Witches (The Cross-Worlds Coven Series #1)

by Phil Stern

  “The natural balance must be maintained,” murmured Agnes, at 107 the oldest member of the Coven, an earth stone pulsing weakly near her wizened throat.

  “But this man is powerful,” objected Amber, nervously brushing back her auburn hair. “How can we...”

  “Our sisters were taken alone and unawares,” Eleanor declared. “Working together, you will cut out this cancer before more damage is done.”

  “But we know next to nothing!” objected Marissa. As with the other five witches summoned before the council, she was strong and fit, confidently looking at each Elder in turn. “How do we even find this man?”

  “We think he operates in two worlds, Fortura and Meda,” Eleanor said.

  Almost as if an obscenity had been uttered, the younger women shrank back. One did not simply throw about the names of other worlds unless everyone present had been cleared to go there. Amber and April looked at each other in alarm.

  “Don’t be shocked, ladies,” the Coven Leader continued. “Some of you are familiar with these worlds, some aren’t. But you need to know of their existence, because you’re going there now.”

  ***

  “Tiffany, a word.”

  Each lost in their own thoughts, both the Elders and younger, would-be female avengers wandered out behind the council building into a sprawling garden. Now turning about, Tiffany saw that Eleanor had followed her down a path bordered by dozens of different flowers and plants.

  “Of course,” Tiffany carefully replied, letting the older woman fall into slow step beside her.

  “I don’t mind telling you, Tiffany, that you’re something of an enigma to us.”

  “How so?”

  “You obviously harbor doubts. Resentments.” The senior sorceress paused, letting her hand rest briefly on an exotic flower. “Some have even come to question your loyalty to the Coven.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” A small brook ran along the back of the garden, before which sat a bench. Deliberately leaving Eleanor’s side, Tiffany walked over and took a seat, coolly looking up at the Council Leader. “However, that being the case, why am I being involved in this mission at all?”

  “A fair question.” Strolling over, Eleanor sat beside her. “To be frank, we need you.”

  “Why? There are fifty other girls you could be sending after this man.”

  “This is no time for false modesty.” Eleanor’s steely, grey eyes locked on her own. “You are the strongest young witch we have, and you know it.”

  “Please.” Irritably, the brunette looked away.

  “Think of all the good work we do in the outer worlds, the people we help,” Eleanor continued. “This wizard could force us to retreat from all that, to stay bottled up here in Haven.”

  “All our ‘good work,’” Tiffany softly repeated. “You mean, like the good work you did with my father?”

  For a time both women stared out at the idyllic garden. Beyond its borders could be seen a dazzling field of sunflowers, forming a breathtaking vista leading to the foothills a mile beyond.

  “Ah. I see.” Sighing, Eleanor leaned back. “So now it’s finally out in the open.”

  “My father,” Tiffany carefully began, ”is dead as a result of all the ‘good work’ we do in the outer worlds.”

  “Is that so?” Thoughtfully, Eleanor studied the younger woman. “As I understand it, your father walked off a cliff in a drunken stupor.”

  “After my mother and I were taken away from him!”

  “You were given sanctuary here. To heal. So he couldn’t abuse the two of you any more.”

  “Yes, but...” Helplessly, Tiffany rubbed her eyes. “What if my father wanted to be a better man? What if we made it impossible for him...”

  “My dear girl. Listen to me very carefully.” Eleanor’s earth stone flared briefly, scaring off a meandering bee. “I was the one who imbued your father with our essence, allowing you to acquire our magical power.”

  Tiffany said nothing, staring off into space.

  “We did not make him abusive. He was that way already. I merely gave you the means to resist him, and all men like him.” The older witch paused. “I did not cause his demise. Nor, more importantly, did you.”

  “I wish...” Tiffany paused, angrily shaking her head. “I wish I could be as sure.”

  “Your father was rich. No one would have intervened,” Eleanor softly continued. “Would you have rather been left in that man’s power, to be victimized at his whim?”

  Taking a deep breath, Tiffany said nothing.

