by Mona Hanna
“I was wondering if you’d let me try something,” Cameron said, breaking the silence. “Hear me out first before you say no. You’ve mentioned that Julia’s magic is strong and unusual, and the others are saying she’s a High Witch. Do you mind if I try to get her to use her magic? I just want to see for myself—see what she can do. Would that be alright?”
Alexandra frowned for a moment. “But she can’t control it, Cameron. What if things get out of hand?”
“I’m sure I can manage—and besides, Ariel is here if we need her. I just need to see this.”
It took a lot out of Alexandra to agree, but she finally nodded. “Okay, but be careful. Very careful.”
Cameron smiled at her, then stood and moved next to Julia. He sat on the ground before her, watching her play with a small wooden horse. He reached out and took hold of a doll, moving it near the horse to grab Julia’s attention. She looked up at him, then reached for the doll. Cameron grinned. “Julia, look at me,” he said, putting the doll down. “Watch me.”
He took hold of her hand for a moment, and then Alexandra watched as his body began to change, and a moment later, a grey cat sat in the spot where Cameron had been.
Alexandra sat forward, worried about how Julia would react. But Julia just laughed, clapped her hands and then reached out and grasped the cat’s fur. “Gently, Julia,” Alexandra said.
“Kitty,” Julia said, getting to her feet and then wrapping her arms around the cat’s belly. “My kitty.”
“Careful.”
“Mama, look,” Julia said, then sat down with a thump and shut her eyes.
Alexandra held her breath—what was she going to do? She waited impatiently, and then, after an agonizing few moments, Julia suddenly turned into a brown striped cat. Alexandra stood up with a start. “Julia!” she said, never having seen her shape-shift before. “Darling, are you alright?”
Julia stood up for a brief moment, then fell down. She tried to stand up again, but only took a step before tumbling over.
Cameron moved forward and nuzzled her, then gave her a kiss before moving back and sitting down. A moment later, Cameron returned to his human form. “Is this the first time she’s shape-shifted?” he asked, reaching out and patting Julia’s back. “She did it amazingly well. The first time I tried to turn into a cat, I only managed a cat head on a human body. Look at her!”
“Yes, my daughter is a cat and I want her back!” Alexandra exclaimed. “Make her change back!”
Cameron laughed. “She’ll do it in her own time,” he said, chuckling. “She’s fine, this is perfectly natural.”
“Yes, for a shape-shifter, but Julia isn’t… I mean… oh, she can do so much! Please help her to change back.”
Cameron looked at Alexandra, then sighed. “Alright, I’ll try,” he said softly. “Julia? Julia go to your Mama.”
Julia let out a strangled meow, which made Cameron laugh even more, and then she sat there for a moment with her eyes wide before suddenly turning back into her human form. She got to her feet and carefully walked over to Alexandra. “Kitty-cat,” she said, trying to climb onto the settee.
Alexandra picked her up and sat her down beside her. “Were you scared?”
Julia only shook her head and grinned. She looked at Cameron, then tried to hide behind her mother. Alexandra looked over at him and wondered how to bring him and her child together. “Julia, this is my friend Cameron. Say hello.”
Julia just shook her head and continued trying to hide behind her mother.
“He was here yesterday. Do you remember?”
Julia sucked on her fingers. “Snuggles,” she said.
Alexandra wondered what she meant, then realized Julia had seen Cameron hug her. She blushed, then glanced at Cameron and he was smiling. She frowned at him, wishing he wasn’t finding everything so amusing. “Well, that won’t be happening again. Come on, breakfast time.”
“Num nums,” Julia said, sliding off the settee and starting to walk towards the kitchen.
Alexandra followed her daughter’s slow steps, hearing Cameron walking behind her.
“She’s adorable,” Cameron said. “She’s amazing.”
