“I’m fine, dear,” Mara tutted. “I just need some rest, like everyone else. Will you stay up and wait for Alyson to return?”
“Yes, of course.” Stella looked up to me and smiled. “Do you think she’ll want anything in particular? After all she did to save us, it’s the least we can do.”
“She’s going to be in a rotten mood when she gets here, so I doubt it much matters.” I shrugged. “Maybe I should try staying awake until she returns?”
“No, you go ahead and sleep, Vlad.” Mara stood up to leave but stopped before she exited the room. “Stella, be sure to wake me up when Alyson arrives. I need to speak with her before she does anything rash.” With that, Mara turned down a hall and went to her room.
As the sun was getting ready to show itself on the horizon, I went to go lay down with a heavy heart. It might be best if Alyson found somewhere else to sleep today and joined back up with us tonight, when she’d had some time to cool down. Too bad I couldn’t call her and suggest it.
18
Alyson
I circled the area surrounding the lair, looking for the wolves who got away, but after a few dozen passes, I realized it was hopeless. They’d probably shifted back to human form.
Even though the witches had lived in an industrial complex, it wasn’t far from civilization, and if they’d reverted, I wouldn’t be able to pick them out. Sure, I could kill everyone I saw in the hopes I found them, but the last thing I needed was to have more blood on my hands.
As soon as I realized I wasn’t going to find them without outing myself to others, I had two choices: I could stress over the situation and make myself sick or I could choose to enjoy my time. Since I had zero control over it at this point, I chose to do the latter.
I turned and flew into the Angeles National Forest. It had been way too long since my last shift. The thrill of flying was something I had truly missed. So, I flew around the areas I knew weren’t inhabited. The scent of pine and fresh air combined to make an aroma better than any scented candle I had ever owned. My wings spread out and I soared through the night sky reveling in the freedom, even if it was for only a couple of hours.
As the sun started to peak over the horizon, I flew down as far as I thought I could safely get before stopping and descending into the tree line. There, I turned back to my human form and pulled my cellphone from my pocket. Thank God that, through some magic I didn’t fully understand, my clothing and anything else I was wearing disappeared when I shifted instead of being destroyed or ripped to shreds.
Unfortunately, just because my cellphone had survived, didn’t mean it still worked. While the battery indicator showed only five percent left, there was no cell coverage where I was anyway. All I could do was head toward the highway and hope to catch a ride back to Compton. I should have made sure Vlad left me a car somewhere.
Four hours, three different rides, and a bus later, I finally made it back to the witch’s safe house. I was exhausted but still ticked off. I didn’t know if I could trust the coven to keep my secret, but I hoped they would.
I couldn’t even think about those two werewolves. My best chance was that they didn’t know exactly who I was or, even better, they died on their way back to whoever they reported to. Since my luck seemed to have run out a few days back, I doubted I would be so lucky.
Stella was the only one still up when I arrived.
“Alyson!” She kept her distance as she spoke. “Thank you for saving my family. I don’t know how to repay you for what you’ve done.”
“You’re welcome.” I tried to smile because that was what people were supposed to do when they were thanked, but all I could think about was that my secret was out and my days were numbered. “Where is everyone?”
Stella rattled off her words in a formal and distant manner, like she was afraid of me. “Asleep. It was an exhausting night. I stayed up waiting for you. My mother wanted me to wake her when you arrived. Please, let me get her so you two can talk.” She gave me a tiny smile as she went to wake her mother. “We will be keeping your secret, by the way. You have nothing to worry about.”
The next few minutes passed with mind-numbing slowness. All I could think about was my secret. Sure, Stella had said they’d keep it, but at the same time, she hadn’t even been there. Clearly, Mara had told her, and if she’d told Stella, who else had she told?
As I let the questions rattle around in my head, I found myself staring at pictures of Mara with her family. Those brought me thoughts of my own family. I felt a stab of remorse as the memory of their deaths hit me.
I hadn’t been there to help protect them when they’d been murdered. Worse, I didn’t even know who killed them, just that we had been tracked for years by someone wanting our scales. Dad had said it was hunters. Mom had another theory. She thought the evidence pointed to witches.
They had sent me to a school for humans, insisting it was important I learn how to fit in with them so I could hide in plain sight. That was the only reason I’d survived. I had been away at a weekend camp with my classmates when it happened, and the mystery of their death still haunted me. Part of it was survivor’s guilt, sure, but mostly? Mostly, I just wanted revenge.
Still, up until now, I’d come up empty. Hell, even with my pull in the FBI, I had no real clue as to who had killed them. The only thing the old case files said was that there were signs magic had been used. Between that and my mother’s suspicions, I had always assumed witches were somehow involved. While that wasn’t enough to make me hate witches, per se, that combined with what I’d seen rogue witches do to the unwary, and the possibility that one could sense what I was, made it so I didn’t trust them. At all.
“Alyson! Thank goodness you’re all right! Did you get the other werewolves?” Mara was still in her dressing gown as she rushed in. She hadn’t even taken the time to change into appropriate clothes. She had on a pink flowery nightgown which flowed down to her ankles. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes weren’t even fully opened yet. She reminded me of my grandma, and somehow, that hurt as much as it helped.
