Charlie smiled. “Over here.” She pointed to a large monument that read, “The River.”
Taking a deep breath, I touched it and was immediately thrown into cold rushing water. Next to me was a young woman who was struggling to swim. On the other side of me was teenage Reed.
“Sandy, hang on!” Reed reached out to grab Sandy’s hand as he grabbed hold of a branch that extended into the water.
She grabbed his hand and clung to him as Reed wrapped his arm around the branch.
“Pull me in, Reed!” Sandy kicked her legs against the current, but she wasn’t strong enough to get to shore.
Reed struggled and tried to pull her up, but he wasn’t strong enough.
I grabbed onto a boulder sticking up through the water and watched Reed debate his fate. If he let go of Sandy, he could save himself. If he held her, they might both drown. If he let go, they might float to safety further down river.
Seeing the exact moment that he made his decision, I watched him let go of Sandy, who screamed and continued floating downstream. He pulled himself out of the water and sat on the grass. He didn’t run for help. He didn’t go searching for Sandy. He just sat there, emotionless.
I understood what Charlie meant when she said that witches made choices that lead them down a dark path. Reed had chosen to let Sandy deal with her own fate. If he had run after her, Sandy still could have died, but at least he would have tried. Instead, he decided to turn his back on her.
Pulling away from the tombstone, I looked up at the dark sky. “What happened to Sandy?” I yelled loud enough to get Reed’s attention.
A second later, I saw Charlie jump back, afraid of something she saw. Turning, I saw Reed’s menacing face glaring at me.
“Go back to the crypt and go back to sleep. I’m busy right now, killing your friends.” He glanced at Charlie and flashed her a creepy smile. “Hello, sweetness.”
I stepped in front of Charlie, who was shaking.
“What happened to Sandy, Reed? I’m assuming she died because you refused to help her. You chose to do nothing.” I stared him down and watched him flinch.
He looked away. “I couldn’t save her.”
“No. You didn’t try to save her. Instead, you let her death eat away at you. I’ll bet the guilt of that day haunted you for a long time. In fact, I can feel your guilt all around me whenever I mention her name. Shall I show you?” I held out my hands, tugged on the guilt I felt swirling all around me, and shoved it at him.
He screamed and fell to his knees. “No. I can’t go there. I can’t see her face again!”
Charlie put her hand on my shoulder. “I know this sucks, but you have to keep going. Reed needs to remember all the pain he inflicted on everyone. Dark wizards use their pain to enhance their power, but they don’t actually remember the faces of those they’ve hurt. You have to make him remember.”
Nodding, I scanned the area. “I’m assuming that those other tombstones will show me more people that you let die. Am I right? This cemetery isn’t a place where you hang out, it’s where you live. I’m guessing that you’ve let a lot of people die, or killed them outright. Let’s see. What memory should we look at next?” I reached out to touch a tombstone that read, “Easter 2004”.
Reed held out his hand. “No! Not that one!”
I smiled. “Which one then?” I pointed all around me. “Prom? Gertrude Hill? What about those newer ones that have names I recognize? Should we go visit the five witches you have under your control? I’m sure they put up a fight. Should we relive you getting your ass kicked by them?”
Reed’s eyes darted around. “Get out of here! I release you! Go!”
“Oh, I’m not ready to leave just yet. How about we look at the night you were arrested?” I pointed at Charlie, who glared at Reed defiantly.
Reed shook his head. “No!”
I nodded. “I never got to see what happened, but I’m guessing that some kind of magical police came for you.”
I touched a heart shaped monument and watched Reed’s front door kicked in by people with wands. Charlie’s parents must have called the people capable of stopping a dark wizard.
Balls of light hit Reed in succession. He fought back for a while, confident that he would win, but they finally ganged up on him. Cuffing him, Reed looked like a wild man. He fought and fought, but he was locked down tight.
