Rogue Witch
Daughter of Darkness Book Two
Val O. Morris
Contents
Welcome!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Help Rogue Witch Grow!
Also by Val O. Morris
Acknowledgments
About the Author
ROGUE WITCH
DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS BOOK ONE
by Val O. Morris
Copyright 2017 Val O. Morris.
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
The author greatly appreciates you taking the time to read her work. Please consider leaving a review wherever you bought the book, or telling your friends about it, to help spread the word.
Cover Design: Lou Harper
www.valomorris.com
Rogue Witch
Daughter of Darkness Book One
Sometimes living is more painful than dying.
Biding my time as a mage-for-hire with tiresome fetch quests and extermination assignments, all I want is a legit mission. When demons begin invading the town of Blackwood at the same time a stranger shows up at my game store with a bizarre request and a hefty paycheck, it's almost too convenient.
When I discover that this mission may also lead to information on my biological father, it's too good to turn down. While on this new adventure, my magical abilities begin to evolve, which leads to various discoveries about myself, my heritage, as well as my future. However, that future is jeopardized when I begin to suspect our mystery man may also be behind the demon invasion.
Can I discover how the strange mission ties everything together before the demons overrun the town and without destroying my soul in the process?
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1
“If I wanted these working conditions, I would have gone after another desk monkey job.” I let loose a Level 1 Electro Bolt from my hand and blasted the scraggly-haired demonic rat. It splattered a crimson and brown gooey mess all over the basement wall.
We ducked under a few low beams and made our way to the back of the basement. An old washing machine stood blocking the cellar door. We pushed it out of the way, and the rickety door creaked open. Clearly, the old lady was trying to keep something contained.
It was a typical cellar—damp, dark, and dusty. I took two steps and was already going full ninja, arms flailing every direction trying to get the horrible thing off me. The cellar had another common trait—cobwebs.
“And miss all these exotic places you get to visit?” Spratlin teased.
I loved my boyfriend, but sometimes I thought he was prettier when he kept his mouth shut. I recalled the numerous times I had done this before—both in real life and side questing in a video game. It didn’t feel as demeaning in a game.
I let my magic well up in my hand to offer light in the dark cellar. Rows of wine racks lined the cramped room. Mrs. Hanley hired me to rid her cellar of possessed rats—small, crazed rats with red eyes and sharp teeth. They were about the size of a beagle and mean as hell.
I blew off the dust from one of the labels. Mrs. Hanley had a vintage collection of wine. Spratlin said that she and her husband had been collecting for years until he recently died. I guess she was ready to start enjoying the fruits of their labor, but the rats had staked the territory.
“There’s one!” I said as I blasted it with another lightning bolt. Again, it made a gooey mess. Maybe I should add clean-up as an add-on to my list of services.
The sound must have stirred up the whole colony because four more rounded the corner and ran toward us. Four quick blasts and they were road kill. A second later, another pack of them was coming for us.
“Where are they coming from?”
We pushed through the pack, down a row of wine racks, as I blasted the next batch. We hit the end of the row and turned right where four more demon rats were running toward us. If there was one thing I hated, it was respawning enemies.
“Douse ‘em with water!” I ordered Spratlin.
As soon as they were wet, I fried them with electricity. Combo magic for the win!
The ground squished below my feet as we made our way through the rat carcasses. There was movement as we neared the far back corner of the cellar. Another batch of demon rats tried to crawl out of a hole in the dirt floor, but I blasted each of them before their little pink noses ever made it out.
The hole was so dark it looked bottomless. “The hell is that?”
“It’s a Hell Hole,” said Spratlin.
Of course it was. “And what is a Hell Hole?”
“Exactly like it sounds. They’re like enemy spawn points in Gauntlet. If we hit it with enough magic, it should close up.”
“And if we don’t?”
“They keep coming.”
I thought back to the cellar I cleared out last week for Mr. Johnston. I had to go back two times because the demon rats kept reappearing. Now I knew why. I made a mental note to swing by there again. I glanced at my watch. “Let’s get this over with.” Lunch was so long ago I was running on fumes. “This wizard needs health,” I joked as I fired Electric Fury, and a stream of lightning shot out from my fingertips until the hole closed and all that was left was burnt dirt.
We met Mrs. Hanley back inside her house. She wouldn’t stop thanking us for clearing her cellar. I watched the old lady count out our payment for a job well done.
“I’m sorry I can’t pay more, but,” she grabbed a bottle of wine from the table, “I hope you’ll accept this as a token of my appreciation.”
“Thanks,” I said and we left.
