Awakenings (A Witch's Coven Novel Book 1)

by Ron Vitale

  She spun back and threw an angry glance at me. “Every word you say is a lie. How am I to believe anything from you?”

  “You don’t. But the Moonstone calls you for a reason, and I need for you to understand so that you can protect yourself and leave and do whatever you choose.” I walked out of the room and back to the library. “Please, listen to what the Moonstone has to say to you, and then decide what you will do.”

  She hesitated and then followed me into the library. When we entered, the gem pulsed in a brilliant bluish glow. I stood back with my hands behind me and said, “Grab the stone and it will tell you the truth. You will know then what you need and then can go. The gem calls to you. It wishes to pass itself on to my heir—to you.”

  Alessia was no fool. As angry as she was at me, any initiate of the lowest order knew that a gem of power would unlock magic for her beyond her imagining. She would gain power and influence that would shape the rest of her life. She reached out to touch the gem and hesitated for a moment to look at me. Her anger masked her pain well, and she bit back her fear and touched the gem, but did not take it. When her fingers brushed the gem’s surface, a wave of light emanated from the Moonstone. Its power knocked me back against a shelf of books, and I covered my eyes from the brightness. The gem pulsed and hummed, alive in its way, and I relinquished my claim to it and fell back, falling into the magic, caught up in its light and truth.

  We fell together in its light, through the floor and into the past. The gem would show her what I could not.

  ***

  In the morning, I left my room and rushed down the hall to see Denise. The events of the night before had clouded my vision with fear mixed with hate. Stephen had told me that he would be back in the evening after his watch. What few men were left in the city took guard around the city’s walls, and several women also joined them to ensure that no additional Southerns climbed over the defenses.

  When I entered Denise’s room, I was surprised to see her sitting up and having breakfast. I had imagined the worst with her. Her coloring looked pale, but she was in good spirits. She ate some oatmeal in a bowl and placed it down on her lap when she saw me enter. “You came to see me!”

  I rushed over to her and gave her a gentle hug, fearful that I might hurt her. The bandages covered up her right shoulder and she only moved her left arm. “I’m so happy that you are well.” I kissed her on the forehead and smiled. I could not hold back my tears. They streamed down my face, and I wiped them on my sleeve.

  “Who knew that our singing would cause people to shoot at us? I expected a few thrown tomatoes but not arrows.” Her joking lifted my spirits.

  “I expected them to throw things at me with how horrible my voice is compared to yours.” I let her go and pulled a chair closer to her bed so that I could sit by her.

  “They’ve told me that all the Southerns were killed but one, and he’s being questioned.” She handed her bowl to me and I placed it on the table by her bed.

  “Our house lord told us earlier that the captured Southern revealed the plan of how they entered the city. They hid themselves in barrels and were brought in yesterday when supplies were coming in.”

  Denise pointed over to the table. “Can you pass me my water?”

  I placed the mug in her hands and let her take it from me before I let go. “How are you feeling?”

  “My shoulder stings and hurts horribly, but the rest of me feels fine.” She took a sip of water and then put it down quickly on remembering something. “They told me that your Stephen was there and helped fight off the Southerns. Seems that he hadn’t run off like you had thought.”

  I laughed. “Stephen is many things, but he’s no coward.”

  “If I had my choice, I’d go after Stephen and not Charles. Charles is the pretty boy, but Stephen looks to have some ruggedness about him, and I rather like that.” She took another sip from her mug and added afterward, “I’m happy that he came back to see you. I know how much he means to you.”

  There were certain things that I had never even told Denise, and it would be best for Stephen if I kept it that way. “Thank you. I was so happy to see him last night. He is a dear friend, but my heart belongs to Charles.”

  Mary from the kitchen came in to disturb us. “Time for you to go.” She brandished a wooden spoon and pretended to swat me with it. “You need to get to work, and Denise needs her rest.”

  “Can’t she stay for a bit longer? I nearly had my head taken off last night.” Denise went to reach for me and winced at the movement.

  I hugged her again and kissed her. “I’ll be back tonight. You get your rest and I’ll see you later. There are people to feed and wounded soldiers to clean. I should go help.” I let go of her and then went to do my work.

  The day passed quickly with chores and more work than I had expected. Three women and two older men had been injured in last night’s attack. I learned that there were many more, but that the injured had been sent to the other great houses for care. Medicine and resources were scarce, and even in our house we had cut drastically on the luxuries that normally filled the house. I worked hard, did my chores and more, and at the end of the day, my house lord wanted to see me. I expected him to come to me as he often did, but I had been summoned to his private room.

  I was led up by his most trusted guard, and as we made our way to the third floor, I tried to take in all that I could see. I had never been to this particular private room before, and the tapestries and paintings amazed me. When I entered his room, he sat at his desk writing in a scroll. He wore glasses and scribbled quickly with the quill, using his left hand. When he finished his line, he took his time to put the quill down and then looked up over his glasses. “Come before me.”

  I did as asked but did not sit down in one of the two upholstered chairs and kept my eyes down on the thick and luxuriant rug on which I stood.

