Tainted Waters: A Dark Paranormal Fantasy Novel (Paranormal Peacekeepers Book 1)

by Lucretia Stanhope

  “You are worried I will leave you to die after your part is complete?” He frowned and a smirk reappeared. “I won’t abandon you, I still want some bits from you.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I. What’s a few bits between friends?” He winked at her. “We are friends now, aren’t we?”

  “Yes, but that is not consent to take any of my parts.” She looked over the notes again, their humor not easing her nerves.

  “It’s a start.” He looked over her shoulder, also reading Jasper’s scribbled notes. “Let’s sort this and then we can negotiate for parts.”

  “I don’t want your parts.” She pulled out a few more pages for him.

  “Don’t be so hasty. Elf parts are much sought after by mages of all species.” There was a twinkle in his eyes and a lightness in his voice that sounded misplaced. “Yours will be too.”

  She watched Decker a long moment. Jasper had much more magic at his disposal than Decker. Would Decker be able to bind the toxic ball she pulled from the water? Most of the soul spells were on her to cast, since it was light elf they were countering. Were any of the spells Decker needed to do soul spells? “I need to talk to Jasper before we go.”

  “Why?”

  “I need to make sure I have explained things right. He said if I screw up, it could be instantly fatal.” She turned and glared at him, wanting to make sure he understood the severity. “You will be at the source with me. If I get it wrong, you die.”

  “Before we go then, we will check to see if he is able to consult us.” Decker walked to the supply shelf and grabbed some roots and a few other things, setting them on the table. “What are we doing after we bind off the toxins in the water?”

  “I’m not sure if we decided to try and deactivate the main spell before or after I retrieve the totem.” She pulled the corner of her mouth between her teeth, chewing on it.

  “I would think before, if the thing is a threat.” He continued to make a pile of supplies while she read.

  “I want to make sure he settled on that. Even deactivated, it might be stubborn to retrieve. I’m not the best swimmer.” Her fingers drummed on the tabletop. “We were not decided on everything.”

  Decker looked over, arching a brow. “You are worried. I can feel it in the air. Let’s make those decisions. I am good at making calls on important matters. It’s why I’m in charge. Will the deactivation return the water to safe standards?”

  “I guess you are, aren’t you.” Alice watched him a second before returning her attention to the plan. “I don’t know if the totem holds its own spell. That would be in the elf’s journals and not the witch one, I guess. We couldn’t find anything about it. We haven’t had time to read them all. We wanted the entrance clear before guards discovered they were pinned in.”

  “Prudent. What other spells am I doing? Let me read them, while you search the stolen books for something about the totem.” He moved beside her, shoving some of his supplies into a bag. “Did the oracle gather any foodstuffs for you?”

  Alice watched him pack. His temperament was as soft as she’d seen it since they met. “No. I already ate all he found that I could eat.”

  “I’ll find you something once we are in the woods.” After he packed all the supplies, he turned to her. “The spells?”

  She handed him two more pages. “This one is to inject fresh ick, mud, whatever filth it is you need to make the water good to you.”

  Decker ran his tongue over his teeth. “And this one?” He pulled the bottom page to the top.

  “It’s a combined one that should disperse the ball from the first spell. We, Jasper, thought we could do that last, in case it proved too hard, we would have the important parts done.” New doubts about the ability to pull it off without Jasper gave Alice pause. Even with Jasper’s support and their connection, she was worried, without it she was terrified.

  “This last part looks sketchy, I’m not familiar with the wording.” He held the page toward her. “Did you write this? Are these witch words? They look elfin. Almost.”

  “It’s arcane elfin, a dead language.” Alice remembered asking Jasper about the strange words. “He thought the older words would hold more power.”

  “I’ll need to hear them or have the common translations.” Decker tapped his foot and groaned. “We will need to talk with him, at least about this part.”

  That he didn’t seem angry or suspicious, added to her confusion about him. “You feel confident we can do this after you get the translation? You and I, I mean?”

