Everwish: The Primati Witches Book One

by Amelia Oz

  I hated stalkers—witchy stalkers in particular, and Bromely had rubbed me the wrong way since the traffic light. Disguising her presence from me in the map store was insulting, and the scrawny witch needed to know not to pull those tricks with someone who would kill her for such an offence. I’d done her a favor, really.

  "Granted she broke protocol—but she was just doing her job. Several of my Seattle and Portland coven members have disappeared in the last few days. Bromely was checking on one of my members," Clara explained. I noted the shadows beneath her eyes and felt a smidgeon of remorse. I'd taken it for granted that Clara would be able to easily heal her sidekick, not realizing she could be low on necessary supplies or that she would be juggling other urgent matters.

  "What do you suspect?" I murmured silkily.

  Clara shook her head, her anger drained away and replaced with worry.

  "Something or someone new. I personally visited the homes of those missing, and two held the tang of earth magic—but it's buried beneath something else we've never encountered. As there are no bodies to study or ransom demands, I'm at a loss. These women would not just up and leave their family or the coven without explanations."

  "Locations?"

  "All outside Portland proper—and no need to use that harsh tone. For all I know, they are steering clear of you."

  "No one but you and my guards know I'm even here," I muttered, rubbing my chin.

  "I have a suspicion..." she began before cutting herself off. She knew I preferred facts over intuition.

  "What are you thinking?" I allowed.

  "That group you met in the woods—the one led by the sorcerer Marcus? He met you before your aura was concealed, and it was strange that he would be in my territory in such a predatory fashion." She paused, and I understood why. An outright accusation could lead to a political or actual war with the earth witches.

  "I didn't sense anything powerful about him." I paced the length of the room, trying to recall anything unusual about the sorcerer. Clara folded herself onto a plush sofa, her eyes fixed on my movements. I slipped out my phone and sent a quick text to Jing San.

  History was filled with deadly beta-followers who morphed into traitors. The sorcerer could be working for someone far more powerful.

  Clara’s voice was low as she peered up at me. "We are still looking into the background of his clan. It’s an unusual one. I worry, Alaric. It seems too much of a coincidence that this is happening after Marcus came across Stella. What if the two are connected? What if the rumor of an Everwish is revisited? Her life would be forfeit with or without our protection." I nodded, having considered the same possibility.

  I parted the curtains and looked at the wet streets below.

  "Did I tell you about the first time I spoke with Stella? Murad had asked me to investigate when he first learned about her.”

  "You mean he sent you to kill her," Clara broke in.

  I stiffened, unaware Clara had known about that. He’d changed his mind.

  "She was perhaps five at the time and Sam was asleep. It was a different house then. There I was, standing in her backyard, considering what to do. In the middle of the night, Stella opened the deck door on the second floor. I watched her climb onto a chair and gaze through a telescope." A rueful smile played on my lips. I glanced at Clara in time to see her eyes roll.

  "Forgive me if I'm not surprised. I can't imagine Stella ever following rules," she commented.

  "Long story short, she fell from the deck and I caught her. Put her back where she belonged and made sure that the careless babysitter would never fall asleep at her post again."

  "I'm guessing you made them both forget the incident?"

  "Of course. But when I saw Stella standing in that river, I would swear she remembered me. Perhaps triggered as we were meeting under similar circumstances of danger. My point is that I should have known how willful she would turn out to be. It will make keeping our secrets that much more difficult." I could not magick Stella’s memory from her now. She would never forgive the trespass—which meant I would only do so if her life was in grave danger.

  "Alaric—"

  I held up my palm. "I'll replenish your stock of dragon yew."

  A knock sounded at the door. Recognizing the visitor's aura, I crossed the room and opened it. Jing San entered and offered Clara a respectful bow. Clara rose and inclined her head in return. The two had worked well together in watching over Stella these last few years. Jing San quirked a brow at me. I nodded.

  "Speak freely."

