Born of Shadows- Complete Series

by J. R. Erickson

"The point is, Oliver, Helena is no softie. She'd love to see Lydie come home with a hair full of dreads and a barbed wire tattoo around her neck."

  Oliver guffawed and Lydie snorted.

  "Okay maybe a flower tattoo on your ankle." Kit continued, laughing.

  Julian and Matilda had stepped closer to the ocean and were deep in conversation, no doubt about Binda. Oliver wondered if Binda was as enthusiastic about their return as the other witches of the Sky Mothers, unlikely he thought.

  "Dig in," Kit told them. "I've been eyeballing this lobster for an hour. I'm starved."

  ****

  "I thought you might stand me up," Ezra said, when the door finally swung open and crashed into the brick wall. A chunk of brick crumbled away and dust flew into the air, obscuring him for a moment.

  Victor strode into the room. He looked different, larger somehow and his eyes, which had always been dark had gone black. His lips were red and his teeth white and sharp when he smiled. Ezra felt the first smoky tendrils of fear dropping through the center of her body and settling in her hollow belly. She ignored the sensations.

  "Ezra," he said, and she heard a strange sob drifting beneath the hardness in his voice. The sob sounded almost like Victor trapped beneath another voice, a voice she realized now belonged to Clyde.

  "Victor? Or is it Clyde I'm speaking with?"

  The smile grew wider and Victor's eyes glinted.

  "I am so much more than all that," he said, stepping further into the room. He had come alone. No Vepars accompanied him, but Ezra knew they could be hiding in the hall, blocking the entrance to the building. They could be perched on the roof as demons with wings.

  "I need to know why, Victor? After all we've built. How could you sacrifice us? How could you destroy everything?"

  Victor's familiar eyes seemed to grow darker, deeper in his face. The black holes in their place had no warmth for her, no recognition.

  Victor cocked his head to the side.

  "My vision was always so much greater," he murmured. "We share that, you know? Victor and I. He saw what the world could be. He tried it your way, the white way, the pure way. But there's no triumph in the witch's world. You muddle along saving a life here and there, growing your magical plants, parading your goodness like a badge of honor." He laughed and shook his head. "What a waste of magic. I showed Victor the only true path to greatness."

  "Being your slave? Allowing you to control him? Seems pretty great," Ezra scoffed.

  Another flash of Victor, but anger this time.

  "He's allowing me, Ezra. He wants to know what I know, feel what I have felt. He welcomed me into his body. He so desperately wanted this union that he was prepared to kill you to invite me in. Not only you, but all your little clan and the witches of Ula too. A thorn in my side those witches have become. But their time for this world is short so I am not troubled that they continue to live."

  Ezra felt the anger rising at his words and fought to keep it at bay. Anger would not serve her now.

  "I want to speak with Victor. Only Victor."

  Clyde opened his hand with a flourish and took a deep bow.

  "As you wish."

  The transformation was slight and had she not known Victor so well, she might never have noticed it. His eyes were softer, his shoulders slightly sagged and when he leaned against the wall, he had that cool Victor stance that she remembered. It almost made her cry to see him.

  "How could you?" she asked, unable to keep the tears at bay. They rolled up and out, flowing over her cheeks hot and angry.

  He didn't smile and mock her as Clyde had done.

  "He's right," Victor told her evenly. "White magic merely keeps the peace. I want a revolution. Sacrifices are necessary."

  "Us? Kendra? Abby and her unborn child? Those sacrifices are worth it? For what? What can you possibly gain?"

  Victor shivered and then reached a hand up to his chest. She saw a slight bulge beneath his shirt and realized that he wore the amulet. Was that how Clyde possessed him? Would the possession end if he took it off?

  "I would have sacrificed us all," he told her.

  "You realize that you've given Clyde power? Not you. He has your power now."

  Victor shook his head.

  "You don't understand, Ezra. You never understood. I tried to find witches that could create a new world, but you wanted more of the same. All of you."

  Ezra felt her power wanting to burst up and out. It was hard to hold the space with him. She had a new respect for Oliver, a Vepar hunter. Every cell of her being detested the man before her. He was no longer a witch and her magic sensed that and struggled to be near him.

