Submerging Inferno

by Brandon Witt

  “No, you wouldn’t have. It’s a place specifically reserved for us, for witches and warlocks, at least for those of us that are fairly local. There are other locations spread throughout the world, of course, not just here. Places of spiritual significance for us. We have all our funerals, weddings, baby dedications, anything of consequence, here. It’s enchanted. Humans, and even most other supernaturals, can’t find this place, unless brought here by a witch.”

  “Wow.” I looked around again, the exclusivity somehow making it seem even more beautiful. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?”

  Finn smiled sweetly at me. “Of course it is. You’re with me. Now come on, let’s join the rest.” He took my hand and led me the rest of the way to the willow. My moodiness at not wanting to be touched forgotten, I willingly intertwined my fingers with his.

  I would have thought a group of witches and warlocks gathering in a sacred place would have been wearing robes or gowns or something magical looking, maybe even pointed hats. However, the fifty or sixty people who were here were all dressed in everyday suits and nice dresses. They would have fit in at any church or business meeting.

  As we walked closer, I peered over the crowd’s heads to see where the casket was, see if there was a grave that had been dug. All I could see was a small wooden bowl, intricate carvings covering every surface, nestled in the grass. As the thought formed, I glanced around once more. If this was the place where all witches were buried, the cliff should have been covered with headstones. I couldn’t see any, which was good if they had weddings here as well. That would seem rather morbid.

  By the time we were ten feet away, a quiet, lyrical murmuring met my ears. The group gathered around the willow was chanting or singing. Maybe casting spells. I couldn’t tell. We joined the crowd, and the de Moriscos joined the singing, Paulette’s voice a touch louder than the others, haunting and melodic. Whatever they were saying was in another language, one that I had never heard before.

  Before Finn joined in the chanting, he raised up to put his lips to my ear. “I’m sorry. I should have taken the time to explain what all is going to happen. Are you going to be alright with everything?”

  I nodded. Truth be told, I was a little apprehensive of what was going to occur, but something felt right here. I could feel an undercurrent of sadness, but the greater sense was of peace and rest. This was how I normally felt in the ocean. I let myself sink into the stream of emotions flowing from the crowd.

  “I told you his family wouldn’t even show up!” I heard Caitlin hiss behind me, momentarily disrupting the peace.

  Cynthia’s voice cracked with emotion. “Be still, Cate. It doesn’t matter. We’re here.”

  Gradually, the chanting song grew strong as other latecomers joined in behind us. When it seemed like it would go on without end, everyone stopped in unison, the last note reverberating in the air.

  I felt Finn give my hand a squeeze, and I glanced over at him questioningly.

  “Just remember that everything will be okay. Just keep hold of my hand.”

  Confused, I nodded and looked back toward the willow and gasped. There was a small fire that seemed to be consuming the roots of the tree, growing at a rapid pace as it began to devour the bark higher up. After a few moments, however, I realized that the tree wasn’t being harmed, and that the fire was beginning to take on solid form.

  Gradually, the shape began to morph into a figure I could make out. As the flames died away, a woman stepped into being. She was unusually tall, angular, and wispy. Her shimmering, sheer gown was a bright yellow that seemed to move on its own despite the absence of a breeze. Her skin was a shining white. The most striking thing about her, however, was her hair. It was a brilliant orange, almost red. It was piled in a mass of uncontrollable curls atop her head, with tendrils whipping around her face and over her shoulders, looking too heavy for her slender neck to support.

  Before I could fully take her in, I noticed the ground at her feet begin to quiver, as another form began to take shape. Within seconds a woman had formed from the earth, her skin a deep, dark brown, her hair the color of moss, flowers seeming to bloom from the tangles.

  I tore my gaze from the women and looked at Finn. He just grinned and squeezed my hand. As he did so, a swift breeze rushed through the crowd, spinning and twisting around the two women, causing their gowns to whip around them frantically. Neither woman moved to adjust their clothing or hair. They stood serenely, their gaze traveling from person to person in front of them. When the gust gave way, there was a third woman standing with them, every bit of her nearly translucent, only having a little more substance than a ghost might. She was beautiful like the others, but her crystalline eyes shown with wildness the others lacked. A chill ran down my spine as her gaze met mine before she looked away dismissively.

