The 13th Witch Complete Trilogy

by Thompson-Geer, Stacey

  I concentrated and felt a small blip, drawing me towards it. I let my mind follow. In my head, I could see a small house with bricks lining the sidewalk towards it. The house looked as though it didn’t belong in this odd world we lived in now. It seemed untouched. I let my mind go deeper until I was standing inside the home. A woman was sitting on the couch. Her head shot up as she saw me there, watching her.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” The woman said, waiting and watching. “Do you work for Eric?”

  “My name is Lucy. I’m just trying to help. I don’t work for Eric and I want to stop him,” I said. “You’re a little late for that. I don’t think anyone can stop him now,” she said, holding my gaze. “I can and I will, but I need your help. Where can we find you?” I waited, hoping she would trust me enough to tell me where they were.

  “We’re in Council Bluffs. I trust you can find me from that.” She didn’t make anything else clearer, but a part of me knew once we were close, I’d be able to find them.

  “We’re on our way,” I said, letting my mind slip back to where I was. Each time I used my new gifts it was easier to get back to where I was. When I used these, I noticed I didn’t feel as drained as the visions I still get from time to time. It was more like a controlled vision and something that was far nicer than what I was used to.

  “We need to go to Council Bluffs,” I said to Eli. He turned to face me finally after not looking at me directly almost the entire time.

  “Is that all you know?” “For now. I should be able to find them better once we are a little closer.” I paused and glanced around us. We would never make good time if we were stuck walking the whole way. “You don’t happen to have a Fae thing for traveling, do you? I don’t want to walk forever.” Eli smiled, but shook his head.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for that. We will have to walk and hope we get there before the sun comes back up.”

  “What happens when the sun comes up?” “Things will get a lot harder,” he said, smiling, but it was not a happy smile. It was more of the kind of smile you use when you want to keep someone from asking too many questions. I took the hint and started walking. We were not near any of the roads because of the danger, but a part of me wondered if there was still some kind life going on. The vision I’d just had showed me people still lived in homes and maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked at The Oracle’s home.

  We walked for a long time before I finally had to stop. My feet were throbbing and I wanted a drink more than I had in a long time.

  “What’s wrong?” Eli asked. He seemed to not really pay attention or he just didn’t realize there was any kind of problem.

  “I need a drink. We’ve been walking for a while and we didn’t bring any water or anything. I need to stop.” I leaned against a tree and waited for his reaction. There wasn’t much of one.

  We managed to make our way to an out of the way gas station. It was still in service, which made me wonder if the regular people living in the world even knew what had happened. I picked up my water and paid the cashier. I watched to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, but he seemed to be totally oblivious to the fact the world had fallen apart around him.

  “What happened out there?” I finally got the nerve to ask. He glanced at me like I was from another planet.

  “You don’t remember the big dust storm about a year ago?” He seemed to think I should know what happened. I guessed it was bigger than I originally thought.

  “We haven’t been around for a long time.” I smiled, trying to sound convincing. He just eyed me. “That storm changed everything. It destroyed a lot of the way people make money around here. Changed the US for good.” He handed me my change and made a face. “The only reason we are still in business is because we are so out of the way. People still stop when they need things.” I smiled and thanked him. He’d helped me to understand what was going on a little more.

  I met Eli at the door and opened my water. My throat was burning from the walk and exercise we already had managed. I could see the sun was getting low in the sky and glanced at Eli.

  “Do you think we’ll make it before it gets dark?” I slid the closed water into my bag and followed behind him.

  “I don’t know, but if we don’t, we could be just waiting for trouble,” he said, running a hand through his blond hair.

  “I have enough power to protect us,” I said blankly. He stopped suddenly and turned on me. “Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you should use it at every turn.” He held his eyes to mine and put his hands on my shoulders. His fingers dug in a bit and made me want to yelp.

  “I know that. I just meant I could keep any of Eric’s people from bothering us,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

  “Then he would know you have power and I don’t want that. If he finds us, everything is lost.” He turned suddenly and started walking again. I followed him to the old road we were traveling on. He didn’t say anything more and I figured the rest of the trip was going to be silent.

  Two

  The dream started the same as it had so many times before, with me alone. I felt the cold air hit my body and rubbed my arms. I was standing in the middle of a field. On one end was an old white farmhouse. It looked as though it was there for a long time before me. I smiled at the sight of something that was still intact after all the devastation Eric caused.

  I started walking towards it until a sick feeling started to overcome me. I had never felt this way before, but didn’t like it at all. I stopped and rubbed my hands over my stomach to try and make it stop. It wouldn’t.

  I glanced behind me, felling like someone or something was watching me. I held my breath when I met Connor’s eyes. He was standing just a few feet in front of me. His eyes were hard and pinned to me.

  “Why did you come back?” He asked, clenching his hands into fists.

  “I have to help you, all of you,” I started. “I want to get my family back.” “That’s what I wanted, but I got this instead,” he said, putting his arms out slightly. “I can’t protect you anymore. Eric’s too strong.”

