The Witch Born to Smoulder (Inferno Book 4)

by Tanya Milne

  Flames danced in my hands. I stepped closer so that I could see the bright brown of his eyes. I raised my hands to his face, and the flames licked his skin. He tried to move, to scream, but he was frozen to the spot. I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. ‘The only place you will ever see me again is in your nightmares.’

  Then I turned and ran, the corridor narrowing as I drew closer to the town hall. From behind me, the guards collapsed onto the ground, crying out in pain. In front of me, guards began yelling, issuing instructions. There was only one word that was unmistakable: witch!

  I stopped when I reached the entrance to the main room underneath the town hall. The place was crawling with cops dressed from head to toe in black uniforms. The crackling in the air was palpable – they sensed me – they craved my death.

  Violet!

  I scanned the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. From a distance, I heard a chant. It was faint, but the words were undeniable.

  WITCH! WITCH! KILL THE WITCH!

  My blood felt as though it caught alight. Violet’s trial was over. Her fate had been decided. The people of Melas were thirsting for her death; a woman who wouldn’t harm a soul.

  I stepped into the room and cleared my throat, and all eyes turned towards me.

  ‘Did someone say “witch”?’ I scanned the men, the weapons and the stairwell that led up into the town hall – and outside to where they would be holding Violet.

  Within seconds, every gun was pointed in my direction.

  I strode forward, commotion breaking out all around me.

  ‘Eva, Eva, Eva,’ said Max, stepping out from the shadows. ‘So good of you to save us the trouble of hunting you down.’

  Max’s eyes shone as if he were burning up with a fever. In that moment, I remembered all the times he’d intruded into my life, bullied me, harassed me.

  ‘You think you’re hunting me?’ I said before bursting into laughter.

  The smile slipped from Max’s face.

  ‘You think I’m the same weak little Eva, do you, Max?’ I took a step towards him.

  ‘Arrest her!’ said Max, his gaze darting to the closest police officers.

  Within seconds, four men were running towards me.

  I shrugged before surrounding myself with a circle of fire. The policemen ran into the flames, then screamed as they rolled on the ground, their clothes aflame. All around me, all hell broke loose.

  I stepped through the fire, towards the stairs.

  ‘And where do you think you’re going?’ said Max, raising his gun.

  I fired a fireball at his gun, setting his hand alight. The room filled with the stench of burning skin. I kept walking, making it a few metres before another burly man charged at me. My wind blasted him and all of his cronies against the wall, clearing a path for me. As I reached the stairs, I heard another arrive at the entrance. I swung around to see Noah fire a gun at me.

  A strong blast of my wind stopped the bullet and sent it back to where it had come from, narrowly missing Noah, whom I’d pinned against the wall.

  ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’ I shook my head as I walked up the circular stairwell that led to a manhole in the ceiling.

  ‘Bye-bye,’ I said, then pushed open the manhole, stepped through and started a fire that sat above the manhole, should someone manage to open it.

  I stood and found myself directly under the glass apex of the dome. It was the same room where I’d been tested for witchcraft what felt like a lifetime ago. I gazed around the room, but it was empty. Outside, the chanting grew louder, more frenzied.

  I strode towards the entrance that faced the town square where Violet would be held – where Orpheus would no doubt be waiting for me to show up.

  The guards at the exit to the town square were looking towards what was taking place outside. They didn’t see me slip past them and hide in the shadows of the building. My heart stopped as I took in the scene before me.

  There, standing on a platform, a rope around her neck, was Violet. Her tiny body shook, but her face was calm; she was ready to face her death. Orpheus stood beside her. They were alone on the platform. The crowd was going berserk, calling for her death.

  Bile rose in my throat, and flames began dancing on my body.

  I stepped out of the shadows and screamed, ‘Violet!’

  Violet and Orpheus turned towards me.

  ‘Eva! Go!’ yelled Violet.

  The crowd became silent before turning towards me, a murmur breaking out. I walked forward, blasting the police officers who ran at me with wind, pushing them to the ground. The crowd parted and I strode towards the platform.

