High Witch Box Set

by Mona Hanna

  Everyone grew silent. Ariel knew she had to take charge. It was all so ugly. “Brayden, get the ropes,” Ariel said. “Sean, give me Erica and tie up Christopher.”

  Ariel took her daughter from Sean, and Sean took Christopher’s arms and put them behind his back. Christopher didn’t even fight—it was as if he knew he’d lost. Raven transported over to the third man, who had been standing by, watching, and held on to him tightly. Hallie released the white light from the other man, and the three men were taken to the edge of the field and tied to trees.

  When the group reassembled, it took a while to calm the children down, then eventually things were silent again. The four High Witches resumed their place in the circle while the others stood watching.

  Once more the four High Witches joined hands. The breeze blew about them strongly. Ariel looked at Hallie, and Hallie nodded.

  “Alright,” Ariel said. “Raven said we just need to use our magic all at the same time, and that should be enough to start the spell. The babies only need to channel their magic into the spell. It’s up to me and you to carry the spell forward, building it up to its full strength, focusing on giving the other witches their extra power. Ready?”

  Hallie took a deep breath, then nodded.

  Ariel shut her eyes for a moment, then looked over at Brayden and nodded.

  Brayden retrieved two small dolls from the bag and placed them in the middle of the circle.

  “Play, Erica,” Ariel said. “Play with the dolly.”

  Ariel and Hallie hadn’t let go of the children’s hands, so Erica just sat there looking at the doll.

  “Play, Julia,” Hallie said. “Bring the dolly to you.”

  “Dolly,” Julia said, then tried to move towards it.

  “No, darling, stay still. Use magic to get the doll,” Hallie said.

  Julia scrunched up her face, then frowned at the doll, and it hovered in the air. Ariel watched Hallie and knew she was using her magic to stop the doll from going to Julia.

  “Erica, get the dolly,” Ariel said. “Do it for Mama.” Ariel looked at her daughter with worry. Erica was so young, perhaps she wasn’t going to understand. She knew how to play with Julia, but they had to cast this spell so carefully, so both children were using magic at once.

  “Want dolly,” Julia said, trying to get up and go to it.

  “No, sweetie,” Hallie said.

  Suddenly the second doll began to move, and Ariel quickly used her magic to stop Erica from bringing it to her. Ariel looked at Hallie—it was now or never—then Ariel threw back her head and made a huge white light flow from her body, up into the sky. Hallie did the same, a golden glow rising into the air, and then the two bodies of light joined and flickered together.

  Ariel still concentrated on using her magic to keep the doll still so Erica would keep using her magic to try to bring the doll to her. Hallie did the same with Julia’s doll, so the two babies were releasing their magic while holding hands with Ariel and Hallie, who were then propelling all the magic of the High Witches into the light.

  Ariel focused hard on the point of the spell—giving all the witches of the world a reserve of power that would come out if they were trapped or in trouble. She envisioned many witches, imagined them being strong and powerful, with magic that would stop anyone hurting them.

  The light grew and grew—it surrounded the four witches and formed a fiery half-orb, burning around them. There was a loud boom in the air, then the clouds grew dark and lightning shot across the sky. Thunder crackled, rumbling loudly, until the sky broke out in harsh, heavy rain. Wind lashed the rain all over everyone, then gradually extinguished the fire and eliminated the light.

  The witches sat together, the babies starting to cry. Ariel picked up Erica and held her close, while Alexandra hurried over and took hold of Julia. Ariel and Hallie stood up. Ariel looked at Hallie and wondered if she was thinking the same thing as her.

  Is that it?

  The event had been majestic, but was that all? Light and fire and a storm. Was something more meant to happen? Ariel had half-expected the darkness to begin straight after the spell, although she hadn’t known what the darkness would be. Beasts? A plague? An army of murderous men? The prophecy was so vague. What would the darkness be? Where was it?

  Then Alexandra screamed, a cry filled with terror. Ariel looked at her, but the woman was looking in the distance.

