by Alina Banks
“You should probably know that Alex and I are still friends, even if everyone thinks I’m with Damien.” I shrugged. “I’m doing what I have to, and my relationship with Damien has already been a good thing, so things aren’t going to be changing for a while.”
Nodding, Dad smiled. “I get it. Becca dropped by earlier to talk things through, and I understand your choices in a way I didn’t before.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I’m going to head over to the hospital. Lilah and I don’t have much time left, so I want to make the most of it. You’re welcome to come by too, but I understand if you can’t. Lilah does too.”
“I’ll see how things go.” Fortunately, Dad left it at that, giving me a chance to step into the house, where Alex was waiting for me at the kitchen table. In front of him was a pile of newspaper reports.
“Hey.” I smiled. “What are you here for?”
“Firstly, to say I heard about your mom. How is she?”
“She isn’t doing well, but there’s nothing that can be done to change that.” I sat down next to him. “Take my mind off things.”
“I’m not so certain this will take your mind off anything, but I can try. You wanted to know about the Easons, so I went to the library and did some digging. A lot of digging. More than I could have imagined doing, to be honest, but this was a rabbit hole that went far deeper than I expected, so I hope you have the time to spend going through all this.”
“More than enough.”
“Are you sure?”
Nodding, I rested my head on his shoulder. “Mom and I have said all we can really say to each other right now, Alex, and I don’t know if I should go back to say goodbye.” I looked at the pile. “This will be good to stop me from thinking about that.”
“Okay.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Then the best thing I can do is start at the beginning. We’ll start with the Easons’ arrival in town. Joseph Eason, his wife Madeline, and his two children, Damien and Jessie, moved into a house that I now know has been owned by the Eason family since Clermont first became a town. I’ve been able to go back to a time before the hospital was built to find there were a couple of trappers named Eason who traveled here. I believe, from what I read, that they were brothers. One disappeared, only to be found a few months later looking like he’d been mauled by a bear, and the other built the first Eason house when the hospital was built. From what I saw, the Easons and the Canes actually have a very close connection up until…” Alex flipped through his pile of documents. “Looks to be around 1830. That was a couple of generations after the Eason trappers, at least. It appears, if you read through a couple of the news reports, that the Easons helped the Canes to build the hospital.”
“That’s interesting.” I looked down at the newspaper report Alex had pulled out of the pile. “There’s more to all of this that I realized.”
“There is.” Alex gestured at the image in the report. “Does that remind you of anyone?”
Joseph Eason was in the picture, which didn’t surprise me at all, although it did make me think he was older than I’d realized before. I knew after he became a vampire, he killed his family, or at least that was what Damien said. I took a closer look at each of the people in the picture. The others were Canes and Easons. I needed to talk to Miss Cane, see what she knew about the time the hospital was built, since she would know much more than me about all this. Her family was the one who’d been involved, and by choosing to become the guardians of the power in Clermont, they had become the first witches. If they’d been close to the Easons, then maybe that partly explained why Joseph was so determined to help the demon.
Like she often was, Miss Cane was in her office when I reached the hospital. She studied me. “I thought you’d be here visiting Lilah.”
“We said all we needed to say to each other.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Alex was looking into the Easons for me, and he found out something interesting. When the hospital was first built, the Easons were involved.”
“They were?” Her eyes met with mine. “I do remember mentions of a rich benefactor, which could have been someone in the Eason family, because I know they made a lot back during the trapping period. That’s something I’ll look into, and if that is the case, it explains why one of them would have been chosen to become a vampire.”
Nodding, I sat down in the chair opposite her. “There was also a report about a year later relating to the deaths of the entire Eason family, which I’m almost certain had something to do with Joseph. He was the first to die, apparently from an illness, and following that, everyone else died of something similar. But Damien told me Joseph was the one to kill his family. Granted, that was a time when there wouldn’t have been as easy a way to work out how exactly they’d died.”
“Damien is probably right. I do know that Gretchen Eason was one of the first witches, along with a number of others, and her death was something that affected the coven greatly. At the time, there was talk of there being three leaders - a Cane, an Eason, and a Conway. Only back then, it didn’t work out that way, because Gretchen had died. And from what I read, everyone accepted that it was an illness. I remember reading about her, how she was talking about feeling weak, which she attributed to the illness - only it’s much more likely that her weakness came from being around a vampire who was draining her slowly, making it seem like an illness was killing her.”
“Which means Joseph has always been willing to play the long game. He’s taking his time, the way he always has done.” I sighed. “Honestly, I think out of all the Easons, he’s the one we need to worry about the most, although Madeline seems to be working with him more than either Jessie or Damien. They all seem to have some disconnect from each other, which, after so much time spent together, is going to happen. Especially if they don’t particularly like each other.”
“For now, I think we need to prioritize using that against them as best we can. I know that’s what you have been doing with Damien. He’s willing to help you with the experiments you want to do.”
