by Zara Zenia
“What are you doing here?”
“My grandmother used to live here. I decided to come back for a vacation to free my mind from . . . some things. That was, of course, before my car broke down.”
He nodded, and I was grateful that he didn’t pry. I didn’t really want to get into the fact that I had walked in on my boyfriend having sex with another woman. That was something that I wanted to try to forget as soon as possible.
“Shall we go?”
I nodded, and we walked side by side as he led me out of the woods. I knew nothing about this strange man and yet my heart hadn’t slowed down since I met him. Who was he, and what would he mean to me? Every time that our shoulders brushed together as we walked, a bolt of electricity went through me. What did that mean? I didn’t want to think about falling in love again. It seemed impossible to think that I could ever trust another man again with my heart. He was a total stranger, and yet, I felt connected to him in some way.
Chapter 4
Malcolm
We started walking toward my car, and I removed my jacket and gave it to Ebony to keep her warm. She was a stunning woman, and there was something familiar about her from the moment I saw her. I couldn’t imagine what had brought her to the area, but I could feel a deep sadness from her. I instinctively wanted to know as much about her as possible, but I didn’t want to be pushy. On the way to the car, I received a phone call from my sire, Caleb Watson, who was just alerted by Emergency Services about the snowpack melting and the rivers starting to flood. He warned me that the witches were saying that it was magic—weather magic, something they hadn’t seen in a generation.
I told him that I appreciated the call and promised to be more vigilant. Instantly, just like a flash of light, I knew that Ebony, the woman I was quite attracted to, must be a witch. She was the missing link to all the bizarre weather around us. It was her arrival that had caused it all. I looked at her then as she walked beside me. She was looking ahead, unaware that I was watching her. Did she know that she was a witch? Surely not, or she probably would have been able to get herself out of the woods.
There was something about her that was so appealing to me. Her scent was like an elixir to me, and I typically didn’t have that kind of reaction to women.
I didn’t know why I was so attracted to her, but I could feel the blood in my veins rush when I looked at her, and something within me told me that she felt that way too. I decided that it was probably best to talk to her about her powers and implore her to control them before anyone got hurt.
“Are you really a witch?”
She looked at me with surprise and didn’t say a word. Was she hoping to keep it a secret from everyone?
“Look the weather that you are causing is dangerous for everyone. The drastic spike in temperature is melting the snow to quickly and flooding has already begun. You need to turn off your thawing spell so it doesn’t do more injurious things to Diablo Falls.”
She stared at me in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Excuse me?” I said.
“Is this some kind of joke? If so, I don’t find it funny. What is wrong with you people? Every time I run into someone, they say something crazy to me. I’m starting to think I’ve imagined this whole experience.”
“I’m serious.”
She started to laugh, and I had to assume that she had no idea she was a witch. That was terrible news because it meant that she had no control over what she was doing and probably had no idea how to stop it.
“Ebony, I’m not trying to make you laugh.”
She stopped walking and turned to me. She noticed my serious tone. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Let me make that clear to you.”
“Are you lying? I find it hard to believe that someone with such strong powers has no idea what she is doing.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You are the second person who has said something like that to me, and I assure you, I’m not aware of any powers. I’ve certainly never experienced them.”
I looked at her with confusion. I knew that she was a witch, but was it possible that she didn’t have a clue? I had never met anyone before who had strong powers and didn’t know about them. Her look of confusion, however, seemed genuine, so maybe she didn’t know. If she didn’t know, then how was she going to turn off the drastic weather changes? She could end up injuring a lot of people if she couldn’t turn the erratic weather off.
“Look. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. I wonder why you bothered to come help me at all. You should have just left me alone to die if that’s how you feel. You made me feel some hope, and now I just feel like a crazy person. Everyone is telling me I have these powers, and I truly don’t know anything about them.”
“Who told you that?”
“A Fae name Massie. I saw her in the woods with a troll named Og, and they said they had waited for me for a long time.”
I stared at her for a moment without saying anything. I saw so much confusion in her eyes and I realized that she was really telling the truth about not knowing that she was a witch. A wild talent, in fact. It was remarkable that she really had no idea who she was.
Then I knew that I had a lot of work to do and wondered how come she had never discovered she was a witch.
“Where are you from? And why did you really come to Diablo Falls?”
Ebony explained that she was from an adoptive family, that she was adopted by a foster parent after her grandmother had died. She had lost both her parents to a car accident when she was nine years old. Her grandmother was so loving and caring while she was still alive. She was the one who’d brought her to Diablo Falls when she was little, always telling her a lot of stories about how beautiful the place was. So, she explained that she was there to ski the Crown in order to clear her head from the things that were bothering her. She was so vague about these “things” that were bothering her, and I wondered why she was being so secretive about them. Why not just tell me what was wrong? What did she have to lose?
