Catch Me When I Fall

by Vicki Leigh

  Seconds passed, and we just stared at each other. Then Kayla slid off her bed and walked to me. She reached up to where I still held the cloth to my cheek and gently removed it from my face.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said.

  “I know.”

  “At least you won’t need stitches.”

  “Always a plus.”

  “Daniel—”

  I stepped back from her. “Please don’t make me take you to Paris. I won’t do it.”

  Kayla frowned. “That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to ask you to train me tomorrow. I want to make that bastard pay.” Her lips tightened, and her hands balled into fists at her sides. I’d never seen such a reaction from her, and, if I was being honest, I was a little terrified.

  Stepping toward her, I placed a hand on each shoulder. “I promise, Kayla. We will make him pay.”

  She nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck, then her lips met mine. My breath caught when she pressed her body against mine and slipped her tongue into my mouth. I eased away. I couldn’t do this right now, not after watching my enemy speak through the mouth of my best mate, and definitely not after just agreeing to train my girlfriend to fight the most powerful warlock in existence—to the death.

  “What’s wrong?” Her eyes searched my face.

  I pressed my forehead to hers. “I don’t think I can do this tonight.”

  Kayla looked at me like a mother assessing if her child was sick. Then she nodded. “Will you at least stay with me? We don’t have to do anything. Just sleep.”

  I forced a smile. “Of course.”

  I fell asleep that night with Kayla in my arms.

  A knock woke me the next morning. I tugged my arm out from under Kayla and slipped trousers on over my boxers before answering the door. An African-American girl stood on the other side, the same one who’d crouched under Bartholomew’s table while Alex went bonkers.

  “Um, I’m supposed to pick up Kayla. I thought I had the right room.” She spoke in a very quiet voice.

  My cheeks warmed. The last thing this girl needed to see was me answering Kayla’s door. Shirtless. “You do. She’s still asleep. I’ll wake her. Where is she supposed to meet you?”

  “Bartholomew’s office. Trishna’s come to train us today.”

  “Thank you. Margaret, right?”

  She nodded and looked at her feet.

  “Okay. Thank you, Margaret. She should be there soon.” I closed the door as Margaret disappeared down the hall and leaned against it, sucking in a deep breath. At least I’d remembered to put on trousers.

  “Blushing again?” Kayla asked. She was propped up on one elbow, looking at me with a smirk on her face.

  “Yeah, yeah. Get up. You’re wanted in Bartholomew’s office.”

  “I heard. Come with me?”

  I was supposed to train my team this morning, but if they split into teams like they did yesterday, I could spend the first half of the day watching the Magus practice. It’d be good to know what they were capable of anyway.

  I nodded. “I’ll meet you down there.” Crossing the room, I kissed her forehead before leaving to change and attend to my Catchers.

  When I arrived in Bartholomew’s office, Alex, Margaret and Kayla had formed a half-circle in front of Trishna. Her black hair was braided down her back, and she wore a black vest over her blouse and jeans. With their eyes closed, the three Magus stood with their hands out, palms facing up. Trishna walked back and forth in front of them.

  “Do you feel the energy inside you?” she asked in her thick, Indian accent.

  The three nodded. I grabbed a seat on the far side of the room, next to Bartholomew, and watched.

  “Good. Now draw it to you, like you’re trying to roll it into a ball. Condense it.”

  I remembered the way Kayla’s energy had felt the day she lit her mother’s boyfriend on fire—like her entire body had been asleep and was waking up. Controlling that intense tingling energy had to be awkward.

  “Now, when you’re ready,” Trishna continued, “I want you to open your eyes. Focus your energy on me. Turn your palms to face me, and then push the energy from your body. This vest will protect me, and I have a shield up, so hit me with everything you’ve got.”

  Margaret was the first to let her energy fly. Water spouted from her hands into Trishna’s shield. The invisible force field swallowed the water like a sponge. My eyebrows rose.

  “Good. You favor water. Very powerful,” Trishna said. “Alex, you next.”