“What did it feel like to be captured? All your lies had finally caught up with you. They locked you away and there was nothing you could do about it.” I channeled all his fear and pushed it into him.
He fell to the ground and twisted to land on his back. He howled and cried just as he did in the memory.
Charlie stepped forward. “Give up, Reed.”
Seeing him sobbing on the ground, unable to reply, I grabbed Charlie’s hand. “Now, it’s time to go.”
I pulled her with me and imagined a giant alarm clock ringing.
Breathing in the fresh air, I gasped as I sat up. Looking around, it was still nighttime. It was damp and cold. Seeing the cemetery, I was afraid that I was still in Reed’s head until I heard Daire yelling a different language.
I stood up and saw Daire and Ian battling the real corpses of the witches, while Aiden and two wolves paced around Reed. It looked like Reed was trapped inside a bubble.
“What the hell is happening?” I yelled to Daire, who smiled at me.
“Oh honey, you’re safe. Now, stay there and let us finish this.” He blocked the blue light aimed at his head and let out a whoop. “Dahlia’s free!”
Chapter 24 Daire
With Dahlia awake and safe, I no longer had to hold back.
“Hey Reed, guess what? You might be a dark wizard who can control the people you killed, but I’m a real necromancer who is standing inside the largest cemetery in town. I own you, bitch!”
Unleashing the cold energy I used to commune with the dead, I drove my hands into the soil and willed the dead to rise. “Help me defeat an enemy of the covens and an enemy of Silver Springs! Help me defeat a dark wizard!”
All around me, the dead of Silver Springs rose to heed my call.
Reed glanced around mentally counting how many graves surrounded us. His five witches were no match for all the witches and wizards buried in the graveyard.
Al the Tavishes buried here alone could kick the shit out of Reed’s witches with no trouble, especially since the casters were buried with their wands so they could take them into the afterlife.
With the barrier down, the wolves ran at Reed, but he threw curse after curse at them. The wolves were fast and dodged the curses to snap at him. They kept Reed busy while Aiden laid in wait to jump him the second he was vulnerable.
Ian used counter spell after counter spell to occupy the five witches, careful not to get himself trapped in a corner.
The newly risen looked to me, waiting for their orders. Normally, this was the point where they stormed me and jumped me for accidentally waking them for a stupid reason. Thankfully, they were awakened with a sense of purpose, making them more amenable.
Ian looked at me over his shoulder. “I can’t do this all day, Daire!”
Right! I needed to figure out what to do with my army before Ian was taken down by a curse.
“Fellow witches and wizards, your kin are being controlled by a dark wizard. Help defend against their spells until we can free them.” The dead nodded their heads and fanned out to do what they could to help.
A number of witches and wizards ran towards the five and immediately engaged them. Curses and counter curses flew in every direction while the rest of the witches formed multiple rows to take the place of anyone cursed.
Ian took a deep breath and backed up towards me. Panting, he wiped his brow. “If I ever say that I miss dueling, smack me.”
“Will do.” I chuckled.
We both turned to check on Dahlia, who was surveying the fight.
Ian pulled her into a hug. “Are you okay? We were so worried about y
ou.”
She hugged him and held out her hand to me. “I’m alive, which is good. I’ve weakened Reed, but we need to release the witches from his hold.”
Letting out a breath, I ran my hand through my hair. “Working on that. If we can knock out the witches, Reed will be forced to stop drawing in their power. Then we can use a binding spell to separate Reed from other sources of magic.”
Dahlia smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
I let go of Dahlia and headed towards the magic duel to end all magic duels. If this were a sanctioned match, I would sit here all day and watch the matches, but this was a life or death match. Or rather, a death or death match. If we couldn’t take down the five, Reed would kill us all.
Spell after spell from team” good guy zombies” drove back the five, forcing them to lose ground, giving us time to replace the zombies who had lost bits and pieces to the curses. The five were forced to retreat back to their master.