  “My dear.” Hesitantly, the Council Leader placed a hand on her arm. “This is a crisis unlike anything we’ve ever faced. We’re being hunted. I don’t even want to think about what this wizard is doing to our sisters right now. You need to put your doubts aside. You must be focused.”

  “I understand.” Sitting up, Tiffany dislodged Eleanor’s hand. “So when do we leave?”

  “Immediately.” The Council Leader stood. “You and Zandra will cross over into Meda. There’s a witch, a former Coven Elder, who lives there. She might know something about this man.”

  ***

  Emerging from the Boundary in a dense pine-like grove, Tiffany and Zandra listened intently, hands on sword hilts. All seemed quiet, save for the faint sound of birds in the distance.

  “All right.” Relaxing, Tiffany turned to her companion. “Let’s try to find some cover...”

  Angrily, Zandra held up a hand, demanding silence. Whispering an incantation, the sorceress closed her eyes, concentrating, earth stone pulsing a dark green.

  Tiffany waited, looking uneasily at the alien foliage and strange, purple rocks. Luckily, Zandra was a Median native. The muscular witch was also an expert at sensory extension, allowing her to hear, smell, and see for miles, with the appropriate magical assistance.

  Both women were dressed to blend in, wearing leather clothing of tan Median hues, while armed with swords and short daggers. In the hands of a trained sorceress, the bladed weapons could focus great power.

  Unlike Dytha, her technologically-advanced home world, or Terra, also steeped in the scientific tradition, Meda was a “natural” dimension. Here, magic was a fact of life. This richly-forested land (as Tiffany had recently learned in a hour-long crash course in the Haven library) boasted a myriad of magical beings. In fact, Meda’s human population was relatively small, existing almost entirely in a small cluster of villages near the eastern continent’s southern shore. Without magical abilities, humans rarely strayed from their enclave, lest they become easy prey for Meda’s stronger, dominant inhabitants.

  Though the Coven had long traveled between worlds, there was much about the universe they had yet to understand. For example, what could possibly account for human inter-dimensional migration? The same species, which had so clearly evolved on Terra, popping up in untold different worlds? Or stories of magical beings on Earth, though none existed there now?

  And what of inter-dimensional artifacts appearing in the most unlikely of places? Stonehenge was unusual, to be sure, but Terrans were already familiar with rocks. However, just imagine what Terrans would think of an alien novel popping up in their local bookstore? Such things weren’t entirely unknown, though the Coven tried to minimize the damage.

  Clearly, at one time, the Boundary had been much more porous than it was today. How could that be? Yes, magic could be unpredictable, as her older Coven-mates were fond of saying, but it wasn’t entirely random, either. Without question, there were things about the universe’s guiding force, and the source of the Coven’s own power, that they had yet to understand.

  Which directly related to their present mission. Could the very nature of magic be somehow mutating? How else could one explain a male human with the ability to wield magical power superior to their own? Even if they eliminated this wizard, the ramifications were profoundly disturbing.

  After a moment, Zandra came out of her seeming trance. “There are no hostile creatures nearby,” she anno
unced, nodding toward the setting sun. “However, I’ve detected a human village two miles in that direction. We can reach there by nightfall.”

  “Let’s go,” Tiffany said, motioning Zandra to precede her. The two Coven-mates struck off for the human habitation, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding forest along the way.

  Entering the village an hour later, the Medians fell off to either side, allowing the two magical warriors to pass unmolested. Reaching the center square, Zandra addressed the tallest, most imposing man there.

  “We are here on an urgent matter,” she announced, approaching the bearded, grim townsman. “We require your assistance.”

  A murmur ran through the crowd. More villagers crowded into the center area, closing off a possible escape. Eyes narrowing, the man took a step forward. “And why should we help the likes of you?”

  “We mean you no harm,” Tiffany began. “And we are all human...”

  “Witch! You are not like us!” screamed out an older woman. “She-devil! Leave us!”

  Some fifty villagers now began crowding in, chanting and yelling. One man brandished a staff over his head.

  Drawing her sword with a sharp rasp, Zandra pointed the blade at the sky. A bolt of green earth fire blazed up into the growing darkness. “That’s close enough!”

