The Return of The Witch

by M. J. Caan

  “You with us, Allie?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Just trying to focus, is all. Trying to think of what Mallis might be getting out of bringing me out here.”

  I looked down at the crystal and it was pulsing rapidly, tugging at the silver chain that restrained it. It pointed straight ahead. We were definitely in the right place.

  We rounded the last bend in the driveway and came face-to-face with the burned out ruins of the house. There was nothing left but a few charred stone pillars, a smoky brick fireplace, and a few bits of metal cabinetry that had managed to survive the inferno. Everything sat on a blackened foundation that looked entirely too small to have been the footprint for the massive home I remembered.

  “Still nothing,” said Cody, “maybe we lucked out.”

  “No such thing as luck,” said Elion advancing slowly.

  The charm I held flashed brightly and then died out, dropping powerless to dangle lithely in my hand.

  “Okay. Looks like this has to be the spot. But I’ve no idea what we are looking for,” I said.

  There were no clouds in the sky and the moon clearly illuminated everything around us. It was great for the two of us that couldn’t see in the dark, but it also meant that anything hiding out there could also see us.

  “C’mon, let’s get this over with and get out of here,” I said, approaching the ruins up the intact brick staircase and onto the concrete foundation. “I guess just look around for anything that looks like it doesn’t belong here.”

  “Can’t you use your magic to locate the artifact?” Esmee asked.

  “I can try,” I said, raising my hand to draw on my power.

  “I wouldn’t,” said Elion hastily. “If Mallis’s witch has targeted you, then using your magic could activate another spell against you. We don’t have your aunts here to fight it off.”

  As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. But the thought of being out in the open like this without my magic as backup creeped me out completely. The quicker I could find whatever it was, the quicker I could get back to the safety of the house.

  We spread out, Esmee and Cody walking around the back side of the house and Elion moving slowly through the central foundation, where the staircase leading to the upper floor had once stood.

  “Blood,” said Elion. “I smell blood. It’s coming from the fireplace.”

  We moved to the old brick floor-to-ceiling fireplace with a blackened stone mantle. There, sitting on the mantle, was a strange looking vial. Holding it up to the light and tilting it side to side, I could make out a murky substance swirling within.

  Cody was at my side and he hissed in disgust, his features morphing into his hybrid form. “Allie! That’s your blood in there. I’d recognize that scent anywhere.”

  Before I could say anything else, I could see Elion stiffen and move away from us.

  “Odd,” said Elion, stooping to examine the foundation. He ran his fingers through the soot and raised them to his nose.

  “What is it?” asked Esmee.

  “This fire,” he replied. “It isn’t natural. It is magical in nature.”

  “What?” replied Esmee rushing to his side. “You mean…this wasn’t an accident?”

  Before anyone could answer, a voice rang out clearly from outside the house.

  “Oh, come on. You mean you haven’t told your friend what happened here, Allie?” We looked around just in time to see Shira materialize in the burnt lawn just outside of the house perimeter. “Oh well. I guess where she’s going it won’t matter what she knows.” She looked at Esmee and smiled. “Say hello to the good doctor when you see her.”

  With that, she shifted into her wolf form and charged at us. And then about a dozen other wolves that were suddenly running beside her.

  11

  “Goddamnit!” said Esmee. “Where the hell did they come from?”

  Cloaking spell. That was the only explanation. They had been standing there the entire time and we’d walked right by them. I must have been really off my game not to have noticed that.

  “They were cloaked!” I screamed. I started to summon my magic when I remembered what Elion had said before. But he had also said that I was most likely the victim of a blood magic spell, and there was blood in the vial I held in my hand. My blood. I acted on pure instinct and threw the vial into the fireplace, shattering it. Holding out one hand, I sent a blast of power into the hearth, incinerating the broken glass and remnants of my blood.

