Tainted Waters: A Dark Paranormal Fantasy Novel (Paranormal Peacekeepers Book 1)

by Lucretia Stanhope

  She waited until he stilled before she closed her eyes. With all that happened, she was mentally and physically exhausted. As soon as her eyes closed, she drifted to sleep.

  THE VIBRATION IN the air softened when Alice slipped into a dream. The peaceful buzz from her that grated on Decker remained dampened, though not as much as when he worked against the other witch. Maybe Alice wouldn’t be permanently damaged.

  He ran his tongue over his forefinger and rubbed at the drying blood on his face. With his bottom teeth, he scraped off what he managed to gather. His eyes closed and his face puckered. Sweet. Disgustingly so.

  Using his nail, he gave another swipe. He rolled the blood around in his mouth, working against his gag reflex to push it back against his more sensitive taste receptors. A tang hit as an undertone. She didn’t taste like the elves they ate at the festival, who were also sweet, but not at her level. The tang must have been witch. It was supposed to be bitter.

  So much for a tasty exploration. Was the sweet because she was a water witch? Weren’t all witches bitter, regardless of element? More questions.

  All the small drop let him know was she wouldn’t make a delicious meal. That didn’t end his curiosity about what made her tick. To get those answers, he would hold his nose, chew, and swallow more sweetness. Not tonight.

  There was nothing else to be gleamed from such a small taste. He was glad he didn’t risk tasting it while she was watching. She’d given her blood freely, perhaps she would again. Maybe even a small nip of flesh, if he was charming and persuasive.

  He chuckled. That might be pushing things at this point. Charming would take work.

  ALICE SHOVED HER hands in her pockets and wiggled her legs for warmth. The haze of sleep lifted, but the images of Decker from her nightmares remained.

  Even though it was night, a layer of dew coated the ground and vegetation. The cold air had a musty odor, with something bitter that reminded her of the leaves her mother crushed to make the polish they used on the black, vision mirror.

  She kept her distance while he sealed the cave.

  Once he was done chanting, he took deliberate steps in a small circle at the cave entrance. He breathed in through his mouth and let the scents roll across his taste glands. “The witch has a bitter taste. It’s a strong witch, but…do you have relatives in the coven. Your mother, siblings?”

  “Not my mother. She’s… there was an accident.” Alice turned and rubbed her thumbs on her temples. “Why?”

  “The witch who followed us here smells of your family.” Decker turned and knelt.

  “My aunt.” Alice hesitated. Why would her aunt send her to Decker, and then follow them? To rescue her? That didn’t ring true. “My mother sent me to her as her final wishes.”

  “And she in turn sent you to me. Did your aunt take part in banishing your mother?” Decker stood up with some plants in his hand. He sniffed them, and tossed them on the ground.

  “Banishing? What makes you think she was banished?” Alice pointed at the flowers he’d thrown down. “What are those?”

  “One thing at a time, curious one. Those are flowers, common to this area, though not really spread in the woods, just in the clear areas like here.” He took a few long strides, keeping his head down. “They left a sloppy trail. Probably fled in a hurry because of the vision.”

  “Why were you interested in the flowers?” Alice let her tone reflect her frustration at not having any answers. “I can tell they are flowers. What are they for, and why did you stop to sniff them?”

  “You are losing your sweet. Your witch is showing. I like it.” He winked at her. “They were picked. That means our witch stalker intended to use them. Probably on you, maybe both of us. They can be used in binding.” His boot tapped against the hard ground. “Though they are usually used to gain truths.”

  “Truths?” She balled her hands in her pockets. “I don’t have any truths. They must have been after you. Afraid of your magic and wanting to bind you. They did warn of creatures with power in the woods at night.”

  “What did your mother tell you about why you were solitary witches?” He gave another glance around them.

  “Nothing. I didn’t know about my aunt until my mother’s dying wishes.” She fought back tears, not wanting to show him her defeat.

