by TJ Green
“Nearly five hundred years.”
He raised his eyebrows. “So, I would guess maybe two hundred. Or thereabouts.”
Avery felt goose bumps caress her skin that had nothing to do with the chill October air. “But how could someone that old still be alive?”
He smirked. “Magic?”
***
Twenty minutes later, Avery and Hunter arrived back in El’s flat after unsuccessfully trying to follow the scent into town. Unfortunately, the overwhelming smells of others made it too hard, and they lost all trace in the narrow lanes that ran into the centre.
Alex looked up when they entered, frowning slightly. “I was getting worried. What happened?”
“Something really weird,” Avery answered, trying to get her head around Hunter’s news. El still lay prone on the floor, her breathing shallow, the others crouched next to her. “How’s El?”
“No change. But we have found this.” Alex gestured towards a silver necklace on the floor that was hard to see because it was almost under a side table. “It’s cursed. Clever.”
“How do you know?” Avery asked, puzzled.
“I’ve been trying to retrace her steps,” Reuben explained, “and I remembered that as she came over to join me, she paused by this side table and said something like, ‘Oh, there you are!’ I thought she was talking to me, but then she picked the necklace up and dropped like a stone. I didn’t think the two were related. I feel like such an idiot!”
“Don’t,” Avery reassured him. “Why would you think of a curse? And are we sure it is?”
“Yes, it’s definitely cursed,” Briar said emphatically. She held her hands a couple of inches above El and ran them over her in a sweeping motion. “I can feel the energy field around the necklace. Whatever you do, don’t touch it. But it’s muted, disguised somehow. And I can’t feel anything from El. Normally, when I’m healing, I can feel how the body’s energies feel wrong, but not now. There’s just a void.” She glanced up. “It’s really weird. I just can’t decide how it works.”
Avery headed over to the necklace and crouched next to it, careful not to touch. She held her hand above it, feeling with her magic; Briar was right.
Alex asked, “How did this witch get hold of her necklace in the first place?”
“I have no idea!” Reuben said. “Like you said, she wears a lot of jewellery. And she didn’t mention a missing necklace.”
“Well, whoever is causing this,” Avery mused, “was outside the warehouse, on the harbour wall, watching. Maybe they activated it from outside.”
Briar shook her head. “No. It was already cursed. I think they were enjoying the repercussions, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” Avery shrugged, perplexed.
“Any clue as to who it is?” Alex asked.
“Someone very old,” Hunter said, joining the conversation. Until then he’d been pacing around the room like a sniffer dog. “I can smell them here, too.”
“They’ve been in this flat?” Avery spun around to look at him. “I can’t feel other magic!”
“I can. It’s faint, but I’m good. I’d be even better in wolf form. If I could have changed in the street, I would have been able to follow them with ease.”
“Wolves in White Haven? I don’t think so,” Avery said.
He grinned. “Tell people I’m a husky. That would work.”
“Can we just cure her now and ponder how it was cursed later?” Reuben asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.
Briar sighed. “It’s not that simple, Reuben. We have to work out what type of curse it is to lift it.” She pulled her Athame and a small, velvet bag out of her medicines box, and then joined Avery. She placed her Athame under the necklace, lifted it gingerly and examined it again. El’s cursed necklace was a long silver chain with an ornate amulet attached, and it looked perfectly normal. Briar dropped it in the bag, tying it securely.
Reuben almost growled in frustration. “How long can this last? I know bugger all about curses!”
“If we can’t break it, it could last forever,” Briar said, securing the necklace in the box. “And that would kill her.” Her words fell into deafening silence. “However, there’s some healing magic I need to perform that will buy us some time. Can you carry her to her bed?”
While Briar and Reuben ministered to El, Alex joined Hunter and Avery. “You said this attacker was old? What do you mean?”
“I mean, you have a two hundred-year old—and then some—witch, or something, running around White Haven cursing its resident witches,” Hunter answered, a slight preen of arrogance to his tone.
