Once Tamus told him where to get off, Axel looked around for a shack. That's what Tamus said—that it was a wooden doorway inside of a shack hidden between mountains. Meanwhile, Genevieve struggled to find another signal to call Andrew and tell him to fly home on his own. She sent him a text message, hoping he received it.
"There it is!" Tamus proclaimed, pointing at a beat up pile of sticks. They got out of the car and walked closer, and Axel could see how at one point this was a dwelling. Now, however, it looked like a hazard to enter.
"Go ahead," Axel said to Tamus, who took a deep breath and pushed open the wooden door.
“It’s working!" Tamus shouted from inside. Genevieve ran in, but Axel hesitated. He'd been able to communicate with Genevieve from inside the witch realm, so theoretically he should be able to communicate something to Jane. He tried. Nothing. He tried again to get into her mind without success. Either that spell they put on the house was blocking it, or the potion had wreaked havoc on her mind.
Reluctantly, Axel found his way to the back of the tiny house. Genevieve stood there waiting for him. She took his hand, and they walked through.
25
Jane
Jane stopped screaming long enough to realize that she was alone in that basement. There was no one in the house at all, and she was shouting at nothing but the walls. She felt very tired and threw herself onto the couch where she promptly fell asleep.
Several hours later Jane woke up to the same empty basement. Luckily, there was a bathroom in the corner, but she supposed that had been planned, as had been the iron bars.
She threw water on her face to freshen up and looked at herself in the mirror. The bags under her eyes had grown tenfold, and her hair was a complete disaster. But none of that mattered. She had to get out of there. Unfortunately, there was not even a window for her to contemplate escape.
Jane napped some more until the familiar click of the lock opening woke her up. It was Hannia's sister, though this time she had ditched the black robes, and she wore normal clothing much like her sister. Except it wasn't the casual elegance that Hannia had gone for. This witch wore skinny jeans, beaded sandals, and a loose tank top. Bracelets dangled on both arms.
"What do you want with me?" Jane asked from her position on the couch.
"We're keeping you here until your little boyfriend finds out who stole the oracle. Also, there are a few things we'd like answered." The witch pushed Jane's feet off the couch and sat down beside her.
"That's what's missing? An oracle? Does it tell you the future?"
"Something like that. Like I said, I'm here for answers from you. Tell me everything you know about the half-witch, half-fairy."
"Why are you so interested in her? Yes, I noticed how everyone was in an uproar after I brought her up. There no other half-witches, half-fairies?"
"Maybe. But even more interesting would be if she also had vampire blood." The witch narrowed her eyes at Jane, looking at her expectantly.
Jane smiled, realizing what the whole witch population was now suspecting. "She's not a daughter of the three realms. That's what you thought, right?"
"You're very well-informed for a human." Her practiced smile was disconcerting.
"I've been around. Anyways, her mother was the witch and her father the fairy. She lives with the fairies. Her mother told her a few things and taught her what she knew of your magic. That's all." Jane tried brushing her hair back with her fingers, but there were knots. What she needed was a good bath.
"There's a spell on this house you know. I put it so I'm the only one that can cross the barrier. No one else can come in or out." She stood up and made to leave. "You can roam about the house as you wish." She started walking up the steps.
"Wait! What's your name? When will you be back?" Jane called after her.
"I'll probably check in on you tomorrow. My name is Xandrie."
Jane was confused at her behavior. It didn't seem natural, the way she drifted in and out from acting like a regular person, to someone like… Hannia. The fake smile, the higher pitched voice…
She could consider these things another time, but right then Jane wanted to find a shower. She ran up the stairs to find one.
The house was spacious and stocked for whatever she needed, including clothes and food for her to prepare. She wondered how many prisoners they kept well fed here. Surprisingly, there was a television in the living room. There was no cable TV access, but a collection of DVDs was hidden in a cabinet. Jane chose an action/adventure movie—something to keep her mind occupied for a few hours.
Her days were boring, and she would have gouged her eyes out if it weren't for that DVD collection. It was extensive and ranged through various genres.
The only break in her monotony was when Xandrie stopped by for a minute every day. She was always in a rush to leave, only asking if Jane needed anything. Every day Jane asked her questions, trying to understand more about the witches, and sometimes she answered, sometimes she didn't. It depended on whether she had that glazed over look in her eyes. That was when she simply smiled and ignored Jane’s questions.
While she could venture outside to the porch and a few steps out onto the lawn, Jane couldn't handle the intense heat. It was that dry Arizona air in the summer, and she felt like she was being cooked alive if she stood out there for more than a few minutes at a time. Even at night, the heat was unbearable. Thank goodness for modern witches and their air-conditioning.
One day Xandrie came by without the fake smile. Jane took advantage because those were the days she got the most information on her. "Xandrie, so you told me that the oracle was stolen. And I know about the prophecy of the daughter of the three realms. Did the prophecy come from this oracle? Or is there some other person or item that could have foreseen it?"
