The Chosen Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

“What are you thinking?” I leaned forward to try and regain her attention. If she had any ideas how to help, I wanted to hear them. I may have had to do it alone, but it didn’t mean I had to come up with the plan by myself.

  She sighed. “Well, it may not work…but…maybe ask it if it detects any black energy. If it says yes, you can then use the pendulum like a compass. I’ve tried it before with my pendulums and it works.”

  My jaw dropped. Like a compass. I’d never thought of that. A flutter of hope and excitement wiggled in my chest. “How?” I needed to know everything. Note to self: brush up on your basic magic skills asap.

  “Try saying, ‘show me’ or ‘follow the trail.’ Something like that.”

  All at once, my senses tingled, like I’d been plugged into an electrical socket. Henley had a great idea, and I wanted to try it. I pulled the pendulum out of my pocket and rolled the crystal between my fingertips. “Okay. I’ll try it now. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Henley smiled and stood. “That’s our cue, ladies. Let’s leave The Emperor to his duty.”

  Lily stood but she eyed me warily. “If you’re going to follow dark energy, we need to be nearby.”

  Paulina and Larissa exchanged nervous glances before getting to their feet.

  “Fair point.” I nodded and stared at the crystal. “Why don’t you drive a mile or so away and park. If I need you, or if I find anything, I’ll call you. In the meantime, you can call Cassandra and let her know what I’m trying.”

  All four girls nodded, wished me luck, then disappeared out of sight. I sat there in the warm, white powdery sand watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico. The breeze had dropped the temperature to a refreshingly cool feel, and it chilled the sweat rolling off my skin. Part of me considered taking my boots off and dumping the buckets of sand out, but I was too busy enjoying the view. The salty air and rolling waves chipped away the tension in my body.

  After a few minutes, I propped my elbow on my knee and let the pendulum align itself. When it was still, I asked, “Do you know where I’m supposed to go next?”

  The pendulum swung left to right. Yes. I stopped it with my free hand and considered my next question. I needed to word it right. “Can you show me where to go next?”

  To my relief, it responded with a resounding yes.

  I stopped the crystal and got to my feet.

  That flutter of excitement returned. “Am I in the right spot now?”

  It swung left and right again. Of course not.

  I wrapped my hand around the pendulum and walked to my car. Once inside my Jeep, I backed out of my parking spot and held up the pendulum. “Please, show me where to go.”

  Just as Henley had said, the pendulum swung in the direction toward the main road. I followed its path until it switched direction and swung to the left. Fortunately, there was no one on the road in this secluded area, so I drove about fifteen miles per hour so I could watch the crystal and still drive safe. After about a mile of driving in the same direction without the pendulum changing, I wondered if it was working at all. I’d left the soft top of my Wrangler at home, so without any windows to block the wind, perhaps my connection to the stone had weakened. I sighed and rolled the Jeep to a stop at a stop sign. There was no one behind me, so I closed my eyes and tried to think. Did I call Henley and ask if I’d done it wrong? Out of the entire Coven, she had the most experience with pendulums. I was just about to pull out my cell phone when a shock zapped my fingers and tingled up my arm. I opened my eyes and found the pendulum swinging left to right.

  Holy crap. It worked. I sat forward in my seat. My pulse skyrocketed. The crystal swung a little farther to the left than to the right.

  “Okay, left it is.” Left on Ocean Drive. I had no idea where we were headed, but after I turned left, the pendulum switched motion to lead me straight. My brain began hypothesizing of where it might be leading me, trying to predict where I’d turn next. The fact that it was working had me pumped. I couldn’t wait to see what was next.

  Four blocks down, another bolt of energy soared through my fingers. On reflex, I tensed. The pendulum flew to the right so wide it was almost parallel to the ground. I slammed on the breaks and made a seriously illegal right turn from the left lane. Horns blared and I didn’t like how close those screeching tires sounded.

