“This entire thing is just unreal,” Allison said, “Why did Mamaw call you a murderer?”
This was the most important question. She knew from her grandmother that her mother had been murdered and that the murderer had never been caught, but it hadn’t occurred to her that her father might have had something to do with it. Allison had assumed he was just a deadbeat who was too lazy to raise his own child.
“It was my job to kill your mother, but I didn’t go through with it. I was a member of the BC all my life, and their sole purpose is to steal the magic of those who are gifted. They knew Maria and Ruby were too smart, and they would be ready for a traditional attack. We formed a plan to have someone, me, come in and develop a relationship with Maria. At first, it was all business but I ended up falling in love with her. Instead of killing her, I proposed.”
“So, who killed her then?”
“Other members of The BC. I thought I had them convinced not to do it, I really did. I tried to make them see that it would be better to keep her alive, and that she and I could have special children, a strong new generation with both James and BC blood. I told them she was already pregnant with our first, and I didn’t have any trouble with them through the entire pregnancy. I guess I should have known better than to trust them; they were just waiting for you to be born. You weren’t even a month old when they killed her. They were too greedy and they wanted her magic too much.”
“What do you mean by stealing magic? How does murder have anything to do with it?”
“When they murder anyone who possesses the gift of magic, they take their blood and use it in magic transferal rituals. They could just bleed their victims a little and take some blood, but the more blood, the more magic they can recover. Plus, I think many members enjoy killing people. The BC is an ancient group, and over time, they have perfected the act of murder. No one can cover up the crime like they can.”
“None of this makes any sense.”
“All you need to know is that they want you. The more powerful a person’s magic is, the stronger the gift, the more desirable that person becomes. That is why they wanted Maria. Her inner magic was stronger than anyone’s I have encountered, except maybe you.”
“I don’t have any magical gifts. I’m not Harry Potter and this is not some fantasy world.”
“I can sense your magic. You may not be aware of it, but you have very strong inner magic and they want it.”
Allison didn’t say anything else, and she was relieved when she saw Vinnie and Ruby walking out of the little house.
“Everything go okay?” Allison asked.
“Of course,” Ruby said.
“Once they realized their options; either I go with you or they have to put up with me for an entire week or two, they were happy to say yes,” Vinnie said.
He made jokes, but Allison could tell it really bothered him more than he would ever admit.
Allison sat silent, trying to process the ridiculous information that Cain had just told her. Nothing made any sense. It was all something she would read in a book, just a story, not her life. Her father used to belong to a group who was responsible for the death of her mother. Maybe he still belonged to that group. Maybe he was leading them all to their death. How could she know? She bent over, digging through a bag, locating her MP3 player and sticking the ear buds inside her ears. She could not stand to hear anything else at the moment.
Vinnie must have had his own questions, because Allison noticed that he was engaging Cain in conversation. Allison tried to sleep. It took a while, but she drifted off. While she slept, images filled her mind. She dreamed of men kicking the trailer door open and rushing inside. The man from her dreams was leading the charge. They searched the trailer, finding it empty. Adam was there and the man was yelling at him, though she was not sure what language he was speaking. He was not happy with Adam that much was clear, regardless of language barriers.
The RV hit a pothole or something in the road, jarring Allison’s head. She jerked awake, noticing that it was now dark outside. For a moment, she was startled, forgetting where she was. Allison rubbed her eyes and looked around. Ruby was standing in the kitchen area, heating some canned soup. Allison walked back to her grandmother.
“I had a dream about Adam and those men. I think he may be in trouble.”
“It’s not a dream, it’s a vision. When you first receive your abilities it is easier to have visions while your conscious mind is resting.”
“They’re in the trailer and Adam was there. The one man from my charcoal drawing was yelling at him.”
“His name is Jackson, and I would assume that he was mad because Adam failed to lead them to us.”
That thought never occurred to her, and she would not allow herself to believe it.
“How can you say that?”
“He showed up out of nowhere and Dru didn’t trust him. He’s also a skilled fighter, which is something they teach at an early age. Also, they don’t just run around with people who don’t belong to their group, it doesn’t work that way.”
Allison’s face was hot. “My cat didn’t like him and he’s a transfer student who knows how to fight, that’s your reasoning? That makes him evil?”
“Dru isn’t a regular cat, she’s a familiar. She sought you out because she was drawn to your particular magic. She can see people for who they really are, good or bad.”
By this point, Vinnie was looking back at them, and listening.
“Is it so farfetched to think that maybe, just maybe, he likes me?”
“Of course not, under different circumstances.”
“After everything Ruby and Cain told me, Adam does sound a little suspect,” Vinnie said from the living area.
“Really? Thank you for that opinion, but what do you have to do with any of this? You’re just here because you don’t have anywhere else to be,” she said.
“Allison!” Ruby said in a voice that was thick with disappointment and reproach.
