“I’m almost done opening the circle,” Agent Corvin informed them. “3… 2… 1.”
There was no sound as the circle wall within the area she’d drawn disappeared.
Rose could just make out its edge, and the dark entity seemed to be holding back, as though waiting for something. A heartbeat passed, then another, and then a single filament, hardly thicker than a hair ventured beyond the hole in the circle.
It was subtle as it probed the area behind it, extending out further, perhaps sensing if a trap might lie in wait. Whatever it was, the entity seemed smart and very careful.
“Extend the net outward and draw it back,” Agent Corvin advised. “We want it to think the way’s clear.”
There was no perceptible sign that Agent Woods did so, but Rose gasped a moment later. “No, wait…”
That one, softly probing tendril straightened like a dart and struck out at the place she knew the net to be.
Rose didn’t see the net pierced, but the dart of energy froze in mid-air, and then the whole force of the entity joined it at speed, driving the dart further forward into what likely was Agent Woods’ net of energy.
“Help me,” she exclaimed, her eyes widening in realisation a moment too late.
The witches all seemed to throw the full force of their energy toward Agent Woods, but moments later they stumbled forward, and the dark, swirling spirit darted upward above the circle, free.
“Stop it!” Agent Corvin shouted, before sealing off the circle again.
Lisa took Erin’s hand, and Alexis took Lisa’s, and all three women focused on the spirit, which flew toward the cabin. It was so fast, it was almost out of sight in moments.
Large white, feathered wings erupted from Agent Heriman’s back, tearing through the cloth of his shirt, which clearly wasn’t made to accommodate them. He leapt into the air the exact moment the witches cast their shared enchantment.
It seemed to Rose like a net of light shot upward toward the entity and wrapped around it, completely enveloping it; then it dropped like a stone.
Agent Heriman caught it before it hit the ground, carefully lowering it. Strangely, it seemed heavy and solid now. Almost like a human being, but… not quite.
Rose and Agent Woods ran over to where he’d set it down, and the witches followed, while Agent Corvin maintained her control of the circle.
“I am so sorry!” Agent Woods exclaimed, horrified at what had happened. “I didn’t realise it could break through. What is this?”
Agent Heriman put a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her nerves. “A good question.”
As they gazed through the net of energy, which had solidified into something closer to a fisherman’s net, he voiced what they were all thinking. “It looks like a dead body.”
It did. A very old, decayed and twisted body that wasn’t fully human.
2
“I think it might be a draugr,” Agent Corvin ventured, enunciating each syllable carefully.
“A what now?” Rose asked about the entity that had been trapped in the circle with Raven.
Lisa’s coven-mate was still alive, though unconscious. He’d been teleported out, and was now being treated in the Enforcers’ medical hospital. They were hopeful he’d awaken and make a full recovery, but they couldn’t be certain he ever would.
“They’re undead creatures. Very dangerous,” she explained, as Lisa joined them in the cabin’s kitchen and settled in beside Rose. The others were in the living room talking, other than Agent Heriman, who’d left to accompany Raven to the hospital. Erin had gone with them, as did her sister Alison, who’d turned up not long after Raven was freed.
“They usually look like dead bodies – blackened and decomposing, but in rare cases it’s possible for them to take on spiritual forms. They’re not merely undead in the way a vampire is – they’re summoned with necromancy, and it would take no small level of skill to raise an entity like that. It likely means we have a necromancer in Bellasford. One who has it out for Raven or your coven.”
Lisa and Rose exchanged worried glances.
“So you’re sure now that Raven didn’t do this?” Rose asked. “Not that I’d believe for a moment that he would or could.”
Agent Corvin nodded. “Yes, we’re sure. Magic of this sort leaves a very distinct signature on the caster, like a smell of death. It wasn’t him, and if it wasn’t for the protective talisman he wore, he’d probably be dead right now.”
Rose nodded worriedly, though she was relieved that doubt had shifted away from Raven.
“I recognised the talisman he was wearing,” Lisa replied. “His fiancée bought it for him for his birthday to help protect him.”
“It’s lucky she did or their kids might not have a father right now. I’ll check in on him,” Agent Corvin promised. “The doctors are hopeful he’ll make a full recovery.”
The blonde Enforcer excused herself from the room, leaving Rose and Lisa alone.
Rose drew her girlfriend into a soft, reassuring hug; she needed one too. It was disconcerting that life could be so unexpectedly turned upside down in the worst of ways, and that someone likely attacked Raven intentionally. They must’ve been dark and powerful to attack him the way they did.
Rose racked her brain but she couldn’t think of anyone who fit that description who would want to harm the coven members. Maybe the others would have a better idea. All she knew was that she’d protect Lisa with all she had.
“It’ll be alright,” Lisa told her, as though reading Rose’s thoughts. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, and make sure this necromancer can’t hurt anyone else.”
Rose released her from the hug, and then gazed up into her eyes. “How do you know that everything will be alright?” She felt guilty as the words left her mouth, because she wanted to reassure Lisa and not worry her more.
“The coven has you and a lot of other good people helping us. We’ll figure it out, Rose. We always do.”
