by Martha Woods
They then took off in a run, conquering the path yet again in just seconds. They stopped once they were next to the road. Kristian groaned loudly from Morgan’s shoulder. Poor thing. Morgan didn’t bother putting him down, knowing he was too ill to walk on his own. They crossed the street and made it into the parking lot of the motel within just a couple of minutes. Veronica opened hers and Morgan’s motel room door. There was no way she was leaving Kristian alone until he was completely sober. She had allowed his antics to go on dangerously long. She wasn’t going to lose her brother because some bitch broke his heart. Morgan moved directly to the couch and laid Kristian down on it.
Kristian tossed an arm over his eyes. Veronica could practically hear his prayers for the room to stop spinning. In a way, Veronica was glad the short run had made him so ill. He needed to learn a lesson from drinking so much. Veronica rubbed her face and moved to the kitchenette in the room. “Did you tell the others he was found?” she asked Morgan.
“I texted them the moment you sat down with him,” Morgan replied.
“Thanks,” she sighed, glad she wouldn’t have to deal with an influx of calls and texts to her phone. Morgan was such a great man to her. Grabbing a bag of blood from the fridge, she poured it into a tumbler with a straw and walked over to Kristian. She nudged him with her leg. “Sit up and drink this before you pass out. You need to drink blood that hasn’t been cut with vodka.”
Kristian groaned and slowly managed to pull himself into a sitting position. He took the cup from her and sank back into the cushions of the couch. “Thanks, Ronnie,” he mumbled. That time, the nickname made her smile. While he was still drunk out of his mind, she could sense that this time it came from a sincere place. Kristian was finally trying to get back to him old self. She moved to walk back over to the dining area, when he spoke again, “Wait, I thought we were supposed to make plans.”
She looked back to him with an arched brow. “I think it’d be best to wait for you to sober up before doing that.”
He shook his head, “No, I’mfine…” he let out a long breath. “Okay, well I’m not, but I stillwan’ t-to plan. If I… If I don’t, I’ll just get trappedinmy head again.” Veronica glanced over to Morgan, who gave a simple shrug. She nodded for him to come over. Sitting down on the loveseat, she took a cigarette case from her handbag that was sat next to it. “Give me one of those,” Kristian spoke again.
“You don’t smoke,” she scoffed.
He shrugged, “Not like I’m goin’toget lung cancer. Cough one up.” Veronica studied him for a moment, hoping that this wasn’t some sort of indication of a new path to self-destruction. She plucked one from the case and stretched her arm out to hand it to him. Kristian took it and lazily balanced it between his lips. “Light it?”
“Be patient.” Veronica put one between her lips before closing the case and fished out her lighter. She stood up and took a step toward Kristian, lighting the end of the cigarette for him. Morgan moved to sit on the loveseat with her as she sat back down. Lighting her own, she took a deep, calming drag and moved a hand to Morgan’s knee.
Kristian puffed on the cigarette for a minute before taking it out of his mouth and holding it between two fingers. “So, what do you have planned so far?”
“Well, we’ve been building up our numbers more quickly the last week, taking on four instead of just two. We think with just two more weeks of it, we will be in a position to finally strike the Calder. I’ve reached out to the Firehaven, though not through Calla, but I did personally. They said they will match us man to man, and as long as they are filled in on the entire plan, in full detail, they will help us. They warn that a full attack on the Calder won’t be possible, because there are far too many of them. But that hitting them at the heart would be enough to weaken them to the point where they could no longer attack. They have word that Tessa was picked up by their High-Priestess-to-be, and has likely been in her protection. Even killing just Tessa and this Bethany girl would be enough to put the Calder in disarray for perhaps years.”
Kristian took another long drag on the cigarette, staring down at the floor as he thought about having to actually kill his ex. Veronica couldn’t even imagine being in his shoes, but hoped that she could make this entire process as easy as possible on him.
“Remember, once it’s over, it’s over. We can all start to move on. Start new,” Veronica called to him.
