by Jayne Hawke
I showed Ethan my note and that was it. We knew we had something.
“Now to find the White Rose,” I said.
Ethan pulled out his phone and rang Kerry. He gave her the information. Judging from the furrow in his brow, Kerry hadn’t given him the news he was hoping for.
“She said there are five White Roses in York. We need to narrow it down somehow. She’s looking into the Maeve Planer angle. Are you ready to head back?”
I looked around the space and nodded. I needed to sit down and really explore there, but it wasn’t the time. My god magic was pounding within me making me eager to bring the witches to justice. They had been wronged, but killing innocents purely because of their bloodline was wrong.
When we got back, Kerry was furiously typing on her laptop while Matt helped Cade make some food.
“I think I have her. The White Rose was a small hotel, but it was sold and repurposed into fancy apartments. She seemed to disappear, but there was something weird so I fell down the rabbit hole. Give me five more minutes,” Kerry said.
I was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet, eager to dive into the fray. Part of me was curious to face off with the witches. Just how close to my Mom and her magic were they? She had said that they were broken, but did that just mean that they needed to consume blood or was it more?
Ethan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me into the kitchen.
“Don’t burn your energy before the fight’s started,” he said as he guided me into sitting at my usual spot.
He was right. I was allowing my god magic to interfere and wind me up. I needed to get it back under control. Slowing my breathing, I mentally wrenched the magic back to the depths within me and shoved it down. Mom’s note about my father’s magic being dangerous flickered in my mind.
I wished she were around to explain what that meant. I had thought they were perfect. They were my idols. I didn’t know if I could handle another big secret.
FORTY-THREE
Kerry managed to find deeds and ties between Maeve Planer and a building two roads over from the White Rose. It looked as though the coven had moved to a larger building. Maeve had strong ties in the city, a small business owner with rumoured connections throughout the fae court. I hadn’t heard of witches being favoured by the court fae, unless of course you counted those that were bound to them.
The entire thing made the politics difficult, but the hum of my god magic was still in the back of my mind pushing me to dive into the fight.
“Kerry has gotten into the surveillance and believes that the entire coven is in the building right now. We go in, find evidence it’s the right coven, and put them down,” Ethan said.
We all raced off to our respective spaces and prepared for a big fight. I grabbed the Aphrodite witch gauntlet along with a few daggers. I didn’t trust my god magic to behave well enough to risk going without a few back-ups. Dean handed out health potions and Matt gave us all a small blue tablet he’d apparently made himself.
“It’ll give you a magical boost. We don’t know how strong these witches are,” he said with some pride. He stopped me as I went to leave and tied a bag to my belt. “Conflagration Express potions from my master’s own hands. Don’t stand too close.”
“It goes without saying, but make sure these witches do not get any of your blood,” Ethan said as he looked at us.
There was an electricity running throughout the pack. This was the fight we’d been building to. We were going to put the witches down, and the political nightmare would dissipate, leaving us to return to more mundane bounties.
Sin was waiting for us by the cars.
“I’m coming with you,” he said matter-of-factly.
Ethan’s lips pursed, but he didn’t argue. He simply nodded to the back of his truck. I wasn’t entirely happy about having the elf behind me, but there were bigger things to be worrying about.
The city was quiet at that time of night. The roads were clear. We were at our destination within ten minutes. My magic was unfurling within me when I felt like something was wrong. There was a gathering of beings nearby. Not witches. Fae.
Ethan parked hastily and we all got out of the trucks.
“It’s them! They’re the ones who’ve been draining our fellows of blood!” a pixie screamed.
It looked like the witches had pulled together a backup plan.
We all shared a look, hands on weapons that were still undrawn. I didn’t want to kill people for being confused. Ethan was probably thinking about the politics of exterminating a crowd of fae. Either way, no one wanted this fight, except possibly Sin who was smiling and stopping just short of juggling his swords over his head.
“Get back in the cars, this isn’t necessary,” Ethan said.
They were getting close, too close. I threw three potions in a wide arc and watched them fly, willing them to fall between us and the enemy and not incinerate anyone that could be dissuaded. They landed perfectly, a wall of glorious overkill. Everyone but me snapped their heads to look. Sin and I were both laughing, and soon most of the pack had joined us.
“Well, that should buy some time,” Ethan said dryly, shoving people into the cars and away from the light show.
No one followed us, but we took a circuitous route to the safehouse anyway, the mood a mix of relief at not having to kill innocents (or die trying) and frustration at the missed chance. By the time we got back, everyone was serious, ready to get back to work to find our real targets and put this to bed.
FORTY-FOUR
Dean grudgingly held the door open to let Sin join us inside. He had, after all, fought alongside us. I still wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t some weird game, but I had to admit it was nice having him fight with us.
Matt came rushing over as we entered, surprised to see us.
