by Meagan Hill
Mitch swayed on his feet, having used every bit of energy he had and quite of bit of Miranda’s to get the bolt big enough to do what was needed. Miranda wrapped her arms around his chest, steadying him until he was able to gather his waning energy again.
Malcolm walked up to Mitch, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Good job, son. That bolt was massive, the largest I’ve ever seen an energy witch pull. Let’s get out of here so we can go rest.”
Everyone murmured in agreement and walked over to the shot-up rental. Malcolm surveyed the damage before getting behind the wheel and trying to start it. The engine must have been hit because it wouldn’t even try to turn over. They all looked at each other and then back at Miranda’s old beat-up car. It was the only car available since the Cabela coven’s cars were in the destroyed compound.
They crammed into the small vehicle after Miranda tucked the guns and ammunition into the trunk, with Malcolm driving and Mitch in the passenger seat. James, Miranda, Nina, and Melanie sat in the back, with Melanie perched in Nina’s lap. It was a tight fit, but they made it work. The ride back to the hotel was quiet, everyone lost in their thoughts and exhausted. They soon pulled up to the hotel and got out, thankful to be released from the small confines.
They found the rest of the group gathered in the conference room they’d used the evening before. The tension in the room eased as everyone saw the leaders were fine. Miranda was relieved to see John and the other man who was injured appeared to be doing well, each being watched over by a healer, as well as the two latents they’d freed.
Malcolm moved to the front of the room with the rest of them, collapsing into the nearest chairs, exhausted. “We have been successful in destroying the evil coven and freeing the kidnapped latents. We will return to Charleston tomorrow morning, so everyone take the day to regroup and recharge. I have a friend who is a private investigator who will return the children to their parents and attest he was working on another kidnapping case when he came across the cult and figured out the three children had been kidnapped. He was able to rescue them from the compound. When he leads the police back to the compound, they’ll speculate the cult blew up the compound because they’d been discovered and had fled. That should keep the police plenty busy. He’ll be here in about an hour and will take them straight to the hospital and initiate the cover story.”
Everyone nodded their understanding. Malcolm looked straight at the other two latents, saying, “Do you two understand the situation and why we can’t tell others about magic?” Both girls nodded, the older one saying, “Yes, sir. It was explained to us, and we will not tell anyone about how we were really rescued. We’re just grateful to be away from that place and those people. When asked, we’ll say we were kidnapped and abused by a cult, not a coven. We won’t betray you, and we especially won’t betray Miranda since she took such a big risk in coming back for us.” The younger girl nodded along with the first one.
Miranda pulled herself wearily to her feet and walked over to the two girls, dropping to her knees and gathering them close to her. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure a way out. You must be careful to not let the evil that was done to you become you. Like Mitch told me recently, don’t let your past become your present and future. Do you get what I’m saying?” Both girls nodded before pulling Miranda in for another long hug.
One of the healers who had been watching over them caught Miranda’s eye and said, “We’ve been working on cleansing them as well as healing them. The evil that had built up inside of them has been mostly eradicated. The rest will heal as their bodies heal.”
Relieved, Miranda hugged them close one last time before turning back to address the group. “I wanted to thank all of you for helping to destroy the evil that has tainted my life, and theirs, for far too long. I am so relieved and happy that everyone came out fine, barring the couple of injuries that were sustained. If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
James stood up to answer for the group. “Miranda, there is nothing we won’t do to help protect a Grand Mistress, especially a new one who hasn’t developed all her powers yet. From what I can sense, Miranda, you will become one of the most powerful Grand Mistresses of all time.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that, but thank you,” Miranda replied before turning back to Malcolm. “Sorry I interrupted, Malcolm.”
Malcolm waved off the apology, obviously not bothered by it. He caught the eyes of the three latents again, addressing them directly. “Before you go, we will embed a transmitter under your skin. If you are in trouble, such as being kidnapped again or something like it, press on it. It will notify us that you need help and give us your location. We will be watching over you until you are old enough to decide on choosing a coven. Don’t use it unless it’s a real emergency, though, because it might alert your families that something isn’t quite normal about us showing up to help out. Do you have any questions?”
The three girls glanced at each other before the oldest spoke up. “Yes, I do. How are you planning on ‘embedding’ the transmitter? And how old do we have to be to choose to join a coven? And what is supposed to happen when we do?”
“We’ll embed the transmitter using Sally’s magic. You won’t feel a thing. We’re just waiting on Charlie, my PI friend, to bring them with him. As for joining a coven, a normal member coming in is at least seventeen, if not older. We prefer the latent be out of high school and able to leave their parent’s home. Once you’ve chosen a coven, you will either live with or near your mentor, who will spend several hours a day with you teaching you how to explore and control your magic. We take turns within the coven training the latents, and others often assist when the primary mentor needs help.”
The girls nodded their understanding again, glad they wouldn’t be hurt any more than was necessary and that the coven would be watching over them. That knowledge was very reassuring. Melanie then popped up with a question. “Can we stay in contact with Miranda?”