  "So now you're an animal? A demon that feeds on witches?"

  Victor narrowed his eyes, and she saw his fists clenched at his sides. Would it benefit her to make him angry? Could she use that somehow?

  "You have no vision, Ezra. When I first met you, I thought we would do amazing things. Did you know the original name I wanted for our coven was The Anarchists? Did I ever tell you that? What good does it do to heal people if our leaders continue to poison them? I've played by the rules and only gotten buried deeper in the mud of this world. Left to their own devices, humanity will be extinct in a few hundred years. Fortunately, by then we'll be stronger, smarter and ready to usher in a new world."

  "We?" Ezra asked snidely. "You and a bunch of brain-dead Vepars who will kill each other the minute food gets scarce."

  "Not Vepars," he hissed. "Witches. Do you think I'm alone, Ezra? There are so many others. Powerful witches just waiting for a strong leader to show them our power does not have to be contained and channeled into tinctures and novelty magic. There are a dozen sitting in New Orleans right now waiting for their leader to return."

  "The L'Obscurite?" Ezra laughed, disgusted. "You're nuts, Victor. I didn't want to believe it, but now that I've seen for myself... You think the L'Obscurite will follow you after you destroyed Ethel and the others. They'll kill you the moment they see you."

  Victor pushed away from the wall at her laughter and Ezra felt a rumbling in the old building. The ground beneath her shook and dust rained down from the ceiling.

  "Will you kill us both?" she asked, smiling. She no longer felt scared. If Victor sacrificed himself to kill her, she would happily die. In the few minutes she had spent talking to him, she understood that he had terrible plans. Hundreds, thousands more would die. She was facing the greatest good she could ever do in her lifetime in that moment, but it meant she had to kill the man who changed her life, who opened her to the world of witches, who saved her.

  "Every sacrifice strengthens you," he whispered under his breath. Ezra heard Clyde in that voice and saw Victor's expression as he absorbed the words.

  She took a deep breath and steadied her own energy that had begun to swirl and rise, preparing to fight. It wasn't time to fight yet. She wanted answers. She had come here for answers.

  ****

  Kit maneuvered the jeep down a rutted trail. For several minutes, Lydie could see nothing but dense brush pressing in and then the canopy opened to reveal an isolated lagoon. A long weather-beaten dock jutted into the water.

  "Now that is a sailboat," Oliver announced.

  The boat, its black hull shining, took up nearly half the dock.

  "It's a Hanse," Kit told them, stepping from the car and admiring the boat. "Her name's Guwara."

  "What's a Guwara?" Lydie asked, her eyes following the high silver mast.

  "In my native language, Guwara means high wind. That boat," Kit cocked her head toward the vessel. "She makes the wind."

  "I bet," Oliver murmured. "You know I was expecting a big old splintered beast from the 1800s."

  Kit laughed.

  "Guwara is only three years old. Everything about her is contemporary, especially her speed. I love old boats, but I prefer to admire them from afar."

  She walked down the dock and jumped onto the deck of the boat.

  Oliver and Lydie followed
.

  "You fish in this boat?" Oliver asked.

  "I do everything in this boat," Kit told him. "I sleep here a lot. The water is like the partner I crawl into bed next to every night."

  "But you're a fire element," Lydie commented.

  "You understand then," Kit said, giving her a wink. "There's balance within me when I sleep on the water. Too much time on dry land and I start to get unruly."

  "Two steering wheels?" Oliver asked.

  "Twin helms," Kit told him.

  Oliver followed Kit's orders and they were soon underway, the vessel slicing through the water in a seamless spray of crystal.

  Kit pulled the boat along a sheaf of towering gray cliffs. Tall jagged caves created the illusion of pointed black teeth carved into the cliff.

  "Are we going in there?" Lydie asked, pointing a trembling finger at the sparkling water beneath the cave opening.

  "Don't worry, mate," Kit told her. "There's plenty of light in there. And once you spot a stingray, you'll forget all about the creepy entrance."