Alexandra turned and looked up at him. “Stop it, Cameron,” she said. “I know I’ve involved you in this mess, but you’re not taking everything seriously! She saw you hug me—what if she becomes confused? You can’t do that again.”
“I was comforting you—and you didn’t complain at the time,” he said roughly.
Alexandra clenched her fists as she stared at him. “Not again,” she said, gritting her teeth, and then she whirled around and stormed through to the kitchen.
He doesn’t understand! He thought this time was for getting to know Julia, for smiling and laughing and… comforting her mother. No, Alexandra didn’t complain at the time, and every inch of her wanted to be held in that moment, but she didn’t want Cameron to return to his old self. Joking and being charming and then running away when things got tough. When all of this became dark, even darker than it already was, would he still be there? Would he?
She didn’t know.
Chapter 14
“I’m scared, Brayden.” Ariel looked at Brayden in earnest as she sat up in bed.
He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, while baby Erica lay near them on the mattress. “Just let me hold you for a while,” he whispered, and then he gently kissed her hair while she sat in his arms.
“What if they don’t believe me?” Ariel whispered. “What if they don’t agree with me?”
“We’ll deal with that if it comes, but I think they’ll listen to you,” Brayden said.
“But…” Ariel moved her head so she was facing her husband. “What about Alexandra? She won’t let Julia be part of the spell. She already said so. I feel terrible about even suggesting it, and I’m worried about Erica too. I know what it’s like to be a mother and not want your child to be in danger. I want to abandon this whole thing, but the dream I got—the vision… I can’t ignore it. We do need to help the other witches. But what about the cost?” Ariel frowned at Brayden, then covered her face with her hands, the stress of this almost becoming too much for her.
Brayden kissed her forehead, then moved her hands away and held them in his own. “I’ll be with you every moment, remember that,” he said. “I’ll be right by your side, and I’ll protect you in any way I can. I won’t let anyone be cruel to you. We’ll talk about this with the others, then see what they say. I know this is upsetting you, Ariel, but you’re strong, and I know you can do this. I love you so much. I don’t think that whoever gave you the vision would be leading you into something with no hope. Something that wasn’t right. I love you, and I want you to trust your heart, trust your soul. Can you do that?”
Ariel looked deeply into Brayden’s eyes, marvelling that he knew just what to say. She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. “I’ll try,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”
Brayden smiled, and Ariel found herself smiling back. She knew it was time to get up—Erica was awake, beginning to move in bed. They had to face the day. No matter what it brought.
***
Hallie sat on one of the settees in Alexandra’s home, with Sean beside her. Raven was at the table with Cameron and Alexandra, while Ariel and Brayden sat on the other settee. The two children were on the floor, playing with toys. Hallie looked at Ariel carefully—Ariel’s face was pale, her brow furrowed. She looked very worried. Ariel had said she needed to talk to everyone but had just been sitting there for a little while. Hallie wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. Ariel met her gaze and half-smiled.
“Are you alright?” Hallie asked.
Ariel bit her lip. “I—I’m okay,” she said softly. “I’m just…” Ariel covered her face with her hands, and Brayden quickly put his arm around her shoulders. He whispered something to her, and she nodded.
Hallie couldn’t take it anymore. She stood and went and sat beside Ariel, squeez
ing into the small spot. “What’s wrong? Please tell me. You can tell me anything.”
Ariel grasped one of Hallie’s hands. “It’s the spell,” she whispered. “I want to cast it, but I don’t know how to explain it to everyone. Alexandra’s going to argue with me, and Raven will disagree too. And I don’t even know what you think!”
Hallie frowned. “Don’t be afraid. You know I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. I love you so much. Don’t stress.”
“How can I not stress?” Ariel whispered. “This… this burden. It’s killing me. I wish…”
“What burden? Why do you want to cast the spell?”
“I… I had a vision. A dream. I was told to cast the spell, by the same being that gave me the vision saying having four High Witches would be alright. Remember? That first vision filled my heart with joy, with love. The one I just had hurts me… I know in my heart casting the spell is right—Hallie, I just know it. But how do I explain it to everyone else? In any way that makes sense?”
