A Girl Beyond (War of the Witches Book 2)

by Marjorie Weismantel

  She shook her head. “That is all I can say about this.” I slowly nodded but I was not reassured.

  “Let’s go onto the other young man. He is not very much of a charmer I take it, although he can be quite funny at times. I will say that he is your intellectual match, but he can be rather grating.” She glanced at me with a thoughtful look before adding, “There is a bright light about this person. He is quite exceptional, courageous really, with a good heart and mind. He has a great deal of control over his special powers. He is a good person to have on your side when there is trouble.” Nadia regarded me sympathetically before saying, “There will come a time when you will have to choose between the two. When that time comes, the choice will not be easy. Sometimes you miss what is right in front of you.”

  “Can’t you tell me anymore than that? That isn’t particularly helpful,” I implored, pursing my lips.

  Nadia glared at me before answering, “Tess, these cards can only give you some perspective. They cannot tell you what to do. Besides, that would be the easy way out. Unfortunately, the easy way is almost never the best way. You know that.”

  Nadia put her hand on the left card. “Time for the card of the past.” She turned it over to reveal a queen. “How very interesting. It is The Queen of Swords. I believe that is an appropriate card for you, Tess. The Queen is a strong person who keeps part of herself hidden from others. It is because she has endured a great deal of hurt as a child.” Nadia studied me before continuing, “I can see that you had a sad beginning. You were abandoned by your father and you endured the death of your mother. You moved in with a kindly aunt and your uncle died recently.” She shuddered before continuing, “I cannot tell what happened to him. He is surrounded by darkness, a very unpleasant place.”

  Nadia took a deep breath and added, “I see in the card that you are a caring and thoughtful person, but also highly independent. Sometimes you stand aloof, but that is more for self-protection. There is an invisible barrier between your witch powers and your ability to use them. Your ‘sight’ has always been there but it is quite undisciplined. That indicates to me that you have not always been aware of your gifts.” With a sigh she added, “In time you will be forced into using more of your powers out of necessity.”

  Nadia indicated the last card with a wave of her hand. “Tess, would you like to turn over the last card, the one about your future?”

  With a wry smile, I answered, “No, not really, but I will.” I flipped the last card over. What?? It read DEATH! Does that mean I’m gonna die? On the card was pictured that horrible hooded man with a sickle. Isn’t he the one who leads people away after their own death? “Does this mean I’m going to die?” I asked, my voice rising in pitch.

  “No, oh no, Tess. It does not necessarily mean that you are going to die. This card does signify the death of something, though. Can you think of some aspect of your life that is over? Are you having trouble facing a big change in your life? Are you experiencing a fear of something new?” Nadia looked expectantly at me.

  I stared back at her, and then I let loose, “A fear of something new? I would answer an emphatic YES to that! My life has changed completely and I want my old life back. I used to be a plain, ordinary girl going along with my plain, ordinary life. No one was after me, trying to maim or kill me. I had my friends, my family and my cat. Of course, stuff happened, but I was managing OK, then, SUDDENLY out of nowhere, I’m a WITCH! And I’m not just an ordinary witch, OH, NOOOooo, I’m a powerful, well-known witch that’s been fighting it out for centuries with the most evil, unforgiving, witches ever. In fact, those witches are so diabolical, so terrible, that they’re called diaboles and they’ve been waiting forever for payback. They’re coming here to get me and I don’t know what I’m going to do!!!!” I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

  Nadia stood up and came over to me. She lifted my chin and beheld me with the full force of her ancient, knowing eyes. “Tess, this card is telling you that you must face your new reality. When you face it head on, you will still be scared, but you will actually feel better. You must forget about how it used to be. That time is gone. When you turn the full force of your energies toward your new future, things will not look so bleak. And, Tess, you are not alone. We will help you. There are others coming to help, too. I can feel it all around us. And there is one more thing you should know. I can see it. It will happen sometime in the very near future.”

  “What is that?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  Nadia glanced over at Dika before answering me, “There is a time when your father will come. He knows about you and he is coming here to help.”

