The Witch’s Daughter

by Paula Brackston

  We have been much occupied with readying ourselves for the battle ahead. I have had to move Tegan’s instruction forward at an unseemly pace, but necessity dictates speed. To begin, we followed a week of rituals, each bound to the traits and strength of the given day. We made particular effort with our incantations and spell casting on the Tuesday, this being the day for addressing the resisting of negative spells. It is hard enough for Tegan to have broken the thrall of love; I must do my utmost to free her from Gideon’s darker hold. At the week’s end, I consecrated two charms—a silver pentagon for myself, to aid my own magic, and an amethyst for Tegan. This stone is linked with the Sabbat of Samhain, and will help protect her.

  Yesterday I asked Tegan to stay for the night so that we could perform rituals and prayers to weaken Gideon. She was keen to take part, but I sensed a nervousness as we walked toward the copse. It was a coal-black night, and she carried her candle low so that I could not read the expression on her face. The querulous note in her voice, however, gave her away.

  ‘Will he be able to hear us?’ she asked.

  ‘Hear us?’

  ‘When we’re chanting. I don’t mean hear our voices, but, well, you know, pick up what we are saying somehow. What we are doing.’

  We had reached the center of the copse, and she set down the bundle of things I had given her to carry.

  ‘All magic sends out signals,’ I told her. ‘So yes, he will be aware of our … activity.’

  ‘But will he know it’s aimed at him? At weakening him?’

  I could see she sought reassurance, but honesty was imperative if I was to maintain her trust.

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘He will very quickly see precisely what we are about.’

  ‘Isn’t that going to be dangerous? Won’t he try to stop us?’

  ‘Knowing Gideon as I do, I suspect he will merely be amused.’

  ‘What? He’ll laugh at us?’

  ‘At our attempts to in some way threaten him, yes.’

  Tegan gave a derisory snort. ‘Bloody marvelous! That creature has got me terrified half out of my mind, and he thinks that’s funny.’ She was cross now, and I was pleased to see it. She stomped about, lighting the fire, muttering insults.

  ‘Let him laugh,’ I said. ‘Better he does not consider us a real danger. That way we can continue to summon all the help we might find without him stopping us. Here, add these bay leaves to the fire. Then come over to the stone altar. It should be you who writes his name on the parchment.’

  ‘Why me? You’re the one he’s been stalking for centuries, not me.’

  ‘There is strength in unity, Tegan. The greater part you take in these proceedings, the better we work together, the more effective we will be.’

  She stooped over the low stone and scratched the word Gideon onto the rough creamy surface of the parchment.

  ‘Good. Now roll it up and come and stand beside me close to the fire. First, I will say a prayer to speak to the departed, to aid those who might linger between worlds. If I help them to find their true home, they may help us when our moment comes. After that, we will consign your writing to the flames.’

  I closed my eyes and focused on the stirring magic within me. The late autumn air was chill but calm. An owl screeched encouragement from the oak tree behind me. Tiny voices whispered from myriad unseen beings. I held my arms open to the fire and began to chant,

  O flame that burns glory bright

  Be a beacon on this quiet night

  Light the path for all the Dead

  That they may see the way ahead

  Lead them to the Summerland

  And shine till Pan comes to take their hands

  And with Your light, bring them peace

  That they may rest and sleep with ease.

  I moved my hands and blue flames joined the scarlet and the orange, then yellow and green too. Tegan gasped.

  ‘Step closer,’ I told her. I raised my voice again,

  Cleansing inferno, take this name upon this advent of Samhain. Feed on the strength it bears, claim it for your own. Take from our foe and give to us you power.

  I indicated to Tegan that the moment had come. She raised the parchment, holding it high for a moment before throwing it onto the fire. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, with alarming ferocity, the flames leaped skyward, the blaze so intense it lit up the heavens and forced us both to stagger backward.

  ‘Hold fast!’ I grabbed Tegan’s arm. ‘We must stand our ground.’

  She cried out, turning her face away from the source of the heat, shielding her eyes with her arm. ‘We’ll be burned!’