  “Protect me? You turned on me.” I could feel anger just under the surface. I felt like he’d left me to clean up a mess he’d help create. A part of me still loved this man in front of me, but he had a lot to own up to. Connor turned his head from me. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his regret.

  “Besides, I’m strong enough to take care of myself and clean up this mess,” I said, crossing my arms.

  “Good. You won’t see me again.” He turned away from me and I felt myself getting dizzy. The vision was fading in front of me and I was still as confused as ever.

  *** When I opened my eyes, I was laying on the ground next to Eli. He was sleeping heavily, but something told me that all he needed was a jolt or sense that something was wrong to wake up.

  I looked to the sky and watched the clouds travel over the stars. A part me was broken and the other part was totally pissed. I lost everything and everyone who was important to me and I blamed Eric for taking it all away.

  I couldn’t hurt another person and this whole thing was pain waiting to happen. Eli would be the next one to die or disappear if I kept going down this path. I couldn’t let that happen, not to him. He was a friend and I cared about him. I slowly stood and took a step away from the sleeping Eli.

  “Where are you going?” He asked, rubbing at his eyes. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to say. He glanced around and then back to me. “We can't go anywhere in the dark. The best thing to do is sit still until the sun comes up.”

  “We can't just sit here and wait for the world to keep ending. We have to do something.” I felt myself burning with the power that now ran through me. I knew how to control it to an extent, but it was way more than I'd ever had or ever wanted.

  He grabbed me and pulled me down. I made a face and tried to fight him, but then I realized what was going on. In the distance, there were a group of people, wit
h flashlights walking around. They were searching for something. I just hoped it wasn't us. Eli slowly stood, pulling me along with him.

  “If we're quite, we might be able to slip away,” he whispered. I nodded so he would know I heard him and slid into step behind him. We walked for a bit and I finally felt his guard drop.

  We finally got to the edge of the city as the sun was coming up over the cityscape. I smiled slightly as I walked. I hoped I could figure out how to get to the witches house I'd picked up in my vision. Otherwise, we'd made a trip for nothing.

  “If you concentrate, you should be able to feel them and know where they are,” Eli said, watching me as we took a break in a local park.

  “Why hasn't Eric used that part of his power yet?” I was curious as to the extent of what he could do too, but I thought I already knew by the looks of things.

  “He doesn't know about it probably, but he can feel you if we get too close. Your powers are linked because they come from the same source.” He waited and watched me. I rolled my eyes and then looked up. The sky was a deep red and yellow. It made me forget about what was really going on and the trouble I was going to be facing very soon. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, concentrating on the group of witches hiding out in the home here and where they could be.

  At first, I didn't feel anything. Then I felt a small tingle to my left. I let my mind follow it and realized we were only blocks from the little home I'd seen in my vision.

  “Their not far from here. A couple blocks that way,” I said, opening my eyes and pointing to my left where I'd felt the tingle of magic. Eli was smiling with his arms crossed in front of him.

  “What are we waiting for, then?” I didn't say anything, but pulled myself up and started walking.

  Three

  “I'm sorry, I can't help you,” the woman said, sitting in the brown fabric chair near the door of the home. She was in her early forties with long brown hair. She sat with her hands in her lap and didn't bother to meet my eyes.

  “We have to band together or Eric is going to have control of everything,” I said before I thought about it.

  “Look around you. That's already happened.” She finally met my gaze. “We couldn't stop him then and nothing has changed.”

  “One thing has changed,” Eli said glancing at me. “She has the same power Eric does. She can stop him.” I watched the woman's gaze slip to me.

  “I don't believe it. She's just a kid.” I made a face and felt a spite of anger flare up inside me. All I wanted to do was show this woman what kind of power I really had, but that had risks and I knew better.

  “She may look like a kid, but she is the only one that can stop him and get things back to the way they were,” he said, not taking his eyes off of the woman. “But we can't do it on our own. We need help.” The woman waited and broke his gaze.

  “I don't want anything to happen to my kids. They aren't a part of this. I bound their powers.” She took a breath. “I'm sorry.”

  Eli ran his hand through his hair and nodded. “I understand. You want to protect your family. We all do.”

  *** “Now what?” I snapped as we walked down the stairs towards the street. Eli wheeled on me and I almost ran into him.

  “I'm not sure, but we can't give up.” He turned back to the street. “Not yet.” I watched him, trying to read what he was thinking, but couldn't figure it out. I was as lost as he seemed to be getting. Everything looked like it was blown to bits at least here. No one really could see what the true cause was, but people could sense it wasn't safe. We all knew there was something happening that would change us or had already.

  “If I have the same powers as Eric, I really could take him on. Why do we need to find help when I can do it?” I put a hand on Eli's shoulder.

  “I don't think you're ready for what he might throw at you.” “You mean of my dad. You don't know what he'll do to him,” I said, turning from him and taking a step towards the street.