It was a lot easier to understand everything now that I fully understood that Ebony was oblivious to her powers. She really had no idea, and I wondered why her grandmother hadn’t educated her more on who she was. Why let her loose in the world without that kind of knowledge? She was more of a danger to the world when she was left oblivious. I decided to take her to The Cellar so that she could get something to eat since she looked so exhausted.
I was grateful to finally see the clearing that led to the car, and I opened the passenger-side door for her. I got in the driver’s side and drove off.
When we got to The Cellar, we were greeted by Gwen.
Gwen was surprised to see me, especially since I was supposed to be working that day, but most importantly, with a lady she had never seen before. She knew she wasn’t from around there and guessed that she was a tourist. I introduced Ebony to Gwen, stating that she was a friend. Gwen greeted her coldly and I wasn’t really surprised by that. She was jealous to see her with me and she was threatened by Ebony’s beauty. She quickly got Ebony’s order and served her and took her leave immediately. I felt bad for Gwen, but I had just never felt that way about her. She was a great friend, but there would never be anything else between us.
The Cellar was quite exotic with a lot of people around. It was buzzing with loud music and sounds from different corners of the room. As Ebony and I arrived, there was an ongoing drinking competition. You could see so many tourists around, all wanting to try something new, so it was no surprise that they were participating in the drinking competition. Tyr Olafsson was a whopping 500 years, but he looked twenty-five and was a regional leader of the local vampire coven and an honest to God ex-Viking. In other words, he was a pretty cool guy. One of the bravest, most cunning, and most mischievous men I had ever encountered. He sometimes took advantage of the vampire ability to eat and drink without getting drunk to win drinking contests with unsuspecting tourists. It was hilarious to watch because the tourists couldn’t believe how
much he could drink but chalked it up to the fact that he was a true Viking at heart. He loved telling stories and could be a bit of an authoritarian ass when the young vampires were acting up. He was gigantic—seven feet tall, burly, blond, bearded, and he usually dressed like a biker. He was intimidating to a lot of people until you got to know him.
In front of each participant was a bottle of whiskey, a true Viking specialty. At the count of three, each person was to start drinking, and the first person to finish drinking became the winner. Of course, Tyr became the winner of the drinking competition, but obviously, he had cheated. No one ever found out about it aside from the locals, of course.
Gwen came back to the table to ask if we needed anything else. Just as she finished asking and without even getting a reply, she felt a sharp contraction in her stomach and screamed so loudly that Ebony almost choked on her food. Gwen started screaming, and it was pretty obvious that she was in labor. Everyone was so confused, but I remembered that there was a midwife not too far from the dining establishment.
I got up from the table and Ebony just stared at me confusedly. “C’mon, we have to go. She’s in labor.”
Ebony nodded without saying another word. Ebony and I helped Gwen get into my car and took her to Ruth Healmore, a member of the local witch coven who worked as a midwife. She was in her late twenties but was very experienced, kind of a fluffy Pollyanna but very competent at healing and midwifery. She was short, chubby, red-haired, brown-eyed and so pale that she was sometimes mistaken for the world’s cutest vampire.
We got there quickly and knocked on the door. Ruth was quick to come to the door and helped to carry Gwen into her house. She told Ebony and me to wait outside, offering us a seat on her porch. Ebony didn’t even know what to think as she wasn’t expecting any of that at all. She had the most confused look on her face that was a little endearing. I felt a little bad for her because she must have been exhausted, and she barely got anything to eat before we had to leave again.
“What’s on your mind, Ebony?”
“Is the baby yours?”
My jaw dropped open. “No, why would you think that?”
“I couldn’t help but notice the look on her face when we walked into the bar together. She looked pretty jealous to see us together, and then you rushed right over here.”
“Umm, no. Gwen is just a very good friend of mine, and to be honest, I feel bad for the situation she’s in because the father left her alone to raise the child.”
She nodded. “Well, that’s very kind of you.”
I explained to her that I was teaching her how to do tarot reading. I said that she was bright and very industrious and was even saving up to buy the dining establishment where we’d met her. I explained further how she was heartbroken after she had been played by her boyfriend, who was the father of the child that she was about to deliver. Their relationship had been going smoothly until she told him she was pregnant by him. His attitude had changed toward her afterward, and finally, he’d told her that he was no longer interested in the relationship. She had begged him to stay with her, even promising to get rid of the pregnancy if that was what was driving him away from her. But it all fell on deaf ears as he had made up his mind already, and he was already engaged to another lady whom he claimed was his first love. It was in that instant that she knew she had been foolish all along, and she’d promised herself to keep the child and love it with all her being.
As I was chatting with Ebony, Gwen’s mother came around. She walked up to us on the porch with a sad smile on her face. A new baby was always exciting, but she was also really worried about her daughter and how she would manage with a baby alone. How would she work? How would she make any money?
“Hi! I heard that Gwen went into labor. Thank you so much for taking care of her so quickly. I’m glad that she has a friend like you. I appreciate all the effort you’ve made with her.”
“You’re very welcome, and it’s no problem at all. I’m happy to help.”