It was enough to drive Rose’s doubt away for the moment, and for more confidence to take its place. “We’ll do what we can,” Rose promised.
Rose knew they had to. Lisa’s friends were like family to her and the necromancer couldn’t be left out there unchecked.
“Yes we will,” Lisa confirmed, helping to drive the darkness away.
Rose grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge that she’d brought along, and a couple of glasses. It had been intended for the after-ritual celebration, but she wasn’t sure that would go ahead now. As it was, they had a lot to think about.
“I’d leave it for the moment,” Lisa suggested. “If we drink it now, they’ll have spoiled something else of ours.”
Rose didn’t need to say that the planned ritual wouldn’t feel much like a celebration, but she could understand Lisa’s perspective. Drinking the wine now might seem like giving up on their original plans, and the necromancer might’ve spoiled one more thing, however small. She was convinced she’d still enjoy the wine for what it was, but she chose to put it away for the moment.
Alexis walked into the kitchen, her mood more positive than it had been earlier.
“Jamie is here and he brought some books with him. Some have information on draugr. I figured you might be interested.”
“That’s a yes,” Lisa answered cheerily.
Rose and Lisa followed Alexis back into the living room, and it looked like the Enforcers had already left.
“Hi Jamie,” Lisa exclaimed with a smile, as she greeted him with a hug.
“I’m so sorry to hear what happened. Alexis told me what they’d said about Raven.”
“We should know more in a day or two,” Rose told him, as she sat down on the lounge beside the coffee table, which had a pile of books on it.
One sat with its pages open, and Rose noticed a corpse-like drawing below some cursive text. It was a huge book, which seemed like a cross between a magical grimoire and a very old library book on mythology.
“This book’s bee
n in my family for a couple of generations,” he told her proudly. “You can see for yourself what it says.”
Rose picked up the book and set it on her lap, as Lisa cuddled in beside her on the lounge. The text was small and it appeared hand-inked, though the book was likely a printed replica of an older one. It went beyond information she might’ve read in an encyclopaedia; it was specialist information, perhaps even compiled by their coven.
Rose read aloud: “Draugr were once humans who were evil or cruel in life, but possessed a will strong enough that the lower part of their souls returned to their bodies after death. This urge to live isn’t accompanied by true sentience or most of their memories from when they lived. Most draugr awaken in their graves, protecting the grave goods they’re buried with. In historic times, they were known for haunting their burial mounds.” Her brow furrowed as she read more. “They have little interaction with the living, except when their graves are disturbed, or their spirits are summoned through necromancy.”
Lisa’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “So someone figured out this entity was alive in its grave and they summoned it here to harm Raven? That’s crazy.”
Alexis nodded. “It looks that way. Maybe it wasn’t Raven specifically it was after, though it’s hard to say. Do we know for sure there were no bodies buried in or near the ritual site? Maybe it was living underneath it?”
Jamie shook his head. “There weren’t any that we know of, but further down in the Earth, there could have been anything. How would we ever know? The odds are against a draugr living there.”
“There have been generations of rituals conducted on that spot,” Alexis pointed out, as she settled into one of the arm chairs. “If the draugr was there before, it would’ve been found by now or Raven wouldn’t have disturbed it, because none of us have before.”
Lisa nodded in agreement.
“It reminds me one of those Enforcers –Agent Woods, was asking about his music. Like being a heavy metal musician would in any way lead to necromancy,” Alexis replied, sighing.
“Well you know what she can do to herself?” Jamie asked with an expression of annoyance.
Rose made an obscene hand gesture, which drew an amused grin from Lisa.
“That would be it, yes,” Alexis confirmed.
They found it good to share a light-hearted moment and break the tension.
“I know we don’t want to miss out on the ritual, but I’m not sure it’s safe to continue with it here tonight,” Alexis admitted, not wanting to disappoint the others.
“You’re only saying what I was already thinking,” Jamie replied. “We can do one another time.”
“I’d go ahead with it,” Lisa confessed, “but until the threat’s dealt with, perhaps it’s safer not to.”
Rose was surprised to hear Lisa give in, because she’d been so set on continuing with the ritual, but she also understood the seriousness of the circumstances. It was a group decision, and she wasn’t going to continue without the others’ agreement. Rose was relieved, because she preferred that Lisa didn’t take a chance on it when someone clearly had it out for the coven.
“What I’d suggest is we could just make an offering and lay it out on the ground, close to our usual ritual site,” Lisa suggested. “That way if the Enforcers come back to study the crime scene, we won’t have disturbed it.”
“I like that idea,” Alexis told her. “Maybe it’s a good idea to choose a different location for our ritual site from now on. I know it means deviating from tradition, but it could become a new one. We’ll be on the same land, after all.”
That drew a nod from Jamie, and Rose could tell that Lisa thought it was a good idea too.
“What about the other coven members?” Rose asked, knowing that two of the ladies hadn’t turned up.
“Kieva and Lucy are in Las Vegas at the moment for Sarah’s wedding,” Alexis explained.
Sarah was their house-mate and friend, but she wasn’t a coven member. Rose had only met Sarah once and the other coven members a couple of times over the last year or two.
