Sorciére

by J. R. Erickson

  "Sebastian?"

  "He's not here. We found the cabin, but someone took him Abby. I was hoping that you might be able to help us. We know that he lives and that he was taken from you in the night, but that is all..."

  "It wasn't a Vepar," Abby said, surveying the room. They were not at Ula, or anyplace else that Abby recognized. In fact, they seemed to be in an old cottage. Leaves and twigs were brushed against the base of the walls.

  "We're in Lydie's childhood home," Elda told her. "Ula has been compromised and we cannot return there."

  * * * *

  Sebastian took in the faces. Lydie, Oliver, Isabelle and then others that he did not know. People barely shackled, but hanging lifeless to the walls, something being drawn out of them and into the vat in the center. He braced his hands on either side and looked in. The fluid that poured in from the various bodies looked clear and very bright, almost like liquid light, but it did not pool. The metal interior funneled into a small black hole the disappeared into the floor beneath him.

  He needed a plan and fast. His body ached, but the nausea had abated. He felt sticky wetness where claws had ripped into his skin and he remembered again the monster that took him. Its wolfish face had leered at him with knowing eyes, familiar eyes. When it bit him, Sebastian felt fire moving through his bloodstream and then the world had faded to black.

  He turned slowly, wishing desperately for water to quench his thirst, but hoping at least for a weapon or some means of escape. The large room had only one opening, a small trap door in the ceiling, but no ladder was in sight. He began to move among the bodies, checking for pulses. Everyone was alive, though several people had pulses so weak he wasn't sure he'd felt one at all. He had the feeling that they'd been in the room for days, if not weeks.

  He considered unhooking them, but he knew that he operated on borrowed time and at any moment the beast might return. He stared at Oliver hanging limply from the wall, his blond head resting on his chest. If anyone could help him, it was Oliver, and the creatures probably would not notice if a single stream stopped moving into the basin. His ego wanted to do it alone. However, he knew that his humanness made him weak. He had no element to draw on, no storage of ancient wisdom to unlock the mystery surrounding him.

  He took the tube moving into Oliver's arm and pulled gently, grimacing at the spurt of blood that poured out when he drew it from his flesh. He removed the tube from his right arm and then went about carefully, slowly, extracting the tiny metal filaments poking into his skull. They were long and copper and each time he removed one, he expected the trap door to fling open and the wolf beast to pounce on him. When he had removed all of the wires, he put his arms beneath Oliver's armpits and lifted him gently from the wall.

  Oliver was an earth element and Sebastian knew that they were underground, which meant Oliver should have access to power. Sebastian pressed Oliver's palms flat against the ground. He remembered the small pouch that Julian had given him. He'd hung it around his neck and when he reached inside of his shirt, he was shocked to feel it still intact. He pulled it out and loosened the tiny leather strap. Inside, Julian had placed four stones. He had labeled them protection, power, healing and wisdom. He placed the stones of protection and healing on the tops of Oliver's hands. In his own hands, he held tightly the stones of wisdom and power. He closed his eyes and imagined his body growing lighter. In his mind, a long suture split the ground above them and a brilliant shaft of light snaked through the crevice into the earth and filled their bodies with light. Minutes passed, but he no longer felt the pressure of time. The world had ceased its heaviness and buoyancy overtook him He felt like a bubble floating just above a tranquil ocean. He imagined dropping into the ocean and being absorbed by the powerful sea. He started to feel the muscles in his body vibrating, communicating with his brain. Without thinking, he stood and walked the room, soundlessly tapping each wall. His palm met thickness on every wall except one. Near Lydie's tiny form, he found the hollow echo that told him he could break through.

  "Ugghhhhh..." The moan startled him and broke his concentration. His heart skipped in his chest.

  Oliver groaned again.

  "Shh." Sebastian knelt beside him. The stones had fallen onto the floor and he placed them in Oliver's palms. Oliver's eyes, unfocused, blinked rapidly and then the film that drew across them started to dissolve.