  They dropped the anchor, and Kit went below deck to retrieve snorkeling gear.

  "This water is so clear," Lydie said, leaning over the rail and staring into the ocean. "Do you think we'll see a shark?"

  "I hope not," Oliver told her, looking into the crystalline water. "At least not a hungry one."

  "Yeah, my fire element would probably not be super helpful under the water."

  "Sure, it is," Kit answered, dropping a pile of flippers and masks at their feet. "Haven't you ever practiced magic underwater?"

  Lydie frowned.

  "No. I mean I can swim fast and hold my breath for a long time, but I haven't produced a fireball or anything," Lydie admitted.

  Kit placed her palms together and as she drew them apart a golden bubble appeared. In its center a rolling orb of fire hung suspended. She dropped the ball of fire over the side of the boat and they watched, mesmerized, as it floated lazily beneath the surface. Kit snapped and the bubble rose up from the water and returned to her, melting into her open hands.

  "Once we're in the water, it will be your turn," Kit said, sitting down and squirting oil onto her feet. "Helps the flippers slide on a bit easier," she explained.

  Lydie and Oliver followed suit.

  Chapter 10

  Kendra stopped on the ground floor of their new building in Chicago. Construction had begun on the emergency health clinic and a series of men and women wearing everything from hard hats to dreadlocks wandered in and out of the space. The sound of hammers pounding and drills buzzing soothed her as she carried a tray of sprouts to the elevator.

  "Top floor?" one man asked her. He was tall and slender with ebony skin and bright, inquisitive eyes.

  "Yeah, thanks," she told him, appreciating not having to set the sprouts on the floor to push the button.

  "My pleasure, Kendra," he said, winking at her.

  She rode the elevator to the guerrilla witches' new loft and allowed the tears to flow. It was a new ritual. Every day she went into the world and worked like a fiend, feeding the homeless, planting gardens and healing with her magic. She refused to think of Victor during those times, but the moment the elevator slid closed she burst into tears. For the elevator ride and for three minutes when she returned to the apartment, she could cry. After that, she dried her eyes and focused on her work.

  Still crying, she unlocked the door and stepped into the new loft. Dante and Marcus had painted the walls in bright oranges and yellows. Large cream-colored couches and chaises crowded around wooden coffee tables. Sunlight poured through the floor to ceiling windows between rows of potted plants. The old loft had been Victor's perfect space, simple, aesthetically pleasing and minimalist. They had all agreed that the new loft would foster a sense of home and comfort. Their own little version of beauty as therapy.

  Kendra set the sprouts on a drafting table next to a window. She made a cup of tea and grabbed a handful of trail mix before slipping back to the tech room. Dante had insisted they keep all the technology in a separate room in the loft with extra magic to protect it from external invasion. They worried about Victor hacking into the system. They had sold their huge projector screen and replaced it with a simple, albeit large, flat screen. Kendra touched the screen and the Chicago city grid lit before her. A video icon blinked in the lower corner. She pressed it and an image of a rundown room appeared. For an instant, she thought Dante had used the GoPro and toured some abandoned Chicago buildings, and then the camera turned and Kendra gasped, stumbling away from the desk.

  Victor had slid into view of the camera. She could see his lips moving, but heard nothing.

  "Where's the volume?" she shrieked, searching the keyboard and finally spotting the tiny speaker icon. She clicked it and Victor came to life.

  "I have no intention of killing myself, Ezra," Victor said. "I do however intend to kill you."

  Victor's eyes looked dark, his lips pressed in a thin vicious line.

  "Because that's what Clyde wants, right? You're just his puppet?"

  Kendra heard Ezra's voice and realized she was wearing the go-pro. A hollow emptiness entered her stomach.

  Victor smiled, but there was no laughter in his expression. He looked mean and worse, indifferent. He didn't care about Ezra. That was plain on his face.

  Kendra looked around the room searching for help. She had to do something, but she didn't know where they were. Her cell phone lay discarded on the desk and she snatched it up, opening her contacts and punching Ezra's name. The phone clicked straight to voicemail. She tried Oliver next. It rang three times and also went to voicemail.

