This is deemed effective immediately.
Signed,
Wizard Council in the first
Etheldreda Browne
William Cockburn
Gila Donaldson
Henry Debenham
Anaise Gladwyn
Jacob Reeves
Jacob Rhodes
Gila Rutherfurd
Henry Turnbull
Samuel Vahn
Gwendolyn Townsend
Angus Wickham
Alastair Willoughby
Callum Wortham
Bryony Voxall
Rhys Younge
Annie’s hands trembled. The scroll slipped and rolled into itself.
She glanced at Ryan and teleported away.
*
“He told the Fraternitatem about the prophecy. He went to the house to make sure she gets to the past. That’s his role,” Ryan said to Cham. Annie sat at the top of the stairs, listening to their conversation. She wasn’t interested in joining them.
“She’s not safe,” Cham said.
“He can’t kill her. Not now. He knows what’s at stake,” Ryan said.
“She can’t go back.” Cham sighed.
Annie let her tears flow.
“She has no choice.” Ryan handed Cham the scroll Annie had left behind. “We have no choice. We can’t kill him yet.”
Cham read the decree that had kept Sturtagaard the vampire alive for centuries. He could remember all the times they wanted to stake him and yet couldn’t. The Wizard Council knew that Sturtagaard was off limits to staking, beheading, or fire. It was the way it had always been, though no one in the Wizard Council was aware of why—until now. Annie could see Cham’s back as he read the decree. She knew without a doubt that the coven descendants had always known what was in it.
“We can stake him when this is over?” Cham asked for clarification.
“Yes. Tell her you love her, but you have to let her go,” Ryan said.
Footsteps crossed the hardwood floor. The back door squeaked opened and shut again. Cham came to the foot of the stairs.
Annie looked down at him, still crying. Cham sat beside her, placed his arms around her, and let her cry.
Chapter 14
Annie stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, wiped the steam from the mirror, and took a look at herself. She was tired. Her muscles ached from fighting the demon and from attacking Sturtagaard. She was tired of crying.
She shuddered and wiped tears from her eyes. The thought that she could die or not make it through the portal either way gave her pause, and yet, she knew the regenerating demons weren’t alive now because she had done this in the past.
She dried herself off and slipped into her pajamas before wrapping her hair in a dry towel.
Cham lay in bed reading one of the books Annie had kept on portals. The rest of the books had gone back to the library. He noted something and scribbled in his notepad.
She entered the bedroom, dropped the wet towel on the floor, too tired to care and climbed into bed.
“Engrossing, isn’t it?” she asked as she slipped inside the covers and lifted the blankets to her chin.
“It doesn’t seem hard to build the portal. Talismans use blood-to-blood to direct the time. We just need to link blood-to-blood, Kolgaar’s to Sturtagaard’s, coven-to-coven.”
“But how do we know I’ll get back to the correct time and place? The coven was around for hundreds of years, and there’s a lot of coven members to connect to over that time.”
“I’m still reading up on that. I’m hoping they can use the portal energy to figure it out,” Cham said.
“So that might be why they needed Sturtagaard alive,” Annie murmured.
“Maybe. With everything so messed up, I wouldn’t be surprised if the coven sent a vampire to turn Sturtagaard. But that’s not the issue. The descendants of the coven had to be directing it. They knew what time to go back and where to go. They had to have conjured them here,” Cham said.
“Gila Donaldson,” Annie said.
“She knows more than she’s willing to say. I think we need to take another run at her. We can bring Ryan with us to force her to give up what she knows.” Cham floated the books and notes to the window seat and lay beside Annie.
Cham turned on his side and touched her cheek. His eyes were wet with tears. As time was speeding up, neither could hold off the inevitable: Annie was leaving for the past and might not make it back. He gently kissed her lips.
Annie felt herself sinking into to sleep and fought it. All she wanted to do was remain awake, look at him, take in his scent. He pulled away.
“Annie,” he whispered. “Don’t sleep yet.”
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. In front of her, Cham held a red velvet box with a large solitaire diamond ring at the center. She sat, her eyes wide with surprise. She was no longer tired.
“I think I fell in love with you the day I met you. You were so fun, so free, and all I wanted to do was hang with you. The greatest thing I ever did was to tell you I love you, to become us. Will you marry me?”
He held the ring for Annie.
“Yes!” she squealed and laughed. He slipped the ring on her finger. “I would be honored to be your wife. I love you.” She placed both hands on his cheeks and kissed him, slow and soft.
He wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against him. “It’s your beacon home because I believe you will come back,” he said, kissing her again.
Reluctantly she finally pulled away. “I wish you could come with me,” she murmured.
“Milo won’t let me,” he said.
“But if we couldn’t get back, we’d be together,” she said. She spread her fingers and stared at the ring.
Cham lay down, she snuggled beside him. “I’m sorry. I’m scared,” she admitted.
“I am, too. I know you. You’ll go and assess the situation, and you’ll come up with a plan.” He kissed her palm and started rubbing it with his thumb. “You need to sleep.”
