by TJ Green
One of Cooper’s supporters rounded on Ollie, and Avery recognized him as being one of the two men who had arrived first. “Ollie, you don’t want to do this. We’ll all have much to lose if you win—yourself included.”
The threat was clear, and if some had forgotten Cooper’s influence in the excitement of the challenge, they all remembered now.
Ollie smiled slowly. “It’s threats like that, Garret, which remind me why change is good.” He rolled his shoulders, and started to turn away.
“If you win, I will challenge you.” Garret’s voice was low and threatening, and once again the mood changed.
Ollie grinned and his eyes lit up. “Is that so?”
At which point, Tommy shouted, “And if you win, I’ll challenge you, Garret, you little prick. And I promise to break your scrawny little neck, and then I‘ll take on the next.” He swung around to face Cooper and pointed. “I’d love for that to be you, but anyone will do.”
Cooper snarled, and the pack dissolved into shouts as small fights began to break out.
Alex looked at Avery. “I think our plans have gone awry.”
Alice shook free of Jeremy and raised her hands as if to use magic, but someone shouted, “Beware the witch!” She turned abruptly as a dark shape launched from the crowd and took her down, landing on her chest and snarling in her face.
Alice lay frozen, understanding dawning that everything hung in the balance of this moment, and Cooper looked panic-stricken as he realised he was losing control.
A shout broke through the air. It was Holly. “Enough!” She threw back her head and howled, and every hair on Avery’s body stood on end.
Silence fell, thick and heavy, as all eyes turned to her. “If you want to remain Alpha, you release me right now, Cooper Dacre, from all commitments, with no repercussions for anyone who has helped us. I reject you, and I expect you to comply.”
He glared at her, snarled, and then despite everything he had to lose, leapt at her. But before he could get near her Ollie charged, tackling him to the ground, and all hell broke loose.
Avery and Alex leapt down, fighting their way to the witches, who were now casting spells in any way they could to aid the fight. Alice had thrown the wolf off her chest and was back to back with Rose and Jeremy.
Despite the torches flickering within the standing stones, the light was low, and long black shadows stretched across the ground. Alex and Avery cast their shadow spell aside, deciding it was too hard to maintain, and went head to head with the Devices.
Alice shrieked. “You! How dare you interfere with this?” She sent a fireball at Avery that she caught and threw back, and then threw flashes of bright white energy in rapid succession, knocking Alice off her feet. She heard a snarl as a wolf leapt at her throat, and she pulled the sword free of its scabbard. Flames licked along its length as she slashed at the wolf, sending it rolling past her.
Alex was fighting his own battle with Rose and then Jeremy, as both ganged up on him.
Josh came running to her aid. “She’s with me!” he yelled, as an unknown Shifter turned to her, fists raised.
And then there was another howl, this time guttural and vicious.
Most fighting came to a halt as Ollie triumphantly lifted Cooper’s head—and only his head—above the watching pack. A gasp rippled around the crowd, and Alice visibly paled.
“Does anyone want to challenge me?” Ollie roared.
A small spat broke out as Garret, Cooper’s clear second in command, struggled to rise from the ground. Tommy was sitting astride him. “You move one more muscle, and I will end you now.”
“Screw you!” he shouted in Tommy’s face, and without hesitation, Tommy ripped his throat out with his bare hands, and Garret fell back, dead.
“Anyone else?” Ollie yelled again.
The silence was deafening.
“Are you accepting me as your Alpha?” he shouted as the crowd drew back, revealing him to be covered in blood and gore and standing above Cooper’s now headless body.
Josh answered first. “I do. If you agree to run the pack without the Devices.”
Ollie looked at the others and shouted, “Is this what you all want?”
The muted rumblings of “yes” became louder and louder as the Shifters realised the position of power they were in, and then the cries of agreement were deafening.
Ollie nodded and turned to Alice and her children. “From this moment, you no longer have any affiliation with us. I demand your word that you will agree to this.”
