Rose and his fellow coven members smiled in relief.
She’d been afraid he might never wake up. Now that he had, maybe he could shed some light on what happened.
“You can come in and talk to him,” Erin explained, “but they don’t want us talking to anyone else about it for now. It’s something to do with the investigation.”
The others followed Erin into the room, where an unfamiliar Enforcer sat in a chair by the door. He was a dark-haired man in his mid-thirties with a goatee and green eyes. Despite the beard, Rose was convinced he wasn’t in fact evil, and all was well. It was just a geek-culture TV reference that caused her to roll her eyes at herself.
Raven was lying in his hospital bed, with his long, dark hair spread out behind him on the pillow. He had a drip attached to his arm but otherwise just seemed to be resting.
He looked a bit rough with dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed like he’d been through an ordeal, which he of course had. Otherwise, he just seemed much better than Rose had expected him to be after his rescue.
“You are one lucky son of a bitch!” Jamie said, grinning, as he hugged his friend.
Raven chuckled. “That’s for sure .Hey Lisa – Rose, Erin.” He turned to his friend, “Jamie.”
“How are you feeling… and what happened to you out there?” Lisa asked, as she pulled up a free chair beside the bed.
She offered it to Rose, who shook her head smiling, before she sat down beside Raven. Rose found it thoughtful of her to offer.
“I was lucky, I guess,” he replied, lifting up his medallion to show them; it was on a chain around his neck. Rose knew it had protective properties. Before she mightn’t have taken them seriously, but now she knew better. She leaned in closer, noticing a large number of tiny runes etched on its bronze surface. Rose wasn’t that familiar with their individual meanings, but she was certain she’d seen similar designs before in one of Lisa’s books of magic.
“I was unconscious but I came to last night, and this guy wandered into my room and started trying to punch the place up. He was throwing equipment round and everything.”
“That’s awful,” Lisa exclaimed with a sigh. “You were alright?”
Raven nodded. “Oh yeah. The Enforcers were on him quickly.”
“We thought it might be a curse that was bringing trouble with it, and we figured we’d try and remove it if there was one,” Jamie explained.
Raven smiled, clearly grateful his friends had thought of him. “I appreciate it, and you weren’t wrong about the curse, but it’s already gone. It was a nasty one too, but the Enforcers got rid of it. Someone must’ve had it out for me.”
Lisa was glad it was no longer a danger. “Do you have any idea who that might’ve been?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m as in the dark as you are.”
“We haven’t been able to find Alexis,” Lisa added, and then she whimpered as Erin elbowed her.
Rose glared at Erin, and protectively touched Lisa’s side. She understood Erin not wanting them to tell Raven about Alexis when he was ill. However, it wasn’t her decision to make, and she saw it as no reason at all to elbow Lisa.
“It’s alright,” Lisa whispered back to Rose.
It helped settle the succubus’s annoyance a little. Together, they turned back to Raven.
“Well, she was here earlier,” Raven told them, though his voice held a tone of worry.
Rose and Lisa traded confused glances with Jamie.
“What did she say?” Lisa asked, wondering why she’d left the cabin without telling them.
“She arrived with one of the Enforcers. A blonde woman with–”
His hands traced an hourglass figure in the air, and he let the gesture speak for itself.
Lisa turned a muffled laugh into a fairly-convincing coughing fit.
“Agent Corvin?” Rose asked, wondering if it was wrong she could identify the Enforcer from Raven’s description.
“Yeah, I think so. Agent Corvin asked me some questions. They wouldn’t let Alexis stay for long, but she came in for a minute and told me she was glad I was getting better. She didn’t say where she was going or anything, but I assume back to Erin’s cabin?”
Lisa’s expression was as perplexed as everyone else’s. “How long ago was this?”
Raven rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. A couple of hours? It wouldn’t take her that long unless she stopped somewhere on the way back.”
“Thank you,” Rose replied, feeling a bit less worried about Alexis, though not entirely certain how concerned she should be.
She thought it might not have been the real her at the hospital, but it probably was. If it was the real Alexis, then she’d either not returned to the cabin yet or she might be there alone now. Rose had to wonder how she’d ended up with Agent Corvin in the first place, but perhaps that would be explained in time.
“We should let Agent Heriman know what happened, because he’s going to be looking for her now.”
The others agreed, including Raven.
“I’ll be able to breathe easier once I know she’s alright,” Rose replied.
4
Agent Heriman materialised outside the cabin’s gate, along with Rose and Lisa. Erin and Jamie had chosen to stay on at the hospital, and Erin would catch up with her sister after that. Rose, Lisa and the Enforcer walked toward the cabin’s front door, while keeping an eye out for trouble or any sign of Alexis. Everything was quiet, just as it had been before. Rather than knocking on the door, Lisa let them in. She, like the other coven members, had keys to the cabin.
“Hello?” Rose called out, as they walked in. After seeing the living room empty and seemingly untouched, she locked the front door behind them.
Lisa took off her jacket, leaving it over the arm of the lounge chair, with her bag beside it.