“I don’t want tonight to end.” She sighed and closed her eyes.
“If everything goes as planned, you could actually be back tomorrow,” he joked.
“You’re hilarious,” Annie murmured as she fell into a fitful sleep.
*
Annie offered a wan smile when Kolgaar looked at her. He lay on the thin cot mattress. Though she knew it must be an uncomfortable sleep, he seemed relaxed with his legs up against the wall.
“Hi,” she said.
“We’re wasting time. I need to bring you back,” he growled and looked away.
“How do we get there and how do I get back?” she asked.
“The talismans together will open the portal,” Kolgaar said.
“How did this originally happen? In the past? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s a time loop.” Kolgaar glanced at her, his eyes black, his lips pursed.
“So, the energy of your time and my time is connected. By who? How?” Annie asked.
She didn’t wait for an answer and instead began walking an unfamiliar hallway. She was no longer in Tartarus Prison, and she was certain it wasn’t Wizard Hall. Her confusion grew when Kolgaar caught up to her and matched her stride.
“You need Gila’s blood,” Kolgaar said. “You asked if I saw anyone who seemed odd or different. Gila Donaldson. Ask her what she knows.”
Annie continued to walk, this time by herself and no longer down that hallway.
She scanned her surroundings and found herself in the middle of a small village surrounded by a thick forest.
“Where am I?” she asked. At first glance, the village appeared to contain about twenty small cottages. At the center, a large fire burned brightly. Attending the fire were two women. From the distance, she could tell one was a young girl, the other an older woman. Together, they fanned the large flames, added magic, and watched the fire move at their command. Curious, Annie stepped out from her hiding spot and strolled to the fire.
“Hi,” Annie said, but the women either didn’t hear her or they were ignoring her. Annie felt foolish standing there with her mouth wide open. She reached out and watched her arm. It was hers, but not; it was ghostlike, hazy. She touched the old woman’s shoulder. The woman glanced through Annie as though she was not there.
“I’m not, yet,” Annie murmured.
The old woman muttered under her breath. Though Annie didn’t know the language, she knew the cadence of the words. The old woman was chanting a lengthy spell.
The size of the fire should have produced warmth, but Annie felt nothing. She thought it was probably because she wasn’t really there. Curious, she positioned herself next to the dancing flames and touched the fire. It buzzed against her fingertips. Acting on instinct or moved by a force she couldn’t see or explain, Annie stepped inside the fire.
Untouched by the flame, she turned and observed the women as they continued to chant. Suddenly, something changed for them, and their eyes widened in surprise as they saw Annie’s face in the flames.
As though Annie knew what to say, she said in a clear, comfortable voice, “My name is… Anaise from the future. The ancient ones will send me to the land of the demons, to help rid you of the evil ones.”
She stared at the women who trembled at her voice, her face, the fire. She opened her mouth to further explain, but it was no longer her voice that spoke. It was deeper, harsher. “She will receive the ultimate power; her magic will grow tenfold. And you will owe her your lives.”
Annie shot awake, her heart thumping in her chest, her blood flowing, her hands shaking. The clock read 4:45 a.m. “What the hell,” she murmured.
Beside her, Cham slept with his jaw and fists tightly clenched.
The dream became fuzzy images. To not forget what she learned, if it was real at all, she ran for a pad of paper and made notes about Gila, about the blood, the time loop. Reviewing everything only confused her and made her shake harder. She summoned her phone and began to make a call, but it was still dark outside and still early.
Keyed up, she sent a text instead, sat at the corner of her sofa, and waited for dawn to cross the horizon.
*
“You’re up early,” Cham said as he stumbled into the den, his pajamas hanging from his frame. He yawned and sat beside Annie. She handed him a sheet of paper.
“I had a dream this morning. I couldn’t sleep,” she said. The television was on low. The images flickered but didn’t register with her. She took a sip of her tea.
“It’s just a dream,” he said as he read her notes. “Though, if this is true, if each time period still exists in an energy form, you would think it would be easier to get to the past. You could get anywhere,” he said.
“The earth is four-and-a-half billion years old. How do you pick the right energy pocket?” she asked.
Cham laughed. “In the dream, Kolgaar said the talismans open the portals. They’d be created in the time you want to go,” he suggested.
“Date, time, place,” Annie murmured.
“It’s closer and it’s something. You’ve never been a good sleeper. Your brain seems to always stay alert and work. It was working through something last night,” Cham said.
Annie snuggled against him. “Maybe. I’ll talk to Kolgaar at a decent hour.” She glanced at her phone when it buzzed. “Ryan and I will talk to Gila Donaldson. I want to know what she really knows.”
Cham pulled her close. “I’m not sending Spencer to the past with you. He’s got a family. Gibbs and Brite volunteered.” Cham didn’t look at her, but she could feel his muscles tense against her. His jaw continued to unclench and tighten.
“Really? That was very… generous of them,” Annie said. The dim light from the television reflected against the carat stone of her solitaire ring, casting light against her legs. “It’s beautiful, by the way,” Annie said.