  “I have no idea your level of ability. It would appear you are not a novice as you indicated.” He rolled the spells and packed them, keeping the one he needed to see Jasper about in an outside pocket of his bag. “Don’t fret. The oracle saw us fix the water together. You are a creature of the fates. The fates say we do this.”

  “I am a novice. I didn’t lie. He’s been teaching me since I arrived.” She read over her spells again. “We should practice a few times, the together ones. I was used to his rhythm and yours might be different.”

  “We can, until just before dark. There needs to be time to see him before we go. As you know the journey takes two nights.” Decker sat everything aside and waited for her to get the spell ready.

  Alice rolled up the spells she felt good about and held the one they needed to practice in front of them. “He said to read it without intention just to get a tempo.”

  “Did he now?” Decker cut a glare at her, his tone returning to its usual harshness. “I’ve practiced spells before.”

  “Yes, I guess you would have. I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m sorry.” She swallowed back a dry lump in her throat.

  “You are afraid. Leave that here. Magic of this level will feed on your mood, as well as your intentions.” His words came out as a reprimand. “You will be fine,” he added, still not sounding supportive.

  Alice pushed her fears away, dug deep and practiced the spells with Decker. After she felt their paces were matching, she wondered if there were any way aside from a blood spell, to get their magic to mingle like hers and Jasper’s did. “Should we touch? I mean hold hands to help boost each other?”

  “No need to do that here. When we actually cast, it can’t hurt.” Decker rolled his neck. “If we are done, I need to leave new orders and explain my absence.”

  Both Decker and Alice tensed when the barrier dropped. Alice started to step behind Decker, but changed her mind when she saw Jasper.

  “There’s something else I need to…” Jasper stumbled a bit and turned, resetting the barrier. “Teach you.”

  “Look at you. Why are you up?” Alice hurried over and gave him a hand, putting an arm around his waist. “Your skin is so gray. Extra pale gray, not the pretty gray.” She looked back to Decker. “He needs to be in bed. His skin is clammy.”

  Decker watched with a brow arched. “We have some questions. Teach whom, what exactly?”

  “Alice.” Jasper walked over to the bed and sat down. “There is one more spell I didn’t write out.”

  “Okay, first, he needs to know some words in the spells you wrote.” Alice made sure he was comfortable and added, “you should be resting. What do you need?”

  “I’m fine. Thank you for that.” Jasper peered around Alice. “I can’t go, sir. I will be too slow to get to the midpoint by daybreak.”

  “We are prepared to go without you. These words aside.” Decker handed Jasper the paper and pointed out the line. “What language is this? Why don’t I know it?”

  “It’s no longer used. I only recently found it in my studies. I wanted us as well armed as possible.” Jasper wheezed and closed his eyes. “Light elves are fluent in arcane magic.”

  “Fine, tell me the words, so that I might be properly armed.” There was a hint of agitation in his voice.

  Alice gave them some space, glad Decker didn’t appear angry as much as annoyed. Since Jasper studied the arcane arts, and guarded his knowledge, he probabl
y only shared with Decker what he had to.

  “What do you need to teach her? We should be leaving within the hour.” Decker rolled the spell up and walked it to his bag.

  “Since she is light elf, I’d like to show her a counter attack in case the elf starts casting on either of you. I’m not sure it would be effective from you or I.” Jasper stretched back, and closed his eyes. “Bring me some of the root from my shelf, Alice, please.”

  Decker looked through the bag again, drummed his fingers on his chin a moment, and walked toward the door. “I need to grab a few things, and leave orders. Be ready when I get back.”

  As soon as Decker locked them in, Alice took Jasper’s hand in hers. “Tell me how you really are?”

  “Fine, I will be. That’s not important. The elf who cast these spells lives in the woods.” Jasper paused, catching his breath, while he chewed the root for energy.

  “Do you know him?” Alice put her other hand over his, cupping his hand. “Can I cast a healing to help you?”