  I cursed and chastised myself for not paying attention to the road. I hadn’t even seen the other cars. My pulse raced through my veins. “Sorry!” I waved my free hand and yelled out to whoever I just cut off. I had no windows, so I figured they heard or saw it.

  Part of me knew I needed to call Cassandra, but the other part of me wanted to follow the lead first. Guess which part of me is about to win.

  I followed the pendulum’s directions around three more turns until it led me to a one-way street, demanding I go down the wrong way. Option one: drive illegally and possibly get in an accident and hurt people. Option two: take the rest of it on foot in this impossible heat. I idled in indecision longer than I’d admit to anyone out loud before I parked my Jeep and got out.

  Driving a soft top Wrangler meant there was no adjusting to temperature when you got in or out of the car. It was the same on both sides. This was both a perk and a con. Although now that I was walking and didn’t have the rushing breeze, the heat settled on me like a hot, wet towel. Sweat trickled from my neck down to my back. I desperately wanted to tie my hair up to get some relief, but I refused to put the pendulum down and risk losing the connection.

  “All right, let’s do this.” I held the pendulum up and took a deep breath. “Show me the way.”

  It swung back and forth, telling me to walk straight. I wasn’t sure what the pendulum was following, but maybe it was dark magic like Henley mentioned. It seemed to have an end point in mind. Or at least I hoped so. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was, only where it led me.

  The sun had officially set. All around me street lights came to life and shimmered their golden glow onto the ground. The air was hot and sticky, but at least the humidity calmed a bit at night and let the ocean breeze drop a few degrees. Still, sweat dripped down my spine.

  The pendulum stopped.

  I froze mid step and stared at the nonmoving blue-violet crystal. Finally. I sighed with relief. But when I looked up, all my oxygen left me in a rush. I staggered back a few steps. My body turned cold. “This is not going to go well.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I groaned and pushed my long black hair out of my face. My heart rate began slowing back down, but not fast enough.

  In front of me, a brick pathway about eight feet wide stretched farther than I could see. On each side of the walkway were rows and rows of headstones. In the dark, the trees surrounding me were unidentifiable, but I felt their energy calling to me like a whisper in the wind. The moss hanging from the branches swayed in the breeze.

  I glared down at the pendulum. “Is this the next location in the prophecy?”

  It swung a yes so wide I thought perhaps it was mocking me. I cursed. The air around me grew thick and musty, like I’d walked into an old garage. Fog seeped out of the ground and swirled around my legs. A wave of ice cold energy rolled down my spine, making me shiver so hard my teeth clattered. Every muscle in my body tensed as my fighting instinct kicked in. Something inside me screamed to flee and never look back. But I knew better. The guardian spirits meant to keep everyone out, even witches.

  “I’m not here to hurt you,” I said.

  Whispered voices tickled my ears, close but too soft to discern. A flash of purple light made me look to the right and I gasped. Like in my living room when I’d first tried to use the pendulum, the crystal radiated purple mist that glowed like starlight in the dark. It was trying to talk to me. I didn’t know how I knew, but I just did. It already told me I had to be here…but why?

  First ally with those between the lands. That was my clue. I could figure it out. Ally meant be friendly with another group,
to work together…with those between the lands. Between the lands? Originally, I’d thought the line referred to demons or evil spirits—wait. Spirits are technically between two places, Earth and the afterlife. Evil spirits would never align themselves with witches. But friendly spirits might. They were either supposed to be here, sent by a higher power, or accidentally got trapped here. I looked down at the fog swirling around my feet. The guarding spirits of this cemetery were the ones in the prophecy. That was what the line meant.

  I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Cassandra. When she answered, I skipped the standard greeting. “The next line means we have to ally with the spirits guarding Holy Grove Cemetery.”

  There was a beat of silence. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “Hurry.” I swallowed down a rush of anxiety. The back of my neck tickled like someone was watching me, but everywhere I looked I found only darkness and fog. I gripped my phone harder. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Kessler, send backup to Holy Grove Cemetery now. Okay, Tennessee, we’re coming.”