  It was like a veil had been lifted from my eyes. Suddenly the space around me flared with magical markings. I looked out at the advancing hoard of werewolves and could see the black tendrils drifting off their bodies like smoke—leftover tale-tale signs of the power that had hidden their presence from us. Elion had been right. I’d been the victim of another spell, but this one was far more subtle than the last ones. It had simply dulled my mystic senses, in effect blinding me.

  But now the blinders were off, and I was thoroughly pissed off. My magic flared to life as I formed two smoldering balls of blue fire around my hands. I hurled one at Shira. Snarling, she dodged it effortlessly, letting it land behind her where it exploded in a spectacular display of sound and fury. The wolves around her yelped in confusion but she quickly rallied them with a roar, and they closed in on us. With a final bound, Shira gained the foundation and was met by Cody, who had now completely shifted into his wolf form.

  The sound of the two large wolves smashing into one another hit me like a physical blow. I didn’t have time to react, as the wave of wolves behind her were almost on us. I threw another fireball into their midst, scattering them and knocking them off-balance. Before they could regroup, Elion and Esmee were among them.

  Howls of pain rang out as Esmee’s silver blade cut into flesh and sinew. For his part, Elion simply relied on pure muscle to get the job done. He grabbed the large body of the closest wolf and with a single heave, threw it into the charging pack, scattering them like so many pins before a very hairy bowling ball. The crunch of bones from the collision was sickening.

  Like most supernaturals, the wolves were built to take punishment, and though hurt, they were far from incapacitated. They shrugged off their injuries and continued their advance, snarling and roaring in rage. I felt the floor shake as I turned to see Cody and Shira crash into one of the stone pillars. Shira had her jaws clamped around Cody’s throat and was trying to get enough leverage to deliver a killing bite.

  Without thinking, I hurled a bolt of blue lightning her way. It struck her in the flank and sent her reeling head over heals away from Cody. Cody looked at me, blood seeping from the wound on his neck. His eyes suddenly narrowed and he roared at me in warning. I spun around just in time to see one of the other wolves lunging at me. I again summoned power, this time forming it into a whip that curled around the leaping werewolf, catching him in midair. I pulled my arm back over my head, taking the wolf with it, and then snapped it down, crashing the beast into the concrete flooring. I heard his hip and spine shatter on impact. The thing was dead before it knew what had happened.

  “Esmee! Throw it!” I screamed.

  She didn’t hesitate, raising her arm and throwing her rapier at a group of wolves with all the strength she could muster. I focused my magic on the blade, sending a bolt of charging force into the spinning silver. The effect was electrifying. The blade glowed with my magic and cut through four of the werewolves with lethal consequence. Muscle, sinew, and bone burst into pieces as the blade whirled through the air, leaving a spray of dark blood in its wake, before arching around and returning to Esmee’s hand.

  “Holy shit!” she said. “You have got to make that a regular feature!” She again leapt at the closest wolf and began swinging the blade at the creature, forcing it back.

  Elion waded back into the pack as well. This time, he had willed his own nails to elongate into an approximation of claws and he swung them with deadly efficiency, raking through the thick hide of the wolves, throwing
streaks of red everywhere.

  I heard more roars coming from the woods that flanked the house, and a moment later more wolves were pouring out of the covering, sprinting towards us. They were moving fast and there were more than I could count. Damnit! What had we walked into?

  I stretched both hands out at my side and brought them together in front of me in a thunderous clap. Blue lightning crackled forth, spidering outward and striking the advancing army, incinerating those that it hit. But they were quickly replaced with more bodies as a seemingly endless horde advanced on us. This time, they began to zigzag as they ran, making it hard for me to hit them.

  I heard more snarling from behind and turned to see Shira, now in hybrid form, wrestling with Cody. She had his large wolf body in a bear hug and I heard his ribs snapping as he yelped in pain. I readied a bolt of fire to throw at her, but as soon as I raised my hand to aim at her, she dropped Cody and sprinted at me with supernatural speed. I barely had time to get a shield up in front of me before she crashed headlong into it. She backed up, curled her hand into a fist and threw a powerful blow against my shield.