Two hundred dollars. Two hundred lousy dollars and a dusty bottle of wine for that shit. I had only been a mage for hire for a few months, and I was already sick of fetch quests and cellar extermination gigs. Practice or no, my time was worth more than that.
“Here.” I handed Spratlin his share for coming along. Even though I usually did the most work, I liked to bring him along for company.
“Keep it.”
That was the third time he’d turned down my offer. “Come on, what’s the deal?”
Spratlin pushed away my hand holding the money. “Mackenzie, you’re my girlfriend. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like spending time with you.”
I smiled. His charm always worked.
The ride back to my store was quiet other than my motorcycle’s loud pipes in my ears and the wind on my face. I didn't complain. It gave me time to think.
Now that the school season had started back, my game store’s business had slowed. Since going rogue, word got out that I was available for hire. Only problem was, I was only attracting low level shit jobs. Jobs no one else wanted and no one wanted to pay for. I needed to figure out how to get higher profile gigs or I wouldn't be able to keep the lights on.
When Spratlin and I got back
to the store, we didn’t say much. I immediately dove into paperwork to keep my mind occupied. Since choosing to go rogue and not be affiliated with any coven, I was still governed by the laws of the Council. With that, came rules and regulations as a mage-for-hire. I ran a legit business here, and after every job, I filed the appropriate paperwork with the Council. Councilwoman Jax got off on making me squirm at ridiculous requests of additional paperwork. She’d shit if she knew about the extras like Mrs. Hanley’s bottle of wine.
Door chimes announced the arrival of a customer.
Sometimes I kept the store open for a little while after hours if I were there doing paperwork or playing a new game when business was slow.
I never looked up from the counter. “If you’re here for someone to be your errand girl or to clear out more demon rats from a basement storage, you’ve got the wrong witch.”
I'm normally much nicer to customers. I guess pest extermination had put me in a mood. Or maybe it was that I sensed trouble.
My game store, A to Zee’s, doubled as a research facility and meeting ground for any would-be clients. The Council for Mages and Magical Affairs wasn't too keen on the idea, but since no one bothered to write a rule against it, there wasn't anything they could do. Apparently, the Council never thought that a mage would ever want to distance themselves from coven life. Guess they had never met anyone like me.
Granted, being a Dark Daughter and a vigilante didn't earn me any brownie points with the Council even if I did bring down the bad guys. Once, I asked for their assistance with a tough case, and they basically snubbed their noses. I suppose I deserved that. Gave me the gut punch I needed to find another way. A better way.
“Oh, I have a job that’s much more… interesting.” The man spoke in a low rumbling voice. The kind that makes you stop doing whatever you’re doing and pay attention. Paperwork be damned.
Even Spratlin who was organizing new product and pricing the new games stopped and stared.
The mystery guest was a tall, slender man with pale skin. He wore a black shirt, the top few buttons unfastened, a black trench coat and matching hat. He looked like Kane from Poltergeist II. I almost joked that Halloween wasn't for a few more months, but then I noticed a more alluring feature.
Those eyes. Bright blue and ice cold. They looked familiar.
“You must be Mackenzie Adams,” he said as he stuck out his boney hand.
His skin was as cold as his eyes. “Who referred you?”
“I have associates all over.”
The man wasn't just mysterious. He was down right creepy.
There was a familiarity about him that also made my skin crawl.
“Is there some place private we can talk?” he asked.
I shot Spratlin a look. “This is as private as it gets. Spratlin here is my associate,” I made sure to use the same word the strange man did, “so whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of him.”
I didn't care if all he wanted to do was recite the alphabet, Spratlin wasn't leaving me alone with that creep.
“Pardon my directness, but I hear you're looking for more legitimate mage work.”
My brow furrowed. I stared at the man. How'd he know that?
He continued, “I understand you have some… unique abilities.”
“Yeah, well, you know.” I straightened my shoulders. “Exterminating cellar demons isn't really the best use of my electrifying charisma.”
“Your reputation precedes you, Ms. Adams. That's a quality I look for in business partners.”
“Is there a point to your visit, or did you just want an autograph?”
Then, my silent question of whether or not he was of magical decent was answered. Blue fire welled up in his eyes. It was only brief but it was there. I could have been wrong, but I got the feeling he didn't like my sarcasm.
“I'll get right to it. I'm in need of a powerful mage who can help me track down someone.”
“A missing person?” I shook my head. “Look, man, I'm not a P.I. But I could recommend a detective.”
“No.” He was quick with his response, his voice forceful.
Hot magic flowed through my veins and into my hands, unseen, but ready to be used in a split second.
