High Witch Box Set

by Mona Hanna

  “That’s amazing,” he said, and she buried her face in his chest. He laughed again. “Don’t be shy. It’s lovely,” he said. “Are you still hiding your magic? Oh, Hallie, I want you to let it out. I want all of you. Every last inch.”

  She only whimpered again, and he kissed her hair. She glanced at her arm and saw the glow was beginning to fade. She had certainly cooled things down. Probably for the best, she thought, but she didn’t mean it. She wanted that feeling again, but she’d rather not light up when she felt it.

  They sat for a long time, and then they eventually moved to the table and chairs on the other side of the large room. Hallie sat across from Sean, holding a mug of tea, and wondered what to say to him. She thought he looked amazing.

  He smiled at her, reaching across the table and touching her arm. “We have a lot we need to talk about,” he said. “I want to know all about your life. I know something about what you do from your parents, but I want to know everything. And you can ask me anything.”

  She gazed at him. “Promise me you’ll never leave again,” she said, knowing it was foolish the moment she said it but unable to stop herself from doing so.

  He smiled crookedly. “I promise, from the bottom of my heart, to never leave your side. My Hallie. My darling.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, and she wiped them away. He moved to the chair next to her and put his hand on her arm.

  She laughed. “What am I going to do, Sean?”

  He frowned slightly. “About what?”

  She smiled. “I’m actually happy. I’ve never really been happy before. How do I cope with that?”

  He kissed her forehead, then held her hand in both of his. He looked at her fondly. “Are you safe, Hallie? Are people kind to you here? Do they bother you?”

  Suddenly images of Nicholas entered her mind, and she became tense all over.

  Sean’s hands tightened on hers. “What is it? What happened?”

  She looked at him, not wanting to tell, but she did anyway. “I met a man last night who knows about my past. I think he knows what happened when I was younger. I don’t know if he wants anything, but he frightened me. He was cruel. I’m afraid of him.”

  “Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?”

  “No, no. I got away from him. But something about him… I keep thinking he’s not going to just leave me alone. I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing.”

  They settled into an uncomfortable silence. Sean released her hand, clenching one of his fists.

  Hallie leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry—it’s alright. I know how to get away from people now.”

  He relaxed slightly, his hand unclenching, and then he scratched his head. “If you see him again, tell me. We’ll face him together.”

  Hallie nodded, feeling her eyes become moist again. She rose and sat in Sean’s lap, snuggling up to him as his arms went around her. She sighed. “I have to go to work,” she said.

  Sean groaned. “You really don’t. You’re horribly ill and have to stay home.”

  She giggled. “I’ll be back later. I’ll meet you here at four o’clock. Alright? I’ll be waiting for you.”

  He put his hand on the back of her neck and began kissing her, making her wish she could stay there all day. They finally parted. Hallie left Sean to walk to work while he went to explore the town. She doubted she would be able to concentrate very well that day. Not when her heart was singing.

  ***

  Nicholas watched Hallie and the red-haired man part ways at the front of her house. He stood behind a tree in the wide street, having used his magic to make himself invisible, a gift every warlock or witch had along with being able to magically transport. His core gift was being able to control fire and water. Other magical people had other core gifts.

  He scratched his chin, thinking about how to trap the girl. He’d thought he’d overpower her, the fact that she was too scared to use her magic probably making her easy to catch. But there was always the risk she’d fight back, and his magic was no match for hers.

  But what if he trapped the man she seemed so fond of? Then he could force Hallie to come to him, and he would be able to continue with his plan. Nicholas didn’t know if the man was a warlock, but it didn’t matter—his own powers were quite strong. He watched the man walking down the street in the distance. He started to follow.

  Chapter 5

  Brayden sat up in bed, waiting for Ariel to return to him from cleaning up.

  She walked back into the room, wearing her long dressing gown and smiling at him. She sat beside him on the bed. “She didn’t bother me during the night.” Ariel placed her hand on her stomach. “Maybe the disturbances have stopped.”