  40. The Thing About Cats

  I had to sit there for a minute to digest that information. My father? I haven’t thought about my father for years. The last time I saw him, I was 3 years old. I don’t know him. Why would he be coming now? Dika could see that I was distressed. She sat next to me and squeezed my hand. I felt a pleasant zing up my arm and through my shoulders. That felt amazing! I studied Dika closely and noticed a shimmery silver haze twirling around her head and her hands. It’s apparent that she is a very old soul.

  “Do you know what’s going on with my dad?” I whispered to her.

  “It is good, Tess. I believe he is coming here to help you. That is all I know,” she said softly.

  Mrs. Petrov stood up and hustled over to Mercy and Tess. “Girls, I hope you gained something from the reading. Mercy, I’m so sorry for the sad news about your grandmother. Perhaps you can go and visit her.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Petrov. I plan on visiting her. It was very kind of you to have us over. Thank you for the tea and cake.” Mercy gave her a hug.

  As we started walking toward the door, a whirl of activity appeared at my feet. Empress Stephania and Her Royal Highness had come running over to me, howling loudly, circling frantically. Princess Hannah jumped from the back of the couch to my shoulders, as if trying to grab onto me. Her claw caught on my jacket for a second then she landed on the floor. It was as if she was trying to keep me from leaving! She then joined in with the other two cats, loudly meowing and howling. It was freaky. While Siamese cats can get ‘talky’, if you know what I mean, I’ve never heard such commotion. They almost sounded like crying babies. Were they trying to tell me something? Yeah, sure they are! I better get a grip.

  “What are they doing?” I turned and asked Dika.

  “They are worried about you, Tessie. They don’t want you to leave here,” Dika answered gravely.

  “They’re WORRIED about me? Come on, they’re cats, yes, Siamese cats, but they’re still cats!” I shook my head.

  I glanced down and saw Her Royal Highness trying to crawl up my jeans. “Why is she doing that?”

  Mrs. Petrov remarked, “They sense that you are in danger. Felines are very perceptive. Perhaps they want to warn you.”

  “Warn me? That’s insane. What do they know?” I declared. At that moment, Empress Stephania swiped at my jeans. Her claw went right through to my skin. “Ouch! That hurt!” I yelled at her. She yowled back at me! Crazy cat!

  “Tess, don’t you know about felines?” Dika asked me, frowning.

  “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied while shaking my head.

  Mrs. Petrov placed a hand on my shoulder. “Tess, why don’t you sit for a minute and give the cats your attention. We can explain who they are.”

  I sat down in a chair by the front door. Her Royal Highness and Princess Hannah squeezed themselves onto my lap and Empress Stephania sat next to me, licking my arm with her sandpaper tongue. They were meowing and staring at me with their crazy blue eyes.

  Dika bent over and scratched Princess Hannah on her head who responded by purring loudly. “These beautiful felines are reincarnated witches, Tess. I’m sure your cat, Beauty Queen is also a witch. Many Siamese are reincarnated witches.”

  “Witches? These cats are witches?” I was dumbfounded. I never imagined such a thing.

&nbs
p; Dika continued scratching the Princess while talking. “They are all good witches, luminars. The bad witches would never come back as a cat. Good witches are known for incarnating as felines when they’re afraid to come back as a person. It frequently occurs after a horrendous life of witch persecution. After all, being a cat is usually a more restful existence.”

  “So, you’re saying that luminars can choose to be born as a cat after a terrible life of witch persecution. Is that the only reason?” I asked.

  Dika sighed before answering, “Sometimes it is the only way to get a witch to come back to life on earth. You might say that it is a way to ease back in.”

  “Nadia added, “Witches do come back as cats for another reason. Sometimes, a diabole will set a course to follow a luminar from one life to the next, especially if the luminar managed to escape persecution. Diaboles are not capable of detecting a witch that is reborn as a cat. So, you can see that it is a way for a luminar to avoid being followed into the next life by a diabole.”

  “Why don’t bad ones come back as cats?” I inquired.