  Alex followed Margaret with a burst of air. Except, instead of hitting Trishna’s shield, Bartholomew’s papers flew around the room. Apparently his ability to move objects didn’t mean he’d be able to control his energy.

  “Okay. That was a good try. Seems like air will be your strongest element. Start over and see what you can produce. Kayla, your turn.”

  Kayla’s eyes had remained closed while the other two took their turns. But now, she opened them and pointed her palms at Trishna. A circle of gold formed around her pupils, then a sharp crack, like the sound of a whip, filled the room as Kayla let go of her energy. Bartholomew and I jumped out of our chairs as a ball of fire hit Trishna’s shield so hard, she flew into the desk.

  Kayla’s face whitened. She stepped back, placing a hand over her heart. Both Alex and Margaret slunk away from her as Bartholomew ran to Trishna.

  Kayla’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and her eyes filled with tears. “Is she hurt? Oh god, I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

  “I’m okay, Kayla,” Trishna said as Bartholomew helped her up from the floor.

  I sighed in relief. The last thing Kayla needed was for Trishna to be injured on account of her.

  “I’m so sorry,” Kayla said.

  Trishna smiled and nodded. “I know. Was not expecting that, or I would’ve put up a stronger shield. Fire it is, then. You are powerful. Now please, let’s try again. And, this time, I will be prepared.” She winked at Kayla.

  The blood returned to Kayla’s cheeks, and her posture relaxed. Sitting down again, I observed as Trishna had the three of them go through the same exercise again and again until each was comfortable enough to produce the element they wanted—even the ones that weren’t instinctive. After hours, Trishna let them break.

  “Well done. I must return to my coven now, but if Giovanni approves, I would like to see you again tomorrow.”

  “Of course he will,” Bartholomew replied. He held his tanned hand out to Trishna.

  “Until then,” Trishna said and took Bartholomew’s hand. They disappeared.

  Alex and Margaret nodded their goodbyes to Kayla, their faces tight with exhaustion. Then Kayla turned to me.

  “I think that went okay?”

  I nodded. “You all did well.”

  “Trishna said once we’ve mastered being able to control our energy, we could pretty much harness it to do whatever we want. Even produce charms and spells.”

  I pulled her into my arms. “Well, that’s good, considering I’m not letting you walk into that warlock’s den until I know you can take him down.”

  Bartholomew returned, carrying a book.

  “Kayla, Trishna asked me to give you this.” He handed it to her.

  I let go of Kayla so she could take the thick, black book with severely worn pages. She ran her hand along the cover. “What is it?”

  “Trishna’s Book of Spells. She figures you’ll get a lot more use out of it than she will, considering she knows them all by heart now. She wants you to study the spells and go to her with any questions.”

  “But, why give this to me? I mean, shouldn’t the others see this, too?”

  Bartholomew shook his head. “Not yet. She says she senses something in you, something more powerful than the others. It won’t take you as long to control your energy. She thinks you could master some of these spells within days.”

  “But how? Doesn’t it take weeks—months—for witches to fully harnes
s their power, more than simply being able to control elements?” I chimed in.

  Bartholomew shrugged. “Not always. Especially when a traumatic event forces the witch’s energy to rise to the surface.”

  He was talking about Kayla’s near-rape.

  “Trishna had a similar event happen to her. And then there was Tamesis. They say he mastered his energy within a day.”

  “Don’t compare her to him.”

  “I’m not comparing them, Daniel. I’m simply stating that Trishna and Tamesis both are more powerful than the average witch or warlock.”

  Kayla nodded, but I could see the fear in her eyes. I squeezed the hand that wasn’t latched onto the spell book.

  “Well, tell Trishna thanks,” Kayla said.

  Bartholomew nodded. “Of course.”

  Kayla clasped my hand tight and dragged me out of the room.

  ack in her room, Kayla stared at the spell book, which now rested on her bed.

  “It’s not an animal you have to be afraid of. Open it,” I said.

