She turned to face the woods, her voice rising to a hoarse shout. “And I don’t think you want that. I’ve already lived long enough for one of my descendants to rid the world of demons. Something you, in all your power, never managed. Punish me properly. Kill me before I can see the other great things this witch will accomplish. You drove a wedge between me and my mate. From afar, I watched him die as I begged for mercy. Give her the same life span as her love. Give her the blessing that for me was a curse.”
The ground trembled under my feet. Ahead of me, the trees thrashed. The air became heavy, and breathing was a chore. I forced my lugs to inhale, and again. I would not give up. Michelle was only feet away, completely defenseless.
I reached out to the forest. A surge of power batted me aside me like I was no more than a gnat. It took every bit of discipline I had learned in my long life to reel my mind back inside myself.
Blotches of color, blinding white spots, unending pools of darkness that reminded me of being trapped by the black pine filled my vision. I was overwhelmed by powers larger and stronger than any I had ever dared touch.
Words ceased to have any meaning. I existed in an unending swirl of images and impressions. A hand pulling something dark from Ashley’s chest. A spear of gold light thrusting into Michelle’s chest. Her face filled with pain. Ashley looking up into the sky, triumph written in every line of her body.
The wind was pulling pieces of flesh off Ashley’s bones, her mouth open in a scream that never came.
Under all of it, my desperate hope that I had not ruined just four lives, but the thousands more we touched or who depended on us in some fashion. I hoped the nature representative understood what I had wanted. Immorality for Michelle had never been my goal. My only desire had been for more time, time to love her, time for her to accomplish everything she’d worried she could not fit into one lifetime.
Please, I begged. Please understand.
There was no response.
Forgive me, Michelle, I pleaded, even though I had no way of knowing if she would receive the message or understand. I never intended for this to happen.
There was light on the other side of my eyelids, but I did not know if I would be looking at a world I recognized. The far more plausible path was that I had set events in motion, ones I could never undo and would regret for the rest of my life, however long or short it would be.
“Elron, Michelle will die in the same breath as you.” The voice was thick and ringing, vibrating my bones. I was not certain if I had heard the voice with my ears or if it had been projected inside my skull.
I forced my eyes open. This was the garden behind the lodge. Bright yellow and blue flowers, undamaged by the forces that had been here before, circled the bottom of the altar. My gaze traveled up the gray stone.
Michelle was still there.
Her chest moved. She was alive.
I twitched my fingers. They ached but moved. Every inch of my skin, down to the bone, ached as if I’d been pummeled by rocks. Pushing myself up, I noticed Ethel and Nancy on the ground. They were breathing and appeared uninjured.
A pile of bones between me and the altar was all that remained of Ashley. I hoped she had gotten what she wanted, that she had not paid a price for my foolish desire.
Getting to my feet hurt but was worth every pain when I could see all of Michelle. She looked unharmed. I stepped over the bones and walked up to the altar.
Michelle’s eyes opened, and she sucked in a deep, ragged breath. “Elron?” Her hand reached out.
I caught it in mine. “Here. I am here.”
She exhaled and most of the tension left her body. “I had the strangest dream.”
“Did you?” I kept my voice even. There was a chance she did not remember any of what had transpired, and I did not want to shock her.
Her brow scrunched. “It was weird. You, Mom, Ethel, and a woman I didn’t recognize were in my living room. Then my mind got all fuzzy, and the next thing I knew a voice was telling me we would die on the same day.”
I rested my cheek against her hand. “We will. It has been promised by— Well, I am not entirely sure who made the promise, but we have a chance to have a very long life together.”
Her jaw hung slack. She finally got it back to where it was useful. “Anything else I need to know about?”
“There’s a chance you’re healed.”
She shook her head. “I can’t be healed. It isn’t possible.”
I shrugged. “Ethel can give you details. Right now I need to get you inside.”
Michelle looked around as if only now realizing she was outside and that only a few feet away her mother and Ethel were collapsed on the ground. Then she spotted the pile of bones behind me. Her eyes were wide when she focused on me. “I think you have a lot of explaining to do.”
I gathered her in my arms. “Yes, and we have a lifetime together during which I shall explain.”
“That better start now,” she grumbled.
“I think that can be arranged.” I grinned down at her. “Though perhaps it should wait until the three of you are back in the lodge.”
She gazed at her mother as I carried her down the path. “Agreed.”
As soon as my foot touched the wooden floor of the lodge, I asked the building to have Landa and Mander come assist me. As I neared Michelle’s apartment, the door swung open. The lodge was feeling most helpful today.
Michelle was quiet as I settled her in a chair.
Stepping back, I surveyed her. “How do you feel?”
“Well enough for you to help Mom and Ethel.” She rubbed her face. “A moment alone would be good. My head feels different.”
“Are you sure you wish to be alone?” She looked thoughtful and concerned for Nancy and Ethel, which was a pleasant change from this morning when she had been all but swallowed by her pain.
“As long as it is only for a moment.” She flapped her hands at me. “Go, help my mom and Ethel.”
