by D. H. Davis
Jessie immediately makes a beeline for Cecile, jumping over incoming vines she’s sending his way and I realise he’s providing a distraction. I look back at Eve and notice she’s climbing one of the weird horizontal trees and that in seconds she’ll be over Cecile’s head.
Jessie doesn’t intend to make it to her at all and as I come to that understanding, he lets himself be caught by one of the thick, brown vines. It wraps itself around his waist and coils up, trapping his arms to his body. Unfortunately for Jessie, this vine has small red thorns all over that pierce his skin.
“I know you’re a vampire, handsome, but did you really think you’d make it through?” Cecile arrogantly toys with Jessie.
Jessie gives a calculated smile out of the corner of his mouth and replies, “Not for a second.”
Before she can contemplate his response, Eve drops down from the branch above Cecile’s head and clings her arms tight around her neck so she is now dangling down her back. Cecile struggles against the resistance now weighing her down, but as it caught her off guard, she doesn’t succeed. Eve flings her legs around Cecile’s waist, steadying herself so she can release her grip on Cecile’s neck and position her hands over the evil witch’s mouth.
“Abscondam!” Eve shrieks, casting her ingenious incantation.
When she removes her hands, she reveals that her magic has hidden Cecile’s mouth. From her pointy nose down there is nothing but pale skin. She resembles something from a horror movie that would give you nightmares for weeks. Eve has removed her ability to speak. Atta girl!
Her eyes show the panic she’s now feeling and she clutches where her mouth used to be. As she does this, her concentration falters, giving Jessie the opportunity to break free from his woodland prison and rapidly heal from the incisions the thorns have made. It also allows time for the others to gain a much needed advantage and blast away the attacking roots and branches.
Eve jumps off Cecile and retreats back to Jessie’s side as the others gather around her watching her squirm. She looks up in horror at my Dad as he commands, “It’s over, Cecile, just lower the circle.”
Mum moves closer to Dad and touches his arm, letting him know she’s with him. He probably needs it after all the revelations of the day, to just know that she hasn’t given up on him. It’s that gesture, though, that prompts the look in Cecile’s eyes to change. If it weren’t for her skin, you would be able to see her blood boiling. Her look changes from fright to fury.
At once, she plunges her hands into the earth at such force that the ground shakes beneath us all. The vigorous vibrations cause a large crack to form across the trunk of an enormous, old oak tree. A harrowing, slow, cracking and popping sound echoes around the clearing. Everyone looks in dread at the tree as it begins to disembark and tilt towards them all.
“Get out of the way!” Albert bellows, instructing everyone to get clear of the falling tree. The cracking sound grows louder as the tree begins to fall quicker and everyone runs in different directions in hysteria, knowing their chances of avoiding a tree that large are slim.
I scream as I watch in terror, still unable to move, to help my loved ones.
There’s a deafening pound that leaves a ringing in my ears as the great oak lands on the ground. Suffocating, dirty dust creates a cloud in the air, obstructing my view. I can’t see where anyone is apart from Cecile, who is stood proudly by the edge of the fire that continues to rage, soaking in the carnage she has caused.
I hear piercing screams but can’t work out whose they are. I try to turn my head to look around but I’m still locked stiff, cursed to wait for the murky dust to settle. When it eventually does after what feels like hours, I can see everyone crowded next to one part of the old oak tree trunk.
I scan the scene. I see Eve with blood dripping out of a gaping cut on her head but standing seemingly okay, Jessie carrying Sammy whose left leg is bleeding heavily through his trousers. Lucile is there too, being held up by Peter who looks dishevelled, both of them covered in muddy cuts and bruises. Then I see Dad, bent forwards, but he’s okay too, apart from a few scrapes, probably from the branches earlier. He’s crouched down nearest to the large oak truck. I can’t quite see what everyone’s looking at to start, but my heart sinks as I realise I can’t see Mum or Albert.
