A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4)

by N. E. Conneely

  "Elron, get them out." My shout broke the silence.

  "There's no point in this now," Sarah said.

  "No, this is my clan, and you can't take it from me." Gretchen blasted her with pure energy. It knocked her down for a moment, but Sarah was made of stern stuff and she popped right back up. While Sarah was down, one of Gretchen's supporters had set fire to her chair. A witch in the seat next to Sarah put out the flames and trapped the attacker in magical bindings. Witches had started to form groups, though what all the allegiances were, I couldn't tell.

  That last remark from Gretchen seemed to have tipped the balance in favor of war. I couldn't say how these witches were feeling, but if a leader of a group I was in said something like that, I'd do my best to demonstrate how wrong she was. Even I knew that the clan was about the members, not the leader.

  Dad raced forward and set to work on the spells holding Mom. I was too far away, and too slow, to help when Gretchen flung a spell at the two of them. Elron stepped in the path of the spell, and my heart froze. His sword appeared, and he twisted around so that the spell hit the sword square on the blade, shattering into thousands of sparks.

  Before Gretchen could recover, I tossed a charm on the podium and activated it. A mass of vines sprang to life and started climbing over her. In the blink of an eye, they had captured her hands and were working their way up her arms. It should take a little while for her to get out of them since she'd be hampered by the lack of wand.

  The charm finally unmade the rock I was trapped in, and I scrambled to my feet, surprised by the turn of events. Elves couldn't use magic, not like witches, but that sword of his had done some incredible things before, and it had recently been blessed by the leshy.

  Elron had bought Dad enough time to remove the spells from Mom and get her to her feet. She was leaning heavily on him, and I hoped Elron could get them out of the house.

  Someone took offense to Elron deflecting the spell and tried to wrap him in the overly popular magical ropes. Dad took care of those with a scowl and jab of his wand. Elron nodded his thanks and started backing them toward the door.

  I saw a witch gearing up to spell Elron or my parents, and willed a shield wall into being. I kept the shape in my mind, funneling power into it, as seven spells hit it in quick succession.

  Elron was ushering them through the door when the first spell hit me. Ice coated me from head to toe. I dropped the shield wall, hoped they made it to safety, and focused on the freezing problem. Whoever cast this spell hadn't left any holes, so I had a limited air supply.

  I rapidly heated the air around me and the ice melted off. After sucking in a few deep breaths of uncomfortably hot air, I moved back, trying to find a cooler location.

  My shoulder hit something. I twisted around, scraping the last bits of ice off my eyes, to find myself nose to nose with the inside wall of a shield bubble. While I'd been dealing with the ice, someone had taken the opportunity to trap me.

  Since I was reasonably safe and expected to be out of the action for a while, I took stock of the situation. Gretchen had freed herself from the vines and was surrounded by a group of witches frantically flinging spells at the audience. In turn, a portion of the audience was doing their best to spell Gretchen's supporters.

  The rest of the attendees were doing some combination of brawling between themselves, hiding, and attempting to escape. The room was awash with sounds and strange sights. A hedge was protecting one section of seats admirably until a cone of flames burned a hole through one corner. Two twisters were making their way around the room, collecting purses, shoes, hair ornaments, and whatever else they could scoop up. One witch screamed when a pen sank into his arm.

  There were witches falling down after being stunned, and others were trying to drag their fallen friends out of the auditorium. All in all, I was cozy in my prison and increasingly grateful that I hadn't grown up in this dysfunctional group.

  On a hunch, I set my foot against the side of the shield and pushed. It wobbled but didn't roll. Taking a step back, I kicked it. The shield wobbled again but rolled a few inches. I hurried to kick it again, trying to build up momentum. Six kicks later, I could keep it going with heavy footsteps.

  With a little luck, the rest of the witches would keep Gretchen busy and I could stroll out of the auditorium. The shield would be easy enough to break when I was safely away from this mess.

