Witch's Blade

by Jenna Wolfhart

  “Found something!” one of the Enforcers called out as he kicked open the stock room door with his heavy boot. My stomach flipped as my heart squeezed tight. In his large, meaty hands, he’d trapped Anastasia, and the look in her eyes was pure murder.

  Chapter 2

  Shock flittered through me, partly from alarm and partly from surprise that he’d managed to get a grip on her in the first place. Anastasia wasn’t what I would call a dainty flower. She was all claws and fangs, and she could destroy most people while barely lifting a finger.

  “I thought you said there were no bloodsuckers here,” he said as he yanked her through the door. “But I found this piece of filth back there sucking on a girl’s neck. A mage’s neck. Mind explaining what the hell kind of operation you have going on in here?”

  “Guys.” I snapped my fingers at my customers who had been watching the entire exchange with frisbee-sized eyes. “Time to go home.”

  The humans were silent as they jumped up from the tables. Quickly, they downed their drinks and hurried out the door and into the night. Luckily, the Enforcers did nothing to stop them. At least that was one thing our covens had in common. We didn’t like humans to get caught in the crosshairs.

  The Enforcer and I locked gazes across the bar. Dorian stood from his stool and rested his hand on his dagger while Ben merely nervously cleared his throat. The room crackled with tension. No one made a move. We were all waiting for someone to strike first. A single flinch, and the room would dissolve into chaos.

  A voice called out from behind the Enforcer, soft and trembling but strong. “Please. Let her go. She wasn’t hurting me.”

  “That’s exactly what any blood bag would say because every time this happens, they’re enthralled,” the Enforcer said. “I know you think she wasn’t hurting you, but you don’t even know what you’re saying. When the fog clears, you’ll sing a different tune.”

  “I am not enthralled.” Laura stepped out from behind them, her eyes flashing with anger. Droplets of blood were splattered across her neck, evidence that Anastasia had been fang-deep. But this wasn’t the first time Laura had succumbed to Anastasia’s advances, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. “This isn’t some random Daywalker attacking me. She’s my—”

  “Laura. Best not say anything more right now.” Ben gave her a slight shake of the head before turning to the Enforcer who still held a tight grip around Anastasia’s neck. “Okay, everyone. I think we all need to take a step back here. We’re all on the same side. No need to cause a fight. Your Enforcer team and I should just continue our search before moving on our way. How does that sound, Callum?”

  “The hell we’re all on the same side.” Callum tightened his grip around Anastasia’s neck. “The bloodsuckers turned their backs on the truce, and now they’re going around drinking from our kind in public. Don’t think I didn’t see her mark. She’s a blood mage. One of ours.”

  “Technically, this is private property,” I said.

  Callum narrowed his eyes. “Don’t push it, Zoe Bennett. I know you’re the witch who led the charge against our members. You’re the one who got Piper killed. Be lucky I’m arresting a bloodsucker and not you.”

  “You can’t arrest her. She wasn’t doing anything wrong!” Tears began to bubble in Laura’s eyes, her gaze wild as she drank in the situation in the room. I read the look on her face before she made the move, but that still didn’t give me time to stop her. Before I could so much as blink, she’d launched herself at Callum, her hands curled into tight fists. My heart lurched into my throat as the bar erupted into a storm of chaos. The Enforcers rushed toward Callum and Laura, Dorian moved in a blur, and I leapt over the bar-top with speed and agility I didn’t know I had.

  But the chaos didn’t stop there. The front door blew open on its creaking hinges just as I reached the fight. A horde of masked figures rushed inside, their forms surrounded by glowing balls of light. The Enforcers whirled toward the sound and stopped in their tracks. They shuffled into a defensive position while Callum dropped his arm from Anastasia’s neck and began drawing a rune on his open palm.

