I made my way down the hall, entering the deserted, main living area. Without the staff and vamps running around like headless chickens, an eerie silence descended upon the Compound.
I headed for the stairs leading to reception and greeted Wendy with a smile she returned. Her cheeks plumped up with a beam covering most of her chubby face.
“Hiya, honey. How are you feeling today?”
Ha, a question I wondered myself. “I feel great thanks, Wendy.” Big fat lie, “I was just hoping to get a breath of fresh air before I went stir crazy in my room. Is that OK?”
“Sure is, my sweet. There are cameras all over, so I got you covered.”
Thank God, I half expected her to have been given orders not to allow me outside. The last thing I wanted was an argument with Wendy about how I am not a caged animal.
She buzzed me out of the foyer and I closed my eyes, taking deep lungfuls of actual fresh air—it felt awesome. I savoured the feel of the warm sun against my skin and the slight breeze rustling through my hair—bliss.
Opening my eyes, I saw the front gates from where I stood, two sentry towers either side of them. I looked up, but couldn’t see anybody there. Maybe they were inside it somewhere, watching on monitors.
I followed the path leading around the side of the building to the gardens. I planned on sitting by one of the large ponds to lap up the sun while I got lost in my book. Only my plans were scuppered when I heard someone shout from outside the gates.
“Hey, hey you… please… can you help me?”
I jumped, even at the delicate, soft sound piercing the otherwise quiet atmosphere.
Looking over toward the huge entrance, I couldn’t see anyone. I felt a bit wary as I edged a little closer, but then a girl came into view. Her hair sat on her head a bedraggled mess, her face and clothes covered in dirt and grass stains, her legs bare and equally filthy, and she wore no shoes on her bloodied feet.
“Who are you?” I took a cautious step closer.
I should’ve felt scared. Daniel insinuated someone other than he sought me out, and not knowing who they were, or what they looked like, my guard should’ve been up. But something in me—an ethereal voice—told me this young woman didn’t pose a threat.
On closer inspection, I could see her dirty, tear-stained face, twigs and dried leaves in her hair.
“Please help me, someone is trying to kill me.”
She stepped out of the shadows of the trees shielding her and when the light hit her I could see her heavily pregnant position. Before I could process anything else, a commanding voice boomed from above me.
“Stop right there or we’ll shoot.”
Chapter 13
The deep voice thundered over large speakers I noted above the gates, and I jumped. The woman on the other side recoiled, ready to scurry back into the woodlands she emerged from, but I think the pure fear registered across her ashen face kept her rooted.
From the bottom of one of the turrets, a man dressed in black combat gear appeared. “Stay back, miss.” He held a hand out in my direction, but his blacked-out headgear restricted my view of his line of sight.
I stepped back when he made his way to the two sets of large gates. The woman trembled before him during their muted conversation. She clutched at her arms and wept.
The guard waved his hand at one of the turrets and the gates opened. Another watcher appeared from the opposite tower and, between the two of them, they escorted the terrified-looking newcomer toward the Compound.
The two men gripped an arm each and dragged her past me. She looked at me in despair, and in that split moment I guessed her to be a few years older than me, with deep purple hair and beautiful, sapphire eyes, red-rimmed and imploring me to help.
“Where are you taking me? Please, let me go. You’re hurting me.” The woman tried to pull back against the strength of the sentries, but they out matched her efforts and continued to pull her toward the entrance.
Rage swirled in my stomach.
“Hey, let go of her arms like that. Can’t you see how terrified she is? You’re not bloody helping her, you’re hurting her.” I stepped in, hoping they’d release their hold on her arms when a small white, electric charge flew from my fingertips and hit the man closest to me.
He let go of the woman and shook his hand, grimacing in pain.
What the hell just happened? The other guard let go of the girl in a hasty fashion.
The stranger ran and hid behind my back. Her hands gripped onto my shoulders with unexpected strength.
Turning to her, I soothed, “Hey, hey, it’s OK. No-one’s going to hurt you. What’s your name?”
Her stare darted between me and the two men, the first of whom now grasped his hand in between his legs. He jumped about like an idiot in an effort to stop his obvious discomfort. I questioned the expertise of the men in charge of protecting the gates, and almost scoffed in disbelief.
“They won’t hurt you, don’t worry. What’s your name sweetheart?”
“B-Belinda … Belinda Larkin.”
She cowered in terror and I felt sorry for her, and ashamed for the way these two men manhandled her through the gates.
I glared at them. “What the hell did you think you were playing at?”
“She’s a stranger, miss. She could be dangerous,” the man on the left murmured.
“Does she look dangerous to you? She’s petrified and, in case you both missed the obvious, she’s pregnant.”
The guard on the right stopped bouncing about and addressed me, “She needs to be interviewed by Lucas before she can be deemed a non-threat.”
“Lucas isn’t going to be available right now, so I’ll talk to her. You two run along and get back to your stations, before you miss an actual threat.” I turned my back on them and led Belinda toward the gardens.
