The Return (The Witch Hunter Saga)

by Nicole R. Taylor

  "I don't know." She dropped her gaze and wrung her hands, suddenly nervous. Now was the time she'd have to give them answers. Zac knew without asking that it was something she'd never given anyone. Glancing up at them she said, "I have a lot of explaining to do."

  Sam seemed uncomfortable and went to stand. "I'll leave you two alone."

  "No, Sam. You can stay. I assume Zac has told you about the dreams." Aya curled her legs beneath her on the sofa next to his brother. "You have as much right to hear what I have to say, given you are mixed up in this as much as I am. For that, I'm sorry. I never intended for you all to be put into the firing line."

  "Aya," Sam grasped her hand reassuringly. "You became one of us a long time ago. The things you have done for all of us, well, it's the least I can do. You don't need to apologize."

  She smiled tiredly, pulling her hand back awkwardly. "I have a lot to say," she sighed, trying to find the right place to begin. "I've been known by many names. Not all nice. People have worshipped the idea of what I was and what I became. The good and evil."

  "Aericura, the raven haired star..." Zac whispered absently.

  Aya's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, that's one name I was known by. Not the one I was given when I was born, but close enough."

  Zac took her hand tentatively. "What is your name?"

  "I was born, Aeriaya. She is dead." Her words signaled a finality, her eyes dark.

  "I dreamed about you in the forest," he whispered. "You were in a clearing, surrounded by Spanish moss covered trees and the ground was white, covered with small flowers... You shone like pearl and your hair was silver."

  Aya was suddenly shy, he saw her cheeks turning pink as she blushed. He reached up and cupped her face in his hand, making her look at him. "That girl is who I was before," she whispered sadly.

  "Who was she?"

  "I was never human," she said, looking hesitantly at Sam as Zac's hand dropped away. "I was the last daughter of my kind. We were called the Celestines. Those from the stars and the earth."

  "That's why you were called the star..." Sam said, leaning forward.

  "My family gave the first witches their power. They created their kind as you now know them," she smiled sadly, remembering. "We were the source of the power behind nature. Of life. I had the strongest earth sense of all. I could feel the trees growing, flowers unfurling. At night the stars would sing to me, their light would dance on my shoulders. I could feel the earth down right down to the core.

  "It was our purpose to keep the balance of the earth, to ensure that it was green and fertile and strong for those that lived on it. But by the time I was born, we had dwindled to a mere few. My family was the last..." Her voice caught in her throat and she stifled a sob, determined to keep her emotions in check. "Katrin was one of the five founding witches. They were given their powers in trust to help keep the balance of the earth in the event of our absence. Katrin betrayed the faith that was placed in her and created the first vampires out of spite and a lust for power over us. She easily found willing victims for her scheme, there was war all over Britain at that point. War between tribes and invasion from abroad. She found them from the ranks of the invading Roman armies. They were hungry for power and easily seduced by the lure of riches, strength and immortality. They would pay the price one way or another," Aya shivered as she remembered the day she was snatched in the forest. "Caius and Arturius you know. Arturius turned me once they realized I was no good to them anymore. My family weren't coming to save me, they left me to my fate, rather than submit to Katrin. I hated them at the time for abandoning me, but now I know they did it to protect the whole. He... he turned me just to see what would happen. He had no idea of the monster he would create."

  "Son of a bitch," Zac glowered, he had been silent throughout her story until now.

  "Katrin was desperate to learn the secrets of the Celestines," she spat. "With those secrets she sought to control the earth itself and everything in it."

  "Do you know why she created vampires?" asked Sam, as much for himself as anyone.

  "Vampires were created as a weapon and a way to learn what we wouldn't give. Celestines were connected with their power most at night, the stars could be used as a conduit to their sense of self. My sense of self. Hence, why vampires can only walk in the night. As you know, blood was one way Katrin could coerce information from us. She learnt much from me while I was imprisoned, but none of it made sense. She could never learn what she needed that way. It had to be given freely."

