Witch's Sorrow: A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy (Alice Skye Series Book 1)

by Taylor Aston White

  “CORUSCARE!” she shouted, throwing her hand out towards his face, igniting the cloak.

  A growl, the smoke clearing quickly as Kyle calmly shook off the robe as it turned to ash in his hands, his skin showing a history of abuse, pale scars crisscrossing almost every part of exposed skin.

  Silver cuffs encircled his wrists, patterns engraved into the metal that seemed to pulsate along with the matching choker surrounding his neck.

  Clicking his fingers she flinched, gasping when he held a ball of flame in his hand, green tinged with black.

  “Don’t do that,” his voice was soft once again, black eyes fighting against the green as the flame danced between his fingertips.

  “What are those cuffs?” she asked, stomach churning. “I can help.”

  He tilted his head, pain radiating across his face as he retched.

  “NO!” He started to shake, throwing his head around as the cuffs glowed brightly.

  Alice gathered the chain around her wrist, waiting for his next move when he turned to face her, eyes unfocused.

  “They’re coming,” he whispered, leaning forward. “Run.” He started to convulse, his eyes rolling in the back of his head before he fought back control. Groaning, he dragged himself to the exit, leaving the same way he had forced her in.

  Alice stared after him, unable to move from the floor as exhaustion beat heavy on her. She dropped the chain with a rattle, concentring on calming her pulse, ignoring the manic crying from the woman and howling from the wolf. Looking down at her raw wrists she tried to squeeze her hands through, desperation taking hold when she felt someone watching her.

  “He’s coming,” the delirious woman cackled. “60. 59. 58...”

  “Shut up,” Alice hissed, cursing as her fingers failed to fit. The manacles were heavy, locked tight.

  “45. 44. 43...”

  “Please, let me think.”

  Water dripped from the ceiling in the corner, hitting a shallow puddle on the cracked tile. The partial stonewalls were shiny, damp with a light green tinge and metal industrial supports that looked warped. A dirty orange cabinet was broken in the corner, the door hanging on one hinge with dust gathered on the empty shelves. Nothing that could help.

  “Maybe something’s in the cells,” she whispered to herself as she crawled across the floor towards the third cell. The wolf paced, huffing and growling as she got closer.

  “30. 29. 28...”

  The inside of the cell was identical to the woman’s, stonewalls with deep gouges and bloody marks. A tray that had been destroyed littered the floor, mixed in with sawdust, tufts of fur and bone. The wolf leapt at the bars with a snarl, part of his snout reaching out from a gap as he tried to bite his way through the metal.

  “The bone.” She cautiously watched the wolf. “I can pick the lock with a bone.”

  But how will I get it?

  Unexpectedly, the bone skidded across the floor. Startled she glanced at the wolf, the beast calmly staring back as it pushed another bone underneath the small gap between the bars.

  “23. 22. 21...”

  “You can understand me?”

  She wasn’t confident how much of the person the wolf had retained. When shifters stayed in their animal form too long, it became hard to come back.

  “Are you from White Dawn?” The wolf gave a sharp yip, pawing at the ground. Alice sucked in a breath, “Roman?” The wolf turned, growling at something as pain struck the back of her head.

  Chapter 32

  “Brothers!” a voice boomed as the room erupted into applause. “It’s time.”

  In igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.

  Alice’s headache matched the rhythm of the chant, a tattoo dancing against the inside of her head. She squinted her eyes as she watched the series of cloaked men, surrounding her in a partial circle. Each acolyte held a single candle, the wax dripping onto their grey palms without a flinch. Swallowing bile she flexed her swollen fingers, the surface cold beneath her. She moved slowly, pulling at her wrists, shocked to feel no resistance.

  Lashes low so they hid her eyes she tried to study the room, noticing how she was lying on a stone slab in the centre of what looked like an old storage facility. Steel beams held up the high ceiling, surrounded by large cabinets that were mostly closed. Hooks were planted into the walls, some broken, leaving dangerous spikes while others held old high-vis jackets.