Agent Heriman continued down the cabin’s corridor, taking a quick, careful look around to ensure they were still alone. That’s when he heard crying.
“Ladies?” he called to Rose and Lisa, as he knocked softly on one of the bedroom doors. He could hear sobbing from the other side.
Lisa and Rose hurried along the hallway just moments after Agent Heriman opened the door.
Alexis was there, and climbed up from her bed, rubbing her eyes. “I thought I was alone here.”
Lisa plucked a couple of tissues from a box on the dresser and handed them to her. “It’s alright now. What happened? We were looking for you this morning, but you weren’t here.”
This prompted more tears, which further worried those present.
“I don’t know. What I mean is I don’t remember. I went to bed – I know that much, but afterwards the first thing I remember is standing down near the main road. I don’t know how I got there, but I checked my phone and I had missed calls from you. I tried to call you back but it wasn’t going through.”
As Alexis dabbed at her eyes, Rose sat down beside her. “We’ll get it all worked out,” she promised Alexis, before glancing worriedly up at Agent Heriman.
“Do you have any memory of the hospital?” he asked. “We have it on good authority that you were there.”
She shook her head. “I don’t remember. Why would this happen? It has to be the necromancer’s doing, doesn’t it?”
It seemed likely to Rose, but Alexis was already upset enough without making it worse. Rose was tempted to tell her that Raven was better, but it made sense to wait until they were more certain about what was going on. She’d also promised to keep it a secret until she heard otherwise or the threat was dealt with.
“It’s possible the necromancer might’ve been trying to gather information about Raven or you, here,” Heriman theorized.
Lisa’s eyebrows rose, as though wondering how he’d reached that conclusion. “I suppose the necromancer might’ve lured her out and tried to get Alexis to tell him things?”
“Or her things,” Rose stated. “We don’t know yet that the necromancer’s male.”
Yet, she’d been seen there with Agent Corvin. Did that mean Agent Corvin was the necromancer or had she merely crossed paths with Alexis? Rose had to wonder about her involvement, if there was any at all.
“Alexis was with Agent Corvin earlier, so she would be the logical one to speak to,” Rose replied.
Lisa nodded, while Alexis’s sadness had eased a little. She seemed grateful to no longer be alone, and have friends at her side again.
“Alexis, would you consider coming back to Headquarters with me? I’d like to check your phone for spell traces and run a few tests. I’ll follow up with Agent Corvin,” he said, his expression noticeably concerned.
“Thank you,” Alexis said, forcing a smile. “I’ll go with you if you think it’s for the best.”
Agent Heriman and Alexis left a couple of minutes later. They had to pass the gate outside the front of the cabin first, then they teleported to the Enforcer Headquarters. Alone together in the cabin, Rose took Lisa’s hand. They shared a long, silent glance, then a comforting hug.
“I’ve missed time alone with you, but the circumstances could be better,” Rose exclaimed, as she held her girlfriend gently.
“I hope Alexis will be alright. I’m worried about her and what’s been happening with the coven.”
Rose nodded, and stroked her fingers comfortingly along Lisa’s back. Her shirt was soft beneath Rose’s fingertips.
Lisa tugged softly on her other hand, and led Rose over to the sofa. They sat down comfortably together, where the succubus held Lisa close against her.
“This all has me so worried. It’s hard letting you out of my sight right now, but I know we can’t live that way. I have work to do and you’ll have to go back to class soon. Your graduation’s coming up, isn’t it?”
Lisa smiled, “You’re right, we can’t live that way. I have faith in the Enforcers, and you, and life too – that everything will work out as it’s meant to. And yes, my graduation’s the end of next month. I should probably get a head start on looking for a job soon.”
Rose smiled at her. “If I had a restaurant, I’d hire you in a heartbeat–”
“You may be slightly biased,” Lisa admitted. With a grin, she gave Rose a quick kiss, then a second, which deepened into one more passionate and loving.
“I never said I wasn’t,” Rose replied. She knew she was biased, but Lisa was worth being biased for.
“Oh okay,” Lisa remarked, before hugging her girlfriend.
Rose held Lisa, and grew a little perplexed when she didn’t let go. She could tell Lisa was worried, but she didn’t realise Lisa was quite so concerned for her until that moment.
It hadn’t been all that long since Rose had escaped from vampires who’d kidnapped her and held her captive. It stood to reason that Lisa was feeling more protective too.
Lisa loosened her hold, smiling at Rose. “I just had a thought.”
“Hmmm?” Rose asked, “What’s that?”
“We could set a trap for them. This time with Agent Heriman’s involvement; otherwise I think he might arrest you.”
She nodded and smiled back. “Yeah, I think you could be right. A trap’s a good idea. We just have to make sure we go about it the right way. The necromancer’s building up a fair few offenses at this stage, isn’t he – or she?”
“Yup,” Lisa agreed.
“Dark summoning, attempted murder, impersonating an Enforcer, perhaps kidnapping... they’ll be put away for years… or worse.”
“Good,” Lisa exclaimed. “Let’s make sure they are.”
* * *
* * *
“Oh my God,” Lisa murmured, as she leafed through an old notebook in front of the TV. A legal drama was playing on the screen but she wasn’t paying attention to it.
