The Witch Born to Ignite

by Tanya Milne

  Mum answered on the first ring. I could tell from her voice that she was crying. ‘Mum,’ I said. ‘It’s me.’

  ‘Eva, thank God. Where are you?’

  ‘It’s a long story, but Elijah and I are together.’

  Mum started crying, loudly this time, and Dad took the phone.

  ‘Where are you? I’m coming to get you.’

  ‘Dad, it’s okay. We’re okay and we’ll be home very soon, but I need you to get ready for…’

  ‘For what?’ he asked. ‘What’s happened?’

  Mum was wailing in the background. ‘Dad, I can’t talk now. Elijah is going to be okay, but he’s not well. You and Mum should get ready for him. He’s going to need treatment, but you can’t take him anywhere. There will be too many questions.’

  Dad breathed loudly, in and out. ‘What kind of treatment?’

  I tried to find the words, to explain something that should never have to be explained. ‘I don’t know, Dad, exactly what happened to him, but he’s been…’

  I started to cry, big fat teardrops dripping down my face.

  ‘Tell me, Eva,’ said Dad. ‘You need to tell me so we can help him.’

  I looked down at Elijah, who was now fast asleep.

  What happened to him?

  What did they do to him?

  Will he ever recover?

  ‘Eva,’ Dad said sharply.

  ‘He was tortured, Dad.’

  Dad went silent and even Mum was quiet, but suddenly I knew what we needed to do. ‘Elijah was tortured by Orpheus Blackthorn and his men. We need to get out of this town, Dad, as soon as Elijah is well enough. Find a way out of this forsaken town and never look back.’

  Dad gasped, and then he did what I’d never seen him do in his whole life –

  he started to cry.

  ‘I gotta go, Dad, to look after Elijah. We’ll be home soon, through the back door. Be ready for Elijah.’

  ‘Be safe,’ he managed to get out before I hung up.

  I slid off my jacket and placed it over Elijah, who felt frozen. Every part of me was exhausted beyond anything I’d experienced in my life. My eyes stung, my body ached and I was so hungry and weak that I could barely move. I placed my hands on my brother’s arms and tried to find some heat, some energy to give my brother, but my hands only heated up a little before they went cold. I gave up and snuggled against my brother, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

  ‘Let’s get you home,’ said a voice in my ear. A voice that I knew like my own. I felt myself being lifted and moved. I opened my eyes and saw Boy on the ground beside me.

  ‘Don’t worry, Boy. I’ll take good care of her,’ said Ezra.

  My eyes were so heavy that I gave up and closed them, sinking back into the depths of sleep. The next thing I remembered was being in Ezra’s arms. He was carrying me and speaking quietly. ‘Don’t forget to meet me tonight. We need to talk.’ His lips pressed against my forehead before I slipped away again.

  Arms wrapped around me, my father’s arms, and I heard him cry out.

  ‘Thank you, son,’ he said. ‘I owe you my family’s lives.’

  ‘No, you don’t, sir. It’s the least I can do. I wish I could do more…stop him.’

  Then I was pulled back under the blanket of sleep while the hands of time clicked forward – slowly, steadily, silently.

  When I woke, my mouth was dry and every part of me ached. It was as though I’d been inside the spin cycle in a washing machine. I rolled over and bit by bit, everything came back to me.

  Elijah! I yanked off my doona and stood up in my bedroom, which was doused in pink light and afternoon shadows. My head spun, and I lost my balance and fell back onto the bed. In a second, I was up again and racing down the stairs, two at a time.

  I stuck my head into Elijah’s room, but he wasn’t there. Heart pounding, I ran down the rest of the stairs and into the living room, where the curtains had been drawn and Elijah lay on the couch, Mum and Dad moving around, tending to him.

  ‘Eva,’ said Mum, tears springing to her eyes as she ran across the room and took me into her arms.

  ‘Mum,’ I blurted out before bursting into tears. Before I knew it, I was passed to my dad, who took me in a bear hug, his arms bringing untold comfort.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked.

  Was I okay? Would I ever be okay again?