Before anyone could say another word, there was a loud popping noise and the RV began to swerve. Cain struggled to guide it off the road and onto the shoulder. It came to a halt after a few seconds.
“It’s probably just a tire, I’ll go check,” he said while opening the door.
“I’ll come with you,” Allison said.
She did not want to go for any other reason than to escape the hurt expression on Vinnie’s face and the piercing stare of her grandmother. Allison followed behind him, and as soon as she stepped outside, she heard Cain mutter something.
He turned to Allison, “Go back in the RV right now.”
He looked panicked, rushing her back inside.
“They’re here,” Cain said, holding up the remnants of a steel tipped arrow.
All the color drained from Ruby’s face, and she began fumbling with her bag.
“Shut and lock all the doors and windows,” she said.
Vinnie stood up and began locking windows. Allison stood still for a minute, hoping Ruby was not doing what she thought she was doing.
“Now,” Ruby demanded of Allison, who was the only one who had yet to move.
Allison was not sure what this would help, but she began checking windows just the same. Her insides squirmed, and her heart quickened. Ruby pulled out that familiar bottle of milky liquid. She began dabbing it on every window and every door.
“What’s that going to do?” Allison asked.
Ruby ignored her question, and instead began to repeat the words Allison had heard hundreds of times, “Protect us, and keep us invisible to our enemies. Make this a barrier, a veil against those who wish us harm.”
Allison was exasperated. How was a little water going to do anything to stop a group of grown men from attacking them? Her annoyance must have shown on her face, because Cain spoke to her in a calm voice.
“Your grandmother, she knows what she’s doing,” Cain said. “She may not possess the type of magic that you do and your mother did, but no one under
stands this magic like she does. No one can create spells and potions better than she can, and there is no better teacher to show you how to use your gift.”
“This is very important. No one is to even crack a window or open any door leading to the outside. If you do, it will break the protection and they will be able to see us.”
“Are you sure this will work?” Allison asked.
“It will for a little while, but we are going to have to find some way out of here.”
“Can’t they just feel their way to where they think the RV should be, even if they can’t see it?” Allison asked.
“No. This cloaking potion creates a veil, which allows us to hide in something like a separate dimension of space. They cannot feel or enter this area, they cannot hear us or see us, even though we can see and hear them. This is one way I have kept you safe from The BC. Everyone else can see us, the cloaking potion only protects from those who wish us harm. ”
Everyone was silent, staring out the windows. They watched for men to emerge from the shadows but no one ever came into view.
Vinnie had not said a word since Allison’s hateful comment. She knew she was wrong for the way she spoke to him. Allison got up and sat beside Vinnie. He didn’t bother looking up at her.
“I’m sorry for talking to you that way,” Allison said.
“No, it’s true, none of this concerns me. Maybe I’ll just have Cain drop me off at the next town he comes to. I should have enough money to find a way back to my mom’s house. You can go on your little adventure and leave me out of it.”
“Look, I am sorry. All this concerns you and I don’t want you out there alone. It’s more dangerous that way.”
“Like you care.”
“You know I care. I was just mad. You know I love you.”
Vinnie sighed, “I know you didn’t mean it.”
“And?” Allison asked.
“I love you, too,” he said.
Soon everyone settled in to go to sleep. Allison glanced out the window near her bed. She felt as though people were watching, but so far, she had seen nothing. Things had been so different just that morning. Now, she was being forced to believe in far-fetched things like a sadistic group that had murdered her mother, and her own magical abilities. It all seemed too much.
She would give anything to go back to the time when her biggest concern was staying out of trouble at school and deciding if she liked Adam or Josh. Right now, she was thinking Josh was the better choice. She thought about Josh and the fact that she never replied, never even read the last text message he sent her.
Allison was frustrated, realizing that she had forgotten to grab her cell phone before leaving. She knew Ruby had her phone; she had used it to call in to work earlier. She had told the hospital there was a family emergency and that she would be out of town for a while. She was using her vacation days. Ruby also called the school and let them know Allison would be out for a week or so. This covered the bases, but Allison still felt bad about leaving without saying anything to Josh.
Before she fell asleep, she thought about Josh until thoughts of Adam popped into her head. Allison pictured Adam’s face. Deep down she knew he had to be in on everything, and that was the worst part of all.
Chapter 9
By the time dawn approached, Allison was less willing to believe there was anyone waiting on them. She convinced herself that no one was hiding among the trees. It was daylight and there were many cars on the road, potential witnesses. Besides, they had waited all evening and never saw the first person.
“We should move now, while it’s daylight,” Allison said. “We’ll change the tire and be moving before those guys can do anything, if they’re even still out there.”
“They are. As soon as we step a foot out of this camper they’ll see us,” Cain said.
“These are humans, right? Can’t we just fight back? It’s not like they’re immortal.”
“No, they’re not immortal, but they are trained, ruthless, and they possess many magical abilities.”
