Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  “Come on, Jasper. You really don’t expect me, us, to believe this, do you?” It couldn’t be true, yet parts of his story were settling into my heart and mind already, as if the words had been waiting to find a resting place within me.

  “Yes, girl dear, I do,” Jasper replied, gazing at me.

  “How did your daughter die, Jasper?” Sully asked, obviously remembering the other dream that I had constantly.

  “Edrith slit her throat with a sword, Sully.”

  I felt the bile rise in my own throat and pressed my hand to my mouth in an effort to stop it. Breathe, I told myself, just breathe. I squeezed my eyes tight and fought for control. I could feel a hand on my knee, and when I looked up, Jasper was kneeling on the floor in front of me, his gaze full of pain.

  “Was that the other dream you were having?” His beautiful blue eyes were shadowed and troubled.

  I nodded my head. The words stuck in my mind, the bile forcing its way up my throat. I pushed past him and ran for the downstairs bathroom in the hallway. I leaned over and retched into the bowl. I gripped onto the sides to stop myself from collapsing to the floor. My knees had gone weak, and cold sweat was running down my face. I couldn’t control the shaking and was past caring. Neither my body nor my mind could accept what I had heard. It wasn’t possible. How could it be that Jasper is 800 years old and I am reliving his daughter’s death on a nightly basis. No, it is not possible.

  There was a light tap on the door, and Brie tiptoed in with a damp cloth in her hands. Her mouth was set into a grim line. She watched me as I struggled to stand and then handed me the cloth. I leaned against the basin, unsteady on my feet. I wiped my face and hands and looked up at her, my gaze searching her face for any trace of sympathy.

  “I’m really going crazy, aren’t I?” I hung my head, suddenly not wanting to see the pity in her eyes.

  “I don’t think you are,” she replied, her voice gentle. She ran her hand down my arm before I pulled away. “I think what Jasper is saying is true. Why don’t you come back into the library and we can discuss it more.”

  “You’re kidding, right,” I scoffed at her, ignoring the shocked look on her face. “You don’t seriously believe this stuff. Does he look that old to you?” I leaned on the basin until the ground stopped moving under my feet.

  “No, he doesn’t.” Brie brushed her hair back from her face and then licked her lips at the reflection in the mirror over my shoulder. “But he said that was part of the curse, Nera. Just listen to him before you decide you’re crazy and he is lying.”

  “Whatever.” I threw the cloth into the sink and pushed past her out of the bathroom.

  Jasper and Sully looked up when I stalked back into the room. Brie followed me and hurried to sit with Sully on the couch. I opted to stand beside the fireplace, my arms folded.

  “I don’t believe you,” I said, knowing that with the hitch in my voice I didn’t sound convincing. I was acting like a petulant bitch, but I couldn’t help it. The way the day was shaping up called for my worst side to come out and play and I really didn’t care.

  “Before you make up your mind, there’s more, Nera.” He pursed his lips, then continued. “When there is a curse, there is always a way out of that curse. Each third generation since that time has had one female child that has the ability to break the spell. Not all have had the faith in themselves or believed in me enough to do so. Maybe their connection wasn’t close enough,” he shrugged. “I don’t really know. But you are third generation. You are stronger than any other female that has come forward. Because of who you are, Nera, you are the one.”

  Jasper watched me closely while I tried to process the information that he had given me. I nibbled on my bottom lip and pulled at my hair. “What are you trying to tell me?” I asked him.

  “When you were born, I knew who you were.” A small smile hovered on his lips. “You were born with a caul, a part of the birthing membrane, on your head, and that makes you a Caulbearer, girl dear. In the world of magic, this marks the child as unique and powerful, usually with psychic gifts, like second sight and the ability to soul journey. But we can talk about that later.”

  “Does that mean Nera is a witch?” Brie asked, her eyes wide as she looked at me, her face lighting up.

