“This is John and Michael.” Annie pointed to each of them. “They are here to help me with this task,” Annie explained.
Etheldreda and Bega glanced at each other as if communicating silently, their lips curled in apprehension. “I did not see them in the fire,” Etheldreda said after a moment. “But what is done is done. We must meet with the coven.”
Annie stood close to the roaring fire but felt no warmth. The rain fell against her skin, and yet it didn’t affect the flames.
It’s a cursed fire. Why?
Etheldreda waved her palm through the flames, which burst with energy and grew.
“It is a protection spell for you, and it allows you and I and the others to communicate. That is why we tend to it,” Bega said excitedly. Etheldreda gave her a stern look of warning.
They were left in an uncomfortable silence. Whether it was from their anguish or the lack of food and sleep, Annie felt dizzy and wished to find an isolated spot to sit and think. “Is there a place we could rest before speaking to the coven? I think the trip has worn me out, and there’s much to do,” she said.
“Of course, dear,” Etheldreda said. “We will let you rest first.”
“I will take you there,” Bega volunteered.
“You will meet with the coven when you are ready.” Etheldreda said. Her forced smile revealed twisted, yellowing teeth. Annie nodded and held her breath as they were led by the young girl, whose yellow hair was plastered down her wool cape.
The cottage was at the far end of the village. Again, they’d be staying only a few feet from the edge of the forest. Annie stared into the trees where the protection spell shimmered against the darkened forest.
“The protection spell needs a magical boost,” Annie commented as Bega led them inside a small cottage. It was smaller than the one they had stayed in overnight. This was just one room, with no bays and loft.
Bega moved about, placing wood in the firebox and starting a fire. “How do you know that?” she asked as she added magic to the flame.
“I can see it. There are worn spots. It won’t hold for long,” Annie advised. She dropped her field pack on the floor by the bed and sat by the fireplace to warm herself.
Bega frowned and glanced at Annie. “I will alert them of the protection spell.” The fire sputtered as she continued to observe Annie.
“Is there something else?” Annie asked.
“I was there… when your face was in the fire. I am so glad it was you who came here,” Bega said.
Annie smiled. “You don’t know me yet.” She reached for Bega’s hands. “Are you married, or do you live with your parents?”
The girl looked down at their hands. “I am not married. My parents were killed in the last attack,” she said.
Annie glanced at Gibbs and Brite and sighed. “I’m so sorry. Do you know anything about the demons? Maybe how they were created or for how long they’ve been around?”
Bega looked up at Annie and offered a slight smile on thin lips. “They’ve been around since before I was born. I… I am not aware of where they are from.” She returned to the fire and added more magic, making the flames jump and the fire expand.
“You know something,” Annie said.
Gibbs and Brite pulled back and began unpacking items, placing them on a chest in the corner while carefully observing Annie and the girl. Bega pulled another log from the pile and placed it on top of the fire.
“What do you know?” Annie asked.
Bega wrung her hands, picked up a small stick, and poked the fire.
Annie tried again. “Ever since I found out about the prophecy, I have lain awake at night worried about coming to the past. Could I do it, can I get back? I have spent so much time researching, looking for the actual prophecy, and reading about portals and the demons. The future coven refused to offer me needed help until I had to beg, and now I find it odd that the ones who actually called upon the ancient ones for help also chose not to help me.” Annie took a breath. “Thanks for the fire. Let us know when the coven wants to meet.” She stood and grabbed her bag and pretended she was looking for something.
“The demons came when Vikings first attacked Northumbria. I do not know why. I’ll get you some food and drink.” Still wringing her hands, Bega ran from the cottage.
Annie unlatched the shutters from above the bed and peered through them, watching Bega enter a cottage several away from theirs. Within minutes, the girl raced back through the rain carrying a basket that was almost too large for her. Annie closed up the shutters as Bega slipped inside and placed the basket on the table.
“I do not know why the coven of your time refused help. I just do not see why you need to know where they came from. Or how,” Bega said.
“I know that it’s a test so that I can earn the powers.” Annie frowned. “I don’t want the powers. I just want to kill the demons and go home. Telling me the truth about the demons will make it easier for me to kill them.”
“The demons killed my parents. I would very much like you to kill them all.” Bega’s voice was harsh as she spoke.
“I can’t bring your parents back, but I can make sure no one else dies. But I need help.”
Bega nodded. “If I can find out anything, I will let you know.” She pulled up the hood of her cloak and left through the rain.
“You okay, Anaise?” Gibbs asked.
Annie watched Bega run through the muddy earth to her cottage. The girl looked back at Annie before entering. Even after Bega was safely inside, Annie remained at the open door and watched the village.
“At least, you’re not calling me ‘girl’.” She rubbed her hands against her arms, closed the door and sat beside the fire. “No. I’m actually not fine. I’m dizzy and tired. I need to eat and somehow take a bath.”
Brite opened the basket and pulled out dark bread, cheese, and a jug of ale. “I’m going to get sick of this food,” he commented and tossed each of them a small loaf.
“I’ve got some peanut butter in my bag. That should help,” Annie said as she sniffed the dry bread.