  I had forgotten just how monstrously strong she was. I gritted my teeth and threw more energy into reinforcing my shield. My mind raced as I thought of spells that might work against an enraged alpha werewolf. “I thought you were maimed. Where’d you get the new paw?”

  She snarled and half laughed, half barked at me. “You’re a fool, little girl. Don’t you know that werewolves heal exceptionally fast? If we lose a limb, another, stronger one grows back in its place.” She held up her hand, fingers splayed, before again curling it into a fist and landing another devastating blow on my shield. The impact rocked me backwards but my shield held. “I should thank you. Or perhaps I’ll just repay you in kind.”

  She stepped back and glared at me before shifting into her full wolf form. Hurling her massive weight against me, her strategy was clear: use brute force to batter her way through my shields. Yeah. Good luck with that. I wasn’t afraid of my shield breaking, but the longer I was engaged with her, the less help I would be to my friends. Time to go on the offense.

  Shira backed up and prepared to launch herself at me again. This time I was ready for her. I willed my shield to morph into a crackling blue net that I threw over her, ensnaring her. She roared in defiance and rage as I tightened the magic around her. I poured more magic into the construct, reinforcing it against her snapping teeth. Then I lifted the net and its thrashing cargo and swung it against one of the stone pillars. The impact shattered the column but did not illicit the back-breaking response I was hoping for.

  She was definitely stronger than she used to be. And was it just my imagination, or was she also bigger than I remembered? Her wolf form was larger even than Cody’s at this point. I gritted my teeth and swung again, this time up and down against the concrete foundation like I had done with the other wolf. Still, I accomplished little more than knocking the breath out of her—the effort was winding me more than it was her.

  Again she shifted back into her hybrid form and roared at me. Then she grabbed the netting in two places, hands in front of her, and began to pull her arms in opposite directions, trying to rip her way out. The strain on me was considerable and I could feel the sweat breaking out on my forehead. I could try another direct lightning strike. At this range, it should fry her. But that would mean dropping the shield, and as fast as Shira was, did I really want to do that? Damnit, she didn’t even seem to be breathing hard!

  Wait! That was it!

  I brought my hands together in front of me, tracing a circle in the air. In response, my net solidified into a single glowing sphere around Shira’s head. At first she seemed confused, but then I saw the light of realization hit her.

  She may have been incredibly strong, but even a werewolf needed oxygen. I concentrated on the sphere, making it contract closer to Shira’s head. She was using up the air inside the bubble, and the sphere prevented her from getting fresh oxygen to replace it. This time her roar was one of frantic desperation as she clawed at the construct that was slowly cutting her off from the life-sustaining air around her.

  To her credit, she didn’t try shifting to her wolf form. Maybe that would have required too much energy for her. Instead, she dropped to her knees and slammed her head into the solid foundation with a deafening crack. Again and again she reared back, trying to break my magic. But I had her this time, and I could feel each blow becoming weaker and weaker until she finally fell gasping onto her back, struggling in vain to pull in more oxygen.

  Finally, she shifted once again. But not into her wolf form—rather, her hybrid self slid effortlessly back into human shape. She lay there, covered in sweat and barely breathing. Once again I willed the globe to contract, forcing the last reserves of air from her body. I was concentrating hard on what I was doing. Too hard. I didn’t hear the attack come from behind.

  I sensed it too late. Another wolf plowed into me and sent me spiraling to the ground and sliding across the floor, where I finally struck the fireplace with my back. Air whooshed from my lungs and silver fireworks exploded behind my closed eyelids. Moaning, I tried to roll over and force myself to all fours. I opened my eyes to try to find my attacker.

  Through blurry vision, I made out a reddish-colored werewolf standing where I had been. Instead of attacking, he ran to where Shira lay and began to whimper over her form. Struggling to get to my feet, I tried to make my way over to her, oblivious to the cacophony of battle around me. I had to make sure she was dead. And if she wasn’t, I needed to finish the job.