“Miss, I can’t allow you to do that.” Guard number two put his hand on my shoulder. “She’s a stranger here; she must be seen by the General.”
“Feel free to wake him, then. In the meantime, we’ll be in the gardens.” I lifted my hand to remove his, but he wisely swiped it away himself.
I kinda liked this new bossy, confident me. I didn’t know where she came from, but I found myself hoping she’d stick around.
“Very well, miss. But Hillard will have to remain with you.”
With a roll of my eyes, I tutted at both men. The unnamed watcher pulled a two-way radio from his jacket and spoke into it as he walked away. Hillard stood to attention, waiting for me to make a move.
Steering Belinda to one of the large, crystal clear lakes at the back of the Compound, I motioned for her to join me sitting at the water’s edge.
Hillard hung back out of earshot.
Belinda hesitated. She looked around, nervous, before her eyes settled on me.
Patting the ground beside me, I told her, “I’m not going to hurt you, Belinda. My name’s Elora, can you tell me what happened to you?”
I didn’t know what I expected her to say or do, but I wasn’t at all prepared for her to burst into tears. She dropped to her knees and flung herself into my arms, body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. I put my arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back with my other hand.
Belinda pulled away after a long, awkward minutes. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get you into trouble. I didn’t know where else to go. I thought I’d be protected here.”
“Protected from what, sweetie?”
“You’re one of us, aren’t you?”
She might’ve ignored my question, but now she threw me through a loop.
“One of you?” I screwed my face up—whatever did she mean?
“You’re a witch.”
Her simple statement floored me. My nervous laughter resonated and Belinda’s expression turned uncomfortable and uneasy.
Chuckling subsiding, I asked her, “A witch? What makes you say that?”
“What you did to that guard. The power that came from your hand— ”
Belinda looked incredulous. Yup, she isn’t buying your bull either, Ellie. How do you explain something you haven’t quite fathomed out for yourself, yet?
I let it go for the time being and reverted back to my original question. “Who do you need protection from Belinda?”
“From the witches who want my baby.” She looked from her bump to mine and her mouth gaped. “Are they after you, too?”
The unfounded conclusions she kept jumping to started to scare me. My nerves were already shot.
“Who are they, Belinda?”
They… Daniel’s words came back to haunt me like a brick to the face.
According to him, someone wanted me and my baby—I started to feel very sick. My scalp prickled and my palms began to sweat.
Belinda looked at me and cocked her head. “The witches.”
“What do they want with your baby?” I swallowed my fear. I didn’t want to ask, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling in my stomach. My skin turned clammy and nausea swept over me in fresh waves.
Belinda looked at me, with one sceptical brow raised, but then her expression turned to one of shocked realisation. I think she finally understood I didn’t have the first clue. She stared at me, white-faced, but remained silent.
“Belinda, please, tell me… .” My voice quaked with desperation and terror. I needed to piece things together, but the notions were absurd and my brain refused to make any connections through stubborn fear.
Belinda started to shake through tears and I knew I’d get nothing more out of her—she needed to see Lucas and I hoped he would be able to give me some answers, too.
She thought me a witch, but why?
Something I couldn’t explain told me danger lurked around the corner. It left a sickness swirling in my stomach I found impossible to ignore.
∾∾∾
Belinda watched from the bed while I paced my room. She looked contemplative yet lost, and I did take a second or two to wonder what must be going through her head, before I returned to my own inner turmoil.
Question after question scoured my mind, but my brain didn’t want to accept any of them. It would mean something huge for me, but, more importantly, for my child.
I shuddered, and cupped a hand around my swollen belly. Belinda’s expression changed; sympathy and knowing shadowed her soft features while her dewy-eyed gaze followed my hand.
I needed to know more; my mind reeled. I’d explode at some point unless I got answers—any answers.
I turned my attention to Belinda in the hopes her initial distress had subsided, asking, “So, you’re a witch?”
My obvious, foolish question caused a slight smile to break Belinda’s otherwise sombre appearance as she met my stare. “Yes.”
“Why do you think I’m a witch?” The question I dreaded asking most, still afraid to receive the same answer.
“Because of the power you displayed earlier, with those guards. It’s strong; I can feel it buzzing from you.”
Buzzing? I cast my eyes up and thought about that sensation for a moment. When I couldn’t recall it, my brain switched back to the moment at hand. I wanted to make up an excuse for it again, but in my heart, I knew I’d be lying to myself more than anyone else.
The episode with Ember—no-one mentioned it since, but we were being watched so I know everyone saw—why keep quiet about it? They knew something. If they did, I wished to God someone would tell me because my mind, my body, couldn’t handle much more. Things were moving far too fast and my brain’s delicate condition couldn’t keep up.
Belinda nodded at me as though she could read my anxiety—certain she could sense my inner battle. I needed a distraction, but to get it while there were still unanswered questions seemed impossible. Where did I start?