  Alice tried to keep her breathing steady, even as an intense cold prickled across her skin.

  “Brothers,” the smoky voice called. “How long we have waited.”

  Alice recognised the voice.

  Where was Kyle?

  He wasn’t there, wasn’t one of the acolytes. She was sure of it.

  “Are we all prepared?”

  In igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.

  Alice tried not to groan, the combined voices of the men rattling against her skull. The intense cold increased as she felt something glide slowly towards the pedestal, followed by a scraping sound across the concrete and tile.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  She couldn’t see clearly enough in the candlelit room, she had no weapons, no known exits and the intense feeling of panic was getting greater with every passing second.

  She was running out of time.

  “You promised me Roman.”

  Alice‘s eyes opened wide at the voice.

  “A deal is a deal.”

  She strained to turn her head, barely catching a glimpse of Rex as he intercepted her captor. How could she not have seen his deception? Was she that stupid?

  “Did you hear that brothers?” the smokey voice called. “This Alpha is asking for his pup.” A laugh as the cloaked men twitched in agitation.

  “You said...”

  “I told you to retrieve the dragon...”

  “You implied that if I did this, you would release Roman.” Rex’s voice dropped, anger coming from his wolf.

  “ENOUGH.” Alice flinched at the shout. “Do not overstep.” Rex was pushed against the wall, his eyes arctic.

  “No, this...” Rex snarled as a hand grabbed his throat, stopping his words.

  “Go back to your pack. Before they replace the weak Alpha that you are,” the larger man threatened, releasing his clenched hand as Rex gasped for breath.

  “Yes, master.” Rex looked up, his eyes almost sorry before he turned away, leaving the room, leaving her.

  Fuck! Alice squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Ah, there she is.” A hand brushed against her arm. It took everything in her to stay relaxed, not to tense up and give herself away. “I know you’re awake.” An intimate whisper.

  Leaping up she flipped off the stone, landing heavy on the balls of her feet.

  “IGNIS!” She flung out her arm, flame erupting from her palm like a whip. A high-pitched screech, pain radiating behind her eyes as the pierce shrill forced her to her knees, head in her hands.

  Arms encased her, forcing her to stand.

  “HOLD HER DOWN.”

  “NO!” Alice fought against the arms, pulling at the hoods covering their faces. She gasped as the cloth ripped away, showing empty eye sockets, lips sewn together, white thread a stark contrast against their dark skin.

  In igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.

  The chorus of voices continued to chant, invading her head, needles across her brain. Alice felt her heartbeat in her throat, a cold terror filling her gut. A larger hand closed around her arm, throwing her back onto the stone slab with a thud. Arms and legs pinned she struggled, energy evaporating.

  Eyes wide open, she quickly took in her surroundings.

  She was wrong before, it wasn’t a storage facility.

  The stone pedestal was in the centre of an abandoned underground station.

  Large gold candelabras stood in the corner, holding hundreds of candles, wax melting delicately onto the concrete floor. The white wax slowly turned a sickly pink, mixing with blood that was running along grooves etc
hed into the floor. Old movie posters and train maps still decorated the walls, the once bright pictures muted over the years, covered in layers of dust. There was even a ticket station in the corner, runes written in blood smeared across the glass. The cavernous room trembled as a train passed overhead, dust and debris raining down. The acolytes stood patiently, holding her down.

  “LOOK AT ME!”

  Alice whipped her head towards the voice, freezing when she noticed the Daemon standing before her. Eyes that were pure red watched with slit pupils, a slow and satisfied smile creeping across his scarred face. Horns were filed down to the skull, barely visible beneath long black hair. Wide shoulders flexed as he gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

  Something moved in her peripheral view, a black sheet that scuffed across the floor.

  Oh shit. They were wings, wings that were dragging behind him. Of course he has fucking wings. Black veins patterned like a spider web across the thin membrane, the arch protruding from his shoulders high above his head.

  “Who are you?” she asked, yanking her jaw from his grasp.

