The Dark Witch

by Tabitha Scott

  “Huh ha, okay, but I’d be careful with who you trust in that coven of yours.”

  Why do I get the feeling he just broke a rule for me? Not that I trust any of my sisters anyway, hell, most of them were planning on using me as the sacrifice for Summer Solstice.

  “Give me a day, I have to check with my helpers,” he answers.

  “You have helpers?” he just shrugs again.

  “Oh, before I forget. I have something to help you with Pulania, that coven sister of yours.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In case she’s guessed… about us.”

  “She has, I’m pretty sure of it. I’m seeing her tomorrow.”

  “Just tell her this name: Samael.”

  “Samael, what does that mean?”

  “Let’s just say that your friend has a few secrets that she’d like to keep quiet. Samael is one of those secrets, but don’t let anyone else hear. It might not mean anything to you, but to some others it will.”

  I must find out who Samael is.

  Chapter 14: Deny, deny, deny

  I hate mornings. The clock-radio has already been blasted around the room. I think I’m just going to spend the day in bed though. It’s too cold to get up, and I really don’t want to face it all anyway.

  Oh, drat, Pulania never did contact me to tell me when Susan went home. I’ll have to get hold of her. But it’s cold out there. I’m not getting up, I’ll just phone her.

  “Pulania. Whasup? Where’s Susan?”

  “She’s with me, darling. You’re still in bed, aren’t you?”

  “Hasn’t she been home yet?” I ignore the bed comment, but how does she know this shizz anyway?

  “Well, as it turned out, Susan hadn’t told her mother about her disease. So I took her home under the auspices of the UK disease control unit. I explained the situation to her mother, including the fact that it’s a drug resistant strain probably originating from the UK, and have brought her back here for treatment. Oh, and I actually managed to forge a United Nations communicable disease dispensation to do it all semi-legal like, so she’s here until we fix her, basically. ”

  “Really? I’m impressed. That was a good move.”

  “Yes, her mother bought it hook, line and sinker, no questions asked. Just between you and me, there didn’t seem to be too much going on upstairs in that belfry. But honestly, you’re going to have to get up and come and get her now. Susan’s costing me a fortune with the phone calls she and her mother are making.”

  “What? And you think it’s better if that fortune is paid by me?”

  “Well. Yes. Besides, you found her, she’s your kitty cat.”

  “No, this is sharesies, she’s yours for the moment. We’re in this together, remember?”

  “Hmm, do you think so? Listen, I think it’s time we had that meet about your angel ‘friend’. How about your coffee shop in Oz, in say, twenty minutes?”

  The bitch just hung up on me.

  ***

  I’m standing in the alley beside the coffee shop. Shit, shit, shit. Get it together, Amura. You can do this. It’s not Hatchesput, after all, it’s bloody Pulania. She’s evil, but she’s been your closest evil friend for as long as you can remember.

  I round the corner and there she is, waiting at my favourite window table. Bitch. She’s got my seat, the one that looks out at the street. This is definitely her party, but I have that one wild card that Master gave me.

  My quadruple shot flat white arrives just as I’m sitting down. I’ve got sun glasses on, cause… well, you know, I don’t like mornings. Pulania looks far too bushy tailed, and she’s got a smug smile on her face.

  “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” Right down to it, that’s my Pulania, but I already have a strategy: deny, deny, deny.

  “No, I need Josh. It would distract him if I did that. It didn’t work out so well for his predecessor, or my work.”

  Pulania just looks at me sideways, like I’ve grown two heads or something. “You know damn well I mean the angel.”

  My turn to look sideways. “What?” Deny, deny, deny.

  “That angel you intercepted coming up here the other day. You’re sleeping with him.”

  “Phhhht, as if. Hello, opposite sides of good versus evil.”

  “Ha. Opposites attract, honey, and you know I know for sure. It’s not as though I’m guessing or anything. I can see these things. It’s one of my powers.”