  “Only one more,” Finn whispered. “Watch your feet.”

  “Watch my feet?”

  Before he could answer, I felt the ground beneath us grow soggy. I glanced down. Just as it felt like my feet were going to sink into the earth, the ground solidified and was dry. Beside the three women, a spiral of water rose in the air, ribbons of it twisting and turning, weaving in and out of itself. The water took shape, and I recognized the woman instantly. “Amalphia,” I breathed.

  Finn glanced at me in surprise and nodded in affirmation.

  In unison the women spoke, their voices at once sounding like a torrent, a storm, and yet conveying a sense of naturalness and motherly femininity. “From the fire is born the spirit, and into the fire, the spirit returns. From the earth is born the body, and into the earth, the body returns. From the air is born the soul, and into the air, the soul returns. From the water is born the tears of life, and into the water, the tears of life return.”

  Every hair on my body stood up, and I felt my skin tingle—the power radiating from the four women was a palpable force. I had no doubt that, had they wanted, they could have destroyed every person on the cliff, me included, without having to blink.

  “A child of the elements has been slain by one who is a child of the night, a child of death. We welcome his return to his creator, to light. His passing marks the birth of discovery, the dawning of knowledge, the unveiling of truth, the first step in fulfillment of freedom from slavery.”

  I felt Finn stiffen beside me. I tore my eyes away from the women and glimpsed his confused, almost scared, expression.

  “We offer our child back from whence he came, and we offer him to you.” In a tangible silence, their voices ceased. They circled around the wooden bowl on the ground and lifted their hands heavenward. As they did, the bowl rose into the air until it was floating, even with the tips of their fingers. It hung suspended for several moments and then gracefully lowered back to the ground. At first I didn’t notice, but where the bowl had been hovering, there was now a swirling gray mass.

  “Rodrigo,” Finn whispered beside me.

  “Huh?” I didn’t take my eyes from the scene in front of me.

  “Rodrigo’s ashes.”

  Oh. Although I had never met him, seeing his remains made me feel an ache in my chest for Rodrigo, one that compounded my wish that I could give Sonia such an otherworldly memorial.

  With the women’s hands still raised, Rodrigo’s ashes rose higher, until they were level with the top of the willow, where they began to flatten out until they took the shape of a huge smooth disk spinning in place.

  “Back from whence he came.” The women’s voices rang out suddenly, causing me to jump slightly. With their words, the ashes began to spin faster and faster. As they did so, the gray transformed into brilliant silver, shining and sparkling in the midday sunlight.

  “Back to you.” The silver disc spread out and lowered itself to engulf the congregation of witches.

  “Breathe deep.” I heard Finn instruct over the sound of the wind whipping the silver around us.

  Without thinking, I did as he told me. I closed my eyes and drew in deep through
my nose, filling my lungs with air. As I did, I felt some of the silver ash rush into me. For a moment I felt light-headed and was then filled with a feeling of such intense love that it caused my heart to hurt nearly as much as the loss of Sonia.

  My eyes flew open. I couldn’t see anything besides the swirling silver around me.

  The women’s voices rose in one final outcry. “Back to his creator.”

  At their words, an explosion of air blasted from the center of the group, sending the ashes out in a huge arch. They rained down onto the earth, covering the grass, trickling down the edge of the cliff, carried out to sea by the wind. I looked at the women just in time to see the redhead holding a small tongue of flame in her hand, gazing at it as a few of the silver ashes sparked and twinkled as they were consumed.

  Without any other words, without a farewell, the women left in the reverse order they had come. Amalphia sank back into the earth, as it grew moist beneath our feet before returning to its dry state again. The translucent woman with the fury in her eyes dissipated into the air and departed in a rush of wind. The woman of the earth stepped around the redhead and quietly slipped into the willow’s gnarled trunk. The final woman once again raised her hands to the sky and was engulfed in a torrent of flames, bathing everyone in a gust of heat.

