Witch of Shadows (Shadowhurst Mysteries Book 1)

by A. N. Sage

  “YOU KILLED KIDS!” I yelled, forcing her to face me again. “You’re a murderer!”

  Evanora laughed again except this time, it was a piercing shrill that chilled my bones. “No more so than you, WITCH! Or do you want me to believe that you have never vanquished an underage shadower before?”

  Behind me, Savannah and Jayden gasped and I spun to see their mouths wide open as they stared at me. At their side, Peyton’s eyes filled with worry and she moved toward me but I held my hand up to motion her to stop. My face flushed with anger and I turned to face Evanora, ready to lash out, when I noticed River staring at me over her shoulder. I didn’t think it was possible for him to get paler but there he was, frozen in his spot with a ghostly complexion over his otherwise bronze skin.

  “What?” He asked in almost a whisper.

  Evanora winked at me and the hairs on my arms stood rigid. She walked back to her son, resting her hand around his shoulder. “I told you she was bad news, darling.”

  A coldness ran through me and I felt the earth give way under my feet. I tried to move toward him but my body was unwilling to cooperate. My arms fell flaccid at my sides and I met his gaze, tears streaming down my face. “River, please, I can explain,” I tried to say but he shook his head.

  “Stop lying.” His voice was so cold that it hit me in the face like a mallet. “Both of you. I hate you both.”

  “Darling,” Evanora purred.

  “Shut,” River hissed, “UP!”

  “Honey, you didn’t think I would have a problem with you seeing her for no good reason, did you?”

  “You’ve been known to do things for no good reason before. Is this why you pushed so hard for me to be a hunter? For your own personal gain?”

  Evanora’s features darkened and she faced her son. “For our gain, sweetheart. Witches can’t be trusted.”

  “No, YOU can’t be trusted mom! How could you do this?” River yelled. Sweat beaded on his forehead, plastering his wet hair to his face. His eyes were wild and restless and my own anger mirrored his as I remembered my outrage when I found out about Beatrix’s betrayal.

  “River…” I whispered.

  His eyes snapped to me and the hatred in them was palpable. “Don’t! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. Ever.”

  Deflated, I took a step back and set my gaze on my boots. My heart twisted and my ribs constricted as I tried to breathe. He didn’t deserve this, any of it, and I should never have kept this from him. Instead of worrying about my own damn self, I should have thought of him. I should have trusted him enough to tell him the truth before it came to this. He hated me and I couldn’t even blame him. I hated myself.

  Thunder roared in the distance and somehow, the night grew even darker around us. The chill in the air was unbearable and my teeth chattered as I tried to keep my balance. In my peripheral, I saw Evanora move to River, her hands trembling as she reached for him. He pushed her off and turned away, stepping out of the circle to head for the trees beyond. As his back retreated, my insides thrashed until I was ready to throw up on my boots. Just before he was out of sight, River turned back, his eyes narrowed on me. He took a deep breath then turned to his mother. “Do whatever you want with her,” he said, “and when you’re done, I never want to see you again.”

  He was gone before I could say anything at all.

  Much worse

  “Guys, listen…”

  I struggled to say but I was too late. Savannah already had a knife in each hand, though from this angle, they looked more like sharpened machetes. Beside her, Jayden cocked the safety of his rifle and pointed it at my head. Why does he have a rifle? Did I know he had a rifle? That would have been excellent information to have. I scowled and raised my hands defensively. “I just want to talk.”

  “Should have thought of that before,” Savannah hissed. “You lying witch!”

  The knives in her hand caught the light of the moon and my stomach turned. Even if I was quick enough to knock her out, she could still do some damage with those things before I could get close enough. Not to mention Jayden’s damn rifle. I was fast but I was not faster than a bullet. Jayden shifted his weight and I saw his finger move a half an inch away from the trigger. My lungs contracted and I released a slight breath. Small victories were all I had left it seemed.

  “Dudes, are you serious?” Peyton chimed in from her spot on the Air rune. “She’s not the bad guy here!”

  Savannah and Jayden looked to each other, disregarding her entirely. Their faces faltered and I took a step toward them, hopeful the gesture wouldn’t appear confrontational. I really didn’t want to fight them, not when the actual killer was still standing next to me with a wicked smile plastered on her face.

  “She’s right, guys. I’m not the one that killed those students. I’m not the one that killed your friend.”

  Close to me, Evanora groaned in disgust. “You’re hunters, children. Finish the job.”

  Another flash of the knives jerked my gaze away from River’s mom and back to Savannah. I tightened my hold on my dagger, expecting her to charge for me, but to my surprise, she stood still. Her gaze drifted over me like she was trying to decide if she should kill me or not. Next to her, Jayden moved the rifle’s tip from my head to Evanora’s then back again.

  They’re faltering.

  I grabbed my chance while I still had it and took two more steps toward the hunters. My eyes widened and I held the dagger to the side to show them I would not use it though I didn’t let go of my grip. I had to be ready, just in case. “We came here to find the person responsible for the murders. We found her.” I gestured to Evanora with a tilt of the head. “You can deal with me later but right now, I need your help.”

