by Zoe Parker
“Avalanche!” It just blurted out of my mouth. I even shocked myself. “Uh, it was a small avalanche. Julius and I were being very silly and thought we would cut through the forest, but an animal startled me, and we were too close to the north peak. My screech set off a small avalanche, but thankfully we are fine. No worse for wear.” I peeked down at myself and bit my tongue. If she believed me, it would be a miracle.
“Oh my. You should come inside right away, dears. We will get some warm drinks for you, and some blankets.” She turned to Mr. Everly and whispered, “Not the good blankets, of course.” He rolled his eyes, too tall for her to see.
“Come along…” Mrs. Bishop started to turn away but stopped with her mouth agape. “What the heavens?”
Julius’s hold on my arm loosened and I looked down at his hand to see it fading in and out in stuttering fits. My eyes shot up to his and he stared at me with his eyes huge as saucers, wincing in pain.
“No…” I reached to clasp his hand but only found my own arm.
Mrs. Bishop and Mr. Everly both gaped at Julius’s disappearing form. After a moment of stunned silence, she bellowed, stumbling backwards and dragging Mr. Everly with her. “Witchery!”
At my feet, Julius lay mewling on his side. I crouched down and hefted his large feline form into my arms, feeling the strain of his weight on my already fatigued body. “Hold on, my love.”
“Witchcraft! In my town! I will not have it.” Mrs. Bishop marched back to the church, leaving her escort behind. Several people watched from the gate, trying to figure out what had happened. “Clear the way. Get the crosses. We must bring God to these heathens!”
By “get the crosses,” I knew damn well she meant “grab a weapon.” The witch trials may have ended long ago, but in an out-of-the-way village as ours, superstitions ran high and on the crazy side.
Chapter Three
“Stop them. Don’t let them get away!” Mrs. Bishop called to anyone and everyone as she rushed inside to get her husband.
Cradling Julius in my arms, his head under my chin and his ear tufts tickling my nose, I turned and ran as fast as I could over the slippery cobblestones. When I hit the dirt road leading to Julius’s mother’s cottage, I skated across a frozen mud puddle, nearly falling on my rear.
“Where are they?” I heard Preacher Bishop yell, his baritone voice bouncing off the surrounding houses and trees. “Men, get the torches and grab your rifles. They mustn’t escape.”
Hearing that, I pushed forward, ignoring the icy dangers. With more than a mile of travel to Mrs. Hartfell’s cottage, I knew I couldn’t stay on the road without an angry mob catching up to us. I glanced back as the light of the village began to fade. At the corner of the apothecary’s shop, a large man stood in the shadows watching us, the surrounding light playing a strange trick and making his eyes appear to glow.
I gasped and stumbled, nearly dropping Julius. Putting the mysterious watcher out of my mind, I plunged into the dark of the forest where the trees thickened beyond the last house at this end of the village. The snow hadn’t grown quite so high under the dense canopy and I could run much easier here. I couldn’t decide if I should go straight to the cottage or take a winding path, wishing desperately that Julius were human and able to help me.
“They probably won’t leave the road, right?” I asked, not expecting an answer, but getting a weak meow in response. “It will take them longer to reach the cottage, especially with the road covered in snow, so if I go directly there, we will make it long before them.” Another quiet meow. I felt better talking out loud. Obviously, I wasn’t alone, but I sure felt lonely in the dark woods with two separate mobs hunting us.
After a few minutes of trudging through the wet forest, skirting the deeper snow drifts, I began to feel as if something or someone was trailing us, maybe stalking us. Normally, my extra senses picked up the presence of animals nearby, allowing me to avoid them, particularly the wolves native to the region, but whatever it was wasn’t a wolf, or any other creature I recognized.
Stopping to catch my breath, I crouched at the base of a tree, set Julius onto his own wobbly legs, and closed my eyes. Clearing my mind, I focused through the shivering and reached out mentally. With everything that had happened in the last few hours, it felt like swimming through syrup.