Hallie reached out and hugged Ariel. Hallie remembered her and Sean’s conversation from that morning. Sean didn’t think casting the spell was a good idea. But looking at Ariel, seeing the distress within her… Hallie knew she would support her best friend any way she could. It’s not that she would be going against Sean—Hallie felt Sean would be on their side too, once Ariel explained everything.
“I’m with you, Ariel. Just tell us what you saw. I’m with you in whatever you want to do.”
“Oh, Hallie,” Ariel said, looking at her fondly. “I love you.”
Hallie smiled, squeezed Ariel’s hand, then went back and sat beside Sean.
Ariel shut her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then sat forward. “Everyone,” she began. “There’s something I need to say…”
***
“No!” Alexandra shouted. “No, you can’t! I won’t let you! She’s my child and I won’t let you put her in danger!”
“Alexandra please—” Ariel began.
“No! I know this means something to you, Ariel, but this is madness! You don’t know how to cast this spell, do you? What are you going to do, just sit there with two babies and try things until they work? And what about Erica? Why aren’t you concerned about how this will affect her? And we haven’t even started talking about the ‘dark force.’ This is crazy and I won’t let you do it!”
Alexandra’s insides crumpled at the desperate look Ariel gave her. Alexandra hated yelling at the woman, especially after how Ariel had looked so vulnerable when she was telling them about her vision. It wasn’t that Alexandra didn’t believe Ariel—she knew nothing of the dreams and visions a High Witch could get. And Alexandra could see Ariel’s genuine concern for all the other witches out there. But nothing Ariel could say would convince Alexandra that involving two babies in an enormous, dangerous spell was wise. Or that their children would be safe. Alexandra hated this. She hated all of this.
“I… I need to think,” Alexandra said, meaning she needed to be alone. She stood and walked to her bedroom, shut the door, and sat on the bed. What was going to happen? Would everyone band against her? Was she alone in this—just her and Julia? Alexandra was used to being on her own, but she felt she was letting everyone down, was upsetting everyone. It tore her up inside.
“Alexandra?” a male voice said outside the door. The door was opened and Cameron stood there. Alexandra frowned up at him, but he didn’t respond. He merely shut the door, then went and sat beside her on the bed.
“We need to talk,” he said. “I understand how you’re feeling. I really do—the thought of Julia being in danger horrifies me. This all does sound strange, odd. But there’s something about the way Ariel described her dream… seeing all those vulnerable women, hearing their voices. But it’s not just that. Ariel described a ‘being,’ an entity that spoke to her. That gave her the dream. I don’t know about you, but I believe her. She seemed so earnest, so sure, and I don’t think Ariel would believe in the vision unless it had some merit.”
“I believe her too,” Alexandra said. “I do, but that doesn’t stop me being afraid.”
“We’re all afraid, the High Witches included. There’s something else that makes me believe in Ariel’s vision, believe that all this is happening how it is for a reason. Do you really think it’s a coincidence that I came back into your life right before all this happened? I don’t mean something made me return—I’d been planning it for a while, I was just trying to save enough money to help you. But what are the odds that at the exact time I return, you go through something like this? I think we were brought together now on purpose, because it was necessary. I don’t know what to think, exactly—I’ve never been one to believe in a higher power—but if we both believe that what Ariel was told in the vision is true, then I think we should trust her. Trust she knows what the right thing to do is and that her being told she would be guided and protected is real. I… I think we should let them cast the spell. And in a way, it ensures Julia’s safety from those men. They want to capture her to stop the spell from being cast. If the spell has already happened, they’ll have no reason to come after her anymore.”
Alexandra sat quietly, mulling over Cameron’s speech. Some of it made sense. She was partly surprised that he would say those things—she’d always thought of him as cynical, hard around the edges, closed off. Him believing in visions and that some things were meant to be wasn’t what Alexandra expected. Maybe he had changed.