Nodding, I hurried back to the garden. Landa and Mander were there. They had awakened both ladies and helped them to sit.
“Michelle?” Nancy asked when we saw me.
I knelt down beside her and looked her in the eye. “She is fine. I took her to her apartment and left her in a chair. Would you like to join her?”
“Help me up.” Nancy held out her hands.
I grasped them and pulled her to her feet. She swayed, and I quickly tossed her arm over my shoulder. Even with her leaning on me, it was a wobbly trip to Michelle’s apartment.
The door had hardly opened when Nancy caught a glimpse of Michelle. She started tugging me across the room. I finally released her and stood back as she hurled herself into Michelle’s arms. Whilst the two of them were involved in their reunion, I quietly backed out of the room.
In the hall, I paused, closed my eyes and thanked the earth, sun, moon, stars, trees, and anyone else who had ensured Michelle’s health through both today’s misadventure and the recent battle. I was extremely grateful, and humbled, that we had been so blessed as to survive and been given the chance to prosper. A flutter of wind was my only acknowledgment.
I hurried outside, only to find Ethel on her feet and slowly tottering in my direction. The two brownies, who were hardly waist high on her, were doing their best to hold her upright as she swayed. Though, considering the wary looks they were casting up at her, I suspected they were somewhat concerned that with one wrong step, all three of them would be tumbling to the ground.
“Excuse me.” I slid between Landa and Ethel, carefully supporting the premier as the brownies backed away.
“That was foolish.” Her tone was as cutting as ever, even if it lacked the sharpness I expected from her rebukes.
“I thought…” I shook my head. It did not matter what I thought. Ethel was correct. Bringing Ashley here, and most especially asking her how to extend Michelle’s life span, had been the height of stupidity. “It is done.”
Her eyes assessed and weighed
me. “Is it? Are you sure of that, elf?”
I halted beside the door to the lodge. The brownies escaped inside. “Why wouldn’t it be done?”
Lines of fatigue were etched deep into Ethel’s face. “Do you trust Ashley?”
I did not hesitate. “No.”
“Neither do I, and I have spent years gathering information on her, asking questions, and working to discover any information I can. There are texts that record the events surrounding the creation of my race, and they paint a much darker and more sinister picture than what Ashley told us today. I have every reason to believe she was punished for deeds that would make even Hayato’s actions seem benign. In short, she was evil.”
Ethel kept talking as those words sank in. “Ashley’s curse was a punishment for her crimes as well as for dabbling in forces she did not understand and should not have touched. The Many transferred some portion of that curse to Michelle to grant her a life span equal to yours. Not only has Michelle wielded power greater than any other witch I have ever heard of, including Ashley, but there may have been other parts of the curse, ones Ashley did not share with us. How do you know other aspects of the curse did not transfer as well?”
My stomach clenched. It should have occurred to me before.
Ethel was far from through with me. “Bringing any of our problems to Ashley was foolish. I have called upon favors, made threats, bargains, all to get the best treatment I could for Michelle. I would have done a great deal more if it would have healed her. But you, you did not consider any of that. You simply acted, with little thought as to why Ashley was not someone I asked to assist.” She glared at me.
“Wi—” I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak. “Will you be able to tell if she was cursed?”
“I rather doubt it.” Her eyes narrowed. “I interacted with Ashley a great many times. Had I not known some of her history, I wouldn’t have known she had been born anything but a witch with some quirks to her magic.”
Standing there, shoulders slumped, head bowed, I wished I could tell her I regretted ever speaking to Ashley. However, I could not, because if it gave me more time with Michelle, it was worth the risk. Although Ethel did have a point. In the future I needed to consider the difference between my desires, what was best for Michelle, and the potential for disaster.
The last one was particularly difficult. Michelle had an uncanny knack for finding trouble, even when trouble should be far away, and for extracting herself from the situation. From a planning standpoint, it was rather difficult to remember her ability to attract trouble. Especially after the many quiet years I had spent in the forest with little changing.
Her stare drilled into my soul. “Moving forward, you need to think not only of what is best for you, or even the two of you, because your decisions affect other people. Think, Elron. I wanted to have her as my successor, not only because I thought it would be the best thing for witches but because I knew it was the best thing for the world. Think first of the two of you. That is the only way to preserve your relationship. But then think of the rest of us.”
“Ethel, I always think of us and then others. Had Michelle shown any signs of recovering, I would not have taken those actions.” Though had I known Michelle would be given a life span to match my own, I would have been tempted.
Her lips pulled together. “You fail to understand.”
“No.” Her eyes widened and her mouth moved, but I spoke over anything she might have said. “You may scold me about Michelle’s safety because she is everything to me. However, past that, you would do well to remember that I am not a child but your elder.”
“Age does not equate wisdom.” The previous unsteadiness was gone. Her back was straight as a rod and her voice could have cut glass.
I looked down at her. “No, but it does bring experience and understanding. You need Michelle. She does not need you. I am not one of your witches who will follow and obey you. I care not at all for your society, its rules, or how Michelle plays into your grand plan. I care only for her. Never forget where my loyalty lies.”