The villagers had just begun their trek, keeping to the road as expected, their crowd-aura a mix of angry reds, confused blues, and annoyed yellows. Beyond them, I sensed the coven’s hunters creeping along at a distance. Even they had to go through town to come after us, although I suspected Elijah had probably sent one or two of the more skilled hunters up the mountain to watch from above.
Scanning the path I’d taken, I sensed the unusual presence not far off, but had no clue as to what it might’ve been. All I knew was that it didn’t feel human or animal, and it wasn’t a witch from Patience’s coven. I couldn’t imagine any outside witches would enter her territory without permission. She had wards at the base of the mountain pass that everyone must travel through to reach our high valley.
When I opened my eyes, human Julius stared at me, his face lined with worry and mud. “You’re back.” I reached out, pulling him in for a hug. “I’m so relieved.”
“For now, I suppose. It’s quite strange to be carried in your arms.”
I smiled softly. “I can’t imagine.”
“We should go.” He stood and held a shaky hand out to me.
I took it and pulled myself up, glancing back the way we came, still seeing nothing but trees.
With Julius on two feet, we made fairly good time running through the forest. Eventually, the trees thinned and the snow-cover thickened, and we were trudging through knee-deep snow again. Forced to go around the remains of an avalanche, we had to pass near the road for a few minutes.
“The road looks clear. Do you sense anyone following?”
“The villagers are still far behind, but I feel Elijah getting closer.”
“We’re almost there. Mother will be sleeping, but she’ll let us in, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know if we’ll be safe, Julius. Elijah is ruthless. He may not be deterred by her presence.”
He gaped at me. “She’s innocent in all this. Surely, he would not harm her.”
Squeezing his hand, I shrugged. “I didn’t believe my coven would turn on us like they did, Julius. There’s no telling what the hunters will do for Elijah.”
Before long, we encountered a barrier and had to stop. What appeared to be an enormous chunk of mountain had crumbled and, mixed with snow and ice, fallen across the road and into the forest, blocking our path.
“What are we going to do now?” I looked at Julius, sighing with exasperation and wrapping my arms around myself.
“We will have to climb over.”
“I don’t know if I have the strength. I’m so tired, and it doesn’t look stable at all.”
Julius approached the wall of rock and snow, grabbing bits here and there. Pebbles fell around him, snow falling in clumps, but nothing big came down. “I think we can make it. We really don’t have a choice.”
Heaving a sigh, I nodded and moved closer. “Stand still. I’ll cast a spell to aid our climbing.”
Using the last bit of my magical energy, I whispered the words of a light-foot spell I’d learned from an old grimoire I’d found in a steamer trunk Patience had abandoned in the attic. Many of the spells I used were ancient and unknown to the coven because they preferred the newer spells created by Patience.
“That should do it.” With shaky limbs and the weight of the world pulling at me, I grabbed onto the wall and leaned into the subtle incline, picking my way up carefully. The spell began to sink into our bodies, making us feel lighter and nimbler.
Halfway up the steep side, I heard a crackle below and turned just in time to miss getting a ball of ice and snow in the back of my head. Elijah used his telekinetic powers to pelt us with fallen branches, fist-sized rocks, and large snowballs with s
pikes of icicles sticking out.
Julius and I climbed faster, grabbing handholds without testing first, hoping we wouldn’t choose a loose one and plummet to the ground into the hands of the hunters. Two snowballs struck me in the back, making me screech in fear and pain as I reached for a rock above my head. My fingers slipped and the rock under my right foot gave way, leaving me hanging by one hand.
“Julius!” I scrambled to gain purchase with my feet, flinging my arm around to search for a secure handhold.
Leaning down from a couple feet away, Julius grabbed my hand and pulled me up, holding me while I jammed the toes of my boots into the icy snow, creating temporary footholds to push myself higher and reach the rock above.