Alice stuttered, “But we have been loyal to this pack for generations!”
“You have been loyal to the Dacres. They are gone now. Do you agree? If you do not, you will not leave Castlerigg alive, regardless of your magic.”
Jeremy and Rose looked to their mother, and Alice nodded, knowing they were defeated.
“Swear it,” Ollie demanded. “No repercussions. I will allow you to remain in Cumbria, but our business is separate.”
Alice’s eyes were hard, but she nodded reluctantly, and Jeremy and Rose nodded as well. “I agree. No repercussions.”
“Then swear it on a blood oath,” Ollie demanded.
Alice’s voice was harsh. “We need to do no such thing.”
“Yes, we do.”
Ollie held his hand out, and Avery passed him El’s sword, the flame now quenched. He ran the blade along his palm, and blood dripped onto the grass. He passed the sword to Tommy, who now stood next to him, and then to Hunter, who stood supported by Piper and Josh. Each cut their palms, and then passed the knife to Alice.
All swore the oath, palm to palm, repeating, “From this day forth, all Devices, from generation to generation, swear that they will leave the Cumbria Pack to manage their own affairs. The pack in return swears not to interfere with the Devices. To break the oath invites death.”
Once it was done, Ollie roared to the Shifters, “You are witness?”
“We are witness,” they agreed as one.
“And now we must also swear an oath, Alice,” Avery said, determined to protect herself, Alex, and the others. She didn’t trust Alice at all. “We promise not to interfere with your business here, and you promise not to pursue us in White Haven.” Alice narrowed her eyes as if she was about to complain, but Avery pressed on. “You broke Sanctuary. I demand your oath.”
Jeremy and Rose shuffled in discomfort, but Alice held her gaze. “A blood oath?”
“A witch-binding oath,” Avery answered.
Alex reached into his backpack and brought out the spell’s ingredients. Watched by the Shifters, all five witches repeated the spell Alex and Avery had prepared, and while saying it, Alex wrapped the long piece of ivy around their wrists, binding all of them together. As the spell finished, the ivy ignited and then turned to ash, leaving a sooty mark.
Alex smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It is done.” He turned to Ollie and Hunter. “You are witness?”
“We are witness,” they agreed.
Ollie addressed Alice, his eyes alight with victory. “Leave now, Alice. Dissolve the circle and be gone.”
He didn’t speak again until Alice lowered the protection spell, and the normal night noises flooded into Castlerigg as the witches walked across the fields and left.
One of the other Shifters looked at Alex and Avery, and then back to Ollie. “Care to explain who these are?”
A ripple of curiosity and fear ran around the crowd, and Avery wondered if they were going to have to fight their way out. Over half the pack had changed into wolves, and as she looked around, she realized some of the wolves were grievously injured. Cooper’s supporters, she hoped.
It was Josh who answered as he stood next to them. “They gave Sanctuary while we recovered. Alice defied it, taking Hunter and Holly hostage for Cooper. They came here to see that Alice did not interfere in tonight’s meet.”
The Shifter nodded. “Fair enough. But it’s time for you to leave now. We have much to discuss.”
/> Alex and Avery nodded their agreement, and Avery said softly to Josh, “See you later.”
He smiled a silent thanks as they headed to the road. Alex shook his head in disbelief. “So much for us needing to do a binding spell for them.”
She laughed. “I prefer their version, although it was hideously bloody. I knew they’d be stronger than the average man, but to rip someone’s head off...” She shuddered at the memory of Cooper’s bloody head.
“I like this Ollie guy. He’ll make a good Alpha!”
Avery stroked his cheek and smiled. “Let’s head back to Evan’s place and await their return. If I remember correctly, there’s a bottle of whiskey and a fire to keep us company.”
***
It was at least another hour or two before the others returned, and Alex and Avery were dozing on the sofa, full of the comfort of whiskey when they heard the key turn in the lock and the others come in.