A lesser witch would have been cowed. Ethel looked up at me with understanding and a bit of fear in her eyes. “I can still turn you into a toad.” She yanked open the door and marched to Michelle’s apartment.
I hated to admit it, but I rather liked the old witch.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Michelle
“Could you repeat that?” I was reasonably sure I had hallucinated, because there was no way that had been right. None at all.
His voice was just as calm as it had been last time. “You will live longer than the average witch. Unless you are killed, you will live as long as I. My understanding is that my last breath will be your last breath.”
My brain seized up. That amount of time or the fundamental difference between what my life would have been like and how it would now progress were beyond what I could comprehend.
To be fair to my brain, channeling that much magic, burning myself out, the depression, and then having my mind put back together was more than I had ever expected to process in this amount of time.
“Michelle?”
I blinked, bringing him into focus. “What?”
Elron brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face. “I know this is a shock.”
“It is.” My mind conjured up memories of looks my parents had exchanged. Then there were the offhanded questions witches and the police would ask me. The theme was always age gaps and how long we would actually be able to spend together. “We carefully avoided talking about it. Neither of us were unaware of that aspect of our relationship, but we didn’t focus on it, so what changed?”
“I’ve come so close to losing you.” His eyes dropped to my hands. “In a single moment I realized my life would be ten times longer than yours, and half of it would be with you gone. I still remember what it felt like to lose Sylvia, and I love you more. Ashley offered me a chance to give you, give us, a longer life together, and took it.”
“Magic always has a price.” I didn’t mean to say it, but it was something I’d been told as a child when I had used my power frivolously.
He jerked his head up. “Yes. However, in this case, I believe the price was paid by Ashley. You were her method of redemption.”
Considering what he—well, everyone who’d actually interacted with her—had told me, I was inclined to agree. “We’ll have to be careful until we know more.”
He nodded.
“And I’ll need time to adjust to this. I know the spell doesn’t guarantee I’ll live thousands of years, but it’s still a big change.”
Elron looked at me, silver hair falling over his shoulder. “Is it a change that brings you joy?”
I hesitated. “It isn’t that simple. While I’m happy to have the additional time with you, this wasn’t something I asked for. Now, I know you. You would have asked me, given me time to think about it and decide on my own. Ashley, she had a different agenda.”
Horror crept across his face. “I violated you.”
I covered his mouth with my hand. There was little point in him feeling guilt—it did nothing, especially when his intentions had been good. “No. You gave me a gift, in a very awkward way, one that I don’t want to repeat in the future. However, it is and always will be a magnificent gift from a man I love. I blame Ashley for the rest of it.”
“Are you certain? I would understand if you held me responsible for this violation.” He held himself still as he waited for my response.
“I’m sure.” I leaned in and kissed him. “And I’m extra sure that I’m going to be your fiancée until you marry me.”
That brought a smile to his face.
Behind the happiness and acceptance I showed him, I had a different worry. My magic. With every fiber of my being, I hoped my power came back. I didn’t want to live thousands of years as a broken witch. I didn’t want to feel cursed by longevity, reliving a sacrifice I had willingly made until I wished I’d abandoned
the rest of the world to the demons and only saved myself and my loved ones.
I wanted to feel like me again.
Chapter Thirty
Elron
“Elron! Elron, look!”
I closed my book, tossed it on the grass, and sat up. Ten feet away, Michelle was sitting cross-legged, grinning as a small twister made wobbly circles in front of her. Her brows pulled together, and a second twister formed. It followed the first one into a lazy figure eight.
My smile mirrored hers.
“And,” she said proudly, “watch this.” Michelle picked up a candle, and in the time it took to blink, a cheerful flame came into existence.
“Most wonderful, my darling witch.”
She blushed. “I think I could do more.”
“You are holding…” I quickly counted. The candle, the two twisters, and their paths. “Five multipart spells? That is the first time you’ve been able to balance that many works.”
“True.” She bit her lip.
I wanted to go over, gather her up in my arms, and tell her she had done more than enough for the day. However, I knew she needed to play with her growing power and feel like a witch again.
She held out her hands, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. A moment later I started to see a fog fill the eighteen inches of air above her hands. The fog deepened, and I almost thought I could see shapes inside.
In an instant, the fog cleared. Hidden in its depths had been a tree that looked to be spun from perfectly clear water. The trunk was pure ice with delicate lines and ridges. It rose up to form branches that were as empty as they would have been in the height of winter. Each branch had offshoots, smaller branches that slowly became twigs adorned with leaves, turning the top of the tree into hundreds of small leaves.
“Gorgeous.” I breathed.
Michelle narrowed her eyes and the sculpture took on an unearthly sheen. “Come here.”
I walked over and settled in next to her, careful not to bump her as I sat. She held the tree out, and I gently lifted it out of her hands. It was cold to touch, just like ice would be, but it lacked the wet feeling I associated with ice resting against my skin. Up close I could see details she had created, like the bark etched into the wood and that every “leaf” was actually a perfect snowflake.
A Witch’s Demons (Witch's Path Series: Book 6) Page 24