It had been one of the notebooks kept by the coven in its earlier days. It wasn’t written by the members of today, but rather their grandparents and other members of their time. The book contained regular details of their meetings and rituals, handfasting ceremonies – a pagan form of marriage, as well as situations they’d encountered of a magical nature. That’s where it got a lot more interesting.
Rose had only read a little earlier, but it reminded her that not all that much had changed. Good people were good, bad people were out there, and life went on – at least, usually.
She glanced over at Lisa, noticing the book had her full attention. Rose admired her for a moment, and then glanced back at the TV. She wasn’t paying a lot of attention to it either.
Alexis was back now and she’d retreated to her room. Jamie was in the shower, and Erin was staying with her sister at her home overnight. It was ironic when the cabin was hers, but Rose could understand her wanting to be there for Raven’s family right now.
“Rose! The coven helped the Enforcers catch a necromancer back in the 1940s. His name was Victor J. Wade, and he did a lot of terrible things. For instance, he decided to get back at his former teachers by raising the dead and setting them on his old high school.”
Rose listened with interest but paled noticeably at her mention of the school.
“What happened?” she asked.
That was a long time ago but perhaps he’d used necromancy in some fashion to slow his ageing? Rose wondered if he could still be out there somewhere today.
Lisa read on further ahead. “The coven stopped him, but there were casualties. One Enforcer – a man by the name of Albert Franks, and two teachers – Mrs April Briony and Mr Jonathan Dornal.”
“Why haven’t we heard of this before?” Rose asked, wondering if one of the other coven members might’ve avoided mentioning it.
“We don’t go back through their old journals all that often,” Lisa explained. “They’re dusty and they smell, and most of them make for dry reading.”
That made sense to Rose. What was it she’d once heard, ‘don’t assume malice when laziness is a likely possibility?’
“So where is he now – Victor J. Wade? He wasn’t released on bail was he? It would explain a lot,” Rose exclaimed.
“Nope, they did not release him, though you could say he was released in a manner of speaking. He was executed.”
Rose frowned. It wasn’t that she felt bad for him – it probably couldn’t have happened to a nicer fellow and all, but it meant he almost certainly wasn’t responsible for their current circumstances.
“How old was he when it happened?” Rose asked, wondering how far beyond a highschooler he was.
“He was twenty-one,” Lisa stated, referring to the diary. “Here, it’s got a drawing of him.”
Lisa held the book up, and Rose climbed nearer to take a closer look.
The drawing was in ink pen, so it didn’t reveal aspects like eye or hair colour, though his hair looked darker than not. The man had a young and surprisingly handsome face. Rose studied it on the off-chance she might’ve seen him or someone like him somewhere before, but she had no recollection of him. He certainly didn’t resemble any of the coven members.
“He’s probably a bit young, but he didn’t have a wife or kids did he?” Rose asked, considering the possibilities. She reasoned that if he had a child, perhaps either his murderous tendencies or necromancy practices might run in the family.
“It doesn’t say,” Lisa said shrugging. “It’s possible someone wrote
about it at another time but that’s all I’ve got. There have got to be records on him somewhere.”
Rose nodded at that. “There would be records on him publically available, but we’re better off discussing it with Agent Heriman. They’ll have case files and access to a lot more information from the original investigation.”
Lisa agreed, as she marked the page she’d been reading and closed the book.
Rose was feeling hungry. “I think I might make us something to eat. Are toasted sandwiches okay?”
“Oh yes, they sound good. No tomato, right? Some things shouldn’t be toasted.”
Rose grinned, because it was an odd comment from a trainee chef, but Lisa felt strongly about the matter. “I know. Any chance you’d let Heriman know about the book?”
“Yeah, no problem,” Lisa answered, before kissing her girlfriend and smiling against her lips. “There are few things I wouldn’t do for you, Rose.”
“I feel the same way,” Rose replied, holding Lisa’s hand. A smile passed between them, and then Rose left to check with the others to see if they wanted some lunch. Alexis was faring better, and both she and Jamie were hungry.
Rose got started on something to eat. It was so easy to lose track of time when they had a lot on their minds, but if they were going to maintain a clear focus, food was important. Often Lisa would volunteer when it came to any kind of cooking, but Rose could tell her mind was elsewhere right now. She cared a lot for her friends – they were like her own, extended family, and she felt the need to look out for them.
She wondered how Jojo was doing. The cabin felt empty without Lisa’s kitten snoozing on the sofa or weaving around their feet. Lisa might already have dropped Andrea a message, she mused, as the first batch of sandwiches went into the frying pan. She wandered over to the doorway, not wanting to interrupt Lisa’s summoning spell – if she happened to be in the middle of casting it.
Lisa was in the midst of a summoning chant, when an unfamiliar male Enforcer materialised in the room. His skin was pale and his hair blonde, with a full but neatly-trimmed beard. “I’m Agent Williams,” he said, looking around at the cabin’s living room, and catching sight of Rose near the kitchen doorway.
Seeking Witches Page 5