Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  Amaris and I rounded a corner and came upon an immense clearing. I saw wolves of every size and color frolicking in a field of wild daisies. As we approached, they all stopped playing, trotted over and bowed their heads as we walked by. I returned their gesture and smiled.

  “They know and welcome you. Those wolves are the guardians of our realm and no one harboring ill-will may enter. I may be able to read people’s minds, but those wolves read people’s hearts. Yours is pure.” Amaris stated.

  “What? How do they know that? How do you know that?” Shocked, my words came out in a stuttering mess and again I felt naïve and inferior. Everyone knew more than I did about the world, about me than I did. It was very unsettling to realize how sheltered my entire life had been. There was so much I needed to know. How did anyone believe I would be able to defeat demons such as Roberta, Shawn and Samell, let alone save all of the people who depended on me? I was in way over my head and the water just kept rising.

  “Our wolves can sense you have been marked. You are now their kin, part of the eternal pack that lives here.”

  “I haven’t even gone through the change yet. How can they possibly know?”

  “Can’t you see that anything is possible here? To them, you are a queen, marked by a next in line alpha.”

  Gulp. “Queen?”

  “There are many sides to you that will appeal to many creatures. Your powers, your gifts will be sought by many. Evil, good and in between, creatures will crave everything about you.”

  She then pointed to a ridge covered in black clouds and shadows. “That’s where we are going. Follow me and watch your step. If you fall, there will be no saving you.”

  My heart dropped. I wanted to stay where it was sunny and the people were happy. I’d never been a fan of cloudy, cold days and that ridge up ahead did not appear very inviting. In fact, if misery were a picture, that ridge is what I would see.

  We came to a stone bridge, and I could tell that each rock had been placed by hand. It was perfect. How something so beautiful could exist in this dark and frightful area of Summerland amazed me. Below us, water as clear as glass trickled over stones and created little waves and dips as it babbled along a hundred feet down. Amaris was right, it was a long way to fall. The bridge seemed to go on forever, and with every step I sent up a silent prayer the bridge was as sturdy as it was pretty. I know we crossed it in no time.

  A large, gray castle loomed before us. Dark and menacing, it was the complete opposite of everything I had seen so far and very fitting for that particular realm. There was no light source, no sun or moon. The trees or what used to be trees were blackened and charred. I didn’t see one animal, person or insect out and about. I had the distinct sense that no creature other than a demon could have survived for very long in that realm.

  Lightning cracked across the sky and thunder rumbled beneath our feet as we approached the giant building standing in the mist. No, it wasn’t because of me. In fact my powers felt like they were gone. The air was charged with palpable electricity and the very atmosphere seemed to feed on it. This couldn’t be where the elders lived! Who were the people inside? Were they even people? What exactly was inside that place? My nerves were raw but I wasn’t about to cry or show weakness, so I straightened my shoulders and followed Amaris.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” I knew it was, but I had to hold onto a tiny, glimmer of hope she’d messed up, didn’t I?

  She said nothing and we walked on. A huge wooden door opened of its own accord and my stomach flipped as the forty foot tall slab of cedar slammed against an inner wall. The only noise that broke through the electrical storm around us was the cavernous echo that ricocheted off of the castle walls.

  “Wait, Amaris. I know you work for them but can you tell me how worried I should really be?”

  “There are no worries in this realm, Selena. Nothing here can be changed, the outcome is already decided. This is the realm of truth and justice. Here, no fancy lighting or trickery can block the truth. Justice is truly blind until the truth breaks through, setting one free. Justice cannot and does not hide in the darkness, it merely uses it as a magnifying glass. Do you understand?” I dared not say no and merely nodded to Amaris while I hoped she believed me.

  “Good. On the other side of this castle lie the realms of regret and sorrow, along with many others of the unhappy sort. Those realms torture the body, mind and spirit forever with no relief. If you were going there, then I’d tell you to worry. That’s what those realms are for.”

  “Lovely.”

  We came upon another wooden door. This one was warded and carved with the many runes that were carved into my book. There was even a matching aquamarine gem in the middle of the door. This one however, was the size of my head. I had no idea what the similarity to my book meant, but somehow it gave me a sense of belonging and strength in light of what had happened so far.

  “Here we are, Selena.” Amaris laid a hand on my shoulder and it was the only emotion I had seen her express on our journey. “Good Luck.” Her eyes were kind and full of understanding as she turned to leave.

  “Thank you, Amaris. Will I see you again?”

  “One never knows.” She shrugged her shoulders and I waved as she continued on her way.

  Taking a deep breath, I traced the runes with my finger in the same order I had when I opened my family’s book and when I touched the enormous jewel in the center, it glowed and the door swung open into the enormous room beyond.

  Chapter 24

  “COME IN SELENA. We’ve been waiting for you to arrive. I trust your journey was a good one?”

  I stood before three women. Two of them I had known my entire life and never thought I’d see again. The third was someone I’d never met. My mother and Keith’s mother sat beside a woman who could be my twin, her resemblance to me was uncanny. I only knew who she was because it was her picture, her story I had read in our family’s journal.