  Damn she’s good. And it is one of her powers. Most witches can see into a mortal’s mind, but Pulania can pull the thoughts right out of me. Hey, why can she only do that to me?

  “I haven’t seen you do that to anybody else.” I mean the pulling things out of someone’s mind biz.

  “What? Of course you have? I did it to that guy at the pub just last week.”

  “Doesn’t count, he’s a mortal. Even I can do that.”

  She puts on this sickly, simpering smile, and pats my hand. “We have a special bond sweetie. It’s you and me against the world.”

  I ease my hand back from hers. “Hah, nope, I don’t see it. You just think you know me, but you’re wrong here, even I wouldn’t have the clitoris to do an angel.”

  She’s beginning to get frustrated, I can tell. Good! That means I’m winning.

  “You know otherwise. And that clitoris is yours, you own it heart, mind and soul. Let’s get down to it. You’re with him, stop trying to deny it.”

  Deny, deny, deny. I sigh, as though exasperated, but I’m actually enjoying holding the upper hand here. After a brief pause, I shake my head for effect. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Then something occurs to her. She leans in toward me. “Air sex. You had air sex with him.”

  Oh, my God, how does she know that? Is my face going red, or what?

  “You 69’ed last time you were together. And yes, I can hear you thinking, oh my god. Where do you get that stuff from anyway? It’s like swearing in goodness.”

  Crap, crap, crap…I’m backing away a little. She’s turned the tables on me. She knows more than I realised.

  “The time before…”

  Shite! Where is she getting all of these details?

  “He nibbles on your face rings, until he’s ready to cum…”

  Shite!

  “Samael!” I spit out.

  She stops mid-sentence. Her mouth is agape with her next word stuck on her tongue.

  Oh, no, she’s drawing back, and that look, that’s killer. In front of me the milk in my coffee has just curdled, the smell is atrocious. I look down at the pastry I was hoping to have for breakfast and it’s teaming with maggots. Shit, she’s majorly pissed. Teddy, what have you done to me?

  “Teddy, what have you done, indeed?” she replies to my thoughts, and there’s a definite edge to her voice. “You will never mention that name ever again, do you hear?” It’s not a request, it’s a command.

  “Drop the angel thing, and it’s a deal.” I shove my hand out to her. But she just looks at it like it’s contaminated or something.

  I shove my hand forward again. “I don’t mention Samael, you don’t mention anything about Teddy.”

  She’s not taking my hand. She’s angrier then I’ve ever seen her before. Under the table I’ve surreptitiously taken my knife out of my purse. This could get a lot uglier than I thought.

  “Put it away.” She slaps my hand aside. She’s getting her purse, and gets ready to leave. “Don’t say a word more, never mention that name to anyone. Oh, and use condoms with that angel you’re screwing.”

  Phew, danger’s over. Condoms?

  “You’re kidding, right, I’m a witch, I can’t get VD from him or anything.”

  She sighs, “he’s an angel, honey. They create little miracles. Believe me, you don’t want one of those, they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

  With that she leaves the coffee shop, but I can see a crowd of disgusted by-passers, whose food and drink is rotting in her wake
.

  Chapter 15: Little miracles

  She’s just left me sitting there. Shite, this has been a shitty few days. Was she serious about the condoms? Shite, I think she was. And she never did spill anything about Samael. I wonder what Master’s got on her there? Not that I think an angel could blackmail someone, I’m pretty sure there must be a rule written in heaven, or on stone, or somewhere, about that one. He’s just slithered around it by letting me do the dirty work. Bastard.

  Well speaking of! Who do we have here. Teddy’s just plopped himself down in Pulania’s chair. Hey! Uncrap. My coffee has just uncurdled, and the pastry looks okay again (though I won’t risk having any of it anyway). The smell of rotten food that had permeated the shop a moment ago has also been whisked away by angel dust, or whatever it is he uses.

  I take a sip of the coffee, it’s so good. Like magik.

  “So what did she say? How did it go?”

  “No preamble with you, either, huh? No, how are you sweetie, or anything?”