  Decker curled the fingers of his right hand under his chin and drummed his forefinger on his mouth. “You solve my water problems. I will answer your witch questions.”

  Would he? “Thank you. I mean that. I will fix your water, if I can. I promise you I didn’t spell it.”

  “Then as you suggested, we will really work together.” He stretched out his hand, opened toward her, and waited.

  The weight of the moment as she reached for his hand sent her heart racing. When her fingers laced in his, a burning sensation trailed over her skin. “Do you feel that?”

  “There is something, isn’t there? Abrasive. A prickle.” He looked down at their hands.

  “It’s warm.” Her fingers ran over his hand as she let the heat sink in. “Not painful so much, but it feels like a warning.”

  He gave her a full smile, filling his face with a sinister look. “Strange, it’s not warm to me. Though I suppose warning sounds as good a description as any. Shall we live dangerously?”

  “Yes.” The words sounded small to her, though she knew it was significant. “I’m hungry.” The complaint slipped out as her stomach rumbled and cramped.

  “We will sort that. No more words. The next part is through occupied terrain. They are hungry too.” His grip remained on her a moment too long, tightening as something glinted in his eyes.

  “Should I leave the stone in my pocket?” Her free hand slipped into her pocket and wrapped around the little rock.

  “Yes, I will lead you.”

  Alice removed her hand, leaving the stone. She kept her other hand in his. The heat still burned her palm, but she didn’t want to let go of him. Her eyes couldn’t penetrate the darkness and she took comfort in having a grip on him.

  She wasn’t sure how far they’d gone when he stopped.

  “Stand here,” he whispered, and released her hand. His pasty skin flashed away. Seconds later, he returned.

  Something cold and hard pressed into her hand. Fruit?

  “Eat.” Decker bit the fruit he’d kept for himself.

  Alice sunk her teeth into the thing he gave her, surprised at the faith she put in him. The familiar taste of apple filled her mouth. Her stomach growled as she chewed. The monster fed her as promised. Were they friends now? Could she trust him, or would he still chop her up after she fixed his water?

  She swallowed the last bite and tossed the core on the ground for whatever critter might want it.

  Decker was already done. He took her hand and led her through the darkness.

  The undergrowth grew thicker and the air more humid as they neared the swamp. Sounds of things moving changed from crunching leaves to slithering and splashing.

  Alice was proud that her fear only registered as a dry mouth and thumping heart. She managed to keep moving one foot in front of the other, but now those feet caught as the ground turned to wet muck.

  Decker slowed when they entered the swamp. He spoke in a whisper. “We will go to the last rise in the land, before the tainted water. I will not be stepping off that land. The water beyond that has been spelled.”

  “Is it dangerous to all elves?” She rose on her toes to speak closer to his ear. “Me too?”

  “No, it is to me.” His tone was full of conviction. “The water is filled with light. Safe for humans and light elves, thus you. I assume.”

  Assume? “Are we near?” She peered around, but was unable to see an inch beyond her face.

  “Yes.” He led them through a few shallower pools of stagnant water, to a small rise.

  The water on the other side glowed, allowing Alice to see clearly for the first time since they left the cave. The canopy above them blocked out the moonligh
t. Trees grew from the water as well as the random spots of earth that rose above the water level.

  Behind them the water was thick, sludgy and hid whatever swam under the surface. Gazing front, she saw fish, frogs, and snakes moving in the clear water.

  “Go on.” He nudged her toward the edge.

  She dropped his hand and stepped closer, kneeling on the damp soil. A long green snake swam past. Words swirled behind it, the wake of its path making them blur.

  Alice swallowed hard against a ball of acid in her throat. What did it say? Her mouth dried. Should she tell him she couldn’t read it? No.

  “Well?” Decker turned his palms up.

  His one word echoed in her mind. He’ll kill you, if you don’t fix it.

  Decker raised a brow. “Can you see what’s been done?

  “Yes.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Seeing and understanding were two different things.