“Right…” he murmured, nodding to himself. He toyed with the cigarette, rolling it between his fingers as he drank the blood steadily. Veronica could tell it was making him a little sick, but he was going to have to work through it. “How do you plan to attack them?”
“The Firehaven know the location of their main base. Apparently, the young, lower-ranking Calder witches patrol the very outskirts of the area. We lead one away from the pack, grab her, and use her to get the information we need to get into the palace, and to Bethany. When we get inside, the couple of Firehavens with us will use their magic to signal the others to join us. Then we’ll ambush Bethany, Tessa, and hopefully a few top-ranking elders,” Veronica explained. She had been obsessively planning for the past week, wanting to have it perfectly planned so that everything was ready to go as soon as the newborns were tame enough to take with them. They weren’t going to get all the family members they needed, but it would be enough for the attack. Rebuilding the family was something Veronica was willing to come back to.
Kristian nodded in understanding. He was already starting to return to his usual ghostly pale color, the blood helping sober him and revitalize him. He took some deep breaths to calm himself and focus his mind. “So in two weeks, we’ll be attacking them?”
“The soonest we can do it is three, and that’s pushing it. It would only be giving the youngest newborns a week to adjust,” Veronica explained.
Kristian shook his head, “We need to do it as soon as we can. Three it is.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Veronica nodded to him.
He sat back, still sipping on the blood as the cigarette mostly burned up, unused. He started murmuring to himself, and Veronica could tell he was saying the plan to himself again. Kristian was having to force himself into this way of thinking. It made her hurt to know that even now, Kristian’s heart was still big enough to love Tessa. She hoped for his sake, that he would soon get over her. Maybe one of the newborns will take to him. She stubbed out her cigarette into the ashtray on the end table, and relaxed into Morgan. Morgan pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wrapped an arm around her. Veronica found herself praying that everything went according to plan. She didn’t believe in God exactly, but she knew there would never be a better time to at least try reaching out to a higher power.
Part Three
Three Weeks Later
Things had been very weird for Tessa lately. The rituals were becoming more and more frequent, and she was more powerful than she could even comprehend. It actually left her feeling a little fatigued the last couple of days. She was tired, unreasonably so. Tessa had been sleeping practically around the clock, only ever getting up for meals and rituals. Then, for a scheduled date with Ben.
Tessa and Benjamin had spent a lot of time together since their first meeting. It wasn’t exactly romantic, but his company did help her keep her mind off things. They would meet every other day and spend a few hours talking over a meal, listening to some vinyl records he had, exploring the palace. That day, they were taking a stroll in the garden. They walked in a comfortable silence. The gentle breeze rolling through the lawn was the only thing keeping Tessa alert, her eyes begging for permission to close. A warm hand touched the center of Tessa’s back, making her jolt a little. Oh, her eyes had betrayed her and closed for a moment. She blinked and looked over to Ben. “Are you alright, Tessa? You seem a little out of it…” he asked, genuine concern oozing in his voice.
She nodded and waved her hand to brush away the subject, “Yeah, I’m just very fatigued. I think the rituals have been getting to me a l
ittle bit. Overwhelming me, I guess.”
Ben’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into his side. “Perhaps they should slow down with them… I could talk to my grandmother for you,” he offered.
Tessa gave a weary smile, “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be alright.”
He stopped walking and turned her to face him. Tessa looked up at him with sleepy and content eyes. She hadn’t meant to study him so closely, but she noticed something lingering in his eyes. It made her mental walls drop a little, and could feel his aura for the moment. His concern was actually deeper than she assumed. It felt like he feared something bad would happen to her. Tessa actually found the concern endearing. It was sweet that Ben cared so much about her already. She had truly gained an ally in him. Ben stepped closer to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Tessa… I…” he begin bravely, but then seemed to lose the words. His eyes fixated on her shoulder, and she felt his fingertips starting to trace her collarbone. A shiver ran down her back at the touch, and she wrote it off as a reaction from not being touched more than holding hands since Kristian. Ben’s eyes followed his fingers as he spoke again, “I… I just want you to be as careful and cautious as you can. If things are too much for you, then take a step back. Don’t let Bethany just boss you around.”