Spratlin put down the pricing gun and came around behind the counter with me. Whether it was to protect me or to keep me from blasting the creepy dude through the concrete wall and into the adjacent store, I was grateful he was there.
“My apologizes. This case is personal to me.”
I held my magic just under the surface.
I was already in a mood due to our little outing earlier, so I had to force any empathy at that point. “Did ya lose your kid, or something?”
His eyes grew dark when he answered. “Or something.” For a confident, and presumably powerful man, he seemed nervous. “I need you to find something very precious to me.”
My patience was waning. I hated having to pull information out of someone who came to me asking for help. “Does this something precious have a name? And ya know, speaking of. You know an awful lot about me, or rather, you think you do. But I don't know a damn thing about you.”
“Again, my apologizes. My name is Athan Malek, and I am in desperate need of your help.”
I still had no idea what the hell the job was.
“I’m missing something that is of the utmost importance to me. It’s a relic that’s been around for thousands of years.”
A missing relic, huh? The man could tell by the look in my eye that I wasn't into it. It seemed like another fetch quest to me. Then he moved just right and his coat opened enough for a silver necklace to appear. On it hung a black, round medallion with that of a silver cross design. The black was stark against his colorless chest.
“I’m offering ten thousand.”
I nearly swallowed my tongue. “Dollars?” Yes, Zee. What do you think he meant, ten thousand skill points?
“I'm willing to pay half up front.”
He sat a bag on the counter. My heart picked up the pace a bit as I thought about how long ten grand could keep the store open.
“If I agree,” I nodded toward the money bag, “Payment. No retainer bullshit,” I demanded.
He nodded in agreement. “This job may lead you to information on your father.”
“My father’s dead,” I spat. He was already on my last nerve, but that got my attention. What in the world did my father have to do with him or his job?
“Think about it. I’ll expect your answer in forty-eight hours.” He pushed the bag of money closer to me and left my store.
As soon as the door closed, Spratlin turned me to face him. His eyes were serious.
“When are you gonna tell me what really happened on that cliff?”
2
I dropped my keys and slid the bottle of wine Mrs. Hanley gave me across the counter. It had been a long afternoon, and I was ready to crash face down on my bed and not move until morning.
Spratlin followed me upstairs. As soon as we walked into my bedroom, he said, “You never answered my question.”
So much for sleep. “I told you. Alexa admitted to killing our father. She's a demented bitch. End of story.”
“I'm not stupid, Mackenzie. There's more to it than that.” He sat on the edge of my bed while I stashed the five thousand in the safe. “What did he mean by you finding information on your father?”
I crossed the room and stopped in front of him. He pulled me closer so that I stood between his legs. My fingers gently brushed his shaggy hair away from his face. “Can we do this in the morning?”
He smiled because he knew me too well. “Nah, I know what you’re trying to do.” He wrapped his hands around my wrists. “And it ain’t gonna work.”
“You’re no fun.” I stuck out my lip.
“Look, if you want me to help you, I need to know the details.”
“Who said I was planning to ask you for help?” I teased.
“You’ve been distant eve
r since that night. I know it’s not just business being slow that has your mind occupied.”
I looked away shaking my head. Did we really have to do this now?
“As your boyfriend, I think I have a right to know what, or who, has your thoughts.”
“Jealous?”
“Concerned.” That time he wasn’t just playing along. He was sick of my stalling.
A long sigh escaped my lungs as I paced around my bedroom. He wasn’t gonna give up and fighting him was useless. I’d rather him find out from me than from her. No telling what lies she would fill him with.
He walked over to me and took my hand. “I already know that Alexa is the one responsible for killing your father. What else did she do?”
I dropped my head, struggling with telling him the whole truth. The death scars on my left wrist were reminders of how much my life had changed over the past year. I rubbed the koi tattoo on my opposite wrist. It gave me strength when I lost my way. It was a nice counterbalance to all the death that followed me. Finally, I caved. The sooner we got it over with, the sooner I could go to bed.
“Alexa took advantage of our little one on one time on the cliff to help me relive my early childhood. See, my mother always blamed me for my father’s death. Alexa lied and turned her against me.”
He nodded as if things were becoming more clear, “That’s why she sent you away. I’m so sorry.” Spratlin hugged me tight. Regardless of my mood, I felt at ease in his arms.
“His death and my supposed betrayal pushed my mother further into her studies. According to Alexa, my mother was already a student of dark magic and, when Ravencrest found out and banished her, she embraced the darkness of Blackwood. They welcomed her with open arms.”
“That was your mother who we saw being crowned Dark Archmage.”
I nodded.
He stared at me, his eyes black with fear. I knew what he was thinking.
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