Witch's Brew - Spellspinners 1 (Spellspinners of Melas County)

by Heidi R. Kling

  Her eyes shone like sapphires. Don’t ever ditch me like that again.

  Lily! Where did you come from? I just saw you on the shore with that guy and now you’re…

  You think you’re the only one who needed to cool down? She smiled, drops of water kissing her face.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her.

  You aren’t mad?

  You wanted to tell me you had another sign of the Roghnaithe; you wanted to run so you wouldn’t beat up Jonah. No, I’m not mad.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, and felt her body press into his.

  “Don’t tell me you can fly, too?” she said, her mouth on his ear.

  “Not that I know of. But that doesn’t mean I can’t.”

  Lily

  Not Even Us.

  Not even a witch could breathe underwater.

  I told Logan the story of my first breath at sea as we weaved effortlessly together through seaweed gardens, schools of tangerine fish, our legs kicking in unison.

  Fingers entwined, I followed him into the shadows behind a pink castle of coral. Under the water, his eyes shone like sapphires as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Felt a fire burn. He pulled me deeper, his lips grazing my cheek as if he was whispering a secret in my ear.

  I’m the only warlock who can Breathe too.

  It was very hard to concentrate with my arms wrapped around his shoulders and our bodies pressed into each other. I tried to shift the focus from our torsos to my mind. From his hard stomach to my brain. Not an easy task, when his fingers were skimming my spine. None of the other warlocks?

  No. And you’re the only witch?

  That I know of. Iris said I shouldn’t talk about it, so I don’t. But if there were others like me, it would come up, you know? You have to stop doing that. I can’t think.

  Stop doing what? He asked innocently.

  Kicking off his thighs, I floated backwards, the hair swirling in front of my face blurring the sight of him. Suddenly I was shivering. The absence of his heat hollowed me out and was replaced by this horrible sense of longing—an almost foreboding feeling. I shook off the gnawing emptiness and tried to warm up my goose bumps.

  I found a book with a picture of a witch in a ring of stones. She wasn’t young. It must have been before the curse.

  Yes.

  When did you know you could Breathe?

  When I was in middle school and learning to surf, I’d intentionally get knocked off my board just so I could explore under water without the lifeguards trying to rescue me.

  I caught the question in his smile. What? I asked.

  You’re so cute.

  I shot him a look. I’m trying my hardest not to be. There’s something else hiding behind your eyes. I can see it.

  I’m just wondering why you’re the only one with this gift.

  Before I had a chance to respond, he grabbed my hand and pulled me under the midnight water. The sensation of our underwater kiss was so deliciously awesome, I felt like we’d float right up to the surface like the charged jellyfish bubbles encircling us.

  After we finally broke apart, I heard his voice in my head, sweet and urgent.

  I want to show you something.

  We swam for a while before he pointed out a wooden skeleton buried nose down into the bottom of the sea. The spaces where windows used to be looked like empty eye sockets of a dead fish. The rainbows and sunlight had vanished. This water here was even colder. Murkier. Dangerous.

  A shipwreck.

  My eyes asked the next question.

  What does this have to do with us?

  Logan

  Everything.

  Logan pointed to Lily’s chest where her amulet was glowing, a prism of lights breaking through the darkness and illuminating the sunken ship.

  What do you think would happen if we both had our amulets right now?

  If you’re right, we should both be wearing full body armor then, because, man…

  Then Logan felt the water shift. A dark power emerging.

  Wait. Lil, don’t move.

  Lunging forward, he closed his fist around the amulet. Through his fingers, it flashed—streaks of magic lightning shooting through the black sea. Then, like the last sparks of a firecracker, the charm fizzled to black.

  Logan felt Lily’s desperation in the dark. What are you doing? I can’t see.

  Trying to pry his fingers from the amulet, Logan felt the panic in her heart, but had to maintain his grip. Stay completely still.

