Damned and Cursed (Book 9): Witch Trial

by Glenn Bullion

  Alex gingerly retrieved the jar and held it as far away as he could.

  "What is this?"

  "This—" Kevin took the rare item. "Is vampire ash. From when they die."

  "Shit. Seriously? That's a vampire's body?

  "Yeah. Not easy to get."

  "You ain't kidding."

  He finished the mixture and approached the box of broken phones and tablets he'd taken from work. They were destined to be recycled, but Kevin could find other uses for them.

  The last ingredient was without a doubt the most important. He looked through his own phone for pictures of Leese. They needed to be only of her. The picture also had to mean something, have some emotion. A selfie taken in two seconds while casually passing the bathroom mirror wouldn't do.

  He landed on a photo that made him pause. Leese posed on the couch in Kevin's basement. She sat upside down, her legs strung over the back. She gripped the bottom of her shirt to keep from flashing him.

  He remembered that day. He could barely keep the phone still from laughing so hard.

  Kevin sent the picture to his printer.

  "What are you doing?" Alex asked.

  "Making a tracker." He poured the heated potion on a baking sheet and added the broken phone and photo. "This will find her. Wherever she is."

  Alex took in the unusual ingredients.

  "How's it work?"

  Kevin laughed shortly and said nothing. Alex simply nodded, understanding the meaning.

  The witch didn't know.

  He placed his hand in the boiling mixture. It sparkled, as if moonlight struck its surface. He grabbed the phone and waited for it to turn on.

  Nothing happened.

  "I don't believe this," Kevin said.

  "What's going on?"

  "It's not working."

  "Hmm. Maybe you have to take the battery out and put it back in?"

  "No," Kevin said, frustrated. "It doesn't need a battery."

  Alex sighed and took a step back.

  "Okay, so, you're saying you can't find her? At all?"

  The tone was accusatory. Kevin wanted to point out that Alex couldn't sense she was in danger, either. But he held his tongue.

  Something strange was going on.

  "I guess not," he said quietly.

  "Alright. We'll have to just look for her. Can you make a portal to her apartment?"

  "Yeah." He retrieved a photo of her bedroom from the desk.

  Alex finally looked relieved. "Perfect."

  Kevin prepared. He retrieved his coat hanging in the corner and quickly scanned the shelves. He had no idea of what he'd need, but stocked up on magic that was always useful. Invisibility potions, memory potions, his feather, reading glasses, a magic marker. He lined the upper pockets, so he could reach the vials easily.

  He felt Alex's eyes on him, sensed his impatience. For a moment, jealousy needled at him. Everyone always told Kevin how powerful a witch was, how powerful he was. He knew this was true, but still, was limited by what he could carry. Alex had no such problem. He didn't need a heavy coat or glass vials.

  "You're not ready?" Alex asked.

  "Just give me a second."

  "Why is your coat even empty?"

  "I'm working on a new system." He gestured to the custom-made coat, a gift from Victoria. "I love this. But it's big, clumsy. If I load it up too much, it gets heavy. And when those hunters attacked me at work—"

  "A new system?" Alex said. "Alicia is missing, and you're telling me you're not ready to go?"

  Kevin cast him a glance. It dawned on him that he never worked with Alex before, just the two of them. Jack didn't even give him such a hard time.

  He reconsidered that thought. Jack was actually the worst.

  Alex was worried about his sister. Kevin was worried as well. But he had the sense something else was driving Alex's attitude.

  He tucked away his last potion.

  "Okay, let's go."

  He opened a portal to Leese's bedroom.

  The entire apartment was dark, except for the light from Kevin's basement. Alex took the lead, with Kevin a step behind. Alex stepped over the threshold of the portal, his gaze darting about. Kevin slid on his glasses, but they didn't allow him to see in the dark. Walls, smoke, fog, none of these were a problem. But the shadows were off-limits.

  Except for Alex. His eyes glowed a dull, dark red as he searched Leese's bedroom. The darkness gripped the room completely as Kevin closed the portal behind them.