  Evanora laughed like she couldn’t believe I was bold enough to convince them to work against her but I knew how wrong she was. I could see it in their eyes. Sure, they were witch hunters, but there was only one witch in this circle that posed a threat right now and that sure as shit wasn’t me. My eyes met Savannah’s and I smiled before raising a questioning eyebrow her way. My lips parted and I whispered please just loud enough for her to hear.

  Then I closed my eyes and waited for her to decide.

  It happened so fast I barely had time to snap my eyes open. One moment I was standing defenseless a foot away from two giant knives and a loaded rifle and the next I was being pushed out of the way. My shoulder throbbed from the hit and I spun around, tripping over loose rock and plummeting to the ground below. My tailbone hit the earth and I squirmed from the pain. Swallowing hard, I locked my eyes on Savannah who was running toward Evanora with the knives slashing across the air. She was fast and fearless and I fell silent, in awe of how fast she could switch sides. Her legs pumped and the slender muscle of her thighs pulsed against her leather leggings. She looked like a freaking superhero.

  Savannah sliced the air again and skidded to a stop a few feet from Evanora. Her eyes narrowed on the witch and she growled like a jungle cat. In one quick motion, Savannah swung back and catapulted the knives forward, aiming straight for Evanora’s heart.

  Before the knives could reach her, Evanora tightened her fist around the crystals in her hand and shot her hands up. Her face hardly moved as she thrust her magic at Savannah. A gasp escaped me and I clutched my hands into the earth to hold on as a heavy gust of wind shot out of Evanora’s hands and rushed for the knives. The blades flung in the opposite direction as soon as the wind hit them but Evanora didn’t stop there. She buried her weight into the earth and pushed more magic out, intensifying the wind until it was a hurricane barreling straight for Savannah.

  “NOOOOO!” I shouted and jumped up.

  I ran for the hunter, throwing my body her way but I was too slow. I was nowhere near Savannah by the time the wind hit her head on and shot her out of the circle and across the field. Her body fell with a thud and the breath that knocked out of her rose in a puffy white smoke over her lips.

  “Savannah!” Jayden yelled a
nd started for his friend.

  He was still running when Evanora threw her magic at his back and sent him flying ten feet past where Savannah’s body lay still. I cringed at the sound of him hitting the earth and had to turn away when I noticed that his left arm was lying at an unnatural angle at his side. From where I stood, I couldn’t see either of them move but I couldn’t just let them die. I also couldn’t leave Evanora in the circle with Peyton.

  Time slowed down as I tried to take in my options but I knew I had none left.

  “Peyton!” I yelled. “Check if they’re okay!”

  In seconds, my best friend was sprinting down the field toward the fallen hunters, her red streaks flashing in the moonlight behind her. My eyes watered while I watched for her to check Savannah’s pulse and throw two thumbs up my way. By the time she reached Jayden, I could hear him scream in pain. His arm was for sure broken but at least he was alive.

  I breathed out and turned to Evanora.

  “Why? They’re River’s friends. What the hell is wrong with you?” I screamed. “Witches don’t do this!”

  “Witches do much worse,” she snapped back.

  Her fingers twitched at her side and I could see her fumble for the next crystal. I couldn’t tell which one she picked and without knowing what element she was about to unleash I had no way to protect myself. All I had was the amber in my pocket, the amethyst on my neck, and a silver dagger. I was ill-equipped for this fight and I knew it. Goddess, how I wished Evanora was a shadower so I could just vanquish her ass and get it over with, but that was not the case. She was a witch and as much I hated to admit it, she was more powerful than me even before she had fae blood running through her veins.

  I had to keep her talking until I could figure out my next move.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood rigid and I lowered the dagger to my side. “You know you’re surrounded. Even without Savannah and Jayden, we still have people.”

  “You mean the other children?” Evanora laughed and pointed to the cornfield. “I took care of them already.”

  “Took care of them?” My heart leaped into my throat as I thought about what those words could mean. “You killed them?”

  Evanora cackled and pressed two fingers to her temple. “Goddess, no. You’re quite morbid, are you not? I could never hurt those kids. As you said, they’re River’s friends, and besides, once this ritual is complete, I’ll need them to help me take down the High Coven.”

  “Didn’t stop you from killing Grady,” I mumbled.

  “Yes, well, a means to an end that one. I’m not sure you realize how difficult it is to find fae blood in this town. I mean, it took me years just to track them all down. And you,” she pointed a French-manicured nail my way, “were the most difficult to find.”

  “You know that you’re not better than them, right? The High Coven?”

  Evanora’s smile faltered. “Maybe so but I will make them pay, regardless. I will make the world right again.”

  I started to object but her hand snapped up and she curled her fingers into a fist. The air in my lungs expelled as Evanora reached for it, pulling it out of my throat and into her hand. My lungs screamed for air and I desperately tried to suck in a breath. The world blurred around me and I toppled to the ground, hands ripping at my throat. Not far from me, Peyton shouted my name but her voice was garbled and unclear. My vision blurred and I blinked with little success of regaining it.