And maybe he was right.
She sat there, scared, wondering what to do. Then, suddenly, she felt a warmth in her heart. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was almost physical, the feeling was so strong, so pure. She put a hand to her chest as a tear fell from her eye. She looked at Cameron.
“What is it?” he asked, seeming alarmed. He touched her shoulder.
“Oh, Cameron,” Alexandra said through tears. “I…”
I will be with you. I will be with Julia. I will protect you both, my child.
Alexandra burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands.
Cameron did nothing for a moment, then placed his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t yell at me about this later, alright?” Cameron said.
Alexandra looked at him, then started laughing.
Cameron grinned. “Do you want to tell me what just happened?” he asked.
Alexandra took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. She was sure now. She was sure. “Julia can cast the spell,” she said. “I won’t fight it. Can… can you be with me when I tell them?”
Cameron gazed at her for a long while. He moved his lips to her ear. “I can be with you whenever you want.”
Chapter 15
Alexandra cautiously walked back into the front room with Cameron following. She was nervous about talking to everyone. Ariel was standing by the table, hugging Brayden, and she turned when Alexandra walked near to her.
“I—I’ve come to a decision. I’m willing to let you cast the spell with Julia. Cameron opened my eyes to a few things, and I’ve decided to trust your instincts. But promise me, Ariel—promise me you’ll look after my little girl. Promise me you and Hallie will be careful of our children.”
“Of course we will—oh, Alexandra, I’m so happy you’ve agreed to this,” Ariel said, stepping forward. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me. I know going forward things will be scary, but we’ll get through. It’ll be alright.”
“I’m afraid,” Raven said, alarming Alexandra, as she hadn’t heard him speak in a while, “that it won’t be that simple.”
Everyone turned to look at him.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been against you all casting the spell from the beginning, based on the dangerous consequences,” he said. “I could still try and stop you, but I know you’re going to go ahead with this no matter what. But you have to be aware. Things will go wrong. This won’t be easy, this will be dark, and I’m sure lives will be lost. The prophecy states that this
will be the case. Can you all handle that? Can you face the fact that once you cast the spell, what you’ll have to deal with will be horrendous? You may have help—maybe, once the other witches receive their extra power, some of them may decide to join you in the battle. But it will be a battle. Can you handle it?”
The room filled with silence. Alexandra looked at her hands, knowing this was something for the witches to answer. This involved all of them, but Ariel and Hallie would be the ones fighting. Alexandra could see Ariel facing darkness, but Hallie was so shy, so quiet. Would she be able to fight? Alexandra guessed there was more to Hallie than what appeared—after all, she was a High Witch. But was she a fighter?
“We’ll cope—we have to,” Ariel said. “Me and my friends have faced darkness before, have faced death and violence. We have to do this, Raven. We just have to.”
Raven nodded. “Alright. We’ll have to prepare for casting the spell, then. It will need to be outside—which places us in danger of Christopher and the other men. But it’s not something that can occur indoors. The main question now is whether Erica will be able to use her magic. The children won’t have to do anything more than channel their magic into the spell. But for a child who hasn’t used her powers…”
“Uh, I don’t think that will be a problem,” Brayden said.
Alexandra looked at him, gazing at the children. She turned towards the two girls, who were playing with toys on the ground, and gasped.
Erica held a toy horse. Julia held her hands out and the horse appeared in her hands. She giggled, and then Erica held out her hands and the horse appeared in her own. She began to play with it, and then Julia magically took the toy again. Back and forth, the two girls passed the toy, Julia delighted to have someone to play with and Erica just wanting to have the toy.
Alexandra looked at Ariel. She had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, darling, you’re using magic!” Ariel said, walking over to the children, then knelt down and kissed Erica on the head. “My special, special girl.”