Anger erupted from the young witch and her body was immediately engulfed in fire. She stepped forward and he stepped back and crouched in fear. Standing over him, she growled, “What day is it?”
“Thursday. 7 in the morning,” he whimpered.
Elizabeth stared down at the guy. Here was this high school jock cowering at her feet, she could kill him, or she could use him. “Five days! I’ve been down here five days!”
He gave a shrug, “this way,” he pointed to the left, “is the way out. We’re pretty close actually.” He tried to sound confident, but Elizabeth could sense his fear and disappointment.
Her eyes flashed like flames and the fire shot out from her and surrounded him. He was now inside the ball of fire with her. She stepped towards him, “You will take me out of here. You will help me, and do exactly as I say, then and only then will I decide if you get out of this unscathed. But if you think I’m scary…wait until you meet my family.”
Joseph cowered in fear, all confidence erased, visibly trembling from the fire engulfing him yet not touching him. He didn’t know about magic. He didn’t know about witches, but kidnapping Elizabeth was about to reveal a whole new world to him, and not in a good way. He gulped hard and pointed to the fire, “This isn’t the worse that there I or can be? There are others who will want to do more than this?”
Chuckling slightly, Elizabeth’s eyes danced in the fire, “Oh, when we are protecting someone from something so vicious and vile not even, we’ve seen our worst! Now, lead the way out and give me that phone.” He handed over the phone with trembling hands and watched in despair as Elizabeth tore open the battery pack and removed the sim card, dropped the phone and stomped it to pieces. She tucked the SIM card into her pocket and slowly drew back the fire, “Go on.”
Joseph looked behind him down the corridor and back at her, she nodded for him to lead the way. He turned and slowly walked them both out of the maze of the old high school boiler room. When the door to the outside creaked open, Elizabeth shielded her eyes with one hand from the bright sunlight and steadied her other with an open flame aimed at Joseph. Turning to her, he spoke barely above a whisper, “Do you plan to kill me?”
A smile crept up on the young witches face and fire danced in her eyes before she responded calmly, “Oh no, I still have plenty of use for you yet! Where’s your vehicle?”
Joseph pointed to an old beat up truck that had more rust spots on than tires, but it was his first vehicle he bought and paid for with money he had earned cutting firewood last fall and winter, so he kept it. Jeremy had promised him lots of money when this was all over but now, he worried he’d never get out of it alive. He didn’t know what the sibling rivalry was to go this far, and his darkness had quickly peeked out from under a veil when he was offered the task of destroying Elizabeth. If only he had considered her escaping, he might have planned it better but for now, he had to do what she said. The young woman scared him more than his own darkness. She held fire in her hands that came from thin air, she could move the earth beneath him, and he could only move what was inside him.
CHAPTER 23
Once on the road, Elizabeth lowered her flame to nearly nothing and watched the young man as he drove them to town. She would only tell him which way to go as they came up on turns. She had no desire to give him more than he needed for his survival and getting home safely was her only agenda at the moment. She’d think of what to do with him later, for now, she’d let him believe he had a purpose and that gave him hope which made him do as she commanded.
“Left,” Elizabeth would calmly say as they neared the turn that would lead them to her home. “Slow down… turn right,” was her next command. The young man was nervous, his left leg shook, and he constantly looked at her for reassurance he was doing what she wanted. Elizabeth would raise a brow and nod ever so slightly to keep going. “Down this drive on the right,” she was yards from her house, adrenaline was pumping, and her heart raced. As soon as they turned down the driveway, Elizabeth could see the cars for all the coven members as well as Wesley and his mother. They came together for her, she knew it.
“Pull over there,” Elizabeth pointed to an empty space on the left side of the house. “Stop. Turn off the truck and get out slowly. Take the keys out and toss them towards the house.” Elizabeth gave quick short commands. She never took her eyes off her captor. When he was at the front of the truck, she nodded her head towards the house. He understood and went up the stairs on the porch. He stood at the doorway, “Open the screen door and knock four times, quickly,” Elizabeth demanded from him. She stood back at least ten feet to make sure she had space to work with in case he tried to run or attack her.