  Suddenly uncertain, the crowd drew back a step, staring resentfully at the two women.

  “All right, then.” Tiffany tried a broad smile, stepping forward to place a placating hand on Zandra’s shoulder. “We seek one such as us. Her name is Katrina. A recluse, perhaps.”

  More glowers and muttering. In the sudden lull, a young boy spoke up. “Do you mean the lady on the hill?”

  “Shut up!” His mother snapped, grabbing the boy roughly by the arm. “Don’t say nothing!”

  “Come here.” Bending down, Tiffany casually touched her earth stone. Glowing a comforting green, the boy found himself compelled to approach. Though the mother made to intervene, a quick motion from Zandra’s exposed blade held her back.

  “What lady is this?” Tiffany asked, smiling reassuringly.

  “She’s a mean old lady...”

  “Jaton, hush up!” the mother now screamed. “You can’t talk about...”

  Casting another minor spell, Tiffany caused the mother to fall silent, her panic forgotten, now serenely staring about.

  Once more, Tiffany addressed the boy. “Jaton. Is that your name?”

  He nodded.

  “Tell me more about the lady.”

  “She’s magic!” he blurted out. “And mean, too! She eats babies for breakfast and strikes men dead just for the fun of it!”

  Suddenly enraged, Zandra now focused on Jaton. “Shut your mouth, boy!” Another wisp of earth fire sparked from her weapon. “You’re talking about your betters!”

  The crowd shuffled about, staring warily at the witch’s exposed blade.

  “Come now, Zandra. He’s just a child.” Deliberately, Tiffany caught her Coven-mate’s eye. “We’re all friends here.”

  “You don’t know these people,” Zandra muttered. “I do.”

  “You’re no better than us, witch!” shouted someone from the back row.

  “Yeah!” added another. “You’re from the next village over! I knew you as a young girl.”

  “I left here long ago!” Zandra hissed. “Peasants! Don’t ever compare yourselves...”

  “Enough!” Standing, Tiffany smiled warmly at the crowd, drawing close to her companion. “Zandra, we’re not here to start a fight,” she murmured. “Or are we?”

  Furious, the native enchantress turned away. Sighing, Tiffany once more addressing Jaton. “Where can we find this lady?”

  “Over there,” he said, pointing vaguely past her shoulder. “There’s a castle on a hill.”

  “Thank you.” Patting him on the shoulder, Tiffany once more touched her earth stone, causing the suddenly obedient crowd to separate.

  “But she’s mean!” Jaton insisted, stomping his foot for good measure. “And there are monsters guarding the castle. You’ll die if you go there!”

  “Who do you think you’re talking to?” Incensed once more, Zandra turned toward the boy, sword casually at the ready. “Don’t you tell us...”

  “Thank you all!” Tiffany called out. “Goodbye!” Deliberately, the brunette enchantress strode through the magically-parted villagers. With another murderous look for the crowd, Zandra followed, the two women heading off toward Katrina’s castle.

  ***

  “So what was that all about?” Tiffany asked. By now they were twenty minutes outside the village, striding quickly down the forest path.

  “I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” Zandra coolly replied from behind her.

  “All that nonsense with the locals.” By now it was almost completely dark. A strange animal bellowed in the distance. Uneasily, Tiffany fingered her sword hilt.

  “That is my concern.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s becoming my concern as well.”

  “Tiffany, stop!” Zandra commanded, coming to a sudden halt, fists balled angrily by her side.

  Surprised, the brunette witch paused, turning about, barely able to make out her companion in the dark. “What is it?”

  “Do we have a problem?” Zandra demanded. Snapping her fingers, the two women were illuminated within a glowing globe. Beyond the enchantment, the alien forest could be clearly seen.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Waving her own hand, Tiffany countered the spell, returning them to night. “Everyone for miles will see us!”

  “I am more powerful than you think.” With another snap, they were returned to near daylight. “From the outside, we are invisible.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that.”

  “I would.”