  ‘Eva – I’ve been waiting for you,’ boomed Orpheus.

  I stopped and created two fireballs, one in each hand.

  ‘Release her!’ I yelled, my voice like a monster’s, my hair rising from my scalp.

  Orpheus glanced at the fireballs and then at Violet.

  ‘If you hand yourself in, I will release Violet.’

  ‘Don’t do it, Eva,’ yelled Violet, before being slapped across the face by Orpheus. She tried to touch her face, but her hands were tied.

  ‘If you hurt her again, I will kill you,’ I said, sending a fireball flying just past Orpheus’s head, making the crowd scream and Orpheus duck.

  ‘Do we have a deal?’ asked Orpheus, pushing Violet forward so that she stood on the edge of the platform. One shove, and she would fall forward and her neck would break. Could I make it to her in time?

  ‘Eva?’ asked Orpheus, nudging Violet further forward so she was teetering on the edge.

  ‘YES!’ I shouted. ‘Let her go now.’

  Orpheus released Violet and ordered, ‘Arrest the witch!’

  From the edges of the crowd came the police, sprinting towards me. I turned to Violet, who called out to me, ‘Eva – never stop believing…in love.’

  And then she stepped off the platform. I heard the crack of her neck breaking and then she swung like a rag doll.

  ‘NO!’ I shrieked, sprinting towards her. I grabbed hold of her, but her warmth – her life – it had left her body. I pulled her close and slipped the rope from her neck. She was gone. I held her in my arms, kissed her forehead. Raw pain stabbed my heart, seeping through my body until it saturated me, drowned me. And then I turned to the biggest monster of them all.

  ‘MURDERER!’ I screamed.

  The crowd went whisper quiet. Even the police stopped in their tracks.

  ‘She took her own life, Eva,’ said Orpheus. ‘But she deserved to die – just as you do.’

  I placed Violet’s broken body onto the platform below and let the deepest, darkest of hatreds consume me.

  From my jacket I took out the black crystal, making the crowd gasp and move away from me.

  ‘I am a witch, but I was a good witch.’ I turned to Orpheus. ‘You have done this to me. And your actions killed this beautiful, kind, gentle woman. For that, you shall rot in hell.’

  Orpheus roared, ‘You poisoned my son and even my wife – you made them love you! Why, you nearly had me love you, you wicked, wicked witch! But today – your wickedness, the devil inside you will die. You will die.’

  I struggled to control the fury that erupted like a volcano inside me. ‘You’re the one with hate in your heart, Orpheus! You’re the one who has poisoned our town with your fearmongering, with your paranoia and repression. You are the one whose actions murdered an innocent woman tonight.’

  I turned to the crowd. ‘Shame on you! Shame on all of you! Search your conscience –

  every single one of you let this happen!’

  The air around me was cold and still. I turned back to Orpheus. ‘And you shall pay!’

  I clutched the crystal and held it above my head.

  ‘VOCATIO!’ I shouted and remembered the moment when Violet, dear sweet Violet, had stepped from the platform to save me.

  Within seconds, the creatures of the dead flew in from the dark skies, swooping amongst the crow
d, who screamed and ran for their lives. Orpheus dropped to the ground, covered his head.

  ‘From the darkness of nights – from the souls of the dead – from the powers of evil…I command you to listen.’

  The moment I’d spoken, the dead creatures turned their rotting faces towards me.

  One word and the creatures would kill them all – Orpheus would be dead. And I would become the Fire Queen.

  Inside me waged a battle of light and darkness – of life and death, of the sun and the moon. My heart burned with rage and a bitterness that craved for only one thing: revenge.

  The dark powers of the crystal pushed their forces into me. I fell to my knees, the killing curse sitting ready inside my mouth. I closed my eyes, pictured Violet’s face. I remembered her words – believe in love. Would I finally put an end to Orpheus’s dictatorship, or would I become the real monster? The moment I chose to kill, there would be no turning back – no chance of restoring my balance ever again.