  Ariel turned her head.

  There stood a man. He was very tall, very strong. He had long dark hair. The rain flowed over him, dripping off his large hands, his muscled arms. He wore a white shirt and dark trousers. He stared at Ariel, his eyes a piercing shade of green. He looked around thirty-five years old.

  The man said nothing, just stood there silently for a very long time. Then he lowered his head, held his arms out at his sides, and looked up, clapping his hands together with the loudest sound Ariel had ever heard.

  A field of energy rushed towards them, a blue wave of power.

  They all fell down.

  Chapter 17

  There was a loud boom, echoing through the air.

  The young witch felt it in her bones, felt different as the sound dissipated.

  She was held by the throat by an ugly, dirty, sweaty man, bent on taking her for his own.

  He knew she was a witch, but her power of being able to call things wasn’t able to save her in that moment.

  Then she felt a surge within her, a ball of power, a fire burning inside.

  She looked the man in the eyes. She lifted one of her hands and put it on the arm that held her. She felt his skin burn beneath her palm.

  He screamed, his eyes wide and spittle showing in his mouth of rotting yellow teeth. He raised his other arm to strike her.

  She shoved him hard in the chest.

  His body caught alight.

  She ran for her life.

  ***

  “Ariel. Ariel!”

  Ariel opened her eyes to find Brayden leaning over her. She blinked, wondering where she was, why she was on the ground. Then she sat up with a start. “Erica!”

  “She’s fine. She’s just beside you. She was on your chest when you fell. We all fell, but everyone’s okay. You were the last to wake up, though. I was worried.”

  Ariel frowned, scratching her head. What had happened? Who was that man? How did he cause them all to faint?

  Brayden stood, then held out his hand for Ariel. She took it and he brought her to her feet. He then picked up Erica and held her. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “I just want to be somewhere safe.”

  “But we have to find that man,” Ariel said, although she felt so spent from the spell that she just wanted to rest for a while. “I want to leave too, but shouldn’t we be searching for him? What if he’s out there hurting people?”

  Brayden frowned. “You’re right—we do need to find him. Let’s at least go back to Alexandra’s home so we can leave the children there. Alexandra and Cameron can watch them while you and me and Hallie and Sean go searching. Alright?”

  Ariel nodded. She hoped Alexandra wouldn’t mind watching Erica for a while. Ariel looked around for Raven. When she spotted him, she waved him over.

  “Are you alright?” he asked her when he reached her side.

  “Yes, I’m fine. How are you?”

  “I’m okay. Concerned over who our new arrival was, though. I don’t know what he is. I have a feeling he’s not… a normal man. I don’t even know if he’s human.”

  Ariel shut her eyes for a moment. Whatever darkness she had been envisioning, it wasn’t this. This was worse.

  “What are we going to do about Christopher and the other two men?”

  Raven frowned. “I think we should just release them. The spell has been cast—there’s nothing they can do now. Really, after their initial attempt to steal Julia was thwarted by you, they’d lost. I know they came back here today, but they really had no hope of stopping you, and I think they knew that. I don’t think they’ll
try anything anymore, not when the one thing they wanted to stop has already happened. We’ll just let them go.”

  Ariel nodded. She wanted nothing more to do with the men. Part of her wanted them to be punished for trying to take the children, but they had to deal with the strange man who was part of the prophecy. Trying to punish Christopher and the other two didn’t seem a worthwhile use of their time, not when they likely weren’t going to bother them anymore. Alexandra might disagree—Ariel imagined the woman must be filled with hatred for the men who’d bound her and tried to steal Julia away. But Ariel, like Raven, thought it was best just to let the men go.

  “Alright. If you could go and untie them, that would be good. We’ll all head back to Alexandra’s home, then me and Brayden and Hallie and Sean are going to search for the villain. Do… do you want to come?”