A cracking sound above and to the left startled us, and Julius ducked to the side, shielding his face as a branch struck the rocky wall and broke apart into sharp pieces. He hollered as the biggest piece scraped across his hand, bouncing down to skim my thankfully well-padded shoulder. I flung my head away to protect it and nearly lost my grip again.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Keep going. Don’t stop.” He wiped blood onto his jacket with a wince and reached for the next handhold.
The attack slowed and stopped. I looked down and saw the hunters huddled up around Elijah listening intently to him. I hoped he would be deterred by the wall but feared it would only fuel his frustrated anger.
“Go away and leave us alone.” I whispered as if I could somehow will him to give up, but instead, he looked up at me as if he’d heard my quiet plea. Too far to see, I imagined the arrogant grin on his face I had seen too many times. Elijah never lost his prey.
Chapter Four
A hand grabbed mine and I yipped like a frightened animal.
“It’s just me.” Julius stared down at me from the top of the avalanche mound. “Let me help you up.”
Julius grabbed my arms and pulled me up with ease. I wondered at his strength but remembered the spell had made our bodies lighter. With my feet under me and a moment to breathe, I hugged him for almost a full minute. A quick glance over the side showed Elijah and his crew starting their climb.
“If we’re careful, we can walk down this other side. How much longer will your spell hold?”
Looking where Julius did, I could see a sort of path through the jagged, treacherous side of the mound like a toothy ramp that would eat us alive should we lose our footing and roll down. “Not much longer. I didn’t have much energy to put into the casting.”
“We’ll have to move fast then. Are you ready?” He held a hand out to me, and I stared up into his golden eyes that had been a lovely, rich chocolate brown before the curse.
Sliding my fingers into his, he wrapped them in his cold grip, and I prayed we would feel warmth again. “I’m ready.”
We followed a thin path down the other side of the mound, likely created by a large rolling boulder that had cleared its own way. My skirts snagged on rocks and twigs and numerous other things I couldn’t see in the dark.
“How are you seeing so well, Julius? I can’t see three feet in front of me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I have the vision of a cat now? I can feel my insides quaking as if the change is imminent. I only hope we reach the bottom before it happens, so you don’t have to carry me down this dangerous path.”
My boot hit a rock as I stepped, making me stumble and fall against Julius’s back. His grip on my hand kept me upright and he spun so fast to catch me, I gasped.
“It appears your reflexes have improved as well.” I stared at him, only the soft glow of his eyes visible in the deep shadows. “Fascinating.”
“Come. We’re almost to the bottom.”
Setting aside my natural curiosity, I followed Julius. We reached the base and kept going without looking back. Within minutes, the thatched roof and smoking chimney of Julius’s mother’s cottage was visible through the winter haze and bare trees.
As we passed through the waist-high stone wall surrounding Mrs. Hartfell’s yard, Julius cried out and stumbled to his knees, grabbing onto the icy stonework. I snatched his arm to keep him from falling to the ground, but it faded out, and I had the eerie sensation of my fingers slipping through his flesh and bone. Yanking my hand back with a gasp, I shook it and grabbed at him again, this time finding purchase.
“We need to get inside before you change again.” Holding my breath, I got my hands under his arms, slinging one over my shoulder as he shuddered in my hold.
A wispy, ghostly voice flowed like mist through the night air. “Wait…”
I’d taken two steps and stopped, turning to look over my shoulder at the dark woods behind us. A tall, dark shadow waited at the tree-line.
“Who is it?” I called out, scared and frustrated. If it were one of my coven, they wouldn’t have called out to me, right? Although it could be a stalling tactic, so the others could surround us. We needed inside now! “I won’t stand for your trickery…”
The shadowed form vanished. I jumped and Julius yelped when suddenly a man stood next to us, not three feet away. My senses kicked in and my mental alarms went off at the unexpected presence of this stranger, a presence I now recognized as the watcher from the village.
“Let me help you.” The dark-haired, distinguished gentleman in a suit and dark cloak stepped forward, reaching out to Julius. I pulled us back away, but Julius’s form flickered again. I glanced at the stranger to see his reaction but only found concern, the wan moonlight illuminating only part of his face. “They will be here soon, miss. I can better assist with your defenses from inside.”