“He says he is, so for the moment, I’m going to take him at his word. When he realizes how complicated it’s all going to be, he might change his mind.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Even though I’d told both Alex and Miss Cane that I’d said all I could to Mom, I still headed by her room, feeling like it was the right thing to do. Dad was right when he said we didn’t have long left with her. I could feel how close her death was when I reached the room, which…it was complicated, being able to feel that. The others had told me I had a closer connection to the afterlife than most, but it had never once crossed my mind that my connection would affect whether or not I could feel how close someone’s death was. Raking a hand through my hair, doing my best to push aside all the emotions I was feeling right then, I stepped into the room where Dad was sitting next to Mom, holding her hand.
“Hello, Ana.” Mom gave me a tired smile. “I didn’t think you’d come back.”
“Neither did I, but I needed to be here.” I stepped closer to the bed, my eyes meeting hers, and all I could see in them was how tired she felt. Nothing more. There were things I wanted to say, but I had no idea how to say them. “It’s not going to be much longer. Hours, probably, if what I’m feeling is right.” I shrugged. “This is all new to me.”
“Being a witch with a connection to the afterlife is rare. There have only been a couple over the years, and they kept their sanity by staying connected to life. I do know of one witch who failed to hold on to life.” She studied me. “Learn about them, Ana, and do everything you can to keep yourself safe. You have to be the priority right now.”
“Mom…”
“I have my journal. That needs to go in the sanctuary. I took it with me when I left the house, so you’ll need to pick it up from the bed and breakfast I was staying at. When you read it…I know it will be hard for you, but you need to understand why I made the choices I did. How conflicted I’ve been throughout my life. There were others I wr
ote when I was younger. I believe they should be in the basement. Take them to the sanctuary too. Keep the Conway history together, even if I wish no one would read my childish reactions to so many things. After what has happened, I don’t think that I ever truly grew up. I did what I had to do in order to seem like an adult, but I think I was trapped at eighteen, unable to move past it because I couldn’t let go of the emotions that hit me so hard.”
Stepping closer to her, I was able to see my grandmother close by, and someone who could only be my aunt. They were there to help Mom when the time finally came. I felt tears welling up in my eyes again, wishing things had worked out differently, but maybe that was never actually going to be possible. “I’ll do what needs to be done, Mom. I promise.”
“Tomorrow, when this is over, you’ll be the leader of the coven, which is something I think was always meant to be. I wasn’t the one who was meant to be in charge. Mom, I’m certain, would have chosen you over me had she lived, because we are such different people.” She glanced at Dad. “Fortunately for everyone, you took more after Will than you did me, and that’s what’s going to make you the leader I could never be. Becca will do what she can to teach you everything you need to know about being a witch. She should have always been your teacher, but I was jealous of her. I was always jealous of the other witches, and now, I only wish I could go back to make things right, but that’s not possible. All I can do is move on with all these regrets and hope I can do something better should I be chosen for another life.”
“You will.” I put my hand on her leg, looking at her. “I forgive you, Mom, for the mistakes you’ve made, for the choices that haven’t always been right, and for keeping the truth from me for as long as you did. I’ll do my best to make you proud and to do everything I can to bring an end to this, so no one else dies because of the demon.”
Going to the bed and breakfast Mom stayed at felt like the best use of my time. She was still hanging on, although she was much weaker, and I’d definitely said the last things I was ever going to say to her. Biting down hard on my lip, I stepped into the room the owner said Mom stayed in, to find that the curtains were closed. Pulling them open, I looked around the room. It felt like a bed and breakfast room - vaguely impersonal, but at the same time, I could feel Mom there. I could feel her power, smell the lingering of her scent, and on the bed was her open journal. Reading it when she was still alive felt almost like an invasion of privacy, yet I still sat down on the bed to flick through the pages.
After Mom’s memories were taken, there were days missed, which was to be expected. Following on from that, I found the entry she wrote after she got her memories back. ‘The vampires knew I was the weak link and they chose me because of that. Why would they not? Ana is so much stronger than I am, her powers are awe-inspiring even now, but that’s because of a choice I made so very long ago. A choice I pushed to the back of my mind, not understanding how it was going to affect my entire future. Coming into my power was terrifying to me. I remember that like it was yesterday, thanks to Madeline, and I feel like this was what they were truly hoping for - for these reminders of everything to hurt me more than anything else has ever done. In a way, they do. Remembering how I pushed that power away, not wanting to be different, and how it seemed like it was gone…I didn’t ever write about that before, because it happened before Mom told me we were witches. Before she told me the truth of what it meant to be a Conway.
’For so long, I was angry with her. I had always blamed her for the fact that I was different, because if she’d never chosen to have children, then I never would have been born with power. But it wasn’t her fault. There’s only one being to blame for all of this, and that is the demon.
‘I feel different now, and come morning, I’m sure I’m going to feel different again. With all these memories flooding through me, I’m certain of only one thing - I’m more broken than I was ever willing to admit. Will was the one who kept me together at times when he should have just walked away. He should have walked away instead of choosing to stay with someone like me. He could have lived a very different life had I not been dragging him from one place to the next.