  My great Aunt Elizabeth sat in the middle chair. I could tell hers was the highest place of authority here and my mother and Katharine were her co-elders. It took every ounce of control I had to keep myself from flying across the table and hugging all of them. Though I was supposed to be a great and powerful witch, all I wanted was to hug my mom, to have her tell me everything would be alright.

  I saw kindness in each of their eyes, but they also portrayed a seriousness that I dared not dismiss. Many people were seated in chairs behind us watching every move I made. I could sense their displeasure with me, their disdain for my past actions and a shiver of fear ran through me as I looked around. I assumed they were the jury of my so-called peers. By the looks on their faces, I knew I was up to my ears in deep shit.

  “Selena, did you hear me?” My aunt asked.

  “Yes ma’am. Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you. My journey was fine. Everything is so beautiful here.”

  “You turned your back on all of this beauty at one point, did you not?”

  I hung my head, stuffing my hands deep into the pockets of my fluffy, pink robe. “Yes ma’am. But…”

  “Selena the charges against you are enormous and they’ve gotten worse” my mother said.

  “Worse? How could they be any worse? I know I made some terrible judgment calls but if I had only known…”

  “Silence. Your chance to defend yourself will come soon enough. The evidence provided, accuses you of murder by magic, using magic for personal gain, using magic for revenge and attempted murder by magic.”

  I had no choice but to refrain and keeping my mouth shut proved more difficult the longer my aunt spoke. There’s no way they believed I murdered any of those people! I looked around the room in disbelief, searching for a sign from someone, anyone that they also believed this trial was preposterous. Nobody would make eye contact with me. They all turned their heads and whispered to their neighbors, but none of them gave me any sign that they were on my side. I was on my own.

  “What? You obviously know I did not
kill my mother and father. And Keith’s mother can tell you it wasn’t me who killed her or Keith’s brothers. She’s sitting right there, ask her!” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. There was no one to defend me and I’d be damned before I would go down without a fight. I had too much to fight for and I was not going to be the quiet Selena they wanted me to be. That could be my only chance to stand up for myself and I wouldn’t waste it.

  Maybe my emotional state wasn’t stellar, but I wasn’t a murderer. I may have been an idiot, but that was over. I knew what I had to do. Those people needed me, yet all of them acted as though I was some huge inconvenience. I guess I should have been grateful they’d taken the time to stop bathing naked in the waterfalls to come to Castle Grey Hall just to convict me. Silly me!

  “Selena, you will restrain yourself and speak with respect.”

  “Sorry. But you cannot expect me to believe you would believe I’ve done those things. And attempted murder of whom?”

  “We have no idea what to believe. That’s why you’re here. The attempted murder charge stems from your fiancés house being blown to bits four hours ago and it reeks of your magic.”

  “Fiancé? Don’t you mean demon? And he is no longer my fiancé! The only thing tying me to him is this damn ring that won’t come off! Yes, I have thought about killing the slimy bastard a million times, but I didn’t do it. I wasn’t anywhere near his place. And I haven’t been for over four months! It wasn’t my magic!”

  “Really? You burned your own property and home to the ground, did you not?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “You were also present when your parents and Katherine and her family were killed, were you not?”

  “No!”

  “And didn’t you call on your powers to fight a woman named Roberta McManus?”

  “She is a demon! My half-sister as a matter of fact, right mother? And I didn’t start it. She did. It was self-defense. Was I supposed to let her kill Sterling and me?”

  “We could also charge you with killing your familiar, Selena.”

  The crowd in the galley gasped, appalled at my alleged, magical, murderous rampage. “Oh please.” I rolled my eyes at them. “Everyone knows I would never kill him on purpose. He means the world to me! It was an accident.”

  “Didn’t you also bind your fiancé in the Honeymoon Suite at the Upton House Inn while you threw lightning and fire balls at him?”

  “Again, self-defense!”

  “Selena, please?”

  “Please what Mom? Stay silent and get railroaded by these trumped up charges? Let more people lie about me and gossip about what they think they know?”

  “Selena,” my aunt Elizabeth said “I’m warning you.”

  “And I’m warning you. I will not be lied to, lied about and stand here like a patsy any longer. I didn’t do anything horrible. I did not kill anyone! Yes, I blew up my house. I did fight Roberta and Shawn, but they’re demons. A fact that I would’ve been prepared for had my own parents not lied to me my entire life.”

  My mother’s face paled and I felt horrible, but right was right. How dare they sit there condemning me for things they could’ve helped prevent?

  “Yeah, Mother. Keith told me. The answers he didn’t have, the book filled in for me.”

  I knew my eyes were glowing. I could tell by the looks of fear on the faces of everyone in the room. Inside I laughed as they cowered in fear of me. A bunch of pathetic, weak minions were going to decide my fate? Well, I’d give them a show if I had to, if it was the last thing I did.