Gibbs lit several candles and set them around the cottage. While it looked warm, Annie couldn’t shake the damp chill. She wrapped a thin blanket around her shoulders and took a sip of strong, bitter ale from the jar Bega had left. “Ugh. I think I’ll stick with water.”
“I packed enough. We should be fine.” Gibbs took a bite of his bread and chewed slowly, washing it down with the ale. Apparently, it was too bitter even for him; he put the mug on the table, splashing some as he did. “What are you going to tell them?”
Annie tossed the rest of the bread in the fire and watched it burn. “I’ll tell them the truth. We’ll collect demon blood, link it, and set it on fire.”
“We might not have enough magic,” Gibbs said. He took the last bite of his small loaf of bread and looked inside the basket for additional food, finding some dried fish. He took a piece, sniffed the meat, and took a bite.
“I’ll tell them that too. We’ll need magical help. Whether it’s that girl Bega or someone else, we’ll need help with teleporting and possibly also with the spells. I’m drained. I’m not sure how much more I have in me,” Annie admitted.
With her elbows on the table, she placed her head in her hands. The necklace she wore moved inside her shirt. She had nearly forgotten she had it. She pulled it out and stared at the design.
“What’s that?” Brite asked.
Annie explained the protection charm that Zola had given her and how she needed to give this to Zola’s younger self when she called for her.
Gibbs took a closer look at the charm. “Having Zola’s magic on your side is a good thing,” he said. “When were you planning on calling for her?”
Annie shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe once we get a lay of the land, so to speak. I want to walk through the forest mid-morning and see what the demon population looks like. On our way here, I saw maybe twenty, thirty of them sleeping on the ground. I’m guessing a majorit
y of them are here.” She placed the necklace back inside her shirt. “I think I should change.”
As she finished pulling on dry clothes, there was a soft knock on the door. Brite opened it for Bega, who stepped inside. “The coven has gathered to meet you. Did you have a nice rest?” she asked almost too cheerfully.
“As nice as it could be,” Annie mumbled. Even though she was dry, Annie couldn’t shake the dampness as she put on her drenched jacket. She wrapped the laces of her hiking boots around her ankle, securing them, and raised the hood of her raincoat, tying the strings tightly under her chin. Protected from the rain, she followed Bega outside.
Bega led them through an empty village, where they passed the fire still roaring in the heavy rain. A different coven member tended to the fire and watched them as they walked to the longhouse where smoke now billowed from the chimneys.
Chapter 24
A council of coven elders took their places at a long table that stretched from one end of the longhouse to the other. As Annie shrugged off her wet raincoat, they stared at her, leaving her uncomfortable.
Annie, Gibbs, and Brite walked to the center of the longhouse. Its interior was far different than the one in Jorvik; it was much smaller, had less décor, and there were no festivities, little conversation, and no food or mead. Rather than having sconces lining the walls, candles were laid across the table and a fire pit at the center of the room was blazing. Annie still shivered.
The coven members stared at her with no expressions of happiness or gratitude. They were stone faced, intense, and far more formal than she had expected from this smaller group.
Annie stopped at the fire pit to warm her hands.
“You okay?” Gibbs asked.
“Perfect,” Annie groused. Feeling their eyes on her, she turned, offered a smile, and sat across from Etheldreda at the center of the table. She had a sense that this was possibly a place of importance in the coven order. Nervously, Annie folded her hands and set them on the table.
The old woman smiled at them and said. “Dear Anaise, John, and Michael, welcome to the coven. I trust you had a nice rest,” she said.
Annie nodded.
“I would like to introduce the coven elders. I am Etheldreda Browne. Starting from this end, 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, and Rhys Younge.” Annie tried to commit their names and faces to memory. She was just too tired to remember the information for anyone.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Anne Pearce. With me is John Gibbs and Michael Brite. They are part of my team and traveled with me to keep me safe and help rid the land of the demons. Having said that, we’re formulating the plan and we think we have an answer.”
She observed the elder coven members as she spoke, paying especially close attention to Gila Donaldson, matching her gaze, and rendering the woman uncomfortable. For now, Annie could see nothing in her hair or clothes or mannerisms that screamed twenty-first century, though she knew this woman was somehow the key.
“Anaise, how will you go about this?” The question came from a man Annie believed to be Jacob Rhodes, though her memory of their names had quickly faded.
“We plan to create a spell that will link the demons by their blood. Once we do that we can set fire to that blood and, with a separate spell, search out the creatures with the same blood. It should rid all of the demons at the same time, throughout Northumbria and other realms,” Annie said. The coven elders didn’t react as Annie thought they might. “So, do you have any questions?” Annie asked.
“Now, Anaise, we expect that this will be done soon. Yes?” Etheldreda asked.
“As soon as we can collect a blood sample from a demon and get a lay of the land. If this doesn’t work, we’ll need to come up with a new plan,” Annie said.
Several members of the coven frowned and started muttering.