  “He'll use everything you love against you.” Eli followed me, grabbing at my arm to slow me down. “He already has used plenty against you and you crumbled.”

  “Connor is not a part of this anymore,” I snapped. “He is and a big part. Who do you think did all this?” Eli waved his arms in the air at the broken buildings and battered lives. I locked eyes with him in shock. Connor had never told me or even really showed me what he could do, but there was no way I was going to believe he did this, not without proof. Eli seemed to sense that and raised and eyebrow.

  “If you go up against them when you're not ready, you won't be any help to anyone.” He knew exactly what I was thinking. “I know you don't know me, but I'm not about to let anything happen to you.” His gaze broke from me and shot down the street. “We have to go.”

  “What's going on?” I just barely got the sentence out before I felt my stomach drop. There were more witches than me and Eli and they had power. I could feel it before I could even see it. A part of me wondered if they could feel mine.

  Eli pulled me across the street and into an alley, but we both knew it wasn't going to be far enough. They would sense us without issue. He glanced at his feet and then back to me.

  “We can't run. It's too late for that now.” He didn't meet my gaze. “Are you suggesting I use the magic the crystal gave me?” I felt my mouth go dry at the thought. This would be the first time I'd ever used it in a fight. Before it had always been in a controlled place. No one would get hurt and there was no chance anyone was going to die.

  “I don't think we have a choice,” Eli said, meeting my gaze. “What if it doesn't work?” I felt the fear I'd held in come over me. The only way to get through this was to push that away, but behind that was the anger I felt for not knowing what happened with my father or my friends. The only one I had left was Eli and I didn't really want to lose him now that I owed him so much.

  “It has to.” I let out the breath I was holding and turned to face the guys coming at us. I closed my eyes and centered on myself. It didn't take long to find the spark I was looking for. I almost felt like I was standing in energy. It surged around me and took me in. The first guy rounded the corner and smiled. I didn't know if he really knew who I was or how he had found us, but it didn't matter. If I didn't do something, we weren't getting out of this mess.

  I watched him for a second. He had a cocky air to him, but he also had some power behind him. His blond hair was tied back and he was wearing a black suit. I squinted my eyes at the man and called the energy around me. He held his hand up to cast a spell, but I beat him to it.

  The energy rolled out of my hands like a whirlwind. It knocked him on his ass and he rolled back to try and strike again. When his hands went up, I called fire to me. It surged from my body to him and burned his hand until it blistered. He yelled and pulled his hand to him.

  “You should have stayed away,” a voice said behind me. I turned to see Connor standing behind me. His face was tight with tension and a little regret. That let me know the one thing I needed to. He could be saved. I just had to convince him of that.

  “I can’t leave the ones I love behind. It’s not who I am. You know that,” I said, taking a step towards him. I watched his hands form fists and the ground rumble under me. He didn’t say anything, but eyed me, making me stop in my tracks.

  “I can’t just let you walk away, you know that.” He stepped towards me, the ground still shaking as though it was going to fall out from under me.

  “You don’t have to,” Eli said stepping out from behind the building. Connor’s gaze shot to him and back to me. I could see the anger rise up inside him. He turned to face Eli and I watched the ground split in front of him, but Eli reacted first and air went cold.

  For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The air was so cold. I watched as the air around Connor exploded into a blue color, swirling around him. He made a face and pulled his own hands to him. I watched his form start to fade and then smoke as though he was part of the air. In only a blink
of an eye, he was gone. I turned to Eli and the power of my own anger sent him off his feet.

  “What did you do?” I yelled, covering the distance between us in two steps.

  “Nothing. He left on his own,” Eli said, getting to his feet. “I’ve never seen him do anything like that before. It couldn’t have been him,” I snapped, pacing the sidewalk in front of Eli. I never had seen him use a lot of his magic. A part of me always wondered if he was afraid of it or if he really just didn’t have much to use in the first place. I’d never seen anything like what I could do now until I met Eli and The Oracle.

  “You never saw how much power he really has. How could you know everything he can do?” Eli put his hands on my shoulders, trying to draw my attention back to him. “You can still do this. We just have to figure out how.”

  “You mean you dragged me back to my world, thinking I was ready to fight Eric, but you really didn’t know?” I snapped at him. He took a breath.

  “No, you just don’t know.” I gave him a confused look. He smiled and continued. “You’ll understand it all soon enough.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked away. I wanted to be alone, but I knew Eli was not going to let that happen. He was too into protecting me. The problem being, I don’t want to be protected anymore. I wanted to take control of my own life. I spun on my heel, almost running into Eli. He cocked his head and waited for whatever I was planning to say.

  “I’m done waiting and watching. If I have to do this alone, then I will.” I could feel the anger in me rising, boiling to the surface.

  “You don’t have to do this on your own. I just…” He stopped and dropped his gaze from me. “You just what?” I crossed my arms and waited. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “You taught me more in that year than I’ve ever learned before. I have to do this.” I didn’t know if I was saying it to him or to myself.