"Oh my God." Harold sat back down in a chair, feeling weak.
"I know what we need to do, but it will take a great deal of magic, and it will be very dangerous."
"What do you need me to do?" Harold asked, willing to do anything to help his family.
Doc looked up at him with a deep sadness in his eyes.
"I need you to die."
10
"You have got to be out of your damn mind," Grace shouted.
"Honey, listen…" Harold tried to calm her.
"Absolutely not. No way in hell."
"Grace Burkheart, sit down, be quiet, and listen to me, right now."
Grace was stung by Harry's tone. Nevertheless, she did as he instructed and sat down quietly. Harold continued.
"I'm sorry, Grace. This is the only way that we can think to resolve this. I do not want anything to happen to you or the baby, and if I have to do something that may be a little bit dangerous, then so be it. It is not like I've never been in danger before. Also, you need to remember that we are partners, and even though you have magic on your side, I am not frail or weak. I can help. We're in this together."
"You're right, Harry, but this is too dangerous," she said sheepishly.
"If it means ensuring the safety of our baby, nothing is too dangerous."
Grace turned to Doc and looked at him sternly.
"You'll be able to bring him back, right? Promise me."
"We will bring him back. With our combined magic, bringing his spirit back to his body should be no problem. We just need to make sure that his spirit is not gone for too long." Doc looked into her eyes and opened his mind so she could feel what he was feeling.
Grace softened when she looked in and saw that Doc was confident he could bring Harry back.
"What do we need to do?"
"You do not need to do anything. I want you far away when we do this. I can't have you exposed to this kind of magic while you are pregnant. That risk is too great," Doc replied, making sure that Grace knew he was inflexible.
"Harold, I need you to prepare. Your spirit will vacate your body during this spell. You need to fight the urge to move on with every fiber of your being. The pull will be strong and it will be difficult, but you have to stay with us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Harold replied with obvious trepidation.
"Good. I'll leave you two alone for a minute, but we need to begin soon."
With that, Doc and the others left the room. Grace and Harold sat down in each other's arms and waited.
"You had better come back to me."
"I will, honey."
"You swear to me that when they call for you, you will fight to come back. You think of our baby and me, and no matter how hard it is, you fight to come back."
"I'll be back. I would fight through Hell itself to get back to you," he said, looking her directly in her eyes.
When the coven returned, Grace rose from her seat.
"Are you ready?" Doc asked.
"As I'll ever be," Harry said, and also stood.
"Let's begin."
Harold kissed the woman he loved and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks before Joy led her out of the room.
"Will it hurt?"
"No, Harry, it won't hurt," Joy replied with a warm smile. "Just lie down and relax."
Harold stretched out on the couch and folded his arms over his stomach. He tried his best to remain calm.
Well, as calm as I can be, knowing that my spirit is about to be removed from my body so someone else can occupy it, he thought.
Doc and the others formed a circle around the couch, holding hands. They began their chant in a whisper that gradually gained volume until they were almost shouting. Harold felt a vibration begin in the pit of his stomach and radiate through his limbs until his entire body was humming. He thought he might go crazy from the strange feelings flowing through him. He was just about to cry out, unable to stand it anymore. Then there was nothing.
Kayla opened her eyes, feeling very strange. Her body felt foreign, too large and bulky. She looked down and saw why. She raised her hands, surprised to see hairy knuckles and freckled skin.
"What the hell?"
Everything was foggy and unclear. She felt as though she had been hit by a truck.
That thought brought a flash of memory back to her.
She was driving. As she looked ahead through the glare of oncoming lights, Kayla felt a sharp tug on the steering wheel. She tried to control it, but it was no use. The wheel tugged hard to the left and Kayla's SUV swerved into the other lane. She let go of the wheel and raised her hands. A bright light emanated from her palms and the vehicle righted itself, only to tug even harder to the left. Kayla tried with all of her might to help herself, but it was no use. She raised her hands to shield her eyes from the oncoming headlights as the truck bore down on the driver's side of her vehicle.
The memory of the accident sent her body into a spin. Kayla jumped up from the couch she was lying on and tried to catch her breath. Her chest felt hot and tight as she wheezed and fought for air. She heard voices around her calling her name. Everything was foggy and sharp at the same time. The small hands that gripped hers felt foreign and hurtful. She cried out in a voice that was not her own.
"Mom?"
A familiar voice called out from behind her.
"Grace?"
The world came spinning back to her as she felt her daughter's arms encircle her.
"Mom, I've missed you so much," Grace said through a curtain of tears.
"Grace, what the hell is going on?"
"Sit down, and we'll explain it all."
Kayla sat down shakily on the sofa and looked down again at the foreign body she now inhabited. She felt big and bulky and not right.
"Who am I inside of?"
"Harry."
"Where is he? Oh God, he isn't dead is he?"
"No. Just on standby," Doc interjected.
"How long have I been gone?"
"Four months. Too long," Grace said, taking a seat beside her.
"You look so radiant, Munchkin," Kayla said as she rubbed Grace's growing belly.
"Mom, we don't have much time."