  "So, the founders were useless," Sam shook his head.

  "What a conundrum, huh?" she said, wryly. "I doubt it was the only reason. But she's not in the position anymore to give us any answers."

  The brothers were silent, finally realizing the gravity and the extent of what they had avoided by helping her banish Katrin's spirit. It sounded like the ultimate cliché, but she had truly tried to take over the world. And it seemed Arturius wanted to continue on, regardless.

  "The Romans I killed that first day were Titus, Marcus and Octavia. Titus I killed when I escaped. Marcus and Octavia I tore apart when I returned for revenge. There is also Regulus, who is alive somewhere."

  "I saw them in the dreams," whispered Zac. "Arturius we will find a way to deal with. Do you have any idea where Regulus might be?"

  "It's a big wide world, Zac. He could be anywhere. Sure as hell he knows that Caius and Katrin are dead. I've hidden from them for two thousand years, undoing their work wherever I can. I'm not concerned that he'll find me once we corner Arturius. I know how to go undetected, I can show you a few things."

  Zac was miles away, "Maybe Arturius is doing his dirty work."

  Aya shook her head, "I don't know. But, he was always the runt of the litter. He and Regulus never got on."

  "I think we should concentrate on Arturius," Sam said, not betraying his reaction to her story. "He is the more pressing. While he is here, Gabby won't be safe."

  "Gabby?" Aya sat up straighter on the sofa at the mention of her name.

  "Yes," Sam said. "Arturius has made some attempts to attack and kidnap her. I suspect because of what she knows about you."

  "From when we banished Katrin," she groaned. He had been lurking in the bushes like a pathetic peeping tom. Waiting for her to let her guard down, so he could rip her heart out. He would have seen her and Gabby together and suspected.

  "Where is she now?" Aya asked.

  "She's staying with Alex for the time being. Arturius doesn't know where he lives yet and certainly cannot get into the house. For now, she's safe," Sam reassured her.

  "Not for long," she worried her bottom lip. "Arturius is smart, Sam. He's been hunting me for so long it's like second nature to him. He's come close many times. If he hasn't already found her, he will any minute."

  "I'll go and check on them," Sam said. "I'll give you two some time."

  Aya didn't speak for a long time after he'd left. Zac sat with her, grasping her hand like she was going to disappear as he watched thoughts tumble about her mind. She'd relived some of the most painful memories of her existence today, the memories that she'd buried for thousands of years. It must take some getting used to. Remembering.

  "I know what you’re thinking," she whispered, when she finally felt able to speak.

  "What?" Zac whispered back.

  "The fact that I grew my heart back," she grimaced. "How I can come back from being hung, drawn and quartered. How I can survive being burnt alive. Having my head chopped off."

  "Decapitation?" he gasped.

  "I didn't do that one at the time, but I did get my head lopped off by some British king in the middle ages. You should have seen the look on his face when I bent over and picked it up," she tried to make light of the situation.

  "Geesus," he hissed. "Do I want to know the logistics of that?"

  "Not really. It hurt like hell, by the way."

  "I'm sure it did," he said, rubbing his neck.

  "How does anything work
? Your existence and Gabby's is the result of magic. For lack of a better word. It's that simple."

  "You can't die because of magic," he began to understand.

  "The ultimate conundrum," she laughed. "The source of magic, turned into a creature made of magic. I'm a black hole that can't be cancelled out."

  "And when everything is gone?" He wasn't sure he wanted to think about the end of time.

  "Who knows?" she shrugged. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Unless a solution to my consistent resurrections is found."

  "That's dangerous information."

  Aya frowned and sighed. They had much work to do before she could contemplate finding those answers.

  Zac's eyes darkened suddenly. "She should have told us. I could have understood the dreams."

  Aya shook her head. "When you thought I was dead."

  His head snapped up, his green eyes wide. "But you're not dead, you're here."

  Her blue eyes were suddenly cold, falling back to her previous thoughts. "Maybe one day I will be."

