Dark Coven

by J. C. Diem

  Pretending to be irritated by my request, Kala frowned and tore her eyes away from her phone. “You just ate an hour ago.”

  It was true and I smiled winsomely. “I’m a growing girl and I’m hungry again,” I shrugged.

  Rolling her eyes, Kala heaved a sigh and reached for the menu. “Mom and Dad are going to be pissed if we’re late,” she complained. It wasn’t much of a stretch to pretend to be sisters. We lived together and were almost a pack, or pride in her case. We didn’t look anything alike, but not all siblings looked like carbon copies of each other.

  “They won’t mind if we’re half an hour behind schedule,” I wheedled and slurped down more of the milkshake.

  “Fine. You can take the blame if they ground us. What do you want?”

  I took my time to peruse the menu and settled on bacon and eggs. It would take at least fifteen minutes to cook and I’d stretch out the meal for as long as I could. Heaving herself to her feet, Kala retreated to the counter to put in our order. She made it a double order so it would take Kate longer to prepare it.

  My stomach should have rebelled against eating two breakfasts in such a short space of time. My metabolism had been boosted since becoming a shifter and I ate the entire meal, if more slowly than usual. Kala dawdled through hers as well. She was playing the role of a bored older sister well. Keeping most of her attention on her cell phone, she was doing her best to ignore me. In light of what she’d told me about her attention span earlier, maybe it wasn’t an act at all.

  Trying to blend in, I took my own cell phone out and started playing a game. My reflexes were much better now and the game posed little challenge. I pretended to be absorbed while keeping one eye on the target. Kate watched us covertly while cleaning the counter.

  An elderly man entered and shuffled over to the counter to order coffee. He took a seat halfway between us and the two little old ladies. A newspaper was folded under his arm. He opened it and began to read. I could easily read the print as he turned the page. The top story was about the missing tourist. The local sheriff had no leads, which wasn’t much of a surprise. The coven wouldn’t have left any clues that would implicate them.

  Pushing her plate away at last, Kala left some money on the table and motioned for me to follow her. “It’s time for us to hit the road.” Four sets of eyes watched us with varying degrees of suspicion as we stepped outside.

  The SUV was waiting around the corner right where Reece said it would be. We climbed inside and drove back across the town line. Again, I watched for a tail and didn’t spot one.

  Kala pulled over to pick Reece up when he stepped out from the trees just past the town line. It was strange to have him sitting in the backseat rather than being behind the wheel. He sat on the edge of the seat, which put him almost close enough to touch.

  I kept my eyes on the road ahead rather than on the rearview mirror. The air conditioning was cold enough to make a normal human shiver, but I could still feel the warmth of his skin radiating towards me. I couldn’t afford to be distracted right now. Dwelling on how warm he made me feel would be a very bad idea.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Ten

  Kala parked in the small lot behind the B&B. We filed in through the backdoor that led us past the kitchen. Margaret emerged and blinked at us in surprise. She hadn’t expected us to return so soon. “Can I get you kids anything?” she asked.

  “A pot of coffee would be great,” Kala said with a smile. “We’ll take it in the parlor, if you don’t mind.” We didn’t need to search the building to know where Mark and Flynn were. We heard them talking even before we’d entered the building.

  “Of course, dear,” Margaret beamed. “Does this mean you’ll be having lunch here after all?”

  “Yes,” Reece said. “We’ve had a change of plans.” He didn’t elaborate further and continued on down the hall. We trooped inside the parlor with Reece in the lead and me bringing up the rear.

  Mark had washed up and had changed into a fresh suit. Still pale from his sudden copious blood loss, he was alert enough. “How are you feeling?” I asked as I took a seat on the chaise lounge across from him. Kala sat beside me and Reece took the armchair that was positioned between our two lounges.