  “Oh, how are you? How did it go?”

  I stick my tongue out at him and then take another sip of that glorious coffee. Coffee takes away all problems, but hey, he’s still here. Sigh.

  He must have been watching from nearby. Hmm, neither Pulania nor I sensed him. I wonder how he did that? Oh, maybe he had one of his mortal henchees casing us.

  “Yeah, it was a mortal henchman. Now, what happened?”

  “What? How is everyone pulling stuff out of my head like that, is there a tickertape across my forehead, or something? I thought I was a witch, and we were immune to that? But to answer your question, she was really angry…really, really, angry. I thought, for a moment, she was going to try and kill me.”

  “She wouldn’t have done that.”

  “Well obviously, because she didn’t, but I don’t think she was far from it.”

  “Do you want your danish? Do you mind if I have it?”

  “Like, whatever, dude. That thing was a nasty mess of maggots just five minutes ago. I’m not touching it.” Not that I mind maggots so much, grilled with cheese or barbeque sauce they’re not bad, but raw…yuck.

  “Picky, witchy.”

  The waiter brings me a custard tart. I had just decided I was craving custard tart. Come to think of it, Pulania probably turned every scrap of food in the coffee shop to slithery worm mess before Teddy turned it back. Oh well, I didn’t see it happen to this tart, and it looks delicious, so I’m just going to pretend that it was fine. Mmm, custard tart.

  “She’s probably just angry with me; she’d know you got Samael’s name from me,” Teddy commented. “I don’t think she was murderously angry with you at all. I should probably watch my back.”

  He’s kidding, he’s an angel, they’re pretty much immortal.

  “Who is this Samael anyway? Anyone I should know about?”

  He just touches the side of his nose, in that infuriating ‘for me to know’ sorta way. Grrr.

  Hmmm, well I have some revenge for that, mister. I take his hand. “Hey, should we be using condoms? She mentioned that angels can do these little miracles.”

  Crap, that momentary look of panic was real. He leans back and lets out a bit of a sigh. “Hadn’t really thought of that, but, yeah, maybe.”

  Double take time. “Shit! Really? Crap, Teddy, tell me you’re joking?”

  But he isn’t. “It’s happened before, I guess. I just never really considered it.”

  “Shit. But I’m a witch, Ted. We’re sterile. How can this happen?”

  “I mean, humans were fair game, once upon a time. But, that changed. We changed. Our tastes don’t really go there anymore.”

  “Yeah, wasn’t that God, cursing you or something?”

  “Or something, he took those thoughts away from us, but other immortals? They’re a different thing, nothing ever comes of a union with another immortal.”

  “I’m semi-mortal, Teddy.”

  “I know. And there we come to a grey area.”

  What? There are grey areas for angels? I thought everything was black and white for them…apparently not.

  “It’s not been unknown to happen that a liaison between an immortal and a semi-mortal spawned an offspring.”

  “I don’t really like the sound of that word ‘spawned’.”

  “Sorry, it’s not meant to scare you, it’s just the word that came to mind.”

  “But what if I’m already pregnant? How would I even know? Our bodies change so slowly. How long would a witch be pregnant for anyway?”

  “Could be years.”

  “You’re not filling me with a lot of confidence here, Teddy. I could be giving birth to Carrie’s child, I want to know if it’s happening or not.”

  “Hmm, it would be a mix of the two of us, not really Carrie’s child, more like Carrie’s good child. Or better child, at least.”

  “Shit, this is freaking me out. How do we tell?”

  “Hold on.” He’s put his hand under the table, and is holding it just above my….my womb, I hadn’t even realised I had one until that moment! Normally I’d be all a tingle, and hopping for him to slip it a bit lower, say under my skirt, but not today, Jack.

  “Hmmm, not sure, can’t tell.”

  “You’re a ficketty fecking angel, what do you mean you can’t tell?”

  He straightens, and brings up his hand from near my stomach clenching his other hand with it. I can tell he’s as stressed as I am, his knuckles are white.