  "With great respect, Alaric, you asked me to remain in this disgustingly wet, strange place for years in order to keep Stella in the dark, only to reveal yourself. She’s not one of your women. She doesn’t understand…as tough as she seems, she’s an innocent. She's looking at you with googly girl eyes..." Jing broke off whatever she’d been about to say.

  My voice deepened to the beast's low growl as the room shrunk. "No."

  Jing San lowered her eyes to the floor and hunched her shoulders. Googly girl eyes? I’d sensed a nervousness about her but not...but I did know. If signs of a girlish crush got back to Murad, he might not follow through with his plan, which placed Stella in danger.

  "Never speak of this again. Either of you," I ordered. My head touched the ceiling and I snapped my jaws. Stella was as good as engaged to Murad. She just didn’t know it yet. Blowing air from my nose, I forced the change to reverse until I was once more a man. She deserved to be a queen. Revered and safe among the Primati and humans.

  With effort, I softened my tone. "Jing, I need you and the second guard to assist Clara. She's tracking a sorcerer, and there may be a connection to Stella." I refused to say aloud the suspicion unwisely voiced aloud by Clara. Jing looked at a spot over my shoulder and nodded. I wanted Stella to remain in the dark about the Primati community as long as possible.

  Chapter 11

  Death

  Stella

  y bottom was literally on the edge of the seat as Thomas continued his story. I struggled to recall what I knew about the Ottoman Empire when we’d covered European history. The Turks would conquer lands until the Battle of Vienna in 1683. I said as much out loud.

  “Isn’t that how we got the bagel?” Silvan asked, rubbing his flat belly. He was so food motivated. Mira handed him a jolly rancher from her pocket.

  “I think it was the croissant.” I countered. “Vienna celebrated the defeat of the Ottoman Turks with a pasty shaped like the crescent in their flag.” If Thomas’s story was even remotely true, then it aligned with the history I recalled reading about.

  “So, what happened to the little boy? Did he just wake up and find his mother dead?’ Silvan asked with a frown, his cheek full of hard candy. Mira rubbed his back and the big baby of the family let her.

  "Abbas woke,” Thomas continued. “His elder brother Murad kept him shielded. When the stars arrived in their human form to carry Isabeau away, it was apparent they were…different. The eldest daughter of Orion was a star named Lila. Flaxen haired in her human form, Murad fell deeply in love with her that night.”

  “Of course, he did. Always the blonde. Like there were no brown girls around to kick some ass and fall in love with?” Mira countered. Thomas’s lips parted and then closed with a snap of teeth.

  “He was captivated by her benevolence and humility. I’m sure he had plenty of other beautiful women…I can’t do this. No one is listening and this is super-secret stuff I’m sharing.”

  “Ignore her, Thomas. She has the attention span of a goldfish. I’m guessing Lila insta-loved him back?” I asked.

  “No way. He asked her to stay with him and she refused.”

  “Okay. More interesting,” Mira offered, sitting back in her chair.

  "Glad it meets your approval, Karen.” Thomas smirked and Silvan’s hand shot out to grab Mira’s shoulder. I grinned. Thomas had spine. He paced as he continued his story.

  “I mean, e
ventually she did fall for the guy. Lila returned a few years later to check in on Abbas and found him with Murad. She grew more intrigued. With the help of her siblings, she snuck into the palace gardens, using the magick of the great oriental plane trees that grew there. Murad taught her his mother's Circassian language. They fell in love. It changed them both in ways only holy fire and true love can beget."

  "Beget? Are we still talking pastries?" Mira asked. I sat next to her. "You're thinking of a baguette. Beget means to bring something about. What did they teach you in public school?" I whispered. She twisted with a grimace.

  "Excuse me. Maybe I'm just hungry and this is the longest story hour ever."

  To his credit, Thomas kept talking as if she didn’t exist. He was persistent.

  "Time passed, and Prince Murad grew into a mature man. He took no human wife, wanting only Lila. Their entire friendship was carried out within the clandestine gardens and rooms of Topkapi Palace. When it was time for her to return home after each visit, Murad would send the eunuchs and soldiers away and stood guard to protect her privacy.