  Dika sniffed, “Why would they? It’s not like they need a rest from discrimination and mistreatment. They usually live their lives in the lap of luxury. Besides, they’ve always hated cats. If anything, they might come back as some other nasty creature.”

  Mrs. Petrov commented, “I believe they usually come back as rats. It is a way to pass on disease, and they like to scurry around in the dark, scaring people.”

  “Hey, I just realized something,” Mercy said, looking thoughtful. “Cats were pretty much exterminated during the Middle Ages because they were thought to be in league with witches. Was that done on purpose by the evil ones? Did they know that cats could be incarnates of good witches?”

  Mrs. Petrov nodded her head in agreement. “Yes, the evil ones were completely aware of what they were doing at the time. They knew they were punishing good witches. Of course, they eventually paid for their reckless murder of the felines. The plague germs spread like wild fire, since the cats were not there to kill the rats. Many of the bad witches ended up dying of plague, along with the nasty rats!”

  I stroked each cat in turn. “What do you think these cats want from me?”

  Mrs. Petrov answered darkly, “They want you to understand their concern. They know what is coming. They will help in any way they can.”

  “I truly appreciate their offer, but honestly, what can they do?” I asked, as a feeling of despair swept over me. Suddenly, the three felines jumped up, stalking around my ankles and howling. What’s up with them? You’d think I slammed their tails in a door!

  Mercy laughed, shaking her head. “Tess, they’re upset because you’re dismissing them. Have you ever seen a cat in a fight? My cat, Prince William, almost killed a dog that was twice his size. The poor dog made the mistake of cutting across the corner of our property.”

  Mrs. Petrov nodded emphatically. “Tessie, my dear, cats are the only domesticated creatures that could survive in the wilds if they had to. It is because they are such fierce hunters and fighters. And these aren’t ordinary cats after all. They have the hearts and souls of witches.”

  “There’s something else. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself,” Nadia said in quiet amazement. She went over to scratch Empress Stephania on the head before continuing, “It happened at our farm in New York about four weeks after Princess Hannah and Her Royal Highness were born. They were in one of the horse stalls in the barn. I was leading a horse back in when I heard a commotion near the cats. A wild boar was in there, circling them, about to attack. The momma cat was hissing and standing in front of her kitties, but she didn’t stand a chance. I was running around looking for a pitchfork when I head this insane shriek.

  “I turned to see a flying ball of fur and claws attacking the boar. I presumed it was the momma cat until I turned to the cats and realized that the momma cat was still there. Then I watched Princess Hannah’s metamorphosis. She arched her back in an attack mode, stretched out her claws and hissed. Her claws actually GREW. They didn’t just stretch out, they grew and additional half inch. And her teeth grew! I remember thinking that she looked like vampire cat. Her scream was terrifying before she flew onto the pig. I realized that the other flying fur ball was Her Royal Highness. The two kittens eviscerated that nasty boar with their long claws and teeth. After a while, the boar stopped squealing. They tore it to pieces.”

  Mercy was incredulous. “So you’re saying that when they were attacked their claws and teeth actually grew?”

  “That’s right. They turned into little killing machines. It was incredible! When it was over, they changed back to cute, little adorable kitties. Afterward, I wondered if it really happened. But all I had to do was look at the scraps of flesh and blood that was left of the pig,” Nadia said with a shudder.

  “Little killing machines”, I thought as I stroked their silky fur and looked into their beautiful seeing eyes.

  41. Tough Guy

  Even before I opened my eyes, I could hear the howling wind and pounding rain. It sounded worse than yesterday, if that was possible. After a particularly loud crash of thunder, Beauty Queen jumped off my bed and darted into the closet. She’s become quite sensitive to thunderstorms in the last few weeks.

  The school day passed without any major problems. That’s a victory of sorts. There were more new students that showed up, even some with foreign accents. How far did they travel to get here? I didn’t want to think about it. I always made a point to sit far away from any of them. Usually at some point in time, each one of them would turn and stare at me during class. Some were just curious, but most of the new ones viewed me with open hostility. I was not in the mood to acknowledge any of them.