  "Water." he croaked.

  "I wish I could," Sebastian told him. "But I think I've found a way out. I'm going to need you, though."

  Oliver squeezed his eyes shut in pain. When he opened them, he lifted the healing stone and pressed it against his forehead. He did not move for several minutes and Sebastian started to grow impatient.

  Finally, Oliver set the stones on the floor and, with great effort, pushed up to sitting. He teetered back and forth and Sebastian placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. His hair was disheveled and prickled with bits of dried blood. His face looked swollen and scratched and his bare torso was a puzzle of cuts and wounds, but Sebastian could see them growing less vibrant and sore with each moment. Oliver took the stone and pressed it to each wound, wincing, but also sighing with relief. His right arm was mangled and mostly useless. He held it tight to his body.

  "This is powerful," he whispered hoarsely as he examined the stone.

  "Julian gave it to me."

  "Julian?"

  Sebastian nodded and Oliver understood. There was no time to discuss it.

  Oliver's eyes drifted over to Lydie and he shot to his feet, making it halfway across the room before his legs gave out. He would have crashed into the swirling vat of fluid had Sebastian not caught him. He held him around the waist and waited until Oliver seemed capable of standing.

  "What is this?" Oliver's eyes darted around the room, taking in the others. Sebastian saw fear.

  Suddenly Oliver grabbed his head and tipped to the side, crashing to the floor. Sebastian scooped him back up.

  "There was something in there," Oliver whispered as if the 'something' might hear him. "It knows I'm disconnected." He looked puzzled as he spoke.

  Sebastian understood. The metal in Oliver's brain had connected him to someone or something.

  "But Faustine was in there too... I saw his face and this other thing--it saw Faustine's face too..." Oliver's speech slurred and a small trickle of blood seeped out of his left nostril.

  Sebastian hated to look at it. He had not realized until that moment how much he needed to believe in the witches' immortality.

  Oliver took a deep breath and then moved into a kneeling position. He pressed his forehead against the ground and began to murmur.

  "There's no time for that," Sebastian said, but only half-heartedly.

  Oliver did not speak and Sebastian realized that he was praying and, as he whispered his incantations, the color slowly returned to his skin. When he stood, he was sturdy, and the glassiness in his eyes had dissipated completely.

  "Faustine and one, maybe two, other witches have tracked us. The Vepars know it. That's why they haven't come in here. They're planning an attack."

  "How do you know all that?"

  "Whatever doorway that thing opened to get into my brain left me open to theirs too. I didn't get a lot, but I caught that."

  Sebastian walked to the hollow wall.

  "We can get through here, I'm almost sure of it."

  Oliver pressed his palms against it and nodded.

  Oliver took a deep breath and scanned the room one more time.

  "We're going to smash the wall and then you're going to run like hell. I have to get Lydie. I'll be right behind you."

  "I'll carry Lydie," Sebastian said, gesturing towards Oliver's arm.

  "Okay. Then on three," Oliver whispered. "One, two, three..."

  They both barreled into the wall with their full strength. It crumbled forward. Before them lay a long dark tunnel, dimly lit by small oil burning lamps.

  Before he could turn to grasp Lydie, the trap door flung open and
a Vepar dropped onto the floor behind them.

  Oliver struggled with the ugly creature whose wide forehead and jaw reminded him of the Neanderthal pictures he had seen in anthropology classes in college. The Vepar was strong and he lifted Oliver and flung him into the wall. Then he strode across the room and knelt beside him, baring his fangs.

  Sebastian had no weapon. He moved quickly, wrapping his forearm around the Vepar's neck and pressing. The creature pushed away from Oliver and his strength nearly toppled Sebastian backwards, but he held on. In his mind, the Vepar struggled and then lost consciousness. He focused every ounce of energy he could muster into that single image. But it was no use, the creature's arms flew wildly about and one cracked Sebastian in the face, splitting his nose and lip and sending him over backwards. The Vepar's eyes grew wide at the blood and he fell upon it, lapping it from the floor and then training his eyes on Sebastian's bloody face.