  “During this time, the Sultan abandoned his harem, altogether. His grief for Isabeau had turned to rage and he embraced madness. He fought his neighbors, pushing his borders into distant lands. He gave up decision making and the Empire was overcome with corruption and war. Murad, frustrated by the way his older brothers failed to care and take action against their father, grew outraged when the Sultan began to send Abbas into battles. In time, however, Abbas become a fierce warrior with skills to match his brilliant strategic mind.”

  Silvan spoke up. “Of course, he did. Wasn’t his grandfather, Isabeau’s father, an Archangel? I mean, come on. He defeated Lucifer himself. It makes sense that Abbas would be a good fighter.”

  I shifted in my seat. I believed in something greater than ourselves, but hadn't given much thought to heaven and hell. Thomas spoke of angels and stars who could turn into humans as if they were real.

  Thomas nodded.

  "The two brothers fought side by side until Abbas surpassed his brother in strength and skill. He showed no mercy to their enemies, shocking even Murad. A rebellion sent them to a Romanian battlefield. It was there they heard rumors of a vampire demon who led the opposing army. This creature was the first of his kind and an abomination. He tricked Abbas into a trap in order to distract Murad. Murad tried to save his brother and the demon attacked. He tore Murad’s throat so that he could not live and then drank his blood.

  Mira and Silvan’s expressions mirrored my own dropped jaw. I did not see that one coming. I mean, I knew about the legend of the Wallachian prince but it was all a myth, right?

  “Are you saying that Murad fought Dracula?” Silvan asked.

  "No. Not Vlad. He wasn’t the first vampire. This creature was a general. The first of his kind and the Ottoman wars were disturbing his hunting grounds. He targeted Murad immediately. While he drained Murad of his blood, Lila felt Murad dying. Within seconds, she broke sacred laws, abandoning her place in the heavens for her human form. Her siblings were not given time to cover for her absence and her piece of sky grew dark. She transferred her energy to the forest surrounding the battle and arrived in time to see Abbas escape his trap and fight the vampire away from Murad’s body. As a being removed from human emotion for much of her existence, Lila was unable to comprehend the violence of war. Having only known the peace of the palace gardens on earth, the raw barbarism of man willfully murdering other men on those blood-drenched fields horrified her.

  "Lila called to her mother, the Goddess Danu, and begged her to interfere, to stop what was happening. Danu ignored her daughter’s plea.

  "In desperation, Lila bathed Murad in her own light, offering him her own strength. Imbued with her celestial light, he recovered and overtook the demon, draining him dry before tearing him to pieces. He then turned on Abbas."

  "What the hell? He ate his little brother?" Mira sounded horrified. I felt queasy myself. Such a betrayal. Poisoned by your own grandmother and then attacked by someone you loved and looked up to?

  "No. He did not eat him,” Thomas clarified. “Not exactly. Murad hung onto his humanity for just an instant. He stopped feeding on Abbas and instead tried to give his blood back to him. Lila, in shock nearby, begged him to stop but he ignored her. Unable to control himself any longer, he threw Abbas to the ground and left them. He began a bloody campaign of death that ravaged the central plains where they fought for miles around. Murad, who always did the right thing. Murad who was beloved for his kindness as much as his intelligence, turned into a monster. Lila’s choice to save him led to the murder of countless people. Her grief and shame overwhelmed her.

  "The goddess Danu did the most merciful thing she could for Lila; allowing her to slip into a deep slumber that offered relief from her suffering. As an immortal star, without a human soul, she was unable to die as a human might. But she could sleep.

  "In anger, Goddess Danu burned the cores of the Great Plane trees, preventing more of her sky children from walking the earth. She punished the three siblings who had conspired to help Lila meet with Murad by forcing them to become humans. Other stars were born to take their place. To this day, those trees stand in the palace garden as petrified shells—a reminder.”

  I was shaken. How easily love and happiness can turn into hell. One day Murad was doing his thing, fighting wars and loving his girl, and the next he was a monster and she’d bailed on him.

  “What happened to Murad? I mean, I’ve never heard of a vampire called Murad. Did he die?” Silvan demanded. Thomas shook his head.