Malcolm thought a moment as a soft smile spread across Miranda’s face. “I don’t think there’s a problem with that. You’ll just have to be very careful about what you talk about. Your parents will likely be very protective of you now and will monitor everything you do closely. Be careful about what you say and what you do, even when you think they’re not watching. I know it’s hard not to use the magic you already know, but it’s important you don’t. You’re not going to be able to tell them about it anyway, so keep that in mind.” The three girls nodded again. Miranda got Mitch to write down his email address since she didn’t have one of her own yet and gave a copy to each of the girls, promising to keep in touch as much as they wanted. Of anyone, Miranda would be the person who could best understand what they had gone through and were feeling.
A soft but firm knock sounded at the door. Mitch, who happened to be closest to the door, got up and opened it a bit before allowing it to open fully. A large black man with a bald head strode through, carrying several small boxes. He walked up to Malcolm, who gave him a hearty handshake and introduced him to the group as Charlie, his PI friend.
Charlie opened the boxes and pulled out three very small transmitters. Malcolm brought each girl to the front so Sally could embed the transmitters just behind their left ear. The girls were surprised it didn’t hurt at all and thanked Sally profusely. They then hugged the entire group as everyone moved outside to watch them leave. When they were done, they piled into Charlie’s car, waving frenetically as he pulled away.
Once the girls were gone, the group looked toward Malcolm, waiting to be released. “We’re done. Meet back here at nine a.m. tomorrow to fly home, Anthony,” he said, stopping the man before he left. “I need you to get with the rental company about buying the car that was destroyed and get a tow truck out there pronto to get it away from the scene. Charlie will give us as much time as he can, but it’s best to get it done as soon as possible.”
Anthony nodded his head in understanding, and
seeing that Malcolm was done, hurried off to get the matter taken care of. They needed to ensure nothing could be connected back to the coven.
Mitch and Miranda climbed the stairs to their room, moving wearily, but knowing they wouldn’t be falling asleep until they’d both had a shower and made love. Miranda needed Mitch to wipe away the memory of Carl touching her so intimately. Mitch did just that, gently washing the dried blood and the feel of the other men’s touches from her skin before claiming it again as his own.
Epilogue
Miranda stared into the mirror, looking over her perfected body, other than the scars she carried from her last battle with Cabela. The symbols Cabela had carved into Miranda’s skin had completely healed, leaving behind thin white lines. She had wanted to try to have them removed until Mitch had explained Cabela had actually made her more powerful through them. When he was pulling down all the power he could, he imbued the power into her body through the symbols with the plan that the power would then become his when he killed her. Instead, he had made an already powerful Grand Mistress even more powerful. That is what James had sensed after the battle.
Shaking her thoughts away, she pulled on the ivory undergarments she’d chosen before wrapping a soft robe around herself. A soft knock came from the door, not opening until she bade them to enter. Nina and Miranda’s mother, Clarisa, came through the door, along with Libby, Mitch’s twenty-seven-year-old sister. They immediately began to work on Miranda as planned, with Libby working on her makeup while the two moms worked on her hair. While the three women worked, Miranda thought back to the day when she saw her family for the first time since being kidnapped.
Mitch held her hand tightly as the tension rolled off of Miranda in waves. She was nervous about seeing her family for the first time in so long. She worried about how they would take her sudden reappearance and about how they would treat her and accept her decision to stay in Charleston with Mitch while they worked on their training. Mitch said she’d already advanced through a great deal of her basic magic training, having already learned most of it intuitively.
“You’re going to be fine, Miranda,” he murmured reassuringly before lifting her hand to place a soft kiss on the back. “I’ll be right there with you. I’m not going to leave you.”
The words calmed her greatly, though she already knew Mitch would never, could never, leave her. She’d just needed to hear the words. “I know. I guess I’m just scared they’ll reject me after everything that happened to me.”
“I know. Just remember that I love you. We’ll deal with whatever happens, okay?” Miranda nodded her head in agreement before pointing out the house to Mitch, who pulled the rental to a stop at the curb.
Taking a deep breath, Miranda climbed out of the vehicle, Mitch there to offer a hand almost before she could get her feet out. She clutched his hand tightly as they made their way up the sidewalk and to the front door. Miranda was stunned to see a picture of herself at fourteen, taken just before she was kidnapped. The picture was mounted on wood which held the inscription, “We will never forget, we will never lose hope.” Miranda choked up at the very visible sign that her family loved her greatly. With a trembling hand, she reached out to ring the doorbell.
A moment passed before the door opened, revealing Clarisa, Miranda’s mother. Miranda could tell her disappearance had badly affected her mother. Clarisa looked like she’d aged twenty years in the last six since Miranda had last seen her. Clarisa stood there, framed by the doorway for a moment, her eyes blinking repeatedly like she was having difficulty convincing herself that her long-awaited daughter was actually standing there in front of her. Finally, she breathed, “Mandy? Is that really you?”
Miranda nodded as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Yes, Mom. It’s me, Miranda.”