  As one, the crowd murmured, “Rodrigo,” in a prayerful voice, turned, and broke into smaller groups as they walked away in silence.

  The ride home wasn’t nearly as stressful as the ride there had been. Everyone seemed caught up in their own minds. Even the children were still and didn’t fuss or complain. The silence wasn’t isolating like it so often can be. We were all bound together in our shared experience, and it was enough to simply breathe.

  THE peaceful feeling continued when we arrived at the house. Finn and I sat on the sofa in the sunken living room, and the boys curled up together in Wendell’s recliner, fast asleep. Some of the family had gone to make food for a barbeque they were planning for later in the afternoon, but Ricky, Cynthia, and Caitlin joined us, lounging in scattered locations in the living room.

  I hated to break the silence, but I had so many questions I couldn’t contain them any longer. My voice sounded harsh and strange after so much time without speaking, even though I tried to whisper to Finn. Caitlin grimaced. “So, those women, they were all… nymphs? Right?”

  Finn nodded. “Yeah. How did you know Amalphia’s name?”

  “I met her in your dad’s store yesterday. She came in and bought some sand or something.”

  Finn pursed his lips. “Really? Still?” He gave a small shake of his head and then turned to look at me. “So, what did you think?” His eyes twinkled.

  I thought for a second, trying to find the right words. There weren’t any. “It was unbelievable. Maybe the most amazing, beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

  “Yeah, no matter how many times I see it, it never loses any of the wonder.”

  “You’ve done that before?”

  Finn smiled sadly. “That’s how it is for every passing. It never changes. It’s how we send our loved ones on to wait for us.” He grinned at my gaping face. “You should see the weddings. You’ll flip.” He let out a little laugh.

  I couldn’t imagine anything more amazing than what I had already seen. “What was with his ashes changing color?”

  Another smile lit up his face, and he sighed. “Oh, I wasn’t surprised by the silver at all. Not with Rodrigo.” He noticed my confused face. “Sorry. Everyone’s ashes change color when the nymphs offer them up. It depends on where your greatest power lies. If a person’s greatest strength is in spirit, their ashes are always silver. Rodrigo was always so sweet and tender, always in tune with how others were doing. Always trying to help people and make them happier.”

  “What color would you be, since you and your family have power in many areas?”

  “Already planning my death, are you?” He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Just kidding, babe.”

  Caitlin made gagging sounds from her place sprawled on the floor.

  “Shut up, Cate,” Ricky scolded, before he looked over to me. “Even witches who have several different areas of strength always have one that is more dominant. The ashes will correspond with whatever that power is.”

  “Yeah,” Finn agreed, “a person might not ever know what their primary strength is, they all might seem the same, but there’s always one that is stronger.”

  “Would my ashes change color?” I hadn’t even been thinking that. I wasn’t sure where the question had come from.

  Finn and Ricky looked back and forth between each other. At last Finn offered an apologetic look. “Sorry, sweetie. I’ve never seen the passing of a demon. I don’t know how that would go. Plus, the only thing that can kill a demon is another demon, so I doubt there would be much left to turn to ash after another demon gets done.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t know if that rule applies to me.” I sure didn’t feel indestructible when I was swimming earlier that morning.

  “True. Which is why we’re worried about the vampire. If we were one hundred percent certain of your heritage, there would be no concern of him being able to kill you. As it is….” Finn looked uncomfortable. “Can we talk about something else? I don’t really wanna think about you dying.”

  I wasn’t really sure how I felt about the subject, to be honest. The idea of being killed, especially by another demon, didn’t sound good, but neither did the prospect of living forever with everyone I loved dying around me. “Why did you have me breathe in Rodrigo’s ashes?”

  “Didn’t you feel a surge of love after?” Cynthia piped in, surprising me.