“Mum!” I wail, every inch of me aching to get over there. Lucile looks to me through the flames and solemnly shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
No. I don’t believe it. She isn’t gone. She can’t be. A feeling of nausea overpowers the throbbing and surging my body has been experiencing. Dad drops to the floor, revealing a sight that will haunt me for the rest of my life. My mother’s lifeless body lying underneath the tree with Albert lay motionless next to her. If I thought I was crying before then, I have no idea what I’m doing now. It feels like a tap has been turned on that will never be switched off. There’s a pain in my chest and gut that is cutting me to my core. I don’t have the strength to utter a word.
It’s Cecile that interrupts our grief. We hear her voice, cold and calculated in our minds. She must know a way to reach people telepathically. I didn’t even know it was possible.
“Guess, vampires aren’t as quick as they think.” She looks at Jessie. “You missed two.” If she had her mouth, she’d be smiling. She’s sickly satisfied with herself. “You fools think taking my voice will stop me. Ha! I’ll just borrow someone else’s!”
Before anyone can digest her words, she points to Lucile and takes control of her body, “Amplificet Potentia!” Lucile cries. As soon as the words leave her, she raises her arms and cups her hands over her mouth, trying to stop it. But it’s too late.
The fire around me grows even stronger and I am hit with an explosion of power inside me. The force of it releases me from Cecile’s grip and I slump to the ground, draping my arms on the stone slab Owen is lying upon. I use it to pull myself to my feet once more but this time of my own volition. I see Owen’s almost lifeless body, his every essence draining from him as I soak up what is left of him.
I can’t take this, we’ve lost too many people already. My beautiful, amazing Mum that I have only just realised is the strongest woman I know and Albert the man that’s kept us safe for as long as I can remember. I can’t lose Owen too.
I look back at the others who have snapped into action and are doing their best to strike Cecile. She’s still too strong for them, though. Whatever they throw barely scratches her. Even if they can stop her from syphoning me once this is over, we know she can’t be contained. Who’s to say in another twenty years she won’t wreak havoc again and steal another innocent life?
With anger, hurt and loyalty to those I love at the forefront of my mind, I get an idea. I recognize Cecile’s magic is no longer holding me. With the power now pulsing through me, I know I am stronger than her. The transfer isn’t quite complete and I won’t let it be. Owen’s hanging on by a thread because he’s a fighter but I’ve absorbed enough of him to know that I’m capable of things I wasn’t before. This deep rage that my body and mind are experiencing just magnifies my power.
I lower my left hand, which simmers the flames to half their size, giving me a clearer view of my target. I use my right hand to flick my wrist and summon the crystals around me to form a circle around Cecile. I keep one crystal behind and direct it to the palm of my hand, squeezing it into my cut so it is coated with my blood. I then send it flying into its place, completing the circle around Cecile’s feet.
“Praesido!” I mandate in a clear, strong voice, one I’ve never used before. Instantly the boundary around her is set. She can’t leave and no one else can enter.
She turns to me with laughter in her eyes, “That’s your plan? A boundary.” She snorts inside my head.
“You wouldn’t be the first to underestimate me,” I respond. “I’m just making sure you can’t escape where I’m sending you.”
As I finish my sentence I bend down and scoop up a handful of dirt, shout the incant
ation I read in the Book of Veiled Alchemy, “Partum a loco tenebris!” and blow the dirt out of my hand in the direction of Cecile.
I see the arrogant look in her eyes change to terror as she knows what is coming for her. The dirt begins to swirl above her head, creating a small black hole in the air. She cowers down, throwing her arms in front of her face attempting to shield herself. It’s useless, though. There’s no stopping what I’ve started.
“What’s going on?” Jessie yells.
I can’t reply and break my concentration but luckily Peter answers for me. Of course, he would recognise the magic.
“She’s sending her to a realm of darkness!”
“But how?” Lucile questions, knowing what powerful magic that requires.
“She’s got the power of the sun, the moon, the earth and the sky coursing through her veins,” Dad replies. “It’s genius!”