  With his focus on the new arrivals, he didn’t notice when Laura grabbed Anastasia’s hand and pulled her back toward the stock room. For a moment, I wasn’t sure the vampire would follow. Her eyes were narrowed, full of a deep crimson glow that I’d seen on her before. She bared her teeth, hissing at the Enforcer’s back. But before she could do anything rash, Laura whispered into her ear. Anastasia rolled her eyes and hissed once again, but nodded. Seconds later, they disappeared to safety, but my relief was short-lived.

  “Rebels,” Ben muttered under his breath.

  I sucked in a sharp breath and arched my eyebrow. “Rebels? You can’t be serious. I thought they were a bedtime story invented by tired mage parents.”

  “They are.” Ben frowned. “Or were. Someone decided to take the bedtime story and turn it into reality. They’ve been growing in numbers since the end of the war, and there have been a few scuffles here and there. Nothing quite as bold as this though…”

  The rebels darted through the room, tossing bright magic at the Enforcers. The blood mages began to drop, one by one, too slow to keep up with the rebels’ fast movements. I itched to join the fray, but Ben kept a tight grip on my arm. With a frown, I tried to yank free, but he was stronger than he looked.

  “I should help,” I said as Dorian launched a spell at the rebels.

  Ben shook his head almost imperceptibly. “You can’t let them see your powers. The rebels or the Blood Coven.”

  “But I can still fight.” I tapped the dagger at my side. “Come on. You know I can handle a blade.”

  “You won’t win. Not against them.” He gestured when one of the rebels jumped on an Enforcer’s back and toppled him to the ground, showing deft and strength in a way I’d never seen. “And you’re far too valuable to lose in a skirmish against some fucking rebels.”

  Even though his words made sense, it didn’t stop the irritation that flared up inside of me. He called me valuable—because of my shadow magic—but what good was I if I kept getting regulated to the sidelines? I wanted back on the field. I wanted to play the game, no matter how dangerous it was. There was no use in having me on their team if all I did was sit on the bench.

  I curled my hand into a fist and darkness swirled around my fingers. One throw of this power across the room would send at least a couple of these rebels crashing onto the floor, breaking the fight just long enough to give Dorian and the Enforcers an edge.

  “Don’t do it,” Ben warned as he wrapped his fingers around my smoking hand. “I may have been idiot enough to keep the truth about your powers to myself, but those Blood Coven Enforcers have no such loyalty to you. They’ll tell their Magister, and they will act not only against you but against all of us. They might wonder why we kept you a secret from them, and they’d likely try to take you as a weapon for themselves.”

  My heart hammered hard as his words sunk in. All this time, I’d been so focused on hiding my powers from my own coven that I hadn’t really stopped to consider what might happen if another coven discovered it as well. Working with a shadow mage was almost as bad as being one yourself, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Blood Coven decided they wanted to harness my power for their own gain.

  “But you’re the only one who knows about me,” I whispered into his ear as a burst of magic slammed into the wall and rocked the floor beneath our feet.

  “And Dorian,” Ben said with a nod. “That’s enough. There’s a reason our alliance doesn’t extend to the Shadow Coven, remember. You may be a good person, Zoe, but you’re the exception to the rule. You know that yourself or you wouldn’t have hid your identity all these years. Having one amongst ourselves is well…it might even be considered traitorous.”

  A shiver went down my spine. All this time I’d been looking out for me and only me. And yet, I’d been unknowingly putting the entirety of the Bone Coven in danger. A trait
orous action would likely lead to far more than just a break in the alliance. The Blood Coven would feel the need to retaliate.

  Shaking my head, I let my magic fall from my fingers, and all the fight vanished from my soul. I’d been so careless. So reckless. No matter what happened, I could never let anyone else see what I could do, at least not until all of this was over.

  And then? My heart squeezed tight at the realization that washed over me. I wasn’t sure I could stay here in Boston. In my home. Not if my very existence put the entire city’s mages in danger.

  “Zoe, look out!” Dorian roared from across the room, snapping my mind back into the here and now. I’d been so wrapped up in my whispered conversation with Ben that I hadn’t noticed how intense the fight had gotten.

