After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1)

by Patricia Proctor

  When he got to the woman’s house, he saw the filth the woman was living in. He saw there wasn’t enough food for this woman, let alone a growing baby. He saw the poverty and knew what kind of life John would grow up to have, but Aldo still left him. Left him to grow up isolated in an old farmhouse with a woman who was shunned from the community because she was suspected of being a witch.

  The old woman tried to raise him the best she could, but without any means, how could she give him anything? Other than what she knew. So instead of sending him to school, she taught him magic and forced him to work the farm. From a young age, he worked the land during the day, planting and growing food so there was something to eat on the table. Since people in town didn’t know him, whatever they didn’t eat, he brought to sell to the townspeople, who bought up everything.

  For a short time, things were good for John. He excelled at the craft. His abilities manifested early and he had no conscience so he manipulated people to get what he wanted. Until the fateful day he met a witch who was more powerful than him. John made the mistake of thinking he was stronger and when he challenged her, he lost and died at the age of 19 years old. The witch he met? That was my mother.

  She was young and strong and she saw what John was capable of and she wanted it for herself. She had no trouble killing him and cast a spell so he would reincarnate at the same place he died. When the baby, me, came, she took me in as her own and did past life hypnosis in order to discover everything. At five years old, I was able to tell her everything I remembered from John Scott’s life. In my vision, I saw him writing in a journal.

  My mother searched the old witch’s house until she found it, filling in all the rest of the details that I couldn’t. Fortunately, the witch also kept a journal and my mother discovered detailed information about your grandfather, Aldo. It seems the witch was doing her own research, but unfortunately for her, my mother had to kill her when she discovered she was making plans of her own for the property that rightfully belonged to me.

  Your grandfather decided the fate for John Scott — something he had no right to do! Do you have any idea how much John struggled and how hard his life was? I learned that I was his reincarnation and was destined for the same life — all because you altered my path, my destiny.

  In reading the journals, we learned of the Alexanders, who are the protectors of the Scotts. My mother came to Spring Hill to ask for financial help, but when she got here, your dad, Peter, pushed her away. She came to town to ask for help for me, but he literally pushed her ou the door.

  When Peter saw my brother, Michael, he took a special interest in him. Maybe he was trying to redeem himself for what he did to John or he wanted to punish me further, but he went out of his way to get Michael away from us. He sent him some money to move to California, helped him find a job, and made sure he was taken care of. I would have loved to know why he did that, but I guess it’s too late for that …” Selene shrugs.

  “He did it because Abigail Scott had a vision. She saw your mother coming and she told him to protect the boy at all costs,” Marcus says, filling in the blank for her.

  “How do you know that?” Selene snaps.

  “Both my dad and granddad kept a journal about everything from the day Aldo met the Scotts to the day you broke into his house using magic. You filled in a lot of blanks for me, so I’m returning the favor by telling you that.”

  “Oh, Aunt Abigail…Well, I guess I know where Cian got his ability from — but why the hell wouldn’t she protect me?” Selene asks angrily.

  “Selene, she knew you were the reincarnation of her brother. She saw it in her vision, but she also saw you followed a dark path. John would have been good, like them. You control your own destiny, Selene. You didn’t have to practice black magic. You could have sought out a white witch, someone to break the spell around you — and I have to say, it might not be too late.”

  “Why would I do that, Marcus? I like my powers and I am about to become a lot stronger, thanks to my niece and nephews and of course, your grandkids. You see, your grandfather sent John away, taking away his birthright. Your dad sent away my mom, taking away my birthright, and now, you are trying to get rid of me. But guess what? I’m not going anywhere. I know the truth and I know what my powers can do, so you can’t push me away so easily. Your family set up this course of action leading to this moment. That is my land, my house, my birthright and I want it back!”

  Selene throws out her hand as if to cast a spell and is suddenly thrown backward.

