Casted (Casted series)

by Sonya Loveday

  With a shaky hand, I shoved it back up under my hat. Mr. Walsh looked me once over before placing the money in the drawer and giving me my change and receipt.

  With that small look, it was as if he’d figured me all out. My hands fumbled with the bags as I thanked him and quickly left the store.

  I didn’t take the extra time to avoid the deep puddles. I just plunged through them, soaking my boots all the way through to my socks. The bags were heavy and swinging, hitting me in the legs as if prodding me to go faster. I kept constant vigil as I made my way to the spelled tree and dropped the grocery bags

  A dark puddle bloomed up in my path, stretching all the way across the road. I didn’t give myself a chance to think about why that happened. Instead I pushed off just before the puddle, shoving my right foot against the ground as hard as I could so I’d clear the miniature lake in front of me. I should have known better. Puddles didn’t just pop up out of nowhere.

  Halfway over the puddle, lighting split the sky and I suddenly found myself immobile above the brackish water. Magic doesn’t work on me, or at least, it never had before. So how and why, was I suspended mid-air with no-one around?

  Tree limbs groaned under the current of air pushing from behind me. My hat was ripped off my head. My hair wrapped around my face, blinding me.

  Dead limbs snapped off the trees and began streaking by me. I could only watch in horror as whatever was holding me in the air kept me frozen in place. I swallowed the bile crawling up my throat.

  A man’s voice boomed out over the wind. Words ripped from his mouth and battered against the wind as if to silence it. My hair, trying it’s hardest to blind me against what was coming, snapped and twirled at my eyes, causing me to tear up and blink furiously.

  The wind started to die down. My hair parted slightly giving me a brief glimpse of a man standing just inside the tree line.

  I mentally braced myself, expecting to be tossed into the trees or slammed to the ground, but he made no move against me. With a blur too fast for me to track, the man disappeared back into the trees.

  My heart thundered in my chest as I searched the trees for him. The wind began to pick back up, my hair partially blinding me again. A large tree limb, hanging off the bough of another tree, started lifting and twisting, escaping its hold. All I could do was watch as it ripped free and headed straight at me. I shrieked and struggled helplessly as the torn branch speared towards my face. I was doomed – and there was nothing I could do to prevent it.

  But the wind died completely, leaving the jagged end of the limb pressed against my cheek. The warm sticky flow of blood welled up and trickled down my face like a tear. The same man stepped out of the trees again and started my way.

  Behind me, a roar of disapproval boomed across the open space. The man standing before me curled his lip and swept his arm in an arc at me, releasing me from my frozen state. I landed in the water with a muddy splash. Pain exploded up my leg as my ankle twisted beneath me.

  I began to stand up, wincing in pain. It took everything I had to apply a small amount of pressure on it. I’d never be able to get away like this.

  I struggled to take a labored step. I had to push through the pain and move, or I would die. I had to get to the cover of the trees and find one of my many hidden trails home. I’d known that one day they would come in handy. If I hadn’t been in such a quandary right now, I might have patted myself on the back for thinking ahead.

  I sucked in a sharp breath at my first tentative step. Fire shot up my leg, making me gasp for breath.

  “Don’t move,” someone yelled.

  I looked up to see the man who had released me. He wasn’t watching me, but keeping an eye on the other side of the road. Maybe his partner was caught in a tree.

  Served him right, I thought as I took another step.

  “I said don’t move!” He turned so fast his face distorted. I gasped and stumbled backwards out of his reach.

  Something slammed into the back of my head. I blinked trying to get my vision straight, but it was no use. My body crumpled in on itself and I hit the ground. Everything went numb. My eyes closed before I could crawl out of the brackish mud.

  Floating. I was floating.

  Do dead people float?

  “Jade?” Jessa gasped my name. I forced my eyes to follow the sound of her voice. She was just a few feet away. Her mouth was hanging open, something I’ve never seen her do.