  “Selena, there are other ways to deal with anger. I suggest you calm down and listen to me young lady!” My aunt shouted.

  The galley erupted in bouts of “Guilty!” and “Lock her up!” People were pissed off and scared. Without any true evidence they wanted me to hang for crimes I hadn’t even committed. Like I’d thought, the whole trial was a bunch of bullshit! It didn’t matter what I said or did, they’d already made their decisions and I was screwed.

  “Really? Calm down? You have me on trial with bogus evidence, your people are ready to lynch me in the town square and you want me to be the one who calms down? You have to be freaking kidding me!”

  “Take her away!”

  “What? You can’t! I’m not finished!”

  “Guards, now!”

  Suddenly, I was frozen where I was standing. No matter how hard I tried to speak, I couldn’t even move my lips. My mouth felt like it had been gagged with a thick rope. I could move my eyes and all I saw was fear from the people that surrounded me. I guess I’d gone all freaky again. One woman passed out and there was a group of ladies trying to revive her. Somehow, this made me giggle. Shit, they hadn’t seen anything yet!

  “Selena, you will be put into a cell by yourself. We will let you know when we have reached a decision. Until then, I suggest you use this time wisely and do some very deep soul searching.”

  Decision? How could they make a decision when they hadn’t even shown me their evidence? Where was the truth Amaris spoke of? What about the wolves? Aunt Elizabeth should ask them about me, they knew I wasn’t capable of murder! Everything Amaris had said was bullshit! Just lies to get me to this horrid, dank and filthy castle for a joke of a trial.

  Two men in white robes carried me like a sack of potatoes out of the room and down many flights of stairs. They deposited me in a dark, cold cell and I was powerless to stop it. They sat me on the floor after many attempts of trying to prop me up on the stone slab of a bench had failed. One of the men brought me a cup of tea and a tray of food that I couldn’t even consume. I guessed they had some sick sense of humor. Hell, they probably got off on watching me starve while being able to do nothing about it. Like putting a piece of cheese just out of the mouse’s reach. Sick bastards!

  I was being treated like some common criminal! As I looked around at my meager surroundings, I realized that’s what I was. A criminal. I didn’t care about my rights until I lost them, until it was too late. I didn’t just lose my rights, I lost everything because of my own actions. It was over and as I wept silently, I knew I had no one else to blame. Exhausted and depleted, I fell asleep on the hard, stone floor alone.

  Chapter 25

  I ASSUMED IT was hours later but I had no way of actually knowing how long it was before another of those kind, caring and comedic guards showed up to inform me, “They’ve reached a decision.”

  Yippee. They were so tight-lipped around that place. All I could discern from him was what my eyes saw. He wore shabby clothing, no shoes and had a beard of gray hair that reached the floor. Other than that, I knew nothing about the man. Maybe it was better that way and maybe that’s how the elders wanted it. No names, no relationships to keep everyone wondering and scared.

  The man left and I sat there in my robe trying not to think of a bathroom and some underwear. What I wouldn’t give for a pair of skivvies and a bra! There was no point in worrying about the ‘decision’, I knew that. I’d it had been out of my hands long before now. Yes, I was frustrated, but my night of rest had shown me my desperate outbursts had sealed my fate and I could only ride the ever-swelling tide of consequences or be drowned by it. Never the giving up kind of woman, I chose to ride it out.

  The odds were stacked in the favor of demons. Shawn and Roberta were right, I would be blamed and my powers would be stripped. They’d framed me for that insane list of crimes and gotten away with it. Roberta and Shawn would take everything that meant anything to me and I would be prevented from stopping them. They were going to win. Roberta would have everything she wanted and when these people realized who the real criminals were, it’d be too late.

  The next time the doors opened, I saw the elders sent five women that I’d never seen before. They placed my hands behind my back and led me through the labyrinth of hallways back to the council’s chamber. Their solemn faces held no sign of what the decision would be, but I didn’t need a sign from them. As I walked into the room, I scann
ed the faces of my peers and realized the decision had been made long before I had arrived in Summerland.

  “Selena, I trust you’re feeling better now that you’ve had some rest?”

  “Yes ma’am” I said to Katherine.

  “We are well aware of the events that have transpired over the course of these past months and those that are more recent. We also know the terrible amount of stress you have been under. However, we cannot allow you to run around abusing your powers like you have been.”

  My mother cut in, her words rapid as if it was her last chance to speak with me “Selena, I know you have found out the truth about your father. But it doesn’t make you evil. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Honestly, I doubt it would’ve helped much if I had. Some things are meant to happen and there’s no stopping them. I hope someday you will forgive me and…”

  “Selena,” Elizabeth spoke again, cutting my mother off. “We are aware that your father, your real father Samell, has been up to his old tricks again. From the beginning, his plan has been to use you in some way and he has been after your powers since the day you were born.”

  “I will not help him.”

  “We cannot take that chance. You are half-demon and that raises the issue of trust. You are not capable of controlling your powers or separating them from your emotional state and that scares us. It also puts us, as well as you, in imminent danger.”