Between

by Kirstie Keatings

  They could do this.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  As soon as they entered Waterloo, Lila could tell that the other witches were aware of their presence, and she alerted Adam's truck to this. Adam then passed it back using a different walkie-talkie, and it was passed back by every car behind until everyone knew that they were being watched.

  Lila held Liam's hand, stroking her thumb over the back and studying it intensely until Evan spoke from behind them.

  “Lucky we drive automatics, huh?” he asked, clearly teasing her, and she withdrew her hand. “Aw, don't stop on my account. It's cute. Do you guys have your initials carved into a tree?” He was mocking, but only in a playful way. Lila responded with a rather rude hand gesture.

  “I'm guessing that's a no.” he chuckled.

  “You guessed right. Are you psychic?” she asked, welcoming the distraction.

  “Touché. I just know most witches are too into nature to actually do something like that.” Evan added, surprising her – she had no idea that their good attributes were passed along; it almost seemed counterproductive to making them believe they were some kind of evil force.

  “That's right. We take most of our power from nature, so it's disrespectful to cause harm unnecessarily.” Lila answered.

  “But you're not vegetarians, are you?” he asked.

  “No, but we're very grateful for what we eat and try to hand raise the animals we can so that they have a good life. Death is part of life for us; We believe that the animals who die for our food will be reincarnated into better lives thanks to their sacrifice.” Lila explained, warily. The vegetarian argument was always a potentially dangerous one. She chose to eat meat, others didn't. She wasn't trying to be cruel or disrespectful to anyone or anything.

  “Just curious.” Evan reassured her, making her relax. She was just about to answer him when suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the truck violently skidded sideways into a shop, toppling on to its side and crashing into a store front, the glass shattering in an inward explosion. Lila was injured, her head bleeding, but Liam, who had only sustained bruises, healed her quickly, and they climbed out of what was now the top of the car through the driver's side window. Glancing up the road, they saw the witches storming towards them.

  Lila dropped down next to the bed of the truck to check on everyone. Gloria looked dazed and shaken with superficial cuts, Grace had a broken arm, and one of the new witches, Cameron she thought, was lying a crumpled heap, his head at an awkward angle.

  She'd sworn she wouldn't do it, but she couldn't leave him like this. Moving over to him, she took his hand, and coaxed him back to his body. Liam moved beside her, healing the boy's broken neck so that when his spirit returned, he was whole again. As soon as he opened his eyes, Liam moved over to Grace.

  Noah, Troy and Aria appeared to be fine, though Aria's eyes were full of fear and gratefulness at the same time; she would never forget the girl who had brought her twin brother back from the dead.

  When they were all healed, they moved around the side of the truck to see that they were surrounded by witch hunters and their own group alike, keeping them safe while they treated injuries. Lila took Liam's hand and pushed her power towards him, and he let it feed his strength until he felt it begin to weaken her, then he pulled his hand back. They both needed to be strong, there was no margin for error here. They'd already had the element of surprise stolen from them, so they needed to find a way to slip away and regain that advantage.

  Their problem was solved when a large force of witch hunters stepped forward, guns pointed and aimed at the witches, who threw up a shield just in time. Lila grabbed the bag which had been stashed in the truck cab, only to be unburdened by Liam, who made noise about being a gentleman and stronger than her, in any case.

  They snuck out from behind the group, heading round behind them and hiding behind a bush to unload the bag, passing traps and dampeners to everyone. She guided them in a short meditation, getting them in touch with their magick in preparation for what they were about to face.

  “Ready?” she asked softly. The others nodded, straightening up. The witch hunters checked their guns; they had special magickally etched bullets to hit the spirits, so they felt far more prepared than they had when they had been the last time they had been called to arms (not that they had made it in time).

  Weapons in hand, they rounded the corner, expecting to see the witches being trapped in their defences, but utterly unprepared for what they saw. At least half of the front lines were crumpled, dead or dying, and the witches were mocking those who remained. How had it gotten so bad, so quickly? Were they about to end up in another massacre? Lila held herself back from saving the dead only through sheer determination, and the pressure of Gloria's hand upon her arm. It was too much, that was obvious, and she had a larger part to play.

  As one, they all rose one hand, pointing it at the Keres coven, and allowed their magick to flow. Burst after burst of energy crashed into the women, causing them to stagger back, momentarily stunned and failing to respond, but they quickly found their feet. Lila felt pain, crying out as she dropped to her knees, pressure smashing into the front of her chest. She had no doubt that without Noah's vest, she would be dead right now, but the pain itself was so terrible, she almost wanted to let go.

  There was a bitter, metallic taste in her mouth, flooding around her tongue, and she spat, sending crimson splattering across the ground. Liam dropped down beside her in alarm, and she realised the witches were focusing their attack on her alone, swatting the others off as best they could. She shook him off, barking out an order to split up; they were too easy a target at present.

  The others ran in all directions, but Liam refused to leave her side. He threw up a wall of fire, which deflected their attacks and allowed Lila to breathe. She fell against him, eyes closing, feeling a warmth spreading through her chest before she realised what he was doing and grabbed his wrist.