  I frowned. Something in her voice was off. She was short and almost cold. No words of encouragement, no optimism in the face of grave danger. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said too quickly. Her voice was too soft and raspy. It was the tone she used when she was stressed. Or worried.

  “Tell me.”

  Silence hung on the other end of the line for a few long seconds before she cursed. “I figured out the last line.”

  “And?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “It means…” she said. “I’ll tell you when I get there. Focus for now.”

  “Fine.” I didn’t push it any further. We were working on the second line of the prophecy. I didn’t need to worry about the fourth yet. I hung up the call and slid my phone back into my pocket.

  The purple mist swirled brighter around the crystal. I glanced around me, at the thick layer of fog hovering above the surface all around the cemetery. The mausoleums in the back seemed to be floating on clouds.

  I cleared my throat. “Guardian spirits, please show yourselves and talk to me.” I waited but nothing happened. Was there some kind of trigger word to get their attention? Communicating with the dead had never been a specialty of mine. I really need to brush up on my basic magic.

  The pendulum chain warmed between my fingers. I looked down at it and narrowed my eyes. I might’ve been crazy, but it seemed like the tool wanted to speak with me. Note to self: ask Henley if her pendulums communicate with her.

  “Okay, pendulum, am I doing this right?”

  No.

  I huffed. “Was I close?”

  NO.

  “Okay…can they hear me?”

  Yes.

  So, they heard me but didn’t answer. Interesting. Perhaps it required a certain type of power? “Am I capable of calling upon them?”

  No.

  Is it possible for a crystal to laugh at me? Because I think so. I sighed in defeat. “So, I need to wait for Cassandra?”

  Yes.

  I didn’t have much time before the others arrived and the pendulum stopped responding to me. There had to be more information it could give me. “Do I need the other Coven Cards here with me tonight, in this cemetery?”

  Yes.

  I cursed. If I needed all of my backup, it wasn’t going to be pretty. “Are we about to be attacked?”

  YES.

  Headlights lit up the headstones to my right. A glance over my shoulder told me at least one car of backup had arrived.

  I returned my attention to the pendulum. “Cassandra says she knows what the last line of the prophecy means. Is she right?”

  Yes.

  “Is it a task I will have to complete?”

  Yes.

  No time to react to that yet. “Can I bring backup with me to do it?”

  NO.

  My heart sank. Why me?

  I don’t want to answer.

  I jumped, unaware I’d spoken out loud. Great, another solo quest.

  Another set of headlights lit up the gravestones. My time was up.

  “Do I need you anymore in this cemetery?”

  No.

  “Tennessee?” Cassandra yelled out from the entrance of the cemetery behind me.

  “I’m here.”

  Without the headlights, the crescent moon barely gave off enough light to see, and the heavy flock of trees blocked most from getting to me. I willed my power to full force and felt it power through my veins like a firehose. Bright white light illuminated everything around me in at least a thirty-foot radius. The pendulum chain turned cool between my fingers, like it had gone to sleep. I carefully tucked it into my front pocket. I had never seen a pendulum that seemed so alive.

  “Hey, most of us are here. Did you have any luck with the spirits?” Cassandra’s voice was still off, and she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “The pendulum says you’re right.” When she turned wide eyes on me, I held up my palms to stop her. “Whatever theory you came up with about the last line, it’s correct. I asked the pendulum. It also confirmed that I’ll be the one assigned, and alone. So just tell me.”

  Her face fell and her shoulders dropped. She nodded. “The vengeful Fallen’s call… It means the Gathering.”

  I threw my head back and cursed louder than I had any right to inside a cemetery. Me, at the Gathering. “Does Kessler know?”

  “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I explained it all to him, but for right now, we have to focus on this task.”

