Silva knew what it meant to be imprisoned after all, and she needed to get a handle on her anger before she caught up with them. As she got close to the airport though, her original idea seemed more likely as the hunting spell narrowed down Cheryl’s location. They weren’t in the main terminal but by the area where private planes were kept.
She pulled into the parking lot which was almost empty this time of night and pulled into a spot. She was so close she knew they were inside the small building, which was the only way to get from outside to the airport tarmac. There were rows of private planes just on the other side of the fence. She considered waiting, they were still in the building and she thought Ed was only a minute or two behind her.
She took a deep breath to settle her anger and shook her head, she didn’t want to wait.
She looked into the rearview mirror, her hair wasn’t great, but she wasn’t a complete mess considering how quickly she’d gotten ready. Silva growled in her mind, she was in total agreement and jumped out of the car and went inside the building.
There was a woman a few years older than her behind the counter to the left talking to a man she felt magic from, who didn’t look happy. Right across from her was the door leading to the tarmac. To the right the building stretched out maybe fifty feet. In addition to Elaine, Cheryl, and the second man in the enforcer team, there was also an older man in a suit sitting a few rows away from the group.
The woman said in a voice that shot for patient but missed, “Sir, the plane will be fueled soon, if you’ll take a seat I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
She suppressed a laugh, had she only caught up because they needed fuel?
She walked over and sat down on a chair one seat away from the enforcer. When she’d passed Elaine there wasn’t a glimmer of recognition or even life in her eyes, she was definitely under a spell. Cheryl was asleep.
She was angry, but it wasn’t wild or uncontrolled. It focused her thoughts and opened her senses. The enforcer at the counter was still bugging the woman about something, how could he miss another witch coming in? She wondered for a moment what was keeping Ed.
The man turned to her, “Who are you?”
Huh, at least one of them felt her magic.
She sighed, “We have a problem. I’m Celia and work for the council here. It seems your request to come into our town and make off with Elaine here failed to arrive. I’m afraid we can’t let you leave with her.”
“We?” the man looked contemptuous, “This woman is a lawbreaker, we’ve come to retrieve her.”
She almost ripped his throat out, the scent of the bald faced lie and the man’s contempt almost made her gorge rise. Was it this way because she was so angry, or was there more to it?
She shook her head sadly, “The only thing I see is two council enforcers way out of their backyard coming into my territory without permission, and kidnapping a woman and child. I’d advise you and your friend leave, and then make the customary requests through the council.”
Not that they would grant the request, she was just going along with Ed’s plan to stall. Where was he? She wasn’t sure she could stop them without violence, which wasn’t the greatest plan in an airport terminal that had cameras. It could be dealt with, but it would be complicated.
He shook his head, “The head of my council will contact yours and work something out, but we can’t risk this one running again.”
He started to mutter under his breath and she could feel him gathering magic.
She didn’t recognize the words, but there’d been a reason she sat so close. Her hand shot out to the side and hit his solar plexus solidly. She watched with satisfaction as he stopped chanting and started gasping for breath, his spell fell apart.
She looked at the other guy who still didn’t seem to have a clue she was even there yet.
“That’s not nice, and by council law I would have the right to kill you on the spot for attacking a council enforcer. You’re in my back yard and have no authority here. Luckily, you didn’t get the chance to finish that spell, so technically I suppose I haven’t really been attacked. I’ll let you get on your plane and run home to Gerald if you start to behave.”
His eyes widened when she said his head council’s name.
“Or you can continue this foolish course, and I’ll ship back heads,” she added in a dark voice.
She cast a one word magical dispersal at Elaine hoping she was doing the right thing. Elaine blinked her eyes and looked around in shock. It was at that point goon two finally turned around and saw them.
“Well, here’s your chance. Tell your friend to let us simply leave.”
Goon two asked harshly, “What the hell is going on here?”
The man finally caught his breath, or some of it, “Local council, won’t let us take Elaine since we violated the rules.”
Goon two’s lip curled, “If she could stop us, she would have already.”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s called restraint, look it up sometime. I know you’re just following Gerald’s orders, seems a poor reason to kill you so I’m giving you options. As I reminded your friend, you have no authority here, if you attack me it’s a death sentence.”
She’d said that a little loudly and the woman behind the desk got a nervous look on her face. The old man though just looked absorbed in whatever was on his tablet.
Everyone looked toward the door when it opened. She suppressed a sigh of relief when Ed walked in. She’d never been so happy to see his annoyed face before. He immediately released a glamour spell which deflated the woman’s alarm behind the counter and did something to the cameras as well. She’d have to ask him about that one later.
She added reasonably, “It’s up to you, but now the odds are three to two, do you go home voluntarily, or in a box?”
Ed frowned, “You’re letting them go?”
She explained what happened and what she said.
Ed shrugged, “That’s fine with me, I just hope we don’t regret it.”
The old man muttered, “It’s a mistake, they’ll just come back and try again.”
Her mouth dropped open and she turned to the normal and raised an eyebrow.
