by Mona Hanna
Ariel looked back at the book, at the entries about her, and glanced through them. Julius had mostly written down theories and rumors, and then she saw a page where he’d written about speaking to an elderly man about her.
Finally found a man who actually saw the accident Ariel was in where her parents died. The man, named Peter, lived on the street where the accident happened. He said the horse leading the carriage was struck by a heavy object, got spooked, and sped away. The driver couldn’t control the horse and the carriage smashed into a tree. The driver was killed instantly and so were the two adults inside. But the child’s parents had covered the girl with their bodies, shielding her from the impact.
Peter had helped get Ariel’s parents out of the carriage, and they pried the three-year-old out of their arms. She was screaming so loudly and no one could stop it. Peter said no one could believe what happened next—the girl kept crying, louder and louder, then the air grew very hot. A harsh wind blew around the carriage, lifted it up off the ground, and slammed it back down. The wreck immediately caught fire, not a small blaze but a raging inferno covering it completely. A woman from the village carried the girl away, but she could be heard screaming down the street. Peter said no one could explain what happened, but everyone there believed the girl caused it.
No ordinary child, even a child of magic, could control the wind like that, and she also started a fire. Proof Ariel is a High Witch.
Ariel looked over at Brayden. She handed him the book, and he read the same page she had read.
He sighed. “So that’s how he knew. Are you alright? Reading about what happened?”
She bit her lip. “I never knew how I survived. They saved me. My parents saved me. My uncle never told me. He mustn’t have known. I feel even sadder that I lost them, Brayden. They really loved me.”
She began to cry softly, and Brayden stood over her, putting his arm around her. Her parents had loved her. She couldn’t remember them. Until Brayden, she’d never really experienced love. But they had protected her. She vowed to always protect her little girl. And she was more proud than ever she was naming Erica after her mother.
***
A short while later, Ariel and Brayden moved to the door, and Brayden picked up their bags.
“I’ll write to you,” Hallie said. “I’ll tell you everything that’s happening. And I want to hear from you.”
“You will,” Ariel said, laughing softly. She gave Hallie and huge hug, then stepped back from her, holding her hands. Brayden and Sean shook hands, smiling at each other, and Sean opened the door for them. They said a final good-bye, then headed for the center of town where they could get a carriage and begin the journey back to where they would board their ship.
Ariel’s heart broke a little as they walked. She’d achieved her dream: she had found one of the other High Witches, and she had helped Hallie and Sean. She had told Hallie who she was and taught her to use her powers. She had done what she had always wanted, and no one went through the test. Ariel was happy and felt such love for her new family. But still, her heart was sad.
“Are you alright, Ariel? Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m going to miss her. I’ll miss both of them.”
“You’ll see them again,” Brayden said. “I know the trip is horrendous, but it’s manageable. Sean was at sea for years, so he can handle it, and Hallie can heal herself with her magic if she gets seasick. They’ll be in our lives.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I just can’t help but feel part of the journey is over. My dream of meeting all the High Witches is partly finished, and I feel an emptiness. I want to do more. I want to be part of something big.”
Brayden looked at her as they walked. “It’s not really enough, you working with me and my mother. I know you’re proud of what you do, but it’s not enough, is it?”
Ariel bit her lip, then glanced at him. “No,” she admitted softly. “I love you both, but… no. I want more.”
“Then you’ll have more. But I think your biggest challenge is coming up in, what, a few months?”
Brayden grinned at her, and Ariel smiled, putting her hand on her stomach. Little Erica. Her greatest love; her greatest joy.
She laughed. “I can’t wait to teach her!” Ariel said gleefully. “I can’t wait to train her! And she’ll never be ashamed of who she is. I’ll make sure of that.”
Brayden smiled. “As long as she doesn’t get too confident. Can’t have her blowing up the house if she doesn’t get her way.”
“Brayden!” Ariel exclaimed. “She won’t be spoiled. She’ll be perfect. And you know what’s lovely? Hallie is like my sister, and Erica has a sister out there—the other High Witch. She’ll be close to Erica’s age, only a little older. We have to find her. We have to protect her, too.”
“Raising a High Witch and finding another? Sounds big to me,” Brayden said. Then he stopped walking, put down the bags, and looked at her. “There’s so much you’ll do, Ariel. So much that will happen for you, for all of you. You’re not destined to brew potions, and I hardly think Hallie is destined to work as a scribe forever, although she wants to go back to it right now. You’re going to change things, I can feel it. I know it. You’re amazing, and there’s nothing you can’t do. But not because of your power. Because of your heart.”
Ariel stepped towards him and kissed him, holding his face in her hands. She looked at him closely when she pulled back. “You’re going to be the greatest father in the world,” she whispered. “And I love you with my whole heart.”
He smiled crookedly. “And I love you with all of mine.”
***
Hallie lay in bed with Sean that night, resting in his arms. They hadn’t said anything for a while, both exhausted. The past week had been wonderful but tiring. Both of them had just relaxed after Ariel and Brayden had left, not really speaking much, just spending time alone. Hallie thought about just drifting off to sleep but wanted to ask Sean something. She was nervous but had to get it out. “Sean?” she asked. “Are you awake?”
