Hidden Runes

by G. Bailey

  “I thought…,” I say as her face comes into focus and I see how tired she looks. Slowly all of the room comes into view. Azi has Eella in his arms on a sofa and she waves at me, but Azi is sleeping and so is Trex at his side. I imagine Connor and Nix are with Danike who is only three but a handful of trouble. Evie’s hand cup my cheeks as she frowns at me.

  “You killed the witch queen, blew her up and somehow healed yourself. That is what happened and I know it must scare you but you are safe now. I will never let anyone close to you again,” Evie vows.

  “I did what my mark said. Even though I tried not to,” I whisper and Evie wipes the tears away that fall down my cheeks.

  Evie looks sheepish as she sits on the bed, picking up my hand. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “The mark is gone, Hali. You aren’t death marked anymore,” she softly tells me, rubbing her thumb across my hand. “Connor and the keepers suspect the mark healed you as you ended your destiny but we can’t be sure.”

  Lifting a hand to the back of my neck, the skin feels soft and smooth, not raised like the mark made it before. “I killed the queen. Won’t the witches come after me?”

  “How could they prove it was you? No one else was there, Hali. You’re free,” she tells me and lies down on the bed next to me. “Now get some sleep. You need to rest.”

  “I’m going to stay here, not America,” I say around a yawn. “I want to stay with my family.”

  “Good choice as we didn’t want you to go,” Evie tells me as I close my eyes and let myself relax until I fall asleep.

  One Hundred Ten

  Hali

  One year later…

  “Has anyone been able to train with her other than Evie?” I hear Connor ask Trex just outside the training room. Evie hasn’t got here yet but I honestly don’t want her to. My magic is out of control and at best, Evie can defend herself from me but it doesn’t’ mean she isn’t worn out from ten minutes of training with me. Since last year, we have trained once a month but we are no closer to figuring out how to control my magic. I press my forehead into the wall by the door, taking a deep breath as I miss what they say next and come into the room. Connor smiles fondly at me and Trex places his hand on my shoulder.

  “How are you, kid?”

  “Good. Where is Evie?” I reply.

  “Throwing up, I’m afraid,” Connor says and I frown as I cross my arms. Why would she be sick this early in the morning?

  “Evie is pregnant, we found out last night and that means no more training with her. Thankfully we have come up with a solution that you might like,” Trex tells me, lowering his hand and I smile. That’s brilliant news.

  “Congratulations!” I say and hug them both. I can feel the happiness radiating off them both. “Boy or girl this time?”

  “I bet it’s a girl,” Connor says with a grin. “Azi thinks a boy.”

  “Of course he would. Trex?” I ask.

  “Boy,” Trex states with a big smile. “It is a surprise baby but we couldn’t be happier.”

  “Neither can I,” I reply and we all smile at each other until Azi comes into the room. He wraps an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me to his side like I’m a kid.

  “Did you tell her about the king yet? He is waiting in the throne room as we speak and he is a moody asshole from what I can tell,” Azi says and I frown at him as his red eyes meet mine. Most people are scared of Azi, who is a scary ass demon, but he is like a dad to me and I know he is soft on the inside.

  Unless anyone threatens his family. Then he is pure demon through and through.

  “King of what?” I demand, getting a feeling I’m missing out on something big. “And congratulations! I hope you have stocked up on bacon as pregnant Evie eats more than usual. Which is a lot.”

  “The kitchen staff have been told,” Azi grins before looking at Connor and Trex. “Now does Hali know?”

  “We were getting to it,” Connor gruffly says and nods at Trex.

  Trex steps forward. “The king of the witches is downstairs and yes he is the son of the queen you killed. Thankfully, as you know, no one is aware who killed the queen and the witches are still looking for their killer.”

  “Why on earth is he here?” I ask in shock.

  “To train you in exchange for a peace treaty between him and us,” Connor says. “Evie has been working on this for a while but with last night’s news, we knew we had to move up the whole deal so we invited him here.”