  Zac's eyes searched hers, willing her to come back. She was the one true immortal, she had said. She couldn't die, he'd seen it in his dreams and with his own eyes. Suddenly, he was overcome with sadness and he knew that secretly, Aya wanted to die. Maybe not today, or in a hundred years... But eventually, she wanted to go back to the earth. He wasn't sure what to say to reassure her. Maybe his love wouldn't be enough in the end.

  Finally, she said, "Don't be mad at Gabby. She was bound to secrecy by a law older than us all. I don't know what would have happened if she had broken it," she smiled faintly. "In a way we are sisters. It was my mother who gifted her line with their power, along with a piece of herself. A piece of my family lives on in all witches. Misuse is a betrayal."

  Zac nodded, understanding completely. "When you pulled Caius' life force from his body... that was..."

  "A gift from my Celestine side," she shook her head. "If there is another way to kill a founder, then I don't know it. As far as it is known, I am the only one who has a chance. Zac, they mustn’t know I'm alive. Until I can kill Arturius, no one must know."

  "I can speak to the others. I can explain everything to them. As I said before, you can trust us." He knew it pained her to talk about her past like this. He didn't want her to dwell on it for longer than was necessary. They needed a course of action and fast. The remaining founders would die and he would follow her into the bowels of hell if that's what it took.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  "Aya is alive?" Gabby exclaimed when Alex came home.

  He'd been rather late to work the day before and spent a lot of time apologizing profusely to Mrs. Greene. Thankfully, she had understood, when he said a friend had taken ill that morning. It had pushed their schedule slightly behind. He'd planned to put all the finishing touches on today and had to stay late to compensate and work all the following day to make up for it.

  "Yeah," he was still shocked by it as well. "I was driving into town and she was on the side of the road. I almost didn't recognize her until she turned around. Her heart had just grown back."

  "Oh my god," Gabby's hand flew to her mouth. Of course it had, she'd seen Arturius tear it from her.

  "You know we have to keep this a secret, right?" he fidgeted.

  "Yes, of course," she reassured him. "Is she okay? I mean, that's kind of…"

  "Full on," Alex finished for her. "Sam seemed to think so. She'll probably need to rest a few days, but I don't even think they know how it all works."

  Gabby seemed to contemplate this for a while, then she said, "Maybe now we can get rid of Arturius."

  "Here's hoping," Alex grinned uncertainly.

  "Would you ever take it back?' Gabby asked, her voice quiet.

  "What?" He was confused.

  "Knowing all of this. What we all are?"

  He laughed, "It's not exactly a picnic having a two thousand year old vampire messing with your friends, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I used to be normal. Now I feel part of something, you know?"

  Gabby curled her legs beneath her on the sofa and smiled. "You really like Aya, don't you?"

  Alex shook his head and grinned. "She might be all scary and tough, but she's a good person. She knows what's right."

  "You're very similar in that way." Alex frowned at this and she quickly added, "Knowing what's right. You're the least scary person I know."

  There was a sharp knock at the door before he could reply. Naturally, he went to stand and go answer it, but hesitated at the last second, looking at Gabby. She placed a finger to her lips to silence him. When he mouthed Arturius, she nodded her eyes betraying her fear.

  Shit. He worked fast.

  "I know you're there," came his gruff voice through the door. "I can hear your hearts beating."

  Shit. Alex had no idea how he had found them. They had almost two days of peace and he supposed that was generous. Sam had said he'd spent thousands of years hunting Aya, so maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise. Arturius was good at this kind of thing.

  "Don't make it harder for yourself, Gabrielle," the Roman called out through the door. "Do you want your human friend to die? Because it can be arranged quite easily."

  Alex held back Gabby as he walked to the door, wrenching it open. Coming face to face with Arturius for the first time scared the hell out of him. He couldn't show any fear or he'd be done.

  "Go away, Arturius," he spat, eyeballing the two thousand year old vampire.