I turned when Ruth came out a few minutes later looking so pale and sad, and I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“I’m so sorry. I tried my best, but I couldn’t save her.”
“The baby?” gasped Gwen’s mother.
Tears welled up in Ruth’s eyes. “No,” she whispered. “I lost Gwen.”
“Nooooo!” The mother shrieked and collapsed in Ebony’s arms, to Ebony’s surprise.
I was in just as much shock. I had just been talking to Gwen. How could she be gone? I couldn’t even begin to absorb the information. I looked to Ruth. “The baby?”
“The child is alive, a bouncing baby boy.”
Gwen’s mother was crying profusely. We all went in to check on the baby. Gwen’s mother went to pay her respects at the bedside where Gwen was still lying. Ruth was calling the coroner to come and retrieve the body. I went to take a look at the baby with Ebony. He had the same narrow brown eyes as Gwen and he looked just like her.
Gwen’s mother came to the baby next and looked down at him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She picked up the baby and carried him in her arms and was grateful that he’d survived. She gave him a wide grin. There was still something left of Gwen behind, and her mother would take good care of him. Afterward, I told her to be strong and promised to visit again. She smiled at me and hugged Ebony, telling her how lucky she was to end up with such a fine young man. Ebony, not ready to tell long stories, just thanked her. Then, we took our leave.
Ebony knew that Gwen had been a good friend to me and apologized for my loss. I was unhappy and had quite a lot at hand, and I thought of how I had imagined Gwen having the child and taking care of her son and giving him the best life that he deserved. I decided not to lose focus on saving Diablo Falls from the thawing spell that Ebony had caused. My loss was great, but we also had an emergency at hand and things were just getting worse. I realized that Ebony needed a witch’s help to control her powers. There would be someone who could help her to stop what was happening around them.
“If you are okay with it, I would like to take you to some witches I know so that they can talk to you. They will be able to help you figure out your powers and take control of them.”
She just nodded, and I knew that she wasn’t convinced of anything at that point.
I decided to take her to the Diablo Falls Library where we could find so many historical books that could help us with the matter at hand. Maybe she could recognize her grandmother or something. If I could figure out the information that we needed, I would know where to go next.
The library was controlled by the local bat shifters since the head librarian was the grandmother to most of them. Millicent Greene, a bat shifter, was married to Devin Greene, also a bat shifter, and she was the head librarian at Diablo Falls Library. She was very smart, slightly sarcastic but kind, and she was capable of turning into a fruit bat and had an enormous sweet tooth. She had olive skin, a graying braid, and kind brown eyes.
We entered the library and were received by Millicent Greene with a broad smile saying “Welcome to Diablo Falls Library. How may we be of help to you?”
I explained to her that we needed help with books on the names of the descendants of all the witches who had ever lived in Diablo Falls.
She nodded, but Millicent explained that it would take a while before she was able to find the book as people hadn’t requested those books for a really long time. She asked us to sit and make ourselves comfortable while she looked for the book.
Ebony said she was quite thirsty and hungry and asked if there was anywhere around that she could find something to eat and drink. Millicent excitedly told her that her husband has a grocery shop two buildings from the library, and she could bet they would find something there to eat and drink.
Ebony looked at me and shrugged. “Sorry, it’s been a trying day.”
I laughed. “I totally understand, and then I took you away from your meal at the bar. I should be the one apologizing to you. Let
’s go get you something to eat.”
Devin Green was the town grocer at Greene’s Grocers for the last thirty years. He had a whole flock of grandchildren he loved spoil. He was tall, thin, and balding, and he wore spectacles and had hazel eyes and gray hair.
We got to the place and met Devin, who warmly received us. Ebony didn’t forget to mention to him that his wife had directed us there, which he smiled about. She got a bottle of water and biscuits. Devin told us that we looked good together as a couple and would have very beautiful children. Ebony couldn’t help but blush, but she quickly mentioned that we weren’t together. Devin looked at us pitifully and said, “So sad. You guys look like you were together from the heavens.” He asked why we were out so late at night, especially with the weather looking like it wanted to explode. I responded by saying that we were searching for very vital information in the library which could, in fact, be of great help to the weather.
Devin didn’t fail to tell us that his wife was in charge of the library and that she was good at her job. She had been in charge of the library for the past twenty-three years with no incident, and he further stated how he was so lucky to have ended up with someone like her. We took our leave and returned to the library.
Immediately after returning, Millicent said she’d found the book that would give us answers to our questions. She handed us the book but asked us not to leave the library with it and to return it as soon as we were done with it. After thanking her and promising to do just as we were instructed, we proceeded to a desk and sat down.
I began to scroll through the pages of the book with Ebony just staring at the pages. After thirty minutes of searching, Ebony saw the picture of her grandmother with her name written boldly on it. She had been a descendant of the witch coven and had participated actively. She was once crowned the witch guardian, which I found to be fairly impressive. Tears welled up in Ebony’s eyes as she looked at the picture of her grandmother which made her miss her so much.