’I know it was fear that got the better of me. The belief that the demon was using his minions to follow me, and maybe he even was. I don’t know for certain. All I know is that for so long, I’ve been putting myself first without thinking about either my husband or my daughter, and even when we got back to Clermont, I didn’t put them first. I didn’t want Ana to be a witch. I wanted her to be normal, but in wanting that for her, I took too long in telling her the whole truth about who she was, and I know she’s still upset with me for that. She sees it as me not seeing her as her own person, and I don’t think she’s wrong about that. I acted as though she was a younger version of me. I assumed she would have wanted the same things I did when I was younger, instead of thinking there was a chance she might actually want to be a witch. Now, she’s coming into her power in a way I never did, and I’m jealous of her. I’m jealous of her ability to be able to walk this path in the way she is, because I never could. I know it’s not her fault, but I can’t help how I feel.’
Reading through each day, I was able to see how the emotions she felt got the better of her. She couldn’t see past them to be logical, and that was what led her to choosing the death she did.
‘I know there’s a chance this spell will kill me if it goes wrong, but I don’t care anymore. I don’t think I can keep pushing myself to keep going right now.’
The front door closed when I was down in the basement, and I knew who it would be, so I just stayed where I was, going through boxes I hadn’t known existed. It was easier than thinking about why someone would be home right then. Sasha was with me, her fur covered in dust and cobwebs from where she was exploring, but she didn’t seem bothered. Instead, she just carried on doing her thing, which was nice. Even though I knew she was more than just a cat, it was nice to see her acting like a cat. It was good for her to take some time off from being a familiar. She looked at me, her eyes meeting mine, and I could see the amusement she was feeling. I smiled at her, more than grateful Mom and Dad had gotten her for me. Going through everything would have been so much harder without her.
At the bottom of the box I was going through, I found a book. It wasn’t the kind of book I was expecting to find, because it was obviously something one of the Conways had put together, but it was definitely going to be a useful one. I flicked through the pages of ‘Familiar Magic’ recognizing the handwriting as belonging to the third Conway witch, who might well have been the first to have a familiar. There was one spell in it that looked like it was going to be very useful - seeing through the eyes of a familiar. If only I’d known that was down there sooner, I might have been able to do more to help Mom. Then again, it was just as likely she would have casted that spell on me to stop me from getting in the way, because she was doing what she believed was right. Using Sasha would make it easier for me to see who the vampires were feeding on and who I’d be able to spike with the herbs to make them weaker. With Mom’s death, I knew we needed to work fast. The vampires knew there were only two witches, and so did the demon.
With that book and several others, I made my way back upstairs. Dad, as I expected, was sitting in the kitchen, his back moving in a way that told me he was sobbing. He didn’t look at me. Maybe it was easier for him not to. “Lilah’s moved on to the afterlife.” He shook his head. “How did this happen, Ana? I thought I was going to grow old with her, and now she’s gone, which…I don’t know how to be without her. The two of us have been together for so long.”
Standing there, feeling more lost than I had in a long time, I tried to find the right words for the situation. But there were no right words. “I’m sorry, Dad. Mom…I know she loved you.” I pulled the letter she’d left for him out of my pocket. “I don’t have any idea if this will help or just make things worse, but Mom left this for you.” I put it in front of him. “I need to get these book
s to the sanctuary. I’ll be there if you need me.”
Being able to see through Sasha’s eyes was strange. She made her way into the kitchen where Dad was sitting, and I was just about able to see his legs. Slowly, she looked up. I didn’t have any control over what she was doing - all I could do was watch through her, but I already knew I was able to ask her to help me and she’d do it. That was how I got her to watch over Mom. As her eyes reached Dad’s face, it was obvious he was still crying, tears trickling down his cheeks, while he looked down at the letter Mom left for him. Like she had done so many times before, Sasha jumped onto Dad’s lap, and he gently stroked a hand over her back. Even though I hadn’t expected it, I could almost feel the stroke, which was strange. I accepted it was a part of watching through Sasha’s eyes.
“Lilah told me I need to be there for Ana, and I know she’s not wrong, but with everything that’s happened…” He sighed. “I’m not a witch. Lilah shared some of what it was like with me before everything changed, but for nearly twenty years, she didn’t talk about what it meant to be a witch. I don’t think she could ever accept what she was. When we came back to Clermont, she didn’t want to tell me too much, in case I ended up being in danger, but being her husband meant I was always going to be in danger. I loved her even with all her faults, and I hate that she didn’t feel like she could share things with me. If we’d been able to talk more, I might have some idea of what I’m meant to do next. I almost think Ana would be better off if I just left her to do the things she thinks she should, because she understands all of this so much more than I think I ever could. I know I can’t ask her to share what she knows with me. Not when she’s going to see things the same way Lilah did. It’s better to keep things from me than it is to tell me.”
