by R. L. Perez
“Brie, how long have you been doing this?”
I pressed the ice more firmly against my wound. My jaw ticked back and forth as I contemplated how to answer. “A few months.”
“Merciful Lilith,” Mom swore, her eyes darting to the ceiling in exasperation. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I don’t care. Dying while Demonhunting is better than dying of boredom. I can’t live like a mortal, Mom. I just can’t. I’d rather die today than live a hundred years like that.”
Mom was silent, but I felt her gaze on me while I stared at the dried blood on my jeans.
She touched my arm. “Brie—”
A loud knocking on the front door interrupted her. I frowned at her, and she looked equally confused.
“Wait here,” she muttered before leaving the kitchen.
I hobbled forward, peering around the corner to see who was at the door. Mom opened it and said, “Councilman Solano? What brings you here?”
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced.” The old man’s wispy voice sounded vaguely familiar. I remembered it from the countless hearings with the Council when they were trying to figure out what to do with me.
“Is everything all right?” Mom asked.
The Councilman hesitated for a long moment, and I straightened as dread rolled through me. “The Council has just ruled on the status of your daughter. She can no longer live among magical beings. I’ve come to take her away.”
3
Brielle
“IS THIS SOME KIND OF birthday prank?” I asked, crossing my arms. I was so not in the mood.
Councilman Solano’s gray eyebrows lowered, his expression grim. “I’m afraid not. It’s because of your birthday I’m here in the first place. The Council ruled that if your powers did not manifest themselves by your sixteenth birthday, you would have to be removed from the magical society as a safety precaution.”
I blew air through my lips. “I don’t need protection.”
“As a safety precaution for others,” Solano emphasized, his eyes widening.
A stunned silence rippled through the room. I stared at Mom, who gaped at the Councilman.
“May I please come inside?” Solano asked. “I can explain everything.”
Mom stood back to let him in, her face pale. I watched numbly as Solano strode inside and sat on the sofa, his body erect as if he were having lunch with the President. We sat opposite him on the love seat. I scooted closer to Mom, wanting to lean into her but refusing to give in. Cuddling with her would make me weak. And right now, I needed to be strong.
Solano opened his mouth to speak, but a frail voice whispered from the top of the stairs, “Mom?”
We all looked up to find Angel clutching the banister with both hands, her jet-black hair disheveled. Her dark blue eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. Worry was etched in her face as she looked from Solano to me and then to Mom.
“Everything’s all right,” Mom said with a false smile. “Go back to sleep.”
Angel’s lips pressed together, obviously unconvinced.
“No, please stay,” I blurted before I could stop myself.
“Brie—” Mom said.
“I want her to stay,” I said through clenched teeth.
Mom sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Fine.” She looked up at my sister. “If you start to feel sick again, go back to bed.”
Angel offered a noncommittal grunt and staggered down the stairs. Mom seemed to read the apprehension in my face and moved to the armchair so Angel could sit next to me. My sister was tall and graceful and had the posture and figure of a delicate princess. Her bronze skin, shiny hair, and stunning eyes made her a vision that suited her name. We were both so different. My small form, blond hair, and mud-brown eyes were nothing compared to her beauty.
Even so, I needed her with me now. She slid onto the cushion next to me. Her hand trembled as it touched mine, but I squeezed it and scooted closer until our shoulders touched. Her warmth next to me was a comfort—somehow more comforting than my mother’s.
Solano cleared his throat. “I, um, must inform you of protocols within the Council in order to shed light on our unique situation.”
Mom held up a hand. “We should really wait until my husband is here. He works for the Council, after all.”
Solano winced. “Yes, ah . . . the Council voted him out of these proceedings because we believed he couldn’t serve as an impartial voter in this ruling.”
Mom stiffened, her eyes flashing. “Well, this is no longer an affair of the Council. This is a family crisis. Any other family, whether employed by the Council or not, would surely have both parents present, wouldn’t they?”