As the black hole expands, growing closer to its intended victim, I scream the incantation once more. Now the darkness speeds up and swallows Cecile whole before she can think any last words to us.
“Partum a loco tenebris!” I bellow one final time and the darkness reduces to nothing with a high-pitched pop, leaving no trace of itself or Cecile in its wake. She is somewhere she will truly never escape from. She won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.
I hear cheers of victory erupting from everyone but there isn’t time to celebrate. I rush back to Owen’s side and see there are seconds left of the life he’s clinging onto. Almost all of his body is a deathly charcoal grey – all but the space around his heart. Once that changes, he’ll be lost forever.
I don’t have time to explain my actions to anyone. I just have to act. I turn to face my loved ones that are descending towards the ritual circle. I find Jessie’s eyes and mouth to him, “I love you.” I see him try to dart to me but he can’t penetrate the circle until it’s over. I point at a broken branch on the floor and pull my finger backwards towards me. The branch picks itself up and charges at me, at tremendous speed and with ferocious force. I’m strong enough to let it pass through the barrier and plunge itself into my chest.
Chapter Twenty-One
I’m not sure what kind of noise I let out but I know it’s a disturbing one. The flames vanish and the circle disappears as soon as the stick pierces my flesh, and Jessie is instantly there to break my fall. He clutches me in his arms and lowers me gently to the ground. I’m already gasping for air but I manage to get out, “Did it work, is he alive?”
If Jessie wasn’t a vampire, I doubt he would have heard me.
“Owen!” he shouts, distress evident in his voice. “She wants to know if he’s made it.”
He’s instructing someone else to check as he has no intention of leaving my side. I’m seeing blotchy spots in front of me now as my vision deteriorates. I can feel blood pumping out of my wound, covering my hands that instinctively cup the incision of the branch.
“It’s working!” I hear Eve scream back. “His colour is returning and he’s breathing again!”
I’m glad she’s with him. He shouldn’t be on his own. Not that he’s ever admitted it but Eve would be just who he would want at his bedside.
“Brooke, can you hear me?” It’s Dad’s voice now. He’s here too. I try to look at him but all I can see is darkness with the odd flash of colour. My eyes are failing me and I know it won’t be long before everything else does too.
“Dad, don’t let her die too!” I hear Sammy cry.
“Don’t worry, Sammy, I can heal her, it’s fine, there’s still time. Lucile, Peter, quick, let’s channel.” I might not be able to see him or speak but I have enough strength left to sense where he is and I raise my blood soaked hand and grab him tight and shake my head. I think I’m doing it firmly but in my current state, I imagine it’s slow and weak.
“Brooke, I have to, you’re going to die!” he pleads with me.
“That’s what she wants,” Eve interrupts.
About time, she got in my head and started advocating for me.
“If you heal her, Owen will die and she won’t be the reason anyone else dies.” Eve’s struggling to get her words out in between her tears. I know how hard this must be for her. It would be so easy to lie about what’s in my head but she knows me well enough to know I would never forgive her.
“It’s not your fault, Brooke. It’s mine!” Dad sobs. “I’ve let you all down and now your mother and my best friend are gone. I’m not losing you too.”
“She wants us to let her go, it’s the only way. If you heal her she’ll just hurt herself again and again until she succeeds.” Eve expresses my wishes.
Several people let out wails and begin blubbering but I struggle to distinguish between them.
Jessie tightens his hold on me and kisses my forehead.
“We’ve only just found each other, witchy, you can’t leave me now.” Even he sounds like he’s crying. Is that even possible, do vampires have tears?
“She says if she could be with you forever then she would, she’s never felt this way about anyone before but this is how it has to be and if you love her, then you need to let her go.” Eve relays, in-between sobs.
I wish I didn’t have to communicate through her, it must be so painful for her but no matter how hard I try to utter a word, I can’t.