  ‘Eva!’ screamed a voice I knew like my own.

  Jet!

  ‘DISCEDO!’ yelled Jet.

  Immediately the dark creatures evaporated. Jet walked forward and cast a spell that blasted my crystal wand into the air. For a moment, I watched the wand flicker as it twisted. I leapt forward, arms outstretched. The moment before I reached it, the wand was snatched by Orpheus.

  I collapsed onto the ground, beside Violet. My body convulsed as the wand’s power left me and surged into Orpheus’s body.

  ‘Eva! Run!’ screamed Jet as he sprinted towards me.

  I tried to move, to get to my feet, but I couldn’t.

  Jet was a few metres from me when Orpheus stepped between us and pointed the wand at Jet. Immediately, Jet fell to the ground.

  ‘JET!’ I screamed.

  Jet reached for me. Orpheus stepped closer to him, wand raised.

  I stared at the wand in disbelief. I had assumed, wrongly assumed, that only a witch could bring forth its powers. But the wand contained its own dark powers that had transferred into Orpheus, making him powerful and deadly.

  Orpheus began laughing as Jet writhed about in pain. Then he kicked him, knocked Jet out cold.

  ‘Kill him!’ yelled Orpheus, motioning for his guards.

  ‘NO!’

  As Max drew his gun and pointed it at Jet, I mustered every ounce of energy I had left. I rolled to stand, unseen. Every set of eyes was on Jet.

  From my hands I released a fireball into the air, and it exploded with a bang, sending fire in all directions, setting the ground alight. Digging deeper than I ever had in my life, I created a fire circle around Jet, the roaring flames protecting him.

  ‘Go!’ I screamed before falling to my knees.

  He lay motionless through the flames. I tried to go to him, but Max picked me up and in the blink of an eye, he’d handcuffed me and was hauling me towards the town hall. I tried to find some heat, some fire, but I was cold to the bone.

  I glanced behind myself before I was taken into the hall. There were spot fires everywhere, police were scattered and Orpheus was trying to get past the flames that protected Jet. I smiled. Jet wasn’t there. He’d fled like a puff of smoke.

  My smile disappeared as I was hauled into the bright lights of the town hall, away from Jet, my heart hurting in a way I’d never expected to feel.

  ‘Eva! Eva! Eva!’ said Max, his hands roaming roughly over me before he shoved me hard, sending me flying forward to land face down on the ground.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Time ceased its endless tick forward; it moved and bent in ways that released me from all I had known. The cell where they kept me was the same one they’d held my family in. But my family were long gone. No one would tell me whether they had escaped or been killed. No one would tell me anything.

  As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I held onto the thread of hope that my family had escaped, that Jet had escaped. I pictured them on their way to a better life out of this hellhole. Every time I slept, I dreamed about Violet. Sometimes she would be in her lounge room, drinking tea and sharing her wisdom. Other times I would see her the moment her neck snapped. I would wake up crying out for my friend who had shown me nothing but love and kindness, whose life had been sacrificed for mine.

  I had no idea how long I’d been held inside the cell, nor did I have any idea how much longer I could hold on, to fight. The guards only gave me enough water to keep me alive, barely anything to eat. Every day my body grew weaker and my mind less able to grasp what was real and what was my imagination. Without the crystal wand to feed me, my powers had grown weak, but the darkness inside me remained. It was only a matter of time before I wouldn’t be able to fend off Max and Noah.

  The door to my cell opened. I glanced up and there was Noah, clean shaven with bright brown eyes.

  ‘Good morning, Eva,’ he said, as though we were friends.

  I sat up and moved my back against the wall.

  ‘Leave us,’ said Noah to the officer who was standing at the open door.

  ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ mumbled the guard, who seemed somewhat more human that the rest of the rogues.

  Noah turned to the man, barked his order. ‘I said get out of here!’

  The guard grumbled before leaving us alone.

  Noah pulled up a chair, keeping a safe distance between us.

  ‘How are you?’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Oh, Eva – just think how different your life could have been if you’d chosen me. We could be married now, a baby on the way.’