  Alex flipped on the light. The bedroom was just as Kevin saw earlier. He didn't know what he was looking for, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Her bed was still a mess. Her stuffed animals were still on the dresser against the wall. Pictures of the entire group, both human and supernatural, littered the dresser mirror. A special corner was dedicated to Kevin.

  "Is Tracy asleep?" Alex asked.

  Kevin peered through the walls. Her bedroom was dark, but enough light came from the window that he could see a lump. It moved slightly, and a bare leg stuck out from under the blankets.

  "Yeah."

  "Cool. I haven't been in Alicia's room in a while. Does everything look alright?"

  He gave it another glance. He wished he could say there was something out of place, a clue of any kind. Only one thing stood out, but he wasn't sure it was important.

  "Her purse isn't here. So, that means she actually left."

  Alex pointed at him. "Good call. Let's see if her car is outside."

  They quietly walked down the hall, through the living room. Alex didn't bother turning on the lights. Clover, the gray tabby cat of the apartment, followed close behind. Between the darkness and Clover circling Kevin's feet, he nearly tripped three times.

  He decided to create his own light. Reaching into his coat, he felt for a mothball, and gave it a toss. It defied gravity, a foot from the ceiling, and threw a warm light across the living room.

  Alex pulled back the curtain and pointed outside.

  "Look. Her car is still there. She never left."

  An idea struck. Kevin was embarrassed he didn't think of it when they first arrived. He checked his phone for the time, and did some quick math in his head.

  "Shit," he said. "We have to hurry."

  "Why? You got something?"

  Kevin turned around. That's when he saw the shadow moving on the living room wall, to his right. It moved quickly, with purpose. It took his brain a moment to tell the rest of his body that someone was behind them.

  He didn't see the baseball bat reared back. He only saw it mid-swing. Somehow, he managed to turn enough to take the shot to his shoulder, and not his head.

  He stumbled into Alex. Clover took off across the apartment, disappearing into one of the bedrooms. Kevin fell, and he reached for anything. Grabbing Alex's arm, he pulled the half-demon down on top of him. The two fell into a pile and collapsed in the corner.

  The two powerful supernatural beings cowered and raised their hands in self-defense.

  "Stop!" Alex called. "Tracy—!"

  Leese's one-hundred-twenty-pound roommate reared back to strike again. She gripped the aluminum bat tightly. Her form was perfect, like she'd attacked with a bat before. She was dressed only in pink panties and a white tee shirt that stopped above her navel.

  Tracy let out a guttural cry before swinging again. Kevin braced himself, but didn't need to. Alex's wing shot in front of him, shielding him from the blow. He gripped the bat with the claw on his wing and pulled it from Tracy's grasp.

  She backed up, screaming. Kevin was on his feet first, his shoulder in agony. He raced toward her, trying to grab her arms.

  "Tracy! It's Kevin!" She fought for a moment. "Calm down! It's okay!"

  She gripped his elbows and looked back and forth between Kevin and Alex. After a few takes, her eyes narrowed in confusion and settled on Alex. Kevin turned to see him standing, his wings out for all to see.

  "Kevin?" Tracy said, her breathing turning more relaxed. "Alex
? What the fuck are you doing here?"

  "We're looking for Leese. Have you seen her?"

  "Well, Jesus! How about a fucking phone call, instead of breaking into our apartment and scaring the shit out of me!"

  More breathing, more calming. She bent over and gripped her knees. Kevin took the opportunity to grab the floating mothball behind him.

  "She said she was eating dinner with you," she said, looking at Alex. "And then, going back to Kevin's place to…you know."

  "She never made it," Alex said.

  "She didn't? I saw her leave. She didn't come back here or anything."

  "Tracy, do you have a camcorder?"

  Alex looked at Kevin curiously.

  "A camcorder?" She took another breath, trying to absorb the craziness around her. "Uh, why?"

  "Yeah," Alex said. "Why?"

  "I just…need it for something."

  Alex held up his phone.

  "Mine records video." He looked it over. "At least, Cindy told me it did."

  "No," Kevin said, shaking his head. "It can't be a phone. It has to be a camcorder, used only for video."

