They nod. Fletcher reaches for Ellis’s hand. He is determined to stay beside her. Ember and Elodie nod at Jane and David, and the twins and Sally huddle at the back.
“Ready? We’re here to kill, remember?”
They all nod; none of them need reminding. Every single one of them feels sick with fear and adrenalin. But every single one of them is ready for this nightmare to be over.
Ellis
My hand is sweaty, but I don’t let go of Fletcher. He got me into this mess, he can put up with a little sweat.
Is this a trap? I try to tune in to some witchy intuition, and I have none. Again, I’m struck by my utter uselessness as a witch. My highlight is making chocolate and pizza out of thin air – and while that’s pretty delicious, it’s hardly life saving.
And – I haven’t mentioned this to Fletcher because I don’t want to worry him – when I was alone with Zeta yesterday, I could not make even the most basic magic work. I tried to shoot flames at her, but I couldn’t. I still don’t know whether I froze through fear, or if there’s something wrong with me.
I mean, there’s a lot wrong with me. But I know what I mean.
And here we all go, ready to kill or be killed once again.
We head around the back of Zeta’s cottage, keeping super quiet. A stupid compulsion to laugh comes over me. In the middle of this ridiculously serious, life-threatening situation, I want to laugh. I can only imagine how daft we all look – creeping along, me still holding hands with Fletcher, on our way to murder a few people.
What has happened to my life?
We pause and congregate behind the gate. Elodie looks at me, a question on her face. I shake my head – I cannot feel anything, know anything, sense anything. I am the worst witch.
She pushes open the gate and we follow her through.
The yard is empty, tidy. It looks recently swept. Why do I notice such weird and random – and completely pointless – things?
Elodie pushes open the back door, and we follow her in.
The house is quiet, but I know she’s here. I can sense her.
Zeta and Efa, if I’m right.
I could well be wrong.
I often am.
Elodie turns to us. “Jane, David, Sally, girls, go upstairs. Ellis, Fletcher, Ember, with me.”
We do as we’re told, splitting up and creeping onwards.
Elodie pushes open the door to the lounge and I take a deep breath.
Is this it? Are we going to find Zeta packing up her life into cardboard boxes, her charming daughter helping her, and swiftly finish them off?
Could it be this easy?
We find them exactly as I imagined. Zeta is kneeling on the floor, glamourous as ever, holding a sheaf of papers and organising them into a folder. Efa is packing books into an enormous box, they are both smiling and chatting.
They don’t look surprised to see us, but they don’t jump up or attempt to attack us.
“Morning,” Ember says, a scowl on her beautiful face. “Not moving away, are you?”
“Without saying goodbye?” Elodie sounds just as sarcastic as her sister.
It’s definitely them, but they are weirdly silent, weirdly... amenable.
“Any last words, Zeta?”
Again, this doesn’t get a response. No argument, no witty retort.
Elodie looks over to me, finding their behaviour as strange as I do. “Is it definitely them?”
I nod. It is. Maybe they’ve just realised that the game is over. They have no hope of winning against us, no hope of attacking us and escaping. They’re cornered.
Ember holds up her hand and with two quick blasts of fire, she kills them both.
They are dead.
We step away from their smouldering bodies and look at each other. The door opens, and David steps in. He takes in the two dead bodies and whoops. The others follow him in, all staring at Zeta and Efa.
“Fantastic! You did it. What did she say?” Jane hugs Elodie.
“Did she beg for her life?” Thea asks.
Elodie shakes her head. “She didn’t say a word. She didn’t put up a fight.”
“Not one word.”
I step away from the group. This feels wrong. Too easy.
I call over my shoulder to Fletcher. “Fletcher, light this fire.”
He does as I ask, and the entire group turns to me. They know what I’m going to do. I’m going to call out their names, see if their likeness appears in the flames. Check that they are dead. This feels... odd.
The flames lick up quickly, Fletcher’s magic hastening it along. I remember Elodie’s instructions – to look at the tip of one flame.
I call Zeta first.
Then I snap out of my reverie. “Is she alive?”
Fletcher shakes his head, a grim look on his face. “Dead.”
I do the same for Efa and she’s dead too.
