers?” I asked, interrupting Brie’s romanticizing.

  “Don’t you remember? Mr. Jakes fell and broke his leg two weeks ago. This guy just happened to arrive in town at the right time looking for work. Why do you ask?” Brie kicked at the leaves from last fall that still littered the lane, which sent up small batches of brown and gold to flutter around her feet.

  “Nothing really,” I replied putting my arm through Sully’s. “I just noticed someone different driving the van, that’s all.”

  We walked through the park that boarded the River Laigin and crossed the centuries old stone foot bridge to get to the land that Jasper owned. His property went all the way up the coast past his house to the bluff and across the wooded hills on the western side. Jasper is my favorite uncle. Or I should say he is my only uncle. He lives in a beautiful old stone house—more like a castle really—on the outskirts of town, sitting on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the ocean. Surrounding it on the other side is forest. He is rather isolated, but that’s how he likes it.

  It’s a fantastic place. Old buildings draw me in, and this one is like my second home. Two very ugly stone gargoyles guard the front door—creepy little buggers. They sit high on the parapet that runs around the roof of the house. That’s probably why I always go through the back way; much more my style.

  Brie has a
huge crush on him, always has. Tall, dark, and handsome she tells me, with loads of sex appeal thrown in. I’ve never looked at him in that way, and it would be weird if I did, but he is tall, and yes, he is very handsome in a rugged sort of way, with his long, black hair tied back carelessly with a leather strip. His big, blue piercing eyes make Brie weak at the knees. She made the point of telling me that one day. Big mistake.

  Maybe it’s that square chin or the dimples when he smiles. Or even the way his eyes light up when he speaks to you, making you feel that there is no other person in his world at that moment.

  I guess I can understand her logic. Most of the ladies in town think so too. He’s always got some female batting her eyelashes at him. Sickening really.

  Dad said his wife died young, and he’s never gotten over her. He doesn’t talk about her very much, so we don’t either, but that has never stopped me from being curious. Her portrait hangs in the gallery upstairs. I often see Jasper gazing at it when he passes.

  To me, he has always been Jasper, the one person I can turn to for help. Don’t get me wrong; I can talk to Mom and Dad—open family conversations and all that—but if it’s something I don’t want them to know about, that’s when Jasper comes in. It’s kind of like my very own living Dear Diary. Besides that, Sully, Brie and I love to hang out with him because he treats us like young adults, not kids. Well, that, and there is always something interesting happening over there.

  Hugo raced ahead of us as usual to get to Jasper first. Brie wasn’t far behind him. She stopped long enough to smooth her hair down and add a layer of lip gloss before she walked in the door.

  “Hi, Jasper,” she whispered in a breathless voice. “How are you?”

  “Just dandy, Brie. How about you? Still fighting all those handsome young men off at school?” he replied, glancing at me over Brie’s head, his beautiful blue eyes twinkling.

  Brie was the consummate vamp. She couldn’t help herself. It was just what she was. You could tell when she was interested in someone—her voice turned into a breathy whisper, and she batted her eyes. Not that too many guys complained. She really was a looker. Petite little curvy body, rich dark-brown hair that settled perfectly around her heart-shaped face. Her baby-blue eyes with their dark lashes and cupid mouth had many a heart melting. But she kept the best for Jasper.