Casted (Casted series)

by Sonya Loveday

  The ground trembled, knocking me from my hiding spot and slamming me into the bucking earth. One of the men noticed my arrival and the fighting immediately intensified. Jessa’s magic burst from her so quickly that one spell blended into the next. One of the men cried out as her spell found him and sent him sprawling to the ground, where he lay still. The second man took the opportunity to slip around her and raised his hands, summoning a spell intended to take out Jessa.

  I shot up from the ground, my bloody hand outstretched as if I could save her.

  “NO!” I screamed as I ran at him.

  The spell shooting from his hand wavered, as if it were blocked. I shouted again as I sliced my hand across the air as though I could push her attacker away.

  The spell broke. Only a thin smoke trail remained where it been. A heartbeat later, it seemed to roll into itself and shot back at the man. Flames burst out over his clothing and he screamed in pain. Orange fingers wound around him, wrapping him so tight he couldn’t break free. I watched as his body flared into nothing more than fine ash that floated to the ground.

  Jessa ran from her hiding spot and slammed her body into mine, sending us sprawling. Air rushed from my lungs and I grappled desperately to get it back.

  “Stupid…are you out of your…shit! Stay down!” Jessa’s body shielded mine as another spell rushed at us. She blasted back with a counter spell and grabbed me, half dragging me behind a car.

  “Whose car is this?” I asked her as I panted and winced.

  “She asks whose car this is, yet doesn’t bother wondering who’s trying to kill her. She’s more worried about the damn car.” Jessa rolled her eyes at me, shoving me down again as a shot of blue streaked above my head, slamming into a man hiding behind a tree. His large form wavered before falling face first to the ground.

  Matheson appeared around the corner. He was bleeding from his hairline. Soot coated part of his face. He panted his words. “We can’t hold them much longer. We need to get out of here before they send more Enforcers. That counter spell you just pulled for her was powerful,” he said, pointing at Jessa, but looking at me.

  “Don’t look at me, I can’t stop spells!” I yelled.

  Matheson grunted in response.

  “We have to find Rainy,” Jessa told him. They both raised their hands sending a double spell at an approaching attacker. His body went sailing over the rocky outcropping of the cliff to land in the chilly water below.

  “Your friend Rainy is on the other side of the copse of trees, just there,” he said, lifting his finger to point.

  Rainy was a blur of golden hair as she darted in between trees.

  “Let’s go,” Jessa said as she pulled me to a half-upright position. “Stay between us and keep up.”

  She didn’t give me a chance to get my feet under me. I staggered along behind her, trying my hardest not to fall in one of the many holes set in my path.

  Matheson swore as a spell slammed us to the ground and tossed me away from them. I rolled and bumped across the ground right into the feet of a man hiding behind an outcropping of rocks. He jumped in surprise and then leered at me before he reached down to pull me against him. His fingers bit into my skin, bruising my flesh. I tried pulling myself free from his grip. He pulled me further into the trees. I watched as Jessa and Matheson scrambled to find me.

  I fought harder, twisting and pulling, but he wouldn’t let me go. His hand came around and slapped me. The force behind the blow took my feet out from under me as he held tight to my arm. The sickening snap of bones breaking made my stomach roll. The contents of my stomach rushed up my throat.

  I was tossed to the side to vomit up the pain. He waited for my body to stop lurching and then snatched me up to my feet by the arm he’d just broken. A scream burst from my mouth, briefly blocking out the sound of fighting going on around us. My vision blurred and spots formed in front of my eyes. I began slipping into unconsciousness.

  His fingers loosened on my arm and I slid to the ground once more. Sickened by pain, I turned my face away from him. If I was to die, I no longer wanted to see what was hunting me. I wanted the last thing I saw to be the freedom I’d had for these last few years - the forest in front of me, untouched by the blasting spells. That was the calm my mind sought.