"You are so nosy. But I like you. The prophecy came from the oracle. That's the only thing we have to see into the future, and it was created thousands of years ago. The fact that it was taken is a huge deal. There are wards and strong ancient magic to protect it from being stolen. That's what we were concerned with the possibility that the daughter of the three realms having been the one to take it. But since we still don't know who that is, or if she's even alive, then your guess is as good as ours."
They were sitting on the living room couch now, facing each other, as friends would while having a regular conversation. "Why are you so closed off sometimes? You seem like a different person now." This was a great mystery to Jane, and she tried to bring it up gently.
"I suppose that my sister has something to do with that. The Guardian can control every member of the community." Xandrie said this as if it wasn’t the creepiest thing ever. Jane looked at her incredulously.
"You're okay with that? She can take over you at any time?"
"That's the power that comes with being Guardian."
"And no one has beat her in an election. For years?" Jane wonder how much Hannia got away with by controlling everyone
Xandrie shrugged and said, "she's that good I guess. Except that now the demons are out and about, she has to step it up."
"I wonder," Jane said. "Could a demon break the ancient magic that was protecting the Oracle?"
"It's possible. But they don't leave a trace so we wouldn't have any proof. We have the trace of a fairy."
Xandrie stood up then, her eyes getting that glassy look. They said goodbye and Jane watched her cross the barrier.
Next time Jane would ask her where all the men were.
26
Axel
The citadel was mostly abandoned. Axel tried to communicate with this family, with Darick, and with any of the other men and his army. But he didn't get any response from any of them. He hoped that they were overwhelmed with messages rather than harm having befallen them.
They made their way through the tower, avoiding the few servants walking around. They passed by the dungeon, and Axel shuddered from the memory of his time there. Moans escaped from the tiny window i
n each cell. Axel couldn't continue.
"Tamus, you must know where the keys are." Axel felt the pain of the humans imprisoned inside.
Genevieve spoke up, "Axel we have to get back home."
"These people are probably here because of me. I made that portal. If I could destroy it I would, but it would take many men to bring down that stone archway," Axel said, and he looked to Tamus.
"The guards would have the keys. I would think they are off in the battle. Let me check this room over here." Tamus went over to the room where Axel remembered being questioned several times. A wave of nausea came over him. "Bingo!" Tamus whispered, handing Axel the keys.
There weren't very many cells to unlock, but the amount of people in them was astounding. At least 20 people, humans of different ages, men and women, followed them quietly to the stone archway.
"Go on through. And come back with able-bodied men to bring down that archway in the woods,” Axel instructed them.
They nodded, some of them hugging Axel, but most ran through, eager to escape.
“Now can we go?” Genevieve asked, tapping her foot as the last person walked through the archway. “You can’t save everyone, you know.”
He knew she was right, but he didn’t reply. Axel led them out, the same way he had left the last time. They avoided being seen by anyone, and once they were out of the vicinity of the citadel, they took off.
The three fairies ran like the wind. It was possible they outran the wind. Soon Axel found himself way ahead of the other two, but he didn’t stop to let them catch up. About halfway, he had to veer a little west and hide low in the tall grasses. The army from the citadel was making its way back. Axel didn’t see any prisoners, but then again he was very far away. He warned Genevieve and Tamus to stay back and moved along, and every so often trying to contact Darick. It was useless.
As he neared the village, Axel grew worried for what he would find. He was relieved that the whole thing wasn't burnt to the ground, but it wasn't normal that the streets were all empty. Then he heard something. Music?
Yes, music and cheers. He dashed into the crowd, where smiling faces and laughter abounded. He grabbed the first person he saw and asked, "What happened?"
"My Prince! They did it!" cried out a young woman pointing towards the center of the village square.
Axel squeezed his way through and found some of the men from his army. Darick was being hoisted up, and Axel let go of all the worry. Well, not all of it.
"Halloo!" he yelled up to his friend. Darick looked around until he finally saw Axel. He made his way back on solid ground and the two men shook hands.
Darick gave Axel a friendly slap on the back and said, "It couldn't have gone better. The men at the watch gave notice with plenty of time for us to gather the weapons. You should have seen their faces when they saw our guns. They couldn’t get anywhere near us. They tried though. I felt them trying to take the guns from us, but they were too far away. We got a few of them before they retreated."
Darick was still smiling ear to ear. His smile lessened somewhat, and Axel turned to see Genevieve and Tamus coming through the crowd. Axel went to inform them they won the battle.
A new worry came over Axel when he saw that Tamus’s first reaction did not match the joyous crowd.
"I'll see you later. I'm going to make sure Andrew made it home," Genevieve said and walked in the direction of the portal.
Axel eyed Tamus. “What’s up with you?” he asked.
Tamus took a look around and said, “The witches are scared. We’re fighting with each other. If we could only make peace, we’d be stronger when the demons come knocking.”
“It’ll take a hell of an about face for your father to make peace with us,” Axel pointed out.
“That’s what he was gaining strength for though. To fight against fairy enemies.”