Finally convinced, Clarisa threw herself into Miranda’s arms, clutching her tightly. Miranda was glad Mitch was holding her, as her mother had nearly knocked Miranda off her feet. Suddenly, another figure filled the doorway. Her father, Bob, stood there staring, not understanding the scene in front of him. “What’s going on? Clarisa, what are you…” He trained off as he finally comprehended what his eyes were telling him. “Mandy? Baby, is that really you?” At Miranda’s nod, he joined the two women, wrapping his own arms around them both as all three of them cried.
After several minutes, Clarisa gathered herself enough to suggest they all go inside. Mitch followed along quietly, maintaining his hand on Miranda’s back. Once they sat down in the living room, Miranda looked around dazedly. “You haven’t changed a thing in here.”
“No, nothing. Your room looks just like it did after you left. I had to do some cleaning from the police searching it, but other than that, it’s exactly as you left it. Mandy, what happened? And who is this? Is he the person you left us for?”
Miranda glanced at Mitch as she gathered her thoughts. “No, I didn’t leave willingly. I was drugged and kidnapped, right from my bed.” Clarisa’s hands covered her mouth as she began crying once again. Miranda chose to continue, to get it all out at once so they could get past it. “I was taken by an evil cult run by an evil man. I was abused constantly, and they tried to brainwash me. About two weeks ago, they deemed me sufficiently brainwashed to go hunt for another young girl to bring back to suffer like I had. I knew I couldn’t do it, but I also couldn’t just leave the cult. They would track me down and kill me and then do the same to you. I considered just killing myself, to escape them and still protect you. But then I met Mitch.” She smiled as she glanced at him, telling him she loved him without words. “He and his family helped me escape the cult and took it down in the process. We were able to save three other girls who’d been kidnapped after me. We fell in love as we worked together to make that happen, and we’re now engaged.”
Clarisa and Bob sat there, stunned by what Miranda had told them. Miranda was saddened that all this time, they’d thought that she’d left willingly. Mitch read her sadness immediately and wrapped his arm around her in comfort. After several moments of silence, Bob asked, “You were abused by a cult? Like Charles Manson?”
Miranda had to smile at her father’s question. “Yes, just like that.”
“Why did it take you so long to come home?”
Miranda hesitated a moment before answering. “We were working on bringing the cult down. I’d left three younger girls there, and I had to go back to rescue them. Afterward, I had some healing to do, and Mitch had to rearrange things at his children’s camp in Rockland. Plus, I was nervous about coming back to see you. I was worried you would try to insist I come home and treat me like I’m still a child. Obviously, I’m not anymore, and with everything I’ve been through, I’m much older psychologically than my age indicates. It saddens me you thought I’d run away.”
“It was more that the police believed that than we did. They just thought that, since there was no sign of a struggle in your room, you must have left willingly. And I can understand your fear about us trying to push you into staying here because that is exactly what I feel like saying.”
There was another brief silence before Bob turned his attention to Mitch. “You helped get her away from that cult?”
“Yes, sir, myself and my family and a few friends.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“We did, after we got the girls out. That was our main concern. Miranda knew the leader had the local police under his thumb but didn’t know how far his influence reached. If they had gotten wind they were about to get raided, they would have killed the girls before disappearing, only to start up again somewhere else.”
“Mandy—” Clarisa started to ask before being cut off by Miranda.
“Mom, Dad, please call me Miranda from now on. The cult members called me Mandy, and I’ve learned to hate the name.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Man… Miranda. I can understand how that could happen. You mentioned you needed time to heal?”
“Yes, I had several injuries that needed time
to heal before I could comfortably visit you. I won’t tell you everything that happened to me there. You don’t need that knowledge to haunt you as it can haunt me. Let’s just suffice it to say that I was abused before I was rescued.”
They watched Bob and Clarisa struggle to accept the information, knowing that whatever they came up with as the worst case scenario was nothing compared to what had really happened. Finally, Bob nodded in understanding. “So these people will never hurt you again?”
“No, not me or anyone else. We made sure of that.”
“How so? If they paid off cops, they could pay off the justice system.”
Mitch decided to speak up here. “I can assure you, sir, they will never bother anyone again.”
“How can you be so sure?” Bob responded, a bit belligerently.
“Because they’re dead, a” Mitch replied flatly, clearly conveying personal knowledge of the status of the cult members.
Bob sat back in his chair, not expecting that answer. Finally, he asked, “All of them?” Mitch nodded. “You and your family did that?” Again, Mitch just nodded. “Your family must be very powerful to not have to worry about the repercussions.”
“We can be when we choose, though we much rather work behind the scenes to achieve our goals.”
“I’m glad they’re gone, and I’m glad you did whatever you did to rescue Miranda and keep her safe,” Clarisa interjected. “Obviously, somebody needed to do something about them so this didn’t happen to anyone else.”
“Mom, Dad, you can’t share that with anyone. If asked, all you can say is I was abducted and finally escaped after five and a half years. That’s it, otherwise you could jeopardize Mitch and his family and me.”