  But my peaceful view was broken by the sight of a pair of hiking boots - an ugly reminder of what was really going on around me. I let a small whimper escape me as I closed my eyes.

  “I got her,” a deep voice shouted as he laid his hand on my broken arm. Heat shot into the throbbing limb and a sense of floating took over me. I kept my eyes shut tight as the sound of numerous footsteps rushed to my side. They were discussing where they were taking me, but their voices garbled in my ears and I couldn’t process the conversation. Consciousness left me as I hoped that my friends would live after they took me away. It was a small price to pay to keep safe the ones I loved.

  CHAPTER TWO

  It was so cold, wherever I was. The sounds, while muted, seemed far away to my ears. I wiggled my fingers. It shocked me that they moved. The sounds that had been muffled were becoming clearer, closer, like my body was allowing me to feel more and more as the seconds ticked by. An involuntary groan escaped me, shocking me with its loudness.

  “Jade?”

  The sound of a door opening had me blinking my eyes to clear the fuzziness away. I wiggled my fingers and toes, picked my arm up, and dropped it. It bounced on the bed beside me.

  Rainy and Jade rushed in and began talking at once.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Are you hurting? Are you hungry?”

  The questions snapped out of them nonstop until finally I put my hand up to stem the flow.

  “Give me a second to appreciate that I’m not dead, please,” I said with a groan, as I tried sitting up on my own. Two sets of hands pulled me upright and plumped the pillows behind me. I settled back in, blinking rapidly to bring some focus to my eyes. My body didn’t hurt like I thought it would. I was stiff more than anything. I’d healed myself again and by doing so, my body had been left to its own ministrations through the process, which meant I’d been laying flat for some time.

  Something landed with a dull thud in another room and I jumped. My muscles locked in protest, chastising me for the quick movement and I grimaced.

  “It’s okay…we’re safe here,” Jessa said as Rainy slipped out the door with a watery smile.

  “Where is she going?” I asked Jessa.

  “To run you a hot bath. We figured you’d be a little stiff.” With a small shrug, Jessa began putting a pile of clothes together. “She’s been very worried about you, especially when you started burning with a very nasty fever.” Jessa extended her arm to help me up.

  Slowly, we made our way down a dimly lit hallway to a small bathroom where I was stripped and scrubbed to reveal pink skin.

  There wasn’t much time to ask questions as I got cleaned up. It was a little difficult to say much of anything with water raining down over my face as Jessa scrubbed and scrubbed to get the last bit of grime out of my hair. I threatened them bodily harm if they didn’t leave to let me finish drying off and getting dressed by myself.

  It was some time before I left the steaming bathroom and wandered down the hall to the sounds coming from the kitchen. Now was the time for answers and Matheson better be ready to tell me what I didn’t know, which was pretty much everything.

  My mouth watered and my stomach growled as I sat down at the table. Jessa was standing with her back to me dishing food out onto a plate. Rainy smiled at me as she set a glass of water and a plate of food down in front of me. I drank greedily and passed it back for a refill. Matheson sat opposite of me, reading a paper. The pages crinkled as he closed it and folded it in half.

  “Troubling times from here on out,” he said, as he accepted the plate Jessa held out to him.

  A weary expression flitted across Rainy’s face as she pulled a chair out and slid into it. Jessa set a pla
te down in front of Rainy and carried her own to the opposite end of the table and sat.

  “We seem to be a person short,” I said as I looked directly at Matheson.

  “My son will be back tonight. For now, we need to go over a few things.” He’d dismissed the missing Dagger and dug into his meal.

  I looked between Jessa and Rainy. They darted glances at me and went back to eating. I pushed my plate back and crossed my arms. “Mind telling me what’s got you two so quiet?”

  Rainy went to speak, but Jessa silenced her with a look. “Well if you two won’t tell me, I’m sure Matheson is just a fountain of information. Maybe he’ll loosen his lips?” I waited, staring at Matheson until he grew uncomfortable.