  I hugged Dad harder and pulled back, then turned to my brother, his face as white as a dove and beads of sweat covering his body.

  I tried to find my voice as I walked towards him. ‘How is he?’

  Mum stared at Dad, and they exchanged a look that told me everything. A cry escaped from me, and I sat down beside Elijah and took his hot hand.

  ‘We’re trying to break his fever,’ said Mum.

  ‘This is probably my fault,’ I said before fresh tears arrived.

  Mum put her arm around me. ‘No, darling, this is not your fault, not even one bit.’

  ‘Don’t you dare even entertain that thought, Eva,’ said Dad, his voice thundering. ‘There’s only one person responsible for this, and we all know who that is. When I’m finished with him–’

  ‘Stop it,’ said Mum, her hands out in front of herself. ‘No good can ever come from hurting another soul – you know that. Right now, we need to focus on Elijah.’

  Dad’s face went grey as he watched his son – his only son. I remembered back to Orpheus looking at Ezra, so proud of him for acting like a little monster. What kind of sick and twisted soul is he? I thought back to how I’d felt when I wanted to set fire to Orpheus. I didn’t care a hoot about him. If it weren’t for Ezra, I would probably have ignited him – watched him burn.

  What kind of person did that make me?

  What kind of witch was I?

  Was I really a white witch like my mother, who would never hurt another person? The answer hit me, and I felt hot in every part of my body. I wanted to turn and run, leave my family, never put them in danger again.

  Mum placed a tray of food in front of me and watched me closely. ‘I want you to tell me everything that happened yesterday.’

  I nodded, unable to trust my voice.

  ‘And I mean everything.’

  As my parents moved about, tending to my brother with witch’s potions and lotions I’d never seen before, I sat down on the floor next to Elijah and picked at food while I relived the day from hell that would be forever etched into my brain, both from living it and from remembering it.

  When I finished, Mum and Dad were staring at me as though they didn’t know who I was. I dropped my gaze to the ground – a ground I wanted to disappear into.

  ‘So, fire, wolves and a healer too. That’s pretty cool,’ said Dad, who had a small smile in the corner of his mouth.

  ‘I’m a freak,’ I said, my face burning up.

  ‘Oh, Eva, love, we’re all a little freaky, but flames, well, that’s really something,’ said Mum, who glanced over at Dad. ‘Christian, it’s time to tell Eva about the prophecy.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ I asked.

  Mum sighed before speaking. ‘There is a witch’s saying – a prophecy – about twins.’

  Dad started to speak, as though reciting poetry.

  ‘One day twins will be born.

  Each witch, on their own, will be a power to contend.

  But a power together, well, that will be a force to behold.

  One twin, baby boy, born with a heart so bright.

  The other, a girl, with a heart both light and shade.

  She who has the power of darkness on her is able to persuade.

  She will be hunted by the dark forces of nature,

  For she is their leader, the Fire Queen, whom they wish to claim.’

  When he finished speaking, I glanced at my brother, who lay trapped somewhere between life and death.

  ‘Is this the reason you didn’t teach us witchcraft?’ I asked quietly.

  Mum and Dad exchanged glances. Then my mother spoke. �
��Yes, darling, it is. When you and Elijah were babies, a python tried to kill Elijah and take you. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t right.’

  I remembered back to the panther that had tried to hunt me. It couldn’t all be coincidences, could it? Was I being hunted by the dark forces of nature? Goosebumps prickled on my skin.

  ‘I have a heart that’s both light and shade?’ I said, my words a question and an accusation, making my parents shuffle in their seats. ‘You must think that if you kept this from us.’

  ‘You have a heart of gold, Eva,’ said Dad.

  ‘And we know you would do anything for your family,’ said Mum.

  ‘Anything…’ I said, the truth of this one word opening like the bud of a flower. ‘But the dark forces, what could they want…with me?’

  ‘There are many things we don’t fully understand, but I do believe that you have a choice, Eva, about what you do with your powers,’ said Dad.

  I watched my mother and father, who didn’t blink.

