Ashes: Witches of Whitley Bay Book 2

by Katherine Heason

  Lillith couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Mavis was going to keep this a secret from the rest of the coven.

  Mavis looked at Uma. “I trust Angela and Cassandra won’t say anything to anyone?”

  “They won’t,” Uma confirmed.

  “Then let’s not speak of it again,” Mavis said. She turned back to Lillith, and looked at her with stern eyes. “Please, please, please, let this be a lesson to you. Powers are not infallible. Even yours. Never assume they are. Attempt new magic safely, until you know it works.”

  Lillith still couldn’t believe this was happening, and now Mavis was giving her blessing to try new magic. This was a massive turnaround. She nodded.

  “Good,” Mavis said. She sipped her coffee, and ate her biscuit. Everyone did the same. Lillith didn’t know what else to say. Mavis placed her empty cup on the table in front of her. “Now, I must be off.” She stood, ready to leave.

  Uma stood with her. “Thank you,” she said.

  Mavis acknowledged Uma with a bow of her head, and walked briskly to the door.

  “Thank you,” Lillith called after her, sincerely.

  Mavis shot a smile at Lillith as she left, followed by Uma.

  “I can’t believe it,” Brody said when they were out of sight.

  “Neither can I.” That was the truth. Lillith was more confused than ever, but extremely thankful.

  “So, does that mean we’re joining the coven for real?” Brody asked.

  Lillith looked down. She wasn’t sure she wanted to join the coven, but how could she say no, now? “Looks like it,” she said.

  Chapter 23: The Coup

  Lillith spent the next month trying to feel normal again. She kept busy by going on day trips. One day, she went to Chatten with Angela to visit Mark. Another day, she and Tristan went walking up the Cheviot hills. Time worked its miracle, and after those short weeks, Lillith even started to laugh again. She didn’t try any stupid magic, and wasn’t planning to any time soon.

  It was a sunny August day, hot for Whitley Bay, and without a breath of wind. It was a perfect day to spend on the beach. Tristan messaged Lillith saying he had a surprise for her, so she got ready as quickly as possible. She slipped on a bathing costume, and pulled a dress over the top of it. She tied her long, dark hair into a pony tail, and slid her feet into some flip-flops. She just needed to pack a bag with a towel, sun-cream, sunglasses and money. She knocked on Brody’s bedroom door on her way to the bathroom.

  “What?” She heard a groan from inside. Brody was still in bed.

  “It’s a lovely day. We’re going to the beach, you coming?” There was movement from inside the room, and Brody opened the door. Lillith wrinkled her nose at the ‘boy smell’ emanating from inside. He was wearing a pair of pyjama shorts and nothing else, revealing his lean chest. He was fumbling, trying to put his glasses on, and he didn’t look quite awake yet.

  “Yeah,” he said, then looked at Lillith. “I’ll meet you there, though. Need to wake up and have breakfast first.”

  “Okay. We’re just going across the road, to Whitley Bay beach.”

  There were a few miles of coast where they lived, and several beautiful beaches to go to. There are the dune-framed beach at Seaton Sluice, the small bay at Cullercoats, with its caves to explore, and the long, golden-sanded stretch of beach at Tynemouth, with its award-winning fish restaurants, bouncy castles and ice cream shops. Each has something different to offer. Whitley Bay beach was local, and often quieter than the others, especially at the top end, closer to the caravan park where Tristan lived, so they’d chosen to go there, today.

  Brody scratched his bottom, and started to walk towards the bathroom. Lillith jumped ahead of him, to grab a towel first.

  “Okay, see you later,” she said, and trotted down the stairs.

  The beach was crowded. Every inch of sand seemed to have towels or people on it. Kids played with bats and balls, or built sandcastles. Many of them were paddling, or even swimming in the sparkling sea, and the sound of chatter and laughter could be heard from every direction. Lillith smiled. She felt the warmth on her face and arms, and breathed in the fresh, sea air.