  “No.” she croaked. He needed his strength.

  “Don't you argue with me...” he sounded less angry than he did panicked, and Lila realised that he was on the verge of tears, behaviour extremely unlike Liam. He was gritting his teeth in an attempt to sound stronger than he felt, and forced her hand away from his, resuming his healing. She didn't allow him to do more than she absolutely needed, forcing him back with a small twinge of her magick.

  “That's enough.” she insisted, forcing herself to her feet and swaying on the spot. Her ribs still hurt, but there was no new blood in her mouth. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, then allowed herself to wonder why they hadn't been attacked again. Liam's wall would have offered some protection, but not so much that they couldn't break through it if they wanted.

  It wasn't until she heard a loud bang that she realised what was going on; the young witch hunters must have followed through with their plans to let off charges, and were no doubt being aided by their friends to make these explosions seem like genuine threats.

  She made as if to diminish the wall, but Liam grabbed her and pulled her aside.

  “No. We need to move, get out of their line of sight. You saw what happens.” he warned. The distraction proved to be a mistake, however, as he was suddenly thrown back, his head cracking sickeningly against a rock. Lila let out a distressed noise, almost running to him before she truly thought about it and spun on the spot. Just one of the witches had come around the wall, and it was clear that a larger battle raged beyond it. Her dress was covered in blood, and Lila deeply hoped it was her own.

  “You are an interesting one, Lila Raegan.” a guttural voice, far too deep for the form it came from, spilled out of her mouth, making Lila shudder with the feeling of wrongness, of being out of place. She threw up her hands, trying to use her magick to pull the trap towards her, but that wasn't how her power worked. Try as she might, she was helpless – and probably about to die.

  “I'd say you're interesting too, but honestly you're mostly just kind of gross.” She shot ba
ck, cursing mentally at the waver in her voice. If ever there was a time to project strength, this was it – she wasn't going to back down to the Keres witch and her intimidation tactics.

  “Little lamb, lost and alone. Such big words, but you're no wolf, we both know it.” the witch clucked her tongue.

  “What's your name?” It was such an odd question for a moment like this, but she felt like she had to know, needed to know the name of the woman – or man, since it could be either inside the shell – who might be the death of her.

  The Keres witch stopped in surprise at being asked, her body hunched as though she were a panther on the prowl, always wary, especially in the face of a witch she knew was strong, despite her claims to the contrary. Time stretched and snapped into stillness – either the witch couldn't remember, or she was wondering if this could be used against her somehow. Eventually, she seemed to decide it was acceptable, for she answered, with far less pomp and circumstance than Lila anticipated.

  “I am Mairi.” the spirit answered, “But what does it matter, Little Lamb?”

  She wouldn't let the patronising tone, or the nickname which came with it, get to her.

  “Mairi. A surprisingly pretty name for a megalomaniacal halfwit.” Lila shot back, straightening herself and anticipating an imminent attack.

  “You, a mere child, dare to insult me? I was both murdered and born in the carnage of Salem! Those without magick are dangerous, they destroy what they touch, and murder the Earth around them!” Mairi howled in anger.

  “Don't know if you've noticed, but you're doing a pretty good job of killing the Earth just by being here.” Lila shot back.

  A wave of powerful magick overpowered her, so strong that she could taste the elements on the tip of her tongue. Lila cried out, pressure in her skull making her buckle at the knees, the world vibrating unpleasantly around her, distorted and distant, as though she were being ripped from her reality. Panic set in, and she lashed out, finding her power coming quickly to her fingertips. Apparently, being half murdered allowed her to stand on the border between worlds.

  She threw out a blast of inky black vines, glittering despite the world around them being shrouded in dust and clouds. It was so dark, it was virtually impossible to tell whether it was night or day. Liam's wall of fire still burned, and if she believed in Hell, this would be it.

  Her power crashed into the witch, winding around her and hurtling her backwards against a store front. Mairi lay stunned for a moment while Lila tried to think through her foggy mind, tried to speak around a thick tongue, and tried to regain the clarity she had been granted moments before. All she managed was a weak groan.

  Forcing herself back on to her feet yet again, she struggled to even plant one foot in front of the other, to reach the other witch before she regained her senses.

  In this state, it was no wonder she arrived far too late to even stop the witch from breaking free of the bonds and standing. One glance up, and Lila felt doom press down upon her, the certainty of her death creeping down her spine.

  Straightening her spine, she looked stubbornly at the woman, determined to go down with pride.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Just before the final blow landed, Lila heard what could only be described as a battle cry, and Libby threw herself into the fray, aiming the gun at Mairi and firing in an explosion which was louder than Lila could have anticipated, and yet she felt completely detached from the action. Libby barrelled into the witch, grabbing on for dear life, pointing a second shot to her temple.

  Given that the witch was already dead, this didn't kill her, but the bullets were laced with powdered black onyx, weak in the state it was in but enough to thread into her blood stream and begin to dampen her powers.