"Of course, honey," Kayla said. She shook her head, clearing the final bits of fog. "Let's get to work. You must have brought me back for a reason."
Grace and the rest of the family explained everything that had happened up to that point. They told her about what Jorek had said and about Roland Stillson. They told her what Grace had done. Finally, they told her about what had happened to David.
"Well," Kayla said calmly. "The first thing we have to do is figure out who put that box in my room. The second thing we need to do is find out who in the hell is in my old body. The final thing we need to do is kill whomever it is that is hurting my family. Right now, I would like to go see my husband. But, if it's all the same to you, I would rather not drive."
11
The whole family walked through the hall toward David's hospital room. Grace thought about how they must look and smiled to herself. Six little people, one tall redhead, and one big pregnant lady all strutting down the hall with a purpose. She envisioned them as a silly looking Justice League of misfits.
When Kayla saw David lying in bed unmoving, she burst into tears and rushed to his side. She heard her words coming out with Harry's tenor.
"Oh babe, what did they do to you?" She took his hand into hers and leaned in to kiss his cheek. His skin felt cold and plastic. "I'm so sorry I left you alone."
Grace turned around and pulled the curtains closed. They had paid extra for a private room so no one would disturb him. The dwarves gathered around the bed and joined hands with Grace and Kayla. They all closed their eyes and focused their attention on David. Above the bed, a swirl of light formed. In the depths of the light, a picture appeared.
David stood in his bedroom looking at a box that sat on his dresser. He carefully opened it and reached a hand in, grasping its co
ntents. As his hand emerged, they could see that he held a lifeless black bird between his fingers. As he placed the dead bird in the larger box, his lips moved rapidly and his eyes rolled back into his head. After a minute of this, he picked up the larger box and took it to the closet like a zombie shuffling to its next meal. When he emerged from the closet, he seemed to be back to his regular self, sitting down on the corner of the bed and putting on his shoes as he whistled to himself.
Grace gasped as she realized that this was the day that Kayla had died. The swirl of light faded away and the coven dropped their hands.
"Did you get any information from that? I mean, we know he was possessed and he put the black magic box in your closet, but did it tell you who was responsible?"
Kayla looked at Grace with a sadness in her borrowed eyes.
"He was wearing a ring when he went into the closet and he wasn't wearing it when he came out. It was the same ring that was in some old painting that Carolyn had hanging in our hallway."
"Do you think it's the amulet?" Joy asked.
"It has to be. But how did he get it?" Kayla sat down in the chair next to the hospital bed and put Harold's head in her hands. "This is all my fault."
"No, it is not. You can't think like that," Mooney chimed in.
"If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened."
"This is a story that began long before you were ever a thought, My Queen."
The group looked around and saw Jorek standing in the doorway, holding his hat and hanging his head.
"Jorek, you can tell it's my mom?" Grace asked.
"Again, Princess, half-breed."
The sprite walked into the room and stood next to Kayla. "I have many abilities that most of my two kinds do not have."
"So, tell us, Jorek. What is this all about?" Kayla asked her old friend.
"The only thing that I can tell you for now, Your Highness, is that Carolyn is, in fact, not dead."
"Where is she now?" Kayla asked Jorek as they settled back into the couch at Doc's home.
"She is on a spending spree at the moment. After she purchased the new car, she went and bought a completely new wardrobe and some jewelry. I'm not sure where she is right now. I fear that all of your money will be gone within the week."
"Money is secondary to the safety of my family."
"Of course, My Queen."
"What we need to do first is find out how in the hell Carolyn is back," Gus chimed in.
"It has to be tied to the dark magic box in the closet," Kayla replied.
Violet entered the room and took a seat next to her husband, Gus. She opened a notepad that sat on her lap.
"What did you find, Vi?" Gus asked, placing on hand on her back.
"Well, it seems that Carolyn would not have had the power to come back on her own. She had to have help."
"But, who would help that bi…," Gus stopped short when Violet turned and gave him the look. "Sorry, honey."
"Keep it classy, babe," she looked at him and smiled before continuing, "It was the box, Kayla. I looked up the elements, and the spell in there was to weaken your powers so you could not defend yourself, and to steal your magic."
"So, when I tried to use magic to stop the accident, I was actually giving this thing more power?"
"It seems so."
"Well, that sucks."
"That it does. But, we should be able to get her to talk. That is, if we can find and catch her," Mooney interjected.
"I think I know some things that can tell us where she is," Kayla said. "We'll need to take a little trip."
"Let's go then," Grace stood up and grabbed her keys.
"No way, Munchkin. You are not going anywhere," Kayla ordered.
"The hell I'm not," she replied defiantly.
"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady. Where we are going is no place for a pregnant witch to be. Especially not one that is carrying my grandchild."
"I'm not a child, and I can handle myself."
"I know you can," Kayla said as she took her hand. "I am so proud of you, honey. I just don't want you near the people we have to go see, and I definitely do not want you around my mother."
"But she won't hurt me. I can help."
"Grace, the answer is no, and it is final."