  She scanned the beach, looking for Tristan. She was looking for a single person, and didn’t see him at first. She shaded her eyes from the sun, and scanned the beach again. Eventually, she found him amongst a group of people. She smiled. It was unlike him to start chatting to strangers – maybe he was becoming more sociable. Then she realised who they were. It was Charlie, Riti, Darren and another of the under-grounders from York, whose name Lillith couldn’t remember. They were sitting or lying on towels, chatting animatedly.

  Lillith realised this was probably her surprise. She grinned. It would be good to catch up with them. She walked as fast as she could towards them, waving. Her feet melted into the golden sand with each footstep. It felt warm and smooth.

  Riti saw Lillith first. She waved back, said something to the others, and they all turned towards Lillith.

  Tristan stood up and greeted her as she reached them. “Hi,” he said. “Look who’s here.”

  Lillith smiled at them all. “I know. What a lovely surprise,” she said. “Have you come up for the day?”

  “Couple of days,” Charlie said. “We’re staying in caravans.”

  “That’s great,” Lillith said, looking at Tristan. “We can take them places, show them around?”

  Tristan didn’t look excited by that prospect.

  “Or just spend a couple of days on the beach,” she offered.

  Tristan looked at Charlie, who didn’t look thrilled either. Lillith felt the smile fade from her face. Her stomach flipped. She was being insensitive; it’d only been a few weeks since one of their friends had died, at her hands, and here she was being happy and enthusiastic.

  Riti stood up, and stroked Lillith’s arm. “We’d love to be shown around. Whitley Bay looks lovely. We’ll just have to see what happens, won’t we?”

  Lillith appreciated the effort, but the damage had been done. How could she have been so tactless?

  “Put your towel here, Lillith. It’s the perfect spot,” Riti said.

  Lillith was grateful for the change in conversation. She put her bag down, got her towel out and rolled it onto the sand. She sat down and breathed in, deeply. Tristan sat down, too, and put his arm around her.

  Charlie looked at Lillith. Her expression was serious. “This isn’t a purely social visit,” she said.

  Lillith frowned. For some reason, her skin prickled and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. There was something in Charlie’s voice that made her nervous. She listened without saying anything.

  “It’s Matthew. He’s here somewhere,” Charlie said.

  Lillith shook her head. She didn’t understand why that was significant.

  “He’s taken Sophie’s death badly,” Charlie went on.

  That still didn’t explain anything. Lillith was just as confused. She furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of what Charlie was saying.

  “He wants you to be punished,” Charlie said. “He was angry that your coven weren’t doing anything, so he decided to take it into his own hands.”

  Lillith’s skin turned cold. “He’s coming after me?”

  Charlie hesitated. “Maybe. At least that’s what we suspect.”

  Lillith fingered her protection amulet. Maybe she was being naïve, but if Arthur’s magic was rebounded by this, surely Matthew’s would be.

  “He’s protected by the repulsion spell. You can’t defend yourself against him,” Riti explained.

  Lillith looked down. She didn’t want to be able to. She couldn’t have another witch’s death on her conscience. “Does he want to kill me?”

  “We don’t know. No one’s heard from him for a while.” Charlie pointed at the under-grounder whose name Lillith had forgotten. “David was the last one to see him.”

  Lillith recognised David as one of the witch’s who’d told her his coven story th
e first time in York, but she couldn’t recall much else about him. He was dark-skinned and looked muscly, in his orange shorts. His short dark hair was swept back and looked wet.

  “He said he’d been speaking to someone in the Whitley Bay coven and that he had a plan that would teach you a lesson,” David said. His light, brown eyes appeared kind.

  “That was over two weeks ago,” Charlie added.

  Lillith studied their faces. They were serious, but she wasn’t persuaded there was a real threat. “If that was two weeks ago, shouldn’t I have heard something by now?”

  David shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since, and then we heard about the unrest in your coven.”

  “There’s no unrest in the coven,” Lillith said.

  Charlie and Riti looked at each other, then back at Lillith. “When was the last time you heard from them?”