“I see. That is disappointing. We assumed you knew what you were doing,” said a male member of the coven. Annie believed it was Rhys. She took in his gaunt, sickly face and bald head. His lips were so tightly pursed together, he looked like he had just eaten a lemon.
Annie shook from the cold. She sat on her hands but felt like a small child hiding something. She pulled herself from the bench and warmed her hands by the fire. “I realize you assumed the ancient ones would send you someone who knew how to do this, but unfortunately, at some point in time between now and our time, the coven determined I shouldn’t receive help. When I finally did receive help, the information was incomplete.”
“What do you mean the records are incomplete? Surely, we wrote down the necessary spells and potions for you.” It was a woman, possibly Byrony, with long dishwater blonde hair, rolled into a bun on her head. Her dress was tight across her large breasts, and her frown hung low on her face.
Annie laughed, shocking Gibbs and Brite. She held out her palm and attempted to summon the pages from the Donaldson’s Book of Shadows. A spark flew from her palm as she waited.
“What’s wrong, girl?” Etheldreda asked.
Annie held up one finger as if asking them to wait as she syphoned more energy to summon the documents again. The pages finally materialized on her palm. Slightly dizzy, Annie said, “Our magic is down. We’re taking longer to perform magic, and it’s just not as strong. We will need assistance from the coven to complete the plan.” She passed the pages to Gila Donaldson. “This is all I received. Anything else is being guarded by your descendant. Her name is also Gila Donaldson, and she was reluctant to assist. Why would that be?”
The Gila from the past reviewed the words on the page. Annie watched her. Her braided hair was rolled upwards into a bun and the color almost seemed too yellow.
Maybe.
Her face seemed smooth, less hardened by life and the sun than the other women assembled at the table. But the eye color… Annie couldn’t read it in the dim light.
Gila Donaldson of the future had admitted to traveling to the past to give them the plan, the spells, and information.
Would she really live here for any length of time or come back here on this day to help me? I could be very wrong.
She stared at Gila Donaldson. Regardless of who she might be, Annie knew the woman was hiding something. Annie could see it in the way Gila wouldn’t make eye contact with her.
Gila Donaldson reviewed the notes. Her fingers trailed the words on the page yellowed with age. She stared at the picture of the face of Anaise. She summoned her familial Book of Shadows and opened to the picture of Annie, just like the one Annie produced for her. She summoned a quill and ink jar and placed it on the table, beginning to write. It was the plan as Annie laid it out for them at the top of the page. When she finished the entry, she handed back the torn pages to Annie.
“I do not know why my family would feel the need to hide this from you in the future. It is a disgrace, I assure you. As you work through this, I promise it will be recorded and handed down for you to have in the future,” Gila said.
Annie read the pages. What Gila had written was inserted at the top of the first page. The rest of the items had been moved down.
“Thank you,” Annie said.
The members of the coven were glancing at each other with concern.
Maybe they’re not responsible for this problem.
A bolt of lightning quickly flashed above them; bright light flickered around the spaces between the windows and the walls, the doors and the ground. Though Annie expected the thunder, the boom made her jump.
She sniffed the air for her dad’s familiar scent. It hovered to her left, where she felt a soft pressure on her shoulder, much like a protective hand. For a moment, Annie felt safe.
“Can we expect the coven’s help?” she asked.
They fidgeted at the suggestion. Etheldreda spoke first. “My dear. We are grateful to the ancient ones for sendi
ng you here. We are uncertain why they have seen fit to bring you unprepared. We assumed you would do this without assistance.”
The ancient ones?
Annie wondered if the coven was aware it was the future Gila Donaldson and not the ancient ones who was leading this scheme. Again, she glanced at the past Gila and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. Not wanting to beg, she said, “Fine. Do you have a map of the area? I’d like to know where the demons roam and live.”
“We have those.” Etheldreda pointed to Bega, who sorted through a basket of scrolls. Finding the relevant maps, Bega brought them to Annie.
“These shall help you,” she told Annie and turned to the elder council. “If there is nothing else for the ones of the future, I will take them back and get them ready.”Etheldreda waved them away.
“Before I leave, you should know the protection spell is wearing thin. There are holes in it. Granted, the rips are higher up, but you need to add juice to the magic,” Annie said.
Etheldreda and the other coven members nodded. Again, the old woman waved them away.
The rain hadn’t let up since they entered the longhouse; to Annie, it seemed to have gained in strength. Although they were surrounded on all sides by the trees, violent winds and heavy rain battered them. They held their jackets and hoods against their bodies as if the thin layers of fabric could protect them from the onslaught. Unaffected by the storm was the fire raging in the pit. The man tending to it did so efficiently, ignoring the rain. As they ran past him, he glanced up but quickly returned to his work. By the time they lunged inside the cottage, they were thoroughly drenched.
Bega busied herself with their fire, replacing logs and relighting the pile. The fire took quickly with a magical boost, warming the room.
Though they had just arrived in the coven that morning, to Annie it felt like they had been here for days, if not weeks. She found a towel in her backpack and began to squeeze water from her hair.
Bega watched with interest and touched the fabric, pulling her hand away, confused by the texture. “What is that?” she asked.
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