The Council, A Witch's Memory

by J. C. Isabella

  At first I thought the call had dropped, I was in the middle of the woods, but then she came back sounding like she’d hit the jackpot. “I know! I know! I freaking know!”

  “Great, care to share?”

  “Think about the last few times you’ve been with Henry. Has he been doing something he doesn’t normally do?”

  I sat there, slightly stumped. “Uh, like what?”

  “I dunno…maybe trying to hold your hand or something.”

  Ah, bingo. “Yeah, he’s been putting his arm around me.”

  “That’s it. Do it back to him!” she squealed. “Well, in your own way, mirror what he’s doing. He’ll pick up on it.”

  “I can try.”

  “Do it!” she made kissing sounds over the phone. “Text me and tell me everything. I’ve got to go.”

  “Thanks, bye.”

  The fire crackled to life by the time Henry returned with the final log, rolling it merrily along, not a hair out of place on his head. How he got it all the way to our camp was beyond me. He also brought a bunch of long skinny sticks to roast marshmallows. And for the record, we had four logs now. He’d placed them in a square around the fire for us to sit on or lean against. His shirt was wrinkle free and clean, jeans without a streak of dirt. I was starting to feel a little crazy trying to figure out how he accomplished it.

  “How do you do that?”

  Henry braced his hands on his hips. “What?”

  I pointed at the logs. “Do you know how heavy they are?”

  He smirked. “I work out.”

  “Right, and how can Zane move them?” Henry wouldn’t lie to me.

  “Uh, some of them are hollow.” Or maybe he would fib to impress me.

  I stood, brushing off my jeans and walked over to one of the logs. Without having to use much muscle, I moved it.

  Henry smiled. “See?”

  I shook my head. “Didn’t look hollow to me.”

  Henry turned his back to look through the paper bag, and I tried to move the log again.

  It didn’t budge.

  I glanced back at him, but zeroed in on his arms, baffled.

  How the heck….

  “Hey, Venna, this is Quinn Brighton.” Zane shouted.

  I glanced over at the trial to the woods and my brother pointed to a tall brown haired boy with intense hazel eyes. Quinn nodded. I felt the sudden urge to hide, as if I were standing in front of a predator…someone powerful like Henry. Only I didn’t know if I could trust Quinn. His silence unnerved me, not to mention the very nasty scar going from the corner of his left eyebrow to his jaw. The puckered and jagged line pulled down the lid of his eye, giving it a droopy appearance. I knew he was anything but sleepy; he had the same alertness and assessing gaze as Henry. And I wanted him to speak, just to see if he could, because he looked more apt to growl.

  “Venna, love!” A familiar voice sang out. It had a soothing quality just like Henry’s, except his English accent was much thicker. Tearing my eyes away from the very scary Quinn, Davy’s warm appearance quickly calmed me. His shocking blond hair and sharp gray eyes were a stark contrast and welcome sight.

  “Davy, what are you doing here?” I rushed forward to hug him and my feet left the ground as he returned my embrace. Davy was absolutely huge, built like a bull. He had thick arms, legs, and not an ounce of fat. My brother looked almost puny standing next to him.

  “Just came to drop off, Flora.” He gestured beside him.

  A girl, the complete opposite of Davy, beamed at me with the same color eyes, and black hair that fell down her back in long silky waves. Her thin frame bordered on the frail side, reminding me of a fragile china doll.

  She stepped forward, her motions smooth and fluid as water to hug me. “It’s so good to see you again, Venna. I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too. Henry didn’t mention you were coming.”

  “It was short notice.” She said, hooking her arm with mine as we walked toward the campfire.

  Henry hugged Flora and Davy, and then nodded to Quinn, who still hadn’t uttered a word.

  Did he even know how to talk?

  “Who wants to toast a mallow?” Zane rubbed his hands together.

  We sat around the fire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. It turns out Zane’s backpack was filled with soda and junk food. He must have raided the fridge.