Evan led the way, a bounce to his step, and he grinned to see Alex and Avery in front of the roaring fire. Hunter was walking behind him with a limp, leaning heavily on Piper. He was bleeding from at least half a dozen cuts. His right eye was swelling, and he held his left arm carefully.
Josh and Holly followed, and Josh wasn’t looking much better than Hunter. Holly, however, was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Alex and Avery scooted out of the way to allow Hunter to sit. He gave them a weak smile. “Do you think Briar will fix me again?”
“I think she’ll give you an earful of abuse,” Avery said, bending to look at his many wounds. “But yes, she’ll fix you. As long as you promise no more fighting, at least in the near future.”
He winked, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
Holly hugged Avery. “Thank you for helping, both of you.”
Alex shrugged. “We really didn’t do much in the end. Looks like Ollie had a better plan.”
Evan topped their drinks off as he said, “It was a very last-minute change of plan when we realised we could actually win if we kept pushing.”
“What happens now?” Alex asked, sitting and pulling Avery onto his lap to make more room for everyone else.
“Ollie has plans,” Josh said, sitting with relief. “I didn’t realise he wanted to be Alpha.”
“I don’t think he did until seconds before it happened,” Piper said. “At least now we can stay here.”
“Not right away,” Hunter grunted as he opened half an eye. “I’m heading back to White Haven to heal, and you’re coming with me.”
Piper looked outraged and appeared as if she might complain, and then she thought better of it. “All right.”
“What about you two?” Avery asked Josh and Holly.
“We’ll head back to our house,” Holly said, smiling. “Resurrect our business! Do you think the Devices will retaliate?”
“No. Not after a blood oath,” Alex said with certainty.
Avery added, “Not unless they’re insane. There’d be huge repercussions, and they know it.” She frowned, remembering the deaths of Cooper and Garret. “Er, what are you going to do with Cooper and Garret’s bodies?”
“Their bodies have been dragged a long way away and hidden. They’ll be found eventually, but not before the local wildlife has picked over their bones.”
Avery paled as she realised that probably, hopefully, no one would know what had really happened. What was she thinking? She was becoming a monster.
“Great,” she said weakly.
“So now you just have your rogue witch to worry about,” Holly said, as if hiding bodies was an everyday sort of thing. She cradled a drink as she huddled in front of the fire, and every now and again she cast shy glances up at Evan.
“Yes, we do.” Avery said thoughtfully. “And it won’t be easy.”
“But we’ll help if we can,” Hunter said earnestly. “We owe you.”
19
Everyone arrived back in White Haven late on Friday night after what seemed to Avery like the longest car journey ever.
They’d had a few hours of sleep at Hunter’s house in Chapel Stile before they headed out in the late morning, each of them taking a turn at driving. Avery had phoned Reuben to let the others know when to expect them, and they’d dropped Hunter and Piper off at their rental house, promising to visit the next morning with Briar. Whatever injuries needed fixing would have to wait, and once again, Hunter had refused to go to the hospital.
By the time they arrived at Reuben’s house, Avery was exhausted. Fortunately, the aroma of food hit her, and they walked through to the back of the house to find all three witches and Newton in the snug, snacking on chips, drinking beer, and keeping half an eye on the TV, which flickered quietly on the wall. For the most part, they were surrounded with spell books, history books, and Avery recognised some of Anne’s papers. They looked up and grinned as the weary travellers entered, and Avery’s cats emerged from their hiding spots around the room, meowing loudly and rubbing her ankles.
“Circe and Medea,” she exclaimed, reaching down to give them a big fuss. “I’ve missed you.”
“You’re back!” Briar said, leaping up. “Sit down, you look dead on your feet. I’ll bring through some food.”
Avery looked at her gratefully. “You don’t have to,” she said, trying to protest, but Briar shushed her away.
“It’s pizza, won’t take two minutes.”
“Had a fun two days, then?” Reuben said sardonically.