  My optimism was short-lived, because on my next step, the shield sank a foot into the floor. It wasn't rolling anywhere now. I summoned my wand and got to work on undoing the spell. Whoever made this shield was well trained, because it was designed to be self-containing, resistant to magic, and keyed to the creator.

  It took a few minutes, but I figured out how to trick the shield into thinking I'd created it, and simply banished the spell. From now on, I needed to be careful how I used magic. The shield wall had taken a lot out of me, and there were plenty of ways to get into trouble in here.

  One of the twisters headed for me, and I vanished my wand as I dodged out of the way. I didn't want to end up with a pen in me. In the process of avoiding the twister, I tripped over an uprooted chair and went down on my hands and knees.

  "Oh, that hurt." My knees, already sore from my tumble in the woods, were vigorously protesting the impact with the marble floor. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't because my hands had sunk into the floor.

  "Ansu." I slowly pulled my hands out of the floor, hoping that I didn't get hit with another spell. When my hands cleared the floor, I said, "Fehu," solidifying the floor. Marble might hurt when I fell, but it was easier to walk across when it was solid.

  The air around me changed, taking on a damp quality. I looked up and saw a wall of water six feet tall and growing. With a sharp turn of my wrist, the comforting weight of my wand landed in my hand. I gathered as much energy as I could spare and used my wand to sketch the runes in the air before adding, "Gebo fehu."

  The surface of the water froze, starting in the center and working its way out. As the spell ran its course, the ice clarified, turning into a solid block that was thicker than a cinder block.

  I took a few deep breaths. That was one crisis averted; now I just needed to get out of here. The best exit was still the one Elron had escaped through, so I moved in that direction, keeping an eye out for other obstacles. At first I couldn't tell if I'd be able to slide between the ice wall and the podium, but as I got closer, it was apparent that the gap was just large enough.

  A snake slithered off the stairs and headed in my general direction. I froze it before it could get any closer. It could've been harmless, but with the spells zipping through the air, I didn't want to take any chances.

  Looking around, I saw that one of the doors I'd entered through was missing and the other was dangling from the top hinge. The mass of witches had thinned considerably, and my bet was that the doors had been broken in the evacuation process. A couple of brave witches were darting back into the auditorium to drag out their injured brethren.

  The remaining witches had congregated into two groups of roughly equal size. Gretchen's group was tossing spells for all they were worth. As they bobbed and weaved, I could catch the occasional glimpse of Gretchen, who was hiding in their midst.

  Sarah led her opposition, but unlike Gretchen, she was out front, redirecting spells and casting a few of her own. The battle hadn't been kind to her. There was a bruise forming on her cheek, her shirt was missing a sleeve, and her pants were ripped up the legs. Her calves were blistered, and I could only surmise that someone had been throwing around fire spells.

  One of the women protecting Gretchen tried to stun me. I reflected the spell and sent back a weak compulsion to stop fighting. The witch paused long enough for me to capture her in a shield. She burst it in a fraction of a second.

  Dad had neglected to mention that witches were well versed in escaping shield spells. Later—much later—we'd have to work on that.

  I saw her wand move but couldn't figure o
ut was she was doing. In the blink of an eye, I sank to my waist in the floor. Muttering some nasty words under my breath, I tried to wiggle around, but the floor had solidified around me. These people sure wanted me to stay.

  She gave a satisfied nod and directed her next spell at Sarah's group. I could get out of the floor, but that wasn't the point. I was sick of these people attacking me.

  "Orzu." I sank a little more as I pointed the wand at myself and said, "Ansu." It wasn't easy to move myself in relation to the floor, but I managed. With a little effort I was able to do something akin to levitation. Once my feet were even with the surface of the floor, I solidified it. "Fehu."

  On a different day, one where I hadn't taken so much abuse from the disaster that was my extended family, I would've taken the opportunity to escape. Today, I wanted a little bit of revenge. I tossed a charm at Tammy, activating it in the air. It hit her in the ribs and morphed from a shapeless blob to solid stone, knocking her down. Tammy toppled into several other witches, taking them down in a flurry of arms and legs.