  She gripped the sides of her shorts and spoke barely loud enough for me to hear. “But what if my powers, you know, make me evil? Like him.”

  “Just because you have magic, it doesn’t mean you will be evil. What you do with your magic is what makes you who you are.”

  Kayla nodded then took a deep breath. She crossed the room in three big steps and opened the book to the first page. I peeked over her shoulder. The first spell was how to create light when there is nothing but dark.

  “See? Not evil,” I said.

  Kayla’s posture relaxed, and she let out her breath. “Don’t you have another training session?”

  “Samantha will run it. I can stay here with you.”

  Kayla turned to me and forced a smile. “I’m okay, really.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  I touched her cheek. “All right. Well, you know where I’ll be if you need me.”

  Kayla leaned in for a quick kiss before I evaporated to the training room.

  When I arrived, my team was already split into two groups. I took turns joining the two teams, watching everyone fight. They were training like gladiators. Two people stood back-to-back, defending themselves while the other three circled and attacked. Everyone wore gloves, but every now and then, someone would get punched or kicked and they would shout in pain. Joining in on the offensive side, I paid attention to everyone’s defensive tactics and gave pointers or compliments.

  For two hours we trained, then, when I was about to call for a break, a Catcher I’d seen only once before in my life appeared. “Daniel! You and your team are needed immediately.”

  The eleven of us loaded our belts with real weapons and ran up the narrow flight of stairs to the lobby where five Catchers slumped on the floor. One held his hands over a wound in his gut, dark red blood pouring through his fingers. Bartholomew pressed a towel to the side of another’s face, and a third lay on the ground, his throat slit. His girlfriend knelt on the ground next to him, her forehead pressed against his chest and her arm draped across his stomach. Her shoulders shook with sobs.

  The fifth, Aran, one of the Catchers I’d trained with two hundred years ago, sat on the floor, talking to Giovanni while Trishna used her stone to heal a huge gash in his leg. His face was streaked with sweat and blood—red, not black.

  They hadn’t been fighting Nightmares.

  Catchers and Weavers stood in a big circle around the room, their hands over their mouths—some in tears and others pale as ghosts.

  Giovanni approached me. “Aran and his team were attacked by a coven at a plantation in Kansas. That’s where I need you to follow up. Check for clues. See if they’re involved with this warlock we’re hunting. And if any are still there, make sure you bring at least one back alive.”

  We landed in a cornfield in Kansas. The dark sky was illuminated only by the full moon, clouds covering most of the stars. My eyes needed a second to adjust to the sudden change, and when they did, I counted off my team to make sure we were all present.

  “We need to see if anyone stayed after the battle. Stay invisible until you need to interact with the other side.” Trishna waited on standby at the mansion in what was now being converted into a dungeon area to bind the Magus as soon as we arrived.

  We walked with assault rifles in our hands, prepared to shoot if need be. Our invisible bodies moved quickly through the ears of corn, not a single one affected by our presence. We stopped when we’d passed out of the edge of the field. The house in front of us was a large, white plantation home that needed a good painting. Dark green shutters framed the windows, and on the side of the house nearest us, a pentagram had been spray-painted on the wood siding, the color of blood.

  “Wait here,” I said, wanting to get a better idea if anyone was home. I walked along the edge of the cornfield until I faced the front of the house. A light was on in the far left window, but a white curtain covered the pane, making it impossible to see into the room.

  As I was about to return to my team without a solid lead, the curtain moved and a head peeked out—a girl, no older than Kayla. Short, auburn hair was styled in a pixie cut, accentuating her thin face. Large eyes roamed back and forth across the yard. When the curtain closed and the girl stepped away from the window, I jogged back to the team.

  “There’s at least one in there. We need to get in that house.” I pointed to a single-pane window at the back corner of the house. “I will peek through there to give us a point of reference, then we can evaporate inside and take down however many witches there are.”

  “Are you sure that’s safe?” Lucca asked. “I mean, didn’t the other five do the same thing and come back in pieces?”

  “It’s our best option, and there are ten of us this time. Trust me.”