  Flora stayed close to me, seeing as how we were the only girls and she avoided my brother like the plague, due to his adorably obvious crush on her.

  “Did I show you what my brother got me?” Flora held up her wrist, letting a silver charm bracelet shine in the firelight.

  “It’s lovely.” I smiled. “He spoils you.”

  She giggled, her breathy voice lowering to a secretive whisper. “Yes, but not as much as Henry wants to spoil you.”

  My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “Sure, uh, how long are you visiting for?”

  “I’m staying for the summer. Davy is leaving tomorrow for, um…school.”

  “Didn’t he graduate already?”

  “Oh, yes…why is Zane staring at me?”

  My brother quickly blinked up at the sky as if he found it terribly interesting.

  “I don’t know, you’re very pretty, Flora. Maybe that’s why.”

  A blush crept in her cheeks, “He can be frustrating.”

  “I agree, but he means well.”

  Every so often Henry sent a smile my way. And I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to do what Pepper said. I could be flirty in my own way.

  “I’m sorry to cut this short, Quinn and I have somewhere to be.” Davy frowned and kissed his sister on the forehead, apprehensive, “Henry, are you sure?”

  “She’ll be fine for now. I will send Flora to Grandmother if I feel it is necessary.” He shook hands with Davy, then Quinn, “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, we’re going to need it.” Quinn muttered, walking off.

  “He talked!” I squeaked.

  “Of course he talked.” Henry laughed, shaking his head as we watched Davy and Quinn disappear into the trees.

  Once her brother was out of earshot, Flora pulled me with her toward the woods. “Let’s go for a walk, girls only. I want to see the foliage.”

  Huh? I blinked. “You want to see the plants?”

  Since when did young teenagers enjoy foliage, or even have the word in their vocabulary?

  I looked to Henry. He crossed his arms and his lips curved downward at the corners. I knew that face. He was going to squash her idea. Like a brick wall he would not be budged or swayed in any way, no matter how you pleaded your case. Fortunately, I’d never been on the receiving end of that expression. My brother was another story entirely.

  “If you want to go for a walk, take Zane.”

  Flora, who was looking irritated with his company, started to stomp away.

  “Dude, seriously?” Zane cocked his head to one side and watched her. “What’d I ever do to you?”

  Flora glanced back at him. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  “Has anyone ever told you, you’ve got one of those shrill, whiney voices, that grate on people?”

  “Oh, yeah? Has anyone ever told you California is on the East Coast? Dude?”

  “At least I don’t ignore people when they’re trying to be nice to me.”

  “Oh, have I hurt your little feelings because I don’t squeal every time I see you like the other girls?”

  “Uh,” I looked up at Henry. “You think sending them in to the woods alone was a good idea?”

  He laughed. “Sure, as long as they don’t kill each other.”

  After Zane and Flora had gone, their moods on the extreme sides of excited and annoyed, I settled in front of the fire on the large sleeping bag Henry unzipped and laid flat. He lounged beside me on his back, arms folded behind his head. We were finally alone.

  “So I know I gave you twenty-four hours, but can’t you just give me a hint of your theory about what happened at t
he lake?”

  Henry rubbed his hands over his face, dragging them through his hair. The sandy strands stuck out in different directions, making him look more mad scientist than English heartthrob.

  “How much do you remember of your childhood?”

  “What does that have to do with the lake?” he’d never asked me that. We never talked about anything before my life with Mara and Jackson. They were everything I knew, everything I had.

  “Humor me.”

  I wracked my brain. But it was blank. It was as if my life started with Mara and Jackson the day I moved into their house. “I-I…nothing. I don’t remember anything.”

  I’d never dwelled on it before. There was nothing there. Sometimes I thought it was because I suppressed my life before coming to Capeside. Other times I felt a void inside me, like part of me was missing.

  Until the lake.

  “Was I remembering something?” but he didn’t have to tell me that I was. The place with the dock, and the sea…I’d been there before. “Henry?”

  He scooted closer to me and held my hand in his. “Don’t push it. Just let it happen naturally.”

