What a Witch

by Colleen S. Myers

  That was the best thing our enemy could have done, to me at least. The water wasn’t even over my head. As soon as my foot hit the ground, I pulled.

  Water that prior to this had lapped lightly against the boat now rushed in bigger and bigger waves toward the shore, hiding our movements. One of the crewmen went under water. I could see the water bubbling; that wasn’t good. Something got him, animal or enemy, I didn’t know.

  Baz grabbed my hand and pulled me toward shore, water splashing around us, the waves edging us closer. The second crewman disappeared from view. They’d been helpful in they made good targets other than me and Baz. Man, that was a mean thing to think after they went down.

  We got nearer shore and three vampires confronted us. All three big burly men with beards. It was really hard to tell them apart, and all sporting long swords. Who used long swords?

  Baz threw out his hand and one went flying. I pulled my hand into a fist and blasted another with water. The third made it to Baz and tackled him.

  Baz went down into the shallows with a wicked splash. Bullets peppered the water around us. At first, I looked for more enemies but then saw the reflection off Reb’s glasses. They were clearing the way for me. I made it to shore and ran for the nearest tree.

  They might have gotten here first, but I knew every nook and cranny of these woods and the best trees to hide.

  I climbed the nearest tree like a monkey, perching about midway up. Two figures stood at the bottom, searching for handholds to follow me. Again, none of them had guns. They must want us alive, at least at first. I placed my hand on the trunk focused on my power. The wood became smooth and the nearest enemy slid down like a greased pig.

  Now that my enemies were stymied, I aimed my sights for the shore and Baz. My shoulders tightened until I saw him struggling in shallows with another figure. One of my attackers moved to help Baz’s attacker, and we couldn’t have that, now could we?

  I placed my hand on the trunk again, and this time roots burst out of the ground and twined around the guy approaching Baz. That distracted Baz’s opponent enough that Baz got behind him. One swift yank later and I heard the crack of the vampire’s neck from my perch in the tree.

  Baz’s head swiveled as he took in his surroundings.

  I hesitated but he kept swinging around. “Baz!”

  He spotted me in the trees and moved in my direction.

  The greased pig below me gave up and confronted Baz. Before he could, though, the tree beneath me started to tip.

  What the?

  I held on for dear life as the tree toppled over at the last-minute rolling clear of the branches.

  Baz hurried to help me up. “So sorry.”

  I brushed the leaves out of my hair. “What?”

  “I threw my power and brought the tree down. I got the guy too.” He skimmed his hands along my arms and then my sides. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine other than being forced out of a tree.”

  His mouth turned down and I had to laugh. I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a smooch. “I really am fine, worry wart.”

  As soon as I said that, I saw movement behind him. My hands tightened on his shoulders. He swung me around like a figure skater behind him before letting me fly into a nearby tree and flinging out his hands.

  Crewman number one from the boat held up his hand in surrender. “Wait!”

  I smacked Baz on the shoulder. “Watch what you are throwing.”

  He shook out his hands. “Sorry.”

  The crewman approached us, bloody but whole. “I will cover the others.”

  “That means we can head to Cincy. We need to hurry.”

  Baz grabbed my hand and tugged me behind him. We made it to McKenzie’s garage. Or well, where the garage used to be. I stared at the house.

  Baz grinned at my confusion. “I glamoured the garage and hid the bike here. Come on.”

  One quick wave of his hand and we were on the bike and riding.

  17

  As we sped through the countryside, I could see clouds in the distance and black smoke, flames. It was full night now and the horizon was too lit up to be anything but a fight.

  Baz leaned over the handles, gunned the engine, and we flew around a nearby corner. Two vampires stood in the road, and we whizzed right by them.

  The trip here had been clear but more and more enemies dotted the way. Josie was there, unprotected and Alex. He’d flown, so he had to be there. He would keep her safe. I had to keep telling myself that even if the pit in my stomach didn’t believe me. I leaned forward, urging Baz to go faster.

  The closer we got to the coven, the more damage we discovered. The shanty town was empty, and the road littered with bodies. This was worse than before when it was deserted; now it was a crime scene. I even saw the drunk guy splayed out along a wall like they’d lined them up and shot them. I didn’t think I could be more scared, angrier, but I was and it kept getting worse.

  All I could think was why? I would have my answers soon.

  The gate had been blown open. It stood warped in the nearby trees, the inside of the coven not as fresh and spring-like.

  Josie was in there. I had to get to her,

  My hands must have clenched Baz’s waist too hard because he hit my knuckles to let go.

  We went sideways into a turn and flew into hell.

  Since the Madness, I’d never seen so many people in one place. There were hundreds to thousands of people in the clearing near the graveyard. They weren’t all witches. I knew the general number of the coven, and that meant there were a lot of freaking vampires standing before us. My stomach fell.

  Josie.

  Baz skidded to a halt and the back tires spun out.

  I vaulted off and ran forward, this time screaming her name. “Josie.”

  My voice carried even in the fight, and I saw a whole group of fighters turn to look at me in a wave. I didn’t care. My voice deepened and I dropped my hands pulling on the power of the earth.