“Mara. I’m glad you’re all right. How’s the woman I saved from the sacrifice? Will she make it?” I hoped my shifting at least saved that woman from a horrific death.
“Yes, she’ll be fine. Thank you so much for everything you have done. I know Vlad wanted to speak with you when you arrived, but he is already asleep. I wanted to have some time to speak with you before everyone else woke up. Would you like some breakfast?”
“Yeah, I could use some food and coffee, please.” My stomach rumbled, and as I looked down at it, Mara laughed.
“Well, come along then. I’ll fix us something.”
Stella seemed to recognize that as her cue to depart. “Mother, I’m going to sleep now. Alyson, thank you again.”
“You’re welcome.” I nodded to her as Mara and I headed into the kitchen.
“First, I want to make sure you know none of us will share this secret,” Mara said, moving toward the coffee pot as she spoke. “I told Stella because she may need to lead our coven if her sisters aren’t at the other safe house.” She seemed to deflate a touch as she turned on the pot. “None of the witches we rescued have seen them.”
“Do they know what happened to everyone else?” I asked, suddenly feeling bad for worrying about myself. This woman’s family was missing, and here I was being selfish.
Still, if the werewolves had her daughters, I would have expected them to be in the warehouse where we found the others. It made the most sense since the sacrifice had to take place somewhere they called home. Therefore, the warehouse was the logical destination for all the witches they wanted to sacrifice from this coven.
“No, they split up when they got attacked. My daughters and some of the sentinels took the children from our coven and tried to get away. Keeping the children safe was the most important thing. The women we found at the old lair were the ones who volunteered to stay behind to give the others time to get away.” The sigh com
ing from Mara was enough to tell me she feared the worst.
Shoot, I did too. “With the phones down, there’s no way to know if they made it safely?”
“We have a way to attempt communication but I need all of my coven members who are here to help me. It will take an enormous amount of power to reach out telepathically to my daughters, especially if one of them didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry you don’t know if they’re safe. I truly hope they are.” Strangely, it was true. Even though they were witches, I really did hope they were okay.
“Thank you, dear. It means a lot to me. I hope you can trust me when I say my entire coven has now adopted you. By saving the lives of those who were about to be offered up as a sacrifice to the demons, you have become one of us.”
“Oh, um. Thanks?” I shifted uncomfortably. Normally, I would have stormed out and not looked back, but this coven was different from any other witches I had encountered.
Maybe, just maybe, we could become allies. I didn’t want to say friends, only because I really had one friend, Vlad. Trust wasn’t something I gave very easily. It had to be earned, and it took an awful lot to earn my trust.
“So,” I continued, “does this mean every single one of your coven members will take my secret with them to the grave?” I had to know for sure, regardless of whether those two werewolves ratted me out. It was a matter of trust now.
“Yes, it does. Think of us as the witch version of the FBI, our secrets are top secret, compartmentalized. No one will say a word. In fact, we won’t even discuss it.”
If I could trust her, then this could work for me. If not, well, I didn’t want to think about that scenario. I considered what she said and decided I didn’t have much choice but to trust them. “All right, for now, I trust my secret is safe.” I sighed, looking at my shoes. “I do have another question though.”
“What’s that, dear?” Mara turned to offer me a cup of coffee full of cream and sugar, which I greedily accepted. “Ask away.”
“How do you know Vlad so well?” I felt ridiculous asking, but Vlad had insinuated they were a couple at one time. Knowing Vlad, it would be like pulling teeth to get it out of him. So, if possible, I wanted to get the truth from Mara.
Mara had a dreamy expression as she sipped her coffee. She let out a soft sigh. “Vlad was the lover of my youth. We first met in early 1971. My parents let me date him for over a year before they told me it was time to grow up and put away my fantasies. I believe they thought I would naturally move on from him if they let me continue seeing him and when I didn’t, they found me a husband.”
“You had an arranged marriage? Really?” I scrunched my nose in disdain for the antiquated ritual. Women should be able to choose their own husbands.
Mara shrugged. “Things were different back then for the paranormal. It was imperative I marry another witch who would solidify the blood lines and provide heirs to take over one day when I die.”
“I don’t know how you can be so cavalier about being forced to marry someone you don’t love. I couldn’t do it.” I shook my head.
“Even if it meant the possibility of bringing your species back from extinction?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
I thought about it a minute. “I guess if there was only one male dragon left, it would be my duty to mate with him. From what I’ve heard, I’m either the last of my kind or if not, there are very few others. If the latter, I still might be able to choose who I want.”
“Maybe, but there are many reasons why you might have to accept a proposal from someone you don’t love.” Mara took another sip of coffee, seeming to relish it. “I’m very happy I married Logan. He was a good man and a great father. My girls adored him and he thought the sun and moon revolved around them.”
“So, you fell in love with him over time?” To be honest, though I’d heard of that happening, it still shocked me.