  He shook his head, no. “He and our clan had a problem. Too complicated to get into. He was exiled and blames us. Decker more precisely. Even removed from his clan, there is no way you two can work against his magic without him knowing.”

  Alice’s eyes grew wide. “He’s powerful. You are worried. Why am I just hearing this?”

  “I intended to cast a binding spell using his name, once we were close enough to get my hands on him.”

  “And now you can’t. Were you going to tell me?”

  “When you needed to know.” Jasper frowned and reached out with his free hand, touching her cheek. “You can do it. I know you have it in you. I have seen your soul. You also have Decker as a buffer while you cast. He is a formidable warrior. As strong as any elf, especially light ones.”

  “I have no choice but to believe you. Show me how.” She stared into his eyes, seeing that he was fighting against his illness. “I didn’t tell Decker about the soul stuff, or what we did with each other. He only knows we worked on these spells, and that you taught me the elf words. What you decide to tell him is between you and him, but if it will make him angry at me, can you wait until I am gone?”

  “Angry wouldn’t begin to cover it.” Jasper laughed and groaned. “He doesn’t need to know. Give me both of your hands.”

  Alice placed her hands in his. “What are we doing?”

  “I want you to understand what this will feel like. Close your eyes and hold my name in your thoughts.” Jasper held her hands in a firm but gentle grip. “Do you feel the resistance?”

  She felt an abrasive ripping sensation pulling at his name. “I do. What am I trying to do?” Alice kept the name in her mind as best she could.

  “I want you to think about each syllable, roll it around in your thoughts, feel the power in my soul and grab it.”

  Alice tried to do as he asked, but his fight and her newness made it impossible. “I can’t.”

  “You better figure it out, because that elf won’t be sick.”

  Her eyes popped opened. “That’s frightening.”

  “Good, I need you to be serious. Focus. I’m getting tired.” Jasper rested his head and closed his eyes.

  “What do I do if I can grab it?”

  “Wrap it, as tight as you can. Have you done a binding before?”

  “No.”

  A disappointed sigh escaped from his closed lips. “Imagine a rope, string, whatever. Didn’t you say you work with swirling words?”

  “Most witches do. I use intention better.”

  “Fine, make it your intention to wrap the power you grab, rendering it useless, out of his grasp. Take it for yourself in fact.” Jasper sat up a little. “If you can’t bind him, use offensive spells, but hold his name in your mind while you do. That will make the strikes deeper, soul deep.”

  “Can we try again?” Alice didn’t want to rely on something she couldn’t even do against an elf who didn’t have the energy to sit up.

  “Yes.”

  Alice fought with everything she had to give. When his grasp on her hands loosened, she stopped. It would have to be enough.

  Chapter Nineteen

  DECKER TOSSED ALICE a bunch of berries he’d gathered along the way. Alice had shown unusual stamina but her aura was dampened. “Eat.”

  “What happened to make you so untrusting?” Alice sat on the ground at the makeshift campsite in the mid-way cave, unlacing her boots.

  “Survival dictates we shouldn’t trust each other. The better question should be, why are you so trusting? I have offered you scant reasons to trust me.” He concentrated on her presence. Most of her fear was gone. Strange since they were alone in the cave where he’d traumatized her.

  “I agree. However, you are exceptionally distrusting, especially of me. Just because I am a witch. Elf. Witch-elf. Elfish.” Alice picked a few of the berries off the bunch and chewed them, before she continued. “That shouldn’t matter anymore with all I’ve done.”

  “No, after all you’ve been through, you shouldn’t trust anyone. Your witches sent you to me. I bit you. I would again. My oracle is probably raiding your grimoires for his own use this very moment.” Decker shrugged and relaxed against the ground.

  “You say you have one-hundred percent faith in his vision of us succeeding. If that is the case, you should trust me.” Alice finished the berries and sat the stick down.

  “Witches are crafty, deceitful creatures. You could have altered what he saw in your mind. You are also light elf, I need not remind you, we eat them.” Decker closed his eyes and stretched his legs. “Get some rest. If you really are a novice, tonight will be a hard night.”