  With his right hand, Logan felt for the knife he kept hidden at his thigh.

  There wasn’t just one.

  Two, then three eel-like creatures emerged from the wreck. Slinking from hollowed windows, they moved like the traditional totem creatures of ancient warlocks and resembled the oily creatures as well. Only these serpents looked far more menacing. What were they doing down here? Larger than the traditional totem sea creatures in girth and length, their glowing teeth looked sharp as razors.

  Logan? What is that thing?

  Logan followed its milky eyes through the dark. Finally able to let go of the now-silent amulet, he clutched Lily’s hand tight. They move by instinct but are blind—if we stay completely still they will swim past us.

  He hoped. He hadn’t expected them to be down here.

  Logan watched as the serpents circled them. His mind’s eye could See them. Their cloudy white eyes were useless, but their instincts were sharp as cut glass.

  Lily winced and the beast bared its fangs, closing in on her neck. Logan was faster. Blade ready, he yanked the serpent into a headlock, reached around and slit its throat.

  Fluorescent blood the color of moss seeped from its neck illuminating the other two monsters that were exhaling horrendous underwater moans. A white serpent, a rare albino with pink-red eyes, turned on Logan, its fangs shimmering in the green-blood sea.

  Lily. Get to the surface.

  He’s right on you! Logan, your knife!

  The albino smashed into Logan’s hand, knocking the blade from his fingers. Pushing through the blood-streaked water, Logan watched Lily dive for it, catching it easily. Kicking off the bottom of the ocean, she smashed into the creature just as it sank its fangs into the meatiest part of Logan’s lower arm.

  He didn’t cry out, but let the pain burn through him. Punching it in the face with his free fist, he waited for the beast to let go. Cringing under ripping flesh he watched Lily straddle the beast, stabbing it deep in its fatty back. The creature flinched, but still wouldn’t unclench its jaws. Logan knew this about the totem serpents. Like sharks, once they took a bite, they wouldn’t let go.

  Slit its throat.

  Lily

  I knew immediately this was one of the creatures I saw in the ocean when I was a kid. Same inky skin, same otherworldly form.

  I didn’t want to kill it. But it was killing Logan.

  I dove on its back, scratching my way to its head. Tail slapping at my ankles, I smashed the top of its head with the butt of my knife until I felt its seal-like body go limp between my legs.

  Kill it.

  Wait.

  The serpent unlocked its jaws from Logan and with glowing-pink eyes—met mine. I sensed its uncertainty as he glanced at his fallen brother still floating in a stream of its own blood—twisted in a horrible state of death. How could he see me? Logan said they were blind.

  Lily, kill it!

  Logan, it’s okay. He’s going.

  Turn your back on him and he’ll kill you.

  No. He won’t.

  I watched the creature turn and, in lonely solitude, swim back into the empty socket of the ship’s eye.

  Rushing to him, I held his face in my hand. We have to deal with your wound. Can you make it to the surface?

  He half-grinned. Don’t be so melodramatic. I’m fine.

  But I knew he wasn’t fine. He was losing a lot of blood. The serpent’s teeth were more like needles than teeth. His skin was ripped, n
ot cut. Lashes of flesh peeled off his bones like bloody ribbons.

  The saltwater is healing.

  He frowned. The saltwater stings like hell.

  I kissed him hard on the lips, and then, clutching his good arm, I pulled him toward the place where the water meets the sky, to fix him.

  Logan winced as lashes of his bloody skin healed under my touch.

  “It was the amulet? It drew the serpents out?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “That’s not…I mean, you didn’t lure me down there to get eaten alive, right?”

  “Lily. Of course not.”

  I left my palm on his muscle, which was still hot from my spell. “Stick around.” The new skin’s pigment was lighter than the skin around it. “That was nothing.”

  “I’m trying to.” Under dark lashes his glance was disapproving.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Messing with the serpent was too risky. I know you wouldn’t have done it unless you knew he wouldn’t hurt you. So how’d you know?”