  Brayden half-smiled. “You always call our baby ‘she.’ How can you be so sure?”

  She sighed. “I’m not sure, but I just feel like she’s a girl. I don’t know. What does that matter?”

  Brayden bit his lip. “Ariel, I was thinking something last night, and I want to tell you. It’s just a theory—I can’t be sure—but I was thinking…”

  “Our baby’s a High Witch, isn’t she!” Ariel exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. “I knew it Brayden, I just knew it! That’s why she has so much power! Darling, she’s just like me! Oh, I’m so happy.” Ariel began kissing him all over his face and neck, her arms around him.

  Brayden started laughing. He pushed her back gently, putting his hands on her arms, trying to get her to calm down.

  She frowned at him. “What is it?”

  He looked at her fondly, loving her enthusiasm. But they needed to talk about this rationally. “I just—we need to discuss this. How can this be possible? What does it mean? I love that you’re happy, but, Ariel, this can’t be! I mean, how can she be a High Witch? Unless it’s because… you… you died.”

  Ariel winced, shutting her eyes, a harsh sound coming from her teeth. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, not speaking for a long time.

  Brayden kissed her forehead, hating that she was reliving the memory. He sat beside her quietly and started rubbing her back. “I’m sorry, Ariel,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

  She nodded, looking up. “I know you are,” she said. “I just hate thinking about it. But explain what you mean. How does me going through the test make our baby a High Witch?”

  There were a few moments of silence while Brayden thought. He scratched his head. “Well, I was wondering if maybe you’re further along than you thought. That maybe instead of being three months along, it was more like four. Give me a moment to explain. You remember how I told you that a new High Witch is born the instant one dies, at that exact moment?”

  She nodded. Brayden continued. “Well, the fact is, because you were dead for a few moments, a new High Witch should have been born at that time. There should have been a new one to replace you. But you came back. There can only be three High Witches at once—there are only ever three. I don’t know if it’s possible for four to exist at the same time, so maybe a way to get around this is that you became pregnant with the new High Witch. So she exists as a result of you dying, but she’s not here yet, so the rule isn’t broken. Does that make any sense at all?”

  Ariel thought for a while, staring at her hands, her brow furrowed. Then she looked at him, her eyes full of concern. “Do you think I was pregnant when I went through the test?” she asked.

  Brayden nodded. “I think so. I’m not sure. I don’t know how else it could work.”

  Ariel looked down again, and Brayden leaned close and put his arms around her. She sniffed loudly, something she always did when she was upset. They sat together, holding each other, the sadness of what Ariel went through settling over them. Ariel began to cry quietly.

  “Darling, it’s okay,” Brayden said, stroking her hair. “It’s alright.”

  She sobbed, clutching his shirt, her shoulders shaking. Brayden grew worried, her distress greater than he expected. She cried even longer, then f
inally looked at him, wiping away her tears. Her words were choked back from her sobbing, but she managed to compose herself. She grabbed Brayden’s hand. “I don’t want to die, Brayden.”

  He looked at her in alarm. “What do you mean? You won’t—nothing’s going to happen to you. What are you talking about?”

  “No, you don’t understand!” she exclaimed. “What about when she’s born? If you’re right—if there can only be three of us at once—what about when she’s born? Won’t one of us have to die so the rule isn’t broken? I don’t want to die! I can’t go through it again.”

  She wailed, crying so loudly he wondered if she’d ever stop. Brayden held his love, feeling so much pain for her. His heart broke clean in two. Suddenly their child wasn’t the bright source of light like before, but her existence a source of danger. He held Ariel, desperately praying things would be alright. They had to be alright.

  ***

  At lunchtime Brayden and Ariel visited his mother, Emily, to tell her what was happening. They sat around the table in the front room of her house, not speaking, allowing her to absorb the story. Emily reached over and grasped Ariel’s hand and squeezed it.