I would wait until Lucas arrived—surely he would know something. Or at least have the means to find out more.
I still wanted to know more from Belinda, though. “Why are witches after your baby, when you’re a witch too?”
Belinda drew herself up on the bed and tucked her legs close to her chest. I followed suit.
“Do you know anything about the practice of witchcraft?” she asked me.
I shook my head.
“Well, you have your white witches and you have your black witches. I am a white witch. The magic I practice is only used from and for good. Black witches are the complete opposite. They use their gifts for evil and destruction.”
“And it’s black witches that want your child?” I deduced.
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“I can’t be exactly sure, but there is no way I am going to let them take him.” Belinda caressed her swollen belly.
“How do you know it’s black witches that are after you?”
“I’ve met the High Priestess. I hadn’t realised she practiced dark magic when she first introduced herself to us.”
“Us?”
Belinda hung her head and a tear slipped down her cleaned-up face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” I placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s OK, you didn’t.” She looked back up at me, her eyes full of sorrow and fear.
My heart ached for whatever torment she went through.
“There have been three more before me and… .” She broke down in tears again.
Her body trembled so much I realised it couldn’t have just been through sadness—she is terrified of something.
“It’s OK, you don’t have to say anything else, if it’s too painful for you.” I did feel like a bit of a bitch to have caused this reaction, but I really hoped she still wanted to continue with her story—I needed to know.
“No, I’m sorry. I just can’t quite believe that it’s come to this.”
I tilted my head, confused for a moment.
With gentle strokes over her stomach, she elaborated, “I was told I was infertile. I couldn’t have children. Then I met Cassandra and she told me she had the answer to my prayers.”
“Cassandra?”
“The High Priestess. The leader of the coven.”
Coven, witches, Priestesses. I knew all this existed, to a degree, but to hear it all out loud, and to even entertain the notion that it somehow might be related to me, that I might be … it’s absurd.
“How did she know you couldn’t get pregnant?”
“I joined a support group about eighteen months ago for those who suffered from infertility. I’d always known about my gift, and it turned out one of the other women in my group was also a witch. We bonded, and eventually she asked me to be a part of Cassandra’s Coven of The Beautiful Maiden. She introduced me to Cassandra.”
“You said there were others before you?” My words were careful, soft—I could tell this recollection didn’t come easy to a glassy-eyed Belinda. I didn’t want her to break down on me when I felt I might be getting somewhere, even with my own thoughts and feelings being tested.
“That’s right. There were nine of us in total, including me and Cassandra. There were three other women within the coven there under similar circumstances, and we struck up a close friendship.”
“They were all infertile before Cassandra?”
“Yes, for one reason or another.”
“So, what happened? How did she help you get pregnant?” My mouth went dry, I could feel a bitter taste at the back of my throat.
“I have Endometriosis. There is no cure or treatment, but Cassandra said she could change all that. All I had to do was take some herbal remedy she concocted and I’d be pregnant within a few weeks.” Her voice reduced to a quivering whisper.
I almost scoffed at the thought, but I thought better of it, given Belinda’s tears. Her eyes shone red and puffy and I could see she wanted to cry again.
“No need for a man?” I asked instead, unconvinced, alth
ough I tried to hide it.
“Apparently not,” she stroked her belly again, and a slight smile broke across her otherwise grave expression. “I’m still a virgin.”
Wow, immaculate conception… kind of. “What was it she gave you?”
Belinda looked back up at me. “I don’t know. She never said, but I was willing to try anything for a baby. I’ve dreamed of being a mother for as long as I can remember.”
I knew that feeling. The moment the doctor told me about my little princess, my heart almost burst with pride and happiness. My life would be complete when I held her in my arms, but to watch her grow inside me… I welled up at the memory. My life came together the moment I saw that positive line; my purpose clear.
I would cherish every moment I spent with her; teach her things my mum never got the chance to teach me. I would love her with everything in me and I would protect her until my dying breath. For someone to take her from me would send my world crashing down around me, in a million fiery pieces. I would become unstoppable; a reckless force hell bent on destruction. I would kill whoever dared put her life in jeopardy.
“Are you OK?” Belinda’s hand hovered over my own. “Your body’s buzzing… ” She looked to the side of her.
Following her gaze, I gasped when my eyes locked on one of the bedside lamps. It lay on the floor, the metal base in pieces.
“I-I don’t know, what… .”
Belinda placed her hand on mine and smiled. “It’s alright. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
Pot. Kettle. Black. Belinda happened to be just as frightened as I, only she knew more than I did.
Though my body trembled, I tried to gather my thoughts, still staring at the shattered pieces of a solid metal lamp. I did that? With my mind? Jesus, I couldn’t even begin to work it out. I needed a distraction, yet everywhere I turned, every question I asked, every new one that formed… I couldn’t escape the cold, hard reality of my situation. I needed more information, and yet I didn’t want to hear anymore.
Invoking the Witch (The Faction Series Book 1) Page 12