"Get him!" she shouted.
Kevin had already drawn the circle on the carpet. Three seconds, due to the size. He prepared the last photo he printed and slapped it down, next to Leese's leg.
Two witches reached out, but gravity had already taken hold. They fell through the portal.
The portal was connected from floor to wall. It wasn't the first time Kevin had fallen through a portal, through the floor, and landed on another floor. The familiar cool, stale air touched his nose. The room was dark, like he always kept it.
The only light came from the other side of the portal. It was still open.
Kevin rushed to close it. He saw Aggie's face, confused, as she stared back. The other witches tentatively peered through. He stumbled over Leese, nearly falling, and slid his hand across. Finally losing his balance, he fell to one knee as his shoulder slammed into the now-complete wall.
They couldn't see anything. Leese and Martha struggled to stand in the dark.
"Where are we?" Martha asked.
"New Zealand," he said. "Wellington, New Zealand."
CHAPTER 24
Kevin didn't need light to make his way around the thirty-foot by thirty-foot storage unit. He moved across the space, brushing past Leese, to the switches on the wall. The process was almost routine, after so many months. The lights came on, except for the far corner where he kept the refrigerator. He approached the darkness and reached into a bucket, where he kept a supply of mothballs. Scooping a handful, he tossed them into the air. The multicolored rainbow of light defied gravity, stopping near the ceiling.
"This place still needs work," he said. "I have to get the lights fixed. And it's summer here. The air conditioners can't always keep up. But we're safe."
Leese was speechless. Martha searched all around them.
"What is this place?" she asked.
"This was your idea." Kevin finally managed a small smile. "You said it. Every witch needs a workshop."
He pulled out a cold bottle of water. He handed it to Leese as he bent down to scoop up Cindy. Leese tried to help, but he shook his head.
"Don't. Just rest. I got her."
He set Cindy down on Betty, the couch Marie and he moved only a few hours ago. Taking the bottle from Leese, he covered the top with his thumb.
"She won't wake up," she said. "They gave her whatever they gave me."
"But maybe it will heal her leg. What happened?"
"She was shot."
He had so many questions. Who were they? Why was Cindy shot? Who had hurt Leese? What happened to her shoulder and hand? He kept them to himself. She no doubt had just as many questions for him.
Being as gentle as possible, he pulled the bandages from Cindy's leg. He poured a few sips of water into her mouth. The wound on her leg healed, leaving only blood behind.
But she didn't wake up, just like Leese said. Those terrible feelings of uselessness returned.
He turned to Leese and put a hand on her good shoulder. She didn't stiffen, didn't recoil. He tenderly put the bottle to her lips. She took a drink, and five seconds later, was moving her arm, testing the motion. He held her hand, seeing the blisters were gone.
Then she gave him a vicious hug, nearly knocking away the bottle.
They held each other tight, and for that time, everything was okay. No one was chasing them. They had each other. Everything was as it was supposed to be.
It was only Martha chattering her teeth and moving her jaw that pulled him from the moment.
He approached with the bottle of water.
"I think that werewolf mutt broke something."
He laughed shortly. He wasn't sure if it was possible to talk with a broken jaw. Even if she was okay, he offered her a drink to heal whatever ailments she might have.
His eyes drifted to her missing hands. He would never be able to heal that.
Martha looked over Kevin's shoulder, taking in the storage unit. He'd moved the shelves from the basement of his home.
Then he went a little crazy.
Pride welled up inside him. He'd put so much of himself into the place, so much thought and planning.
"A friend helped me set all this up," he said. "This is actually three storage units. They knocked out a few walls, put in some power and lights."
"Your friend must be very rich."
Kevin smirked at the thought.
"He is, actually. He reminds me every time we talk about this place."
"How long have you been working on this?"
"Pretty much every night, since I came to stay with you."
"So, this is where you've been."
Leese studied the heart of Kevin's work, the shelves. Across from Betty the couch were storage racks that spanned the entire wall. Organization was key. Everything was labeled in the witch's language. Half of them were raw ingredients, organized by the difficulty to obtain. The other half were completed magic. Glass vials, bottles, trinkets. Everything that he could possibly think of to deal with any situation. Hours upon hours of mixing, boiling, pouring.
There were even a few empty shelves, for possible expansion.
Looking at his workshop through the stunned eyes of Leese and Martha, the scope of his work truly hit home.
"I've been busy," he said, looking at Martha. "I was going to show you, after I put a few more things together."
"Kevin," Martha said. "This isn't a workshop. This is a war room."
He smiled, taking it as a compliment, until he saw the disappointment. Martha joined Leese by the shelves, looking them over.
"What do you mean?"
"This is what Aggie, and many other covens, are afraid of. One of us taking it too far. Turning magic—" She gestured to include the storage unit. "Into this."
Kevin was stunned. He thought Martha would be impressed. Maybe even proud.
"I'm sorry. Do you mean the same Aggie that's after us now? The one that cut off your hands? When enough people hunt you, and try to kill you, Martha, this is what you come up with. This is self-defense."