  “Rainy! Quick, get your ass out here. We have a problem!” Jessa shouted over her shoulder without taking her eyes off of me.

  Rainy burst out of the cottage, stopping so fast that she almost tripped over her own feet to stay upright.

  “What have you done to Jade?” Rainy demanded.

  “I’m perfectly fine, well err, not dead anyways.” And then it hit me. How had I gotten here and why did I feel arms holding me? The arms in question tightened me against a solid body. So, I hadn’t been floating all along, I’d been carried. I blinked to bring the man into focus but he was too close to get a good look.

  “You just put her down and step away real slow, or else,” Rainy’s hardened voice snapped at my human stretcher.

  “I will put her down inside and nowhere else.” The man’s voice held warning that he would be the one making the decisions here.

  “Step aside please,” he warned before he pushed past Rainy and Jessa. With a quick look over his shoulder, he carried me inside and set me down on the worn couch.

  Behind him, the door slammed shut, the snick of the lock the only sound in the eerie silence.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I told him. “They will not let you kill me.”

  “Kill you? Why would I kill you? I just saved you!” He looked wearily at the door as a blast of blue light appeared through the old style key hole. With a weary sigh, he waved his hand at the door, blowing the spell backwards.

  “Where have you been these last few years? Here?” He asked the question as if he was scolding an errant child.

  He looked to be in his mid forties, with a touch of grey peeking through the temples of his espresso colored hair. He fixed me with a stern look – the sort of look that a dad would give.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  His brow lifted as his hazel eyes searched my face. “That is not of importance. What I’d like to know is how you’ve remained hidden all this time.”

  I wasn’t going to tell him anything if he wasn’t going to tell me who he was and why he was here. “I’ve been very careful.”

  “Look, we don’t have a lot of time here. My son will be here soon and you need to be packed and ready to go.”

  The door blew in revealing Rainy and Jessa, ready to do harm to the man who dared keep them from me.

  “You think you’re funny?” Jessa asked him as she pulled energy around her, ready to let it fly from her fingertips.

  “Why did you come here?” Rainy demanded.

  “I will explain that as soon as Jade gets packed.”

  I trembled.

  Jessa was not going to sit idle anymore. “Leave.”

  “Gladly. Jade, and I will leave as soon as my son gets here,” he said with a smirk.

  There was no warning of Rainy’s attack. The spell shot out of her and came to a halt mere inches from his face. The light flickered and smoked as the spell curled in on itself.

  “Who are you?” Jessa asked in a whisper. The fact that Jessa looked afraid scared me. Jessa is not afraid of anything or anyone, but her fear spiked for this man.

  “Showing some sense now, the both of ya.” He reached out and pinched the flickering light, putting it out with a puff of smoke.

  “Bu-but, you’re all dead…” Rainey sputtered.

  “That’s what I heard, too. My Dad told me years ago, before he died, that you were all dead. That they never left any of the Original Coven bloodline alive,” Jessa said as she lowered herself to sit beside me on the couch. Mud slid off my sleeve and plopped onto her hand. She looke
d down at it, confusion still written all over her face.

  “Some tales, while based in fact, are not all true,” he said, taking out a pocket watch to check the time. “My son will be here soon Jade, please go pack.” He walked to the living room window and pulled the corner of the sheer curtain aside for a clearer view.

  “I’m not leaving with you,” I told him as I stood up to face him.

  “You three think you’re safe here?” he asked, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes.

  Rainy marched over to the couch to stand protectively in front of me.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “She’s been found,” the man answered

  “Found by whom?” Jessa asked as she shook the mud off her hand.

  “Jade, if you would go get your things,” he said eyeing me from head to toe. “You might want to change out of those clothes while you’re at it.”

  I didn’t want to do as he said. I wanted to question him about what was happening.

  “It’s okay Jade, we’ll wait until you get back to talk,” Rainy said.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told her as I limped my way to my bedroom at the back of the house.