  Tracy laughed. "Kevin, you're cute and all, but you're weird." She turned and walked down the hall. Kevin and Alex followed. "I do have one, but it doesn't work. It doesn't have a memory card."

  "That doesn't matter."

  She approached a box in her closet, but stopped short of dragging it out.

  "Uh," she said. "Mind if I put some sweatpants on first?"

  The pair turned while Tracy dressed behind them. Kevin rubbed his shoulder and flashed a look of discomfort to Alex. Alex nodded and gestured to Kevin's arm.

  "Looks like she got you good," Alex whispered.

  "Yeah. Shit, this hurts." Kevin nodded toward Alex's wings. "Are you going to put those away?"

  Alex stole a glance behind him.

  "I don't know. You think it's safe?"

  They turned when they heard a box sliding across the floor. Tracy was on her hands and knees, rummaging through what looked like junk. She tossed aside an old laptop, worn shoes, lingerie. Clover joined them and stood on her two back legs, inspecting as well. Tracy gently nudged her away.

  "Ah, here it is."

  She stood and held up the camcorder. It hadn't seen use in quite a while. With every modern smartphone able to record video, that didn't surprise Kevin. He took it from her. He flipped the viewfinder out and wiped away dust. If it turned on, that's all he needed.

  His tensions eased when the camcorder lit up.

  "Awesome," Kevin said. "Thanks a lot, Tracy."

  Alex glanced at him, picking up on his change in tone. Kevin held his gaze and offered the camcorder.

  "Alex, could you hold this a second?"

  He took it, still watching Kevin curiously.

  "Hey," Tracy said, reaching out to touch Alex's wings. "What's with the Halloween—?"

  Kevin moved quickly. He already had the cork pulled on his sleep potion. Normally, he would simply toss the vial to the floor, but didn't want to leave a mess. Alex would be fine. His sleep magic only worked on humans, and neither of them qualified.

  He wrapped an arm around Tracy's waist and held the open vial inches away from her nose. Startled, she scowled and tried to back away. But Kevin already felt her strength waning. Her knees buckled, and Alex rushed forward to help catch her. Kevin was already prepared. He scooped Tracy into his arms. She was completely asleep before her feet left the floor.

  Alex finally willed his wings to fold into him. Kevin winced at the sick sound. Alex let out a tense breath, worried about Tracy hitting the floor.

  "Shit," he said. "Warn someone."

  "Sorry."

  "Is she alright?"

  He gently lowered her back into bed.

  "Yeah, she's fine. She'll forget the last hour, won't even remember we were here."

  Kevin reached for the waistband of her sweatpants. Alex's eyes nearly shot from his head as he reached out to stop him.

  "Hey! What are you doing?"

  "I said she'll forget the last hour," Kevin said. "She didn't go to bed wearing sweatpants. I don't want her waking up asking questions."

  Alex nodded. "Okay. Good thinking."

  Kevin slid off her sweatpants and set them in the clothes basket. Alex pulled the blanket up to her chin. Satisfied Tracy was okay, Alex handed the camcorder to Kevin.

  "What's this for?"

  Kevin said nothing, not wanting to waste time. He walked to Leese's bedroom, the camcorder in one hand and three vials in another. Alex looked over his shoulder as he followed.

  Careful not to spill a drop, Kevin mixed one vial, then another. He poured several drops of the new potion on his thumb and rubbed it on the viewfinder.

  "Kevin?" Alex said. "You want to throw me a bone, here?"

  He sighed, unleashing his own frustration. He didn't want to explain every magical act he performed.

  "We can find Leese," he said. "With this—" He held up the camcorder. "I can look back six hours ago. See everything that happened. But we need to hurry, or we'll lose track of where she was, and won't have a clue where to start."

  "Okay, then," Alex said, taking a step back. "Hurry."

  Kevin waved the camcorder around. Instead of a live view of an empty room in the middle of the night, he peered into the past. Sunlight poured in through the window, although it was slowly beginning to set. Clover was asleep on Leese's bed. Pointing the camera out the door, steam moved through the hallway as Tracy enjoyed her shower.

  Alex watched over his shoulder.

  "Whoa," he said. "This is some crazy shit."