That’s when goon two attacked, not with a spell but with his air ability. Ed wasn’t ready for it; the old man had been a perfect if unintended distraction. Ed lifted from the ground and hit the glass wall, it didn’t break but it did crack and he fell to the floor unconscious.
Crap.
The man next to her had been trying to knock her out, or control her with a spell earlier, something subtle. But now that it was too late for subtle he started to form a fireball in his hand.
She was done giving second chances.
She reacted by snapping her arm out again, but this time she hit his neck with the blade of her hand. Once again he was gasping for breath in a silent scream, but his windpipe was crushed, and he wouldn’t be recovering this time around. He lost control of his fireball as she stood and it dropped in his lap making her cringe.
She jumped to the side as goon two threw another fist of air at her. It hit her with a glancing blow, spinning her body.
Elaine grabbed Cheryl and slid off the seat and started to crawl for the closest cover.
Goon two started to chant, but she distracted him with a small burst of flame right in front of his eyes and then rushed him. She kicked him in the stomach, but it was like kicking a tank, he must have personal wards of his own. She followed it up with a punch to his face, and it was like hitting a brick wall even though he was pushed back a few feet. It hurt, but she knew she was wearing down his wards and quickly.
Then she was air born, flying backward until her feet hit the top of a chair and her body flipped and landed on the one behind it. Her wards protected her from physical harm, but not from physics. She heard his chanting and she rushed him again, muttering another magic dispersal spell when she sensed the time was right.
His magic was stronger, it blew right through hers
as the met but that wasn’t a big surprise considering her current limitations. It did weaken his spell enough for her personal wards to deflect the spell however. Her wards were very strong, because they could be cumulative.
She finally reached him and saw him forming another fist of air. She dropped to the floor and slid under his air attack, then kicked his kneecaps with all her strength. There was a loud crack. She growled in victory as he fell back. She rolled and lunged forward, grabbed his head with her hands and broke his neck before his body could hit the floor.
The old man grunted, “Strange way for a witch to fight,” he said in a lazy voice.
The man she’d hit in the throat wasn’t struggling for breath anymore and his eyes were glassy. She ignored the old man for now and went to check on Ed. His pulse was strong. She cast a diagnostic spell and sighed in relief. He’d be fine, as it was a very light concussion. He’d just have a hell of a headache when he woke up. She picked him up carefully and laid him across several of the chairs, then looked warily up at the cameras, but despite being knocked out his glamour held, whatever it was doing she could feel it.
“Elaine, are you okay?”
Elaine said softly, “Yes, thank you. But he knows where I am now, and he’ll send others.”
She nodded and said in a considering voice, “You could run of course, but there is another option.”
Elaine laughed bitterly, “What?”
She shrugged, “Fran is the Rock Hill Coven head. She’s a good woman who doesn’t stand for the kind of crap your husband pulled. I could drop you at the coven house; there are a lot of good people there. If he sent people there… they would regret it. Do you think he’d be willing to start a war with the two covens here?”
Elaine shrugged, “I’ll think about it.”
She nodded and then looked up at the old man, “What do you know about witches?”
He winked at her, “My mother, who is of dubious taste, fell in love with a normal. So I’m rather unique, you probably can’t sense my magic, it’s very weak as a result and I don’t have any abilities but I can cast some spells. Don’t worry about me dear, you have a lot to clean up.”
She blew out a breath. It took time, first she dumped the bodies into Ed’s trunk, and then she cleaned up the mess from the fight the best she could. There were a few burn marks, but it was the best she could do. Ed was unconscious in his back seat and Elaine would be driving his car. She stood by the door and cancelled the glamour, then got out of there.
On the drive to the coven she went over things in her mind. She did feel a little guilty, but the guilt was because she didn’t feel at all guilty that the enforcers from New York were dead or that she’d killed them. She wasn’t bloodthirsty, she’d have been happier if they’d just left. But she should feel guilt for taking a life, right? But she just didn’t, she’d defended herself, Elaine, and her partner. It was as simple as that.
She knew she didn’t lack emotion, she’d felt empathy for Elaine, and anger at the people who’d abused her, but being a killer? Nothing. She sighed, she was a predator now, that seemed to be the only answer. Not bloodthirsty, but at the same time she wouldn’t lose any sleep when people needed to be killed. She was a shifter, a tiger, and she’d only done what was necessary.
Chapter 21
It was around five that morning when she got back to the store. Elaine had been bemused by Fran who had taken one look at the young mother and had taken her in like a mama bear with a new cub. She just hoped Elaine had enough trust in her to stay, there was no way she could survive her old coven on her own, not unless she never stopped running.
Ed had woke up sometime during the drive, he was not amused at all to be caught off guard by letting himself be distracted by the old man. He’d be fine though in a day or so, Fran fed him a potion that would promote and speed up healing. She considered just staying up, but she was exhausted. She managed to set her alarm for quarter to eight, get undressed, and fell into bed. She could write the damn report in the morning.
She cringed as she heard Paul hit the ground and the wolf turned to her. He had claw marks across his muzzle, and great tufts of his fur were missing from his side and neck, but it seemed to be mostly superficial. Her anger rose up, and her fear at what happened to Paul. They weren’t that high, but it was high enough.