  Raven half smiled. “Not in the slightest, but it would be best. I don’t want to just stand by when I might be able to help. Although my magic is nothing compared to yours and Hallie’s.”

  “What is your power?” Ariel said. “I never asked you before.”

  “Calling things from one place to another,” Raven said. “Useful, but not all that strong of a power. It’s more my knowledge of the prophecy that may come in handy. Although in some ways, I’m just as much in the dark as everyone else.”

  Ariel sighed. It seemed they were doomed. Only her vision of being told she would be guided and protected gave her hope. “Alright. Let’s just head back now. You untie the men and I’ll gather everyone, and then we can transport out of here.”

  Raven nodded and walked away. Ariel and Brayden moved towards the others in the group, who were standing together in a huddle. Ariel wasn’t looking forward to the rest of that day. Or the days to come.

  ***

  Hallie stood by the door and watched as the two babies slept snuggly in the middle of Alexandra’s bed. They were tired, and Hallie imagined the spell would have exhausted them. She felt so tired her bones hurt. But there was no time for her and Ariel to rest.

  “Are you sure you’re alright watching them both?” Ariel asked Alexandra. Both of them were standing by the bed.

  “Yes, it’ll be fine. I just want to be safe at home. Cameron will be with me. I have all of Erica’s things with me, so there shouldn’t be any problems. I’m worried for you and Hallie and the others, though. Will you be safe?”

  Ariel shrugged. “We just have to get out there. We can’t wait for the worst to happen—we have to try to stop it. We’ll try to be back before it’s too late tonight.”

  Alexandra nodded, and Ariel walked towards the door. She squeezed Hallie’s arm, and they both walked into the from room, where everyone else was.

  “Are we all ready?” Ariel asked.

  Hallie stood beside her but didn’t say anything. She was ready but had a horrible feeling they were going to come across something awful. The thought of what it could be filled her with anxiety.

  “We’re ready,” Brayden said. He was standing beside Sean and Raven near the front door. Cameron sat at the table.

  Ariel walked to the front door and opened it, then everyone except Cameron walked outside. The barrier was still surrounding Alexandra’s house, so no one could transport into or out of it. Raven shut the door after them, and then they stood in a huddle in the front yard.

  “Let’s go to the main part of town, where the shops and inns and most people are,” Raven said. “I don’t know what the villain has in mind, but there’s a good a place to start as any.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Should we transport there?” Brayden asked.

  “I think it should be okay,” Ariel said. “I know some people who don’t have magic find it offensive when witches and warlocks just appear in front of them, but we don’t have time to worry about that now. Everyone link arms.”

  The group formed a chain.

  “Hallie, you’ve seen the place Raven is thinking of. Transport us there, please,” Ariel said.

  Hallie nodded, shut her eyes, and imagined the grassy area behind the inn she and Sean were staying at. An instant later, they were all standing there.

  But there was no inn.

  There were no buildings.

  There were no people.

  There was only smoke and ash, rubble and the remnants of fire. Only the smell of charcoal and flames and burned flesh. Only a wasteland as far as they could see, everything burned to the ground. There were the screams of the survivors. But those were only few.

  “Oh, what have we done!” Ariel cried, her eyes full of tears. She covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed.

  Hallie’s eyes filled with tears too. It was supposed to be alright. They were supposed to have helped. No one was supposed to die.

  That’s not what the prophecy said.

  But Hallie had never believed people would be murdered because of what they’d done.

  Chapter 18

  They walked among the remains of the inn. Their shoes crunched the burned wood beneath their feet, the charred remnants of the grand building where Hallie and Sean had stayed. Hallie’s heart broke at the thought of the people who would have died. The inn had been full of people the days they’d stayed there. Had anyone survived? The sheer scale of the fire—the fact that it had wiped out the entire center of the town all at once—left little hope for survivors. How had the villain done it? How could he have created such a blaze? Even if she and Ariel combined their magic, they didn’t have the power to do this. This man must be ten times more powerful than them. Which made Hallie wonder how in the world they could stop him.