  Ariel smiled at her, but her eyes were filled with sadness. She suddenly clutched the table, knuckles white, going completely rigid, and then she finally relaxed.

  Emily gasped.

  Brayden looked at her with worry. “The baby?”

  Ariel nodded. “I was able to hold on this time, stop her from throwing me back,” she said. “She’s strong, though. She’s tough.”

  Emily gazed at her in wonder, moving her light-brown hair away from her face. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said, her blue eyes wide. “To think, she’s using magic inside of you. It’s a miracle, Ariel. I know you’re upset, but don’t worry too much yet. We don’t know what’s really going on, and we certainly don’t know how this will work out.” Emily grasped Ariel’s hand again. “Look at what you faced before, and you came through that. You two can face anything. I’m sure of that.”

  Ariel smiled a genuine smile and wiped away a few tears. Brayden felt more at peace also. His mother always knew how to make him feel better.

  Emily went to the kitchen to prepare some lunch, and soon enough they were eating sandwiches and drinking cider.

  They ate in silence, and after a while, Brayden spoke. “Before all this happened, Ariel and I wanted to research locating spells so she could find the other High Witch—the older one,” he began. “Do you mind if I talk about this?” He looked across at Ariel.

  She shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I could use the distraction.”

  He smiled. “Do you have any books with those kinds of spells?” he asked his mother. “Or do you know someone who does?”

  Emily thought for a moment. “I have a couple of books. I’m not sure how much help they’ll be, but you can have a look. I think you’ll find all locating spells require you to know something specific about the person you’re looking for—something you can focus the spell on, otherwise it will have no direction. It will be difficult since you know nothing about the other girl, other than she’s a High Witch. But you may as well try.”

  When all the food was gone, Emily brought out some cake for them all to eat, along with mugs of tea. They ate slowly, and Emily started to tap her fingers on the table.

  Brayden smiled crookedly. “Mother, you’re doing that thing that shows you’re thinking. What is it?”

  She frowned a little, then looked at Ariel. “I know you said you don’t want to go ahead with the binding spell for the baby, but I think you should keep it in mind, just in case. Soon you’ll start to show as the baby becomes bigger and stronger. Brayden used to kick me a great deal—heaven knows what your baby will do, if she’s anything like him. You’re not betraying your baby by protecting yourself. Your health matters too, you know.”

  Ariel shook her head, looking down. “I don’t like the thought of it. I don’t know… I don’t know what to think anymore. I just want to focus on finding the other High Witch, and see if I can help her. If I focus on that, I might not worry about my future so much. I do hope everything will work out. Even if my girl’s hurting me, I still love her. She’s still mine. I’d do anything for her.”

  Emily looked at her fondly. “Alright. I’ll get you those books. Wait here.”

  She walked over to a bookshelf on the other side of the room and began to search while Brayden stared at his wife. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “What was that for?” she asked, smiling.

  He ran his hand over her hair. “Because you’re amazing. Still wanting to help people. Still loving our child. You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met. I couldn’t be more in love with you if I tried.”

  Ariel smiled at up him, then stood up and gave him a hug. They stood together, embracing, Brayden hoping everything would go alright. They didn’t need another trial—they didn’t need another ordeal. Would this one work out like their other problems had?

  Or were they really in trouble?

  Chapter 6

  Sean sat in a tavern, drinking ale from a large glass and counting down the time until he could see Hallie again. It was early afternoon, and the place wasn’t full. He’d wandered around the town all day but was dying to get back to her. He’d been dying to get back to her since he’d arrived home, his heart sinking when he learned she’d left town. He couldn’t expect her to be waiting for him, but he was filled with anxiety as he traveled to where she lived now. He was petrified she would tell him to leave again, and she did. She did! But he couldn’t settle for that, not after all those months of thinking about her. Longing for her. Dreaming about her. He’d left so she could grow into who she needed to be, but there was always the chance she wouldn’t want him when he returned. He was glad he was still in her heart.