  “You don’t really think I would come in here without protection, do you, Selene? We are asking you to leave peacefully — with a vow not to return. If you don’t agree to leave, we will kill you… simple as that. I’ll give you until the end of the day to decide. I’ll be back in the morning. If you are still here, well, then you have sealed your own fate once again, Selene. Goodbye for now.”

  Marcus walks out the door without looking back. He can feel eyes on the back of his head and his knees tremble in fear. He knows that he just threw down the gauntlet to Selene, and he also knows she will react just as he expected her to when he came here today. He knows she won’t leave and now it is time to prepare his family for battle.

  Chapter 34

  Marcus arrives back at the house to find everyone in the kitchen. With Peter gone, Marcus is the patriarch of the family and it falls on him to tell his family what he has learned. The secrets that Aldo and Peter kept and the lies they told could have destroyed his family. Marcus looks around the room, sees the family dynamic has changed and now his desire to protect his family includes the three Silvan kids. He can’t help but wonder if Abigail Scott’s order to protect Michael Silvan was not for Michael’s sake, but rather for his children.

  He looks at Xavier and Cian sitting close to Brianna, whose arms are wrapped in gauze up to her elbows. When Marcus asks what happened, Kaiden is the one to speak up. He explains that Brianna was burned from the energy within a circle cast at Selene’s house and although Xavier and Cian have been trying to heal her, nothing is working.

  Marcus attempts to make eye contact with Liam, but before he can, Chloe clears her throat, “I think we should go to the clearing and cast the healing spell for Brianna,” she says to Cian with obvious concern.

  “Did you have a vision, Chloe?” Kaiden asks.

  “I can feel the energy of the land, drawing me there…please, can we just go?” Chloe asks, getting more agitated as each second passes.

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Chloe… not with Selene out there,” Liam says.

  “We all have to go now or there won’t be time!” Chloe replies, frustrated that her dad isn’t hearing the urgency in her voice.

  “Time for what?” Rowan asks. When Chloe doesn’t respond, Rowan grabs her arm and asks again, “Time for WHAT, Chloe?”

  Chloe pulls away from her sister and grabs the journals from Grandpa Marcus, and before he can react, Chloe hands Rowan the books and tells her, “Go put these with the other books, Rowan.” To her grandfather, she says, “Those journals should be with the family history and at some point there will have to be a conversation about them, but right now, we can keep them safe with the rest of the books.”

  “How did you…?” Marcus starts and then realizes that his granddaughter’s abilities are much stronger than he thought.

  Cian looks at Chloe, who has clearly had some kind of vision and is reacting to what she saw. He thinks again of the image he had of the two of them when they were old. Suddenly, he is moved to action to make sure everyone else will survive the night. He stands up abruptly, knocking his chair over, “Kaiden, grab the bag that you used at the clearing. Brianna, are you going to be okay to walk down there?” Brianna nods, and carefully stands up from the table. “Xavier, you want to start walking with Brianna back to the clearing?”

  Xavier nods and says, “C’mon, Brianna. Let’s go.”

  Brianna cautiously steps out the door, holding her arms close to
her body, careful not to touch anything.

  Cian thinks about how his healing spell isn’t working on Brianna and it occurs to him that whatever is going to go down has started. Selene has opened up a gate and things are about to take a turn for the worse.

  Cian moves around the table and stands next to Chloe. In a low voice, he says, “I can feel something has started.” She looks up at him and nods, “We don’t have much time, Cian.” He looks out at Xavier and Brianna moving slowly in the garden, and sees dark storm clouds rolling in overhead.

  He leans in for a quick kiss and assures her that everything will be okay. “Let’s just get everyone down there and go from there. Have you seen anything?” She nods and gives him a kiss and hopes that she passed the images in her mind to him.

  He pulls away, holds her at arm’s length, nods, and darts out the door, running to catch up with Xavier and Brianna. As soon as they pass through the garden, thunder cracks overhead and the wind whips the leaves around the yard. Chloe stands at the window watching Cian make his way toward them and to the clearing.