“Yes. What is it?”
She paused for a moment. “We haven’t really spoken about… I mean, what we’re going to do next. We’ve spent nearly all our time with Ariel and Brayden, and you didn’t bring it up, and I didn’t bring it up, and I don’t know what…”
Sean turned on his side and looked at her, still holding her. He kissed her on the forehead. “What would you like? What do you want for us?”
She looked away, suddenly shy, not able to say what she really felt.
Sean kissed her forehead again, bringing his hand up and burying it in her hair. He sighed deeply. “Should I tell you what I was thinking?”
Hallie looked at him. “Yes! Oh, yes.”
He smiled. “I don’t want to pressure you, and I don’t want to crowd you. I haven’t said anything because I was giving you time to rest after all that’s happened. But what I’d like is to move here, to your town. I want to stay with you. I did carpentry work before I left to go on my uncle’s ship, so I can always go back to that. I don’t know where you want me to live, but I want to be with you, Hallie. There’s no point in me going back home—where you are is home. And you’ve made a life here, and I don’t want to take you away from that. I don’t know if you’ll get your old job back, but even if you don’t, you’ll find something else. All I want is to spend my life with you, every second, and well, I’m yours if you’ll have me.”
Hallie gently kissed him on the mouth before looking into his eyes. “I love you,” she said. “Everything I said the day before what happened with Nicholas, I meant. I’m yours too. It would be madness for you to live anywhere else—I want you here, with me, forever. I never want to be apart from you. Stay with me. Please stay.” She hugged him tightly, the thought of him being anywhere but with her making her heart break.
He held her closely, whispering in her ear how much he loved her. Finally he pulled back, smiling at her, his eyes twinkling. “People will talk, us li
ving together without being married,” he said, grinning. “How long should we let them talk?”
She suddenly lost all her breath, her heart starting to beat faster. “What do you mean?”
He kissed her softly, tenderly, then placed a kiss on her neck. “How long before you marry me, Hallie?” he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
“You haven’t asked,” she said, her heart fluttering.
He kissed her neck again. “Should I correct that?”
She wanted to kill him for teasing her, but she could barely breathe. “Oh, Sean…”
He kissed her, the longest, deepest kiss she’d ever had, clutching her to him while his tongue slid against hers. She sunk her fingers into his hair as his hands moved over her body, and then he reined kisses down her neck, her chest, finally stopping to stare at her. She bit her lip, desperately wanting him to ask but frightened he wouldn’t.
He gently took her hand, brushing it with his lips before gazing into her eyes again. “I’ve loved you since I was eight, since the day I first saw you. I used to imagine marrying you, even when I was a kid, but I never told anyone. Least of all you. Every time someone was mean to you, it broke my heart, hence me punching half the boys in our town. I love you so much, and there’s not a single soul in this world I could love more. You’re sweet and kind and beautiful and have the biggest heart in the world. You’re so strong, and if our children have half your strength, half your heart, they’ll be the luckiest people in the world. And I do want children with you. I want everything with you. I want to live here, but as soon as we can, I want to marry you, want to tell everyone you’re mine. I don’t want to spend a second without you. Nothing will ever keep me from you. So will you, Hallie? Will you marry me?”
Hallie kissed him, a long and slow kiss, wanting to show him her answer, but he stopped, gazing at her. She could see the anticipation in his eyes. She smiled at him. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered. “Oh, Sean. Of course I’ll marry you.”
They kissed again but didn’t stop. They made love all night long. Hallie knew they’d make love for the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
Brayden paced the front room of the house, Ariel’s cries as she was in labor making him so anxious he could barely stand it. She was in their bedroom with the midwife and his mother and Aunt Sophie, and all Brayden could do was wait. He felt helpless, useless, and had to keep stopping himself from barging into the room. It was his child being born! His baby! He couldn’t bear the sound of Ariel in pain, and his heart ripped in two every time she cried out. He kept pacing, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. He couldn’t stand the waiting. Then he heard it.
Ariel gave a final loud scream, and a baby’s cries could be heard, high and shrill. Brayden could hear the women exclaiming and ran towards his bedroom, dying to go inside. He waited impatiently. After a while, Brayden’s aunt opened the door and gestured for him to come in. He walked inside and looked over at Ariel.
She sat on the bed, her hair damp with sweat and her face looking exhausted, holding their tiny baby in her arms, wrapped in a white cloth. The midwife and his aunt were tidying up at the foot of the bed, and Brayden’s mother stood beside Ariel. Brayden rushed to her side, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead.
“Ariel, you did it,” he said and kissed her head again. “I’m so proud of you. Oh, my love.”
His wife was crying, and Brayden wiped away her tears. He looked at his child—so small, her skin pink with dark hair on her head—and he fell in love immediately. He reached his hand out, almost scared to touch her, and brushed her cheek with his thumb. He felt tears fall from his eyes also and put his arm around Ariel. “She’s here,” he whispered.