  “Is it really important?” A cold laugh.

  “Why are you doing this?” He ignored her, his attention on the others. “What have you done to Kyle?”

  In igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.

  “Today we meet here my brothers, to start The Becoming.” He turned his back.

  “Where's Kyle?”

  “The blood of the dragon is the final catalyst before we take our power we rightfully deserve. Before we start the end of days.”

  In igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.

  “Dragon? What fucking dragon?” She pulled against her restraints.

  The Daemon just smirked. “You’re more ignorant than your parents, little dragon.”

  “My parents?”

  He grabbed Alice’s left wrist, holding it immobile in his large hand.

  “The blood of your mother was corrupted by that druid, useless.”

  A long nail cut across the delicate flesh at the crease of her wrist, blood pooling along the wound.

  “But with your life force, we will Become. The blood of the dragon, the blood of war.” His head hovered over her wound, an intimate bloody kiss.

  Alice screamed, pain searing through her arm. Her flesh tore as she pulled her arm free from his teeth.

  A slow smile, his canines covered in red.

  “Per ignem enim moriemur. Sanguinis sacrificii nos cogunt. Im igne comburetis. Cinis in nos exsurgent.” He raised his arms, chanting towards the sky.

  Fire erupted from her blood, a scalding pain that bubbled through her veins. Her life force pumped slowly from her wrist, a red trail across the stone. Head rolling to the side she watched as consciousness flickered, the blood dripping to the floor with her blue fire crackling as it followed the flow.

  “Hoc sacrificium, absorbet. Et factus est.”

  “Fuck!” Alice shouted as pain throbbed through every nerve, flames scorching towards the runes, lighting up in intricate patterns along the concrete.

  “In fire, we burn…”

  “Why are you doing this?” Alice asked, her vision darkening at the corners, her lungs struggling.

  “In ash, we rise,” he finished, his arms still raised to the sky, before snake eyes moved to her, glittering with excitement. “Because I can.”

  A loud crash, the ceiling trembling as concrete and dust showered the room.

  “ALICE!” a voice shouted.

  The pain pulsated with the beat of her heart, darkness shrouding her.

  “ALICE!” That voice, shouting from a distance again. “WAKE UP!”

  Someone grabbed her, pulling her into a sitting position against something hard, a hand against her throat.

  “ALICE!”

  Her eyes slipped open, blurring as she struggled to make out the scene in front of her. Riley danced around the room, balls of arcane flashing into the acolytes as they scattered like skittles. A flash of steel, a head rolling off its shoulders as another man who was dressed identically to Riley fought the others. The stranger seemed just as impossibly fast, his sword blurring as he took down one acolyte after another. He wore wraparound sunglasses, his hair pure white compared to Riley's dark.

  Her eyes became heavy, the pain dulling.

  “They’re too late.” Smoke against her face, a mouth against her ear.

  Gasping for a breath she struggled, lifting her hands to claw at his skin.

  Flames continued to pour from her left wrist, strangely silent compared to the clang of metal and shouts surrounding her. She heard whispers in her ear, a desolate sound she couldn’t make out as she watched the fire, oddly mesmerising as it flowed into the patterns along the floor.

  She felt the hand tighten.

  “Pay attention,” he growled.

  “Fuck you,” she snarled through clenched teeth, blood fragrant at the back of her throat.

  A crash, an acolyte thrown against the wall, head impaling into one of the hooks.

  “ALICE, SHIELD!” Riley shouted from across the room.

  “Fucking Guardians,” the Daemon seethed, hand loosening as he watched the action.

  “ALICE!” Riley moved towards them, jumping over the flames. “SHIELD!”

  Shield?

  “Arma,” she whispered, her aura solidifying into existence around her, a molecule thin film lasting only a second. The hand loosened against her, a shout of pain. With her last remaining energy, she pushed back.

  A silver ball of arcane flew past the corner of her eye, landing straight into the Daemon as he stumbled. With a shriek, he scrabbled at his chest, scraping the energy from his skin with a snarl just as it started to eat into skin and bone.

