by E M Graham
AN ERRANT WITCH
Witch Kin Chronicles 3
E M Graham
OneEar Press
AN ERRANT WITCH
Copyright © 202O by E M Graham.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact :
Liz Graham
https://www. LizGraham-Author.com
Book and Cover design by James at Go-On Write
ISBN: 978-1-9993908-8-4
First Edition: May 2020
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Chapter 1
THIS WAS HOW CONDEMNED men must feel in the moments before sentencing; each second slowly ticking towards the death of hope, and right now hope was all I had left to cling to.
How could it still be pitch black outside? This night was never ending; as dark outside now as it had been since my flight landed in Scotland and I’d been whisked off to this hilltop castle. Still the same night, then, but surely dawn would come soon.
Unless the Kin had magicked time itself.
We were in a huge room in the bowels of Inverness Castle, the fortress in the middle of town, high on a hill overlooking the entire river valley. Cold stone walls surrounded us, softened only by the burning sconces set at regular intervals whose light did not reach up to the mullioned windows far above our heads. The only furnishings were rows of hard oak benches like pews, empty now save for me, and Hugh across the aisle. At the front of the room and above us, the row of Witch Kin elders perched like a line of crows on a telephone wire, casting their beady eyes all over me to check that they hadn’t left any morsels to pick out of my tender flesh. I couldn’t meet their eyes now, didn’t want to see the judgement there, needing to hold on to my magic even for a few minutes longer.
Johanna, the chief elder, stood to deliver and finally I had to lift my face. I couldn’t decipher her expression as she looked in my direction; sorrowful, or perhaps that was regret in her eyes? This was not good.
‘Dara Martin,’ she began, then paused.
Hugh had explained the two possible outcomes of this Inquiry. The worst decision for me? I would be declaimed as an errant witch and the elders would bind my power, making me forget everything magical. A painful process for all involved, but afterwards I would head back home and resume a Normal life as if nothing had happened.
The best decision for me would see them forgiving my trespasses against the Kin, recognizing my immense natural power despite being a half-blood, and allowing me to study under Hugh and become a productive member of their society. But that didn’t look like a possibility from where I was sitting, right at this minute.
Everything they had asked about, I’d told them in painstaking detail. About Willem the sorcerer and how he’d used my power to do his awful deeds; and how Brin the elf had escaped Alt because of me, and even how I’d misrepresented myself to the Dwarf Council and offered the bribe of fairie gold to them. Surely they could see that not everything was my fault?
The one thing they didn’t ask about was the medallion which spoke my mother’s name. They didn’t ask because they didn’t know about it, and I didn’t mention it because that was mine and mine alone. In hindsight, yes, maybe I should have, and it might have saved a bunch of hassle, but that’s what hindsight is all about.
She gathered her robes about her and pointed her sharp nose in my direction. This witch was petite in stature yet everyone in the room deferred to her. She continued on in Gaelic of which I understood not a word; most of the trial had been conducted in this ancient language except for my direct questioning.
I looked over at Hugh, my protector, my friend, the only person who believed in me. He too wore a black robe, and stood straight and tall and calm with his natural Kin self-assurance; only his whitened knuckles showed his stress.
The Kin ruled all things magic; it would have done me no good to attempt to run from them because with their worldwide networks, they’d have found me where ever I hid. By submitting gracefully to their Inquiry, I at least had a fighting chance to represent myself. The alternative was too horrible to think about, so I forced my face toward them and bit my lip to stop the quiver.
My dream was to study and become a magic worker - no, not like them up there. These Witch Kin used their power for their own ends and to rule the world banks and politics, although no one ever talked about it. I wanted to be a witch who policed the magic world, working on the side of the good guys, whoever they might be. A half-blood could aim that high, I knew, because Hugh was a half-blood just like me. I swallowed hard, unable to shift the lump in my throat as the elders stared down at me from the Bench in silence. Those five black robes on the dais held my future in their collective hands, and they would claim it was for the good of all the Witch Kin, and for me.
Whatever she pronounced electrified all those present. The four other elders gasped as one, looks of horror and outrage on their faces, and the tall cadaverous one with the Beatles’ haircut immediately began to argue with her.
Johanna listened to each of the other four men and women in turn, meeting their vehement Gaelic protests with calmness, nodding her head but not replying. When they finally ran out of steam, she sharply knocked the gavel on the wooden table before her. She spoke crisply and without hesitation, the authority in her bearing broking no further argument.
She looked me directly in the eye with no emotion on her face as she said it, then gave a decisive nod. Her cohorts shot me black looks and one still shook his head in disagreement, but they rose together as a body and exited the chamber. The clerk spent another moment writing long-hand in his huge leather-bound book, then snapped it shut and he too left the room.
I waited. No armed guards came over to grab me, and that must be a good sign. I looked over again at Hugh who stood with his head bowed.
He looked up and gave a small smile as he made his way over, letting out a deep exhale as if he realized he’d been forgetting to breathe.