  “No more chit chat,” Evanora said, her shadowy figure looming over me. “Time to begin.”

  Her hand flipped again and I could breathe. I sucked in the icy air, tears streaming down my cheeks in relief. Before I could stand again, something hard hit me on the head and the night closed in around me.

  What Are You?

  My lids fluttered open and the blurry field inched into focus. Cold earth spread around me and I struggled to lift my pounding head to see. I was on my back, my arms splayed wide to either side, my head pointing straight for the middle.

  Oh, Goddess, no. The ritual.

  Above me, Evanora’s voice boomed over the circle. She whispered something over and over and the sound whooshed around me like she was running in circles over my body. Which was exactly what she was doing. Maybe not so much running but my vision was still not perfect and I was sure I got a concussion from when she knocked me out, so really, she could’ve been standing still just as well. I tried to make out the words, but they made no sense to me. Either I was in worse shape than I thought or Evanora was not speaking English anymore.

  My body shook and nausea filled me to the brim as the force of her magic pushed itself into me. It was like my limbs were being stretched to the sides with ropes and the pain was too agonizing to bear. My jaw clenched and I ground my teeth into each other to keep from screaming. Straining, I felt my fingers over the earth as I tried to locate my dagger but it was nowhere to be found. The witch stripped me of all my weapons, even the amethyst pendant was gone from my neck.

  Evanora whispered something else and I got sucker-punched with her magic. I choked on my spit and coughed, my throat burning like wildfire.

  “Billie!” Peyton’s panicked voice rose somewhere beyond the circle and I snapped to attention.

  My eyes widened and my pulse skyrocketed. Peyton was about to do something stupid and if I didn’t act fast, Evanora would kill her. But I couldn’t act fast. I couldn’t act at all.

  With a low growl, Evanora stopped her chanting and reached for something on the ground next to my feet. My breath caught in my throat when I realized that she had my blade in her hand. I kicked my feet from under me, trying to stand up but my body was glued to the earth—Evanora’s magic was too strong. Eyes full of tears, I watched as she swung the dagger toward Peyton’s voice. There was a yelp and a crunch, followed by a thud. No, no, no! “Peyton!”

  There was nothing but silence.

  The next few seconds were the most excruciating moments of my life. Time slowed around me and my limbs grew heavy under their own weight. Peyton tried to save me and got herself killed. She was no doubt lying in the field bleeding out somewhere with my dagger in her chest. This was all my fault. All of this was my—

  A groan sounded about ten feet away and I breathed out. My shoulders dropped and I threw my head back, hitting the cold earth with my messy hair. She’s alive. SHE’S OKAY.

  “I am tired of these interruptions!” Evanora screeched.

  Her feet shuffled next to me until I could see her face come into view above me. Her braid fell heavy over her shoulder and she sneered before kneeling beside me and placing both her palms on my forehead. Something rough scratched at my skin as she ran her hands over my face then down my neck. Amethyst dust. Shit! My body jerked but it did nothing to deter her; Evanora moved like a snake over me, whispering those foreign words over and over. Her gaze met mine and she cocked her head to the side before tracing something in the earth by my head with a peach wood branch.

  “Thank you for your element,” she whispered and slammed her hands into the earth.

  My entire body screamed in agony. I riled on the ground, squirming to be free of my skin. Around me, the air grew so cold that I couldn’t feel my toes inside my boots and my tears formed icicles on my lashes. I felt like she was ripping my magic straight out of me; like she was ripping out my heart. I opened my mouth to scream but only silence poured out. Silence and death.

  Inch by inch, my skin contracted and dried as my life force drained out of me and into Evanora. She laughed and I shuddered. Or at least I thought I did, I couldn’t feel anything anymore to be sure. My eyes grew heavy and started to close and I let them. Fighting was no use. She was stronger and she had me trapped. I failed.

  It’s funny but when they tell you that your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die they always forget to mention one thing; it’s never the parts you actually want to see. All I saw was Beatrix taking my small hand right before Sebyl led her away. I watched her as clear as day; like it w
as happening in that very instant. I watched her smile and remembered how confused I felt when she said goodbye to me. Why did my mom have to leave? I didn’t understand. Her hands clasped mine and I felt something heavy in my palm. When I opened them, a pretty moonstone ring sat in the center, more beautiful than anything I’ve ever owned in my young life. Beatrix whispered something but I couldn’t understand her through her tears. My gaze shifted from her to the ring and back again and I remembered it like it wasn’t a memory at all. I remembered it like it was my life. And it was. The life I wanted to forget but never could.

  My eyes fluttered open I was back in the field again, back under the hold of Evanora’s magic and back on my deathbed. My fingers curled as my breathing slowed and I sensed something cool on my ring finger. The ring! I still had my ring. It wasn’t much, but I was happy to die with it on. I reached my thumb for the stone in the center as I often did and pictured my mother’s face.