  A smile touched his lips, remembering how they’d kissed that morning. Oh, he could kiss her forever. She tasted amazing, melted into his arms, fit him perfectly. She was his other half, the part of him that had been missing for so long. He wanted desperately to kiss her again. Wanted to take her to bed. He’d have to wait until she was ready, but he hoped she wouldn’t make him wait too long. He sighed deeply, trying to stop thinking about her. All in time.

  Sean looked up as a man entered the tavern. He was about his age, tall, and skinny, with black hair. Sean looked away as the man walked up to the bar, then idly noticed him sit at a table near him a little while later. He drained the last of his drink, thinking he’d walk around some more, when he noticed the man smiling at him. Sean frowned, wondering if he was some kind of idiot.

  The dark-haired man laughed. “I was just remembering what I saw earlier today. You with Hallie. You’re a lucky man, I can tell you. No one’s been able to get near her. I guess she prefers redheads or something.”

  The man grinned, taking a swig of his drink, but Sean just looked away. Let the fool taunt him.

  To his displeasure the fellow walked up and sat at his table, thumped his drink down, and slumped into his chair. “She’s quite interesting,” he said, drumming his fingers on the table. “I mean, she works as a scribe, usually a man’s job, and she barely talks to anyone. A pretty thing like her should be married by now. Or at least be taken by someone. I’d certainly take her—believe me, I’ve tried.”

  Sean lurched forward, grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, and dragged him towards him. Sean glared at him, knowing he was overreacting but having an immediate hatred for the idiot. He snarled. “You’re going to shut your mouth, and you’re going to walk out of here before I throw you out. Hallie wouldn’t go near you if her life depended on it. I suggest you stop talking, turn around, and leave.” Sean shoved the man backward, making him stumble over his chair and nearly fall to the ground.

  The man laughed as he righted himself, slamming his hands on the table. “Well, why don’t we settle this like men? Outside. Warlock to warlock.” The man placed his hand before
him, palm out, and a ball of fire appeared above it. He closed his fist, smoke pouring out of his hand.

  Sean gritted his teeth. “I’m not a warlock, but I can still hurt you. But I have no desire to fight such an idiot. Just get out. If I see you near Hallie, I won’t hold back then.” Sean expected the man to argue, but he just stood up and began to walk away. Sean thought it was odd the man would just quit like that. A horrible feeling settled in his stomach. Sean called out to him. “Hey, what’s your name?”

  The man didn’t turn around. “Nicholas,” he called over his shoulder. He paused when he reached the door, looking back. “I expect you’ll remember that. I expect you’ll remember it well.” And then he left.

  ***

  Hallie floated home from work, nervous about seeing Sean again but so happy she could barely contain it. She’d thought about him all day and was barely able to concentrate, but somehow got work done. She walked down the wide street and saw Sean pacing at the front of her house in the distance. She smiled, thinking he was anxious to see her, but her heart fell when she approached him. He looked so distressed, a scowl on his face, and he grasped her arm when she reached him.

  “What was the name of the man who you said bothered you?” he asked. “The one who knew about your past?”

  Hallie had to think for a moment. “N-Nicholas,” she stammered, suddenly anxious.

  Sean growled. “Dammit,” he muttered. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

  Hallie fumbled with her key, opened the door, and hurried through. Sean walked in after her, shut the door loudly, then began to pace again. Hallie moved in front of him, making him stop. “What is it? What happened?”

  He clenched his jaw. “I met this fool today—or at least I thought he was a fool. His name was Nicholas, he had black hair, and was tall and skinny.”

  Hallie frowned, knowing it was him. She nodded, and Sean continued.

  “He was talking about you, being stupid, but I think the whole time he was just trying to figure out if I was a warlock. When he found out I wasn’t, he walked out, but he was so… smug, so… ugh, I should have beaten him when I had the chance. He’s up to something, I don’t know what, but it’s about you. If he goes near you, I’ll kill him.”