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh a little bit, “She doesn’t boss me around. She’s like the least bossy person I know. While your worrying is sweet, it’s not needed. Bethany’s been very kind to me, and always gives me an option—”
“Just promise me that if you are pushed even a little too far, you’ll take time to rest,” he urged, finally looking her in the eye. Dropping his hands from her shoulders, he placed them very delicately on her hips. Ben’s tongue ran over his bottom lip before he began speaking, “Forgive me if I’ve been too forward or crossed a line. I’ve found myself actually growing very fond of you and your company, Tessa. I don’t want you… getting overextended. And while you may think she is patient now… Bethany has a history of getting her way.”
“What do you mean by that?” Tessa questioned. Was there something that she didn’t know?
“All I mean is what I said. Bethany is the next High Priestess, so she’s used to getting her way. If that starts to impede on your well-being, then speak up,” he explained, but that time, Tessa wasn’t so convinced he was being entirely truthful. Tessa put her mental blocks back up all the way, not wanting to invade his privacy when she wasn’t meaning to. “Promise you’ll do that,” he purred to her, his deep voice somehow managing to sound even more sultry than usual.
Tessa had to swallow a lump in her throat to answer, “I promise.” What was going on with her? Why was she suddenly tongue-tied?
Ben smiled softly to himself, and then lifted one hand from her hip to brush the hair from her face. What was he doing? Then, she got her answer, which should have been obvious. He swooped his face down and planted a tender, sweet kiss on her lips, letting his mouth linger on hers. Only, Tessa didn’t kiss back. She was completely frozen. What was she supposed to do? She felt like she was supposed to give in, to kiss him back and throw caution to the wind, to try and use him to get over Kristian completely. But as much as her mind tried to tell her to do just that, her body wouldn’t let her. It felt… wrong to have someone else’s lips on hers. While maybe she had been starting to develop some level of fondness for him, and perhaps even a little bit of a crush, she knew for certain she did not want a kiss from him.
After a long moment, Ben gradually pulled back and was flashing her a charming smile. Tessa averted her gaze. “I think I’m going to go lay down now…”
“Want me to walk you?” he questioned, looping an arm around her.
She shied away from his touch, “No, it’s okay. Thank y—”
“I insist,” Ben purred, reaching for her waist again.
“N-no. I want to be alone now,” Tessa said, trying her best to keep firm. She didn’t want to offend him, but she needed to be alone for a while. Clearly, she still didn’t have things sorted out and she needed to before she spent any more time with him.
“Very well…” Ben mumbled as she walked quickly away from him. “Rest well, darling,” he called after her.
Tessa went immediately inside the palace, and found her way to the stairs. While it was still taking a while to learn the place, she at least knew the way to her bedroom by then. She grew tired of how long it was taking her to travel, and used her magic to dematerialize into the same black cloud that other Calder witches traveled as. In an instant, Tessa was at her bedroom door. It used every last bit of energy she had to rematerialize. Her hands immediately planted against the wooden door, doubled-over from exhaustion. Why in the hell was it taking this much out of her? Having to use effort to open the door, Tessa forced herself into the room. She was thankful for the darkness inside, the thick curtains blocking out nearly every ounce of light.
Dragging herself across the room, she flopped onto the bed and rolled herself up into the blankets. Tessa couldn’t have opened her eyes even if she wanted to. Her limbs were as heavy as lead to her. The exhaustion was so overbearing, she had actually forgotten all about Ben’s kiss for a couple of minutes. When it invaded her mind again, Tessa groaned into the silk pillows. Why had he done that? Why couldn’t things have continued going the way they were? It didn’t feel right to her that he had chosen a time where Ben knew Tessa wasn’t herself, to kiss her. And what had he been rambling on about Bethany for? Was he trying to drive a wedge between her and her sister? If so, why? Tessa couldn’t even begin to figure it out, she was far too tired. Her body gave into the darkness and the silence. And while her mind tried to stay on, her body dragged it down into slumber.