“Yes,” Alex said dryly, as he dropped into a large, squashy armchair. “Mutiny in Shifter packs, wolf fights, interfering Devices, and lots of blood. Loved it!”
Newton held his hands over his ears in mock protest. “I don’t want to hear if anything serious happened.”
“Like decapitations?” Alex asked, sipping his beer.
Newton glared. “I’m bloody serious! I’m a policeman!”
“Cornwall’s finest paranormal policeman, too!” Reuben added with a smirk.
El laughed. “Leave him alone!”
Newton scowled. “Piss off, all of you.”
Briar came in with two plates loaded with food and passed one each to Avery and Alex. She looked at Newton’s grumpy face and grinned. “Oh no, I think we’re baiting Newton again.”
“If it’s any help,” Avery said before she took a bite, “the two affected Shifters were pretty vile people.”
Newton held a hand up. “Stop right there.”
Briar sat on the rug in front of the fire. “Are you talking about Hunter? Is he okay?”
Alex nodded. “Beaten to a bloody pulp once more, but he’s okay. He’s back here and wants your help to heal again.” He raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. “Interested?”
Briar flushed. “Of course I’ll help. But he better stop fighting. I’m not a miracle worker.”
“Are you any good at healing broken bones?”
“Are you kidding?” She looked horrified. “Not particularly, but I suppose I’d better learn.”
“Good.” Alex pushed his plate away with a satisfied look. “Because there’s no way he’s going to a hospital.” He filled the others in on their trip and the outcome of the fight. “And now that they’re back, Hunter wants to help us—well, once he’s healed.”
“So, how are things here?” Avery asked. “How are you, El? You look better than when we left.”
She smiled. “I am, thanks. The curse left me pretty weak for a while, and it really knocked my mood. I couldn’t shake off this horrible feeling of oppression and sadness, but it’s going. I went into work today, which gave me something to focus on.”
“No attacks on anybody else?” Alex asked.
El shook her head. “No, and the protection spell on this house is working well.”
“Any updates on Old Haven?”
“Bloody Halloween horror hunters are flooding up there,” Newton grumbled. “Gabe has his work cut out.”
“Really?” Avery said, astonished. “I didn’t think that many people would actually bother
to go.”
Reuben threw his head back and laughed. “It’s the latest attraction! Stan’s really excited. Thinks it will be the best celebration we’ve had yet.” He was referring to their resident occasional Druid. “He’s contemplating moving the bonfire.”
Avery gasped. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“No. But James has put his foot down, and so has Gabe, who, as you can imagine, is very firm when he wants to be.”
“Thank the gods,” Avery said, relieved. “That could have really complicated things.”
“But there’s a change up there,” El said. “The witch has cast another spell around the area again. It’s a sort of revulsion spell, makes your skin crawl just to get close. It’s very effective—we couldn’t make a dent in it. But the good thing is, it’s putting off our Halloween hunters.”
Alex frowned. “She got past Gabe and the other Nephilim?”
“She can do witch flight, remember?” Avery pointed out.
Reuben nodded. “I went up there today. The whole place is bristling with power, and it’s still building.”
“Less than a week to go until Samhain,” Avery said thoughtfully. “Have you found any new information?”
“Yes, we have,” Reuben said, pleased with himself. “Have you heard of Ley Lines?”
“Sure. They’re hidden lines of supernatural energy that connect across the Earth, and where they cross, their power is amplified.”
“Exactly.” Reuben gestured at the papers around him. “And on them we find ancient places of power, such as stone circles, cairns, mounds, dolmens, henges, hill forts, long barrows.”
Newton scoffed. “Sounds like hocus pocus to me.”
Briar just looked at him. “After all you’ve seen, you’d dismiss this?”
“Well, hidden lines of power. Sounds loopy.”
Her gaze hardened. “And yet you’ve seen us wield magic. Seen Shifters, Nephilim, Mermaids... Why wouldn’t these lines exist? Just because you can’t see them!”
Newton looked away, slightly chastened.