  Liam stands next to her watching the weather worsen. “Is it really a good idea to send them back to the clearing first? Alone?” he asks. Just then, thunder rumbles overhead and lightning cracks in the sky. “God, I can’t ever remember a storm moving in this fast. It’s magic, isn’t it?” he asks Chloe.

  “Don’t worry, Dad,” Chloe says distractedly, focusing on the backyard where Cian stepped through to the woods and is no longer in sight.

  “It’s time to go. Rowan and Kaiden, you stay behind me. Where’s Rowan?” she says turning from the window, noticing she hasn’t returned.

  “I’m here,” Rowan says, stepping into the kitchen. Chloe nods at her and looks to Liam and Marcus and says, “Dad and Grandpa, you stay behind them. When we step into the clearing, wait for us to control our energy before following. The clearing is very powerful with all six of us inside. This is not like the night you told us about our legacy,” Chloe says, a sad look crossing her face as she thinks of GG Peter. Even with all the secrets, she knows he was only doing it to protect them. “Once inside, we need you to stand at the entrance. You’ll know when it’s time to come in the circle,” she says smiling at her dad and grandfather. She’s taking charge just as her vision guided her.

  As they step outside thunder cracks nearby and a bolt of lightning brightens the dark sky. The leaves that were blowing around earlier seem to settle as Chloe makes her way down the path through the garden, toward the clearing.

  Rowan follows behind her sister, watching as the leaves surrender to her sister’s will. It is obvious to Rowan that Chloe is somehow manipulating the Earth element, by scattering the leaves. It feels as though she is sending her another message. When Rowan returned Grandpa Marcus’s books to the collection, Rowan found one of the grimoires open and took it as a sign that she was meant to read it. Rowan thought it was odd that Chloe insisted on sending her to return the two books Grandpa Marcus had, but when she saw the open book she knew her sister was sending her an unspoken message.

  Rowan wishes she could understand what is going on, especially after what she read in the grimoire. She is certain her sister is trying to communicate something important, but she’s not sure what. Rowan knows she just needs to trust Chloe — she is the one having the visions. She looks over at Kaiden who is looking anxiously around the yard. She knows he is concerned about Brianna, but the way he is looking around is making her nervous. “Kaiden, what are you looking for?” she finally asks.

  “Selene is coming,” he replies without taking his eyes from the surrounding woods. “I can feel the same energy I felt at their house. She’s somewhere nearby and she’s not alone.”

  Rowan looks through the trees, but can only see the movement of the leaves as they dance in the wind. Rowan wishes Chloe could find a way to make those leaves stop like she did on the path. It would certainly make it easier to spot someone creeping through the woods.

  When they arrive at the clearing, Xavier, Brianna, and Cian are standing just outside, waiting for everyone before entering. “Thank God, you’re here. She’s coming,” Xavier says.

  Chloe and Cian walk into the clearing first, using their abilities to control the power within the circle. Brianna walks in carefully and unable to focus on anything but the pain in her arms, she sits down on the bench farthest from the fireplace. Since she was burned, Brianna hasn’t been able to read anyone’s mind. She is terrified she’s lost her abilities for good, and hopes that whatever is going to happen here tonight will bring her abilities back. Kaiden walks toward the fireplace and waits for everyone to enter before lighting the fire. He wishes he could do more than just light a fire, especially since he doesn’t know how that will help them tonight.

  Xavier steps in and immediately feels his power of clarity magnify. He sees the plan and realizes Chloe sent the three of them to the clearing first to draw Selene toward their energy, which is already familiar to her. She would have no way of knowing they all weren’t together — she would never suspect they would separate this late in the game. Chloe is hoping to take Selene by surprise by controlling the energy in the circle so it is just enough to draw her, and then when she arrives they will unleash the extent of their abilities. She will have no trouble finding them, but has no idea how strong the six of them are together.

  Just before Rowan steps into the clearing, she looks up to the sky and the rain begins to fall. Once inside, she looks up again, expecting to feel the rain on her face, but instead the drops barely penetrate through the boughs above. Every once in awhile Rowan sees a raindrop fall, then hears the sizzling of the drop on the warm stones. She looks around to see if anyone else notices, but it seems she is the only one. She grins and is thankful that more of her abilities are finally manifesting.

