by Mark Hockley
was sure. Perhaps midnight. The moon hung large in the sky, its pale glow enough to see by now.
Ahead, something moved. Almost imperceptible, but Ellie saw it nonetheless.
She halted, watching, trying to make out detail. Someone was standing there in the shadows.
Ellie considered calling out to them, but she was unsure of anything or anyone. The Reds had tried to kill her. That had been their intent. She would have to be careful who she trusted now, if indeed she could truly trust anyone in this place.
Moving forward slowly, she kept her gaze fixed on the spot where she could just make out the outline of a figure in the gloom.
Abruptly the person moved, coming towards her at speed and Ellie stopped again, ready to speak a Word. She saw that it was a woman approaching, but this meant little to her. The features were none that she recognised.
But as the person drew nearer, Ellie did relax somewhat as she noted that this witch wore a black scarf about her neck. "Do not fear," the woman said as they came within a few feet of each other. There was urgency in her voice. "I am Susan of the Black Coven, sent by Margaret to meet you and escort you to a place of safety. We know what has happened. The treachery of the Reds will be avenged."
Ellie felt a surge of relief that surprised her. Whatever she may feel towards these women, these witches, she was a part of this now. It had all gone too far for her to deny the truth of it.
"Are my friends all okay?" she demanded to know, keeping the words a low hiss, the overriding quiet almost oppressive.
The witch who named herself Susan appeared nervous and eager to get moving. "Things are on a knife edge. Margaret will explain. Please come. Quickly."
This was enough to spur Ellie on and she fell in behind the other woman as they went deeper into Witch Town, both now walking at a brisk pace, neither speaking, focused on making as little sound as possible.
Zack gazed at the ceiling in his room. How could he sleep? Too much was happening, too many things to process. His thoughts skipped from Leonie to his sister, to Luke and Beth and then returned to Leonie again. It was frustrating because it did little good. But his mind would not be distracted.
He felt utterly helpless. Admittedly he was very happy and also relieved that he had been able to patch things up with Luke, but this was the only positive he could come up with. Everything else was a mess.
He folded his hands behind his head, knowing that his body was tired, but his brain refused to acknowledge this fact.
Zack closed his eyes, hoping this might help. It didn't.
Eventually he contented himself with imagining Leonie's beautiful eyes. At least it was something that made him feel as if there were good things in the world. And he needed to believe that this was true more than ever now.
Beth slept fitfully. She was dreaming of her life as a servant and hating every second of it. What was this existence that she had become ensnared in? She thought of Zack, longing to see him and then there he was, within her dream, smiling at her, beckoning her. She went to him gladly and he took her in his arms, holding her very tightly. She turned in her sleep, sighing contently.
But somewhere far down in her subconscious she knew that this was not reality. He was not hers. What had been a faint smile now became a frown and the girl groaned a little as she moved about restlessly within her sheets.
Despite her fears, despite everything, Zack represented so much for her. And she was determined to hold onto it. She would not give him up without a fight.
They moved cautiously, keeping to shadow where possible. Susan led Ellie behind a row of large buildings that the girl recognised as those that dominated the centre of the town. She supposed that the other witch was either taking her to The Black Coven House itself or Margaret's own private residence, a place she not yet visited. But then Susan halted by a doorway at the rear of one of the imposing structures just ahead of her and without preamble opened it and ducked inside.
Without giving it any thought, Ellie followed.
Whatever she had expected to find inside, it was not what greeted her. Instead of Margaret, another witch stood before her, a weak smile of feigned cordiality on her lips.
Isobel of the Red Coven regarded her for a moment and then her eyes moved to Susan. "Thank you. You have done well. Your service to the Red Coven will not go unrewarded. Now return to your own Coven before you are missed."
With a glance that revealed hostility and contempt in equal measures, Susan brushed past Ellie and departed leaving the girl alone. She stood rigid, knowing how much danger she was in, understanding that she would have no chance of leaving alive without conflict. But she was not afraid. She looked about her, realising that she was in the town library.
Isobel continued to watch her, her bright eyes intent on the girl's features. "You have been on an adventure," she begun in an genial tone, "have you not?"
Ellie didn't really want to reply, but she also did not want to appear passive. "I think you know already," she said harshly. "And you should also know that your Sisters won't be coming back."
Now Isobel's expression displayed some of the loathing that was truly in her heart. "You will pay for that," the witch asserted with a promise that Ellie knew was sincere. "But for now, I want the document. Do not force me to make you suffer more than is really necessary."
Suppressing a chuckle, Ellie's eyes nonetheless showed her amusement. "I don't have it."
"Lies will only cause you pain," the Red Coven witch assured her.
Ellie gave a quick shrug. "It was stolen. It seems as though you don't know everything after all."
Regarding her with suspicion and also Ellie realised, trepidation, the woman slowly began to move, circling the girl. "And who would be able to steal it from you, pray tell?"
As she watched Isobel gradually moving to her left side, another movement caught her eye to the right and she saw that another Red Coven witch had joined them, coming out from behind one of the huge bookcases. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ellie stood her ground, ready to fight when the time came. And she knew that it would come.