  I lobbed a plant charm after it, which started growing as soon as it was out of my hand. I grinned when vines already adorned with long thorns landed on the witches. I knew it wouldn't take them long to deal with the spells, but the angry sounds were worth it.

  With Gretchen's supporters temporarily reduced, Sarah pressed forward, doing her best to win the battle. Tammy and the other witches got back into the fight, but they'd lost precious ground and two of them were captured. Though from the direction the spells originated, Tammy was capturing her associates.

  While they were distracted, I wiggled around the edge of the ice wall, keeping my eyes on the battling witches. I made it to the other side and swung around, ready to escape out the door.

  "No you don't." Gretchen stood between the door and me. Her hair was coming down, and the combination of tears, scorch marks, and damp spots on her clothing were signs of the spells she'd encountered.

  "Let me go. You have enough problems."

  Behind her the door was ajar. If I could reach it, I had a chance, but the only way to the door was through Gretchen. Even with the number of spells she'd been throwing, I didn't think I could take her in a fight; there was something to be said for experience. Besides, I didn't have the help of the forest in here.

  Gretchen lunged forward, grabbing my left hand in both of hers. I tugged and pulled, but she had a strong grip for a woman of her age. As I was gearing up to cast a stun spell, I saw light forming around her hands. I changed my plan, vanishing my wand.

  The light forced its way into my hand, up my arm, and invaded the rest of my body.

  Chapter 24: Michelle

  The light forced its way inside me, and I realized Gretchen was trying to bring me into the Wapiti by force. I didn't want to be part of Gretchen's wreck of a family. My father and Nana had welcomed me with open arms, and I wanted to be part of that family. I held onto the connection to the Docga with all my might.

  This time it felt like molten metal was thrust into my veins. As it burned through me, I started hearing voices of the Wapiti. First was Gretchen's satisfaction, then Sarah's horror. Following closely behind them was a flood of confusion and outrage. Emotions were running high, and I got pain, anger, and fear from clan members who'd been injured in the fight. Others were mad at Gretchen, and a few supported her decision but not her methods. Not a one of them was particularly glad to see me. The feeling was mutual.

  In the midst of the flood from the Wapiti, I got flashes from Dad, Mom, and Nana. Mom was outraged at Gretchen's behavior. Dad was ready to fight to keep me, but he was afraid that any interference would cause irreparable harm to me. I was inclined to agree, because the pain had only intensified. Nana was trying to communicate a way to manage the situation, but I was losing focus and only got parts of her message. Her rage was easy enough to read. Nana didn't have any intention of letting Gretchen get away with this.

  Between one second and the next, the pain was gone. I was alone in my own skin, lying on the marble floor, panting. Gretchen had released my hand, and I was looking at her legs and shoes. They were black leather pumps that were as scuffed and singed as the rest of her outfit. Thanks to her, I was developing a nasty headache, and all of me hurt from my repeated tumbles into the ground. With my pulse returning to normal, I could get a better feel for what was in my head.

  I could still feel the Docga, and the slightest sensation of love and fear from that connection, but I could also feel the Wapiti. There weren't any warm and happy feelings from them, just a lot of pain and anger, and plenty of witches were directing those emotions at me.

  As I lay on the floor, I could hear Gretchen's happy exclamation. She needed to enjoy it while it lasted, because there wasn't a reason in the world this should've worked, and there were more than a few reasons it should fall apart any second. Sure, witches could join or leave clans, and often did when getting married, but they severed the connection with their former clan and became one with their new clan. If you'd asked me before today, I would've said that it was impossible to belong to two clans. Though lately, impossible things had a way of coming true.

  There was a boom, and the floor vibrated under me. Gretchen spun around, searching for the cause. I was past caring as long as it was more trouble for her than it was for me. Even in my sorry state, I could help whatever it was get the better of her. I pulled three charms out of my belt, my last ones, and rolled them at her feet.