  “I mean, I can’t tell, your aura of darkness is too strong for me to see through.”

  “Shite. That’s one of those free will safeguards, isn’t it? You can’t see through evil to see what’s going to happen.”

  He just nods his head.

  “A pregnancy test would probably tell us.”

  “You’re kidding me, a normal human pregnancy test?” Is he for real?

  He’s nodding again. “That would work. You can get those little dip sticky things from a pharmacist. They should work for you, just like a mortal.”

  “I’ll be damned.”

  “I’m working hard for that not to happen, but it’s on the cards.”

  Another thought enters my head. “We’re using condoms from this point on.”

  Chapter 16: Apocalypse child

  This week just gets better and better. I get home, and who’s sitting outside on my doorstep? None other than the fair (well dark haired now) Susan. Pulania has gone and dumped her on me.

  Damn. Forgot to tell Pulania that Susan here is the apocalypse child. She might have had second thoughts about leaving her here alone otherwise.

  “Pulania is really angry with you. She says I’m yours until this is sorted,” Susan whimpers.

  I wonder if I should tell her who she is? No, it might affect the test somehow or other. There’s all sorts of crazy rules when it comes to magik, more so when it’s powerful magik of this type.

  I’ve got my arms crossed and am tapping my foot as I eye Susan off like she’s a wart or something.

  “Right. We’re not waiting for….” shit almost mentioned Teddy, “uum…my friend, to get back to me about who might have been hanging around Pennsylvania trying to trip you up. We’re going there to find out who did this to you. If we can find that out, then that might put us part way toward a cure, or at least we can make sure they don’t do anything more to you.”

  Susan is eyeing me from the side, she’s watching my aura, I’m sure I’m billowing loads of dark emptiness right now. I’m probably not in a much better mood than Pulania was when she dumped apocalypse child on my doorstep.

  “Follow me.”

  ***

  A few moments later and we’re in one of the seediest parts of Pittsburgh. Not quite Susan’s home town, but not that far away. Creatures of the dark used to run this town. That was back in the day. Black belching coal furnaces used to cover everything with their toxins, people died of cancers and what not. River gangs, and industrial barons were the pawns of darker power
s. It’s been cleaned up a bit in recent years, but there’s still a pretty evil presence here. Especially at this place, it’s a night club, not the dance sort, more the ‘I’m Al Capone and I come to this club to drink hard, score women, and maybe listen to music while I’m shooting someone in the head’, type place. It’s sitting in a run down 150 year old brick building with graffiti all over it. In between the normal tags, I can see coven sigils and the runes of others. All the local denizens of the dark come here, hoping to feed from the dregs of humanity.

  “Keep close to me.” I don’t really know how to shield Susan’s magikal aura, but I do know that if she stays close to me, and I keep myself as pissed off as possible, my aura is going to extend around the both of us. We’ll look like two dark chicks out for a night of kicks.

  We go in and plunk ourselves in a corner booth with a nice thick brick wall behind it. I want to see what’s going on without worrying about what’s behind my back. A confused couple suddenly found that they had to leave so that we could have the space.

  There are heads turning in our direction. This is actually pretty brilliant, I can feel the energy pulsing around me, I’m not really sure where I’m pulling it from, but I know I’ve got a pretty spectacular aura happening right now… and, it’s being noticed.

  Susan’s sitting across from me at the booth. “Move your tush over to this side, honey. You can see aura’s as well as I can, and we need our eyes open in this place. I want you to keep an eye out for that low life who did you, too. If we get him, it’s gold.”

  I get out and let Susan take the corner seat, so that I can protect her if this goes to shit in a hay barn. There’s a candle at the table, and it’s burning black as pitch. Holy crap! How am I doing this shizz? It wasn’t like that when we sat down. I’m oozing black aura. I thought only Hatchesput was strong enough to burn candles black. Susan’s eyes are wide as pools, googling at everything around us, but she literally goes bug eyed when she notices the candle.

  “Is that you doing that?”