None of us look that happy, though. I’m not even sure why.
Fletcher sighs. “Let’s go.”
“What about the demons, what about her henchmen?”
“There’s nobody else here. All we can do is go home. Be vigilant. But with the instigator dead, I can’t see that we’re in any immediate danger.”
The twins and Sally smile at each other, hug, cry.
I take Fletcher’s hand and we all head outside.
The street is quiet. Well, it’s not quiet; it’s Mumbles. But there aren’t any manic witches, or murderous shifters, or evil vampires or deranged fairies waiting for us.
It just feels like an anti-climax. But then this isn’t a film, where the last battle scene is so epic it gives you goose bumps, before the hero and heroine jump into bed, and the credits roll.
This is real life. Infinitely disappointing.
I close my eyes when Fletcher puts his arms around me, I will never not enjoy this, and we fly back home.
Funny how I think of it as home now, even though my actual home is only up the road. I feel a rush of excitement. I might still be head witch, but if the immediate danger is over, and with Zeta and Efa being dead, it seems like it is, then I can go home.
A feeling of peace spreads through me, and we all gather in the kitchen.
“Is that it? Is it over?” Thea grins at her mother. Ember nods. “I think so. We just killed the pair of them, and they were the leaders of the pack.”
I’m enjoying Ember being at a loss. We all feel the same, so it isn’t fair to single her out, but she looks so confused. Did we just end this entire thing, so quickly, so quietly, so easily...
But it seems like we did. It wasn’t a trick. We weren’t ambushed on the way in or the way out.
We walked in, killed them and walked out.
And without a leader, without someone telling them what to do and where to go, then doesn’t it stand that this crazy war, this rebellion, will fizzle out?
Fletcher laughs. “Look at us, you’d swear we lost. We won! We did it. We killed them.”
I grin at him; his enthusiasm is infectious, it really is.
Elodie looks thoughtful and takes a seat at the table. “I need to think about things, make sure all is well, but... I think we should celebrate.”
Thea and Talia let out some whoops, and I laugh.
Suddenly, the sombre, unreal feeling we all seemed to have when we left Zeta’s is replaced by pure elation.
There’s no other way to describe it.
Ember cracks open some champagne. “We’ve been fighting this war for longer than most of you know.”
A shadow of hurt passes over Elodie’s face, but I don’t think anybody else notices. She’s quick to smile, to raise her glass at Ember’s toast.
“To the ones we couldn’t keep safe, and to the ones we could.”
We all cheer, and I’m crying and laughing at the same time. We have been so close to death, all of us, and some of us didn’t make it. It’s a bittersweet moment, and we are all suddenly sombre.
It could have turned out so differently.
Elodie cooks and bakes, and Ember keeps opening more and more champagne, even letting us have some. We are all happy and relaxed.
Later on Fletcher and I sneak away, up to his room, where we lie next to each other on his bed and kiss.
“I can’t believe we both made it,” I say, pushing back his floppy hair, away from his face. His gorgeous face.
“I can.” He grins. “I’m not done with you, yet.”
“Sounds ominous,” I laugh, but I feel a thrill of excitement at the thought of our future together, what it might be, what it might bring.
“Not ominous.” He kisses my cheeks, and then my mouth. “Just good. Normal. Happy. Two teenagers, not two teenagers in the middle of a nasty species war. Just us.”
I close my eyes and snuggle up against him.
I can’t help but feel exhausted. We’ve been through so much, and now the immediate danger is over, we can finally relax.
I drift off and don’t wake until the next day.
2
Fletcher leaves Ellis in bed, asleep, and heads downstairs. Only his mother is awake. He kisses her forehead. “Tea?”
She shakes her head. “No thanks, love, I’ve got one already.”
He makes himself a drink then joins his mum at the table. “Everybody else still sleeping?”
She nods. “Jane and David took Sally home, but you and Ellis were sleeping by then. Ember and the girls are still crashed out.”
“You okay?”
Elodie nods. “There are still some things to do, to sort out.”
He nods and reaches for a croissant. “Is this spare?”