  "Someone pick up," she shrilled as Abby's voice came through the phone.

  "Hello?" Abby sounded unsure as if she'd caught the end of Kendra's cry.

  "Abby, it's Kendra. Ezra is meeting with Victor right now. He's going to kill her. He just told her and it's true. I can feel it."

  "Whoa, slow down, Kendra, I can barely follow what you're saying. Ezra is with Victor now? How do you know?"

  "I'm watching it on our computer. We have a GoPro that streams live to our system here in the loft."

  Kendra paused to listen as Victor spoke.

  "You're trying to bait me, but you don't realize how much I see now. I can feel the power bubbling within you, Ezra. I can almost taste it. You're letting it build. You believe you can beat me, but you can't. I don't mind though. I rather like seeing you ready to fight. It was the first thing that drew me to you. You were so scrappy, Ezra. Ready to punch your shadow if it didn't stop following you around."

  "And now I'm nothing to you?"

  "Not nothing. If you were nothing, why would I bother killing you at all? You are energy. You will strengthen us."

  Kendra had put Abby on speaker phone so she could hear the exchange occurring on the computer.

  "Oh God," Abby moaned. "We need to find her. Have you called her?"

  "Yes, straight to voicemail. I don't recognize the room. There's a faded mural on the back wall. It's a brick room, looks old."

  "What's the mural?" Abby asked.

  "It looks like a ship, maybe an island behind it. I don't know. It's unclear and Victor's blocking it."

  "A ship?" Abby asked. "Is there a mermaid on the island, Kendra? Look for a mermaid with long black hair."

  Kendra leaned closer to the video, but Victor had blotted most of the island out. Finally, he shifted and she glimpsed a woman in the image.

  "Maybe, yes. I don't know." Kendra fought the panic from her voice. "I think so, do you know where it is?"

  "There's an old building in Trager. It used to be a speakeasy," Abby told her. "But why would they meet there? I'm going right now."

  "No wait!" Kendra bellowed, never having thought the building would be near Abby. She had assumed it was in Chicago. "Where's the baby?"

  "She's with Sebastian. I'm already in town. It's not far."

  Kendra could hear Abby running.

  "No, Abby, no don't
go. It's..." But the words died on her lips as Abby ended the call.

  ****

  Abby ran hard. It was easier than she expected. Only her breasts, swollen with milk, ached from the effort. As she rounded the pharmacy, she nearly collided with a group of pre-school kids on a day trip to the ice cream store. They talked animatedly, ice cream dripping down their faces and over their tiny hands. Abby stopped inches from crashing into a little boy holding a sugar cone overflowing with superman ice cream. She sprang into the air at the last second and jumped over the group of gawking children.

  "Super Woman!" the little boy shrieked.

  Abby didn't look back. She was two blocks from the building and knew from Kendra's tone that Ezra would be lucky to have minutes left.

  The building had been condemned decades earlier and a developer had bought it with the intention of tearing it down and building condominiums, but the town had resisted his developments and the structure remained untouched. As Abby ran toward the door, she saw a huge padlock securing it closed. She moved around the building and found a stairway leading to a basement door mostly rotted, its window smashed in. It swung open easily. She took the stairs two at a time racing to the second floor where she knew the mural to be.

  Sydney had taken her into the building when she was a teenager. Harold, Sydney's first husband, had boasted of plans to purchase it and create a three-level shopping center complete with wine tasting and state-of-the-art fitness center. That too had not come to pass, but Abby remembered Sydney showing her a room used during prohibition.

  When she reached the closed door that led into the old speakeasy, she paused, listening. She heard nothing. Had he already killed Ezra? Tempted to hesitate another minute, Abby overcame her fear and kicked the door in hard, hoping for an element of surprise. The door bashed against the wall and splintered, sending a wave of dust and wood into the room - the empty room. She walked in, ready for Victor to jump out, but they were nowhere in sight. Abby stared at the dust on the floor. She could see footprints, but had no way to know if they belonged to Victor and Ezra.