  He wiped his mouth with a linen napkin and pushed his plate away. “Wonderful meal, as always, Jessa.”

  I choked on a laugh. Jessa was being complimented on her cooking skills? What the hell was going on here?

  “You need to tell her,” Jessa sharply replied. “We told you we would only hold our tongues for so long and your time is almost up.”

  Matheson nodded once in acknowledgement.

  “I’m afraid it’s somewhat of a long story, however necessary.” He settled back into his chair and placed his fingertips to the edge of the table, running them back and forth as if that would give him a way to start his story.

  I leaned forward in anticipation. He was the only link to knowing why I had been running all these years.

  Matheson looked at me, really looked at me for the first time. “How much do you know of your parents?”

  “They’re dead…both of them,” I replied. I’d loved them, but there was something dark and sinister to their ending – something that covered the loss like a hazy blanket for me. I should have felt more grief for them, but my feelings felt as blocked as most of my memories.

  “Yes, tragically so. It was thought for many years, you, too, had perished that day. That is…until you were found, and well, you know the outcome of that.” Matheson let out a soft breath.

  My hand rubbed the arm, broken so long ago and just recently again.

  “Why did that man try to kill me all those years ago?”

  “I’ve wondered that myself. The suffering of others is what the Triad strives for. However, killing you never made any sense. You were only a child, and no threat to the Triad whatsoever.” Matheson brought his cup to his lips and drank deeply.

  “How do I fit into this at all? How could someone like me make any difference to them?” I asked.

  “Your parents were very high up on the list of interest to the Triad. Let me go back a little further for you. Your parents, while wonderful people, were very coveted by both sides of this war we now find ourselves in.”

  I started to speak, but stopped. Matheson watched me as my mouth struggled to form the questions bubbling up in my mind.

  “Let me fill in some gaps. Your mother, Myra, was a witch of the highest order from the Original Coven line. While abroad, she met and fell in love with your father, Jonathan, the oldest son of Lorenzo, High Keeper of the Triad.”

  “Lorenzo knew of your mother and decided to use his son to create a bond between them. He sent your father out to bring her to him. He wasn’t counting on them falling in love. When Lorenzo found out, he tried to kidnap your mother. Your father stopped him and lost everything when he turned his back on the Triad. He made it his life’s work to hide both of them far from the prying eyes of his father.”

  “The Triad searched for many years, your father always one step ahead of them, while your mother worked on spells that would cloak them. They found a way to make it work and then they had you. You were everything to them.” He smiled. “So much so, that your mother worked night and day to create a spell so strong, no one could touch you.”

  “They hid you in public schools, stripped you of all magical abilities before they even knew what you would be. They made you as mortal as your everyday Mick’s.” He sat back and grinned as if pleased with himself.

  “A Mick?” I looked to Jessa for explanation.

  “A non-magical person,” she answered as she turned back to Matheson.

  “And that is how you all lived for twelve years.” Matheson cleared his throat and reached for his glass again, only to find it empty.

  “You are the first and only mix of Original Coven and Triad. Before your parents met and fell in love, there was a mutual hate born between the Triad and the Coven. Enemies at birth… brutal enemies, you might say. Your father broke through that hatred and learned a great deal of things from your mother and the Micks alike.”

  “Rumor has it, that while out one day, he ran into an old school chum he hadn’t seen in years. He tried very hard to dodge the old friend. It was a wasted effort, since he’d been spotted. He chatted briefly with his old friend and then rushed back home, but by then it was too late. He fought brilliantly, both he and your mother.” Matheson paused as if thinking before he continued.

  “You were still at school when they were murdered. The Triad would have never known about you except for the one picture your mother kept on her writing desk. They tore the place apart looking for you and were forced to leave when a neighbor called the cops about loud noises coming from your house. Before they left, they set a trap for you. We never knew what happened to you after the death of your parents. Up until you were almost beaten to death, we didn’t know you had survived.” Matheson looked tired as he sat back against the chair.