  Enforcer bodies littered the ground, though they all looked unconscious rather than dead. The only warlock left standing was Dorian, his eyes wild as he pointed my way. A second later, a blast of bright air hurtled past my ear and smashed into the wall of bottles behind me. Glass shattered, and sharp glittering shards flew through the air.

  I ducked just in time. Another blast hit the wall, smashing once again into the long line of vodka and whiskey. As glass rained down, all I could think was, This is going to be a bitch to clean up.

  “Stop!” Ben threw his hands up just far enough to peek above the bar. “We surrender!”

  “Come out from behind the bar,” one of the rebels snapped. “Cooperate, and we’ll cease our attack.”

  Slowly, Ben and I stood from our hiding spot and edged out into the room toward Dorian’s side. There were about half a dozen masked figures that surrounded us, each pointing a glowing white ball of power at our guts. If we so much as flinched, we could end up dead.

  “Listen,” I started. “No need to do anything hasty. Just tell us what you want and why you’re here, and I’m sure we can figure out a way to help you.”

  “Zoe,” Ben hissed under his breath. “No.”

  “She’s right, Ben,” Dorian said as his glittering gaze turned toward the rebels. “We don’t want anyone else to get hurt. Tell us what you want.”

  One of the rebels glanced at another and laughed. They shook their heads, shifting on their feet but not lowering their hands even a fraction of an inch. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dorian’s face cloud over. I was impressed by how calm and collected he’d stayed throughout this attack, but a cloud of irritation rolled across his features. They were going to push him past snapping point if they weren’t careful.

  “What’s so fucking funny?” Dorian snapped.

  “What we want is this bar,” one of the rebels said, stepping forward from the group. He pulled his mask up over his head, revealing a strong and angular face. His eyes raked across the three of us before landing on me. “I’m guessing you’re Zoe Bennett. The witch who keeps meddling in all the alliances.”

  Once again, my reputation preceded me. In this case, I was pretty sure that wasn’t such a good thing. “Yeah. What of it?”

  “According to my sources, this is your bar.” He waved his hand to the knotted wood, the buzzing neon signs, the broken bottles that littered the floor. “You run the place.”

  “Well, your sources are wrong,” I said. “I work here, but I don’t own it. And I’m sure as hell not going to give you the name of my boss because I know all you’d do is go and harass him. What do you want with this place anyway?”

  “You work here? That’s good enough.” He nodded and flicked his fingers at two of the rebels that flanked his sides. “Go outside and cast the spell. Make sure you’re back through the door within thirty seconds, or we’ll have to leave without you.”

  Frowning, I glanced at Dorian who was staring intently at the rebel leader. As his two minions disappeared out into the wintry night, my partner made a move forward. Gasping, I grabbed his arm to stop him, but I was too late. A blast of brightness hit Dorian in the chest, and he crumpled to the floor where he landed with a loud thump that shook me to my very core.

  I fisted my hands, heart thumping hard in my chest. “What the hell did you just do to him?” My voice swam with emotion, the words spilling out around a rock hard lump in my throat.

  “Calm down,” the leader said with a wave of his hand. “We only knocked him out. He’ll wake within half an hour. Now, listen. We don’t want to hurt any of you. Sit quietly while we do our preparations, and I won’t make Gigi here cast an even worse spell on your boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my—” I began, but Ben cut me off by elbowing me in my side. My mouth fell shut as I dropped into the nearest chair, sighing hard at the infuriating look of victory that flickered across the rebel leader’s face. Going along with shit like this? Not my style. But we were surrounded, and all our allies’ bodies were unconscious on the floor. Laura was still hiding in the back with Anastasia, but that didn’t help us much. I didn’t know what rebels thought of vampires, and I had zero desire to find out.

  Ben and I watched as the rebels began dragging each Enforcer’s body across the floor and out the front door. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking what the hell they were doing. Feigning nonchalance was the best thing I could do right now. I couldn’t let them see how worried I was. Somehow, that felt like letting them win.

  When all of the blood mages had been deposited outside, the rebels moved on to Dorian.