  Chapter Six

  ALICE CROUCHED, AND tried to read the words that spun in the water. They moved quickly, but she could follow them. With deeper concentration, she isolated several words. Some were familiar, others looked jumbled and misspelled. That couldn’t be the case. The spell was working.

  She gathered a handful of the water. A cold buzz raced up her arm. The spell raced across her, filling her mind with the words used in the casting. “It’s not all English.” She let the water spill back into the pool and turned to Decker. “Some is. It’s several spells. They are twisted, out of order. Like a riddle.”

  “Could it be Latin? Witches cast in several arcane tongues. Trained witches do.” He kept his voice low, tapped a finger on his lip, and looked to their right.

  She shook her head. “Maybe. I never learned another language. It feels like I know it, but I don’t. It’s in me to speak it, I felt that. Genetic knowledge. Witches are supposed to have that.”

  He sat his bag down and fished out a jar. After he unscrewed the lid, he handed the jar to her. “Fill this. If you can’t figure it out now, perhaps you and the oracle can together. He is proficient with witch magic.”

  It gave her some comfort to know that even in the face of failure, Decker would let her live long enough to work with Jasper. She took the jar and dipped it in the water.

  He passed her the lid. “Close it tight and wipe that nasty water off the outside.”

  “Is it that dangerous to you just to touch it? Because it was infused with light?” She wiped the jar and sat it down, and focused again on the water in front of her. “Do you see the spell?”

  “No, I don’t see anything aside from foul water. I feel it. I’m getting weary just standing near. It is dangerous enough that my cave system was quarantined.” He spoke in a low, angry tone. “What do you see?”

  His voice raised goosebumps on her skin. She rocked forward on her knees. The muddy ground soaked through her jeans as she leaned over the water. “I can see the source of the spell a few feet out. Do you know how deep this pool gets?”

  “It will be over your head a few feet out. The center goes deep into the rock under the swamp’s foundation.” He took the jar, removed his shirt, and wrapped it, before putting it back in his bag. “Do you need another container? Will water from deeper tell you more to help in breaking the hex?”

  His questions caught her off guard. It was the first time he didn’t sound like he knew exactly what was happening. “I’m going to wade out and see if there is a totem, or spell box in reach. If I remove something like that, it could help. I don’t expect it to be that easy, but it can’t hurt. Whatever is down there will also hold answers. The water didn’t feel hurtful in my hands.”

  “Take this.” He handed her a small vial. “The lid snaps opened and closed with a gentle flick.”

  With her thumb, she popped it open, and pressed it closed, making sure she knew how to work it. Alice caught a pinch of her skin when it closed, but ignored the sting. Using the trapped finger, she snapped it open again. After looking at the small cut, she wiped it on her jeans, closed the vial, and put it in her pocket.

  Before she got in, she sat down and took off her boots and socks as well as her outer shirt. The water looked still to her, but if she had to swim deep or against any currents, she didn’t want shoes to drag her down. The jeans, and fear of failure would make it hard enough. Snakes and critters visibly circling did not help either.

  When she entered the cave on her fool’s errand, the dark seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. Less than a day with Decker, and facing the dark faded into a minor inconvenience.

  The frightened witch who trembled in the shadows grew up quickly. She was brave enough to nap next to a flesh-eating elf, traipse through dangerous woods, and was about to jump in spelled water with serpents and god knows what else, in an effort to fix his issue. In doing so she would make herself useless to Decker, and undoubtedly his choice for a snack before he hiked back to his cave.

  Alice sucked away the tiny drop of blood on her fingertip, while watching him think. “What is it?”

  “A witch, but you know that, don’t you?” Decker fingered the dagger at his waist. His voice dropped as if he were speaking more to himself than her. “Crazy to trust a witch.”

  “No, I did not.” She looked past him. “Are they here?”

  “Closer by the minute. Hurry.” He balled his fist, leaving his dagger. “I can still kill you both. Don’t doubt that.”

  “I promise you. I’m…”

  “Save it. Prove it.” He waved in the direction of the water.