Exasperation flickered in Solano’s eyes, but he deflated slightly, leaning back against the sofa. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
Mom nodded stiffly. “Give me a moment. I’ll call him.” She left the room.
I looked at Angel, ignoring Solano completely. “How are you feeling?”
Angel shrugged one shoulder. “Groggy. But my head hurts less.” She leaned closer to me. “What’s going on?”
“He says he’s here to take me away,” I whispered. “Because I’m defective.”
Angel nudged my shoulder with hers. “Stop that. You aren’t defective.”
“Aren’t I?” Though I smirked, there was truth in my words. And perhaps some bitterness too.
Angel easily detected both and fixed me with a stern look. “Brielle Gerrick, I don’t want to hear such self-degrading things coming out of your mouth, you understand? You are a special witch and much more powerful than me, whatever abilities I might have.”
“Okay, Mom,” I teased, but something defensive rose up inside me. Angel wasn’t weak, but her condition made it hard to cast spells. She was a Seer, and sometimes her visions were so strong that they caused headaches and seizures. It seemed we were both, in our own way, defective.
The thought made my heart sink to my stomach. Why couldn’t we just be a normal, healthy family?
Mom returned, pocketing her cell phone before sitting in the armchair. “My husband is aware of these proceedings, despite your valiant efforts to keep it from him.” Her tone was icy as she leveled a glare at Solano. “He says to start the discussion without him.”
I sat up straighter. “Perfect. Now the Councilman can tell me where they’ll keep me prisoner.”
“Brie,” Mom hissed.
“What, so you can be snarky but I can’t?” I said.
Solano lifted his chin. “We will do no such thing. You will not be a prisoner. You will be sent to the Institute of Impaired Casters for counseling and training.”
Impaired Casters. I suppressed a shudder. So what, I was labeled as handicapped? A crippled witch?
“Where is this ‘institute’?” I asked slowly.
“Somewhere remote,” Solano said. “Only a few of us know of its location, for security purposes. But it’s isolated from other communities as a safeguard.”
They’re talking about me like I’m an atomic bomb, I thought irritably.
“Why does she need to be taken away?” Mom asked. “I don’t understand what threat she poses if she doesn’t have powers like other casters do.”
Solano shifted in his seat, his brow furrowing. “What do you know of Lilith’s Curse?”
Mom frowned, and Angel cocked her head, but something familiar prickled in the back of my mind. “Isn’t that a myth?” I asked.
“No,” Solano said stiffly. “Sadly, it is a part of our history, though many magical families associate it with mythology and lore. Lilith’s curse is a—”
“A defect in a witch’s blood that marks her as a child of Lilith, cursing her and those around her,” I recited. I’d spent years poring over magical texts, hoping that by studying my heart out, my magic would ignite somehow.
I’d been wrong.
“Precisely,” Solano said. “We haven’t seen a cursed witch in over three hundred years. But the tel
ltale symptom is a witch who is unable to access her magic. It is said that Lilith holds the witch’s power until the demon queen sees fit to unleash it.”
I blinked at him. “You think . . . I’m cursed?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mom scoffed.
“You seem well-versed in the story,” Solano said, watching me. “Perhaps you can tell us all of the damage a cursed witch is capable of.”
I sighed. “The last occurrence unleashed some sort of monster that wiped out an entire country. Councils from all over the world had to unite to subdue the creature and kill the witch to protect everyone from her slaughter.” I shook my head. “But that can’t possibly be me. How am I supposed to conjure some monster when I can’t perform any magic?”
“I don’t make the rules,” Solano said. “I wish I could grant you the freedom to do what you want, but unfortunately, the risk is too great. We simply can’t afford a loss like that. Too many lives are at stake. And if we run this risk, we risk your life as well. Should the worst happen, and you unleash Lilith’s power, we will have no choice but to hunt you down for the sake of the entire magical world. But if we send you away now to properly train you to access your powers, perhaps you will prove us wrong and tap into your abilities. If this should happen, you are, of course, free to return.”
I swallowed, my head spinning. This was starting to feel real. Too real. It had felt like a joke before, but now I was genuinely afraid of being ripped away from my family. My home.