"What do you think," Isobel asked her, ignoring the girl's words, "will the two of us be enough? You had allies the last time. You are alone now." the woman glanced at her subordinate. "Or perhaps three would be more appropriate." Now another witch came out into the open, having been concealed behind yet another shelf. "Or even four." They were joined by a fourth woman then, each coming to a halt so that they were fanned out in front of the girl. Ellie noted that Isobel's companions all wore the sashes that denoted their level. They were obviously taking no chances with her this time. Her red cloak flowing about her shoulders, Isobel now clicked her fingers and Ellie showed her first sign of real dismay or alarm as Luke walked out to stand beside the woman. His features were slack and Ellie knew that he was under the witch's control. "Here is your Husband. Are you not pleased to see him." She grinned, her teeth bared. "He has something for you."
Luke turned his detached gaze towards Ellie and it was then that she noticed what he held in his hand.
A silver blade glinted there.
37
No one ever asks for what they get. It just comes along without invitation or warning. True, we all get to make choices. But really, isn't it true that we only get to make those choices without knowing all of the facts. It's rare to be able to sit down, study the evidence for and against and then decide. That certainly doesn't apply to my life anyway. And now I am faced with kill or be killed. What kind of choice is that?
One of the witches to her right spoke first. Ellie heard it even as she stared into Luke's eyes and saw absolutely no recognition there. "Fear."
She began to feel something, a skittering in her mind, her thoughts becoming less defined to be replaced by random doubt. She was lost here, that much was clear to her. She was going to die. Ellie's hands were clenched and she felt the first sting of tears.
No!
She would not give in to this. She w
ould not.
But this was only the beginning.
"Pain." Another voice, another Word of Power. Ellie's entire body began to burn from within. The sensation built and built, rising up from the pit of her stomach, expanding to reach towards her head. Now the girl's nails were cutting into her own palms as she tried to resist the onslaught.
"Weaken." A third witch spoke and Ellie's knees almost buckled. She tottered, desperate to stay upright.
She was so tired, she realised, exhausted from everything she had experienced. How could anyone survive this. It was all beyond her strength. She was so small, so insignificant. How could she have ever imagined she was anything other than a freak with nothing to offer and nothing worth living for.
Ellie attempted to focus her mind and despite the weariness she felt, a lethargy that went deep into her bones, she looked out at the pale, indistinct faces of those who confronted her. But it was Luke who held her gaze. His eyes were intent on her now, dark and penetrating. And there was hunger in that expression, a terrible yearning to fulfil the command that had been given to him. Luke meant to kill her she knew.
He came forward with assurance and it was all Ellie could do to stay on her feet. She knew that her time to act was rapidly fading. But her mind would not function properly and she had begun to tremble. Finally her tears did begin to fall and she could do nothing to stop them.
"Please," she managed to whisper and though her head pounded and everything seemed blurred and sluggish, she still heard the laughter of Isobel, mocking her. Luke was very close now and the silver dagger that he held came with him.
Ellie gritted her teeth and then violently she bit down upon her lip, blood beginning to flow onto her chin. She threw back her head, anger, desperation, horror all coursing through her. Above, the great beams of the library roof loomed over her. She cried out, the agony she felt in her flesh nothing compared to what was happening to her mind. "Inferno!"
There was a moment of utter stillness. Almost as if time had come to a standstill. Then everything became blazing white, an explosion of air and heat. Flame erupted everywhere. The bookcases, the building itself ignited. Windows exploded and there was the sound of fire and fury.
Ellie was aware of movement around her, but she could not focus her vision. Red and orange shadows darted about, but she could not make out anything clearly. She knelt down, her body seeming incredibly heavy.
A scream caused her to turn quickly just in time to see one of the witches doing some mad pirouette as her clothing was engulfed by flame. Ellie turned away. She did not want to see any more.
Then above the tumult, she heard a ragged voice scream out. Isobel. "Impale!"
Ellie saw something that had the shape of a long spear rushing through the air towards her. But it was made entirely of light. A glowing missile of death aimed at her heart.
Even in the seconds that she had to think, Ellie knew that her SpiritHeart was still not ready for her to speak again. She was powerless to protect herself.
But the projectile never reached her.
All at once Luke was there before her and in that minute fragment of time Ellie saw that he was himself once more. His eyes were bright and alert and he held her gaze as the spear struck him, sending him sprawling away from her and smashing into one of the burning bookshelves.
Everywhere about her, fire raged. Above, the wooden structure had ignited in the tremendous power of the heat she had generated. Timber groaned and spat black ash. It was as if a portal to hell had opened up there, the flames swirling and extending with their own need to decimate everything within reach.
Ellie had no time to think, to grieve, to even move. She spoke. It was all that she could do now. "Levitate."
A flicker of a memory, of Helen and Grace in the house where Margaret had tested her came unexpectedly into her mind. That seemed such a long time ago. Only yesterday she recalled. Such a very long time.