  “I guess that depends on your definition of a witch,” Jasper replied. “I believe there are people in this world whohave special abilities. Some call themselves witches, some don’t. It’s just the way you perceive something, I suppose.”

  “So what does she have to do with the whole curse thing, then?” Sully asked .

  Jasper’s gazed met mine before he answered. “She is the one that can stop the curse and let me die.”

  “Are you crazy, Jasper? How can you even think I would let you die?” I jumped to my feet, the horror of what he was saying slamming into me. I paused for a breath, the fear gripping my chest like a vice which made such a simple task difficult. It was too much for me. I turned and fled to the kitchen and threw open the door to the garden. I gulped down a breath of cool air and lurched over to a grassy patch and sank to the ground. Hugo walked over to me and licked my hand before sitting down in front of me, his soulful brown gaze on my face.

  “Oh, Hugo, what is going on?” I cried, pushing my face into his fur. Cradling his head in my arms for comfort, I leaned against his huge body. I felt movement, and Brie and Sully sat down beside me. They reached out and wrapped their arms around me. Most of what Jasper had told us was hard to believe, but what if it was true? Parts of my brain screamed at me that it was possible, but parts still balked at the idea of witches, gods, and demons—especially so close to someone I loved.

  “Do you believe what Jasper said?” Sully leaned forward. He picked a blade of grass and ran it through his fingers before looking at me again.”Do you think it could be possible?”

  “I really don’t know.” I sighed, rubbing the back of my hand over my face. “It seems so farfetched.”

  “But it could be true.” Brie leaned her chin on my shoulder. “What if you really are what he says you are? I’ve always said there was something special about you. Everyone thinks so, not just Sully and me.”

  “Yeah, Connor thinks I’m special, so special he wants to grope me every time he sees me,” I scoffed.

  “Stop being so pigheaded. You know you have something that no one else has. Do you really think we would hang out with you if you were normal?” Brie joked. Her smile faded quickly when I looked at her, and she pulled away from me.

  “I know you are trying to make me feel better, and I do appreciate it, I really do. But if this is even halfway true… It’s so much to take in.” Just pull yourself together, girl. This is getting you nowhere, tears over, deal with it.

  Sully watched me. He gave me a minute, then he proposed, “If we are going to be fair about this, we should bombard him with all the questions we can think of, make sure we get the full story. Then we can make up our minds. It’s how we usually sort stuff out with Jasper.”

  I rubbed my hands over my face again, trying to wipe away the remains of the tears. I could never be called the dramatic type, and this show of weakness was making me feel ashamed. Part of being a tomboy was being too tough for tears. Wasn’t it?

  “Yeah, you’re right, Sully. The least I can do is listen to the whole story. It’s not like Jasper would lie to me.” I sniffed loudly wondering how I could ever doubt him. He held out his hand to pull me to my feet.

  We locked hands and walked back indoors with Hugo following.

  Jasper was still in the library, gazing out the window over the ocean. Lines marred his handsome face, and he looked like he had aged since we arrived this morning. The guilt started to pull at me, and I was torn.

  “Okay, Jasper. I’m not saying I believe you, I’m honestly trying not to, but I want the story again. Just the facts, and then we can discuss it. All of us.”

  He pulled himself up and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, his hands behind hi
s back very much like the professor that he was. “Edrith was banished without her powers after a serious indiscretion. She used her wiles to marry a landholder, and he died a mysterious death. Then she tricked, harassed, and conjured up magic and demons that she had summoned to take the land from others in the area. Her son tried to elope with my daughter. When she found this out, she waited until I was away from home with my sons collecting rents and seeing to my tenants’ needs and then she came over with her soldiers and killed my wife and daughter.”

  Jasper coughed to clear his throat. “When we arrived home, only the servants and their children were left alive. We headed for Edrith’s home, but found that Mari had already taken the matter into her own hands. She destroyed all that Edrith had built up over the years. Her children were left to fend for themselves along with her servants.” Jasper looked into the flames and then continued.