The younger Burkheart witch crossed her arms over her stomach and gave the best pouty look that she could muster, even though she knew it wouldn't do any good. When Kayla made up her mind, she was unmovable.
Kayla kissed her petulant daughter on the forehead and headed out the door with Doc, Gus, and Mooney.
They all piled into Doc's car, Kayla in the passenger seat.
"Where are we going?" Doc turned to ask.
"Smokey's on Fourteenth Street. If I know my mother, she has been there buying rounds for everyone."
Doc started the car and headed to the seedy side of downtown Olympia.
"What do we do when we get there?"
"I've got a plan. We need to stop and talk with someone there, but we have to wait until sundown."
"Are you trying to say we are going to talk to a vamp?" Gus asked with disbelief.
"He's the only one that can help us now. Besides, he owes me a favor. He just doesn't know it yet."
As the group pulled into the parking lot behind Smokey's, they saw a man step out of the shadows. He was tall and gaunt and looked as though he had not eaten in weeks. He lit a cigarette, raising his rail thin arms to shield the flame from the light breeze. He looked around shiftily, as though expecting someone to attack him at any moment.
The scrawny man almost jumped out of his skin when the tall redheaded man stepped out of the car and spoke to him.
"Hey there, Logan."
"Jesus Christ, dude," he said as he held a palm to his chest and sucked in air. "You scared the piss out of me. Do I know you?"
"Maybe not in this body, but you definitely know my mother, Carolyn."
"Whoa, hey man… whoever you are, I don't want any trouble. I don't run with that crowd anymore." He took a step back and put his hands up.
"What crowd is that?"
"Those psycho vamps and wolves that followed after your ma like slobbering idiots. I saw the light and I just stick to myself now. I even helped that goody two shoes Kayla chick out with some stuff she needed. I'm reformed."
Kayla raised her hand up and took hold of Logan's throat. She liked having the extra physical strength of Harry's body. As she squeezed, Logan's fangs involuntarily slipped out from his gums and he rushed to try to retract them.
"Hey, that hurts," he wheezed.
Kayla raised her other hand and looked back as a small ball of fire formed in her palm.
"I get it, I get it, you're big and tough. Put out the fire and I'll tell you whatever you want. Just stop with the manhandling."
Kayla let the squirming vampire go and extinguished the fireball in her hand. He rubbed his neck and smoothed his shirt.
"So, talk. What did you help Kayla with?"
"About six months or so ago, I helped her find a ring she needed. I had to dig up a body to get it for her. Lemme tell you, that was not cool at all. Even though that chick has been dead a long time, she still didn't smell so hot. After that attack thing at her house, I thought I owed her something, ya know?"
"Did you see her? Kayla, I mean."
"No, she called me… telepathically or some crazy crap. I tried to ignore her for days, but I swear I almost went batshit crazy what with her babbling in my damn head twenty-four hours a day. A vampire has to sleep, ya know." Logan gave her a look that told her he fancied himself a victim in all of this.
"So, you dug up a grave and took a ring from a corpse?"
"I would have done almost anything to get that bitch to shut up."
"I need you to show me where you dug it up. Take us there."
"It's about an hour from here. Are you sure you wanna go there? It is deep in the woods. I mean dee-eep in the woods."
"I think we can handl
e it. Get in the car."
"I don't just get into cars with anyone. You gotta tell me who the hell you are, at least." He tried to look defiant, but instead came off looking sheepish and weak.
"You will get in the car and you will take us to the exact spot where you dug up that ring. If you don't, I will not kill you, but I will definitely make you wish you were dead. You'll be begging me to stake you, do you get me?"
"Okay, okay. You drive a hard bargain. No need to get all crazy on me, I was just trying to establish some trust here."
"Don't we need to go inside?" Doc asked her as Logan got into the car.
"That can wait. I think we may be able to do more good at the gravesite."
"What do you know, Kayla?"
"It seems like very little at the moment. I just have a feeling."
"Well, your feelings have rarely steered you wrong. Let's go into the woods."
Kayla and Doc got back in the car and turned to look in the backseat. Logan was sandwiched in between Gus and Mooney, who were giving him their best intimidating looks. He started the car and drove off toward the woods.
"So, you guys are witches, huh?" Logan asked.
The two did not reply.
"Cool, cool. I'm a vampire. Not by choice, ya know. I was turned like 50 years ago. It was hard at first, but…"
"What are we, girlfriends?" Gus interrupted.
"Wow. I was just trying to make conversation. It's called being polite. Man, I thought witches were supposed to be nice. I guess that's some fairy tale crap," Logan mumbled, sounding wounded.
"So sorry if I offended your delicate sensibilities."
"Geez, you guys are touchy."
"You wanna see touchy…"
"Gus," Mooney admonished.
"Okay, okay," Gus settled back into his seat, crossing his arms.
The group drove in silence until they were out of town, trees and night sky being all they could see. After another fifteen minutes of driving, Logan indicated that they should pull over into a small inlet off the road.
As Logan emerged from the car, Kayla stepped out and once again grabbed the vamp by the throat. He struggled to free himself from her grip, but it was no use.
Burkheart Witch Saga Book 3 Page 6