“Well, you can put your famous nose to the test and check out Old Haven Church tomorrow. I want to know if our two problems are caused by the same person.”
7
El remained unconscious, but Briar promised to stay with her, as did Hunter and Reuben. Alex and Avery left after making sure the others would call with updates.
“Hunter’s pretty cocky,” Alex said, as they headed to his flat above The Wayward Son.
“But pretty useful.” Avery slipped her small hand into Alex’s, savouring his warmth. “That nose of his sensed things I couldn’t. Yes, I sensed magic, but not age.”
Alex shook his head. “A really old witch must mean some sort of alchemy is involved, and maybe a quest.”
“Alchemy? Quest?” Avery looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Would you want to live for hundreds of years unless you had something to achieve? Our ancestors were powerful, so were some of the others in the Witches Council. They’re all dead. Magic does not normally enhance your lifespan, unless...” He looked at her speculatively.
“Unless you do a deal of some sort, or some really dark magic,” Avery finished.
“Because you want to do something.”
“How can you expand your lifespan for over two hundred years? Have you ever seen a spell for that?”
Alex shook his head. “No. But I know alchemy promised such things.”
“The gift of immortality is a myth, Alex.”
“But it might not be immortality. It might be a way of eking out life, bit by bit, until you achieve what you set out to do.”
“And that would be to open some kind of portal—if the two are linked?” Avery suggested.
“Maybe.”
“So, why target El?”
“Because she said she could make a knife or sword that could cut through the magic securing the witch-signs. Eliminating El means the witch-signs remain. This witch has ears and eyes we don’t know about.”
“A traitor?”
Alex frowned. “I don’t think so. A seer maybe? Scrying? Someone who can do it better than me.” He threw back his head and shouted. “Can you see us now? We’ll find you, old one.” He turned to Avery and grinned.
“Silly bugger.”
“But sexy as hell, right?” He pulled her close for a long, lingering kiss.
“Now who’s cocky?” Avery said as she got her breath back.
“I’ll show you cocky.” They had reached his flat, and he opened the back gate of the pub with a wicked glint in his eye.
***
Old Haven Church was draped in mist and drizzle when the group arrived there at nine the next morning.
Briar had phoned Avery at six saying that El was still unconscious and that she was staying with her all day. Neither she nor Reuben had slept much, and Briar had asked Eli to cover her shop. As worried as Alex and Avery were, there was nothing they could do, and they decided to go ahead with their meeting.
Hunter was leaning against the main door of the church, sheltering under the broad porch, Piper next to him. She scowled when she saw them, but he gave a wolfish grin. “Ready for some hunting?”
“Always,” Alex said as he led the way to the grove of trees.
Hunter matched Alex’s stride. “How’s your friend?”
“Not good.”
“Sorry. Briar was sure she’d figure out some
thing this morning.”
“She was trying to be positive, but I think we all know it’s not going to be that simple. The more we can find out now, the more we’ll help El.”
Hunter nodded, quickening his pace.
“Are you helping, too?” Avery asked Piper, hoping to draw her out of her sulk.
She shrugged. “There’s not much else to do.”
Avery resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said dryly, “Good for you.”
Once they reached the wood, Alex said, “We need to work quickly. The press and the police will be here at twelve, with the vicar.”
“It’ll take minutes only,” Hunter reassured them.
As soon as they reached the clearing, Avery shivered. “The magic has grown stronger. Can you feel it, Alex?”
Alex placed his hand on the yew’s knotty trunk. “Yeah, and not just around us. The tree has a...” He paused, thinking for a moment. “A pulse, or a breath—it’s like the tree’s breathing.”
There were now dozens of witch-signs hanging not only from the branches of the yew, but also in the surrounding trees, and Avery watched their strange forms and patterns turning in the damp, autumnal air. “I can feel them, too, shimmering with magic. It’s so unusual.”