“I love her,” Ariel said, her voice hoarse. “Oh, Brayden.”
Brayden kissed her on the cheek, finding it hard to contain his emotion. He sighed deeply. “You did perfectly—you’re both perfect. Ariel, I can’t believe…” His voice became choked up, and he had to stop speaking. Brayden watched his wife and child, his heart full, and knew all of his dreams had come true. He touched Erica’s hand as she lay in her mother’s arms, knowing the perfect little angel was going to change their lives forever.
Ariel began to cry again. “My Erica, my darling Erica,” she sobbed. “I love her. I love her so much I can’t breathe.”
Erica wriggled in Ariel’s arms, her tiny hands reaching out, and Brayden smiled at her. Already striving. Already growing. Already living. The three of them had so much to go through together.
He was going to love every moment.
High Coven
(High Witch Book 3)
Mona Hanna
High Coven (High Witch Book 3)
Copyright © 2014 by Mona Hanna
All rights reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — without the prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotations used in reviews.
Editing: Tricia Kristufek
Prologue
The four men sat in the darkened cavern, with only a few candles spread out on the rocks nearby to provide light. Large stones were their seats, assembled in a rough circle. Raven gazed at the other three. He was younger than them, in his early forties, while his companions were in their fifties. They were all worried. They hadn’t thought this day would ever come.
There was always the prophecy.
But no one had believed in it.
Until the girl was born.
A girl who shouldn’t exist. A girl who should never have been born. A girl whose mother defied all odds.
Now the prophecy could come true.
They could never allow that to happen.
Raven cleared his throat, and the grey-haired men looked at him. “So there are four,” Raven said. “Four, when there should only be three. We have two options. We capture one of the High Witches. Problem solved, if we can manage it. Or we watch them, carefully, and make sure they don’t cast the spell. They know nothing about it, as far as we can tell. At the first sign that they’re even aware of the spell, we intervene.”
Raven paused, rubbing his forehead, the mess of it all making him feel ill. He swallowed loudly, then continued. “If we’re going to capture one of them, the baby born when Nadia died is our best bet. Julia. Her mother doesn’t know she’s a High Witch, and her mother has no magic—she can’t defend her child. I don’t fancy capturing a child. As much as this is a horrendous situation, it would be a terrible mess to do so. I say we watch them, all four of them, and just be prepared. As long as they don’t meet, we’re safe.”
Raven took a deep breath but knew what they were all thinking. It was obvious. Ariel found Hallie. What’s to stop her from finding Julia?
“Ariel is the danger,” Ewan said, his deep voice low and smooth. He clasped his hands together tightly. “She’s the leader. We can wager she’s determined to find Julia, given that she did so much to find Hallie. And what she did to save Sean—how can we stop a woman who’s unafraid of death?”
Silence filled the air again. Raven didn’t want to say it, but he knew it needed to be said. “So we capture Julia,” he stated.
The men around him sighed collectively. Kidnapping a young child was the last thing any of them wanted, but it was their best hope for stopping the prophecy from ever coming to fruition.
“We capture Julia,” Ewan said also. “Keep her away from the others forever. We’ll take care of her mother, help her afterward. There’s nothing else we can do. It’s the best way.”
No, Raven thought. It’s not the best way. But it’s the only way.
He felt ill once more.
Chapter 1
Ariel sat in the front room of her home in the warm sun of early spring, holding Erica in her arms. Erica had finally settled down after crying and fussing for hours. She was teething, going through a rough time at six months old, and most of the time wasn’
t sleeping for very long. Ariel was exhausted; Brayden too. Ariel had said she’d trade half her magic for a good night’s sleep. Brayden said he’d give his left arm. But it was just something they had to deal with.
Ariel yawned, wondering if she could put Erica in her cradle. Or would she just wake up and cry again? She gazed at the sleeping child, amazed someone so small could cause so much fuss. She smiled. Erica looked like an angel as she slept. Ariel wanted to kiss her a dozen times.
Brayden walked into the room from the kitchen. Ariel looked at him sharply, trying to warn him not to make noise with her gaze. He nodded, quietly coming and sitting in an armchair. He smiled at Ariel, then gazed at Erica. Ariel rose and went to their bedroom to put Erica in her cradle. She came back into the front room and sat, and Brayden joined her.
“Let’s sleep right now,” Brayden whispered. “Just lie down here. She’ll wake up any second and I need sleep.”
“No, I have to clean up before Hallie and Sean get here,” Ariel said quietly. “It’s only two days before they arrive! I haven’t prepared the spare room, I have to sweep, I have to cook…”
“Sleep now, clean later,” Brayden murmured, bringing her into his arms and attempting to lie them both down. “You’re a High Witch. Use your magic to help clean.”
“There isn’t a cleaning spell and you know it,” Ariel said, her voice coming out louder than she’d meant. She looked towards the bedroom, but Erica was still asleep. She lightly swatted Brayden’s arm, making him let go of her. “You sleep if you want. But I have work to do.”