"That's how all wars start. With someone thinking they're defending themselves."
He clenched his fists in frustration.
"Are you on their side now? I don't believe this. I'm not going to war. I just want people to leave me—"
"Martha?"
It was Aggie's voice, inside the storage unit. Everyone searched frantically. Kevin noticed Martha's shoe, still on the floor. It was next to her when they fell through the portal.
It still had the magical stone on the bottom.
Kevin moved quickly, taking up a position near the shoe. He pointed to the shelves.
"Leese," he said. "The last shelf on the right, second from the bottom. There's an old jewelry box. Bring it here."
She frowned as she jogged to where he instructed.
"A jewelry box?"
"Yes! Hurry."
She ran to Kevin and nearly slid trying to hand him the box. As fast as he could, he ripped the stone from the shoe and set it inside.
"What is that?" Leese asked.
"It's soaked in a potion. Witches can track so many ways. This blocks that out. Magic will work inside the box, but they won't be able to find us." He cast Martha an angry glare, gesturing to the stone. "Well? You want to talk to her?"
Martha took a deep breath, then lowered herself to the floor. As upset as Kevin still was, he helped her, holding her by the arm. She scooted closer to the jewelry box.
"I'm here."
"That was…amazing. A portal that can bend space? I've only read about magic like that. I honestly didn't think it existed."
"I know. Kevin always finds a way to surprise you."
"Is he there?"
"He can hear you."
"Young man. I know you might not believe this. But I want you to know before we take your magic. We didn't take any pleasure in killing your parents. It was just something that had to be done."
Kevin looked at Martha. Her eyes were closed. She had difficulty brea
thing, with her arm pinned over her chest.
He didn't need to ask if Aggie was lying.
"Your werewolf friend. She held her own. But that's all done now. Ina has her hand back. It's a good thing she didn't lose the other one. You can see what that means."
Kevin leaned toward the shoe.
"Is Marie alive?"
"Yes. If you want her back, you'll have to come get her."
"Where?"
"Martha works at a library. We're all relaxing here. The entire town will be asleep for a while, so please, take your time. But don't take too long. And…Martha?"
She said nothing. She only stared at Kevin, her eyes full of regret and remorse.
"You made your choice," Aggie said, her voice shaking. "And…so did Caroline."
Martha collapsed on her side, bawling. She slammed her arm on the floor several times.
"Aggie, please," she said. "Haven't we hurt enough?"
"Don't try to blame me, here. It can be really simple, if you want it to be. Caroline isn't hurt. Neither is the werewolf, at least not too much. Convince Kevin to trade. Him for two others."
Aggie said nothing else. Everything went eerily quiet. Kevin was numb, and that surprised him. He wasn't angry or upset, only confused. Perhaps the confusion pushed everything else away.
He couldn't even form the questions.
Martha pulled herself to her knees, still crying. She tried to wipe her tears, realized she didn't have hands once again, and cried some more. Kevin didn't even think as he crossed the room, heading toward the computer desk. He grabbed a paper towel and gently dabbed at her face.
"Martha?" he said.
He helped her to her feet and guided her to Betty. She sat next to Cindy, who was still lying peacefully.
"Your parents actually met through me," she began. "They were older than the ones I usually teach. About your age. They fell in love, which is forbidden among witches."
"There's that word again," he said, looking at Leese. "Love. Forbidden. Why?"
"Because it leads to you. Aggie, and most other covens out there, are afraid of full-blooded witches. Their magic is greater. You've seen it yourself. Portals that can span the globe. Immortality potions. Magic that takes an entire coven to conjure, you come up with alone. Aggie thinks full-bloods are dangerous. But she doesn't want to kill you. She wants to cut off your hands and take whatever spells she can get from you. So, so selfish."
He held a hand to his forehead. A great sadness overwhelmed him.
"So, humans hate me. So do vampires and werewolves. And now, other witches. This is good to know."
Leese stood next to him and held his hand.
"I hid you away. Aggie never knew about you. Your parents were hunted and killed. I took no part in it, wouldn't help at all. I hope you believe me."
"Of course, I do."
"Because of that, I was driven out of the coven, and no longer allowed to take on new students. I almost didn't reach out to you in the beginning. But I wanted you to know who you were. I should have known I couldn't keep you from Aggie forever. And," she said, sighing. "Here we are."
"Here we are," he repeated. "In my war room. What about Caroline? What's her story?"
"She's on our side. Aggie figured out she was helping us."
He took a deep breath.
"Okay. So, we save her and Marie."
"Kevin. We can't…kill my coven."
Leese stepped forward, still holding his hand.
"If you knew Kevin like I do, you know he's not a killer. He's the sweetest person I've ever met."
Martha rested her elbows on her knees and smiled.
"I see why you like her so much."
Leese took both his hands and faced him.
"I really hate to do this to you. I'm so sorry. But my brother, he's in trouble."
"What's wrong?"
"Those people that took me, when you both came to save me. It was one guy behind everything. He was never after you. He wanted Alex, wants to steal his powers. He's using magic, but he's not a witch. I don't know everything that's fucking going on, but please."