  I didn’t want to leave them any longer than necessary but making quick work of getting out of my wet clothes was causing more trouble than the damn spell that had held me captive. With a few choice curse words, I finally managed to get out of the binding material. Mud had dried in my hair and made it stick up and away from my head. I needed a shower. With clean clothes in hand, I ducked into the bathroom across the hall.

  I set my clothes on the bathroom counter and reached behind the shower curtain, twisting the handle. Icy cold water spit out onto my hand, causing me to jerk it back and shiver.

  My face felt tight and itchy so I grabbed a washcloth and stepped in front of the mirror over the sink. I wiped the grime from my face, mindful of the small cut on my cheek.

  My mind raced around what had just happened. Everything had been going so well, up until today. I knew something was coming last night. I should have paid attention to the obvious warning of my subconscious. Being angry with myself wasn’t going to fix the situation I now found myself in. And who the hell was the guy who had swooped in to save me? Why would he think I would just pack up and leave with him? I shook my head in frustration as the air around me warmed up, letting me know that I wouldn’t freeze my ass off in the shower. I tossed the dirty washcloth in the hamper and ducked under the lukewarm spray.

  I felt a little better after my shower, even though my ankle was still throbbing slightly. As I was getting dressed, I could hear the deep rumble of male voices. I pulled my hair up in a sloppy pony tail and hurried back to the living room.

  Jessa sat in the chair closest to the fire, chewing on her thumbnail in thought. Rainy nervously paced the living room while two male figures sat quietly talking on the couch. I cleared my throat to get their attention. All at once, four sets of eyes came to rest on me.

  The second male voice belonged to a younger man. He was very handsome in a broody sort of way, with sweeping dark brown hair that hung in front of his gold flecked, brown eyes. His thick build and braced stance told me he was not one to run away from a fight.

  “Ready?” the man asked me.

  “Who are you?” I asked again.

  “Someone you can trust,” he answered. “We need to leave now. My sources tell me the man I took down alerted the Triad. They are on the move.”

  My gaze darted back to the younger man.

  The older man gestured at him. “Ah, this is my son, Dagger Ashby. Dagger, this is Jade Kinsely.”

  I looked over the pair again, noticing the similarities in their features.

  Dagger dipped his head, “Hello.”

  “What’s the Triad, and how do you know who I am?” I asked, returning my attention to the older man. I wasn’t sure who this group was and why we should be afraid.

  “The Triad is a coven of sorts. They hunt and destroy witches and wizards alike, for power. They leave a trail of blood behind them as they go,” the older man said. “To answer your second question, I knew your parents. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

  “Okay, that’s all well and good, but what do they want with me?”

  “I’m not sure why they continue to search for you. I only know that you are not safe on your own anymore. I’m here to help you.”

  “And why should I believe you? You, who can’t or won’t even tell me your name.” I wanted more then just bits and pieces of information from this man. But if he was telling us the truth, then we only had mere minutes to get out of here and begin again.

  A loud commotion came from outside the cottage. Rainy and Jessa jumped up to stand in front of me. The ground heaved. Jessa and Rainy looped their arms through mine, linking us together.

  Dagger walked over to the door, cracked it open and peered out. “We need to leave now,” he said, slipping outside.

  The older man held his hand out to me. “My name is Matheson Ashby. Please take my hand. We must leave.” He looked deep into my eyes, imploring me to trust him. I hesitated briefly.

  What did I really know about him? Nothing, I knew nothing about him. Should I put my fate in his hands, no matter how dire the situation seemed right now? What if going with him was worse than staying here and fighting?

  A shout sounded from outside. Jessa ran for the door. Rainy yelled for her to come back, but it was no use. Jessa had dashed headlong to the front yard and began weaving spells in the air. Rainy turned to me. “Stay here,” she shouted as she shot out the door after Jessa.

  I looked once more at the hand stretched out to mine. Matheson’s hand held firm as a lifeline out of this attack. I would not leave Jessa and Rainy behind and run. With my decision made I brushed past him and headed to the kitchen. He followed close behind.