“In what way?” Hunter asked, as he lifted his head and sniffed the air.
“It feels deeper, older almost—”
“Wilder,” Alex said, before she could continue. “Like wild magic just coming to life.”
Avery smiled softly at Alex. “That’s exactly what it feels like!”
Hunter looked thoughtfully between the two of them, nodding, and then stripped his clothes off without a second thought and shifted into a beautiful black wolf with a grey muzzle.
Although Avery was expecting it, it was still a shock. For a few moments his body shimmered and then dissolved, and a wolf was standing there instead. However, Hunter was bigger than a normal, non-shifting wolf—or so Avery thought. Like I spend a lot of time with wolves. He stood at least level with her waist, and his paws were enormous. Even in wolf form, she could still see the scars from his fight, where his thick coat was ragged and patchy.
Hunter immediately started sniffing the ground, and they watched him search among the tree roots and narrow animal tracks.
Avery watched him start searching and turned back to Alex. “What does this mean? Wild magic?”
“Isn’t all magic wild?” Piper asked, looking mildly bored.
“Yes and no,” Avery said, struggling to explain. “The magic we use is disciplined, taught and practiced for generations, guided and shaped by spells and the elements. This feels like it has no borders, no restraints. Plenty for us to think about.”
Piper shrugged and fell silent again.
While Hunter searched, Avery thought about the cameras at the edge of the wood. “I wonder if Dylan had any luck with the footage.”
“He hasn’t called you?” Alex asked.
“No. I bet that jolt of magic fried everything the other night.”
Alex stepped into the yew’s hollow trunk and rubbed his hand across the gnarled surface. “I wonder how old this is. It must pre-date the church.”
“I agree,” Avery said. “I managed to catch up on some lore about them. I know they were sacred to Druids. They believed they linked to one’s ancestors and guarded a person’s path into the Otherworld. It’s also sacred to Hecate and the Crone.”
“Hecate and the Crone?” Piper asked, curiosity overcoming her sullenness. She leaned against a beech tree, half watching them, half watching her brother.
“Hecate is the Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft, the moon and ghosts, and one of the many Gods and Goddesses who are sacred to the night and the Underworld,” Avery explained. “She is closely linked to the Celtic Goddess, of which there are three aspects—the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. The Crone is the old lady we will all become. She relates to death and as such also guards the Underworld.” She smiled. “You, as I am still, are in our maiden phase.”
“It sounds stupid.” Piper eyes flashed a challenge.
“So does the idea of people turning into wolves, and yet you do,” Avery pointed out.
“There’s a lot of talk about Underworld and Otherworlds in all of this,” Alex said, ignoring Piper.
Avery nodded. “In all the reading I’ve done, the thing that’s mentioned most frequently is the yew’s links to the Otherworld. And that sigil burnt into the ground in front of the trunk must have something to do with that—I think so, anyway.”
Alex sighed. “And we still haven’t identified what that sigil is yet.”
Hunter paced around their feet. In seconds he shifted back to human form, completely naked, and Avery tried to avert her eyes. Shifter’s aren’t shy. Alex caught her glance, his eyes filled with laughter.
“Well, it’s the same smell I found before,” Hunter said, a trace of humour in his eyes as if he knew Avery was uncomfortable.
Smug git.
He continued, “An old woman, and old magic. Very different from you guys.” He shivered, and headed for his clothes, pulling his jeans on. “And powerful.”
“No other scents that suggest she’s working with someone?” Alex asked.
“No. Plenty of other human scents, but nothing remotely witchy. In fact,” he lifted his head and inhaled. “Some of them are coming now.”
As he spoke, Avery heard voices and turned to see Dylan and Ben arrive. “Hey guys,” Ben said cheerily. “Didn’t think you were coming today.”
“We’re leaving soon,” Avery reassured him, and introduced them to Piper and Hunter. “You’re early.”