  ‘No! We must not retreat!’ Even as I spoke, I could smell singeing hair. The whole night had been illuminated by the fire so that the brightness as much as the temperature became painful. Tegan let out a scream of terror. I took my athame from my belt and held it aloft. ‘We will prevail!’ I shouted into the maelstrom.

  At once, everything was silent. The blaze vanished, leaving only smoldering embers. Soothing darkness returned. The moment passed.

  Tegan dared to look around her once more. When she met my gaze, I saw a mixture of awe and fear. I knew what she was thinking. If this was a tiny fraction of Gideon’s rage and power, what chance would we have when we finally faced him?

  OCTOBER 18—THIRD QUARTER

  I have been pleasantly surprised by Tegan’s resilience. She herself admits to being a little uncomfortable at how easily she is able to lie when she needs to. I tell her it is for a righteous cause. She has been inventive and resourceful in finding ways to avoid any more contact with Ian than she can stand. I noticed yesterday that she has made the transition from fear to anger. This is a crucial step, which has lent her great strength, every bit of which she will need in the coming days.

  OCTOBER 26—GIBBOUS MOON

  Our preparations are nearing an end. I kept vigil at my shrine two nights ago, making small offerings and praying to anyone who might listen. I asked the Goddess for her help. I am going to need it. I am fearful for Tegan. I must not fail her. Whatever happens, I will not allow her to become another of Gideon’s victims in his pursuit of me. There has been enough dying. Enough heartbreak. Enough killing. It ends now.

  NOVEMBER 1

  It feels weird, writing in someone else’s diary, but I think it is what Elizabeth wanted me to do. Someone has got to write down what happened, and nobody else is going to do it, are they? I still can’t believe that what went down last night really happened. Every minute of it is sharp in my head, but it’s too mad. It’s too much to take in.

  I persuaded Gideon to take me to the woods like Elizabeth told me. I can’t think of him as Ian anymore. I’d hate myself if I did. So, we went on his bike, took a rucksack with some food and a few beers. I told him I’d heard it was a really spooky place, great for Halloween. We could camp there all night. And Gideon was cool with the idea. Did he suspect? Did he know it was a trap? Maybe it was what he wanted. Beats me. Point was, he agreed to go and didn’t ask too many awkward questions. We must have got there about eight. The woods were much bigger than I’d expected. I thought, oh my God, how am I supposed to take him to the right spot? But it was like he knew where to go. Took us straight to it.

  We got the bike in quite a long way, then walked a bit. It was seriously spooky. Really, really still. Silent. We had a torch and a paraffin lamp from the boat. We got to this sort of clearing. About the size of a football field. Lots of brambles and nettles but no trees. Just a few stumps. It was weird, all these tall trees around, oaks and beech—Elizabeth taught me which was which. There was this seriously uncool vibe. I tried to keep it light, opened a couple of bottles and sat down with the food, but I could tell he was really affected by the place. Elizabeth said he would be. She said he knew it from long, long ago. I think, now that I’ve seen it, I know what she was talking about. There was no house, but there could have been once. And the clearing and the stumps? It looked a lot like I had imagined when she told me about Be
ss. In the woods. With Gideon.

  ‘Do you want a beer?’ I asked him. The way he was pacing about was just making me even more nervous.

  For a moment, he didn’t seem to hear me, then he turned and smiled.

  ‘Sure, why not?’ he said, as he sat down beside me.

  I handed him a bottle and he held his hand over mine as he took it. I had to make myself let him, when all I really wanted to do was pull away.

  ‘Lovely Tegan,’ he said. ‘So young. So sweet.’

  ‘This is a great place. All this fresh air is giving me an appetite.’ I withdrew my hand so that I could dig in the rucksack for food. ‘I’m going to have a sandwich, d’you want one?’