  Everyone nodded, and I sprinted to the edge of the house, peeking through the window. An old bed sat in the middle with an ugly filigree duvet on top. It was a design I was sure I wouldn’t forget. But to be safe, I took in the sight of the rest of the room, ensuring that we wouldn’t accidentally appear in another house with the same duvet. When I was positive I could draw up the image of the room in my mind, I sprinted back to the cornfield where my team waited.

  “All right. Everyone link hands. I’ll evaporate us in there.”

  When we were joined together, I closed my eyes and pictured the room. But when I opened my eyes, we still stood in the cornfield.

  “Um, nothing happened,” Brian said.

  “Yes, I know,” I replied, my voice sharp. Closing my eyes again, I focused hard on the ten of us vaporizing to the coven’s bedroom. Yet, when I opened my eyes again, we still stood in the cornfield. “Blast.”

  “Maybe we can’t evaporate in there,” Lizzie said, adjusting her blonde ponytail. “Maybe they put up some type of shield or something after the other Protectors left.”

  “Maybe.” I sighed. “We’ll have to get in another way. I can try walking through the wall, but if that doesn’t work, we can easily slide a knife into that old window and unlatch it.”

  “I’m small,” Lian said. “You won’t have to open the window as far for me. Let me go. If there are too many, I’ll signal for backup. But, I should be able to go corporeal and get a hand on the one witch without being discovered.”

  She was light on her feet. And she was quick. I’d watched her at practice. “All right,” I said, “but I’m coming with you. The rest of you, keep your eyes on me. If something happens and you can’t get to Rome safely, our rendezvous point is Las Lajas in Columbia.”

  My team nodded in agreement, then Lian and I took a breath and made a break for the house. We sprinted through the side yard to the window nearest the pentacle and pressed our bodies against the wall. Neither of us went through.

  Knowing we had no other choice, I went corporeal, grabbed a dagger out of my belt and glided it in between the windowpanes. I slid the blade over until it caught on the metal latch then tipped the
knife sideways, unlocking the window. Pulling the dagger back out, I stuck it in my belt and carefully wiggled the window until my fingertips fit underneath the bottom.

  Again, I listened for a sign that our cover was blown, but nothing happened, so I wiggled the window up, slowing down whenever the slightest squeak rang out. When the opening was large enough for Lian to crawl through, I twined my fingers together into a toehold for her. She placed a foot in it, and I boosted her onto the ledge and through the window. There was no sound of her landing, which was a good sign.

  Invisible again, I stood like a statue, listening. My heartbeat was louder than anything else in the world. Then a head popped out the window. I turned, poised to attack until I realized who it was.

  “There are four of them. I need backup,” Lian said.

  Nodding, I held up two fingers to my team. Samantha and Lucca sprinted across the yard. We paused to make sure the coast was clear, then I opened the window a little further to make sure we could all fit. After helping Samantha through the window, Lucca pulled himself up, and I followed.

  The four of us stood, invisible, in the dark bedroom that smelled like it hadn’t been used, or cleaned, in years. I scrunched my nose at the stench and followed Lian into the hall. Straight ahead past two other doors, two witches sat in a living room, whispering.

  We stepped back into the shadows in case anyone’s nerves forced them to accidentally go corporeal. Our visible state was natural. Staying invisible took effort. In the middle of the night when your charge is sleeping, no big deal if you went corporeal for a minute or two. But when trying to take down a coven of witches—different story.

  “What do we do?” Lucca asked, his dark hair falling into his face.

  “We’ll have to sneak up on them,” I replied. “Luckily, they can’t see us, so only go corporeal when you’re close enough to take them down. And remember, one of them needs to get back to Giovanni. Are we ready?”

  They nodded, and we snuck back down the hall. But when we got close to the living room, both witches were gone. Great.

  “Cover me,” I mouthed to Lian and crept around the corner—and into the line of sight of one of the four. “Shit,” I said as the witch threw a bag of powder on me. My skin burned, and I groaned. The sack must’ve been infused with magic.