“Yes, and he with me. We had a wonderful marriage until the werewolves killed him.” She waved a hand. “But, I doubt you wanted to know about my husband and children. Was there anything else you wanted to ask about?”
Mara was lucky, she could say she had two loves during her time here on Earth. I doubt I’d trust anyone enough to fall in love once, let alone twice.
“No,” I took a long drink of coffee and looked at the ceiling. Part of me wanted to ask her about my parents, but what if she felt attacked by my questions, or worse, was somehow involved?
“Alyson, are you sure? You look like you have a question but are afraid to ask. You may ask me anything.” The great witch sat there with a small smile on her face. It was almost as though she already knew what I was going to ask.
“Actually, there is something.” I chewed on my words for a moment. “When my entire family was murdered, I was away at a school event. No one knows for sure what happened to my parents or the rest of my tribe. The only thing I know for sure is magic was involved in their death.”
My family were some of the last dragons on Earth, which is why my parents wanted me to try fitting in so badly with humans. If everyone thought I was human, I would be safe.
I took a deep breath before continuing. “Do you happen to know anything about the end of the dragons? Who was chasing us and killed off my entire species?”
Mara put her hand on mine. “Dear, just because magic was used doesn’t mean it was witches. We have just witnessed a sinister breed of werewolves with magical abilities.”
That was true. This day had certainly thrown all my preconceived notions awry. Still, I’d spent quite a bit of time studying magic, and while I’d never learned any myself, everything pointed to witches being the only ones strong enough to kill my parents. After all, while run of the mill hunters might be a threat to a lone dragon or maybe even a pair, it would be hard for them to eradicate an entire species over a few years’ time.
“Yeah, I know, it’s just…” I trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
“I suppose now is as good a time as any.” Mara sighed. “I was going to wait to speak of this once Vlad was awake, but since it might concern you directly, I may as well tell you now. One of the women you helped rescue, Daisy, told me their captors were part of a secretive order of werewolves called the Shadow Walkers. They have the ability to use magic but not like we do. Their magic is dark, a power that comes from worshiping demons.”
“Wait, I thought no one outside of witches or halflings could use magic? I mean sure, dragons and fae too, but I’ve never even heard of demons being real.” I shook my head.
What she said, didn’t make sense. At least, as far as I’d seen. What’s more, this was getting complicated. It flew in the face of what I knew about paranormals and magic. Could it be possible there are other creatures out there able to handle magic? If so, could demons have been used to kill my family. I wasn’t sure, but the urge to pull the cold case files and show them to Mara was so overwhelming, I almost couldn’t think past it.
“Why do you think the dragons have been destroyed?” Mara’s question to my question made me feel we were about to go down the rabbit hole again.
“What does that have to do with witches or witchy werewolves or whatever it is we’re dealing with?” I sighed, trying to get back on track. Worrying about what happened to my kind right now wouldn’t help with the apocalypse. “I’m sorry, can you just start at the beginning?”
“You’re not understanding.” She watched me for a long moment, clearly thinking. “Didn’t you know you have magic? It has to be honed and practiced, but all dragons are born with an innate gift of magic.”
“I did know that, but my parents were killed before they had any chance to teach me how we dragons performed magic, and it wasn’t like I had anyone else to ask.” I shrugged. “I can sense magic, can practically taste it in the air. Now, I haven’t had much experience with witches, but did you know that your magic has more of an earthy taste than an ashy one? Growing up, my parents had witch friends who came over. Whenever they left, I tasted as
h. The electrical charge is similar, though yours is stronger, but that’s to be expected from a great witch and her daughters, right?”
“Alyson, that’s my point exactly.” Mara put her coffee mug down. “Each species with magical abilities has a different taste to their power. We all put off an electrical field, but the scent or flavor of our magic is different. Yours come from elemental magic like mine, but it’s a different element.”
“Hold up, you’re saying I have elemental magic?” I scrunched up my nose, thinking.
I had never even heard the term elemental magic before, but then again, most of what the FBI knew about the supernatural was classified, and what wasn’t could fit in a thimble. That, combined with my worry over a witch finding me out, made it so I’d never really gleaned the deeper aspects of the craft. Still, I obviously knew what the elements were, and I’d read some fiction books that talked about elemental magic, but I’d thought that had just been fiction. Clearly I’d been wrong.
“Yes, dear.” Mara smiled softly. “Now, can you guess what element I might be?”
“Oh!” I thought again of the earthy taste in my mouth. “A witch is of the earth element, right? So, I guess my element is probably fire since dragons breathe fire?” Now that I thought about it, the whole elemental magic thing was actually starting to make sense, though I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Exactly. There are also water and air elementals. All of our magic comes from the Earth. It was never designed to harm, but to help. Unfortunately, not everyone uses their powers responsibly, not even humans.”
I took another sip of my coffee, which was getting cold from sitting so long. “The werewolves I faced had a different feel, though. It’s evil for sure, but there’s something else to it. Do you know why?”
“Yes, I believe I do. Anyone can choose the dark side, and these wolves have done more than choose it, they have embraced it and let themselves be overtaken with it.”
A Ritual of Fire Page 12