  His smile was wan. “I’m fine. It takes more than a nosebleed to keep me down.” It had been the worst nosebleed I’d ever seen. He’d probably lost a pint of blood before we’d left town. I didn’t even want to think what would have happened if we’d been any slower.

  “He’s tough,” Flynn said. “For a human,” he added as an afterthought.

  My laugh choked off when shadowy figures appeared all around us. I surged to my feet and the others did the same. Looking around wildly, they reached for their weapons. They couldn’t see what I could and they had no idea what had startled me.

  “What is it, Lexi?” Mark asked. His gun was in his hand and he was ready to shoot at anything that moved.

  “The ghosts are back,” I said. They didn’t look like they were going to attack, but it was still a shock to be surrounded by the dead.

  “How many are there?” Kala asked. “Is it all five this time?”

  “There’s a lot more than five,” I replied and did a quick headcount. “There’s more like fifty of them.” All of them were staring at me in a combination of hope and fear. I knew they wanted to communicate with me, but I didn’t have any handy steam or a mirror to use this time.

  “What do they want?” Mark asked and motioned for us to return to our seats. I was the only one who hadn’t bothered to reach for my gun. Bullets were no use against spirits. The others put their weapons away. We sat down only moments before Margaret appeared with her trolley full of beverages and snacks.

  Seeing my strained expression, she did a double take. “Are you feeling alright, dear? You look a little peaked.”

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “My stomach is feeling bit upset.” That was true. It was churning unpleasantly.

  “I’ll bring you some tea. I’m sure it will suit you far better than coffee,” she decided without asking for my opinion. Kala made a face at the offer. She hated tea.

  Mark waited for her to leave before he leaned in. “I have an idea, but it would be best if we waited until dark before we try it.”

  Somehow, I knew his idea was going to be something strange. “What’s your plan?”

  “I want to hold a séance.”

  My mouth dropped open at his reply. “Are you serious?”

  “Deadly serious,” he said and his expression was calm. “The spirits of this house clearly want to communicate with you. A séance would be our best chance to make that happen.”

  The ghosts turned to consult each other silently then nodded and faded. My tension drained away as they disappeared. Margaret bustled inside and I waited for her to finish fussing over me and leave before I spoke. “The ghosts agree with your plan.”

  “What are they doing right now?” Mark asked. Even with all of his experience, he hadn’t encountered ghosts before.

  “They’re not here anymore. They faded away after they all decided they liked your plan.”

  Kala mulled over our plight as she poured coffee for everyone but me. I picked up the only teacup on the tray. “A Ouija board might be a good idea,” she decided. “That’s how people usually communicate with the dead, isn’t it?”

  Mark had come to the same conclusion. “I’ll drive to the nearest large town and see if I can locate one.”

  “You mean I’ll drive,” Reece argued. “You’re in no shape to be behind the wheel.”

  “You two go, I’ll stay here and protect the women folk,” Flynn said solemnly. He grinned at the sour looks that Kala and I gave him. We were the last females who needed protection. Both of us were strong enough to dismember a human with our bare hands. Plus, we had guns and plenty of ammunition. If anyone needed protection here, it was the bad guys rather than us.

  Finishing off their coffee, Mark and Reece left on their mini missio
n. Kala quickly grew bored. “I’m going to fall asleep if I sit around here for much longer. I’m going to go for a walk.” Heaving herself to her feet, she ambled out through the front door, leaving Flynn and me alone in the parlor.

  “Do you really think your Mom passed the ability to see ghosts to you?” Flynn asked.

  “I have no idea. I was too young to remember her when she died and Dad rarely talks about her.”

  His expression was both sympathetic and melancholy. He’d been taken from his parents when he was a toddler. I might not remember my mom, but at least I knew my father. Reece, Kala and Flynn knew nothing about their families at all.

  “Is a Ouija board really going to work?” I said to change the topic. Katrina was the last person I wanted to talk about. I had a superstitious notion that mentioning her would somehow conjure her up. It was daytime, so it was a stupid idea. Vampires couldn’t leave their lairs until after dark.