Allison sighed. There had to be something to do, some way out of this situation. She stared at the trees, looking for some sign of movement. Nothing.
“We can’t just sit here,” she said, frustrated.
“I know,” Ruby said, “but we need a good plan before we do anything.”
“What if we drive on the flat? Not far, just to the next town, we could change the tire there and they would never know we left.”
“That is a good idea, but we could warp the rim and most garages don’t just have RV rims lying around. We would have to order a new one and wait for it to arrive.”
“If Allison is magic, isn’t there something she could do? Yesterday while she was asleep you said physical manipulation is a gift some people with strong magic possess.”
“Right. Some do possess this ability,” Cain said.
“What if she sealed the hole up with her mind? That would fall into the realm of physical manipulation. Could she do that?” Vinnie asked.
“I don’t think I have that type of ability, do I?” Allison asked her grandmother, remembering how she willed the pool ball to move last weekend.
“If I had trained you from the time you were little, maybe you could have,” she said.
“So, why didn’t you train me?”
“The BC senses magic. If I had nurtured those abilities at an early age, they would have found you sooner. I wanted to keep you safe for as long as I could.”
“So how did they find me now?”
“The same reason you began having visions, you turned sixteen. It is an old rite of passage in our family. Sixteen is the age in which children become adults. Their physical and spiritual maturation is supposed to be complete by this milestone. At this time, all their magical powers come to the surface. You are supposed to learn everything about your family history and magic during your adolescence. Your childhood is the time set aside to learn about different herbs, potions and incantations. It is when your family elders are supposed to prepare you, so that you can receive and utilize your gifts at sixteen.”
Allison felt heat rise in her face. She knew her grandmother wanted the best for her, but now she was in this situation unprepared. If Ruby had done the right thing while she was growing up, everything would be so much different. She opened her mouth to say something when Dru released a vicious howl, followed by continuous growling. Everyone looked out the windows to see the man, Jackson, approaching the RV.
Allison gasped. Until this point, nothing had been 100 percent real to her. It was all abstract until she saw his curious face in real life.
“Are you sure he can’t see us or feel the RV?” Allison asked.
“Positive,” Ruby said.
He approached, walking with a powerful and confident gait. His strange eyes were even more piercing in real life. He stopped, close to where their RV rested.
“Miss Taylor, I was looking forward to making your acquaintance,” he called out to Allison, who held her breath while he addressed her. She could not take her eyes off him.
“I know you must be scared and confused, but let me assure you, I mean you no harm.” He continued in an English tenor that was both eloquent and musical.
No one spoke a word inside the RV.
“You see, you are something of a marvel. Cain, your father, was not supposed to impregnate your mother or start a life with her, but that is what he did. With the blood of the BC, it is amazing you have any natural abilities at all; it is even more amazing how powerful your magic is. I understand that you do not trust me, as I was the one who killed your mother. However, you must realize that was Cain’s fault. He abandoned our original plan. He fell victim to his own emotions and could not finish his task, so I was forced to do it for him.”
The cold, callous way in which Jackson referred to killing her mother caused Allison to feel a blind fury. It was a stronger rage than anything she had ever felt. Angry tears obstructed her vision; her head ached with the
quickening of her pulse.
“Don’t you talk about her!” she yelled at the glass. The moment she yelled, several lights within the RV blew.
She was not thinking of anything else except his blood. Allison wanted him to suffer, to die for his actions. She raced for the door, intent on ending his life. If not for Cain’s quick reaction, she would have made it outside. Cain restrained Allison who fought and struggled to reach the door handle.
“There will be time for revenge,” Cain said.
Allison glanced back at Jackson through the window.
Jackson’s eyes flickered with delight, “Ooh, mommy is a touchy subject.”
Her anger was replaced by fear at his apparent recognition of her emotions. Allison stopped struggling, and turned to Cain.
“I thought he couldn’t hear.”
“He can’t, but he can sense energy and magic, even across dimensions. Especially when it is that emotionally charged.”
“Anyway,” Jackson continued, “rest assured that I do not wish to kill you, at least not right now. I think you could be a tremendous asset to us if you were alive. You see, you are as much a part of us as you are of your mother’s family. The DNA of our Blood Coven is coursing through your veins as we speak. If you had been raised by us, instead of your grandmother, you would be more powerful than you can even imagine.”
She had never thought of it like that. Allison was as much a part of evil as she was a part of good. What if they had raised her? From that perspective, she would consider them the good guys. Who knows how many murders she would have taken part in.
“Adam told us about your fascination with the perceived villains in movies. This tells me that you think for yourself and you have the potential to work with us. Our quest is about power, nothing else. Yes, we kill people, but only to obtain power. We do not murder for pleasure, we’re not monsters.”
“I wouldn’t call it a fascination,” Allison said to herself.
Inherited Magic Page 7