  ‘So, I can choose whether to be a white witch or a black witch,’ I said, remembering back to how I felt when I wanted to burn Orpheus. If Ezra hadn’t showed up, who knew what would have happened, and then what? Once I started using my powers for evil and darkness, it would be hard, perhaps impossible, to return to the light.

  ‘Yes,’ said Mum, her face drained of all colour. ‘I don’t think the dark forces can claim you unless something has darkened your heart.’

  ‘Like losing my brother,’ I said, looking over at Elijah, who only held goodness in him, who would never turn to the dark side – unlike me. If someone took my brother’s life, I knew I would make them pay with their life, and then the dark forces would be able to come for me and I’d be powerless to stop them.

  I shivered, and Dad pulled me into a hug. ‘We thought not telling you both would protect you, but we were wrong. We should have taught you witchcraft, to arm you, to protect you. I’m sorry – we let you down.’

  The reasons our parents had kept our birthright a secret finally made sense, and the simmering anger I’d felt since finding out seeped away.

  I glanced up at them. ‘It’s not too late. I want to learn. I need to learn.’

  Mum nodded, finally accepting she could not stand in the way of fate.

  ‘And when Elijah is better, you must tell him,’ I said.

  ‘Agreed,’ said Dad.

  ‘Will he be okay?’ I said through tears as I looked at my twin, who lay completely still.

  ‘I won’t lie to you. He’s really sick. Whatever they did to him…’ Mum broke off and began crying.

  Dad and I put our arms around her.

  ‘Now we need to wait. Only time will tell,’ said Dad. ‘Only time will tell.’

  ‘And then we leave,’ I said, Mum and Dad nodding in reply.

  ‘Then we get out of this godforsaken town,’ said Mum, her voice firm and clipped.

  ‘And never look back,’ said Dad.

  I opened my eyes to dim lights and the sound of the fire that crackled in its grate. I sat up, my back sore from falling asleep on the ground beside Elijah, who lay unmoving. I glanced over to my mum and dad, both asleep in their armchairs.

  It was just after ten o’clock, only two hours until I was supposed to meet Ezra at his boat – to talk about us. The very thought made my mouth dry, and I took a sip of water and turned back to my brother. There was no way I could leave him. As I picked up my phone to text Ezra, Elijah stirred beside me.

  ‘Elijah?’ I said, turning to my brother, but he’d settled back into place.

  I sat next to him on the couch, took his burning hand and found my voice. ‘Now listen up, Elijah. I don’t know what they did to you, but it’s over, do you hear me? You are at home now, and safe, with people who love you. And did I mention a seriously beautiful girlfriend who is beside herself with worry? She’s only called for you about fifty times, but don’t worry, I’ve told her you’ll be okay. Because that’s the truth – you will be okay.’

  I looked down at Elijah, his body covered in sweat that was beading up and dripping from him. I picked up a towel and wiped his ash-coloured face, sweat forming again immediately. He looked even worse than before, and even though my parents had cared for him, hour after hour, trying all sorts of things, they’d said there was nothing more they could do. Now we needed to wait for his fever to break.

  But what if it doesn’t? What if the fever is too strong for him?

  For a brief moment, I entertained the thought of life without my brother. A crater opened up inside me. A world without my brother was a world I could never live in. Tears trickled down my face, and a warm energy gathered inside me and started pulsing from my hands.

  ‘Don’t even think about leaving me, bro. I can’t live without you. You’ve been there every single day of my life, and I plan to have you by my side as my most annoying and beloved brother for the rest of my days. So fight, Elijah, fight with me.’

  I closed my eyes and let my love for my twin fill me and flow into his hand, which was almost too hot to touch. He didn’t move or stir, and after a while I started to cry, really cry. I was almost completely beside myself when I heard him speak. ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily, sis.’

  I opened my eyes and there was Elijah, smiling his crooked grin at me. I screamed and launched myself on him, making him cry out in pain. I sat up, removed my hands. ‘Sorry, sorry, are you okay?’