  My house lord waved off his guard. “Leave us.” Without a word, the guard bowed and left the room. Thaddeus took his glasses off and dangled them from his right hand and said, “Look at me.”

  I folded my hands behind my back and glanced up, afraid of what I might see. Thus far, he had proven himself to be a fair house lord, but there were a few stories I had heard from the older staff that frightened me.

  “Do you remember my taking you in three years ago?” He did not take his eyes off of me.

  “Yes, thank you, my lord.” I bowed my head but quickly looked back up. I knew him well.

  “I took you in because I saw something in you. Something that you did not see in yourself, and I wanted to save you from the harshness of the streets and of the brothel.” He put his glasses down on the desk and watched me with a fierce intelligence. “There’s a spark in you that I saw. Am I right?”

  I did not know how to answer. “Yes, Denise often jokes with me that I have a sharp tongue. I will work on being more in line with the rest of the help.” I finished and then added, “My lord.”

  He shook his head and laughed. “Do you think me an ass? I have run this household since my mother passed and run it like a general. I know the comings and goings of everyone, and I know even the most intimate of secrets. I need to know because knowledge is the true power.” He folded his hands together and then quickly broke his calm and scratched the back of his bald head. “But you have more secrets than others.”

  A bolt of fear struck through me. I lowered my head and thought it best to confess. “I apologize, my lord, for taking your carriage and leaving the main city late at night a few weeks ago. I will accept whatever punishment that you bestow on me. Please.” I dropped down to my knees. “Do not put me out on the street.”

  He waved me up. “You’re such a fool. I don’t care so much about you stealing a few bottles of my best whiskey and borrowing my carriage. We will keep that between us if you tell me about what truly happened after the Southerns attacked you and Denise on stage during the show.”

  I was in worse trouble than I had imagined. “My l
ord, Denise and I sung on stage, and I heard a loud bang from the back right of the theater. People pushed forward and then archers from the balcony fired arrows and started killing people in the audience. Denise was hit in the shoulder, and I pulled her back off the stage. It was chaos.” I tried hard to fight back the tears. “I dragged Denise back, and no one helped us. A fight had started in the front, and I pulled Denise out through a side door onto the street. I learned later that men and women of the city took up arms and fought off the Southerns.” I turned my head to spit on the floor but remembered where I was and held back.

  “Hold it. Hold it right there.” He pointed at me and focused on a point on my body that I could not see. “Tell me more about the fire.”

  “It was roaring and fierce and I pulled Denise to safety. Everything happened so sudden.” I held my gaze with him and did not look away. I needed him to believe me.

  He smiled. “You are a good liar. I like that about you.” He stood up and came around the desk and walked around me in a circle. “You keep your secrets close and do not boast or try to take advantage of others. That’s rare in a person like you. Extremely rare, and that’s of use to me. I need someone like you.”

  “I don’t understand.” I went to say more, but he cut me off.

  “It is of no use lying to me now. It is just the two of us here. I was there after the attack. I saw the fire put out and saw how it resisted the water. The entire theater burned to the ground. The only reason why it didn’t spread is that the theater wasn’t connected to any other building. The fire reached stone and finally died. But I’ve inspected the stone and saw the marks that no one else could see or know to look for, and I know your secret.” He stopped in front of me and leaned in close and whispered, “Tell me with your own words what your secret is. I want to hear it from your own lips.”

  My heart beat fast and my mouth became dry. I did not know what to say and was caught off guard. I did not turn to him but stood facing straight and stared at a painting he had on the back of his wall. Seconds passed, and I needed to decide. Tell the truth or lie. Either option had dire consequences.

  He leaned in closer to me and asked, “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  I wanted so much to lie and run away. And so I did. “The Southerns must have set the fire with torches, my lord.”

  He pulled away from me, and a look of disappointment came over him. “That fire was not started my natural means.”

  I wanted to fly from the room and go back to Denise and sit by her side and talk about our songs and when we could practice next. I wanted to be anywhere but where I was. “Please, my lord, I can’t.”

  He put his hand on my chin and lifted my head up. “But you must. I am giving you no choice. Either you tell me the truth, or I put you out on the street tonight.” He tightened his hold on my chin. “Have you been outside in the winter at night? If I dismiss you, you will have no reference and nowhere to go. The cold will get you quickly and, if you survive the night, you will be dead within a week. I will have you branded on your cheek, and my mark will show that anyone who helps you would be breaking the law.”

  An anger came up within me and it won out over my fear. I clenched my fists behind my back and bided my time.

  “Am I making myself clear of what I will do?” He let go of my chin and took a step back to take me all in. “Now, I will ask this once more, and I will not ask again. Tell me the truth of what happened that night, or we are done here and you will be dismissed.” He reached down and rested his hand on a bell on his desk. It was a large bell with a black handle. He needed only to lift it and ring it and his personal guards would arrive in moments. They would drag me away and toss me out onto the street. But I almost forgot, they would brand me first and mark me as a traitor to my house. No one would take me in after that. I would be a pariah.

  He watched me and fought hard to hide a slick smirk on his face. He knew he had me trapped, and I would not be able to win either way. He had defeated me. But I would not surrender so easily. I gathered the anger and the hatred within me and rolled it into a ball. If he wanted to know the truth, I would show him. I would bundle up my truth and show him, releasing it at him with every bit of strength I had.