  ‘Maybe later.’ He gently took the bag from me and set it down. He held my hand, stroking my palm with his thumb. With his other hand, he brushed my hair from my face. He seemed to be searching my expression, studying me. I felt his fingers stroke my cheek and then travel down my throat. He leaned forward and kissed me, soft and slow. I shuddered—I couldn’t help myself. If he noticed, he didn’t show it. He let his hand wander down and started undoing the zip on my jacket. ‘It’s been a while,’ he whispered, never for a second taking his eyes off my face, watching my reaction.

  Oh God, I thought, I can’t! I just can’t.

  ‘I’ve been busy,’ I said lamely.

  ‘But now we’re here. Just the two of us. In this lovely place.’ He kissed me again, harder this time.

  ‘Wait,’ I said, wriggling away.

  ‘Wait?’

  ‘I mean, it’s early. Let’s have a drink. Help us relax a bit.’

  ‘Aren’t you relaxed with me, Tegan? What’s making you so nervous?’

  I couldn’t think of anything to say. It was as if he was looking right into me, reading everything I was thinking. As if he was just playing with me now, enjoying my suffering.

  Then, suddenly, Elizabeth was there. Standing behind him. I never heard her come, never noticed the slightest movement, but there she was. She looked amazing. I had never seen her looking like that. Never seen anyone looking like that. She was wearing this green dress, long, with a raggedy hem with gold braid, and the same sort of thing going on with the sleeves. Her hair was loose—I never knew it was that long. It sort of blew about like there was a wind, but there wasn’t. It was completely still. Not a leaf moved. She glowed. All of her just glowed. Like she was lit up from inside. She was like a goddess of the woods. She had her staff with her. And a knife in her belt, the black-handled one.

  Gideon knew she was behind him. His expression changed. He didn’t look round, but he knew all right. He stood up really slowly. Then he smiled and blew me a kiss. Bastard! Like he was reminding me what we’d done. What I’d let him do. Then he began to change. Made my skin crawl to watch, but I couldn’t look away. Soon he was the Gideon I had seen in the pool, all dark hair and seductive eyes. Nothing left of my Ian. Gone. Completely gone. He turned his back on me. Elizabeth didn’t flinch when she saw his face—she must have been expecting it.

  ‘Bess,’ he said, making the end of her name sound like a hissing snake, ‘or would you prefer Eliza? Elise? Elizabeth?’ There was that dangerous smile again.

  Elizabeth seemed taller than usual. Now I could see that her feet didn’t touch the ground. She was levitating, just about a foot or so, but it made her well taller than him. When she spoke, her voice was different. Sort of louder but not harsh. Like a giant bell that’s been rung and the sound still hangs in the air.

  ‘It matters not what you choose to call me, Gideon. I am your nemesis.’ There was a calmness about her. A strength I hadn’t seen before.

  ‘My dear, you do like to try to provoke me, don’t you? All these years I have done my utmost to help you realize you are my true bride, and all you can do is think of my destruction.’

  ‘You will be destroyed, Gideon. Too many people have been harmed because of you. I won’t allow it to continue, not in my name.’ She glanced over at me. Gideon noticed.

  ‘How it must have tortured you to know that I had seduced your new little friend,’ he said. ‘Were you jealous, Bess? Did you envy her or me? I wonder.’

  ‘Leave the girl alone. You have caused her more than enough pain already.’

  ‘She was’—he started to wave a hand in my direction—‘a pleasant diversion, though a little ingénue for my taste. What did you think I would do with her? Besides the obvious, I mean. Which, I have to say, she enjoyed very much.’ As he spoke, I could feel this terrible cold cover me, like I was under an avalanche. I started to shiver. My teeth began to rattle in my head. I could tell by the look on Elizabeth’s face that something bad was going down. I looked at my hands and screamed. They were all wrinkled and shriveled, like an old crone. I pulled up my sleeve; my arms were the same. I felt my face. It was all sagged with deep wrinkles all over it. I was so close to panicking. Then Elizabeth raised her staff. She banged it on the ground and pointed it at me. And it stopped. Whatever Gideon was doing to me, it stopped. Just like that. My skin went back to normal. The coldness went. As if it had never happened. I so wanted to run. But somehow I stayed.