But it was not her who rose into the air. It was the other witches. All three were rising, their expressions a mirror of each other. Panic and Terror.
One of the woman, the first who had spoken against Ellie, called out then, even as she struggled, ascending towards the flames. "Protect!" And an amorphous substance surrounded her, a shimmering mesh.
Ellie watched from below, straining her neck, observing with dispassionate interest. She saw without really registering that another of the witches had already been consumed. She hung there stationary, a fiery mannequin.
She looked about for Isobel, but whether she had fallen or was hidden by the raging torrent of flame, Ellie did not know or really care.
Smoke was billowing everywhere, black and thick. Her hair was scorched, her skin crimson with heat and she knew that she would not survive for very much longer. Her amulet was very slowly draining. She had used up a great deal of her own essence and she realised then, truly for the first time, that the power she wielded had a price. It took something from her, something vital and crucial that could not be easily replaced. To use these Words too often could cost her more than just her life.
But of course, such considerations were of little consequence just then. She staggered off to where Luke lay, unmoving, slumped amidst a pile of books. Smoke and flame were all about her.
Coughing, holding her hand to her mouth, she went down low beside him. She couldn't tell if he was alive. She saw nothing to make her think that he was. Ellie would have cried but she was just too exhausted. She had nothing left. No emotion.
One last effort she told herself. Sitting down beside Luke's motionless form, she embraced him, holding him very close against her.
"Protect," she said softly, the sound barely audible above the harsh crackling of wood and paper.
Then everything collapsed. Ellie saw it coming down upon them. She closed her eyes. There was nothing more she could do.
It was raining.
Ellie's consciousness returned and she slowly looked upward , her eyes blurred by tears.
She knew that Luke was dead. She could feel it. He was still and cold and seemed so small cradled in her arms.
The fire she had created was being subdued as water fell from the sky. Where there had been a ceiling there was only a gaping, ragged hole. Everything smouldered, black and charred and utterly ruined.
She had no desire to move. What was the point.
Sounds of movement came to her through the haze of her thoughts and she was dimly aware that figures were approaching.
With an effort she focused her mind on her surroundings and she noted without any real interest that a number of people were coming closer. Urgent conversation was audible to her, but the words were unintelligible.
Then a voice she recognised spoke out. "There!" It was Margaret picking her way through the debris. But still Ellie made no attempt to stir. These women were not her friends, none of them.
She longed for Zack or Beth, someone who would understand and share her sense of loss and grief. Without realising, she held on more tightly to Luke's body. She didn't want to let him go.
"Ellie," the elderly witch said, now close beside her.
With tears filled eyes the girl forced herself to meet the woman's gaze. "He's dead," she stated, her voice a hoarse whisper.
"Yes," acknowledged the witch in a neutral tone. "As are others. Three bodies have been found."
Ellie's mind reluctantly began to process this. "Only three?"
The elderly witch nodded gravely. "Isobel is missing. It is my belief that she has fled."
The girl stared, confused. "Where?"
"Away from Witch Town. She is a fugitive now. The Reds will disown her, of course, but it will not be so easy for them to avoid retribution for what has been done."
"Where is my brother? Where is Beth?" Ellie needed people around her that she trusted. Not this witch who she knew had used and manipulated her.
"First you need to leave here. We have used Words to put out the worst of the fire, but it is still dangerous
."
"I don't care!" Ellie cried out, her heart lurching painfully in her chest.
The old woman regarded her impassively. "But you will. In time. You will care about what has been done and who was responsible. And you will need to choose a side to stand on in the conflict that will come. And mark me, it will come."
With a groan of sorrow that came from a place deep within, the girl glanced down at Luke's face. He had been her friend. And in this place he had been called her husband. Admittedly, during the past weeks there had been problems between them, but that had only been caused by the extreme circumstances that had been forced upon them.
He had sacrificed himself to save her, that much she knew without question. At the end he had been himself and he had made a choice, a very grave choice, to protect her.
It was something that she would carry with her until the very end of her days. And if she had ever been unkind to him or misunderstood him, she regretted it so much now.
Too late. It was all too late.
Finally, she reluctantly let go of the boy and stood up to face Margaret, to face what she had done. All about her was smoke and ash and destruction. If only she believed that this would be the last she would ever see. But her spirit told her otherwise. This would be the first of many such desperate scenes. This would be her future.
And she would travel that road whether she wanted to or not.
Yes, this did turn out to be a bad holiday in Witch Town. Worse than I could have ever imagined. Not that imagination exists for me anymore. Hard and harsh reality is all I have. I know now what it is to see people die. And I know what it feels like to lose a friend. Whatever I do, I can't help thinking it's my fault that Luke is gone. He died for me, didn't he? I need to remember. And learn. Because this isn't over. I have to accept I'm part of something that will mean that more people are going to get hurt. Or even die. It's started and there's no turning away or turning back. This bitter, dark morning is the first day of the battle to come. And I will have to stand on one side or another. I will have to fight. For Zack. For Beth. And for Luke. This is my war now.