  “If a ghost can leave a message in a steamy mirror, a Ouija board shouldn’t be a problem for them.”

  “I wonder if the ghosts have ever tried to contact anyone else?”

  “If they have, I’d be willing to bet that person didn’t survive long.”

  Coming to the notice of the coven was obviously a very bad idea. They hadn’t been happy to discover that someone had tripped their wards and they’d reacted instantly. I didn’t know what they’d planned to do if they found us, but I suspected it would be unpleasant.

  Kala returned from her walk after about an hour and plonked down next to me on the couch. “Did I miss anything?” she asked.

  “Margaret brought us some homemade chocolate chip cookies,” Flynn said with a sly grin.

  She surged back to her feet. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  “I just did,” he said to her back as she darted into the hallway.

  She returned with a plateful of cookies and a fresh mug of coffee. One thing I could say about Dawson’s Retreat was that their food was fantastic. “I’d be the size of a house if I lived here,” I mock-complained, holding a cookie in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

  “Nah,” Kala argued with crumbs falling from her mouth as she spoke. “We burn off food too quickly to be able to put on much weight.” That seemed to be true. I had to eat far more often than I ever had before just to stop myself from feeling hungry all the time.

  Mark and Reece returned half an hour later. I’d had two cups of tea by then and had reached my limit. I politely refused Margaret’s offer for a fresh cup when she appeared just as the agents sat down. I much preferred coffee to tea. I did accept her offer of lunch, though.

  We made casual small talk until she returned with a gigantic plate of sandwiches. Some of the other guests had also returned for lunch. Sensing that we wished to speak in private, Margaret was kind enough to allow us to remain in the parlor.

  “Did you manage to find a Ouija board?” Kala asked quietly when our hostess left. We’d be able to hear anyone approaching long before they could attempt to listen in.

  Mark nodded. “It wasn’t easy and we had to travel to another town before we finally located a store that sold them. I left it in the SUV.”

  That had been a wise move. We wouldn’t want Margaret or Edward to stumble across it by accident. They’d probably think we were crazy and would send us packing. Worse, they might call the cops. The local sheriff had to be beneath the coven’s control. He or she would no doubt alert the witches and our cover would be blown.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Eleven

  After lunch, we went our separate ways with the intention of coming back together again for dinner. Kala was taking a nap and Reece and Flynn had gone for a jog. Mark was also in his room, probably performing more research.

  I spent a few hours sitting on my bed reading through the PIA archives. I’d stored a bunch of files that mentioned vampires on my laptop. The oldest one dated back to a time long before the Paranormal Investigation Agency had officially existed.

  Roughly four hundred years ago, a priest in England had gathered a small group of people together to fight monsters. They’d slowly grown in number and had later spread to other countries. Now our organization was world-wide, if still unknown to the general populace.

  The priest’s name had been Thomas. He’d kept a detailed and illustrated journal of the strange things that he’d seen and of the monsters that he’d slain. I wished I could read his journal from start to finish, but each case had been split up into different categories. Fortunately, his notes had been translated from ye olde English into more modern terminology.

  I’d already read the report of his first encounter with a master vampire and his nest. It was fascinating enough to read a second time. Quickly absorbed by the tale, I almost felt as if I was there as I read the account.

  Thomas had written that word had spread to London of a tiny, remote village that had suffered a terrible tragedy. All twenty inhabitants had either been killed or had gone missing. Curious, he’d decided to investigate.

  People from the neighboring town had discovered and buried the bodies. They’d been interred for several weeks by the time he arrived on horseback. Being summer, their decomposition was already well advanced. He didn’t allow that to stop him from investigating their wounds.

  Thomas had dug up all eight of the corpses over the course of two days. While he hadn’t seen a victim of a vampire attack before, the wounds indicated that one had most likely been responsible for their deaths. Closer examination determined that the bite marks were identical. He knew he was searching for a single culprit. Now that the creature had created a dozen minions, the number of vampires had risen to thirteen. It was an ill-omened figure.