  Lillith thought about it. Come to think of it, they hadn’t had a coven meeting for a few weeks. She hadn’t considered that to be strange, because she’d been keeping busy, but now that she thought about it, it could mean that something was wrong. Mavis had come to her house, told her about Arthur, and said that they wanted her and Brody to join the coven. It was peculiar that they hadn’t scheduled a coven meeting to let everyone know formally about Arthur, or initiate her and Brody into the coven, yet.

  Lillith looked at the apprehensive faces of her friends, and her heart sank. It was happening again. “What’ve you heard? Tell me everything,” she said.

  Charlie breathed in. “We’ve heard that your coven leader has been removed, and they’re looking for a replacement, now. That’s not normally cause for alarm, but –”

  Lillith gasped, so loudly that Charlie stopped talking. She stared at Lillith, and Lillith stared back, eyes wide and mouth agape. Her skin felt cold, and blood drained from her face.

  “Did you not know that?” Charlie asked.

  “No, and it’s not good,” she said. Her eyes glistened. She was being selfish, but her thoughts were about herself. Mavis had supported her, and knew everything. If Mavis was no longer the leader, whoever took over might have a completely different opinion about Lillith, Brody, and what happened to Sophie.

  Charlie frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Mavis knows about Sophie. She said she would keep it from the coven. If Matthew told them, maybe they found out she already knew and kept it from them? Maybe that’s why?”

  Charlie closed her eyes. “That would make sense. That explains the rest of what we’ve heard.”

  “What else have you heard?”

  “That the reason she was removed was because there were question marks over some of her decisions. That there’s currently a fight for leadership, and that whoever gets in will have the power to overturn some of those decisions.”

  Lillith blinked. Was she hearing right? It occurred to her, briefly, that Charlie seemed to understand a lot about their coven’s inner workings, but she was too shocked about what she was hearing to ask about that. “You think Mavis has been deemed unfit, because she kept Sophie’s death from the coven?”

  “I don’t know. There are other decisions that she may be questioned over, as well. But maybe Matthew’s revelations were the final straw?”

  Lillith and Brody becoming coven members were two of those questionable decisions.

  “Of course, we might have heard wrong. We’ve just heard rumours and rumblings. It might be nothing more than that. Maybe Matthew was lying. Maybe it’s just some angry members conspiring. Or maybe Mavis has just quit. Is that possible?”

  Lillith shrugged. “I don’t know. She was quite old, and was only acting as leader because Arthur was locked up. It is possible,” Lillith lowered her eyes. “But I think I’d have heard. Wouldn’t I?”

  “Can you ask someone?”

  Good idea. Lillith took her phone out of her pocket, and rang her mam. Voicemail; she was at work. She tried Cassandra next. Luckily Cassandra answered after only two rings.

  “Hi, Lillith. What can I do for you?”

  “Hi Cassandra,” Lillith said, quickly. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject, so she just blurted it out. “How’s Mavis?”

  “Fine, Lillith. Why do you ask?”

  “When was the last time you spoke to her?”

  Cassandra hesitated. “The last coven meeting, I think.”

  “Then how do you know she’s fine?”

  “We’re connected, remember? I’d know if something was wrong.”

  “Is she still the leader?”

  “Of course.”

  “No one wants to replace her?”

  “Well, she was only acting as our leader. I guess now that Arthur’s staying in prison, we need to confirm her as our permanent leader.”

  Relief surged through Lillith. “Can someone contest it? Can someone put themselves forward as leader?”

  “I guess they could, but I’m not sure who’d want to.”

  Lillith breathed out. She smiled, and looked towards the under-grounders. “Thanks,” she said to Cassandra.

  “Is everything alright, Lillith?”

  “Yes, thank you. I’m at the beach with Tristan and some of the gang from York. They’d heard some stuff, that’s all. I think someone might be putting themselves forward as coven leader in place of Mavis.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I don’t think the coven would choose anyone other than Mavis. She’s been doing a great job, and it’s been difficult for her, with all the trials.”