  “We must go. It is foolishness to stay,” he said as he followed me. We ducked behind the bar in the kitchen, as glass shattered from the huge picture window.

  “If you leave with me, you’ll live. If you stay, you will surely die,” he said as he pulled me down to avoid a blast of magic that crumbled the ceiling in. Rubble rained down, smashing the table in two with a loud crack. Glasses and plates shattered becoming shards of death, caught in a whiplash of air. It was no safer in here than outside.

  I reached out and snatched open a cabinet drawer. Silverware scattered across the gouged wood planked floor. Once butter smooth and worn with time, it was now pockmarked and charred in spots. I held the drawer in front of me as a shield so I could get across the kitchen to the butchers block. It was a flimsy shield, but it protected my head from anything sailing through the air.

  Blindly, I reached behind me, knocking over the block holding the knives. I grabbed the closest handle pulling it against me.

  Matheson continued following me on hands and knees as I made my way down the small hallway to the back of the house. A tiny room sat along the back wall. We never used it except for storage so there were boxes stacked haphazardly. I picked my way through to the door.

  Blocked.

  Two large boxes had fallen off the high shelves and were now in my way. Matheson grabbed my arm before I could start lifting the first box away.

  “You can not go out there!” he yelled as he shook my body to punctuate his disapproval.

  “Watch me.” I shoved him away. The door pulled hard towards me, only giving an inch or so, as I put everything I had into getting outside to help my friends. They were the only family I had left and I wasn’t going to sit back and let them die to protect me. Matheson pulled himself free of the box I’d shoved him into. He caught my sleeve before I could slide out through the small opening I’d made.

  “If you are so hell-bent on dying, let me at least go first,” he said, pulling me out of the small opening and tossing me backwards into the box he’d just pulled himself from. With a wave of his hand, the clutter barring the door was gone. He opened it a c
rack to peer out. “This won’t do at all,” he said as he turned back to look at me before he slipped outside. The door closed and the clutter he’d removed materialized back into place.

  “Damn you Matheson!” I shouted in frustration.

  Outside, the sky flashed with spells and counter spells. The room lit up with every wave of energy. It was like watching an amplified lightning storm bent on destruction.

  Matheson might have blocked this path, but there was one more at the back of the house, I thought.

  I made my way to the back of the house, climbing over splintered furniture and pieces of the ceiling that had fallen. My hand slipped off the arm of an overturned chair into a broken lamp. The glass slid across my palm and I cried out in pain. The cut was deep and bleeding profusely. I hugged my hand to me, curling it up to keep the blood from escaping faster.

  Slower than before, I picked my way across the rest of the unrecognizable living room to the back door. I could hear the shouts and screams from outside. I couldn’t tell who was screaming, but in my heart I feared the worst. The knife I’d grabbed was still nestled between my belt and my pants. At least I still had it after all the climbing and sliding I’d done to get to the back of the house.

  My heart jack hammered in my chest as I turned the handle and pulled the door open. I could see Jessa. Her back was to me as she used a huge bolder for protection. She was penned in by two men wearing bandanas over the bottom of their faces. She wasn’t giving up, but she wasn’t getting anywhere either.

  I couldn’t see Rainy from here, but there was no way I was going to push my way back through the living room to look out the front window. I picked my way over the uneven ground like a drunken bullfrog, hopping between rocks sticking up from the ground.

  My hand throbbed as I leaned against the cold, slick surface of the rock in front of me. Blood ran down the face of it, soaking into the grooves and dips like a macabre painting. I shifted around to the other side of the boulder to peek around the corner of the house.

  Fallen trees and huge unearthed rocks by the shoreline dotted the lawn like a twisted game of lawn darts. Dirt had been plowed up and hilled by the force of their landing. I still couldn’t see Rainy. And where the hell was that jackass, Matheson?