  “So my parents stripped me of my magic. Now I’m being hunted and I will never know what kind of magic I could or could not have?” I was stunned to think that a spell was wrapped around me so tight it could choke off any ability I could posses.

  “The protection runs very deep. But it is my understanding that they would not have left you defenseless. I believe you heal rather quickly, do you not?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “Well that’s good,” I spat. ”Because now if I get another broken arm, I can at least heal it.” I was letting my sarcasm get the best of me. My healing ability had come in handy twice now and without it aiding me when I was younger, I would have surely died in that abandoned house.

  “I’m led to believe that your mother was only able to secure the spell for a limited amount of years. So you haven’t been stripped, just merely bound,” Matheson said.

  “If that’s the case, then I should know what sort of power or powers I have, and since I don’t have any, then the answer is fairly obvious.” I snapped my mouth shut. What good would it do me to yell in the face of the man who just saved my sorry, non-magical self from capture and death?

  Jessa cleared her throat and sat back down at the table. She grasped my fingers, urging me to look at her.

  “You have magic. You used it to save me.” She squeezed my hand as if to solidify what she said as she turned my hand over and traced the pink jagged line marring my soft skin.

  “Jade, I saw what you did…you stopped his spell,” Jessa said.

  “Look, I probably just caught his attention. The fact that I was the target gave you enough time to counter the spell. Pure luck, that’s all it was.”

  I was not going to sit here and take credit for saving anyone. Hell, I was lucky enough to get out of the house without killing myself, let alone helping anyone else to safety.

  Rainy slid her chair out and started picking up the empty plates. The air hummed with an energy that slid off her body like static. I waited for her to unleash the angry words building up in her mind, but they never came. She simply stacked dishes quietly while the room continued to build with energy.

  It was only when the room felt like it would crush me that she finally spoke.

  “You might not believe it, or even accept it, Jade, but I know what I felt when your magic broke free. I’ve never felt anything so strong in my life. It rebounded everywhere and sent tingles up my whole body. It was that strong. You gave me energy, just by countering that spell. You didn’t just stop the death spell
on Jessa, you saved me, too.”

  My eyes widened so much, that I must have looked like an owl. I blinked and then blinked again, as if that process alone could clear the tidal wave of confusion smashing inside my skull.

  Matheson cleared his throat, “You see, Jade, I believe that something inside you broke free. Whatever your mother did to contain the magic in you, wore off a long time ago, but your fear kept the spell active in other ways.”

  The screen door to the kitchen closed with a bang, making all of us jump. Dagger stood in the doorway. He looked tired. A scowl crossed his face.

  “Are we set then?” Matheson asked as Dagger loomed against the far wall of the kitchen.

  “We leave at first light,” Dagger replied.

  Matheson slid his chair back. “Very well, if you will excuse me, I have some last minute things I need to attend to before we depart.”

  He was leaving? With all the unanswered questions I had, he was getting up and heading to the door? And where were we departing to? I didn’t even know where here was!

  “Hold on, you can’t just leave!” I sputtered.

  “Dagger will fill you in. Do not fear, my dear girl, we are the good guys.” He let a quick chuckle out before he slipped out the front door.

  I turned to Dagger, ready to pepper him with questions, but he held his hand out to silence me.

  Jessa and Rainy darted out of the room. Weird.

  “It’s been one hell of a day and I don’t want to deal with it right now.” He let his hand fall to his side and then opened the fridge to rummage around in it.

  I stood up quickly and met him at the fridge. With a hard kick, the heavy door slammed into his side. The glass jars on the door clunked together. A growl rumbled from Dagger’s chest. I took a huge step back before he shut the door and turned to glare at me.

  “Princess, you are very lucky that I don’t hit girls.” He took a menacing step towards me.

  “You can’t expect for me to just sit back and not question what is going on here! I don’t care how shitty your day has been!” My voice shook as I forced the words past my lips.