  Before I lost my courage, I thrust my arms out from behind my back, closed my eyes, and opened the gates within me. I felt the warmth of the fire first. The flames surged out of hands, my arms, hair, feet, everywhere. I became a living flame and I would burn him down, melt his skin, muscles, and then his bones would crumble and turn to dust until nothing remained. I would wash him clean, and my anger would sear everything new again. The fire rushed out of every aspect of me, and I could hear the flames crackling as it ate the paper before me, licked the cherry wood of the desk and the walls took part as well. Inside a door opened within me, and I did not care to hold anything back.

  No one would harm me again or try to defile me. I would not allow it, and with the power that I had, I would do anything to survive. No one could stop me. I opened my eyes to watch the destruction that I had caused, wanting to see and take it all in so that I could accept my fate.

  My house lord stood there smiling. All of my fire swirled around his arm and he controlled it, siphoning it off and directing it to a tiny corner of the room. He snapped his fingers, and my powers went out.

  And I fell down onto the floor spent.

  “I’m impressed.” He took his hand off the bell and folded his hands in his lap. “You have great power, but no control or influence on your magic. It’s all raw and filled with hatred and anger. That’s the easiest type of magic to redirect and repurpose, but you didn’t know that. I suspect there are many things about magic that you do not know, and you probably believe all the rumors of darkness and madness.”

  I scrambled to my feet and glanced back behind me. The door seemed miles away.

  He pointed at me and with a flick of his hand said, “Fermez!”

  His spell hit me and I froze. All my magic closed inside and I fell silent. He came to stand beside me, and I remained paralyzed reaching for the door. I tried to speak but could not.

  “I have a choice now to make. It’s a simple choice, but one that has grave consequences for you.” He tapped my knee with his velvet slipper. “I can kill you now and wipe you from existence, and no one would ever know.”

  I fought hard against his spell and started to unravel the threads. I could see them now. Silvery lines of magic that wrapped around me. I pulled at the magical threads hard with my mind, unable yet to move, and they came away like the broken strings from a lute, curling and bending back on themselves.

  He folded his arms and said, “Or, I can keep you alive and make you my pupil and teach you what I know. In return, you would live and do as I asked. Over time, if you proved trustworthy, you would earn your freedom.”

  I broke the last string from the spell and kicked him. He did not expect that and stumbled back into the wall. I rushed him with my fists ready. I knew how to fight dirty. I punched him in the throat and kneed him in the groin. My knee hit solid metal like he wore armor under his robe. He let out a satisfying, to me, groan and crumpled to the floor. I doubted I had hurt him much from the armor he wore, but he did fall back from me in pain. I saw him pull away, and I knew I had to press my attack. The first thing that I thought of was a sword and I swung my hand down and my raw magic formed a magical blade in my grasp. I could see the words in the air, and I gathered them around me, like little fireflies, and spoke in a tongue that I did not know. The blade became real, and I swung down to end this with all my strength and fear.

  My attack hit a solid barrier of air around my house lord’s torso and slid off, hitting the ground. He held his hand up and yelled, “Enough!”

  All natural light went out in the room and my sword vanished along with all my magic. He stood up and pointed at me, and the light returned to the room. “It has been a long time since I have found someone worthy to be my pupil.” He grimaced in pain and l
eaned heavily against the wall. “But I would not see you waste your powers out on the street. You would survive, but it would be a harsh life and not one where I would benefit.”

  I put my fists down and relaxed. “Are you offering to teach me magic?”

  “Yes.” He came forward and put out his hand. “Everything will change for you if you agree. But I need some time to plan. I have not had a pupil for years.”

  “And the threats you made against me?” I watched how he answered.

  “Yes, I could have branded you and sent you on your way. Do you want me to lie and tell you that I would not? I needed to test you, and you have passed. I have not risen to the status of one of the most powerful house lords in the Realms by being nice. I will be fair and am more open-minded than you might know. But the one thing that I will not tolerate is lying. I demand trust from you and the truth. In return, I will tell you the same. So, do you accept my offer?”

  “I need to think about it. I will give you my answer tomorrow by sundown.” I held his gaze and showed him that trust needed to be mutual between us.

  “Fair enough.” He put his hand down and said, “Do your chores for the rest of today and tomorrow, and then give me your answer after dinner.” He pointed to the corner of the room where the fire had been, and suddenly all the damage disappeared. “Go now.”

  I bowed to him and left the room as quickly as I could. The door shut behind me, and I was escorted back down to the first floor. I stood there amazed and took a moment to breathe. Everything would change for me, and that fear rose up within. I needed to talk to someone, but I had no one to share my news. Stephen was not around, and Denise and Charles did not know of my secret. What I needed was some time to think, and what would serve me well was work. My house lord knew me enough. I threw myself into my work and cleaned, fed, and bathed the wounded from the attack and cleaned up after dinner. I thought to see Denise before bed, but a great fatigue came over me. I had never used such a great amount of my magic before, and that night I fell hard onto my bed and slept like the dead.