  They were not going to stand between me and my sister. I wasn’t afraid any longer. I knew what I had to do. The ground started to shake, and the whole mass of vampires turned to look at me en masse.

  Now I had their attention.

  “Where is my sister?”

  I saw one fighter peel from the rest and approach me. The lead vampire, the one who killed my aunt. My mind flashed and I saw the glee in his eyes as his arm swung and cut her throat. Her mouth telling us to run.

  My eyes watered and my throat tightened. I felt an odd satisfaction, instead of me pulling power, the power swelled within me without effort. He needed to die and so he will.

  I gathered power into me, for the first time embracing the power, all the power that was mine. All my life, control, control, control. Finally, it was time for no more limits. My fingers tingled and the ground started to shiver.

  There were secrets my family had. We’d always downplayed our magic, hid it, hoarded it, planned. My grandmother knew what was coming eventually and that one day we would need to be ready.

  I was ready. I’d always been ready. Now I was willing as well.

  I was a world class mage. Trained since infancy. Control was key. I just sucked at teaching and couldn’t teach Josie. Doesn’t mean I forgot what I learned, what my mom taught me. The vampires claimed they didn’t cause the Madness, but I still wasn’t sure, and I was about to make a butt ton of them pay for it.

  A dirt cloud rose from the ground as the shaking continued, not back and forth like an earthquake, it was an up and down movement. I pulled the ground up and out and threw the incoming vampires away from me in a crushing wave grinding them in the wake.

  Their leader I pulled close.

  Hello, Frenchie.

  His smile irritated me. He looked delighted to see me in full power, glowing. The ground rising, his men tried to get to us, but I threw up a wall and moved it, blocking their path while Baz took them out one by one. They were left powerless. And they must want us aliv
e because again, no guns.

  Baz’s hand touched my shoulder. I jumped about a foot but maintained focus on the lead vampire in front of me.

  “Where is my sister?”

  “Who is your sister? I was sent for you. Eleanor Tremayne.”

  Of course. “Why?”

  “If you couldn’t tell from my accent, I’m not from around here. And your family is well known in Europe. That is where you all hail from, correct? The masters are coming and they want you.”

  “Me?” Playing dumb was second nature by now. “Why?”

  “Aww, don’t act innocent, you are aware of your line. Your aunt certainly was. Her sister was magnificent per her and you made her look weak. She told me how you would crush me one day.”

  One day soon. Clouds started rolling over the horizon, leaving the fire for light. Shadows shifted and wood cracked. A breeze started and lifted my hair, just a little, enough so that the power slipped along my skin like a lover. I finally knew what that felt like.

  I took a deep breath pulling it in and held it, letting the burning my chest build. I loved this feeling a bit too much sometimes. Another reason control was imperative, but not today.

  I spread my fingers and lightning cracked into nearby trees. So close, I smelled the ozone in the air, felt the pressure in my pores, the burn in my veins.

  The vampire’s smiled slipped a bit at the crack then widened. “The blood is the key.”

  “Whose blood. Yours?”

  He moved in a blur. Faster than I’d ever seen anyone move. One minute he was ten feet away facing me, the other he was right in my face, and then he was flying backward.

  I turned to face Baz who had his hand out.

  “No!”

  I shoved Baz sideways away from my target but it was too late. The vampire fell to his knees in front of me then toppled sideways. The ground shook even more and seemed to take in a deep breath.

  There went any shot I had of answers. He was the leader and seemed to know why the vampires were targeting us, and Baz just killed him.

  I turned on him with a snarl.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Not me.” He pointed over my shoulder.

  Four figures approached: two men, a woman, and a slight figure, a child. Was that Alex and Josie?

  I took a step toward them but Baz held me back.

  The first female figure reached us. She was this gorgeous olive-skinned goddess with curves I could only dream about. I nearly missed her words. “How can I not do that?”

  Alex moved up next to her with his traditional smirk. “What?”

  “I want to do that. I want to kill vampires like that. Why is my power different?”

  Alex held up his index finger. “For one, you’re not a witch. For two, you can read minds. Don’t be greedy.”

  She pouted and stared at me so enviously, I couldn’t take offense. Man, she was pretty, all smoky eyes and curves. I glanced over to see if Baz noted, but he was eyeing up my brother.

  Josie poked her head out at just the right moment, and I dropped to my knees. “Bug.”

  She flew into my arms and my heart settled. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until I saw her. Her nose, her cheeks. Her tears. Aww.

  “Bug, I am home. It is okay.”

  “It is not okay. They nearly had me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That scary lead man had me. Aidan stepped in the way so I could get away. I think he is hurt, El. We have to help him. He protected me.”

  “We will, but the good part is we are here together.”

  She threw herself into my arms, and Alex put a hand on both our shoulders.

  The three together. We could do this. Alex nodded as if he understood.

  The last figure stood watching all of us, a little apart, his eyes only for the Latina. His focus absolute. There was a story there.

  “Why did you kill our vampire?”

  Alex answered. “We didn’t. We stunned him so we can get information out of him slowly in a more opportune place. Not in the middle of the battlefield. We need to think out our questions, so we get everything we need.