  I nodded, afraid my voice might startle her back into silence.

  “Well,” she continued, “that was Rodrigo. His gift was spirit, love. It’s our way of keeping those we love with us. Rodrigo is a part of us now, a part of you. His love will always be within us.”

  “Wow. That’s kinda cool, actually.” I couldn’t help but feel cheated that I had some of Rodrigo with me but none of Sonia.

  Finn broke in, “If his major force had been fire or air, you would have felt a heat go through you or a cool gust of air.”

  Surprising me yet again, Cynthia spoke up once more, looking to Ricky and Caitlin. “What was up with the nymphs talking about the discovery of truth or whatever and that thing about slavery?”

  “The birth of discovery, the dawning of knowledge, the unveiling of truth, and the first step in the fulfillment of freedom from slavery,” Finn quoted. “Yeah, I have no idea. That was crazy.”

  “That was unusual?” I questioned.

  “Completely.” Wendell stepped into the room from the kitchen. “The passing ritual never changes, but those lines have never been spoken before. I don’t know what they mean, but the nymphs offered us some sort of prophecy today. It had to be.”

  Caitlin spoke up, this time with no sarcasm in her voice. “But why Rodrigo? Why would his death be the start of some life-changing prophecy?”

  Wendell shook his head in wonder. “I have no idea, daughter. I don’t know if the prophecy is dealing with things that will happen in our lifetime, sometime soon, or if they were foreseeing things centuries from now.”

  “It has to be centuries from now.” Ricky looked toward his father-in-law. “There aren’t any races that are still in slavery.”

  Caitlin laughed bitterly. “The vampires have made all of us slaves.”

  Wendell shook his head. “No. Just because they are called Royal and people are afraid of them doesn’t mean we are slaves. I don’t believe that is what the prophecy was about.” He turned and looked at me before continuing. “There were times when certain races were enslaved. Both werewolves and fairies were captives of both vampires and demons at one point or another. Other species died off entirely due to slavery, like dragons and manticores.”

  Cynthia shuddered. “I hope you’re right, Ricky. I hope it’s centuries from now. Prophecies always mean change,
and change always means war.”

  Chapter 28

  “HOW do you want your burger done?” Wendell turned and looked at me over his shoulder, holding the spatula in midair above the grill.

  “He’s a demon, Dad.” Caitlin’s voice sounded playfully sarcastic, but I was certain I could hear the insult behind the humor. “How do you think he wants it done?”

  Instead of rising to the bait, Wendell kept his eyes on me. “Brett?”

  “Rare, please.” I felt my face flush as Caitlin gave an “I told you so” nod to her father.

  “Brett, dear. Would you please help me carry out the chips and drinks from the kitchen?”

  “Of course, Paulette.”

  The afternoon’s relaxing melancholy had given way to the bustle of the family getting ready for their barbeque. Finn and Ricky had taken the boys into the small strip of woods that ran behind the de Morisco’s neighborhood to play war with water guns. The rest were getting everything ready. Christina was helping her mother make potato salad and coleslaw, while Cynthia was setting the picnic table with a blue-and-white checkered tablecloth and paper plates.

  I stopped just outside of the kitchen as Christina was leaning toward her mother, whispering, “Mom, I’m not really sure we should have a picnic today. It seems a little overcast, and with the vampire out on a rampage and all….”

  “Nonsense.” Paulette waved away her concerns. “It’s not even six yet. We have a few hours until sunset, and whoever heard of a vampire out and about because it’s cloudy. I refuse to let this worthless piece of trash interfere with us living our lives any more than I have to.”

  “I don’t know, Mom. I just have this feeling….”

  Paulette looked up from the head of cabbage she was shredding and saw me hovering in the doorway. “Come on in, Brett.” She motioned to a cabinet in the rear of the kitchen. Christina suppressed an annoyed look and turned back to whatever it was she was chopping on the counter. “All the chips and soda are in there. Just grab a variety of each, and that would be perfect. Thank you, dear.”