  “Mari explained that at her death, Edrith cursed me and my family. No one could erase that curse unfortunately, but Mari was able to make it easier. Each third generation that followed would have one female child who would have the ability to break the curse. It was up to me to try to convince the chosen ones that they had the ability to do so. So far I have failed miserably.” A dark frown appeared on his brow. It was replaced with a wistful smile. “Now I can see why. None have been strong enough, not like you are going to be, Nera. None have had the heart that you do. If you break the curse, it means I can finally grow old and not relive my life again and again.”

  He paused and shook his head, doing little to lift my doubts. “Eternal life is not all it is cracked up to be, child. I have seen and lived enough. I want to experience the joys of old age. My body is tired, and my mind constantly feels like overload. I want to join my dear wife and daughter in the next life. It is time for you to take the reins that have been handed to you. It is time to grow with your powers, Nera.” Jasper lowered himself into the chair by the fireside and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

  “Why me? Even if I believed you, why me, and what am I supposed to do with this curse? I mean, if you can’t break it, how could I?”

  “Nera, what if it is true?” Brie butted in, looking to Jasper, then back at me. “What if you really are the witchy person Jasper has been waiting for?”

  “What if, what if,” I cried. “What if I don’t want to?” I jumped to my feet and faced them, hands clenched by my side.

  “Can you not do what you were born for?” Jasper whispered, his head turned my way.

  “I still don’t get why you think it is me. I am just a normal teenager, and I want to stay that way. Why should I change?”

  “You are far from normal, Nera.” A small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth was matched with the twinkle in his eyes. He leaned forward in his chair. “There are so many things about you that make you stand out from the crowd. Just as there are many things that you will learn over time that will help you realize this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Telepathy, Nera. That is what your dreams are. You are picking up on other’s thoughts, even those of the dead. You will learn how to filter the important thoughts from those that need to be ignored. That will take time, and for awhile the voices will probably drive you to distraction.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like so much fun.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm from my voice.

  “It can be, Nera, once you refine it.” Jasper laughed, a short, tired sound.

  “What else can she do?” Brie looked at him, her big eyes shining with glee.

  I glared at Brie, willing her to shut up. I didn’t need to hear any more. She totally ignored me. “I don’t know why you have to perk up whenever witchcraft is mentioned, Brie.”

  “From what I know about the girl I believe Nera to be,” Jasper replied ignoring my outburst, “there is very little that she won’t be able to do.”

  “But why?” Sully shook his head. “I mean, why would a curse need a normal mortal girl to break it?”

  “When the gods banished Edrith down to earth, they involved humans, a mistake on their part possibly. Now the door is wide open for evil to come through. I guess in the heat of the moment, sending Edrith here was the best thing to do. But what it did was change the course of the world.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but I interrupted him.

  “Why would the gods intervene, though?” I asked him, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  “Because, my dear, Leona was Mari’s younger sister. The Queen of the Witches’ younger sister fell in love with me and came here to live among the mortals.”

  “You married a god’s little sister”. Brie sounded astonished, her mouth dropping open. “I didn’t think that was possible for a god to marry a mortal.”

  I looked from Brie to Jasper. Something was not right.

  “Is there something that you are not telling us, Jasper?” I glared at him, knowing full well that he was keeping something from us.

  He stood up and lifted his chin, no longer looking like the sad person that he was minutes before.”Yes, there is. I have powers too. Not as strong as Leona had or even what you will come into, but as a Wiccan, I have certain abilities.”

  Brie squealed and bounced up and down, clapping her hands in excitement.

  “You are kidding me, right?” I shook my head.

  “No, girl dear, I am not. Let me show you.”

  Jasper turned to the corner of the room. Energy spiked and crackled in the air. With a flick of his hand, the window blew open, letting in a swirl of snowflakes that drifted around our feet. I looked at him in awe. He was telling the truth. He was a witch. A small breeze picked the frozen crystals up, and they swirled around our heads. Brie giggled with delight before Jasper sent them out the window to melt on the grass outside.