  At the end of the day, I found myself waiting in the lobby of the school for Will. He invited me to ride with him to the robotics meet at Rockledge High School. It was a little early so I stared outside at the crappy weather. There was something unnatural about it, with the constant swirling of darkening clouds and the perpetually screaming wind. I’m not familiar with this part of the country, but Grandma Edwina has been complaining about how unusual it is, and she’s lived here forever. Deep down, I think it’s related to what’s going on. After all, nasty, tempest-raising witches are flocking here from all over the place. It only makes sense that they would somehow affect the weather. Maybe it’s their way of putting us on edge and keeping us there.

  “Hey, what’s up, Tess?” Will plopped down next to me. “How’s your neck?”

  Will was grinning at me and I felt a warm glow in the pit of my stomach. I feel like I’ve known him forever, even though it’s only been a few weeks. I had a sudden urge to give him a big hug. The goofy expression on my face was probably making Will a little uneasy so he tipped his head slightly and asked, “Are you OK?”

  “Oh, sorry, I got a little distracted. Yeah, my neck is fine. It only felt stiff for a few days. It’s just so nice to see you.” I really meant it. Will’s been a rock for me.

  “Really?” His smile went up a notch and the dimples appeared. “That’s nice to hear!” He suddenly looked at his watch. “Hey, let’s get going. Sam and Doug are also riding over with us. They’re supposed to meet us in the front lot.”

  As we were leaving the building, a mob of kids passed us on their way in. I only recognized one from my class on Thursday. It was the creepy girl with the shiny metal pieces stuck on her face. All of them were wearing baggy hoodies that hung like shadows over their heads. They were slinking in like a pack of jackals. A few of them deliberately swerved nearby, trying to force us to walk around them. I refused to budge so I bashed into the nearest one.

  He turned his face to me. Was that a nail in his nose? It looked hideous. He sneered, “Watch out, little girl!”

  What a jerk! I’m so tired of constantly feeling anxious while I’m in school. I grabbed him tightly around the wrist.

  “Hey, let go of me,” he whined as he tried pul
ling his wrist back. I wasn’t letting go. Staring into his eyes, I knew he was getting nervous. He was just a bully and he enjoyed pushing a girl around when he was with his gang of losers.

  I smiled at him and mocked, “What? You’re not afraid of a little girl, are you?”

  I stood there and concentrated on how my hand felt. It was getting hotter and hotter and starting to feel tingly. Pain was around the corner but I didn’t care. I was having too much fun.

  “Hey, you gotta let go of me! It’s really hurting,” he moaned.

  I was barely conscious of the crowd, standing there, watching. Suddenly, he screamed at the top of his lungs. Guess I should drop his hand. I leaned right up to within an inch of his face and hissed, “STAY AWAY FROM ME.” Then I dropped my voice and added, “Man, you are ugly.” As I moved away, I glanced at his arm. There was a bright red burn ring around his wrist where my grip was. Streaks of crimson ran up his arm from his wrist. It looked like a nasty electrical burn.

  People from his hoodie gang were staring at his arm and backing off. I gazed directly at them, malevolence shining from my eyes. Their macho posturing had ceased, at least for now. There was a swirling haze of dark colors interspersed with sharp streaks of dark red all around them. You’d think they were walking in a black fog. They were evil, spiteful souls. The streaks of red told me they were furious, but they knew to back off.

  I glanced down at my hands. They were unmarked.

  42. Lights

  Will put his arm around my shoulder and said softly, “Tess, let’s go.” Then he quickly steered me out of the school and down the steps. Sam and Doug were right behind us.

  “Holy crap, Tess! You were scary in there. What’d you do to him?” Sam asked in astonishment.

  “Yeah, that was unbelievable. That looked like a nasty burn,” Doug added excitedly. “I have to say, I don’t know where those kids came from, but they’re freaks. They just showed up outta nowhere early last week. People started calling them ‘the Hoodie Rats’ cause one of them is actually called Rat. Two of their gang got suspended yesterday for starting fights with football jocks. Everyone else is totally afraid of them so they just back off.”