“It was a setup,” I said. “They convinced a bunch of fae we were the bad guys. We used your fire potions to create some convenient area denial and left before we had to do anything we’d regret.”
Ethan stood.
“Firstly, thank you, Sin, for your help.” He nodded to the elf who was sitting on the armchair furthest from the pack. “Secondly. We underestimated the social pull this woman has. She has demonstrated that she knows we’re coming, and she has the ties to be able to counter us. We need a different tactic. First we’ll shower and sleep. Tomorrow we will find a way to bring her down.”
Sin looked up at Ethan with his head slightly cocked.
“Where exactly have you been sleeping?” Ethan asked Sin cautiously.
“Your roof.”
Ethan sighed.
“We have a spare room. If you so much as think anything vaguely murderous, we’ll kill you without a second thought.”
Sin grinned.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As much as it didn’t quite feel right, I had to admit the elf had been pretty good to us. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to sleep much knowing he was under the same roof as me, but I had to try. The body count was rising, and now we knew the witch had the ability to cause real damage with her connections.
“It looks like she might be as well connected as to have the local lady’s ear,” Cade said grumpily.
We’d already had our first pot of coffee and a large breakfast. It was time to figure out our next move.
“How did she pull that off? Surely she can’t hide her witch magic?” Dean said.
“I don’t know, but she did something. Maybe it’s part of her blood magic?” Cade said.
They turned to look at me. I shrugged.
“I have no idea. I haven’t had a chance to really sit down and figure it all out.” I said.
“Would she not need some of the lady’s blood to control her?” Sin asked.
“It makes sense to me, but blood magic is powerful and complicated,” Ethan said.
“I think she only needs the lady to let her guard down so she can snatch a thread of her life essence,” Kerry
said.
“That’s still quite a feat. Have you ever heard of a lord or lady relaxing?” Ethan said.
“Wait, doesn’t the lady have a penchant for screwing low born women...?” Kerry asked.
Everything fell into place.
“Ok, but how does that help us take her down? We need evidence and a lot of it,” Ethan pushed.
“Why?” Sin asked.
“To stop the political fallout,” Ethan said.
Sin laughed.
“You’re out of touch with the courts. Just demonstrate that she’s a blood witch, that will be enough. They want your Kit because she has both blood witch and god magic. A pure blood witch is nothing to them. At best they’re on par with mongrels, at worst they’re a pest to be executed,” Sin said.
Well that made things a little easier.
“We still need to get close to her,” Dean said.
“You’ve been trying to get to her. Why not just bring her to us?” Sin asked.
“No,” Ethan said flatly.
“No what?” I asked.
“He wants to offer you up as a bounty or a tool,” Ethan said.
“That actually hadn’t crossed my mind. I was thinking that I could say I have found one of their lost flock being held captive by some big bad dogs,” Sin said.
“So you want to lure them in to come and save me?” I said.
“Yes, exactly.”
“What makes you think they’d fall for that?” Dean asked.
“Blood witches aren’t very common. They’ll be curious to see if you’re tied to them somehow even if they don’t fall for the lost member of the coven thing. All I need is one of your hairs so they can feel your blood magic. Either, they feel you’re a pure blood witch and come to see if you can help them. Or, they feel the corruption due to your god magic and come to save you,” Sin said.
“Why I don’t just go myself? You said they’ll be able to feel the corruption, so I’ll tell them I was experimented on like they were and draw them out,” I said.
“That’s too dangerous,” Ethan said.
“Seriously?” I pushed back.
“I wouldn’t allow anyone in this pack to go alone into that situation,” Ethan said.
That made me feel a little better, but I still hated it. A big part of me wanted to push back and prove I could do it. I decided that was just the god magic trying to push me into a bigger more interesting fight and ignored it.
“How are you going to draw them out to us?” I asked Sin.
“I’ll say that the pack are moving you, and I know of a perfect opportunity to grab you,” Sin said.
“No. Tell them Kit was experimented on and wishes to join them, but she’s in hiding due to her broken magic. You’re her intermediary. They’re more likely to buy that,” Ethan said.
Sin nodded.
“So be it. Now, where am I leading them to?”
FORTY-FIVE
“Ok, so we’re drawing these witches out. How do we kill them?” Cade asked.
I’d been half of the night reading through the books on blood magic that I’d been able to find.
“Poisoned blood. I can corrupt my blood and act as bait,” I said as I glared at Ethan, warning him not to argue.
“How exactly will that work?” Ethan ground out.
“I can toy with the magic in my own blood. The god magic will protect me. Then I act as bait, act injured or something. They start absorbing my blood, and then they’re poisoned and weak, ready for you to kill them,” I said.
“It’s too much of a risk to have you as the only bait. Work your magic on my blood too,” Sin said.
“No, it-” Ethan started.
“You know as well as I do that it will be far easier for your fledging witch to corrupt my blood than yours. Your ties to death make your blood more... complicated,” Sin said, cutting him off.