“I believe you’re coming home. If I didn’t believe that, I’d be a blubbering mess, thinking about losing you. I’m not a blubbering mess,” he said.
“No, you’re not a blubbering mess, but you’re worried. Your jaw is tense and you’re shaking slightly,” she said and pulled away.
“To be honest, I don’t want you to go. If I could, I’d send someone else or send Kolgaar back with instructions on what to do,” he admitted.
“You gave me this now because you’re worried I won’t come back. You want me to know you love me,” Annie stated.
“No. I do worry you won’t come back, but this ring, use it as a lifeline home. I love you. I should have given this to you weeks, months ago. I trust you. I just don’t trust the coven. I worry they’re setting you up for their own needs.”
“I don’t trust them either. I couldn’t have gotten luckier that Gibbs and Brite volunteered. They’re smart, cautious, and good at what they do.” Annie sighed and glanced at the clock. “I need to go to the prison.” She kissed him. “I love you,” she said and jumped up.
“I love you too,” he murmured to himself.
Chapter 15
The cell bar jingled when Annie knocked on them. Kolgaar glanced up. “What do you want now?” he asked.
“I… I wanted to know what you know about the talismans opening the portal?” Annie asked cautiously.
It was a dream.
“I told you everything I know about them when you were here a few hours ago,” Kolgaar said.
Annie frowned. Her stomach roiled.
It was just a dream.
“I was at home in bed a few hours ago,” she said. Her hands shook lightly.
Kolgaar looked at her quizzically. “No. You were here. Right there. I told you we need both talismans to walk through the portal.”
Annie held tightly onto the bars. A wave of nausea gripped her. “You told me we’re in a time loop and that Gila Donaldson was strange?” she murmured.
“What’s the matter with you?” he asked.
Annie shook her head. “A few hours ago, when I was talking to you, I was actually at home in bed. Dreaming.”
“You were standing right there. I talked to you, like we’re doing now,” Kolgaar argued.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Explain it to me then,” he said.
Annie held her breath and released it slowly. “It’s called astral projection. It’s when your consciousness is separated from your body so that you can be in two places at the same time.”
“We went for a walk. Down the hall,” Kolgaar said. Annie glanced toward the door of the cell block. She knew it wasn’t the same hallway. At least, it didn’t seem like the correct hallway.
Where were we?
Annie looked at Kolgaar. “How did you get out?”
“The cell was opened. I just walked through.”
Annie leaned against the cell bars. “I remember the conversation, I remember walking. I didn’t leave here and go home. I went to the coven. I was there with two women, one young and one old.”
Kolgaar looked frightened as she told her story. He seemed as though he would have walked away, but he needed Annie as much as she needed him.
“What do you mean you were at the coven? In the past?” He was confused.
“It had to be. The village was small. A lot of one-room cottages, and there was a fire pit in the center of the village,” Annie said.
“That is the coven village.” He stepped away from the bars.
“You know I’m magical. Get over it,” Annie reproached. “I’m not going to turn you into a frog.” She smiled, but it didn’t calm him. She could tell her astral projection scared him as much as it unnerved her. It was just a power she didn’t have and one that most witches and wizards would never experience. “Just tell me, why you don’t trust Gila Donaldson?” she asked.
Kolgaar smiled. “She is… different. Hair, clothes. Not quite like the women in Jorvik or even the coven village,” he said.
Annie was becoming increasingly convinced that the two Gila Donaldsons might be the same p
erson, not just two people with the same name.
“Thanks,” she said as an elf stepped beside her with a tray piled with food. She didn’t wait to see Kolgaar eat. She had another stop to make.
*
The vampire lay on the cot, facing the stone wall. He was still and unresponsive even though Annie knew he could smell her as soon as she entered the hallway. If he couldn’t have sniffed her scent, he would have heard her footsteps against the stone floor. He ignored both signals that she was there.
Trying to push my buttons.
She held her hands in tight fists. As much as she wanted to plunge a stake through his heart, she didn’t. It didn’t stop her from summoning her stake and flipping it.
He heard the ash stake smack against her palm and always the sound made him jump. This time, she knew he was really frightened.
“What do you remember about the talismans?” Annie asked. It occurred to her while watching his pathetic show that she really didn’t need to know any more from him than she already knew.
Why am I wasting my time?
She turned to leave, not willing to play his game. The bed moved as she took a step away. Sturtagaard stood up.
“The talismans open the portal,” he said. He was tall at over six feet, and yet, he seemed so small to her standing in his vampire cell.
“Do you know how they’re used or how they were made?” she asked.
“I’m not a filthy witch. I don’t have that answer,” he jeered. But his sneer, his anger, seemed so weak, so false.
Annie lifted her palm to cast a jinx and thought better of it. She dropped her hand to her side. “Did you meet Gila Donaldson in the original coven?”
Sturtagaard startled at the sound of the name and slowly walked to the bars, standing away from the magical metal. He glared at her, hatred pouring from his eyes. They were dark, black, with fire burning inside. Yet, when he spoke to her, it was small, fearful. “Gila Donaldson is the key.”
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 118