“The Enforcers are going to talk to them in Las Vegas. I’m sure they’ll find they have no involvement in the crime,” Lisa replied. “Maybe it’s for the best they’re not here right now.”
Jamie rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Yeah, I agree. I think whoever this was, it wasn’t one of us.”
“The important thing is they stay safe out there,” Rose concluded, stifling a yawn.
Rose read more of the book she was holding and traced her finger along the inky black lettering. Her eyebrows furrowed as she reached more interesting details about the draugr. It certainly helped that they now had an understanding of what had attacked Raven, and this was a useful book to have. It reminded her she should search the internet later. She didn’t have her laptop computer with her, but she had her phone.
“They’re solid but they can turn into spirits,” Rose read aloud. “You know, that explains how the entity was in spirit form in the circle. They can transform for reasons like sliding through rock or escaping their graves.”
“Well that’s disturbing,” Alexis commented with a weak smile.
Jamie found the information intriguing. “It’s strange that they’re able to change between energy and matter, but then I suppose it’s comparable to ghosts materializing. In science fiction that might be called energy-matter transference or conversion.”
Lisa grinned, “Go Jamie. I hadn’t thought about it that way before but, it shows how abnormal it is – or normal if we’re talking ghosts.”
Alexis shuddered. “I’d prefer that dark things didn’t have that power.”
Rose agreed. It was just the sort of thing that might bring her nightmares. “We still have a few hours until it gets dark. We could watch a movie or something, but I was wondering if you could tell me more about your coven.”
She glanced at Lisa when she said this; her girlfriend had already told her a fair amount in the years they’d been together. “The other thing is, why was the ritual scheduled for tonight? I know it’s not a full moon yet, because the next one will be the Succubus Moon. It’s just over a week away.”
Alexis froze and glanced over at her, “I’d completely forgotten about that. I remember Lisa asked us to look into ways of managing your abilities.”
“If I need to, I’ll go to the Enforcers when the time comes.”
Lisa frowned, “Is that a good idea?”
Rose took her hand in her own, gazing into her eyes. She wanted to set her mind at ease, and in doing so, perhaps reassure herself as well. “I’m sure we can come up with a better idea, but it’s an option, and those are good to have.”
Lisa seemed to take the suggestion in the way Rose wanted. “Yes they are.” She leaned in close and wrapped her arm around Rose’s waist. “So are you. Good to have.”
With a smile, Rose held her too, as she steadied the book with her free hand.
“We planned the ritual for tonight because it’s the anniversary of the first ritual held here 65 years ago. That’s how long the coven’s been here in Bellasford. The original members were close friends, and the coven existed in a looser form before they moved here from Florida,” Alexis told them.
“Am I the only one who finds it strange that this happened 65 years to the day after the first ritual here? It doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me,” Rose told them, though she couldn’t be sure. She believed in random occurrences, but this just felt too convenient to her.
“It’s something we should look into more,” Lisa replied, glancing with interest at the nearby bookshelf.
It covered half the wall and had a huge and varied assortment of books.
“I know Erin has some records and journals of former coven members, as well as books like their old grimoires and books of shadows that have been passed down over the generations.”
Jamie clapped his hands together. “That sounds like a great place to start. The ones I brought are mostly lore and mythology books.”
“Can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt Raven or the coven?” Rose asked, voicing a thought she’d had for a while. It seemed to her like someone wanted to get at them, and maybe even punish them for some perceived slight.
“No, no one,” Lisa replied. “Raven might’ve looked intimidating but he was – is a big softie. He loves his music, spending time with his kids, and friends. Us, you know?”
Rose nodded, and she could see that too. She knew Raven after all.
“I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt us,” Alexis explained, with a tone of concern. “Well, there are people who might disapprove of our religion or spiritual practices, but they’d be the last ones to summon up a draugr, wouldn’t they? I really don’t know who could have done this.”
“I don’t know anyone either,” Jamie admitted. “We’ve had a few run-ins with the local vampire sects over the years, but nothing that would justify this.”
Rose sighed, because she’d made it her personal goal to keep away from vampires, since her previous kidnapping by them.
“I’ve had a few problems with them too,” Rose revealed with a sigh.
“There’s a book over here,” Alexis said, as she began searching the bookshelf.
After skimming the shelves for a minute or two, she returned with a leather-bound notebook, which contained old photos and handwritten notes.
“This has some pictures and information on the original coven members. My great grandmother Maisie was the first High Priestess at the age of 82.”
Alexis showed Rose a picture of her, which the others looked at as well. The former High Priestess looked like a friendly older woman, though quite different from Alexis.
“We all have relatives in here, even Lisa.” Alexis smiled as she flipped through the pages.
Rose was expecting a female relative, but it was Lisa’s grandfather Samuel who was a member. He had the same blonde hair as Lisa, but otherwise looked quite different.
“It’s fun to see another member of your family.”
Lisa’s parents were now living in Hawaii and no longer involved with the coven. Rose had met them once during a memorable trip, where Lisa had tried to teach her to surf. It had been magical in an entirely different way.
Seeking Witches Page 2