As soon as he knocked, the house went silent where before whispers could be heard and footsteps detected. The knock was a signal, one they agreed on before she and Wesley went to the cafe. One that would tell them to be on guard and extremely cautious. Moments later the clicking of heels could be heard as they came closer to the door. The curtains on the door’s window rustled but no face or eyes were visible. Elizabeth knew the signal and replied in kind as she held out one palm towards the ground and let the earth shake slightly. Joseph felt it and horror flashed over his face as he turned to look at the fiery redhead standing behind, she smiled.
The door crept open and Joseph stood staring at an empty foyer. He looked back at Elizabeth and she nodded for him to go in. It was a trap, he knew it and she knew it, but he had no real choice but to go in, be her captive in her territory, where she was in charge and he may never leave.
Stepping through the threshold, Joseph felt a tingle come over his body. He had stepped into a binding spell. His body went rigid. His arms pulled outward and up a little as he tried to struggle, he realized his feet were held down as well, the more he moved, the more his feet spread until his body was held out in an ‘X’ shape. Frightened he turned to the only person he knew was there, Elizabeth, looking behind him as best as he could at her his eyes spoke volumes of his fear. She stepped in behind him, patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. Quit wriggling and breath slowly. I told you I wasn’t done with you yet,” she walked around him and was facing him as she finished speaking. She turned towards the sitting room, “He’s set, come on out.”
As she started to speak, she was quickly surrounded by her family and friends, all talking at once wanting to know what had happened and was, she okay. Her mother and Wesley hugged her tightly. Everyone patted her shoulders and spoke all at once. Surrounded by about fifteen people, Elizabeth finally raised her hands and yelled out, “I can’t answer you all at once.” The room went silent. She sought out her mother when their eyes locked her mother started to cry and they embraced again. “I’m okay mom, I’m okay.”
“I was so worried,” she spoke into her ear as Sari embraced her daughter. She held her out and looked her over, “What happened?”
Wesley stood behind Elizabeth, silent but had his hand on her arm rubbing softly. Elizabeth looked back at him, “Let’s go in there and talk. We have a serious problem.” Wesley nodded and everyone turned and left. Joseph stood in the foyer trapped in a witch's spell terrified and unsure of his future. He could hear the voices of the people in the room next to him speaking but was unable to make out the words, that was thanks to Sari. She moved the air between the rooms just enough for him not to understand what was being said, just in case he escaped. Sari took no more chances with the safety of her daughter even it if was her son causing the problems.
Inside the room, everyone settled down and let Elizabeth talk about what had happened. It was five days of fear, horror, and dread her family and friends had endured all while it was merely hours for her. Wesley filled in the gaps of what happened after he woke up in the cafe, day by day.
CHAPTER 24
Once everyone was filled in on all the details of the last five days, and it was up to the coven had to decide what to do with Joseph. He had, for money and dark pleasure, and kidnapped
one of their own. The world he dropped himself into was one of magic and mystery, and he was not welcome.
“We can erase his memory,” Olivia piped in when asked what the plan was.
Bailey looked at her shocked, “That is just not right. You do know what can happen if the spell goes wrong, don’t you?”
Olivia shrugged, “He brought it on himself.”
The other members chuckled but it was Rose who spoke next, “I agree.” Her words are usually few and far between, always the quietest of the group, and they carried a heavyweight.
With adrenaline still rushing through her body, Elizabeth suggested, “Why not erase his memory and maybe alter a few personality quirks at the same time.”
“Uh uh, no ma’am!” Julia interrupted as she wagged her finger back and forth, “you are talking about messing with someone’s mind. That is dark stuff in there and we all know,” she pointed around the group then to Elizabeth, “that darkness is not something you should be anywhere near.”