The front door opened, and Dad entered, his dark blond hair disheveled and a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I got here as fast as I could.”
He removed his shoes and sat cross-legged at Mom’s feet. His scent immediately overwhelmed me. Since he was technically a demon, the smell of him often tickled my nose. But he still smelled like my dad. An outdoorsy scent like freshly mown grass mingled with the sharp vinegar smell of demons.
Dad’s green eyes met the Councilman’s, and Dad offered a curt nod. “Tony.”
“Oliver,” Solano said tightly. “We were just discussing—”
“Lilith’s curse,” Dad said. “Yes, I’m aware. And I think it’s insane to send away a child based on this fairy tale.”
“I assure you it’s no fairy tale,” Solano said coldly. “The devastation was very real, as you should know, having served on the Council for several years. The highest officiating Councilmen went to great lengths to cover up the trauma of that event for the sake of protecting the people. As such, the event was tossed aside as nothing more than a cautionary tale.”
Dad raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Perhaps you shouldn’t have covered it up then. But I’m not letting you take my daughter.”
Pride swelled within my chest, and I tried not to smile at the fire in my Dad’s voice. Instead, I stared at my lap. Angel’s grip on my hand tightened.
Solano sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “I’m afraid you have no say in the matter. If we must remove Miss Gerrick by force, we will. And your family will be imprisoned for interfering with a motion sanctioned by the Council.”
Dad’s eyes blazed, and he opened his mouth to argue, but Mom raised a hand.
“Wait, wait,” she said. “Can’t we go with her? We’ll sign some . . . affidavit swearing we’ll accept the risks.”
“I’m afraid that’s out of the question. There are other casters at this institute, and we simply can’t allow the presence of loved ones due to a limited capacity in the manor.”
“Manor?” I repeated, wrinkling my nose. What was this, some murder mystery?
“Yes, the Institute is a grand, secluded estate,” Solano said in a tired voice. “It’s meant to serve as a comfortable home instead of a . . .” He trailed off, his face twisting with a grimace.
“Prison?” I raised my eyebrows.
Mom sucked in a breath. “You—you can’t do this. She’s underage!”
“Yes, and the previous cursed witch was only fifteen when she tapped into Lilith’s powers,” Solano snapped. “We have given your daughter an extra year, but we can’t be any more lenient. As I said before, lives are at stake.”
“But you said it’s been hundreds of years,” I said. “How can you possibly think this is the year a cursed witch will show up?”
Solano’s jaw went rigid. “Because you are the first witch in three hundred years to have no powers.”
An icy silence filled the room, chilling me to the bone. Impossible, I thought immediately. Surely there’s some other caster who has trouble accessing their power. Surely I’m not the only one.
But I knew well enough—from the demons who stared at me in shock when I fought them and the witches and warlocks within the coven who’d made my life hell as they taunted my weakness—this was not normal. No one else was like this.
Everyone here knew I wasn’t a normal witch. And I certainly wasn’t mortal either, since I could still utter spells and summon a glow with my hands.
It can’t be, I thought, my throat feeling tight. I can’t be cursed. I’d feel it. I’d know! I’d know if Lilith were trying to control me.
I cleared my throat. “Let’s say I am cursed by Lilith.” I paused, struggling to keep my voice even. “How do I stop this . . . transformation from happening?”
Solano stared at me for a long moment. “If you truly are cursed, then I’m sorry, but there’s nothing to be done. Eventually, Lilith will claim you for her own.”
My whole body stiffened, and I sat there, frozen for a full minute. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, watching me process this information.
I swallowed and leveled a stare at Solano. “Then I’ll do it.”
Angel gasped, and Mom cried, “No! Brie—”
“It’s fine, Mom,” I said, grateful I managed to keep my voice steady. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Like he said, if I’m not cursed, I can just come home. I’ll go to this . . . this manor institute thingy, prove them wrong, and come home before you know it.” I met Mom’s gaze. “I promise.”