  It didn’t occur to her how easily she could have escaped, or even injured him. Her focus was on trying to see the spell and determine if she could undo it.

  When she slipped her toes in the clear water, it felt thick and sludgy like it should have been. The smell that came from it did not match the stink of the swamp water they trekked through on the way. There was no rotted vegetation aroma. No algae blanketed the surface. It reminded her of a spring, and smelled like fresh rain, crisp and light.

  Her fingers grazed the surface. Words scrolled by. Their meanings danced out of her reach, as if they were hiding in the shadows of her mind. When her thumb submerged, a spark emitted from the cut. The air grew heavy with a stormy vibration. Static buzzed. The glow in the water brightened.

  Decker shielded his eyes as the water reacted with her, making a soft halo around her. “Get out!”

  She shook her head. “No. It doesn’t hurt. Must have been a magic buildup or something. Let me do this for you.”

  Alice didn’t wait for a response. She waded away from the rise. Words continued to scroll across her mind. While she moved, she let them float unfettered, picking out a few and trying to arrange them in order.

  Something in the deep water tugged at her mind, beckoning her

  Decker watched from a knelt position. The way his shoulders hunched made her wonder if he was trying to remain out of sight, or if his struggle with the light magic in the water was more intense than he let on.

  Deciding he was suffering and not resting, she took the vial, uncapped it, and dove under the surface. The deeper she swam, the thicker the water became. Magic webs provided further obstacles as she kicked toward whatever it was pulling at her.

  When something tangled around her ankle, she took the time to cap the vial, trapping some of the deeper, more affected water. Something in the crystal depths glistened and hummed.

  Her lungs protested. She pocketed the vial, and untangled her foot. Once free, she swam to the surface, where she spat out water and drew in ragged breaths.

  Alice. Her name drifted on the damp air, sounding like an echo more than a spoken word. It was Decker’s deep, growling tone, but somehow, she knew it was a whisper for her. Magic?

  She glanced back. Decker was gone. Instincts told her she wasn’t alone. Magic hummed in the air. It wasn’t Decker. It was a witch. Alice slowed her breathing, and scanned the swamp.

  Shadows danced outside of the light that radiated from the water. The glistening t
otem below her called to her.

  She cursed to herself. If she dove under, that would make her vulnerable. If she didn’t, she may never get another chance. Her soul told her to dive. It demanded that she did.

  Was the witch here to rescue her? Maybe they hadn’t abandoned her. Her and Decker were natural enemies from his own admissions. He led her through the dark, and fed her. He had his own reasons. While she didn’t feel safe with him, she hadn’t felt welcome in the coven either.

  Her mom told her more than once that witches knew things. Despite the facts that said otherwise, Alice knew the coven had shady secrets. She also knew that Decker would help her find the answers she wanted, as she would help him with his water. She knew that in her heart.

  It was less than a minute from when she surfaced to when she decided to dive again.

  After drawing a deep breath, she swam as fast as she could through the enchanted water. The magic pulsed as she neared the golden totem. It shimmered metallic and looked like a spike with script on it.

  Alice reached out and gripped it, trying to pull it free from the sediment. The shock of searing pain when she touched it, caused her to draw in a mouthful of water.

  In panic, she abandoned the glistening spike and pushed up, kicking furiously. At the surface, she sputtered and coughed. Without care for who was watching, she swam toward the rise and dragged herself on the land. “Decker?”

  Her hand throbbed as blisters raised and burst. The air stung the freshly exposed layer. Each time she drew in air, another coughing fit came. She laid out flat on her stomach, holding the ground with her uninjured hand, trying to calm herself.

  When she was able to sit up, she held her hand against her chest, and searched the blackness. “Decker?”

  There was no answer. The shadows moved and swirled. Since no moonlight penetrated the tree cover, she knew those shadows were things down there with her.

  Footsteps crunched on a rise of land out of her view.

  “Hello?” As soon as she called out, she regretted it.