Wesley stood up, “What if the witches and fairies both used their types of magics to bind him. Not erase his memories but bind them, block them…the fairies have done it for millennia and I’ve perfected it.” Every member of the coven turned slowly to look at the young man standing behind Elizabeth. He was quite a bit taller and his long straight hair made his height exaggerated. His demeanor and voice were calm and soothing among the high emotions running through the room.
Sari thought for a moment before replying, “Can you gather the elders so we can make the request? I’m sure with the attack on them as well as us they would be willing to help?” Slowly one by one the members all nodded that the idea was good.
“I’ll call them now,” Wesley said as he pulled out his phone and stepped into the kitchen to make the call. No one could hear the conversation, but Elizabeth was able to listen in by linking with Wesley, so she did. He knew she was there, he could feel her presence in his mind and welcomed it. Looking through his contacts, Wesley pulled up Jewels fathers number and pressed the call button. Anxiously waiting for the elder fairy to pick up, Wesley paced the kitchen floor around the island. Elizabeth laughed in his mind just as the fairy picked up and caught Wesley off guard.
“Oh, yes, sorry. This is Sire Wesley Roberts. Sir, Elder Sil I’d like to request a meeting of the elders here at the house of the Fairbairn family and their coven in the assistance in,” Wesley hesitated, searching for the right word to use. Elizabeth whispered to him handling. “Handling the man who attacked your daughter and the others at the cafe and kidnapped Elizabeth.”
There was a long pause with muffled voices in the background. Moments later the Elder replied, “Give us one hour,” then he hung up. Wesley released a breath he unknowingly had been holding. The fairies were particular about getting involved with the others and even less likely to talk about it. They were quiet outside the comfort of their own people but were always fierce protectors. Wesley knew they’d want to hear more about the chance to get revenge on the man who hurt their princess.
As Wesley entered the sitting room, all eyes turned to him. “They’ll be here in one hour to hear what we have to say. I’m going to call my parents as well. They’ll want to be in on the decision.” Without another word, the elf turned to make the call to his parents.
Elizabeth didn’t listen in this time; instead, she went to go upstairs to shower then to eat. Five days of no shower and no food had caught up to her. At the foot of the stairs, Zachary caught her arm. She looked down at his hand then up at him, he quickly released it. “I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. To let you know, we were all worried.”
Elizabeth looked around nervously. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to feel. Maybe she was in shock, maybe her emotions were lost to her in the moment, or perhaps they were one in the same. “I need a shower and a hot meal,” she turned and went up the stairs closing her door locking it tight. Her nerves were definitely on edge as she walked the room nearly inch by inch searching it for danger. She put up new wards around her door and windows once she was sure nothing was lurking for an opportunity to harm her.
Undressing, she left her clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor. Turning the water on as hot as her skin could handle it, Elizabeth stepped under the waterfall that would wash away the last five days’ worth of filth, even if it couldn’t remove the fear or memories that she’d prefer to see swirl down the drain forever. Most of the time in the shower was spent in a comatose stare into nowhere as the water fell over her body until the hot water ran out and she found herself shivering.
The mirror was fogged up when she retreated from her escape, so with a swipe of the towel across the middle of the glass, Elizabeth found herself staring back. This version of her was one she wasn’t familiar with. She had lost weight with dark circles under her eyes. In a mad rage, she grabbed her comb to work out the tangles within her red chaos and eventually broke down in tears crumpled on the floor. She cradled herself, rocking and crying, and holding her knees close to her chest.
Nearly five minutes had passed before she stopped crying. There was a voice, barely a whisper calling out to her. She went silent. Slowly turning her head to see who it was that had broken through her wards, fear started to rise up. Crawling on all fours with her hair still wild hanging down around her face, Elizabeth stopped when she saw the face of Sorina. “How are you here?”
“I felt your pain and had to come see you.”
“But how?”
Sorina looked sadly at her, “Remember your magic is my magic, anything you do I can do and more.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth hadn’t thought of that. “Are you the only one who can do what I can do?”