  He watched me mull over the possibilities. I knew Brie would be ecstatic with anything to do with magic. Sully had an I-told-you-so look on his face. But was this my future all mapped out for me without any care to what I might want? Bugger what the gods had decided. This was my life, and I would live it how I wanted.

  ***

  Later that night, I tossed in my sleep. The same visions came to haunt me as they had before, but another presence appeared. A handsome, dark-haired young man was standing with Leona in the garden, his eyes hidden underneath the black hair hanging over his face. His appearance tugged at something in my memory, but it would not come to the surface.

  I woke the next morning with a thumping headache between my eyes. I pulled on my trackpants before I slipped on my running shoes and ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mom and Dad were both already up and reading the papers over a cup of tea. I grunted as I ran past them with Hugo at my heels.

  Rain threatened overhead, the dark clouds rumbling ominously. I headed out of the yard, down the lane. The air was still cool because summer hadn’t yet made its appearance, and it helped clear the cobweb feeling from my head. Yesterday had been too much to take in all at once. Brie had accepted it eagerly, but that didn’t surprise me at all. What threw me was Sully’s interest. I mean, he was usually the one who scoffed at Brie whenever she wanted to give him a tarot or angel card reading. He seemed so against magic until Jasper showed his hand. And the way he had looked at Jasper, it was with hero worship if I was not mistaken. Traitor.

  With the sound of my feet pounding over the bridge, I turned for home, the headache now reduced to a dull ache that I could ignore. The rain started to drizzle lightly, and my hair was wet. Drops of moisture were trickling down my face by the time I got back home. I shook my head, running up the stairs, and headed for a warming shower before breakfast.

  Roman, my little brother—aka the serial pest—was eating toast when I came back down. At five years old, he was still cute but old enough to want to follow me everywhere and annoy the hell out of me. I ruffled his blond hair when I passed his chair just because I knew he hated it.

  “Mom, tell Nera not to do that.”

  “Toughen up, kid.” I
winked at him to take the sting out of my words.

  “Let him be, Nera.” Mom shook her head at me. “I don’t know why you have to hassle him all the time. You know it only makes him cranky.”

  “If he wants to hang out with the big kids, he has to learn to take a bit of ribbing.” I took two slices of bread out of the bag and put them in the toaster.

  Leaning against the kitchen bench, I looked at my family. How would it affect them if they found out that I was a witch? If what Jasper said was true, that’s what I would become—a witch. Or maybe I should be saying I’m already one. I shook my head in disbelief.

  “What’s up, honey?” Mom asked, looking up from her newspaper.

  “Nothing. I was just thinking about what I have to do before school tomorrow. Jasper had some of the stuff I needed, but I will probably have to do some searching on the ‘net today just so I can finish it off.”

  “Perfect day for it. It’s supposed to rain all day anyway.”

  “Great. What else is new? I just wish we could have sun for more than one day, maybe even two in a row. I mean, is that too much to ask?” The darkening clouds seemed to reflect my moods.

  Mom just sighedand continued to read. She was used to my moods and didn’t bother to answer me half the time. I poured honey on my toast and savored the sweet flavor, licking my fingers when it dribbled down my hand. When I finished eating, I rinsed my plate in the sink and headed back up to my room. I needed to go online and check out some of the people that Jasper had spoke about yesterday. Not that I didn’t believe him, but I needed to find out for myself if they did once exist.

  I grabbed my computer and shimmied down on the floor to type in Mari to search for any information on her. Sure enough, apparently she did exist. I printed out what I wanted to read later and then searched for Wiccan. There were so many examples out there. Everyone had their own ideas on what it meant, and the Web sites dedicated to followers numbered the thousands. How the hell was I supposed to sift through all this stuff? I should ask Brie. She was the one who talked about this kind of thing all the time.