Reed, still fighting the wolves, didn’t notice that his witches were losing. I noticed that Reed was sweating profusely. When a dark wizard channeled other magics, like those that came from the dead, they appeared invincible and in control. Reed looked like he had just come out of a sauna, which meant he was struggling.
I waved to Dahlia, who came up beside me. “Dahlia, we need to end this. Tell me what you did to get free from Reed’s mind.”
The sadness in her eyes told me that whatever she had done to free herself had taken a toll on her. I felt bad asking her to relive it.
“I showed him the bad choices in his life that led him here. What finally did him in was the day he was captured and taken to prison.” She averted her eyes as she spoke.
I knew she had played dirty to loosen Reed’s hold on her, which is exactly what I was about to do.
Motioning to Ian, I drew him closer. “We need to bind him, but to do that…”
Ian nodded before I could finish. “We need to immobilize him.”
“Yup. Do you think we can handle it together?” I wasn’t sure why I felt so unsure of myself, but in truth, Ian intimidated me a little.
Ian raised his eyebrow. “You just raised an army of zombie witches and you are questioning whether you can assist me with subduing a dark wizard.” Suppressing a smile, he shrugged. “Eh, perhaps.”
I laughed at his response and rubbed my hands together. “Okay then. Let’s put this bastard down so we have one hell of a story to tell later on.”
Ian slapped my shoulder. “That’s the spirit.”
Giving Dahlia a quick kiss, I pulled her along as Ian and I headed for Reed. “Dahlia, I need you to sucker punch him. I need him ready to cry for his mother; otherwise, he could rally and take us out. Do you understand?”
She nodded as she squinted into the distance. “I don’t think you’re going to need me.”
Following her line of sight, I watched the five witches finally fall under a barrage of spells from the good guy zombies. The second they fell, Aiden pounced on Reed. He sank his teeth into Reed’s neck and held him there.
Gray and Milo surrounded Reed to keep him from escaping. The most interesting thing I saw was Charlie stepping out from behind a tall monument with a look of determination unlike any I’d ever seen.
She stood in front of Reed and began weaving a spell. Aiden released Reed and stepped back.
I watched as Reed turned into a slug, then a bunny, then a poodle, then a lizard, and on and on. Each animal made a frustrated sound. It must have driven the dark wizard crazy knowing that he wasn’t strong enough to stop his ex-wife from turning him into helpless creatures.
“This is for all the times you lied. This is for all the times you hurt me. This is for….” She was relentless as she worked out all her pain and aggression on him.
Looking to Ian, I knew we had to work quickly. Though Reed was down, he wouldn’t stay down.
Ian started the spell and I jumped in. Together, we wove a binding spell that would keep Reed from drawing power from another source. Though we were exhausted, Ian and I finished the spell.
Dahlia put her hand on Charlie’s shoulder to pull her away from Reed. She burst into tears and cried on Dahlia’s shoulders as Ian pulled out his cell phone to call his friends from the coven to explain what happened to the missing members. I overheard Ian ask someone to contact the local magical authorities to take Reed back to his cell.
Leaning against a monument, I nodded to Aiden, thanking him for his help.
My zombie hoard slowly gathered around me.
“Great job everyone! Thank you for your help. Now, it’s time to rest.” I drove my hands back into the ground and completed the spell that would send all the witches and wizards back to their resting places.
Dahlia came over and pulled each of us into a hug. Glancing up at the brightening sky, she crossed her arms. “I don’t know about you, but I think pancakes are in order.”
We all cheered in agreement. Once the authorities had Reed in custody, we headed to the diner for breakfast.
Chapter 25 Dahlia
Tapping my foot outside the diner, I looked to Gray and Milo. “So, are you going to explain what happened? How did you two show up when I called to the universe for help? How were you able to change into wolves? I’m very confused about this entire thing.”