‘Not the end of the world then, Dara,’ he said as he shook off his robe, but he avoided my eye. ‘In fact, better than I could ever have hoped for.’
‘Does this mean they’re not going to bind my magic?’ I asked. The relief was tremendous, but I had to be absolutely clear.
Now he looked directly at me and shook his head. ‘No, you get to keep your power.’
‘Yes!’ With these words, I felt as light as an elastic band released to fly across the room, a huge cloud of doom lifted off my shoulders. My future was secured. I would live, I would practice magic, I would...
He placed his hand on my arm to bring me back to earth.
‘Conditionally,’ he continued. He took a breath as if to say more, but then he shut his mouth and held his words.
Of course there would be conditions, there always were with the Kin, and I understood it wasn’t going to be easy.
‘What’s the matter, can’t you be happy for me, Hugh? And when do we start?’
‘That’s the condition,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I admit, I’m surprised by this. You’ll still be going to the Outer Hebrides, but to a... special place. A very special island.’
‘We won’t be staying with your family then?’ That made me pause. I knew nobody else in this country or even this continent, and I’d been counting on
having the familiarity of him by my side. Part of Scotland’s lure in the beginning, before the events that had led to the Inquiry, had been the knowledge that I would be closely working with Hugh as my tutor. ‘So, what is this place?’
Hugh walked me back to a large cloakroom where he handed me my winter jacket and shrugged on his own elegant black wool coat.
‘Scarp,’ he mused aloud as he took the ends of his long red scarf in hand. ‘The island of Scarp, that’s where you’re going. It’s the center for higher learning, the Holy Island of the Kin. Many request to continue their studies there, but only the best and the brightest are accepted.’
I stopped still with my coat half on; it took a second for his words to sink in. ‘Me? They think I’m... among the brightest?’
‘I know,’ he agreed as he turned to look at me. He was usually so cool and collected; I’d never seen him so discombobulated. ‘This turn of events has surprised me too.’
‘Thanks,’ I said in as dry a tone as I could, but he didn’t notice. I put my other arm in my coat.
Hugh shook his head again as if to clear it. ‘Scarp, of all places,’ he said, an unhappy tone creeping into his voice. ‘I attended Scarp. Your father was there in his time, too. But you? I don’t know what to think about this.’
‘Perhaps you could be happy for me?’ I didn’t bother trying to hide the sarcasm. That was the Kin for you. Even Hugh, who claimed to be a half-blood like me, even he couldn’t escape the elitism of the way the Kin thought. ‘What, the place is good enough for you and Dad but not for me?’
He continued on as if I hadn’t spoken, but in such a low voice he might have been thinking aloud. ‘It’s a set-up for failure, as far as I’m concerned. There’s no way you could possibly compete, not without years of study. You haven’t been equipped to handle this kind of stress. Yet, I know Johanna, she wouldn’t do such a thing...’
As he listed all the reasons I could fail, I stopped paying attention for my mind was still stuck on the best and the brightest. I straightened my back and allowed a ray of light into my future for the first time in ages. Finally, recognition of my power, the power I’d been coerced into hiding for most of my life. At last, someone believed in me and I could be free to become the best I could be and no longer carry the burden of other people’s low expectations.
Dara (de Teilhard) Martin was among the best and brightest of the Witch Kin. I savoured the unfamiliar taste of those words on my tongue. There was a future waiting for me, and I was going to give it everything I had.
‘It’s just that...’ Hugh raised his voice and cut across my dreams, determined to keep me firmly anchored to the ground. ‘I believe they must want to keep an eye on you, after Willem. I hope you’re prepared enough to handle this.’
‘What does that sorcerer have to do with anything? He’s long gone on a boat out of Alt. He’s history, and wouldn’t dare show his face around the Kin again.’
‘It’s not that.’ Hugh shook his head. ‘Willem... you said he burned himself into you, deep within your mind.’
I nodded slowly, hating the memory of it. Creepy, nasty Willem. ‘That was horrible. Never again.’
He lowered his voice again and spoke quickly. ‘Yes, I have no doubt you feel this way, but the damage is done. You need to heal from that, and it will take time. A lot of time. Your mind and body need to mend from the inside out, and Johanna... has decided that Scarp is the safest place for you.’
He looked at me, as if I should understand his concerns, then walked toward the door we came in all those hours ago, where he paused and turned back to me.
‘You know, you’ll always carry that scar,’ he continued, his voice somber and his words slow. ‘And there may be other effects during the healing process. Hallucinations, delusions... Willem could even, if he knows where you are, get back inside your head.’
‘Not if I don’t let him! I can control if he comes into my mind, and while I’m learning to use magic, then I’ll just get stronger.’ I was totally confident of my ability to withstand further onslaught from the sorcerer, especially now that I was counted amongst the best and the brightest.
Hugh sighed loudly. ‘What I’m trying to say is, until you’re fully healed, Willem can hurt you again, and cause worse damage this time. I wish it were as easy a matter as your strength of mind,’ he said. ‘I know your intentions are good, but we need to look towards the future.’