  “Do they eat you?” Alice also settled in, rolling up a blanket to rest her head on.

  “Why? You still peckish, sweet?” He laughed softly. “I told you we would negotiate for parts.”

  “No, seriously.” She turned her head to watch him. “Are all elves cannibals?”

  “You are the most curious thing. Sometimes answers don’t illuminate as much as they darken.” He kept his eyes closed, his voice sounding as if sleep were pulling at him. “All elves used to eat flesh. They have forgotten their humble beginnings. I understand they still eat the flesh of lesser beings. Pretentious.”

  “Do you still feel ill from the water?” She sat up. “Jasper said we might have to fight that elf.”

  “Even ill, I’ll best that elf without effort.” Decker huffed and rolled over. “While those pompous elves sat in their glass castles, studying esoteric arts, we forged a living down here with our bare hands. So yes, he might out-cast me, but I’ll break his neck and rip off his tasty pieces before he utters a complete spell.”

  “They are not as strong? Physically, I mean? Could I fight him, if need be?”

  “You? You do have some pluck.” He chuckled softly. “No, they are not strong. Though Kheelen has been down here with us for a fair time, the way they rely on magic, I doubt he’s built any strength yet.” Decker smiled, thinking about Kheelan in the woods, in the lowlands, slinking around with witches. My how the haughty fall hard. “I’d put my wager on you. Though I think we should leave that to me.”

  “Kheelan.” Alice said the name slowly, as if she were trying to remember it. “Do you believe that our souls always meet the same souls? Maybe we were friends in a past life and that is why I trust you so easily.”

  Decker turned and opened one eye. “No.”

  Her lips pressed into a tight line. “Just, no? You believe in fate. I was sent to your cave.”

  “By nasty witches who poisoned my water and attempted to kill you, not to reunite our separated souls.” Decker closed his eye. “To believe our souls could have met before, would imply that elves and witches lived together at some point. Those are just myths. Even our youngest don’t believe they are real.”

  “But you did live with light elves? My soul could be… what does that even mean for someone like me?” Rocks crunched as she adjusted her bed.


  Decker let the questions about light elves go. While witches and elves working together was a fanciful myth, elves living together was part of a painfully bitter past. The myths said the two stories wove together. Myths. Witches and elves would have never bonded in that way.

  Since he knew Kheelan followed them for most of the journey, he didn’t go to sleep. His healing body made staying awake a fight, but Decker knew Kheelan. That shady elf would wait until the sun was at peak, before he tried to lower the illusion.

  Alice, unaware of the danger, was snoring soft when Decker felt Kheelan approaching.

  “Predictable.” He got to his feet and made his way closer to the entrance. When he was as near as he dared, Decker closed his eyes, and took preventative measures, strengthening the illusion.

  There was a snapping sound and electricity raced through Decker. He stepped back, pulling his mind from the casting. No light came from outside, either the barrier held or Kheelan was up to something else. Most likely, Kheelan was up to something.

  “You will pay for that.” Decker’s voice boomed with rage.

  Laughter from outside started loud, but faded quickly. With the laughter, the presence also grew fainter, until they both blinked away.

  Retreating? It didn’t make sense. The sun was Kheelan’s only advantage in hand to hand combat.

  “Coward!” Decker stepped near the illusion, feeling there was still a static charge. What had he done? Not retreating. Task completed? Decker frowned.

  It was too risky to mess with the illusion with the sun pressing in from the other side. Kheelan would know that.

  His boot tapped on the hard ground. It had to be a delay tactic, something that would cause them to get a late start.

  The only reasoning Decker could figure, was that Kheelan was going to the source to work magic. Perhaps he wanted to strengthen the spell, or add another of those totems Alice mentioned to make it harder to remove his enchantment.

  Why not drop the entrance spell and catch him weak in the sun? With him dead, the water spell wouldn’t need reinforced. His death was what Kheelan wanted above all else.