  Smart. I should have thought of that.

  My shoulders eased. I would get to kill him.

  A smile edged my lips, and I saw Baz’s eyebrows raise and his own grin form. This was good.

  18

  Alex hugged me. Josie trailed behind him and stuck out her head. Her hair was a mess and she carried a doll. When did she get a doll?

  Behind Alex were the two other figures, who I just realized were vampires. I growled but Alex put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Meet Isabelle Mendes.”

  I knew who that was. “Isa.”

  Isa threw her hands up. “This is ridiculous. Does everyone know who I am?”

  Baz held up a hand. “I know who you are too.”

  The very blonde vampire with eyes only for her nuzzled his chin to her head. “Settle, Isa. Like I told you, you are famous.”

  She scowled and stepped out of his embrace.

  “Your mother is Rosa Mendes. She makes all the vampire serums. I thought you were human,” I said.

  “I was,” she replied with a sad look.

  Alex’s hand brushed her arm under the blonde vampire’s very chilly gaze. “She can help us.”

  “Fine,” I snarled. “But I don’t have to like it.”

  Baz waved to someone on the other side of the field.

  A group of figures in real life capes came out from behind the house and approached us. The rest of the coven, promoting stereotypes and avoiding battle apparently. Their relative cleanliness amid the damage annoyed me and when a mage got annoyed-not just Josie, any Tremayne-it was bound to get ugly.

  The young old guy approached with his arms out as if welcoming me, and I was having none of that. “Where the hell have you all been?”

  My words echoed in the clearing. And the young guy stopped then took a step back. I wasn’t done. “The mages are done with being uninvolved. This is our world, and we are no longer going to be prey. We are hunters. We’ve always been hunters, and it is our time to take our place. The vampires have used and abused the humans under our own noses, and now they have turned to us. We have no one to blame but ourselves for this battle.”

  Josie ran up to my side and hugged me as I continued. “I am Eleanor Tremayne, dame of the Tremayne line.” My throat tightened at this last, and the words didn’t come as easily. “We have predicted this future, we have prepared for this future, and now it is here. I claim leadership over this coven. Over all the covens. It is time to take the battle to them.”

  The older man from earlier strode up. “What right do you have to the covens?”

  “I am one of the three prophesied since birth. I can communicate to all the tribes with only the earth. Alex can control the water and animals, and Josie can break things. We are the child, the maiden, the crone personified in flesh and prepared for battle. What gives you the right to stop us?”

  He moved before us. “I represent the gate keeper. Prove it to me.”

  We held out our hands, side by side, and our power shined and warped and formed the sign of the three.

  He hesitated then bowed. As he should.

  My hands curled. This was but the first step in my war. I had the plan, I knew it, I lived it and devolved it. Every step of my childhood. I glanced at Alex and Josie; our childhood led up to this moment. The one where we save the world. Go us.

  Now we needed more information, and I believe my brother promised to get me some. I looked at him and he knew.

  He pointed to the shed where the unconscious leader had been drugged during our confrontation. Both vampires were gone as well.

  “Can we trust them Alex?”

  “I think we have to. They are part of the answer to the solution we need.”

  Josie giggled. “He sounded like Dad did.”

  We closer our arms around each other before heading to the shed.

&nb
sp; 19

  The girl, Isa, circled the bound vampire like a shark. His eyes followed her; he appeared scared. I didn’t know why but I liked it. He should be scared. There was no way he was leaving this room alive. I’d make sure of that. It wasn’t me he was scared of though, it was Alex’s friend.

  She leaned closer to him.

  He snarled. “I won’t tell you anything, little girl.”

  She smiled and it chilled even my blood. That smile wasn’t good. “I don’t need you to tell me anything. I can take what I want.”

  I braced myself to see a bite but none came. She leaned closer and he snapped at her and laughed. She didn’t’ flinch. Her eyes stared into him, and she placed a hand on his head.

  Words flowed from her mouth automatically, almost monotone and male. Certainly not her voice. Must be the vamps. “What the fuck is this little girl playing at? Thomas and Rosa’s precious get or not, she had better let us go or she will regret it. The council was already moving to New York. The Farrans are coming, and then there will be blood. And then there will be blood.”

  The blonde vampire jerked Isa back, and where her hand touched the vampire, his skin started to bleed.

  Isa stumbled back. Her voice this time. “Who are the Farrans?”

  The other vampire, the one we were supposed to trust, “The worst vampire clan there is, the oldest and most blood-thirsty.” He folded his arms and rocked back on his heel. “Why are they coming? Does he know?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Do you think someone this low level would really know?”

  The vampire jerked as if offended. “You dumb bitch, of course I know. I called them. They are coming to take back this country. I told them of the vampire clan’s decadence and weakness. How the humans fare and the riches, the information. Do you know what Thomas did? Your father. Your precious father.”

  Isa closed her eyes. “Even this dude knows who I am.”

  I grinned. “You’re famous.”

  Our exchange seemed to anger him; he practically frothed at the mouth. “Your precious father managed to mix mage genes with vampires. We can all have powers now, like yours. That is how you got me to talk isn’t it. Your dumb bit-”