“Do you mean the same three headed creatures that have been known to be a myth for some time?”
I nodded, swallowing down another morsel of the delicious sandwiches.
“Yes,” I said hastily, “They’re back. They can only be recalled from the pits of darkness by the highest witch. At the moment that’s either me, which we both know is impossible considering I can’t even fight with proper witchcraft, and I am only able to control the elements of the earth, then it must be...”
“Lilly,” we both said in unison.
“So if she’s brought them back, then she must be trying to take over the entire realm. Obviously being the high witch isn’t good enough for her,” he added dryly. “I take it you won’t be telling her the information you know.”
“Right again,” I answered between bites of food. “It wouldn’t serve any purpose to tell her what I know. I have a feeling she wants bigger things other than bringing them back to life. Whatever she’s doing inside that house must be dangerous; hence she’s brought them back to guard her and the house to keep the secrets locked inside,”
“That’s another thing I like about you,” he commented slowly. “The way you’re so perceptive and you never give up. Many times I watched you and saw how determined you were to keep going even when things weren’t going your way.”
Dazed and confused by how she could even begin to start a small war that would rage into an even bigger one, and for what gain? It remained unclear.
“Luke,” I said, “I need to visit that bar again.”
“I saw it on the paper,” he answered. “Do you want to go tonight? Or won’t your ankle be up to the challenge?”
“I’ll make sure to put a spell on it to heal it faster,” I laughed.
“Are you sure you can do that? I thought you could only use the elements of the earth.” He mimicked me so directly and correctly; his teasing changed the atmosphere between us.
I playfully slapped his arm, making sure he laughed but it felt like I’d slapped a rock beneath my hand; his skin seemed to be made of stone.
“Come on,” he sighed. “We’d better get ready if you want to go and find out some answers. But I warn you, some of the answers you’re not going to like and they will cause more harm than good. There is nothing good going to come out of this and I’m worried about your safety.”
“In what way?”
“I want you to go disguised tonight,” he answered. “I’ve got the very thing you can wear,” he produced from the back of the closet the clothes worn by the demonic immortals that were granted passage through earth to reach other realms nearby. “You’ll have to wear this, if anyone catches a sniff that your investigating you’ll have so many people after you trying to destroy you. Matace placed you in adoptive care for your own safety and then you turned up all by yourself, without any help, asking to join the realm.”
“I traced my own witchcraft and somehow I knew I had to be here,” I defended myself feeling criticised for returning. “My parents weren’t happy and I suppose with the heritage of how I was made, they were right to be angry with me.”
He laughed and threw the costume towards me. I stood and caught it swiftly and watched him leave the room, seemingly in a hurry to get this over with tonight.
Sitting back down on the edge of the bed heavily, and cradling my now throbbing ankle between my fingers, I thought back to the spellbook I’d rescued when I was a child, the one I’d hidden from my parents and kept sacred. I’d found it in the gutter when walking home and delighted with a newly found book I stashed it away in my den in the garden, only peeking into it when I was entirely sure that no one was watching.
The spells had been overwritten and some didn’t work but the handwriting seemed to beckon me back every time. It had gotten to a point where I’d dreamt of becoming a powerful witch, the words ‘The Realm’ had been scribed on the reverse of the book and I’d accidentally found out about the hidden creatures of the earth.
For many years while I was growing up fetching new spellbooks from the library, I would practise in the garden, sometimes blowing up trees and leaving the weather miserable. My mother had complained when my father had caught me in the middle of a detrimental spell against the school bully, where I was desperately trying to make her croak like a frog and jump like kangaroo; it was incredibly stupid but equally as entertaining.
My parents had complained and tried to prevent me from using any witchcraft until I discovered the realm that was close by to my home, the one where Matace had welcomed me with open arms. I’d felt inferior to all those that had been there for auditions on the same day. I used the one thing I knew I was terribly good at, the elements spell. I’d controlled the storms, the sunshine, the earthquakes and conjured a whirlwind of terror which I quickly dispersed.
“Well done,” he’d clapped happily laughing and his eyes twinkling. “I loved that little show. Now tell me,” he’d searched the eyes of the others in the room and then found I was the only one brave enough to stand and openly gawk at him, “where did you learn to do that?”
“Well sir,” I replied, “I learnt it at the back of my parent’s garden.”
“Really,” he asked amused by my response, “well little one, would you like to join us? I am sincerely overjoyed with your show and your determination.”
He’d smiled and I whooped out of the door over filled with the joyous moment, never in my wildest dreams had I thought I’d get into the realm. Even a small piece was hard enough to take, but he’d given me a giant piece to join him as one of his advisors.
Upon his death, Lilly had quickly demoted me telling me I wasn’t cut out to be one of her advisors and that she’d already chosen her selection which didn’t include me. I’d backed away without regret, mainly out of respect and fear for loosing even a footing inside the realm which meant so much to me.