  I blinked, trying to focus on his eyes. “I’d never thought of, or really cared about my past.”

  His expression turned grim. “Oh, really?”

  I swallowed. “In fact, before today, before now, it never crossed my mind. If I ever started thinking about it, it just of went away. Like I lost track of my thoughts.”

  With a shake of his head, he sat against the log next to me and pulled me to his chest. “We will figure this out. I promise.”

  “Okay.” That made me feel better, at least I wasn’t in it alone.

  As the minutes ticked on, I started to get sleepy. My eyes were drooping, my arms felt heavy. I listened to the beat of Henry’s heart, and just before I drifted off I tilted my head back and smiled at him.

  “I can’t move the log.” I smiled at his incredulous expression.

  “Venna, I-I can’t…I don’t…”

  “It’s okay, I won’t ask, even though I’m dying to know.” I pressed my fingers to his lips and laughed. “If you ever wanted to kiss me, I would be okay with that.”

  His face filled with relief. “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

  With a chuckle he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. It was a soft, sweet, slow kiss, and I finally fell asleep.

  Chapter 12

  “Venna, wake up.” I felt someone shaking me and rubbed my eyes. I blinked, opening them to stare into the campfire I’d lit. “Come on.”

  I found myself pulled to my feet so fast I swayed. “What’s going on?”

  Henry took my shoulders in his hands and bent to look me in the eyes. “We have to go.”

  “What?” I glanced around to see the party was still going strong around us. The music was loud and fast. The smell of beer and smoke filled the air. “Why?”

  He didn’t answer me and tugged me along behind him for the trail leading back to the mustang.

  “Henry,” I pulled on his arm, forcing him to stop and face me. “Tell me what’s going on!”

  His eyes were fierce as he rounded on me. “Do you feel that?”

  I gulped, taking a step back. “What?”

  “Concentrate. Close your eyes.”

  I shook my head, “I don’t understand.”

  “Do it.”

  “Fine.” The second I closed my eyes, focused on feeling anything at all, I felt a chill run through me.

  Anger, hate, pain, and even more malice than I thought was possible thickened the air. It surged through me, overwhelmed me. It felt as if the air was being pulled from my lungs and the atmosphere heavy enough to smother me.

  I opened my eyes and forced the feelings away. I felt relief, but not enough to ease the tremors of fear inside me. The darkness seemed to close in on us and I moved closer to Henry. It felt as if we were surrounded. “What is that?”

  “Stay close to me.” He pulled me around so I was in front of him and nudged me forward. “Walk, but don’t make it look like you sense anything.”

  I nodded, going for as nonchalant as I could manage. “Where are Zane and Flora?”

  “Gone. They left just before I woke you up.” I felt him move closer to my back, his hands settled on my waist. “Do exactly as I say.”

  I nodded. “But I don’t understand.”

  “Really, the time to stop and explain is not now.”

  “Later?”

  “Yes.” He pushed me, forcing me to go faster. “I wish…”

  “What?” he sounded a little more frantic than he was before.

  A scream, one that made every hair stand up on my body, echoed in the woods.

  I stumbled to a halt. Henry ran into the back of me. We stayed frozen for a few seconds. Listening. It was a girl. She screamed again, and then suddenly, was cut off.

  “Run.” Henry shoved me, none to gently. “Run, Venna.”

  I ran. Hard. My feet were killing me. My hands and legs shook. Henry was right behind me, urging me on. He was so close I could hear him breathing. “Where are we going?”

  “Don’t look back. Just run.” He roared. “No!”

  A bright flash of emerald light filled the woods.

  I turned back.

  Henry was gone.

  “Run!” he shouted, but I couldn’t see him. “Run, Venna!”

  I bolted down the trail, heart pounding in my chest. I followed the route I’d taken numerous times as a child as I raced for the gate leading to Henry’s house.

  Each nerve-wracking footfall took me deeper into the woods.