  Crossing my arms, I think about it for a moment. “But what if he does know of me?”

  “No one will lay a finger on you,” Azi promises me, squeezing my shoulder.

  Connor sighs. “If he knew, he would have started a war a year ago but the witches didn’t. The prince was eighteen when he took the throne and somewhat naive if reports are right.”

  “What about who I am? He must have heard of the witch that Evie protects with a death mark. He won’t be stupid enough not to put two and two together,” I point out.

  “But you don’t have a mark anymore and as far as the world knows, you never met the queen. We will tell him the rumours are wrong and he can look for himself. He won’t find a mark,” Azi points out. “Come on, kid. What do you have to lose?”

  “My head?” I glower as Azi leads me out and into the corridor. I run my hands over my blue crop top that is a tiny bit too short, showing off my stomach and the tight black leggings I have on for training. I don’t look ready to meet a king.

  Hell, I won’t ever be ready to meet the king when I killed his mother and he doesn’t know. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as we get to the throne room and the two protectors outside bow before pushing the door open. I walk into the throne room and in the middle of the room stands a guy with wavy black hair that falls around his head and curls around his ears. His silver eyes look like a mirror, and contrast against his dark skin. Dressed in smart black trouser and a crisp white shirt, he looks almost like a normal guy except for the black crown with three silver jewels on his head and the giant wolf at this side. The wolf is pure silver, fluffy and stunning with bright blue eyes that stay focused on me as we head into the room.

  “Where is the queen?” The man asks, watching me for an answer and not the kings like he should be doing.

  “She will-,”

  “I am right here. Oh look, we both love animals,” Evie sarcastically states from the side of the room as she walks in, her massive tiger at her side. Dressed in all leather, her hair tied up in a plait, she looks ready for war instead of a peace deal. Star is Evie’s familiar, and they are bonded to the point Evie can sense where Star is and how she feels. It’s an interesting bond to say the least. “Welcome to the city of the protectors and demons. My name is Evie, what is yours?”

  Dragging his eyes from me, he turns to answer her as she stops not far away. “My name is Finn Blackwood, king of the witches and this is my familiar, Forest. It is an honour to meet you and your kings, though I believe we are missing one.”

  “Nix is with our young children,” Evie replies. “But our bond means he can hear my thoughts and therefore this conversation.”

  “Understood. So this must be Hali,” Finn states, turning his eyes back to me. “The witch you protect who is said to have a death mark. Why would you ask me to train such a witch?”

  “I have no mark and I have done nothing but defend myself my entire life because of your coven,” I state.

  “Ah, she speaks,” Finn replies and walks straight to me. Power flickers off his body and I feel a strange sense of interest? No, something more than that as he stops in front of me. Azi and Trex stay extremely close to my side as Finn stares me down. “Why are the kings so fearful of me being near you if you have nothing to hide.”

  “If you harm her-,” Trex starts to warn but Finn laughs, holding his hand up and stepping back.

  “I want to see her neck. Now,” Finn demands, crossing his arms. I nod, stepping forward and away from my family because Finn
is right. I need to show him my family and I have nothing to fear. Lifting my braids away from my neck, I turn around for the king for a moment before truing back, watching his eyes once more. His wolf surprises me by stepping closer and nudging my hand at my side. Lifting my hand with caution, I stroke Forest softly and look up to Finn.

  “Do you trust me now?” my question seems to halt in the tense room unanswered for a long time.

  “We have a deal. I will train you for a month and teach you control over your untamed magic in return, my people will be accepted into the city,” Finn states.

  “We have an agreement. Your training starts today,” Evie agrees, nodding her head once at Finn and he does the same back. “Fair warning, if anyone hurts Hali while she is training with you then I will kill you, your people and any witch who was involved. Do not test my love for Hali, witch king.”

  With that scary as hell warning that give me goose bumps, Evie turns around and walks out of the room with Star following. Azi, Trex and Connor watch Finn with caution before saying goodbye and following Evie out of the room.