There was only black when she slept. Not a single dream. Not a single thought, just complete blackness. It was an incredibly hard slumber, her body not moving an inch as she slept. When a distant noise started to bring her back to the conscious world, Tessa struggled to bring herself back to consciousness to find out where the noise was coming from. Over the course of a few minutes, the persistent, and ever increasingly loud knocking, pulled her from sleep. Tessa jerked up in the bed, looking around, completely disoriented from sleep. “Tessa? Are you okay?” Bethany yelled through the door. How long had she been out there yelling. “If you don’t answer soon, I’m coming in anyway! I want to know if you’re alright.”
Tessa took a few deep breaths to collect herself. Finally, when she had her mind together enough to speak, she called, “I’m fine! You can come in…”
The door was open in a fraction of a second. Bethany moved across the room as quickly as she could, and sat on the edge of Tessa’s bed. “I was knocking for seven minutes… Did you drink or something?” Bethany asked, worry burning in her blue eyes.
“What? No,” Tessa said, shaking her head before resting it in her hands. She still felt like she could sleep the rest of the day. “I’m just really tired… I think the last few rituals really got to me…”
“Oh, poor thing… I’m sorry that they have exhausted you so… I was actually coming to get you for another one.”
“What? No… Bethany, I don’t have it in me right now to even stand,” Tessa grumbled. “Can we wait for tomorrow?”
“Well, it already is tomorrow… You slept all night and day. It’s actually eight in the evening, Thursday,” Bethany informed her.
Tessa stared in awe. She had been walking with Ben Wednesday morning… Tessa had really been asleep for basically two whole days? She felt like she had hardly blinked… “Oh…” Tessa breathed.
Bethany reached and lifted Tessa’s face from her hands before taking both of Tessa’s hands in hers. She pulled her from the bed. Tessa stumbled before gaining her balance. “See? You can stand,” Bethany giggled. “You just need to get up and moving around. Staying in bed will keep you tired.”
“I don’t know…” Tessa murmured. “I think maybe I need to rest for a while longer.”
Bethany frowned a
nd squeezed her hands tighter. “I understand that, sister, but… Today is a special ritual. It needs to be done.”
“What’s so special about it?” Tessa questioned, finding the motivation to arch a brow at Bethany.
A wide grin dominated Bethany’s face in seconds, “It’s your last one! And I swear, you don’t have to do any more than you’re doing right now. Just stand, and perhaps say a couple of words, and it’ll be done.”
Tessa groaned loudly. She wanted so badly to get back in bed, but if it really was the last one… She might as well get it over with. “Alright, fine, but I’m not changing…” she mumbled, still in the same dress she wore the day before.
Bethany rolled her eyes with a light laugh, “Fine. Lazy,” she teased. They moved from the room. “I suppose we’ll get there the quick way,” she said, keeping Tessa’s hand in hers while she dematerialized. Tessa didn’t have time to protest. They were a cloud of smoke, whirling through the palace, until coming to an abrupt stop in the ritual room. Tessa’s knees dared to buckle underneath her as soon as she was in her physical form again.
“Ugh… Bethany, I don’t know about this…” Tessa meekly said. “I’m really exhausted.”
“You never know how they’ll take to you. Maybe this one will wake you up,” Bethany tried to encourage, walking toward the center of the room.
Tesa’s gaze panned around, noticing the entire council in attendance. They all wore ceremonial robes this time, rather than just their dresses. The robes were black and hooded with red silk lining. It was rather ominous looking, but Tessa had been rather desensitized to their love for darkness and gothic-esque culture. Bethany helped Tessa to the center of the room, Tessa still struggling to keep herself standing from how very tired she was. Getting to the pool, Bethany kicked off her shoes before stepping down, and helping Tessa in as well.