  How was I supposed to focus on this task knowing what task awaited me next? I didn’t even understand what I had to do for this one. Join forces with some friendly ghosts, fight some demons, and hope I accomplished the unknown task. Then go to the Gathering, fight some more unfriendlies, and hope I accomplished an even bigger task.

  Sounds like a solid plan. I sighed and stretched my arms to relieve some stress. I had to trust the Goddess and Cassandra here. Fighting was my specialty. If I focused on that, I might just come out on top. Otherwise, why would She have chosen me for this quest?

  “We’re about to be attacked.” I glanced around at the thickening fog. “The pendulum told me.”

  Chapter Eight

  She didn’t freak out, jump, or scream. No, instead she turned her gaze on our surroundings. “Then I better get making allies with the friendlies. Get everyone ready for battle. I’m not sure what we’re dealing with, but it won’t be our norm.”

  Cassandra knew what she had to do; she didn’t need me hovering over her. Nor would I be any help, as I failed to summon the friendlies a few minutes prior.

  I nodded and turned to look for my Coven. In the minute I stopped to talk with Cassandra, the rest of the gang had arrived. They stood just inside the entrance on the brick pathway. Some of them watched Cassandra behind me, some took in my glowing body and tensed, and some had their eyes on the cemetery. But not a single one of them looked scared. Battle was what we did. They were ready.

  I was ready. This was my zone. After hours of confusion and scratching my head, it felt nice to be comfortable in my skin.

  I walked up to the group and met their heavy stares. “Henley, go help Cassandra and watch her back.”

  “On it.” Henley wasted no time in racing to catch up with our fearless priest.

  I turned back to the rest. “This isn’t going to be a normal fight. We need to break off into teams. Royce, Chutney, and Libby, take the east side. Easton, Lily, and Willow, take the north side. Paulina, Braison, and Larissa, take the south side. Cooper, Peabo, Atley, and Kessler, take the west side. We’re going to need magic and a sword.”

  “Solid combos, boss. Let’s do this, ladies!” Easton waved at his two partners and ran off.

  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered the fact I just gave Kessler an order, but I didn’t have time to process it. I held my right hand out and called for my sword. My energy flexed and flashed across my friend
s’ faces. I took one more glance around my crew before turning and heading deeper into the cemetery. My fingers tingled in warning of my incoming weapon. I reached out and let the hilt slam into my palm without slowing my pace.

  A whistle cut through the silent night sky. It flared a brilliant red arc like a comet and slammed into the bricked pathway about twenty feet back. Fragments of concrete and dirt flew in the air. The ground rumbled under my feet. Crimson smoke billowed down the center walkway, swirling and thickening until it began to take form. Streaks of red flashed across the black sky in the distance like shooting stars, moving in sporadic directions.

  “Stand your ground,” I yelled to everyone. I gripped my weapons and moved closer. Whatever it was, it was going to go through me first.

  The red smoke morphed into a wolf the size of a moose. It raised its translucent scarlet nose to the sky and howled. The other streaks in the sky took sharp turns and headed straight toward us. Within seconds, more than a dozen red beams crashed into the cemetery like asteroids. Whatever this thing was, it just called in for backup. Maybe they’d been searching the city looking for us.

  I kept my eyes on the massive wolf in front of me, with my weapons ready to fly. The beast howled again, and this time its call was answered. The other wolves stalked through the cemetery to join their friend.

  “Hold still,” I shouted. We had no idea what these things were yet. We needed to tread carefully. “Do not engage first.”

  The biggest wolf, the one who’d gotten there first, nodded its big head to the left and then right before returning its transparent gaze on me. It snarled and lowered its head to the ground…and disappeared. The wolves behind it vanished, leaving only the red smoke hovering over the ground.

  “What the hell?” Easton yelled from behind me.

  “Did they leave?” Larissa asked.

  “Hold steady!” I shouted.

  This was only the beginning. I flexed my muscles and bounced on the balls of my feet, ready to move. My body tingled with adrenaline and power. The glow off my skin illuminated a good five feet around me.