  Liam and Marcus are completely unprepared for the power within the clearing. The jolt from the circle feels like an electric shock starting at the feet, fanning out throughout the body, touching every nerve until it escapes through the tops of their heads. For the second time that day, Marcus’s knees are weak and he realizes he is afraid, a feeling that was unfamiliar to him before today. Having spent a lot of time around witches, he doesn’t understand why today is so different. Reading his father and grandfather’s journal has affected him and the energy he feels coursing through his veins isn’t helping. He can’t deny that some of the fear he is feeling is likely left over from the confrontation with Selene earlier. Even with the thunder, lightning, and rain overhead he can feel the impending storm bearing down on them.

  Once everyone is inside the clearing, a gentle breeze clears the air. Chloe sets up the altar while Kaiden lights the fireplace and the candles that Chloe placed around the circle. Rowan pulls out the spell book from the bag that her sister keeps with her and sets it carefully on the rock ledge.

  As Rowan sets the book down, the pages blow open to a spell for absorbing a witch’s power. Rowan looks to see if anyone has noticed and when she sees everyone busy around her, she reads the words carefully, recognizing them on her tongue. She looks up to find Xavier watching her; she smiles quickly, closes the book and steps away from the altar, hoping he didn’t see what she was reading.

  Once everything has been set up, Chloe says, “I think we should start by drawing the protection spell around us and in the circle and then we will follow with a healing spell for Brianna.” Before Chloe draws the circle, she walks toward Liam and Marcus who are standing just on the inside of the clearing, like two guardian lion statues. Chloe hands them both an amulet from the altar box and asks them to wear them close to their hearts. Liam feels as if he has aged ten years when he sees the power in his sweet Chloe’s face.

  Chloe casts the circle, calling to the elements and the spirits of the land. She begins the protection spell, only to stop when she feels a dark energy invade her mind. Chloe can feel dark fingers probing, searching for the weak spot that can be used against her to take over the circle, to take o
ver the spell. Now that she knows that Selene is close enough for her magic to reach them, she throws a shield around herself and everyone else in the circle to protect them. The wind whips harder above and the tree branches overhead gape open, allowing the wind and rain to enter into the clearing. A large raindrop falls directly onto one of the candles, extinguishing the flame.

  “Kaiden!” Chloe calls, nodding toward the candle, hoping that he can sense her urgency.

  Kaiden focuses his energy on the candle and within moments it is burning as bright as the others. “She’s here, isn’t she?” Kaiden yells over the wind, looking at his sisters and Brianna, ready to do anything to protect them.

  Before anyone can respond, Selene walks through the entrance of the clearing, stopping just on the other side of the circle that Chloe cast. She looks at everyone within the circle and is surprised that Liam and Marcus would be inside the circle while they are casting spells. She sees the amulets hanging around their necks and for the second time today, she is surprised at what these inexperienced witches have already learned. She felt their energy earlier, and used it to find them. She knows her power is much stronger than any of theirs, especially with the open gate to the dark magic. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she took a life on this land today… feeding the hungry spirits writhing on the other side of the gate.

  Selene closes her eyes and raises her arms to summon the power of the spirits. She can feel their souls are restless, and although this land and these spirits are not used to such dark magic, they become excited at the prospect of her power. She focuses her energy toward the circle, expecting that none of them could cast a circle strong enough to keep her out. She feels the spirits she released coursing through her, moving toward her power, using her just as she uses them to manipulate the world around her.

  Her body convulses as one spirit from the land fights against her and the dark spirits she is attempting to unleash. Immediately she recognizes the spirit of Peter Alexander — the most recent life she herself gave to the land, preventing her from breaking the circle. She lets out an ear-piercing scream and casts a spell to quiet the spirits. Frustrated, she realizes she will have to use her magic alone, without the help of the spirits behind the gate.