A Girl Beyond (War of the Witches Book 2)

by Marjorie Weismantel

  “You were electrocuted, along with everyone else there. Luminars can handle electrical power, but that explosion was quite severe. Normal beings would have died, but you were merely knocked unconscious.”

  “How about Will and everyone else who was there?”

  “They were also stunned by the power of the blast, but otherwise they are all right.”

  “Are you sure that Will is OK?”

  Miss Cassie smiled at me, “Yes, in fact, he’s down the hall. I suspect you will be able to see him later.”

  “What happened to all those diaboles? I thought they would kill us.”

  “Most of the diaboles who were at the Spirit Tree are dead. They were pierced through the heart by the flying branches from the Tree of the Living Spirits.”

  “What? How did that happen?”

  “You see, The Tree is alive with the spirits of the previously murdered witches. The tremendous power of the lightning strike combined with the spirits’ fury and the ionic power of the luminars caused the living branches to seek out the hearts of their enemies. They became heat seeking missiles you might say, for the heart is the warmest spot on the human body.”

  “But, all of the diaboles did not die? Why?” I was secretly thinking of Ian.

  “Only the diaboles standing in the open field were killed. The tree could not find the hearts of those who were lying on the ground, probably because of the coldness of the snow. It has also become apparent that some diaboles were suspicious and became afraid, so at the last minute they managed to escape into the surrounding woods.

  “How do you know that?”

  Miss Cassie answered, “There were several trees on the periphery of the field that had burned to the ground. That tells us that the Spirit Tree’s missiles landed in the woods while seeking the hearts of the fleeing diaboles. Those trees burned due to the heat of the high voltage electricity that followed.”

  “Do you know what happened to Tonya and her pals?”

  She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. “Yes, Tonya was among the living. She and her friends, including Ian, are still with us.” I noticed that Miss Cassie looked at me with raised eyebrows while mentioning Ian’s name. “They were fortunate because they were lying in the snow during the deadly volley from the tree. However, they didn’t get off easy.” She shook her head. “The cats really did a number on them because they were defending you. Two of the boys almost bled to death and Tonya’s face doesn’t look quite the same.”

  I took a deep breath and paused before asking, “Miss Cassie, why is it that Tonya can communicate with me in her head?”

  “Oh, yes, the mindspeak.” Miss Cassie smiled knowingly. You are inexorably tied to Tonya because you had caused her mother’s death.”

  “What are you talking about?” I gasped.

  “During the first apocalypse in the 1300s, her mother was the unpleasant wife of the lord that you lived under. You gave her a very nasty disease, lockjaw I believe, through the laying of the hands. Do you have a recollection of the incident from your regression?”

  “Yes, I do,” I answered thoughtfully. “For some reason, that life was very memorable. Are you saying that Tonya was one of her children? I distinctly remember the boy and the girl. The lord and his wife used to bring them to whippings and burnings. They were horrible because they used to smile and laugh while commoners and the good ones suffered greatly.”

  “I will tell you, Tess, that the cause of a mother’s death is never forgotten, especially one that is beloved. It appears that Tonya was very attached to her. Tonya has been following you over the centuries, from one lifetime to another, looking for payback. All in all, her actions have turned out badly for both of you.”

  Now that I think about it, I vaguely recall Tonya making some strange remarks to me about her mother, which would explain why she openly despised me. I have to admit that Tonya always elicits such a visceral hatred within me toward her and I could never understand that. I’m usually not one to feel such animosity toward another person. My subconscious must’ve remembered her.

  Miss Cassie frowned. “There is another reason people may link telepathically. It’s when two people have shared many successive lifetimes. That means that you may have experienced telepathy with others.”

  “Yes, that has happened,” I responded, thinking of that hateful English teacher.

  “There’s one more thing I don’t understand, Miss Cassie. Why was it so important for the luminars to go to the Tree of the Living Spirits? After all, so many of them died and it was all for naught. My friend, Mercy died. I saw Abe’s frozen body under ice in a pond. I know others must have died because they didn’t make it to the Tree,” I said, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

  “Tessie, dear, don’t you know what you did?”

  “No, not really,” I said.

  “You and the other luminars were the cause of that tremendous lightning strike. Remember, you told them to increase the electricity under the tree with the rubbing of hands. Instinctively, you KNEW that was necessary, and that’s what brought the strike. Fortunately, because they went to the Tree, there were enough luminars to create the power that was absolutely essential.”

  “What about all of those dead diaboles around the tree? Didn’t that look strange? What did people think?”

  “When the diaboles were speared with the tree, they were burned with successive jolts of high voltage electricity. Their bodies simply burned to ash, which blew away in the wind. I will say that the police were mystified by some of the frozen bodies that had stab wounds. They couldn’t explain it to the public so they seemed to have hushed it up. I’m sure they have no idea what really happened,” Miss Cassie added, frowning.

  “Mr. Kenney said that there may have been thousands or even tens of thousands of diaboles gathered in the area in order to bring about that terrible weather pattern. Are they still around?”