“I was about to check the footage,” Dylan said, “but we heard your voices and thought we’d say hi.” He looked around, noticing the newly arrived witch-signs. “Wow. Someone’s been busy!”
“Yeah, too busy,” Alex said, despondently. “You think you’ll have any film at all?”
He grimaced. “Unfortunately, I think there’s too much magic around for anything to record now. The footage just buzzes.” He caught Piper looking at him and grinned, his teeth glinting white against his dark skin.
Piper’s interest shot up and for the first time, Avery saw her actually smile. “Cool. Can you show me?”
“Sure. Follow me.”
Hunter watched her follow Dylan back through the trees and sighed. “She’s bloody hard work sometimes.”
“Maybe she just needs a distraction,” Avery said. “Looks like she’s found one.”
Ben had been gazing around the clearing. “This place is seriously creepy. You guys need to get out of here. The police are coming soon, and the press will set up early. James is on his way, too.”
“All right,” Avery said. “Please try to stop James from touching the witch-signs. I don’t think they’re safe, and I think he could get a nasty shock.”
“I’ll try, but I think we’ll fail,” Ben said. “He’s getting angrier about this by the minute.”
“Well, so is the witch doing this. She cursed El last night, using one of her own necklaces.” She told him what they’d discovered the night before.
Ben looked worried. “This is getting dangerous.”
“Doesn’t it always?”
“If there’s anything we can do to help El, let me know.”
“Will do. And if there’s anything you can find out about this site, let us know. I’m going to do some research.” Avery looked around at the grove. “This has to have relevance to what the witch wants to do.”
“Come on, we better go,” Alex said, and followed Hunter as he walked back to the cemetery.
Avery nodded. “Call me later, Ben?”
“If we’re all still alive,” Ben answered.
Avery was pretty sure he wasn’t joking.
***
Before Alex and Avery returned home, they headed to El’s flat, hoping to see her awake and well, but they were disappointed. She lay under her quilt, unnaturally still.
Briar leaned against the doorframe. “This curse is strong. I can’t shift it.”
“Even though she isn’t touching the necklace?” Avery asked.
“Yep.” Briar headed back to the lounge and pointed to where it lay on a side table under a glass cover that looked like one of El’s shop displays. “The necklace is still cursed, too. I haven’t dared touch it. I have attempted a few spells to try to discover the type of curse, but it’s well-disguised.”
Reuben was in the kitchen, trying to keep busy. He looked terrible. His eyes were dark with lack of sleep, and thick stubble was already covering his chin and cheeks. “And while the curse remains, El remains under its enchantment.”
Briar explained, “Many of my spells are for healing Earth magic. Not many talk about breaking curses. Have you got any suitable spells?”
“I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but I can certainly look,” Avery said. “I’m heading back to the flat now, so all being well, I’ll get straight on it.”
“Me, too,” Alex agreed. “In fact, I’m not working until later today, so I can stay if you need to head to your shop, Briar? I can grab my grimoires, bring them back here, and keep an eye on El.”
She smiled at him gratefully. “Yes, please. There are a few things I need to check on and some herbs I want to collect. I’ll come back this afternoon.”
“Same goes, Reuben. You should go home and get some sleep.”
“Absolutely not. The business is fine, and El is more important.”
“Well okay, but you have to try to sleep here. Briar can give you something. You look like shit.”
“Cheers, mate.” Reuben’s normal buoyant humour had deserted him. “That’s because I feel like it. I can’t believe someone would do this to El!”
“It could have been anyone of us. In fact,” Alex said, looking at all of them, “it still could be. Be suspicious of anyone. We need to try and find how she got to El’s necklace—whether it was from the shop or here—and we need to increase our protection spells. One of us could be next.”
8
Avery walked up the winding streets of White Haven, having declined a lift back. She needed the fresh air to clear her brain, and her shop was only ten minutes from the harbour.