  He turned to run, but before the creature could reach out and grab him, he saw Oliver rise up behind him. He held a hunk of the wall they'd smashed. He brought it down on the Vepar's head with all his might, hearing the skull crack, and the creature fell with a sickening thump onto the floor. Black blood oozed out of his greasy hair.

  "He's not dead," Oliver said, beginning to remove the menagerie of tubes and wires from Lydie's body.

  Sebastian cradled her in his arms and they ran from the room.

  They did not have time to consider the others. They would come back for them.

  ****

  Galla built a fire outside the cottage and the flames rose high, nearly licking the low branches of the trees. She called upon the spirits of her ancestors and the energies of the earth, wind, fire and water. With each gust of wind, more knowledge passed through her. She sent the growing power around her to all of her witches and she prayed that the breeze carried it swiftly.

  A small SUV pulled down the rutty trail and stopped near the house. Two witches and one human emerged from it. Galla recognized Julian, but continued casting, knowing that if she broke the spell, the energies would quickly vanish and she felt sure that Demetrius, Faustine and Max needed her assistance.

  Adora pushed open the door into the abandoned cottage. It creaked and swung in to reveal a cozy, but ramshackle space that had clearly been neglected for a long time. She saw Elda tending to Abby who looked near death, her skin as pale and iridescent as sugar.

  "Julian," Elda murmured, fighting tears, as she stood and walked into his embrace. They held each other for a long time.

  Rod went to Abby, crouching down to give her an awkward hug.

  "You're alive?" she asked incredulously.

  "Unfortunately," he teased, but she saw his heartsick expression. "And it seems you're just barely alive as well."

  She nodded and grimaced at the throbbing sensation in her belly.

  "What happened to you?" She asked touching his chin and then smoothing back his black hair.

  "Witch disguise. I told them a good ole fake mustache and spectacles would do the trick, but they love to show off."

  She smiled and winced.

  "I've missed your sense of humor. It's been so long, it feels like a thousand years."

  "I know," he agreed. "It's been ages since I've felt anything remotely normal."

  He sighed and looked around the room.

  "This is the best they could do? Witches with unlimited resources and power?"

  Abby held up a hand.

  "We're alive, right? I mean sometimes that's got to be enough."

  He nodded and sat down fully, crossing his long legs.

  Elda and the others returned. Adora began digging in her bag for tinctures as Julian laid his hand on Abby's forehead and then gently felt her hands and her feet.

  "She's healing unusually fast," he said to no one in particular. "It's amazing."

  "Yes," Elda agreed. "We discovered that this is her gift. It seems that she gets to test it again and again." The others chuckled, but their laughter was forced.

  ****

  They raced through the underground tunnel and Oliver felt them all around him--Vepars with their black souls and the stink of their rottenness. He knew that some cavern beneath them held something so powerful it could topple all of the witches of Ula with a single breath, but it was dormant. It slept and grew stronger. In front of him Sebastian slid to a stop. Oliver walked to the edge where the ground suddenly dropped away. The gap in the floor was no more than four feet, but the chasm disappeared into blackness. Sebastian pulled a rock from the floor and dropped it. They did not hear it land.

  Then they did hear something--nails scrabbling against dirt and stone. Something was crawling up from the darkness. Sebastian recoiled, but Oliver placed a firm hand on his back.

  "Go now, jump." And as Sebastian leapt, Oliver mustered the energy around him and blew, giving Sebastian an extra boost that landed him several feet beyond the other side. Oliver did not hesitate. He jumped and nearly crashed into Sebastian and Lydie.

  Neither stopped then, both knowing that whatever climbed out of that hole was not human, probably not even a Vepar exactly, but intent on reaching them before they fled the underground prison.