  "Nearly a year passed but eventually he was able to restrain the demon inside his blood. He succeeded at controlling his hunger and became obsessed with making amends. Previously unaware of the supernatural beings on earth, he organized and led them. He instituted laws that protected humans. They say Murad believed that if he became a better monster, Lila would wake up from her slumber and forgive him. He hunted foul creatures and his army forced demons back into their own plane.

  "But nothing made a difference. Lila remained a living statue in repose. Knowing she would want to be under sky, Murad ordered the construction of a tower built on a small island near Istanbul. Within this tower, Murad commissioned a glass coffin so that she was as close to the heavens as possible yet near enough for him to see her.”

  "That sounds like Sleeping B—" I clapped a hand over Mira's mouth but released her when her teeth sank into my flesh. Silvan raised a hand as if we were in a classroom. Thomas nodded resignedly.

  “It doesn’t seem like all that was his fault. I mean, it was the vampire blood that made him do it. She should have given him a chance. It was bad he killed his own little brother, though.” Silvan looked gutted.

  "Who said Abbas died that day? The blood Murad gave him had a different effect on Abbas. Don’t forget he wasn’t entirely human, but came from angelic lineage. Before the demon blood could fully change him, a blue sword, flaming with the holy fire of righteousness, drove into Abbas’ heart at the exact moment the demon's blood would have consumed it. The fire cauterized the wound, sealing his heart from the demon infection. No one held that sword. It appeared in thin air and no one there that day recalled seeing anyone wield it. The rumor is that the sword was thrown by Archangel Michael himself to prevent Abbas from turning completely.

  "When Abbas awoke, it was to find himself pierced to the ground with the sword. After a day of agony, he removed the sword himself. It’s said that he carries scars on his palms to this day from pulling that blade. The sword succeeded in stopping the demon blood from turning Abbas into a vampire—yet he was still changed. He lost his humanity to became half angel and half demon. A dark beast with blackened wings who helped Murad take control of the Primati throughout the entire world. In truth, he was much stronger than Murad, even more vicious and bloodthirsty. As Murad was eventually crowned Noble King of all Primatis, or supernaturals on earth, Abbas became kno
wn as The Lion, a terrifying beast in any dimension, even Hell. He became Murad’s Enforcer."

  Mira raised her arm.

  Thomas sighed. "Yes, Mira."

  "So, can you get to the point of what all of this means for Stella. I mean—yada, yada, yada—how is she cursed?" I wanted to know the same thing.

  His tongue ran along his lower lip as he puffed his chest up. "Do you mind? This is my main job here," he shared in strained, dignified voice.

  "Well, can't she just take some books home and study about all this in her spare time?" Mira asked, pointing upward to all the shelves.

  "No. The history is oral. It's passed from generation to generation," he practically shouted.

  "Ha, ha! Oral." Mira hooted.

  "Verbal history," Thomas clarified through tight lips.

  He checked the time and groaned. "We only have minutes."

  If Lila slept then how did she conceive a child to begin that family tree? My family tree. This was all nuts. "Why don't you hit the highlights, Thomas?"

  He puffed out his cheeks and blew air. With a wave of his hand, the palace disappeared, and the family tree appeared once more.

  "Lila's glass coffin was stolen from the tower. No one knows by whom. It happened during an earthquake when Murad and Abbas were elsewhere. They found the tower empty, its walls partially eaten away as if by salt water and with no scent to track.

  "We know that Lila was hidden once in Fontainebleau forest outside Paris and then moved to America when it was just being settled. It was suggested that the physical distance between her and Murad may have been the catalyst that finally woke Lila. She opened her eyes to find herself entombed within a glass coffin, inside a cave on the outskirts of Jamestown in America. She broke through the glass and explored the strange, vast woods around her. She wandered for weeks alone before falling terribly ill."

  Now I was the one to raise my hand. "How do you know all of this?"

  "Because my forefathers carried the story down to me. Please hold any further questions." I wrinkled my brow and he motioned to his watch again.