  “The diaboles who were concentrated in and around Woodley, particularly those who were involved in the conflict at the Tree of the Living Spirits, were the leaders of the evil ones. They have been the most destructive and the most hated of the diaboles. When many of the leaders perished at The Tree, the rest of the diaboles simply took off. You see, the diabole followers felt no loyalty to the leaders. Diaboles don’t instill loyalty in anyone because they are totally selfish beings. As soon as the followers saw that things weren’t going well, they fled.

  “If they didn’t feel loyalty to the diabole leaders, why did they come in the first place?”

  “Because the followers were commanded to come. They also knew that if the diabole leaders had won a great victory and they hadn’t been there for support, they would be held accountable. With a number of the leaders gone, it doesn’t matter, at least for now.”

  The warm sun shone through the window. As the diaboles dispersed, so did the nasty weather that had descended on Woodley and the surrounding region. A sense of relief came over me. “So is this battle over? With the worst of the diaboles gone, does that mean the tide has turned? Will the luminars be able to live in peace and practice their craft? Will we be free from their constant torment?”

  Miss Cassie answered gently, “This has been a big victory, and you will be safe, at least for now. But you are mistaken when you say that the diaboles are gone, for they are not gone. A number of them managed to survive by escaping into the woods. Some of the most evil have merely died and passed on, but they will come back again, as angry and spiteful as ever. This fight has been going on for hundreds, if not thousands of years. History tends to repeat itself, especially with those who are vengeful.”

  “But, what can we do to stop the cycle? Why don’t they just want to live in peace?” I cried.

  Miss Cassie shook her head. “How do we stop them except to defend ourselves? They only want to exert power. They have become addicted to its intoxicating effects and they will never change. That is the nature of the diabole. They care nothing about living in peace.”

&nb
sp; “Then we have to be more proactive in the future, for we are the only ones who can stop them,” I declared, clenching my fists.

  Miss Cassie sighed and touched my hand. “If you recall, you had tried that before, over 600 years ago and it worked for a short while. Just as it is difficult to change the nature of the diabole, it is almost impossible to change the nature of the luminar, for they naturally believe in the goodness of the soul and they have a strong desire to live in peace. Ironically, they are usually so busy going about their own lives that they are unaware of the destructive actions of the diaboles until it is too late.”

  A tear slipped down my cheek. “But we have a little time, don’t we? It should take at least one lifetime, perhaps more, for them to come back.”

  “It would be nice if we had an entire lifetime,” Miss Cassie answered thoughtfully.

  I turned and looked at the lines of water running down the window. Sunshine, the most glorious gift of all, was causing the ice and the snow to disappear, drip by drip. At the same time, I felt the fear that had dominated my life these last few months recede. It was replaced by something I haven’t felt for a very long time: that sense of anticipation and excitement for my life, my future. How wonderful it is to look forward to tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and the next. That alone is a gift.

  {… to be continued}

  Noteworthy Last Words

  The present day events in the story of Tess and A Girl Between take place in the state of Connecticut, one of 6 states in the New England region of the United States.

  The town of Woodley and other local references are fictional. Descriptions of landmarks may or may not be based on actual locations, although if they are, those names have been altered to protect their confidentiality so that their enjoyment will forever be the personal and private experience of those local residents.

  The characters and events portrayed in the present day story are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  However, many of the events described in Tess’s regressions, and their locations, are based on real events that have taken place in past times. The persecution of witches throughout the ages is true and an unfortunate casualty of history. Many women and men who were non-conformists, independent, and often true healers, were victims of unjust accusations and terror. Historians now suspect that many of those bringing the accusations had done so in order to profit from the property of the accused.

  Mr. Kenney’s explanation of the sun’s solar activity, the earth’s magnetic fields, and the shield these provide in protecting the earth from cosmic radiation, is all scientifically correct. The additional explanation of cosmic rays acting as a catalyst in cloud formation is also based on emerging theory that is currently evolving in climate and cosmic science.

  The resulting weather phenomenon described in the story is simply an artistic license for dramatization. However, it is noteworthy that very similar weather circumstances were in fact experienced on October 29 through October 31, 2011. This significant event became known as the The Great Halloween Blizzard, a storm of record consequence in southern New England and New York State. By the time the storm had ended, over 3 million people were left without power, many for 10 days or more, as a result of over 20 inches of very heavy snowfall at a time when most trees still had retained their leaves, thus resulting in massive damage with broken limbs, fallen trees and downed power lines, collapsed roofs and numerous deaths. Those who blame the storm on supernatural and paranormal causes are not limited to just a few.

  Afterword

  The author hopes the reader enjoyed Tess’s adventure and her vital role in the War of the Witches. Please note that the tales of Tess will continue in a follow-on novel A Girl Undone due to be released in 2015.

  For updates and news on the War of the Witches series and other future endeavors, please visit the author’s website www.agirlbetween.com . In addition, your written book review on the eBook website would be greatly appreciated!

  Acknowledgements

  There are many individuals who reviewed various drafts and gave their positive praise and constructive criticism as this book was written. To those friends and family, I am truly grateful. The encouragement from Alicia Baver, Stephanie Kexel, Hannah McCluskey, Linda Hammontree, Virginia Cizman, Janet Weismantel, and my daughter Laura Weismantel enabled me to continue plugging away for the last several months.