  As their footsteps drift away and I’m left alone with Finn, he holds out a hand for me.

  “Are you ready for your first training lesson?”

  “Yes.”

  One Hundred Eleven

  Hali

  “Where the hell are we?” I demand as I crawl out of the snow and stare around at the mountain we are on top of. As a witch, I’m always a little warmer than a human would be so the cold doesn’t freeze me to death, but man it is cold. Forest lies down in the snow, ignoring everything as he seems to go to sleep.

  “Somewhere in Scotland. It doesn’t matter,” Finn, the mad king who just used magic to transport us here states and crosses his arm. He sits down in the snow, crossing his legs and resting his hands face up on top of his knees. “Sit next to me, Hali and copy my stance.”

  Gritting my teeth against the cold air, I sit in the wet snow and copying his position.

  “Our powers are connected to the elements around us. Witches gather energy from anything as simple as a breeze of air or from a growing tree. We harness the energy in our souls in every step we take and change the energy into magic we can control.”

  “I have no control,” I explain to him. “When I call my power, sometimes it comes out in a small trickle of magic and other times it’s an explosion.”

  “Control comes from trust, and there is only one way to find such trust in yourself,” Finn softly explains to me. “You must believe that you can save yourself with magic. You must not be scared of letting go of your magic.”

  “I’m not scared,” I snap but my red cheeks might give it away that I am and embarrassed to admit it.

  “Yes you are. So is every witch that finds their power,” he tells me. “It will destroy you if you fear it, but if you embrace it, the magic will save you.”

  “How? And why are we here?” I ask him.

  “I want you to sense all the natural energy that is in this mountain and embrace the power,” Finn tells me and turns his gaze my way. “Close your eyes and instead of pushing out your magic, just breathe it in.”

  “I don’t think—"

  “I’m not asking you to think, Hali. For witch magic, you must feel,” he says and for a moment I wonder what it felt like for him to lose his mother and not have a clue what happened to her. The guilt burns in my throat as I turn away from him and close my eyes, trying to focus on the mountain I’m sat on. For a long time, I can’t feel anything but the cold air, the heat coming from Finn next to me and the wet snow soaking through my leggings. For so long I just wait for something more, but nothing happens until I push out my magic like I always do. The heat from the magic flickers and crackles around me and I can feel it even though I don’t open my eyes. I hand slams down on my arm and I gasp as power like nothing before crashes into me. I turn my head, opening my eyes to find Finn staring at me in utter confusion.

  “Your magic says you’re mine,” he softly says, leaning in closer. I don’t have a clue what he is talking about, or why he looks like someone just hit him on the head with something. Oddly my magic doesn’t push him away like it does everyone else, it simply exists around us and the same can be said of his magic. Together they make twirls and patterns in the air, mixing in with the snow.

  It’s magnificent.

  Much like the king holding my arm.

  “Your magic is beautiful,” I say and he still stares, lost in deep thought.

  “Witches have true mates, one person in the world made for them. Only our soul mates can touch each other’s magic without cost,” he softly tells me.

  Like I’ve just been hit by a brick, I all but jump back. “I’m your soul mate?”

  “And I’m yours,” he softly smiles. “I knew something was different about you when Forest let you touch him. He usually bites people’s arms off for daring to pet him.” Panic and guilt feel like they swallow me whole as pull my arm out of his grip and climb to my feet, backing away.

  “This is too much. We have just met,” I remind him and he nods in agreement.

  “Agreed. We will train together for the next month until you have control over your magic and possibly then you could come and see my home. Your home,” he states.

  “You shouldn’t trust me,” I warn him.

  He smirks, crossing his arms. “If you can’t trust your true mate, who can you trust?”

  I don’t have an answer for him and eventually we go back to sitting in the snow like nothing happened.

  But everything did.