  “Wait,” I said. “What are you doing with him? He’s not one of them.”

  “We want the bar,” the leader said. “And we definitely do not want to take any enemies with us. Except for you, Zoe. You’re staying.”

  Blood rushed into my face as my anger began to boil. “What, so you’re kidnapping me?”

  “I’d rather not, but the spell won’t work unless you’re on the property.”

  “What spell?” I threw up my hands and stood, forgoing all caution. What would it matter if he knocked me out? They were taking me with them anyway. Might as well go down with a fight.

  “Ryker,” a voice called out as the two spell-casting rebels rushed through the front door. “Spell’s been cast. We’re ready to go.”

  “What?” Ryker whirled towards them, his back going stiff and straight. “You were supposed to wait until the all-clear was called. We still have an Enforcer and a council member in here, for fuck’s sake. Now, we’re going to have to take them with us, and goddess knows how well that will turn out.”

  Gigi popped out from the stock room door, her blonde hair swirling around her face as her frown gave away what she’d found. “We’re going to have to add another witch and a vampire to that list as well. They were back here hiding in the stock room.”

  “We weren’t hiding,” Anastasia hissed, her eyes narrowed. “We were just devising a plan to kill you idiot rebels.”

  Ryker let out a belabored sigh. “Great. Didn’t someone think to check the stock room before we cast the spell?”

  “Sorry, boss,” Gigi said. “Won’t happen again.”

  The floor beneath my feet began to shake as the air crackled with electricity. All around me, chairs and tables and bottles vibrated with the intensity of an earthquake. Alarm churning in my gut, I gripped the nearest chair and searched the room for somewhere to take cover. There just wasn’t anywhere to go.

  In my scan around my ravaged bar, my eyes fell on all the rebels now whispering amongst themselves. They didn’t look shocked or scared or even the slightest bit concerned. In fact, they looked totally at ease. Next thing I knew they’d be pouring themselves a tall glass of whiskey from behind the bar and kicking up their feet.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. “What have you done?”

  “Sounds like you’ve never experienced a travel spell before,” Ryker said, spreading his arms with a smile. “Well, you’re in luck, Zoe Bennett. There’s nothing quite like it. We’ve taken the entire building from the foundation so we can move it across the country. It’ll take us a few hours to get to our base since the spell works in real-time. Better settle in
somewhere out of the way since it looks like you’re all coming with us.”

  Chapter 3

  “Okay, what the hell is happening? Why were there Blood Coven Enforcers here?” Laura asked from her spot within our circle. The rebels had forced us all into the stock room during our “travel” or whatever it was they called it. They were searching the main room of the bar, similarly to how the Blood Enforcers had, which made me wonder if they were all looking for the same thing. Ben had mentioned something about smuggling, but he’d been so vague that I had no idea what anyone could possibly expect to find here other than a couple of kegs. I’d worked here for years. There was nothing of worth anywhere on site.

  “Don’t forget about those masked idiots,” Anastasia mumbled. “I know you all like to talk me down from taking on situations like this with violence, but I’m pretty sure this is one instance that calls for it. Let me at them. I’ll incapacitate them while you mages figure out a way to stop this building from moving any further.”

  I glanced at Ben, who huddled in the corner, his chin dropped onto his knees. A part of me felt bad for him. He’d been tasked with accompanying the coven’s visitors on this weird mission, and he’d not only been unable to get them what they were looking for but he’d also gotten them beaten up by a bunch of rebels who had then kicked them out onto the street to be left unconscious for hours.

  “Ben said they’re rebels,” I said.

  “Rebels, like…?” Laura cocked her head. “But those are just stories. The witchy version of Little Red Riding Hood.”

  “Ben’s right,” Dorian said with a frown. “Three years ago, a group of mages came together to form a group for those who didn’t want to claim a coven as their own. They didn’t like how the war was handled and didn’t agree with how things were being run. The people who put it together wanted to give others a place where they could belong without holding allegiance to any one particular coven.”