Ethan seethed.
“It might hurt. A lot,” I said.
Sin shrugged.
“I am not going to back down from this quest because of a little pain,” he said.
He glanced at his watch.
“I need to leave. We will do whatever ritual you need to do when I return.”
Once Sin had left to go and meet the witches, Ethan turned to me.
“There must be another way.”
“We could get lucky and overwhelm them with your death magic and my god magic, but they’re strong. Do you want to take that risk?”
“I like the sound of it better than using you as bait,” Ethan growled.
I reached up and caressed his cheek, feeling the rough stubble press against my palm.
“We’re pack, and you know as an alpha that we need to do whatever is best for the pack as a whole. This is the least risky option,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I will not lose you.”
I smiled and leaned in against his chest.
“No, you won’t. You need to let me do this.”
He wrapped his arms around me and rested his cheek against my temple.
“We will do whatever it takes to kill them if there’s even a hint of this going sideways,” he said.
“I know,” I said with a smile.
I couldn’t let Ethan know how nervous I was about this entire process and idea. I’d read about the blood twisting in a book. I had no idea if I really had the skill to do it. All I knew was it was our best chance of killing the witches without losing one of our own. I was not going to lose one of my pack because I didn’t have the backbone to step up when they needed me to.
“The meeting is arranged for tomorrow at two in the park near the walls,” Sin said.
Ethan nodded and said nothing.
“Do you need anything for the ritual?” the elf asked.
“No. We’ll do it tomorrow morning. Doing it too early poses too many risks,” I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.
The elf gave me a small smile and a nod of understanding before he settled himself down in a chair and watched the pack mill around.
No one relaxed that night. Everyone was on tenterhooks as we watched the clock tick, waiting for the time to come. This was dangerous, possibly more dangerous than anything we’d tried before. If I got the ritual wrong, then we could die, or worse. The pack knew that, but no one brought it up, and I appreciated that.
Ethan kept me close and offered his silent support. I was tempted to sleep in his arms, but I knew that I’d only toss and turn. That wasn’t fair on him. In the end, I spent most of the night reading and re-reading the ritual, making sure that I had every detail straight in my head. It looked so simple on paper, but I knew that one slight misstep and we’d both be completely screwed.
No pressure.
FORTY-SIX
Sin stood before me with a calm expression. My heart was hammering in chest as though trying to break free from its prison. I swallowed and tried to settle my nerves. My witch magic was alive and eager to begin the process. Sin’s magic sang like a beautiful choir. The brilliant sparks in his blood pulsed and called to me to reach in and pluck them.
Ethan squeezed my shoulder, and the tension faded. The pack was right there. Ethan was barely a step away. Rolling my shoulders, I told myself this was easy. Just reach in and twist his blood. No big deal.
My witch magic didn’t need any nudges to surge forwards and dive into Sin’s blood. His eyes widened slightly as I felt the fine threads of my magic wrap around those beautiful sparks within his blood. I could almost taste the sweet honeyed tones of his blood on my tongue. It would have been so easy to pull, and it would all be mine.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed past those dark urges and formed the delicate threads of the magic coursing through his blood in my mind. Slowly, I aligned my own threads of magic with his, and then I began twisting. One little movement to the left, enough to add a small kink to the thread. Then again, and again, until it looked like old knotted string.
Now for the truly complicated part. Sin
wouldn’t be able to continue his life with his blood permanently in that state. I set small notches along the threads and kinks in the blood magic. Slowly, those notches would widen until they broke the twists I’d placed, and the magic in his blood would spring back to normal. That meant we were working within a timeframe. We had one shot at this.
Stepping back, I gave Sin a small nod. He returned the nod and accepted the sweet tea Kerry handed him. Working with my own magic was far easier. I felt the change when I opened my eyes. The world was darker, greyer. A soft melancholy had settled over me. I knew it was part of what I had inflicted on myself, but I still desperately wanted to shake it off.
“Are we ready?” Ethan asked.
The pack had spent the morning preparing for war. Everyone had been given as many weapons as they could carry along with magic-enhancing potions and an armful of healing potions. Matt was remaining home at the safe house. He wasn’t a fighter, and I didn’t want that to change.
I triple-checked that my daggers were in place and tried to ignore the weight in my veins from the twisting of my witch magic. It would all be over soon.
The deal was that I would be alone. Sin was hiding up in the trees along with Kerry. The rest of the pack were hiding nearby. I casually strode across the white space with a small smile upon my face, trying to give off an air of someone ready to enter a new coven.
I was ready to begin pacing in front of the broad-trunked oak tree when I finally saw them approaching. I should have been able to feel them. Even in my odd state, my witch magic was alive and well enough to feel most witches coming from a good distance off. Not them. I hoped that we hadn’t underestimated their power.