Mom bit her lip and exchanged a look with Dad. Angel squeezed my hand with trembling fingers.
“Will we—can we keep in touch with her?” Mom asked in a shaky voice.
“Of course,” Solano said immediately.
I watched my mom communicate wordlessly with my dad, deliberating this. Though I’d volunteered—though I knew in my heart I had to do this—something within me still shattered, knowing they weren’t fighting for me right now.
When Mom’s gaze flicked to Angel, I understood why: my sister needed them. She was sick, and if they broke the law to keep me here, no one would be able to take care of her.
I tried to squash the bitterness that swelled in my chest at the thought. As if sensing my conflict, Angel leaned her head on my shoulder, erasing all my anger. I couldn’t possibly resent her. It wasn’t like she asked to be sick.
If she weren’t the sweetest person on the planet, I’d probably try to hold onto that anger. But instead, I let it go like a leaf in the wind. I exhaled and closed my eyes, leaning my cheek against her soft hair.
“All right,” Mom said in a choked voice. She looked at me. “If you’re sure about this—”
“I’m sure.”
“I’m going with you,” Dad said, his eyes hardening.
Solano sighed like he was talking to a petulant child. “Oliver—”
“I know,” Dad snapped. “But let me at least travel with her as far as I can go. Just to ensure she gets there safely.”
Solano’s nostrils flared and his lips tightened. But, slowly, he nodded.
Relief spread through me. I won’t be alone. At least not yet.
Mom packed a bag for me, and then I made sure my goodbyes were quick. I didn’t want to prolong this, and if I didn’t rush out of there soon, I knew I’d break down. Or change my mind.
Or both.
Mom embraced me, and Angel hugged me for a solid minute. I clung to her as if I could take her essence with me.
&nbs
p; When we drew away, I pressed my lips into a smile. “I’ll be back before you know it.” I turned to Solano and Dad, who waited by the front door. “I’m ready.”
“I love you, Brielle,” Mom sobbed. “We love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I said quietly. I couldn’t look at Mom or Angel again. If I did, I’d never find the will to leave.
I followed Solano out the door. My heart caved inward as the door slammed shut behind us. Dad pressed a hand to my shoulder, and I breathed in deeply. Not alone yet. Not yet.
To my surprise, there were two beefy men waiting for us on the porch. Solano’s bodyguards, no doubt. As if he’d expected me to put up a fight.
The upbeat music still poured from the club across the street. We walked a block away from my house. My limp kept me from keeping up, but Dad gripped my arm to help me along. He offered to carry me, but I shot him a withering stare.
After a few minutes, Solano stopped, and his guards did as well. I frowned, looking around.
“Hayes will take you from here,” Solano said, turning to face me. “Good luck, Miss Gerrick.”
“Wait,” Dad said, raising a hand. “Where is he taking her?”
Solano looked at Dad. “To the portal.”
Dad straightened. “Take me too.”
Solano closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Dad’s grip on my arm tightened. “I’m not letting her leave without me.”
I thought about shaking him off and insisting I was a big girl and could handle myself. But instead, my heart swelled. He’s fighting for me.
In this moment, I needed to know that.
Before I could process anything, the guard closest to me grabbed my arm. I clutched Dad’s hand tightly. With a small pop, my surroundings faded, and my body jerked forward on its own. Magic spun around me, making me dizzy.
We landed in an enormous, empty warehouse larger than three football fields put together. The guard guided us forward, and our footsteps echoed. A single fluorescent light illuminated the eerily still surroundings.
“What is this place?” I asked, my voice bouncing off the walls.
The man called Hayes said nothing. He urged me forward to the very end of the warehouse. Only then did I notice the strange purple glow emanating from the wall. A large hole gaped at me from the wall in the back corner of the warehouse, and it glistened with power. Magic sparked in the air, but it was unlike any magic I’d ever smelled before. It wasn’t like the foul stench of demon or the citrus scent of light magic. This smelled like ash, onions, and seaweed. It stung my nose, swirling within me and filling me with dread and apprehension.