  Flames continued to pour from her wrist, her life burning up as she watched. She turned her head, seeing Riley and the Daemon circle each other. Riley raised a gun, pointing it steadily as the tattoos across his arms glowed.

  “Is that all you got?” the Daemon mocked, his wings pulsating and curling around his shoulders in irritation.

  Stepping forward he knocked the gun from Riley’s hands, sending it skidding across the floor to land against a fallen acolyte. Alice eyed it, watching her hand reach for it in a painfully slow motion. She slipped off the stone, dragging herself through the flames to reach the weapon, leaving a trail of fire and blood behind her.

  Riley stood motionless, his chest barely moving as he remained calm.

  “You’re too late,” the Daemon taunted, blood still staining his teeth. “Only a matter of moments before she is gone, and we Become.” His thigh tensed.

  Riley moved with him, slashing out with his blade as it sliced across the Daemons chest with a hiss. The Daemon reared back, looking down in astonishment as Riley rushed forward, punching him straight in the face with a crunch. A hand came from out of nowhere, nails slicing across Riley’s bare arm. Black foam bubbled from the gouges, acid burning through skin.

  “Riley,” Alice tried to warn, her voice making no noise against the cacophony of battle.

  Her fingertips finally touched the metal.

  The Daemon laughed again as he smirked into Riley’s reflective eyes.

  “I see your beast, it screams for release. You’re just like me.” A glint in his eyes before black flames rained down from the ceiling. “You just keep it better hidden.”

  Another ball of red tinged with black was thrown across the room, Riley intercepted it with a blast, returning the arcane with interest.

  The spell went wild, crashing into the wall, shattering the tiles.

  “Fuck,” Riley growled as he turned his claymore blade carefully in his hand. Waiting.

  The Daemon hissed, circling him slowly. “It’s your own people that did that to you. Broke you as a child, forced you to share a spirit.”

  Alice tried to scream as a cloaked figure grabbed her ankle, his fist tightening before he became dust, Riley’s arcane evaporating him into nothing. She heard Riley sh
out, his face annoyed as he kicked a minion with his boot, the cloaked figure collapsing into the carnage.

  Swinging his blade in a wide arc he cut off its head.

  “Enough of this,” Riley called as he lifted his sword. “You can never win.”

  “Is that so? Then how come I already am?”

  The Daemon stepped from the shadows, his fist powering through the air before Riley even noticed. The second punch doubled him over, causing him to suck in a breath. His sword clattered to the ground, the Daemon kicking it away as he approached.

  Alice lifted the gun, her hand shaking from the weight.

  “This is getting tiring. Join the cause or die.”

  “Fuck you,” Riley snarled. Drawing back his arm he released his fist. The Daemon yowled, clutching his nose as Riley hit out again, the impact causing him to stumble back, almost tripping over the bodies.

  She pulled the trigger.

  A bead of blood appeared on the Daemons dark forehead, the bead growing from the centre between his eyes. Another shot. A hole appearing in his throat, a choked noise as blood gurgled. With a roar Riley jumped forward, pushing as much raw power as he could muster through the small hole in his head, searing him from the inside out.

  “You could never win.” Riley pushed, putting all his rage into that one concentrated point.

  “I am many,” a gargled laugh, black blood bubbling from the Daemons lips. “We will Become.” A flash of light, a silver glow that radiated from behind his eyes.

  “Riley,” Alice whispered, a quiet noise, a last breath.

  Pushing away from the Daemon as his body eroded into dust Riley turned towards her weak voice. She could barely make out him running towards her, his arms crushing as he pushed the gun away from her slack grip.

  “Alice?” He shook her in his panic.

  All she heard was white noise, Riley’s mouth moving but no sound coming out.

  “You can’t get attached,” the stranger said as he came to stand beside Riley, his hand resting on his shoulder. “She’s too far gone.”

  Alice tried to speak, only a croak coming out.

  Riley juddered his shoulder to dislodge the hand. “Xander, go stand guard.”