  For a moment, I pictured the world Noah’s words painted. Me living under the eye of his mother, my every move controlled by Noah.

  ‘Never!’

  ‘Well, it might be a little difficult now that you’re a condemned witch. Can’t very well have a dead wife, can I? But still, a shame – we could have been good together.’

  A fresh wave of electricity surged through me.

  ‘When? When’s my trial?’

  Noah laughed. ‘Trial?’

  A cold chill ran down my spine.

  ‘We only hold trials when there’s doubt that someone may be innocent, but honey, we all saw you that night. There can be no doubt you’re not only a witch, but an evil, dark witch. Why, I think we’d all be dead now if it weren’t for Jet.’

  My body startled at Jet’s name.

  ‘Kind of ironic, don’t you think, that Jet was the one who led to your downfall. And to think, he just left you to die. And Ezra didn’t come to help you either. He stayed at home that night, and apparently he still wants nothing to do with you.’

  ‘Shut up!’ I hissed.

  The first time I’d heard that Ezra had returned home that night had hit me hard. But of course, it made sense. I was a condemned woman. His best chance of a good life was to stay living at home as his father’s son.

  Noah cleared his throat and shuffled back in his chair. ‘Are you ready to tell me where my sister is? I don’t want to have to…punish you.’

  ‘I’d like to see you try,’ I said, remembering the countless times that Noah had tried to force me to tell him where Anna was, only to be kept away by my weak flames.

  Noah let out a long sigh. ‘As much as I wish I could say that you’re looking well and strong, we both know that would be a lie. In fact, this “dark witch” thing you’ve got going on, well, most of the guards are, frankly, disappointed. I agree, your dark eyes are a little interesting, but I don’t know – I don’t mind your bad-girl vibe.’

  He moved closer and I let fire burn in my hands. Noah shuffled backwards, his voice hard when he spoke.

  ‘We both know that it’s only a matter of time before you won’t be strong enough to keep me away. And then you won’t be able to stop me from getting the truth from you or Orpheus from executing you.’

  ‘I will never tell you where she is. She wants to be with my brother, my family,’ I said, the same words I spoke every day. ‘And if you touch me, I will
kill you.’

  Noah laughed, but it sounded hollow. From his jacket, he pulled out a bar of chocolate and unwrapped it. My stomach betrayed me and let out a loud groan.

  ‘Oh, are you hungry?’ said Noah before biting into the chocolate.

  I turned away, tried my hardest to ignore the pungent sweetness that filled my nostrils.

  ‘You know, I’d be happy to give you the rest,’ he said, holding the chocolate bar just out of my reach.

  I tried not to react, but my body won out. I reached out and tried to snatch the chocolate bar, but Noah pulled it from me.

  ‘You can have it if you tell me where my sister is.’

  I sat back, pulled my legs up. ‘You think a chocolate bar is worth that information, moron?’

  ‘Until now, I’ve been patient with you. But you know, my parents are beside themselves with worry and my patience has nearly run out.’

  I clamped my lips together, turned away from him.

  ‘I know you know where she is,’ he said, pulling out the black crystal they used on me daily to weaken me further.

  I reached for the crystal, seeking its power, but Noah held it high, away from me. I collapsed on the bed, my energy seeping from me yet again.

  Noah stepped closer and sat on the edge of my bed.

  ‘Tell me, Eva – where is she?’

  I pictured Anna then, sailing away with my brother, their unborn baby giving them hope for a future; hope they both so deserved.

  I rolled to my side, pushed my back against the wall.

  ‘She’s long gone,’ I whispered.

  Noah looked as though I’d punched him in the stomach. He then thrust the crystal against my leg, its heat seeping through my clothes, burning me.

  I screamed and pulled myself upright.

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘I…don’t know where she is. All I know is that she’s better off without you.’

  Noah edged closer until I was cornered. I glanced up at the cell door, which had been left ajar. Noah followed my gaze and in an instant he was at the door, locking it.