“Are you ready?” Luke asked from the doorway, “I see you’re not.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled hastily grabbing the costume and throwing it easily over my clothes. “There,” I stood in front of him with my arms outstretched, “How do I look?”
“You look mortal,” he groaned, “try putting a spell on your eyes to turn them red or something.”
“Right,” I said and I developed my own spell to make it work just for me. Springing into step with the whirl I felt envelope around me, the whispering of my words and revealing signs of the scorching pain in my eyeballs, “How’s that?” I asked gasping from the pain.
“Better,” he said concern showing in his eyes. “Did that hurt?”
“Like hell,” I replied. “But all done now and I’ve managed to heal my ankle at the same time, no worries now.”
“Hm...” he muttered, “Let's go.”
Leaving his house once more, it was quiet and the dead of night, the exact time when all the demons and immortals would be allowed to stay out till late which helped them to conceal their identities from the mortals that lived around here.
“You know, I think Lilly is at the bottom of this,” I said. “Her name has been tangled more than once.”
“How so?” He asked, gently helping me to step over the fallen branches on the floor as we made our way across his garden.
“On Matace’s note and I remember the barman said to me before, that she’d turned up there with someone. But I assumed she’d been trying to gather information. And she’s the only one I know who would use the vortex tunnels to travel around without risking being seen or discovered, only for some reason I can sense when the tunnels are being opened,.
“Will you stop,” he groaned, “do you ever listen?”
He shouted at me above the sudden interruption of the roaring wind. It felt like someone was creating a high wind illusion the way it had picked itself up and collected itself around us, whirling angrily and trying to force us backwards. Only Luke’s hands shot out as he held me steadily around the waist before I could fall backwards.
“You’re Matace’s child,�
�� he repeated from earlier, “You’re made with particular handpicked DNA which makes you the highest of the high in the realm. As weird as it may be to you,” he stopped and pulled me nearer to him as my fingers gripped his coat. “You’re made to be the one who can do almost everything. And with that comes incredible power which cannot be overthrown by some stupid female thinking she can get the better of you, and in that I mean Lilly.”
Stunned, I stood staring at him, the wind whipped the hood backwards from my disguise, and my hair freely blew with the force of the wind. Luke’s eyes gentled and he held me tightly as he continued to walk across his garden with me clasped tightly to his side.
“Patty,” he breathed in my ear, “can you please do something about this damn wind?”
I laughed softly and stood apart from him, climbing on top of a broken large tree branch that was on the floor nearby. The climax of the wind began to creep stronger; the power was undeniable to say the least and it was someone equally as powerful setting the speed of the wind to prevent me from leaving this garden.
I hummed the words that were so familiar, making my own connection with the earth and the elements that surrounded it. The lights shone brightly and sizzled as I drew their energy source into myself, gradually I gained control. Battling with someone unknown was difficult and made me feel weak but strangely ambitiously powerful to know I was beating them.
Laughing in the face of the storm when the first tornado began to strike down in front of me, Luke’s face appeared again and again and I could faintly hear his shouting to be careful, as he clasped hold of the nearest tree. The eye of the storm crept closer to me, begging me to tackle it, speaking to me in its own way as it roared and began to rear uncontrollably towards the mortals’ houses, disturbing their once quiet existence and making the realm come alive in front of them.
“NO!” I shouted viciously and spread my hands wide, wishing I hadn’t gotten involved and knowing it was Lilly who was chasing me away with the sudden storm. Faintly, inside the eye of the storm, I could hear her laughter, her wicked cackle as if she stood next to me.
“Lilly,” I hissed, “what the hell are you doing?”
No answer, she vanished from my sight, the storm gradually began to creep under my control as I calmed the eye and banished it, sending it back into the skies and shifting the clouds to bring back the twinkling romantic stars above me.
“Luke,” I whispered into the darkness, “where are you?”
“Right here,” came his voice beside me just as my body weakened from the fight with another powerful being; I collapsed to the ground. Luke helped me up checking me constantly and inhaling deeply.
“Why are you smelling me like that?”
“Patty,” he chuckled, “to see if you’re bleeding of course. I can smell blood you know and if you are, then we would have to chance another visit to the bar another night.”
“Well I’m not bleeding,” I smiled. “Why is it so dark?”
“You used the power from the lamp lights around here and blew them out,” he answered. “I didn’t know until then how you could draw power like that. You were amazing.”
“What did I look like?”
“A little scary with the lightening,” he chuckled softly. “It was like watching something out of a movie only in real life and up close. You’re very powerful, Patty and you have got to believe in yourself.”
I stumbled slightly when he helped me to walk. The storm completely died down by now leaving behind only a distant memory for anyone who might have seen it. Luke seemed oblivious to the factors of the dangers, while I puffed alongside him trying to maintain a certain degree of dignity.