  “Phew. Well, thanks again. See you soon.”

  “Okay, Lillith, take care.”

  Lillith hung up, and rested her head on Tristan’s shoulder. “Mavis is fine. Even if someone wants to take over, the coven’ll choose Mavis.”

  Charlie smiled. It wasn’t a convincing smile. “In that case,” Charlie said. “We’re just here to have a couple of days’ holiday. We should have some fun.”

  Lillith noticed that although Charlie’s words were positive, her face wasn’t. Her forehead was creased, and there was determination in her eyes, not relief. Lillith was sick of feeling apprehensive. She just wanted to have some fun for a change, without fearing for her life. She stood up and looked down at the sea, which was twinkling in the sun, as if beckoning her.

  “I’m going for paddle,” she said, turning to the others. “Anyone coming?”

  Without waiting for a response, she walked across the sand towards the water. Soft, dry, warm sand turned to hard wet sand, which was easier to walk on. Tiny streams of water wove their way to the sea. Children dug holes in the sand and filled buckets.

  Lillith stopped at the water’s edge. A wave made its way towards her feet. It was freezing. She shivered and jumped back. She should probably be worried that Matthew was after her, and that maybe the rumours about Mavis being replaced were true, but instead, she felt disinterested. They were only speculating. They didn’t know the truth. Lillith decided that she’d worry if and when it came true. Another wave covered her feet. They were getting accustomed to the cold now, and it felt nice.

  “Is it cold?” A voice said from behind her.

  Lillith spun around to see Brody, and smiled. He was wearing knee-length swimming shorts, and a t-shirt. “Just a little bit,” Lillith said. “Here, try it.” She caught the next wave with her toe and kicked upwards, covering Brody with icy water.

  Brody looked shocked for a second, then broke into a smile. “Like that, is it?” he said, jokingly and headed towards the water.

  “No, I didn’t mean it!” cried Lillith, laughing. She ran away from the water’s edge, just as Brody gave a great big kick. It caught her back, and sent shivers down her spine. She spun around and held her hands up. “Okay, we’re quits,” she said, smiling broadly. “No more.” She knew when she was outmanoeuvred.

  Brody laughed. “Okay,” he said. “Come on in.”

  Lillith edged forward, fixing her eyes on Brody to make sure he wasn’t going to sp
lash her again. He remained still. She waded in. The cold bit at her toes. She ran out a little, then back in again. Somehow, it was more bearable that way.

  “Brody might not splash you, but we will.”

  Lillith turned around to see Tristan, Charlie, Riti and David standing menacingly, with water pistols pointing in her direction.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she said.

  Tristan laughed, and raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t we?”

  At that second, they all pulled their triggers, and four giant streams of water squirted towards Lillith.

  “No!” Lillith screamed. She just managed to cover her face with her hands, and felt it hit her. The water was actually warm; the water pistols must have been lying in the sun. She heard more pumping and squirting, and kept her hands in front of her face until the last drop touched her. She was drenched, from head to foot. Brody was soaked, too. He gave her a look, and she smiled. That meant war.

  Brody and Lillith kicked as much sea water at Tristan and the under-grounders as possible. They ran up the sand. One of them dropped their gun. Lillith snatched it up, and filled it quickly. She took aim at Tristan, who was bending to fill his up in the sea. She got him right on the bottom, and had to hold her stomach because she was laughing so much. Tristan took the opportunity. He ran across and picked Lillith up into a fireman’s lift, and took her deeper into the water.

  “No, Tristan, no!” Lillith yelled, but it didn’t stop him.

  He dropped her into the deeper water. It went up to her middle, and took her breath away. She gasped and laughed at the same time. Her body was numb from the waist down. He tried to run back towards the shore, but Lillith jumped on him and they both ended up falling into the sea. Lillith got a mouthful of salty water. The cold was like a million pins pricking her skin. She leapt to her feet, gasping, and Tristan splashed out of the water at the same time. She wiped away the salt water from her eyes, and looked at Tristan.