Gritting my teeth, I considered a moment, looking to Julius. He nodded once, his face strained with exertion.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
The man lifted Julius’s other arm up onto his shoulders and took most of his weight onto himself. I steered us to the front door and knocked loudly. No time for politeness. “Mrs. Hartfell, open the door please. Julius needs help.”
There were some shuffling sounds inside before the door opened a few inches and tired eyes peered out at us, candlelight illuminating our faces.
“Let us in, Mother. There are people after us.” Julius unwound his arm from my shoulder and pressed against the door. She moved away, letting us enter.
Inside, Mrs. Hartfell rushed to grab some blankets, returning to wrap them around me and Julius. “What has happened, son? Why do you look so terrible?” Her gazed flicked to the strange man standing by the door, and her hand strayed up to tuck a lock of her salt-and-pepper hair behind her ear.
“The coven is hunting us.” I knew she wouldn’t be happy to hear the news, but I’d always been honest and open with her, even though she’d expressed her concern many times about Julius getting involved with a witch.
“I knew it.” She shook her head, clutching her heavy robe tight at the collar. “I told you to stay out of coven business, Julius. You endangered yourself just looking at her, but the heart wants what it wants, I suppose.” She muttered the last bit as she shuffled to the fireplace, stoking the glowing embers. “And who is this other person you’ve brought into my home?”
The man bowed deeply. “Edgar Martinus, my lady. And you are?”
Mrs. Hartfell scoffed, smirking at him. “Not a lady, that’s for darn sure. You can call me Maggie.”
“Miss Maggie—”
“Just Maggie, Mr. Martinus.”
“—you may call me Edgar.” He winked playfully.
I cocked an eyebrow at them. “Mrs. Hartfell, I’m afraid we’ve brought this danger to your doorstep, and I am deeply sorry.”
She sighed openly at me. “Dani girl, please just call me Maggie. My Johnathon is long passed from this Earth, and I do not relish the reminder of his loss every time you call me missus.”
“Apologies, uh, Maggie… I meant no disrespect.”
“Of course not. Too much formality and not enough familiarity in that coven of yours. Patience never did want her children to feel too loved.
Now tell me what’s happened, Dani girl.” Maggie settled down into a chair at her dining table, lighting a lantern and gesturing for Edgar to sit beside her. I could see by her tight smile that she wanted the strange man where she could keep an eye on him. He removed his cloak and laid it over the back of his chair.
As Julius moved to take a seat, his form began to shimmer again, odd parts of his body flickering in and out and making him cry out in pain. Maggie jumped up and yelled in surprise, knocking her chair into the fire. Edgar caught it with lightning reflexes, sending Maggie into a fit of panic.
“What is this? What have they done to you, Julius?” She knelt beside him where he’d crumbled to the floor, her hands fluttering over him as if she were worried of hurting him. “Did you do this? What kind of demon are you?” She glanced over at Edgar who stood by the fire, then turned to me with a heated glare. “This is your doing, isn’t it? I knew you would be trouble.”
Her anger sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps over my skin. I knew she’d had strong opinions of the coven and witches, but she’d always been kind enough to me. Maybe she’d only tolerated me for her son.
“I’m so sorry, Maggie. Patience found out about us. She cursed Julius—”
“No!” She reached for him, but his body faded and vanished, reappearing as his new alternate form. Her fingers brushed over his fur before she realized what had happened, and she screeched, eyes bulging as she jumped back, falling on her rear, her hands clutching her collar.
“Edgar, do something!” I yelled as I rushed to Julius.
Swift as the wind, Edgar swept over to Maggie, lifted her by her elbows, and gazed quietly into her eyes. Within seconds, her wailing stopped, and her body relaxed into his embrace. He walked her back to her seat where she sat as if she were in a trance.
I wanted to rush to her side, disturbed by her sudden silence and eerie, glazed gaze, but Julius had returned to his human form, continuing to flicker and moan on the floor.