  Kevin nodded. He had to agree.

  "So, where's Alicia?"

  As soon as Alex asked the question, there was a quick flash of light in the viewfinder. Kevin aimed the camera at the wall. Déjà vu settled in as he watched the portal open. Clover jolted awake and sprinted away. Leese stood on the other side, along with himself. She stepped through the portal, but then stopped to talk.

  Alex shook his head.

  "Wow, this is even crazier. We can't hear anything?"

  "No. Video only. And don't ask me why."

  Kevin watched from another angle as Leese's rare, but sexy shyness took over as they talked over the portal. A few words, a few goodbye kisses.

  Alex noticed the change in his sister, and nudged Kevin on the shoulder.

  "What the hell are you two talking about?"

  "She wants us to have dinner with your mom."

  "Really? Like the three of you?"

  Kevin glanced at him with a small frown. He didn't understand the stigma surrounding the Teague siblings' mother.

  "Yeah. What's the big deal?"

  "Nothing. It's just that she really likes you."

  Their attention went back to the camera when the past version of Kevin closed the portal. Leese was alone in her bedroom. She checked her phone for messages before stopping in the hallway. Tracy leaned out the bathroom, and the two stopped to talk for a moment. Tracy retreated to her bedroom while Leese sat on the couch, poking at her phone.

  "Can we skip by this?" Alex asked.

  "Sure."

  He sped up their viewing of the past. Leese answered some texts and played a game before gathering her purse and saying goodbye to Tracy. After a quick scratch for Clover, Leese left the apartment.

  Kevin and Alex followed her.

  They walked down the winding stairwell. As they rounded the second-floor landing, Kevin glanced through the window to the parking lot. Like Alex pointed out, Leese's car had never left, still sitting in the same spot.

  Whatever happened to Leese was only a minute away.

  She was standing at the car door, keys in hand, when they came out of nowhere.

  Two men emerged from between two parked cars and grabbed her. She struggled and fought, managing to catch one under the eye with her fingernails. As that man backed up to feel his face, the second threw a cup of liquid at her. It splashed on her face and chest, a
nd she covered her eyes as she fell against her car.

  Then she disappeared.

  Kevin jumped and his hands trembled as Leese vanished. He aimed the camera wildly, searching the parking lot. The two men and Leese had all disappeared.

  "What the hell?" Alex said.

  Kevin tried to think, but his mind was numb. He hoped to find answers, only to have more questions. His brain had trouble putting those questions into words.

  Alex shook his shoulder.

  "Where is she?"

  "I…don't know."

  They were quiet a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Kevin studied the ground, looking for anything she might have dropped. Her purse, phone, keys, anything.

  There was nothing.

  "Look around some more," Alex suggested. "Do you see her?"

  "I've been looking. No."

  "Can you rewind that thing? Maybe we can see where those assholes came from."

  Kevin paused. That was a good idea.

  But it had a condition.

  "Yes." He slid his finger across the viewfinder. "But only by…two minutes."

  "What? Why?"

  He scowled. Time was short, and he wasn't sure he could explain it properly.

  "Because that's what we skipped when she was on the couch. I can look up to six hours ago. That's it. Not six hours and one minute." He shook the camera. "When we see them take Leese again, we won't be able to rewind." He couldn't think of any other way to say it. "The magical DVR will be full."

  He aimed at the lot once again and looked for anything. People waiting in a car, hiding in a corner, crouching in the shadows. The parking lot was full, with plenty of places to hide.

  "So, we have two minutes to find them?"

  Kevin risked a look back at the apartment building. Through the viewfinder, he could see Leese making her way down the stairs. Again.

  "Less."

  "Then give me that."

  Alex took the camcorder and stepped back. His wings shot from his back, flexing and folding several times. He jumped upward and flew. Kevin glanced about nervously, looking for anyone that might be watching. The hour was late, and they were alone. Alex hovered in place twenty feet over the parking lot, his wings carrying his weight easily. He peered through the camera.

  The seconds passed.

  Kevin felt useless. He paced next to Leese's car, looking up at Alex. He imagined that horrible scene playing in the viewfinder, Leese fighting two men.