“By fighting against his own people first? Ruling with an iron fist? Making his people go hungry so the nobles can sit in the tower in luxury? You’re not turning back are you?” Axel questioned him.
“You’re right. I know you are,” Tamus said, a disappointed look on his face.
Axel put his arm on the man’s shoulder. “We’ll take care of this together. The end goal is a united kingdom. But first, we have to appease the witches. Where can we find the damned oracle?”
“I think I know who it was. I came across one of your people once a couple of years ago at night in the human realm, but his mind was very closed off. Another man—not human or fairy accompanied him. He might be vampire, but what use could a fairy be to a vampire? This was before I had the spell cast on me to trace a scent, so I can’t tell you for certain, but I’ve always wondered if your man was with a demon.”
“One of my people?” Axel repeated. “Did you get his name?”
“I didn’t.”
“Ok, well, that’s certainly interesting, thought not necessarily related. What I need are the names of everyone that wasn’t here in the homeland a month ago,” Axel said. He looked over at Darick, who was listening to the conversation.
“You know everyone that’s left,” Darick said. “What about the ones that never came back?”
Axel tried to think about this. Everyone always came back. There was one case of a man who married a human and stayed in the human realm with her. But that was years ago. Axel couldn’t even remember his name. But he remembered what he looked like. He sent Tamus a vision of the man’s face.
“That’s him,” Tamus said immediately. “How did you know?”
“He’s the only one not here,” Axel stated gravely.
He would find him. Axel would fight the demon that got to him if he had to. There was nothing he wouldn’t do now to get that oracle back. It meant freedom for Jane, and goddammit, he would free her.
The second he saw her, he wouldn’t waste another uncertain minute. He’d ask her to be his queen.
27
Jane
The next time Xandrie came in, she did not look like she was being controlled. Her face was relaxed, and her words flowed more easily. The two women sat in the living room and talked. Jane finally asked about the lack of men in the realm.
"It's the old way," Xandrie said. "Only the women inherit the magic, so in actuality there are no male witches. Human stories speak about warlocks and wizards, but they don't exist. At least I think they don't. Anyway, we go out into the human realm for our carnal needs."
"What about children? I've seen some around. Are they all girls?"
"Yes, boys are not brought back. They either stay with the father or are put up for adoption."
Jane was horrified. "So men don't live here? And yet Tamus was in here at least until a month ago. "
"We don't let anyone in here that doesn't know about wits. We can't let word spread about us. Tamus is from the realm of fairies, and it benefits all of us to keep our existence from humans secret. Though it looks like you were let in on it."
"And he was here for Hannia," Jane let slip. She took in a sharp breath and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Hannia bent the rules because she has all power."
"That's okay. It's true she's let it get to her head. And for way too long."
Jane continued on in this vein. "But you elected her all these times. You must all agree that her authoritative ways are the best if she keeps winning."
"If you only knew how messed up her elections have been. I wouldn't be surprised if my sister was rigging them."
"That's a grand accusation. Have you ever confronted her for controlling you?"
"Oh, yeah. All the time. You should see the arguments. I've grown to resent her over the years. If it weren't that we have to stay in the realm because of the energy we get from this place, I would have left long ago. I'm not sure why I’m telling you any of this. You have enough on your mind."
"The only thing on my mind is wondering when I will get out of here. It doesn't seem fair that I came to clear Axel's name, and then I get trapped here for someon
e I've never met having stolen something I've never seen."
“You’re right. It isn’t fair. This was all my sister’s doing. If I could help you, I would.”
“Then let me go,” Jane pleaded.
Xandrie looked at her sympathetically. “There has been talk behind closed doors. Talk of rebellion. If I do this… If I let you go, it will be the start. Hannia won't forgive me for this." Jane waited on bated breath as the witch hesitated and then stood up, tossed her hair back, and uttered a string of nonsense words. Her eyes closed. They opened to reveal a white void and closed again.
She opened her eyes at last, and Jane was relieved to see they were back to normal. Xandrie said, “Go. I took down the spell on the house.”
Jane looked at her in shock, slowly stood up, and opened the front door. She could see the rest of the neighborhood—unlike before when she couldn’t see anything past the front lawn—and turned back to thank Xandrie. The witch was gone.
Jane dashed outside, but then slowed to a brisk pace to get out of the town without attracting attention. She went back towards the woods where she felt it was safe to run. She darted straight into the cave and outside it on the other side.
It was the same oppressive Arizona heat, but at least she was out of the witches’ grasp. The cell phone Genevieve had left was no longer there. Andrew had taken the car. She was stranded without water or a phone. By the time she reached the road, Jane was afraid she’d perish on that forsaken highway.
Never in her life had she hitched a ride, but it was a time for firsts. Ten minutes later, several cars had flown by her, none willing to stop. She walked alongside the road, back toward Sedona. It was miles away, and in this heat she wouldn’t make it. She took shelter in the shadow of a rock and waited until cars drove by, waving one arm and sticking her other thumb out from the edge of the road.
A Touch of Summer: Spellbound Series Book 2 (The Spellbound Series) Page 10