  The chasms appeared more frequently and every fifteen feet they again had to leap over the startling blackness. Oliver sensed that there was light ahead and ran harder, but then one of the creatures scrambled from the earth in front of them, blocking their path. It had once been human, but now bore more resemblance to Night of the Living Dead. Rotted flesh hung from the man's jowls and his teeth showed through where chunks of lips were gone. Bones stuck at weird angles through his withered t-shirt, but he moved with speed. He darted toward them and, before Sebastian could think to defend himself, the creature slammed into him and Lydie with the force of a freight train. He flew backward, smashing into Oliver. With horror, Oliver felt, not earth rising up to meet them, but emptiness as they tumbled into one of the black holes.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Galla walked into the cottage and collapsed onto the wasted sofa. It blew a puff of black feathers into the air where some bird had nested in the old fabric. The others waited for her to speak.

  "Demetrius and Faustine have found the lair. It is heavy with Vepars, but it is not Vepars that makes them worry. There's something ancient inside and it seems be growing strong."

  "It is the curse," Julian said. "Somehow it's being kept there. Whatever gives it life must be in that lair."

  "What curse? What are you talking about Julian?" The lines in Elda's face seemed to grow deeper and more pronounced as she spoke.

  Julian sighed and gazed around them.

  "You have Dafne's ring?" he asked Elda.

  She looked surprised and wondered how Julian sensed it. She had forgotten about the ring.

  "Give it to Galla and let her read it. We must move quickly, but all of the pieces have not fallen into place," he said.

  "I can help," Abby said, grasping Rod as she lifted herself to sitting. Elda tried to protest, but she waved her away. "Oliver and I have been studying it too."

  Julian nodded and looked relieved.

  Elda pulled the ring from her pocket and walked it to Galla who eyed it wearily. She held out her hand and Elda pressed the small band into her palm.

  Immediately, Galla felt herself thrown back against the gaunt frame of the couch. In an instant a thousand memories and emotions coursed through her. She felt Dafne's epic love and then equally the horrors of the betrayal. She saw the woods burning and the witches writhing and screaming, but unable to escape. Tobias flickered in and out in a million shades of love and hate as Dafne's wasted body walked the cold beach. She felt the rumblings of a child inside her belly and later, the slick surge as the child burst into the world and was whisked away while Dafne turned her head and screamed into a pillow.

  When the room re-emerged before her, Thomas was at her side, his hand prying open her fingers to pull the ring away. Then he pressed his hand against her heart and she
felt the beating start to slow and the tension that had pulled her body rigid gradually eased away.

  Galla told them what she saw and Elda shook her head in disbelief.

  "Tobias could not have been her lover, and a child? Dafne never had a child. She lived with us. I nursed her back to life myself. I would have sensed the being inside her. I would have..." but her voice wavered and she could not look Galla in the eye.

  "I knew something," Julian said. "I knew she had a vault of secrets inside her the very first day you and Faustine brought her to the castle. I tried to divine them. Miranda and I both did. It was like a game we played those first few days and then..." He did not talk about the night that Miranda died, but it was in his eyes.

  "It started before Dafne," Abby told them. "And I think I've been dreaming of her, the original, the creator of the curse."

  "Her? You believe it started with one woman?" Adora asked.

  "Yes, and I saw her. At All Hallow's I met another witch who has been contacted by her. His name is Victor."

  "Okay, wait," Galla interrupted. "We need this to make sense so let's start with Abby. Tell us everything you know."

  Abby began. She talked about the Asemaa and all of the information that they had gathered. She told of Sydney's secret room filled with legends and news stories and journals. She described the trip that she and Oliver took to Chicago to see Victor and how Victor told her that the Native American girl, Kanti, had been contacting him for most of his life. She came to him in dreams and sometimes he saw wisps of her on streets and in forests, but she always vanished before he could reach her. She told them of the dreams she'd had where the girl gave birth to a child.

  "There are hundreds of journals and countless boxes filled with information compiled by the Asemaa, but something has happened to the group. They started disappearing after Sydney died. I found one of them--Gwen--and she is on the run now. Somehow the Vepars discovered the Asemaa and they must have wanted their information. I think they're in the dark too."