“Nearly there,” he remarked when we passed the nearby road that led directly to the bar located on the other side. “Put your hood up and keep your mouth shut. Remember if there’s information to be had, then I will be able to hear it and I’ll be sure to tell you. But the last thing we need is for anyone to discover your presence here; it’s already caused so much uproar because of the way you’ve been trying to trace particular details.”
I nodded, shaken by the previous attempt and yet curious to hear any information and to find out what the barman knew exactly. I knew he wouldn’t give the information freely and it would have to be forcefully taken from him, but that’s why my protector is a vampire.
We arrived and walked casually into the bar. It wasn’t a worrisome sight for a demon to be seen conversing or in the vicinity of a vampire, both were supposed to maintain a dignified amount of fear inside and outside the underworld and the agency.
“Keep close to me,” Luke whispered.
To my surprise his lips barely moved, not even a fraction but his words came to me as if he’d spoken them directly into my ear.
“Can you see the end of the bar?”
I looked from beneath the hem of the hood that flopped down and concealed my face accurately; my eyes saw through the flimsy fabric. Without any assistance, I managed to find the stool and prop myself down onto it.
At the end of the bar stood Lilly in deep conversation with the barman whose details had been added onto the scrap of paper I’d taken from Matace’s. Their voices were drowned out by the noise of the punters, drinking and smoking heavily causing me to stifle my nose with the edge of my wrist.
“Don’t do that,” Luke commented lightly, “Demons don’t cover their noses.”
“And no mortal witch has to stand inside a smelly smoke filled bar pretending to be some horrific demon thing.”
“You’re beautiful in disguise,” he chuckled softly and returned to the bar where another barman was fast approaching. “One blood and one err...what is it you’re having?”
I shook my head signaling I wasn’t really going to drink blood or anything else remotely demonic in this place; the very thought made my stomach contents curdle.
“My friend doesn’t appear to want anything so just the pint of blood would be great,” he said.
As the barman turned away I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand up on end; the trickle of ice fear trailed down my back.
“Don’t look up;” he warned beside me. “Tye’s arrived with some others.”
“What if he sees you?”
“Sh...” he warned softly, “there’s no harm in me being here enjoying a nice cold drink. If he approaches, walk in the direction of the door and I’ll follow soon as I can.”
I nodded, accepting the inevitable fate of being ushered out of the door. I couldn’t plant a protective spell around myself because Lilly would sense it and know instantly that there was another witch present.
“Walk,” he ordered.
Chapter Seven
I turned as casually as I could and headed to the door, aware of the curious stares from the creatures around me who lazily drank at the tables. Some were drinking blood and others were drinking mortal alcoholic beverages that were deemed to be safe for their kind and wouldn’t cause them to become overly intoxicated and a threat to the humans.
“Well, well, well,” I heard Tye say softly. “If it isn’t the ever heroic Luke. And where, dare I ask is the luscious Patty?”
“I don’t have to answer that, Tye,” Luke said sternly. “What brings you here?”
“Out for a drink,” he answered. “Want to join me?”
“Not really,” Luke replied. “I was passing through and couldn’t win against the ever calling smell of the blood, so I dropped by for a quick taste,”
“The good old fashioned thirst hey,” Tye chuckled. “Well, I’ll join you for at least one. Who’s your friend?”
“What friend?”
They both stood clear in my view and their voices carried over the din of the bar; casually they conversed with each other. Tye leant closely towards Luke, his eyes assessing and unwavering as he held him prisoner beneath his cold hearted words that left his mouth.
“You should tell her to stop investigating,” he warned. “It’s becoming noticed and she’s h
eaded up on the list as the next to die. I’m only telling you as an old comrade to another. Do you remember the old days Luke?”
“I’m not one of your comrades anymore, Tye,” Luke replied. “I’ve moved on since then and I’m not happy about the things I’ve done in the past or the terror I’ve caused. If one hair on Patty’s head is touched by you, mark my words that I’ll be coming after you.”
The conversation was rapidly dispersed by the chiming voice of Lilly who’d approached. Her clothes floated around her, creating her in some vision of a goddess, her own lack of security was evident with the one male guard she’d brought with her.
“Tye,” she chimed gently, “Oh, and I’m honoured to be meeting you again so soon Luke.”
I watched from outside as Luke bent over her outstretched hand and kissed it lightly; his eyes matched her dead on, as they fought a battle of wills against each other.
“Lilly,” he breathed, charm seeping from his voice making my skin crawl from outside. “How lovely to make your acquaintance so soon, but I’m afraid I have to leave. This was only a drop by drink before my duties resume.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “You must keep our darling young witch, Patty safe, mustn’t you?”
“Indeed I must.” He said and downed the remainder of his drink.
Behind me, the cloaked figure approached from the opposite side of the street, the feet appeared beneath my vision on the floor; the voice was gruff and fake.
“Come with me,” it said. “I have something extremely important to show you.”
“I’m not coming with you,” I replied gently. “Who are you?”
The Depths of Darkness Page 10