  I shrugged. “I just did.”

  His eyes narrowed. “How?”

  “You aren’t going to drop this, are you?” I leaned back, running my fingers through wet sand.

  He leaned back too. I couldn’t help tracing the Celtic knot inked to his chest with my eyes. My eyes ran down his chest, to his hips that were barely covered by his dripping wet pants.

  “Let me dry those up for you, nothing worse than soggy pants.”

  “No, that’s okay,” he rolled out of the way, pulling his waistband up.

  “Just trying to help,” I said, careful to keep my mind clear of specifics.

  Nice try, anyway.

  “What was a nice try?” he asked, easily Reading me.

  Thank the goddesses he was okay. That the serpent hadn’t hurt him worse. If anything happened to him, I’d…I just wouldn’t let it. No matter what.

  “I’m fine, Lily. You can stop worrying.”

  I punched his good shoulder. “I hate that you can Hear me.”

  “Ouch,” he play-whined. “No, you don’t.”

  “Okay, most of the time I don’t. But sometimes, I…I don’t always want you to Hear everything I think…”

  “Remember the trick,” he bent forward, moving a strand of wet hair off my cheek. “Don’t think anything sweet about me.”

  I kissed him, leaned in for more, but he pulled back. Instead of meeting my lips again, his fingers rested under my chin. He looked deep into my eyes. “What happened back there? The truth, Lil.”

  “Okay, fine. I could Read him. The creature. It was the same breed I was telling you about—the same mutated sea creature I saw when I was a kid.”

  The look on his face caused a ripple of discomfort to roll down my spine. “Those serpents are our totem animals. They are warlocks’.”

  My heart stopped. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

  “I figured you knew, how else would you know how to stop them?”

  “I just followed my instincts. I don’t understand. Why was it trying to hurt you…” my voice trailed off as if I was waiting for the universe to fill in the blanks. “And didn’t try to hurt me?”

  His look was steady. I hoped it meant whatever I said next— whatever he said next didn’t matter. Theories, dark and implausible, rippled in the energy between us as we sat, thinking, saying nothing, but Hearing everything.

  Then, “Lily, where’s your amulet?”

  I felt my chest where the amulet used to hang. My heart sank. “The ocean! We have to go back.”

  “It’s too dangerous. The other serpents will be back, and they’ll bring others.”

  “Logan. I just got my amulet back, I’m not leaving without it.” I felt my eyes narrow, heat rising in my core. “This is awfully coincidental, you know. You take me down to your childhood lair, we get attacked, and my amulet just happens to turn up missing? Do your totem serpents have my amulet?”

  “Lily, I have no idea. I don’t know what they were doing down there, and you know I would never intentionally put you in harm’s way…”

  “…except when you cross me in the Gleaning.”

  “Lil. Look,” he ran his hand through his hair. “I swear, I will get it back for you.”

  “You better.”

  His eyes looked past me toward the road. “But you may have to wait.” He shielded his eyes as bright lights—headlights—bounced down the beach toward us.

  I jumped up, grabbing his arm.

  “Is it Jacob?”

  “Jacob drives a BMW. That’s a…but Chance drives a Jeep.”

  The lights drew closer. Logan grabbed my hand, and together we sprinted down the cold sand, then ducked under the old pier. Logan hid behind one of the tall wooden beams and, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, pulled me into him.

  Are they warlocks?

  I’m not sure.

  Can you trust Chance?

  Yes.

  Are you sure?

  As sure as I am about you.

  Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?

  Shh.

  We watched as two beefy men got out of the jeep and shone their flashlights into the ocean. They scanned their beams along the beach, tracing our footprints in the sand. One of them said something into his radio. I cued right in.

  “Calling for back-up from the Cove. Two juveniles spotted, male and female, but they ran off when they saw the lights. Confirmed. Male and female. There’s a trace of blood in the sand. I’ll bring the sample into the lab.”