  My heartfelt appreciation is particularly extended to Laura, Alica and Stephanie for all of their editorial work. It was especially helpful to me since I am notoriously comma challenged. I wish to also thank Laura for her help in the design of the book cover, which depicts Tess as a vulnerable young woman.

  I appreciate the work of my son Doug Weismantel, who provided his expertise in helping to market A Girl Between and in developing the author’s website, which can be found at www.agirlbetween.com .

  The inclusion of cat characters was, for me, an enjoyable addition to the story line, and so, a loving thank you goes out to my two Siamese cats, Tootsie and Buster, for giving me feline inspiration, and to my dog Cobie for putting up with their harassment.

  And lastly, I would like to offer my most profound thanks to my husband Steve, for all of the hours of work he put in, reading, correcting, editing, offering ideas, reviewing and more reviewing, and finally, reformatting the final manuscript for eBook and print publishing. He’s a sensible, and loving man, even if he is an engineer.

  Marge Weismantel

  April 2014

  If you enjoyed A Girl Between

  please keep reading for a preview of the forthcoming book

  A Girl Undone

  that continues the story of Tess

  available as an eBook in 2015:

  A Girl Undone

  Chapter 1 – Peace Interrupted

  I turn the corner and there it is! I’ve finally found my waterfall. It’s so hard to locate that sometimes I think it gravitates to different parts the woods, but of course that can’t be.

  As far as I’m concerned, this is the most beautiful spot on earth. These woods are spectacular, with the endless brooks that seem as if they are alive with murmurs of soft babbling, gently but persistently flowing through the mossy rocks and hanging trees. I look up to watch the luminous movement of the water through knobby roots and over gray stone. At that moment I experience a profound sense of tranquility that permeates my very bones. I sit down, breath in the sweet damp and close my eyes in an attempt to hold on to this feeling of complete calm. I sense it will be fleeting.

  It starts with a noise that doesn’t belong. Is that a voice or was it birdsong? I continue to sit, concentrating hard on the sound of the lovely water. More noise. This time there’s a disquieting note to it. My sense of calm is abandoning me. Then, a shout… a faint scream…

  I finally sigh and push myself up. I lean in the direction of this distraction, turning my head to listen … ah, there it is again. I look around and move toward the foreign noise, away from my waterfall and toward the dark, alien part of the forest that I have never entered before. As I walk, I feel obtrusive branches grabbing at me and watch the bats swooping overhead. Are they diving at me? I want to cover my head with my arms but I hear the unnatural sound again. It’s closer. Do I go there, or do I run away? I shiver, but I continue on.

  The woods are darker and I realize that it’s almost night time. I struggle for a while through dense forest to finally reach a clearing lit by moonlight. There they are. He is holding her by the arm and she is pulling away. There’s something about her.

  “I WILL tell her!” She screams at him.

  “The hell you will!” He bellows back.

  It is her!

  “Mercy”, I yell, “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, Tess,” relief in her voice, “I have to tell you something. Please listen to me!”

  I’m trying to make my way over to her but it’s taking forever. “Oh, Mercy! I can’t believe it’s yo
u. I’ve missed you so much. Why are you here?”

  “Tess, I came here just to tell you. It’s starting again. The trouble with the diaboles. You think things are fine now, but no. You must watch…”

  SMACK! The man who was holding Mercy backhanded her hard across the face and she instantly keeled over onto the ground.

  “What are you doing?” I scream.

  He slowly turns around, a wide smile plastered across his lips.

  “Uncle Frank? How can you be here? You died! I know you did,” I shriek.

  “Yeah, that’s right. I died because of YOU, little girl!” He points at me and proceeds to head in my direction.

  “I didn’t do anything to you, Frank!” I scream.

  Suddenly, something is touching me, shaking my shoulder.

  “Tessie, Tessie, what’s wrong? Why are you screaming about Frank?”

  I look around. I rub my eyes to see my Aunt Amy, staring down at me, a look of concern on her face.

  I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. “What was I doing?”

  She looked at me, frowning. “You said something about Frank. Are you still having nightmares about him?”

  “Yeah, I was dreaming about Uncle Frank.”

  Aunt Amy lightly brushes my bangs back. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear.” She then made a point to look over at my clock. “But it was just a dream, and you gotta get up. You’re supposed to leave for school within thirty minutes and you’re running out of time.”

  “Okay, okay,” I sigh.

  I drag myself out of bed, put myself together, eat some kind of breakfast cookie thing and get into my car. I can’t seem to shake the aftereffects of that dream! What really freaks me out is that I haven’t thought about Uncle Frank in ages. Why is he popping into my head now? And he was as clear as day. That nasty look he turned on me brought it all back, the fear and loathing I always felt when I would be the focus of his evil intentions. I had managed to put that look out of my consciousness, but I guess it’s still stuck there. I involuntarily shiver before I finally start up Warthog and back out of the driveway. There’s a dense fog swirling around that reminds me of the state of my brain.