He surprised me then by draping an arm around my shoulder and giving me an affectionate hug. Never mind his words, this was icing on the cake of the judgement. I took a moment to bask in his warmth before he dropped his arm again, yet his hand lingered on my shoulder, and we turned to face each other.
In all the months I’d known him, we’d never had physical contact before, not even this casually. I searched his face for the meaning of it and found that his professional distance dropped as he gazed back at me.
My heart thudded in my ears and I couldn’t tear myself away even if I wanted to. This, this was the Hugh I’d met all those months ago by the harbor of my home town, the carefree half-blood denim and leather clad Hugh with the mussed-up James Dean hair. The one I’d half-fallen in love with but dismissed it as a crush, because I knew Hugh Sabarin was far beyond my reach.
But everything was different now, for I was among the best and the brightest.
We might even be equals. Eventually.
‘You know, some day...’ he began with a whisper and a softness on his face as if echoing my own thoughts. But suddenly the door creaked behind us and he jumped back from me as if scalded, as if reminded where he was and who he was and who I was, and he brought his hand up to his hair to smooth his unruly waves.
The clerk of the court poked his head in to the cloakroom. ‘Ye’ll be wanting the dossier, then?’ His eyes rested on me with suspicion, and I was reminded again that most everyone in the courtroom had disagreed with Johanna’s decision.
‘Yes, please,’ Hugh said, all professional and cold again.
When the door had closed again I placed my hand on Hugh’s arm.
‘Someday... what?’
He started at the touch. ‘What?’
‘You said someday... what were you about to say before we were interrupted?’
He drew himself up to his full height and looked over my head, ignoring my question.
‘The thing is, if you don’t properly recover from the damage inflicted, that burn will always be a vulnerable point, your Achilles heel. And if you’re heading where I think you have your sights, then you’ll need to be in top notch form.’
‘You mean, to work with you? Eventually?’ We’d reached the outer door, and I could see a lightening of the clouds outside the window.
‘Perhaps. The world is full of possibilities and potentialities. Just, do yourself a favour, will you?’
‘Yeah, I know,’ I said with a touch of impatience, then gave my best parody of Hugh’s Scottish accent. ‘Drop the arrogance, Dara.’
‘This is serious stuff,’ he said. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at me. ‘I’ve gone out on a limb to plead your case. Your father’s name is also at stake.’
‘You’re afraid I’m going to embarrass you and Dad?’
‘Apart from that aspect,’ he said as he brushed it aside with his gloved hand, then he sighed and turned to me. ‘The expectations are going to be high and, let’s face it, you have no background in magic.’
I could only stare at him, lost for words, but that didn’t last long.
‘You’ve taught me lots, and I spent all Christmas reading those books of yours,’ I shot back at him to hide the deep cut he’d made. ‘Remember how quickly I picked up on things?’ I had my hands on my hips and I was ready for battle. I wouldn’t allow him to take this away from me.
‘Yes, you’re a fast learner,’ he said. ’But you’ll need more than that. I’m afraid...’
‘Afraid for me?’ I flicked my hair away as I stood toe t
o toe with him and stared up at him. I was exhausted from the travel and the tension of the Inquiry and now the sudden rebirth of my dreams, and I had little control at my command. I’d finally grabbed hold of the brass ring, and nothing, not even Hugh, was going to make me let go.
‘Yes, afraid for you!’ He was almost shouting, but caught himself and looked hurriedly all around the empty cloakroom before resuming in a harsh whisper. ‘Not everyone is on your side, you may have noticed. You saw the reaction of the other elders. This could be used as a set up for your failure, for some people don’t believe that half-bloods have any place in the Kin. You’ll need to step very carefully...’
‘You think because someone finally recognized my worth, my potential, that it all has to be a lie?’ I wasn’t even listening to what he was saying, I was just ready to latch onto him like a terrier to flay his ankles.
‘Calm down,’ he commanded, holding his hand up, his face taking on a dark expression.
‘No, you calm down! You’re admitting that your precious Witch Kin aren’t so wonderful after all? Is that it? That they cheat and play with people’s lives all for their own ends? Well, congratulations, Hugh, for finally opening your eyes. Welcome to my world.’
I didn’t bother keeping my voice down as I challenged him, staring him straight in the eye.
He gazed back down at me, his lids heavy. His mouth parted and he drew closer as if to speak, but it felt more like an invitation. Unable to take my eyes from his, I leaned in to him, close enough to catch the subtle undertones of smoky sandalwood and spicy bergamot that were unmistakably Hugh. This close, I could see the gold that shot through his green eyes and sparkled like magic itself.
But right then the little door from the hall opened again and stopped him. The clerk stuck his head in, looked at us from under his bushy unibrow and silently handed out a file folder. Hugh quickly stepped away from me, leaving a rush of cool air in his wake as he accepted the envelope. The door closed as the clerk withdrew.