“You’re dead bitch, I don’t know how you did it, but you’re gonna pay and I’m gonna enjoy it.”
He said a few more words about her that were rather unflattering, then lunged for her throat.
She gasped awake and sat up, clutching at her throat where Tom’s teethe had dug in. There was nothing there, but she could feel it, like an echo of her dream. She was also covered in sweat.
The alarm went off a second later, making her jump up in shock. She put her hand on her chest and shook her head; it was going to be a long day. She turned the alarm off and popped the coffee on and then took a fast five minute shower. It was still a couple of minutes before eight when she finished brushing her hair, grabbed a coffee and ran downstairs to unlock the door.
Mia would be in today, it was Berny’s day off so she’d have to open up herself. She’d gotten spoiled with Berny breaking in every morning and getting the store ready for the day. She grinned when Mia walked in a minute later.
“Morning boss,” Mia said in a cheerful tone.
“Morning,” she replied before taking a few gulps of coffee.
They chatted for a while, Mia was curious about their new visitor, but Celia kept to the bare facts of what happened last night. Elaine’s story was her own to share or not. She took the time to teach Mia some of the simpler poultices that were running low and set her on that. She thought Mia was doing a good job, as witches with earth magic usually did pick up that stuff faster. Once everything was going she grabbed her laptop and typed out a report of what went down last night.
After she sent it to the witch’s council she stared at the screen for a while. She’d had another nightmare, and not about the fight to the death from earlier that night, no, it had been about that first case, and Tom’s strange words. She knew she ought to drop it, but for some reason her mind wouldn’t let it go, her subconscious was trying to tell her something.
She opened the report she’d written up, and went over all the witness statements carefully. When she was done she blew out a breath. She got up when it hit her and sat back down and went over the dialog with Brice again.
Brice had said Tom was angry. He’d said Tom beat the crap out of Bruce, and then Brice apologized, saying he should have stopped him. But after that, he got… vague. All he said was things went too far. He didn’t say Tom was the one that went too far though, and he never actually said who killed Bruce. She, Paul, and Ed had just assumed. Tom was a hothead, Jennie was his sister and last living family member, and he hated witches. It was just the obvious conclusion. Then when she asked about the burning he got specific again, didn’t hedge.
In hindsight it seemed obvious, but she’d disliked Tom from the beginning, and Brice had been nice to her when she was in the cage, she liked Brice.
After that though, she had no idea what happened. Except someone did warn Tom they were coming, and Tom was sure she had done something to him, and wanted to take her with him if he was slated to die. She knew it was a stretch, but what if Brice pulled a similar conversation with Tom, made it look like she’d framed Tom or something along those lines.
It meant Brice didn’t have to lie, merely misdirect with vague truths, and he ensured Tom would go down fighting without the truth coming out but pushing all the right buttons. She thought about it all for a while.
It was crazy… yet that strategy was probably the only way to avoid getting caught. As far as motive, Brice was very possessive of Jennie; she recalled how angry he’d gotten when Jennie talked about sleeping with Bruce. At the time she’d simply dismissed it. Damn.
But what if she confronted Brice and was wrong? What kind of fallout would there be? She wa
s pretty sure Paul would be unimpressed by her wild conclusions, but they felt right to her, as if her subconscious had known all along. It would explain the dreams she’d been having anyway. Oddly, she felt no guilt about Tom’s death, even if he was innocent of killing Bruce, he’d tried to kill her and Paul. Plus, he was an angry bigot. No, she wouldn’t miss him at all.
If he’d been a decent being he would have protested his innocence, not set up traps to kill them.
She wanted to run right out there and ask Brice point blank, did he kill Bruce, yes or no. But it was still a cross species issue, and if nothing else she needed a witness. She sighed and brought up a new email and typed out her theory. She sent it to just Paul and Ed. Hopefully they wouldn’t think she was crazy. Or at least not crazier.
She worked on the store some more while she waited, about a half an hour later Paul called.
Paul sighed, “It’s an interesting theory, even plausible. But it’s a conspiracy theory. Murder is hot blooded and the simplest explanation is usually right. What’s more believable, Brice came up with this insanely complex plan, or Tom was just a nut job. His words could mean anything, who knows what his sick mind was thinking? He hated you.”
She sighed right back, she’d been afraid of this, “But Brice said they waited outside the bar for Bruce to come out, he’s very protective and possessive of Jennie. He had plenty of time to cook up a plan for killing Bruce and framing someone else. Think back, he was vague about who killed Bruce, almost like he felt bad and was flinching away from the knowledge. That’s not a very shifter like thing to do.”
Paul replied, “It’s a closed case. If you’re right everything would be fine, if you’re wrong in your accusation there could be serious consequences.”
She was speechless, “Just for asking him who killed Bruce? We could say we realized it wasn’t part of his statement, even if it was implied, and we wanted to clarify. It’s even the truth.”
Witch's Moon: A Celia Winters Novel Book 1 Page 15