  The Roman raised his hand to grab Alex around the throat, but couldn't pass through the door. It was like his hand had hit a pane of glass. Arturius' face contorted into anger and he punched the air in front of him. Alex took a step back, even though he had no hope of touching him while he was still inside.

  "You're not welcome here," he sneered, not backing down.

  "I don't want your welcome," the Roman growled at him. "I want your witch."

  "Well, you can't have her," he slammed the door closed in the vampire's face.

  "It's only fair that I kill you, human," the Roman banged a fist against the door. "After all, you staked me in cold blood. Eye for an eye."

  Alex looked at Gabby, who was standing inside the lounge room, peering around the corner into the hall. What the hell were they going to do? They couldn't stay inside for the rest of their lives. A vampire had all the time in the world to wait them out.

  But, apparently Arturius had a short attention span. When the front window blew in, Gabby screamed, the tinkling of glass raining about the lounge room. Alex pulled her into the hallway not a moment too soon.

  "That was a warning," came his voice from outside. "You would do well to heed it."

  Alex stared in shock at the large rock that lay in the middle of his lounge. What the hell had he gotten himself into? Was he suddenly in some kind of movie or TV show? He scoffed, running his hands over his face. Keep your head screwed on, Alex, he thought to himself. Gabby's life was on the line. It wasn't an appropriate time to loose it.

  "He's gone," Gabby whispered, breaking his shocked perusal of his front windows. "But he'll be back."

  Alex walked into the lounge and surveyed the damage with a groan. The window had shattered with so much force, shards of glass had embedded themselves into the far wall and much of the furniture was shredded.

  "Zac was right," he said, wrenching a piece of glass from the sofa, trying not to slice his hand open in the process. "He's an arrogant bastard. And showy, too."

  "What are we going to do?" Gabby said quietly. "My power won't work on him."

  "I'll call Sam. Maybe you know who might be able to help," he said, wary that someone might still be listening. Aya supposedly being dead was their one weapon against the founders. If Arturius found out then it was all over before it even began.

  Aya sat cross-legged in the middle of the garden, the overgrown grass rustling in the cool breeze of twilight. Zac was beside her, their knees touching. He hadn't said anything for a long time,
seemingly content to wait for her, playing with a long blade of grass. It had been a hell of a long day, but the load she'd been carrying around on her shoulders all of this time, it felt lighter and strangely, it was relieving.

  She remembered seeing a blonde-haired woman at the manor when Sam carried her inside. She'd never seen her before. "Who is she?" she asked. When Zac looked at her confused, she said, "The blonde woman."

  "Morgan," he sighed. He seemed conflicted.

  "So, I didn't hallucinate her, then."

  "No."

  "Who is she to you?"

  He was silent for a moment, frowning. "I met Morgan about seventy years ago. It was 1944 and I was in France as part of the British army. World War II. She had been turned a few years before and was there for much the same reason I was. We became friends of a sort and when I could no longer tell friend from foe, she helped me back on the wagon. After the war ended, we lost contact and I never saw her again. Not until a week ago."

  "She just turned up?" That sounded suspicious.

  "She came looking for me."

  "And?"

  "Aya," he sighed. "She's not working with anyone. I believe her when she said she only came to see me."

  She frowned, unable to let go of her suspicion. This was game she was all too familiar with and randomly showing up when so much was going on, that was a glaring red flag. It would take a lot more than Zac vouching for the vampire for her to believe any of it. She would get the real reason for Morgan's miraculous appearance out of her any way she could.

  "Did you tell Sam about her?" she asked, fishing for clues.

  "No," he looked away. "Not at first."

  "Why?"

  Zac ran his hands over his face and grimaced. "Because that part of my life was horrible. I didn't want him to know anything about it. He trusted me when I left him alone and I betrayed him. I didn't want him to know."

  She placed a hand over his before letting it drop away. "Is she staying?"

  "I don't know," he shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned she's welcome for now."

  Aya exhaled, not trying to hide her annoyance. "How much does she know?"