  Elijah tried to smile again, but in his eyes I saw something that was never there before. My carefree, goofy, loving brother was still there, but so was something else. Something that Orpheus had etched into his soul.

  ‘I’m okay, really,’ he whispered before our parents rushed over and took him in their arms.

  I stood up and moved away, turned away from him so he wouldn’t see the rage inside me. Inside my beautiful brother now lay the seed of fear and who knew what else. Until that moment, I’d detested Max and Orpheus, but had never properly hated anyone. But now hate for Orpheus spread through my veins into every part of my being. He’d allowed this to happen. His sickness was spreading into the hearts of the town and striking at the people who were my world. In that moment, I knew I’d do whatever it took to stop him and make him pay for what he’d done.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  I opened my window and climbed onto the branches, the cool air assaulting my face and exposed skin. This time I didn’t cling to the tree like a frightened child – this time I climbed down, steadily and carefully.

  The cold hand of guilt squeezed me tight as I neared the ground. I could see the glow from behind the curtains where my family were. Mum and Dad were grateful to Ezra for helping save us, but they would never understand or agree to what I was doing.

  I jumped onto the ground and pictured my mum and dad tending to Elijah. His fever had broken and he was out of immediate danger, but his road to recovery would be long and painful. He’d fallen back to sleep almost straight away, and the time for asking questions about what had happened would have to wait.

  I put my hands in my jacket pocket as I walked briskly down the whisper-quiet street. I kept my head up and eyes alert, but the streets were deserted and all the lights were off – this town was well and truly asleep. As I neared the docks, my mind raced and my whole body felt clammy. All I could think about was Ezra – what he’d done for me, what he’d risked and…that kiss. My body went hot and cold all over. In a few minutes, we would be alone.

  I arrived at the boat, wiping the sweat from my brow and trying to calm my racing heart. It was dark inside, and slowly I climbed onto the small yacht that was rolling gently on the waves.

  I opened the cabin door and moved inside. It was completely dark, except for a single lit candle on the table. Beside the candle was Ezra, waiting for me. He stood and covered the distance in several steps, took me in his arms, kissed the top of my head.

  ‘Dad…his cronies…none of them remember anything. I destroyed all the records of you and your family and th
e security footage. You’re no longer even a suspect.’ He pulled back and looked at me. ‘You okay?’

  I ran my fingers through his sandy-blond hair, traced my finger across his full lips and gazed straight into his emerald eyes, which were razor sharp with want. I wanted him as I’d never wanted anything in my life.

  Ezra pulled away and groaned. ‘Eva, we need to talk.’

  I wanted to step forward, hold him in my arms, but his words had put a barrier between us and I wrapped my arms around myself.

  ‘Come and sit,’ he said, more kindly. ‘I made us hot chocolates.’

  I sat down across from him at the small table, put my hands around the steaming cup and spoke, my voice wavering. ‘Just say it, Ezra. I can handle it.’

  Ezra let out a long sigh as he watched me, his face lit up by the flickering candlelight.

  ‘You don’t want to be with me,’ I said. ‘I get it. It’s too dangerous for you, not to mention I’m a witch – oh, and I hate your father.’ He gasped, but I continued like a freight train. ‘The man who gave you life, well, I detest him, for what he’s done to Elijah.’

  A cloud passed across Ezra’s eyes. ‘How is he?’

  ‘Until about two hours ago, we thought he might die, but he’s pulled through.’ I wiped away a rogue tear. ‘But he’s still sick, really sick, and…he’s changed. I don’t know what they’ve done to him, but my brother who wouldn’t hurt a goddam fly is no longer the same person.’ Tears came thick and fast, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. Ezra moved to sit next to me, put his arm around me. I turned and cried into his chest. ‘I don’t want you to go back there, to live with him. Come away with us.’

  His body froze. ‘What do you mean, come away?’

  I sat up and wiped my face with the tissues Ezra passed me. A small part of me told me not to tell him our plans, but I also knew that the time for secrets between us was over. I’d already trusted him with my biggest secret of all, and he’d stood against his father to help me.