  One Hundred Twelve

  Hali

  “Eella, you have such pretty hair,” I say, finishing off the four way plait I’ve done in her hair for her, letting locks of white hair fall down her back. She grins at me in the mirror as I pick up her tiara and slide it into her hair, the plaits holding it in place.

  “I want your hair,” Eella replies, turning around and throwing her arms around me for a hug. I hug her back for a moment before she is off, looking for her little brother to cause trouble with no doubt. Evie knocks on Eella’s door once before letting herself in, stopping when she sees me and not Eella. Something in her eyes makes me think she is seeing someone else, a hint of pain mixed in with love. Evie looks amazing in a dark blue dress fit for a queen, her small baby bump on full display. Her long blue hair is curled and parts clipped up, holding her crown in place. It makes me smile to see her look so much like a queen when years ago she wouldn’t have caught dead in a dress and a crown.

  “Wow, Hali. You look so grown up,” Evie softly says as she closes the door behind her, running her eyes over my silver ballgown, fitting for tonight royal party. It’s been over one month since Finn started training me and tonight is the first official night witches are allowed to move into the city. “How did your training with Finn go?”

  “I can control my powers now,” I tightly reply and Evie’s eyebrows raise. “Sorry, he just frustrates me. I’ve enjoyed learning about my powers but he won’t talk about the witches. Or where they live or anything.”

  “And you want to learn your history,” Evie observes. “I understand that. Have you tried asking him to tell you?”

  “He promised to take me to where the witches live after our training is over but that was a week ago and I haven’t seen him since,” I explain.

  “Maybe he meant after the ball tonight,” Evie suggests, eyeing me curiously. “Do you fancy him? Is that it?”

  “Shut up,” I mutter and she laughs as my cheeks burn because she is closer to the truth than I like. I don’t know why I haven’t told a soul about the fact Finn is my true mate. Possibly because it’s more messed up than I can admit.

  “Evie, babe, you ready?” Nix calls from the corridor. Evie winks at me and I groan, knowing damn well she is going to do something that will embarrass me. Before I can beg her not to make this worse, she heads out the room and I glance at myself in the mirror. I’ve had a hairdresser take out my braids for the f
irst time in years and had my hair straightened so it falls in one long wave down my back. My dark skin is far more tanned than usual and my silver eyes shine with my magic like they never have before. I wonder if I look like my mother…I wonder if that’s why Evie looked at me with a slight bit of pain in her eyes. I wish my mother was here and I could ask her about witches, about true mates and about, well, everything. Smoothing my hands down my silky silver dress, I slip my high heels on and head out into the corridor that is littered with protectors and demons in royal guard uniforms. As tonight is new, Evie wanted the royal guard to be in every corridor and room of the tower just in case. I don’t think Finn is out to hurt us, it wouldn’t make any sense if he was. We have been alone for hours every day for a month and he could have taken me for hostage any of those times. From the little I know Finn so far, I suspect he is a good man and he wants peace. Unfortunately if he doesn’t talk to me more, how am I meant to know for sure?

  Many of the royal guards bow their head at me as I pass them, even though I’m not a royal technically but a warden of Evie is enough to gain respect I guess. The sounds of the ball fill the rooms of the tower even before I get to the throne room and see the dozens of people here. The room is full to the rim with demons, protectors, the odd unknown mixture of races, some angel friends of Evie’s and the new addition of witches. Like a sense I didn’t know I had, I feel my own people in the crowd, their magic lacing around them even though no one else can see it. It takes me no longer than a few seconds to find Finn, and hell on a biscuit, he takes my breathe away. Finn has an impeccable black tux fitted perfectly to his body and Forest waits at his side, always the loyal sidekick. Everything about Finn screams masculine and powerful, and damn sexy. His silver eyes turn my way and a smirk fills his lips as he runs his eyes from the top of my head all the way down my body and back up. Excusing himself from the witches and demons around him, he walks over to me and I feel his magic whip around my body like a storm and my magic welcomes him back.