“Yes, my child. Stand up. Get dressed and go downstairs and take care of your people.”
“I’m afraid. How can I be strong when I am so scared,” Elizabeth struggled to speak as tears threatened to break free.
“You will take that fear and turn it into strength. You must. You are the next one to lead our people into peace. In order, to fulfill your destiny, you can’t let these emotions take over you. Not love, not joy, not anger, and definitely not fear!”
“Emotionless is what I’m supposed to be?”
“Keep your emotions and share them with him, but when you are around everyone and everything else… you are to be a leader and nothing else will be accepted.”
Elizabeth only sighed in response. She never asked to be a prophecy. She never asked to be a witch. Sorina could see the thoughts in her eyes as they passed through her mind. She knew there was only one way to get Elizabeth out of this funk, so she did it.
Within a blink of an eye, Sorina turned from a beautiful woman hovering gracefully over the floor to an ugly demon with hair of fire. “YOU ARE THE ONE! NOW GET UP OFF THAT FLOOR AND BE WHO YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!!” Elizabeth jumped back and covered her mouth quickly. Her heart raced as she struggled to catch her breath. As quickly as Sorina went from angel to demon, she returned to her normal state. Elizabeth’s eyes stayed wide as Sorina neared her, “Now, get up and be the woman you are supposed to be.”
CHAPTER 25
While Elizabeth was in the shower, the coven was downstairs working. They strengthened the bond on Joseph and now had him floating above the floor. His panic heightened when they shut his mouth and didn’t let him speak anymore.
The fairy elders arrived with Jewel in tow. “Welcome to our home, please come in and meet my coven,” Sari greeted them as they entered.
Each fairy took extra time to look over the predicament Joseph had found himself in. Jewel was the last to enter the house. As she walked up to Joseph, she took a moment to look him in his eyes. “I know you.”
Joseph could only nod. “You were in school with me and Elizabeth. I was nice to you. I was nice to everyone. I don’t think I will be so nice now,” Jewel hissed as she got closer to his face. Her bright green eyes turned black, even the whites of her eyes were pure onyx from anger. She closed her eyes, took a d
eep breath, ran her hands over her clothes then opened her eyes again. They returned to their natural color. “I will not vote in favor of kindness with you. What you did was unthinkable. What you did was dark and menacing. I am light and you have tainted me with your darkness.” Jewel turned on her heel and walked away with nothing more said.
Joseph hung in the air as her words sank in. He had put a dark mark on the soul of a beautiful, kind woman and now he feared what payment would need to be paid to make it right again. As the time passed on, he hoped whatever his penance would be that it would be fast and painless even though he knew the damage he caused was not worthy of such judgment.
In the sitting room, Sari stood before the coven and introduced each elder and coven member to one another and then to the Robert’s family members who were present. The head of the fairies with the leader of the elves stood in their sitting room and listened to what the witches had to say. Recanting each detail of every moment of the last five days again, was the job of Sari. She made sure to include the information about what was found at the trailer, the places everyone found anything at.
“I will want a copy of what was found about my people,” Elder Sil requested. “What can we do to assist you in this,” he waved towards Joseph, “determination?”
Sari turned to Lady Doreen who she’d hope would take over. Lady Doreen in all her elegances glided over to Elder Sil, grabbed his hand in hers and placed her other hand over them both, “We ask that you work with us to manipulate the memories and mind of this young man. We do not want to harm him but heal him. We want him to forget his associates and his desires to do harm. We want him to be meek and mild and under control. To do this safely, we ask that we gather all of our magic and work together.”
Elder Sil slowly pulled his hand back. He turned to look at the other Elders as they communicated silently amongst themselves. Jewel was the last one he turned too before nodding affirmatively. He turned back to Lady Doreen, “Will help you. We honor the oath our people took many millennia ago to not harm humans, but this human has done great harm to us, so we feel we are in our rights to make the scales balanced once again.”
Awakening Fate (The Chronicles of Elizabeth Fairbairn Book 4) Page 10