Gray chuckled. “We’re shifters, Dahlia. We can change into wolves at will. Our pack abandoned us as kids, so Milo and I had to take care of ourselves. Over the years, we’ve had different people take advantage of us. When you found me at the skeevy tattoo parlor, you saved me from a bad situation. You were willing to give me and Milo jobs without any strings attached.” She pulled a stray hair out of her face and looked at the ground as tears formed in her eyes. “You’re the first person who was ever nice to us and looked out for us. We decided to watch your back. Most witches have familiars like cats and small animals, but powerful witches tend to draw dangerous familiars to their side. Let’s just say that we were drawn to you because you’re a good person.”
Gray threw her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. In true Gray style, she quickly pulled away and pretended like she wasn’t crying.
Milo winked at me. “Like we said, we’ve got your back, Boss. We heard you calling for us in our sleep. We had to help you.”
Smiling, I patted his shoulder. “Thank you, both of you. I’m just glad this is over.”
Milo shrugged. “I don’t know. It felt good to help someone for once. I kind of had fun.”
Gray smacked his arm and rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. He doesn’t get out much.”
I held out my hands to them. “Come on, pancakes are on me.”
“Woo hoo!” Milo whooped and laughed.
Walking into the diner, I waved to a number of familiar faces.
Juniper walked over and sighed. “So, no more vibrators, huh? I see your sexy guys sitting over there.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not exactly sure what they’re up for yet.” I winked at her and laughed. “Besides, I might tire them out at some point.”
She snickered and winked. “Oh, I have plenty of toys that will keep you all busy.” She smacked my ass and headed out the door.
I headed over to the table and waited as Charlie stood up. She gave me a quick hug. “Thank you for stopping Reed, Dahlia. You should have told me he was in town.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t know he was in town until it was too late. I’m glad you were able to bitch slap him. It seemed therapeutic for you.”
She chuckled. “I doubt he even felt it since he was so hopped up on evil magic, but it felt good to release all the anger and fear that was bottled up. I needed closure.” She squeezed my hand and flashed a small smile. “However, conjuring is very tiring when you haven’t done it in years. I’m just happy that I excelled at transformations and still remembered the spells. I’m going back to bed. Will I see you tonight at the pub?”
I nodded. “Yep, though I have a feeling I will need a reservation for a
table for four.”
She looked over her shoulder at Daire, Ian and Aiden ordering their breakfast. “Will do.” She waved to everyone and headed out the door.
Gray and Milo sat in a booth across from us and ordered more pancakes than I could count.
Glancing at Aiden, I watched him push his pancakes around his plate.
“Ian, are there any vampires in town who can help Aiden adjust? He’s still new to all of this.” I patted Aiden’s hand, hopeful that someone in a town that was loaded with supernatural creatures could help him.
Ian smirked at him. “Sapphire can help him. She’s helped others adjust to their afterlife as a vampire. I’ll introduce the two of you.”
Chewing his bacon, Daire nodded. “I’m sure there are some books in the library. There’s a whole section dedicated to magic and paranormal creatures. Just talk to Violet, the librarian. She’ll know where to send you. Just be patient with her because she’s ancient and slow as a turtle. Oh, and just accept any of the candy she gives you. You don’t want to insult her.”
Ian, choking on his more sophisticated waffle, waved his hand. “If she gives you those butterscotch ones, I want them. They help calm me down before stressful coven meetings. They remind me of my nanny from when I was a child.”
Laughing Aiden nodded. “Good. You can keep them. They’re gross.”
We relaxed at the table and ate our food. For the first time I felt happy with who I was and what I could do. I still had a lot to learn, but seeing firsthand what my abilities could do, I knew I wanted to help others.
Life with these three would never be simple, but I was looking forward to figuring out how to live with two wizards and a vampire.
Epilogue Dahlia
Sitting on the wrap around porch, I put my feet up on the small coffee table. In my lap was my sketchpad, ready to work.
“So tell me about this guy. What are we looking for?” I looked at Mr. Allen sitting to my left.
Dahlia Page 17