  The rock spell formed first, cementing her feet to the ground. The vine charm sprang into action, sending roots into the rock and twisting up her legs. Given a little time, it would completely wrap her up like a mummy. I hadn't been sure what the third spell would do when combined with the others, but it worked better than I expected, weaving into them seamlessly and making them resistant to magical tampering.

  Gretchen looked at the vines creeping over her feet, frowned, and pointed at the door to her study. The door flickered, and a solid wall replaced it. I wasn't going to be able to escape that way.

  With another boom, the room shook again, and this time I wasn't willing to ignore it. Sitting up, I looked around. The witches had stopped throwing spells at each other and were looking for the common enemy. A couple of them were headed this way, having spotted Gretchen's problems.

  From the assessing looks being sent in my direction, some of them were thinking that I was the cause of whatever was happening to the building. I didn't want to be here if they decided I was at fault, but the only way out was through the auditorium.

  This time I felt the impact more than I heard it. There was a loud crack, and the floor bucked. I threw a shield around myself. Whatever was doing this was going to tear the building apart, and I didn't want to get crushed if the room collapsed. I moved back until I hit the ice wall. Since I wasn't getting around Gretchen and the witches trying to undo the charms on her, I had to get rid of the ice if I wanted to get out of here.

  I summoned my wand, set the tip against the ice and said, "Dagaz."

  Water started running down the ice around my wand. In seconds, there was a large depression that was slowly expanding, but I hadn't thought this through. The ice would collapse on itself before it finished melting. Pulling my wand away from the ice, I pointed it at the top and repeated the command. Water started pouring off the top, running down the sides and creating grooves as more and more of the ice melted.

  The floor ripped and cracked, and I figured out what was happening. The Blackwells were making their way to the surface. I fed more power into the ice-melting spell, wanting to be out of the way when they finally freed themselves. Given the choice, I'd rather try to navigate through the myriad of identical hallways than the Blackwells.

  Debris flew everywhere as the Blackwells burst out of the floor. A row of chairs went flying through the air and crashed into the ice wall. I was huddling in my shield, extremely grateful that I'd had the forethought to cast it, while chunks of ice rained down. The row of chairs s
craped down the shield, and I added more power to the spell. It had to hold until the chairs were on the ground, because if it broke, I was going to be squished.

  When Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell climbed out of the hole with their friends right behind them, I heard witches swearing and the slap of feet as they ran out of the auditorium. Two of Gretchen's helpers fled, abandoning any attempt to free her. I guess they didn't think the Blackwells would be kind to supporters of the woman who'd sent their son to his death.

  The last chunks of ice were rapidly melting, and now that the chairs had settled on the ground, I had a clear path to the rest of the room. The problem was I couldn't get to another door without giving the Blackwells a clear shot at me.

  There was a long moment where we were all waiting for someone to make the next move. Sarah was looking between the two of us, and her supporters were watching her. Gretchen didn't have any supporters left, and she was well stuck until someone came for her. I was watching the Blackwells watch me and summoning every last drop of power I could find.

  Mr. Blackwell sent a spell in my direction, and I added even more power to the shield, hoping it would last. I'd used enough magic that I would be in bed for days recovering, but this wasn't the time to play it safe. When Mrs. Blackwell cast a spell of her own, I knew I was in trouble. The shield might counter Mr. Blackwell's electrocution spell, but Mrs. Blackwell had cast a death spell, and I didn't have a way to counter that.

  The electrocution spell hit the shield with an audible crack, and what looked like miniature lightning spidered out from the impact point. The shield evaporated in a flash of light, and there I was, defenseless against the death spell.

  I was starting to close my eyes when I saw Gretchen throw herself in front of me. The spell went into her chest, and the temperature dropped as she fell limply to the floor.

  Distantly, I saw Sarah and her allies leap into action, but their spells were being countered by the Blackwells' friends. I scrambled over to my grandmother and rolled her on her back, feeling for a pulse. First I tried her wrist, but when I couldn't find it there, I moved to her neck. Nothing.