He pulled away and grabbed the arm of the couch, leaning over. It was a struggle just to absorb everything. So many things happening, so many moving pieces. Could he handle it all?
He looked about his storage room. There were always improvements to make, things to work on. But he'd spent months preparing. Was it enough?
He would find out.
"I'll just save everybody."
Next to the refrigerator was the computer he'd set up, along with a color printer. The printer sat on its own table, facing the wall. He went to work. Leese stood by his side, with Martha joining them a moment later. He printed photo after photo. Most were of blank walls. Leese leaned in close, watching over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Getting ready. Can I borrow your phone?"
She handed it over. He loaded the picture she'd sent him earlier, of the room full of demons, and printed several copies. He reached over the printer to grab them.
"Uh," Leese said. "Why is the printer facing the wall?"
"So I can make a portal directly to it, if I have to."
Satisfied with his arsenal of portals, he launched a website.
"Hey," Martha said. "That's the library."
"Yeah. Websites have photos. That's all I need."
"What's your plan?"
"I'm still working on that."
He gathered everything and moved to the shelves. Leese and Martha followed.
"Kevin, listen. Whatever you're thinking, it's not going to work."
He laughed.
"Thanks for the confidence."
"I'm serious. You're strong, yes. But the coven has magic you've never even thought of."
"I have to try."
He walked past the shelves to the far wall. Leese let out a stunned breath when she finally saw what was hanging from metal rods.
Kevin hesitated as he stared at the various ammunition belts he'd put together, every single one designed to replace his coat. There were three rods, with several belts hanging from each one. Each belt wrapped around the waist, with two shoulder straps. Instead of ammunition, the various pouches and loops contained trinkets and vials.
So much magic.
"War room," Martha muttered.
He ignored her and continued to stare.
"What's wrong?" Leese asked.
He pointed to the labels, written in the witch's language, above each rod.
"Vampires. Werewolves. Humans. I never put anything together for witches or demons. I didn't exactly think that was coming up."
"Kevin, just…come on. Pick one. Something has to work, right?"
"Okay, okay."
Grabbing a human belt, he slid it over his shoulders and around his waist. Every vial and pouch was labeled, and he'd been practicing since first putting the room together. His fingers were fast, able to slide out a vial and throw, drink, whatever was needed.
But that was in practice.
He shoved the photos he'd printed into several empty pouches. It wasn't ideal, but he didn't have time to organize.
Leese looked him up and down.
"You look—"
"Ridiculous, I know."
"I was going to say hot."
"Better than the fanny pack, I guess."
"Better than…what?"
Martha laughed.
Kevin eyed the empty wall next to the shelves.
"Wish me luck."
"Wait," Leese said. She ran a finger along a belt. "Which one should I wear?"
"Leese, I don't think—"
"Hey." A warning flashed through her eyes. "Hold the clichés, please. After everything I've been through, don't talk about danger, or whatever you're thinking of saying. Alex is my brother." She again gestured to the ammo belts. "Now, which one?"
He sighed, then inspiration struck. Leese could be very helpful.
He went to work, helping
her into a belt. Nearly running, he raided several boxes on a shelf behind them, talking the entire time.
"Stay close to me," he said. "Half that magic won't work without me touching it first, anyway. Only use what I tell you." He grabbed a phone from the pile he'd been collecting from work. They were several generations old, no longer suitable for business use, but more than enough for his needs. He slipped it into one of Leese's spare pouches. "You can be my magic mule."
Next to the collection of phones was a box of various rings. All of them had different stones as settings, and were already charged, ready to use.
"You're right-handed," he said, more to himself. "You'll want this on your left hand."
He slid the ring on her finger. The traditional meaning of the symbolic act dawned on him, and his face turned red.
She ran her fingers down his cheek.
"You're so hot," she said, before turning serious. "Mule?"
"Probably the wrong word."
"You're both crazy," Martha said. She turned her back on them and paced the floor. "All of this. It's just insane."
"Marie. Caroline. Alex. All in trouble," Kevin said. "What do you want to do?"
Like he thought, Martha had nothing to say.
He turned to the wall again. From the corner of his eye, he saw Martha approaching. She moved quickly, and he thought she was going to attack. Instead, she stopped just in front of him. She reached up to hold his face, then stared at her ruined arms before lowering them.
Martha cried.
"I'm sorry," she said. "This is all my fault."
"No. It's not. It's not your fault, and it's not mine. We'll fix this."
He hugged her, then prepared a photo. As he drew the portal, he nodded at Leese.
"Are you ready?"
She took up a position behind him. Kevin made the portal small, to peer through. Seeing nothing, he opened it larger.
"Let's go."
CHAPTER 25
Kevin closed the portal behind them. The comfort and safety of the storage room were gone. It took a moment to adjust to the lack of light. Only moonlight was visible in the hallway beyond. He rubbed his arms, trying to stay the goosebumps that gnawed at his skin.
Damned and Cursed (Book 9): Witch Trial Page 28