“Dean, she wants you to be better, she wants you to open your eyes and your heart and be the leader she would have been. She wants you to be brave for Sammy.” Eve turns to Sammy, “Sammy she wants you to be strong too and tell Dad when he’s being an arse.” I cough and start spluttering blood out of my mouth. I know there isn’t long left. I reach for Jessie’s hand and grip it as tight as my weak body will allow.
“Did you mean it?” I hear Dad ask, but I’m unsure who he’s speaking to.
“Mean what?” Jessie replies, answering my question.
“Do you really love her?”
I don’t know why Dad’s asking this now or why it’s remotely relevant but Jessie strokes my face and replies, “More than anything.” I smile at his words, even on the verge of death he can make me melt.
“Then bite her.”
If I had the ability, I would snort. That is not what I expected to come from my Dad’s mouth.
“What?!” Jessie exclaims, thoroughly confused, as are Eve and Sammy because I hear them gasp.
“I’m serious, turn her!” Dad shouts.
“She’ll lose her powers,” Jessie protests.
“No, she won’t,” Peter’s voice interjects.
There’s a silence for what feels like forever but considering mine and Owen’s lives are hanging in the balance, it was probably a few seconds.
“How do you know?” Jessie demands, wondering what we all must be.
“She was right that we were holding back on the war between our species,” Peter continues. “There’s a valid detail we left out.” His words are broken, like he’s struggling to get it out so Lucile’s voice takes over.
“When Frances’ coven were murdered, Theodore didn’t kill Frances, he turned her.”
“What difference does that make?” I hear Sammy pipe up.
Now it’s Dad’s turn to provide a revelation.
“She became a hybrid. The first of her kind. Both witch and vampire. More powerful than either being on its own. If there is a true bond of love between the vampire and the witch that they are turning, then they are able to keep their prior identity too. If not, then the vampirism over takes the witchcraft.”
“Why the lies then? Why the war, the truce?” Jessie asks confused but squeezing my hand, letting me know there is hope.
“Because the elders at the time thought it better to hide this knowledge. Can you imagine if either side knew it was possible? A whole new race could be made, one that could wipe out both witches and vampires, if it wanted to. Hybrids were too dangerous, Frances proved that.”
“What did she do?” Eve asks.
“It wasn’t Theodore that slaughtered
the coven,” Peter informs everyone and the harrowing facts hit home. The war was based on lies. Witches caused all these years of torment and hatred out of fear.
I cough up more blood and begin making a high-pitched, wheezing noise and my chest tightens. I know I’m drawing my last breaths.
“Now, Jessie! Do it now, before it’s too late!” Dad shouts at him, urging him to bite me.
“There’s no guarantee she’ll even survive the bite, I have to put venom right into her neck, most people can’t handle it.” Jessie stresses, “And what if she wakes up some crazy, murderous, psycho?”
Thank god, Jessie asks the question because I do not want to be turned into a monster. I’m dying so I won’t kill one person, not to come back and kill everyone.
“She has the power of the sun, moon, sky and earth inside her, if that doesn’t give her a fighting chance I don’t know what will. But that’s what it is,” Dad pleads, “…a chance. She’s dying anyway, so what do we have to lose?”
I muster what little energy I have left in my being and think as loudly as I can so Eve can receive my message.
“I promise,” she replies giving me the answer I wanted. “She wants you to do it, Jess.”
I decide it’s worth a shot as this way I’ll still die, which should save Owen, but I might come back.
Jessie places my head carefully on the ground. My eyes are closed and all my senses are failing me but I manage to quietly hear his whisper in my ear.
“I love you, witchy. Now hang on, this is gonna hurt like hell.”
I feel his fangs plunge deep into my neck. It doesn’t feel as bad as I expect, more painful obviously than when he’s bit my hand but totally less painful than this branch hanging out of my chest. Then it hits. A searing pain expanding throughout my body. Now I know what his warning meant. There is most definitely a difference between a vampire casually biting you and a vampire intending to turn you. The venom burns my veins, inducing me into spasm. My body is writhing in torment but it isn’t long before it stops and everything simply becomes numb. I try to move but I can’t and that’s when I know, death is truly descending.