  It was at this point that Lila remembered her bracelet, which hadn't been retuned to her power in all of their rushing. She took time to thread her magick through it, and felt it thrum to life. It was at this point she realised the onyx in the compound must be spelled by the witches on the witch hunter's side.

  She barely felt her aches and pains as she forced herself to walk purposefully towards the witch, who had thrown Libby to the ground and was employing the same crushing power that Lila had endured on the girl. The closer she got, the less this seemed to be bothering Libby, until the girl sat up, a look of utter confusion on Mairi's face.

  “What have you done?” she rasped, sounding far less threatening than before, as though the crystal were sapping her very presence, which it might well be. Her eyes settled on the bracelet as though she could sense the source of her weakness, honing in on the thin sliver of black which was visible inside the metal case. “Traitor! You use the tools of hunters against your kin, you work with hunters.. disgrace!” Mairi hissed.

  “Shut it, grandma.” Lila shot back, then drew her arm back, landing a punch to her jaw. She'd never hit anyone before, and was completely unprepared for the crunch of bone beneath her fist – her anger had drawn her to a strength which had almost dislocated the woman's jaw. Unfortunately, it was only almost dislocated.

  Mairi staggered back, shocked by the blow and the fact that something so mortal had hurt her at all. Her ego was completely deflated, eyes wild. She threw herself at Lila, tearing and scoring with her nails, which were too long and sharp to avoid. Lila felt the skin on her neck rip, though it wasn't enough to do considerable damage. What she was worried about, however, was the fact she couldn't pry those clammy hands away, and Libby was no help, still shaking off the feeling of being crushed.

  “Heads up!” came a cry, and a blur of motion was set into action. Lila was able to spin just enough to see Troy throwing the trap, over her head, to his boyfriend, who dropped it to the floor and kicked it open. As soon as she felt the magickal pull, Lila knew what she had to do. Sensing Mairi's spirit inside the body, she yanked, the additional pull from the trap allowing her to pull her spirit free. She backed up until she was right beside the trap, then let it take over.

  The pull was instant, and Mairi stood no chance. Screeching, her spirit was a twisting mass of black and grey, laced with silver sparks of power. Behind her, the body crumpled to the floor, and she glanced back just as Troy kicked the trap shut, grinning at his boyfriend. She had an absent thought about what a good team they were, then spun as she heard a soft cough.

  She was still alive? The last thing Lila had expected was for the witch who had played host to Mairi's spirit to have survived, since her body was obviously decaying due to the raw magick used to remain on this realm. Lila dropped down beside her, lifting her head slightly and helping her tilt it to choke out blood.

  “I... 'm sorry.” the woman struggled to speak, and Lila hushed her softly.

  “You didn't know. You're forgiven.” she murmured, softly but loud enough for her to hear. It was an assumption, of course; Lila had no way of knowing if the witch had invited the spirit in or not, but she had asked for forgiveness, and Lila wasn't going to withhold it when she had so little time left. Indeed, moments after receiving her forgiveness, she gave a single nod, then went slack in Lila's arms.

  Lila felt her spirit leave her, and gently laid her down on the ground, making an attempt to get up. Her legs were weak and barely responding. A small wave brought Noah and Troy to her sides, and they helped her up, hauling her to her feet and supporting her when she wobbled. Without the adrenaline, the weight of her injuries was crippling her.

  “Liam.” she croaked. Libby was already moving, so she forced the boys to all but carry her over to where Liam was still collapsed, partially covered by rubble. To her relief, he was still breathing. She placed her fingers against his pulse, feeling it strongly. Only then did she allow herself to relax, slipping down to sit beside him and pet his hair, watching as Troy and Noah pulled rocks away from where he lay.

  “The others?” She could hardly bring herself to speak in complete sentences. Judging by the state of the boys, who were cut and bruised at the very least, not counting any injuries she couldn't see,
she didn't want to have any hopes for the others, particularly Grace, who was completely out of her element and at a distinct disadvantage.

  “We got all of the spirits. All trapped and ready to go.” Troy piped up, his voice a mask of cheeriness.

  “Troy, the others.” she insisted, and he gave a helpless shrug.

  “I don't know. It's chaos out there. There were explosions, and I don't think all of them were the charges.” he admitted, frowning lightly. She waved her hands towards the fire, and Troy took the hint, using his magick to finally dampen the flames which had been burning despite Liam's unconscious state, partitioning them from the rest of the battle.

  What Lila saw caused her to suck in her breath. Carnage. Everywhere she looked, there were bodies strewn, bodies which would take days to pick through and figure out who was alive and who was merely unconscious.

  It was too much.

  Tears spilled over, tracking down her cheeks before she was even aware she was crying. As soon as the realisation hit, the gasping started, her body drawing in large lungfuls of air seemingly to sate the need to sob, noisily and unattractively. Tear tracks were visible on her cheeks as they fought their way through the dust. ash and residue left from the fire and fighting. She cried without hope of being consoled, needing desperately to just let it out and break down. She'd been so consumed with appearing strong that she had forgotten one thing: she was as human as anyone else.