  “I just can’t believe it,” Ariel said. “We have to create a storm. It’s the only small thing we can do to help. At least we can put out any fires that remain.”

  Hallie nodded. Ariel could create a storm on her own—she didn’t need her to help. They started to walk back to the grassy space where they had arrived, when Sean held his arms out, stopping everyone from walking. Hallie looked up, wondering what was ahead.

  It was him. The man. He was standing several feet away on the grass, not moving, not making a sound. Hallie felt bile rise in her throat. She was so angry with him. She was terrified—almost unable to move from fear—but the hatred she felt for the man, for murdering all those people. For destroying all those lives. She almost couldn’t contain her anger. She despised him.

  “High Witches,” the man called out. His voice was deep, loud, clear. He sounded like a normal man, yet Hallie knew no normal statements were to come from his mouth. “I am Innes. You cast a spell to give all witches extra power. I am the punishment for this spell. I am here to restore the balance of power. For all the help you have given the witches, I am here to exact retribution. I am here to bring about pain, for all the pain you have tried to wipe out. You casting this spell cannot stand. There is only one thing you can do to stop me—only one thing to cause me to cease my tirade.” Innes became quiet.

  Hallie swallowed loudly, wondering what he could possibly want. She wondered if he was human. He seemed more beast than man.

  “Surrender to me,” Innes said. “Give yourselves to me, witches, and I will take you somewhere where you will not be able to interfere with this world anymore. You will be mine, my possessions. I will no longer bring harm to this world and its people if you come with me. I will even leave the High Witch children here. They will be spared. But you both must come to me.”

  Hallie looked at Sean, her heart racing in her chest. Sean took hold of her, putting his arms around her waist and pressing her back against his chest. He held on to her very tightly, so close that Hallie could tell his heart was racing too. She glanced over at Ariel. She was facing Brayden, holding his hands, looking at him with such fear in her eyes. Hallie felt like crying, everything was so horrible.

  “It is not such a sacrifice as you think,” Innes said. “What are you witches, really? What are you, Ariel, that you could not become who you are now without the help of a man? You spend
your days creating potions that bear no real consequence. What would the world miss? And you, Hallie, what are you? Small, quiet, fearful. Barren.”

  Hallie gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. What—what had he said? Was she? Was she barren?

  “You have until dawn to decide,” Innes called out. “I’ll be back here then.”

  “No—you won’t take them. You’ll never take them!” Brayden shouted. “You’ll never have them!”

  “Dawn,” Innes repeated, then disappeared.

  Ariel burst into tears. Brayden immediately held her to him. Hallie just lowered her head. She couldn’t look at Sean. She couldn’t speak. Innes’s ultimatum horrified her. But the thought—the knowledge—that she couldn’t bear children… She didn’t have to believe Innes—he might have just been trying to scare her. But Hallie knew it was true. She felt it, deep within her. She realized on some level she’d known for months.

  “What are we going to do?” Ariel cried. “Hallie, what are going to do?”

  Hallie looked at her. She felt her heart break in two. What could they do? What damage would Innes do if they didn’t surrender to him? How many more lives would be lost? Could they risk it? Could they place their own lives above that of so many others?

  ***

  Ariel started a storm over the center of town, and then the group transported back to Alexandra’s home. Raven knocked on the door, and then shortly afterward, Alexandra opened it. They walked inside, then assembled around the room.

  “What happened?” Alexandra asked. “What’s wrong?”

  Raven told her and Cameron about the fire, and about Innes and his ultimatum.

  Alexandra gasped. “What are you going to do? This is horrible—all those people! This is my home! How—how could he!”

  Hallie looked down at her hands as she sat at the table with Sean and Raven. Raven hadn’t mentioned what Innes said about Hallie not being able to have children. She felt guilty for dwelling on it—there was much more at stake—but the knowledge broke her heart. She hated to think what Sean must be thinking. She knew how much he wanted a son.