  Placing the corpses back in their graves, he rode to the neighboring town. The tavern was packed with frightened villagers. If he’d arrived after dark, they’d probably have attacked him with the wooden stakes they were trying so hard to hide.

  Wary of strangers, at first they didn’t want to discuss the doomed village with him. They were only willing to talk to him after he opened his scuffed travel bag and showed them his own crudely made wooden stake.

  After that, he’d become an honorary member of their town. They told him of several more attacks on isolated farmhouses nearby. The nest hadn’t moved on as he’d feared. Instead, they had a lair somewhere in the area.

  Thomas asked if any of the townsfolk were willing to lend him a bloodhound. He was hoping the beast would be able to track down the fiends. One of the men had a farm nearby and agreed to his request. He offered the priest a bed for the night and Thomas accepted. Fearing to be out after dark, the pair travelled to the farm well before the sun had set.

  The baying of several hounds greeted them as they arrived. Four dogs moved to surround their horses. They ran towards the house at the farmer’s order. He wasn’t willing to leave his dogs outside after dark. Vampires would eat anything if they were desperate enough. Their horses would have to fare for themselves, being too large to fit inside.

  Stepping inside, he saw that fortifications had been made. Wooden boards had been nailed over the windows from the inside and brackets had been added to either side of the door. The farmer, Harold, looked sheepish as he slid a thick wooden plank into place. It was doubtful that his precautions would work. At best, they would slow the undead monsters down for a few seconds. Braids of garlic hung from the rafters and wooden crosses had been nailed to every wall. They would provide much better protection.

  After a sleepless night, the pair prepared themselves as best they could. Thomas gratefully accepted a necklace made of garlic cloves from his host. While it was pungent, he didn’t hesitate to place it around his neck. Harold handed him half a dozen spare stakes and chose one of his dogs to accompany them.

  They waited for dawn to arrive before commencing their journey. It took them longer than Harold anticipated to travel the distance and it was late afternoon by the time they arrived.

  Several days had passed
since the property had been attacked. It had rained since then and it took some time before the hound picked up the bloodsuckers’ trail. Howling in distress, she rebelled against following the path they’d taken. Harold calmed her down eventually. Eyes rolling wildly, she reluctantly led them several miles to a cave.

  Their horses balked as they also smelled the vampires. Thomas and his companion rode back down the trail until their mounts calmed again. They tethered the horses to a tree and Harold ordered his hound to stay with them.

  It was dangerously close to sundown when they approached the cave on foot. The entrance was mostly hidden behind a screen of half dead vines. Night would soon fall and Thomas knew they had to move fast. Miles from town or any other form of shelter, they had no choice but to put an end to the nest now.

  Shifting the vines aside, just enough light filtered inside for Thomas to make out thirteen mounds of dirt on the cave floor. The creatures had buried themselves so they’d be protected from the sun.

  Stepping over the mounds, the priest and the farmer knelt beside the grave at the back of the cave. It made sense to Thomas that the master would put his lackeys between himself and the entrance. Kneeling, he began to dig while his companion held a stake ready.

  Unearthing the pale, handsome face of a man in the prime of his life, the priest reached for his stake just as the sun was going down. The fiend’s eyes opened and latched onto his, instantly draining him of his will. The thing spoke, instructing him to remove the necklace of garlic. Helplessly ensnared, Thomas obeyed. If it hadn’t been for his companion, he’d have become a meal for the monster.

  Petrified, yet steadfast, Harold held his stake in both hands and dropped to his knees. The sharpened wood pierced the vampire’s chest and black, viscous blood sprayed from his mouth. Snapped out of his befuddlement, Thomas was splattered by the noisome fluid. Fearing he’d become infected, he frantically wiped his face with his sleeve.