  Logan, we've got to get out of here. They found your blood.

  If we move, they’ll spot us.

  Logan, if they test your blood they’ll see how different your DNA is. Logan, they’ll know you weren’t human.

  Can you get rid of it?

  I think so. If you help me.

  We clutched hands and focused on the dried blood on the sand. Drop by drop, we crystallized it into grains of sand.

  After, my hands tingled, coursed with our conjoined power.

  Thank you, said Logan.

  “What the...?” the Coast Guard said. “It was just here.” He shone his flashlight toward the pier. “Got an identification. They’re under the pier.”

  He started toward us.

  How well can you climb? Logan touched the beam. Barnacles stuck to the wood.

  I can climb, but I loathe barnacles.

  He grinned. You’ll stab a serpent, but you won’t touch a barnacle.

  I didn’t say I wouldn’t touch one. I said I loathed them.

  Before he could utter a witty comeback, I was halfway up the beam and swinging my leg over the pier’s rail.

  A cluster of seals barked on the far end, but other than that, we were alone.

  “I guess it was a couple of seals,” the Coast Guard said. “There’s no one here. Ten-four.”

  He’s leaving. Logan’s voice behind me.

  Good.

  We were quiet for a while, waiting till the coast was clear, till we were fully alone, before joining hands and walking to the edge of the pier to look out at the horizon.

  “It’s almost dawn,” he said.

  “I’ve never spent the whole night with someone before.”

  “I hope I wasn’t too bad of company.” He turned to look at me.

  “Logan, I…”

  “I know. Me too.”

  “But I've got to get home.”

  “I know.”

  “I hate to ask you this, but…”

  He touched my elbow. “Of course I’ll find it for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s the least I can do. It’s my fault it’s lost. Where can I give it back to you?”

  “Does this mean you want to see me again?” I teased.

  “Maybe.”

  “Meet me in the forest. In the euca grove where we met.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “Isn’t everything, Logan?”

&
nbsp; Above us the stars shifted then, aligned, twinkled like a code. Under the milky way’s magic he erased the distance between us, firmly tracing the bottom of my collarbone to the soft spot in my neck with his thumb, then, when I let out a small gasp, he grazed my jawline, his mouth replacing his thumb, and when his mouth met mine, he kissed me like he knew our stolen moments were running out. Like this was the last kiss we’d ever share. And I kissed him back, as if, when the danger finally caught up to us, this moment, this twinkle in time, was the shared breath we’d cling to forever.

  Logan

  Logan checked Chance’s room first, and when he wasn’t there, he headed toward the Stones, where he was surprised to find him hovering over something. Dawn’s early light cast an ominous steel ring around the grove.

  “There you are! I need to talk to you,” Logan said.

  The urgency in his voice lilted into amusement when he glanced down at the object in his friend’s hands. “That is, if you can part with your toy.”

  “You know, if this whole dark magic thing doesn’t work out, you should take your routine on the road,” Chance said, but the strain in his voice flattened the joke.

  On closer examination of the “toy” Logan frowned. “Is that a doll?”

  Chance quickly shoved the lumpy thing into his pocket. “Why are you wet?”

  “Why are you changing the subject?” Logan grabbed a knotty arm of the doll where yellow yarn hung off the hand-sewn head like limp spaghetti. Black-eyed peas where eyes should be. Glue still wet. He held it up. “What is this?”

  “Nothing.”

  “This is a voodoo doll.”

  “Don’t shake it!”

  “Why not?”

  “You could hurt her.”

  Logan’s face went pale. “This is Lily.”

  Holding up his palms, Chance insisted, “It’s not mine, Logan, I swear—I found it here.”

  “Why were you hunched over it then like you were performing a Voudoun ritual?”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I swear.”

  Pacing in front of the boulder, Logan scratched the back of his neck. “Help me understand. Quickly.”