  The trees around me grew dense and the ground uneven with stones and weeds. Large tree roots warranted my jumping over them as I pumped my legs furiously. I could taste the humidity. The smell of dirt and rotted wood flooded my senses. My head swam and eyes watered from the intoxicating perfume.

  I didn’t know why I was running, or what I was running from.

  But, I trusted Henry.

  So I ran faster.

  The ground sloped past a rotted tree stump. I took a hard left to avoid it and tripped over a branch hidden by dead leaves. I slammed so hard into the earth felt myself bounce against the ground.

  “Venna,” a voice whispered.

  I screamed and rolled away. It wasn’t Henry. It didn’t even sound human.

  “Venna?” it came at me again from behind. Playful, singsong.

  I pushed myself up, and looked around.

  No one was there.

  I pushed forward, running again, ignoring the pain, and dragging in as many ragged breaths as I could to keep going. Because I knew something was behind me, somewhere. It was so close.

  And worst of all, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being hunted.

  My legs began shaking as if they would give out and I darted behind a tree to catch my breath. I could feel the cuts on my feet bleeding into the socks I wore. They throbbed. My knees hurt. Everything hurt.

  I took several calming breaths through my nose, and readied to start running again. I was so close to the gate of Henry’s backyard. If it was daytime, I would be able to see the ivy-covered fence on the crest of a hill.

  “Venna?” A voice sang out, cutting through the eerie silence. “Come play.”

  I wasn’t going to utter a word or move. I reached for my cell phone, thinking it was in my pocket, and remembered it was in my backpack back at the campgrounds.

  Damn and double damn.

  “Boo!”

  I shrieked, spinning around to find a man behind me.

  He was tall. Almost as tall as Henry. I couldn’t make out much of his face in the darkness, but I could see he had a ponytail. Black hair, maybe. I was too dazed to focus on what he looked like, and instead tried to shove past him.

  “You didn’t think I’d let you escape, did you?” He forced me back against the tree and bent close, placing his hands on either side of my head. Shiny black eyes, twinklin
g with a sinister playfulness that was the most visual example of insanity I’d ever seen, seemed to light the area around his face. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re needed alive.” His breath licked my skin. I cringed away from a burning sensation, a fire, as he hissed in my ear. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I balled my fists, ready to fight. He chuckled, backing away to watch me with inhuman eyes. His right hand twitched and his facial expression brightened. He was excited, in a happy, psychotic way.

  “Oh, this is just wonderful. I’m sorry Henry isn’t here. I’d love to see his face,” he said.

  Maybe I’d be able to stall him, buy some time. What I would do with that time was beyond me. “H-how do you know Henry?”

  “I hate him.” He snarled, going from insane happy man, to insanely angry man. It wasn’t the reaction I’d hoped for. He looked even more deranged. Again his hand twitched, the same way the cowboys hands did in old western movies before they reached for their gun in a standoff.

  “Henry was right behind me.” I could lie. Zane did all the time.

  “You think the prince will save you?”

  “Prince?” I squeaked.

  “Yes, His Royal Highness is a little tied up at the moment.” He laughed.

  “What did you do to him?” I kicked his legs and hit his chest. “Where is Henry?”

  He didn’t flinch, “I can see why he finds you so attractive, red hair, blue eyes. Not common at all.”

  Shifting so our faces were inches apart, he grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. Not breaking our eye contact, he laid a kiss on the back of it.

  My skin burned, flames shot up my arm as if someone stabbed me with a hot poker.

  I screamed, jerking my hand back.

  “You might have been queen one day. Henry obviously cares a great deal for you,” he said.

  Squaring my shoulders and bracing my feet, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I would fight my way free from him or die trying.

  “Who are you and what do you want with me?”

  “Oh, forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Cal. I have a friend who wants to use you for…well, I’m not sure exactly. I don’t see why he would want you.” He fisted a hand in my hair, forcing my head back and turning my face from side to side, squinting like I confused him. “You don’t look very powerful. Your aura is almost weak. Of course, once he’s finished, I’ll have you all to myself.”