  My magic was shaky at best—having the wind knocked out of you will do that. Still, I concentrated on drawing a blue flame up, and it danced on the palm of my hand as I stepped toward her. The red wolf that had attacked me eyed my approach and issued a warning growl. He placed his body between myself and Shira. His countenance let me know that he would die before he let me any closer to her.

  Fine. So be it then; two for the price of one.

  “Allie, look out!” screamed Elion. I turned to see the vampire launching himself through the air from over thirty feet away.

  There were two more wolves that had stalked up behind me and were about to spring. Elion dropped down out of the sky like a living meteor and crashed into the wolves. He landed an elbow-smash on one of the creature’s heads, shattering through bone and driving it into the ground. In one fluid motion he swung his other arm out and snatched the second wolf out of mid-air, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck. Despite the great size of the wolf, it was clear that Elion had the advantage when it came to strength. The wolf thrashed and howled, trying desperately to free itself from Elion’s grasp.

  It didn’t stand a chance. Elion calmly held the wolf up in front of him and then drove his free hand into its torso, and all the way through to the other side of the creature. The wolf made a single pathetic yip before its eyes rolled back and its head lolled to one side, tongue hanging out. Elion dropped the carcass unceremoniously and then gave me one of his creepy smiles. I nodded my thanks and turned back to Shira.

  Except…there was no sign of the she-wolf or the one that had saved her. I scanned the perimeter of the house searching for any sign of them.

  “Shit!” I said to no one in particular.

  “Allie,” said Cody sidling up next to me. He was in human form and was holding one arm across his waist, gripping his side.

  “Cody! You okay?”

  “I will be,” he groaned. “I think that bitch broke every rib I have.”

  “Guys, I think we are in trouble here,” said Esmee. She was walking backwards towards us, her blade held out defensively in front of her. “That is a hell of a lot of wolves surrounding us.”

  The darkness greeted me with dozens of glowing yellow eyes that were slowly stalking towards us. Glancing around, I saw that they were appearing on all sides. We were surrounded.

  “Allie, can you beam us out of here…or whatever you do?” asked Esmee. One look a
t her told me that she was exhausted. There were scratches on her face and she was covered in blood. Bits of gore and bone clung to her ponytail and protective leather jacket she wore.

  “I don’t know if I have the energy left to create a portal for all of us!” I had expended a lot of magic trying to kill Shira. I could feel the reserves refilling but I still needed a moment to catch my breath before I could attempt another big spell. And judging by how close the werewolves were, I didn’t think we had a moment left.

  Beside me, Cody shifted to his full wolf-form and unleashed a thunderous roar. Esmee, breathing hard, raised her blade and squared her shoulders. Elion focused on the wolves behind us and began to growl back at them. He was going full vamp on us. Not only were his nails extended, but I could also make out the white of his fully-extended fangs, which he now bared as he eyed the advancing pack.

  If the wolves were afraid, they didn’t show it. As one, they howled and sprang at us, all fang and claw and bloodlust.

  I raised my hands, trying to summon the energy to erect a barrier. But before I could even touch on my magic, the air around us was split by an ear-rupturing shriek.

  Everything around us was suddenly whipping up at what felt like gale-force winds. The werewolves stopped in their charge, clearly as distracted as we were. Then, without warning, the sound of giant wings flapping joined the powerful shrieks of wind, buffeting our ears. A shadow crossed the sky, briefly blotting out the moon’s light. I looked up in time to see a giant harpy eagle descend on the lead pack of wolves that was closest to us.

  Austin dropped out of the sky like a dive-bomber, talons extended before her. She landed on one of the wolves, pinning him to the ground. The wolf snarled in surprise, but twisted and landed a bite on Austin’s leg. In response, the great bird lunged forward, driving her beak into the werewolf’s chest. The popping of bone could be heard by everyone around them as she snapped her beak around his still-beating heart and wrenched it free of his chest.