  Tiffany rolled her eyes. “We don’t have a problem. Yet.” Advancing, she stopped a foot away. “But if your bullshit keeps getting in the way of our mission, then we will.”

  “Girls like you understand nothing of the universe!” Raw fury now blazed from the native witch’s eyes. “You grew up in comfort, in an advanced world! Here, humans are like animals, abused by everything and everyone!”

  Tiffany shrugged “So I supposedly had the golden childhood you never did. So what?”

  “Do not question me again! This is my world.”

  “The only thing I’m beginning to question is your sanity.” Once more, Tiffany countered the illumination spell, plunging them into murky night. “We’re seeking a powerful, possibly insane former member of our Coven, who we hope knows something of this wizard who’s actively hunting us. We wanted to be discreet. But I’m going to take a wild guess that your light show warned everyone in this world of our approach!”

  “I told you, I was careful...” Her voice trailing off, Zandra looked up at the sky, a soft shaft of moonlight playing lightly on her now concerned features. “Wait. I hear...dragon bats? Yes, dragon bats are approaching.”

  Closing her eyes, Tiffany lightly grasped her earth stone. Visions of winged, reptilian demons sprang into her mind, orienting unerringly on the two witches. Cursing, she drew her sword. “It’s too late. We’ll have to fight them off.” All need for secrecy gone, it was now Tiffany who illuminated the entire area, the better to see their attackers.

  A little less surely, Zandra also hefted her weapon, placing her back to Tiffany. “Kill them with the first strike. You may not get another.”

  “Good enough.” A second later, the first dragon bat came screeching at the two witches.

  Wielding her blade with authority, Tiffany smashed the winged aggressor in the head, the bat collapsing dead at her feet. The second came in low. Though evading her first stroke, Tiffany caught the predator with a strong surge of earth fire before it could completely escape. Cracking from the tip of her sword, the dragon bat burst into green flames, crashing into a nearby tree.

  And so it went for the next five minutes, the two witches evading and counter-striking. Despite Zand
ra’s bravado, Tiffany proved the more competent warrior, dispatching her own assailants with relative ease, while assisting her Coven-mate at a few critical moments.

  Growing panicky during a sudden lull, Zandra spun about, wild-eyed. “Where are they! I sense them still...”

  “Look out!” Tiffany yelled, blasting a dragon bat making a suicide run at Zandra’s head. Another creature barreled into the native Median’s leg, however, sinking its fangs deeply into her flesh. Screaming in pain, Zandra dropped her sword, grabbing the vile creature by the wings. Unable to dislodge the beast, Zandra’s skin began instantly burning.

  Dispatching the attached dragon bat with a single thrust, Tiffany flung the carcass aside. Blood poured from Zandra’s wound, instantly soaking her pants. More bat cries could be heard on the night air.

  “I’m done for,” Zandra gasped. “Tiffany, you must save yourself...”

  “Shut up!” Earth stone throbbing, Tiffany placed both hands on Zandra’s leg. As magical creatures themselves, it was difficult to counter the bite of a dragon bat, but in moments Zandra’s wound ceased bleeding.

  By now the remaining dragon bats had come to fear Tiffany’s blade, circling warily a short distance away. Dragging Zandra some fifty feet off the path, Tiffany cast every evasion spell she knew in a bid to confuse the winged creatures. After ten minutes the dragon bat’s cries grew weaker, the predators finally leaving the area entirely. Tiffany then hauled her companion another half-mile through the forest into a rocky ravine.

  For the rest of that miserable night Tiffany carefully hollowed out a boulder, laboriously transforming fist-sized amounts of stone into birch leaves. (It’s amazing how those quirky spells come in handy from time to time.) Desperately clasping her earth stone, drifting in and out of consciousness, Zandra bitterly fought the dragon bat venom invading her veins. Tiffany lent her own strength from time to time, though she also kept her attention on the surrounding forest.

  By morning the worst had passed, Zandra falling into a deep sleep within the boulder. Another half-hour served to fashion a magic, holographic rocky exterior for Zandra’s hideaway. Unless someone, or something, stumbled into the boulder itself, Zandra should remain safe.