  ‘Why, Bess, I am impressed. You must have been practicing. And here I was thinking you had shunned your magic. Could it be that you have at last given up trying to pretend you are not a witch, eh?’

  ‘It was not being a witch I rejected. It was being empowered by you. A witch born of a warlock’s magic is cursed, you know that.’

  ‘I so dislike the name warlock.’

  ‘It is what you are. No good witch, female or male, would do what you do. Your power should be a force for good, or have you forgotten that?’

  ‘Should, shouldn’t … how can one apply rules to such a thing as magic, Bess?’ He began to drift upward, then lay down in midair, as if he was on a sofa, resting on one elbow. ‘You know it still isn’t too late—you could join me. You know how powerful we would be together. You have tasted a little of that power, and I think you rather like it, don’t you? Of course, you are not going to admit it.’ He sighed. ‘There is a prim streak in you, Bess, that is really most unappealing.’

  ‘You are wrong, Gideon, it is too late. Much too late.’

  Behind Elizabeth, the woods began to move, to heave and twist, as if all the trees were coming alive, as if they were pulling at their roots, trying to get free. A thin, cold wind started whistling through the branches. It seemed to come from nowhere, but of course it didn’t. It was Elizabeth who summoned it up. Now the trees started swaying and lurching all in unison, as if they were dancing. It was the most incredible sight, the whole forest alive and moving because Elizabeth willed it. I found myself standing completely still, as if I had sprouted roots while the trees had abandoned theirs. I wondered, for a second, if Elizabeth had bewitched me too. Had she cast some sort of protection around me, maybe? It was odd, but I didn’t feel like running away anymore. I was where I was meant to be.

  The ground started to tremble, then shake. Dry leaves flew up in a whirlwind of rustling, bronze and gold glinting under the supernatural moonlight. At last the trees broke free! One or two at first, and then more and more. Huge oaks and ash trees and all types, their trunks sucking in and out as if they were breathing, their great branches reaching forward as they marched toward Gideon. Elizabeth held her ground as they advanced, letting them stomp past her, closer and closer. Gideon didn’t move. He didn’t so much as register surprise. He waited. Waited until the trees were so very close, almost close enough to reach out and smash him with their enormous limbs. Almost but not quite. He put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, chest puffed out, and drew in a deep breath. One of the biggest oaks was level with him now, and for a moment I thought Gideon had mistimed things badly and that he was about to be hammered into the ground, but I should have known better. Should have known him better. He exhaled, sending his foul-smelling breath forward with an ear-shattering roar. It wasn’t human, that breath, and it wasn’t just air, either. It was yellow and
sulfurous and rancid, and it came out with a force you could never imagine. A force that blew all those trees, all those mighty oaks, hundreds of years old and weighing God knows how much—it blew them all back into the forest as if they were straws. And it blew Elizabeth with them. She was knocked backward, flung through the air, and landed awkwardly against some of the fallen trees. At the exact same moment, I felt myself freed. Freed and exposed, as if whatever protection Elizabeth had constructed around me had been broken. I turned to run to her, to help her, but suddenly the sky went black, as if the bright moon had been blotted out by something. I looked up and wished I hadn’t when I saw what was gathering above me. Bats, thousands of them. And not just harmless little pipistrelles. These things were huge, bigger than crows, and they shrieked as they began to swoop down. I barely had time to cry out before they were on me. They knocked me down and clutched at me with their unnaturally sharp claws. I tried to beat them off, but there were too many. One bit my hand, its fangs cutting straight through the skin and deep into the flesh. I wanted to scream, but they were after my face, my eyes, everywhere. And through it all, I could hear Gideon laughing. Laughing! One tried to latch onto my throat with its hideous vampire fangs. I thought it was going to get me. I couldn’t see a way out, but then there came another sound. More shrieking. No, screeching. Owls! They came from nowhere, hundreds of them, glowing white with their own light, scything through the swarm of bats, snatching them from the sky. More and more came. The bats were terrified and tried to get away, but the owls were too many and too quick. Now I could see Elizabeth standing again, her staff raised, commanding the owls.