Elodie nods. “Once Ember is awake, I will ask her to contact all the members of the team that she and Griff were working with, the ones who were fighting this battle before we even knew about it. I want them to track down any last stragglers, anyone who’s so loyal to Zeta that they might try to cause trouble.”
“Outstanding idea. Do you think they’ll try to start it up again?”
“I don’t know, but the team know what they are doing, and it makes sense for them to continue with their work, at least until we’re sure.”
“Makes sense,” he says, pulling his croissant apart and eating it slowly, bite by bite.
“Get a plate. You’re so messy.”
“Sorry.” He grabs a plate and another croissant. “Anything else?”
She nods. “The council. Mya is dead, she was the head of the vampires. Vann is dead, he was the head of the fairies and Gregory’s dead, head of the shifters.”
“Who killed Gregory?” Fletcher pours himself an orange juice.
Elodie shrugs. “Not me.”
“Nor me.” Fletcher shrugs. It must have been one of the others.
“And the other council members are still tied up with magic in Scotland.”
Fletcher chokes on his drink. “Oh crap. They will be so mad.”
“Worse than mad. I’m nervous about what to do next. We have to set them free, and we have to tell them that their leaders are dead. It won’t be pretty.”
Fletcher is silent for a while, eating, drinking, thinking. “We lost Griff, too. It’s not like we’ve done anything wrong. We had to be sure who was on our side. They must understand. We’ll go up, be matter of fact, explain everything, try to make things right.”
“I don’t think things will ever be right again, but you’re right. We can’t put it off either. Once everyone’s awake, we’ll head up to Scotland.”
Elodie opens her mouth to say something, then closes it again, and then opens it, and then closes it.
“What is it, mum?”
She shakes her head, fear colouring her face.
“Can it be worse than the mob we’re about to face in Scotland?”
She nods. “The demons.”
Fletcher visibly shudders.
“We have to go to the portal, and we have to gather them up.”
“No!” Fletcher chokes out, panic clear on his face, “Mum, no, that’s dangerous.”
“Fletcher, I know it’s dangerous, but demons roaming the earth is even more dangerous. We need to tie up loose ends. The henchmen, Ember and her team can take care of. But the demons can’t be allowed to wander around unchecked.”
He is silent. He knows his mother is right, but he cannot bear to think about it. Demons are tricky. They managed them pretty well on the pier, but without a leader they could be anywhere. They have to be called back, put back in the portal; put back in their place.
“I think we should destroy the portal too. Make it so they can’t ever come back.”
“I think that’s the safest bet.”
They eat and drink in silence mostly, waiting for the others to wake up. “If they aren’t all up in an hour, we’ll wake them. I know we’re all exhausted, but it’s not over yet. Not quite.”
“What about the autonomy for the other species? I think they will want it more than ever now, mum.”
“You’re right. I’ve been thinking about what you said, about your dad being a good man. And he was. I think there’s a reason he wouldn’t do it, why the other head witches wouldn’t do it. We need to figure it out. Quickly.”
“I think so too, mum. You know what he was like.”
She reaches for his hand. “You’re so much like him. He was a principled man. And we’ll finish what he started. Let’s wake everyone up. Let’s go to Scotland, sort out the council, then sort out the demons, and then I’ll go through – we’ll go through – all of your father’s things, see if there’s any information there.”
“We’ll be okay. We got through the worse of it.”
“Some of us did.”
He pours a drink for Ellis and goes upstairs to wake her, leaving his mother to wake up his aunt and his cousins.
Ellis is fast asleep, hair looking wild, one arm flung over her face, the other hanging off the edge of the bed. “Ellis,” he whispers her name, and she stirs straight away, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He passes her the drink. “Thanks.”
He sits beside her. “How are you? You slept through an entire day.”
“No way! Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I wasn’t far behind you. We were all shattered. We need to get ready. We’re going to Scotland.”
Horror dawns on Ellis’s face, and she covers her face with her hands. “The council. They’re still tied up. We forgot all about them. They will be so angry.”
“We were kind of busy,” he says, trying to sound flippant, before shaking his head. “No, it is awful that we forgot. They’ll be furious. But what can we do? We can hardly leave them now we’ve remembered them.”
“I suppose we didn’t deliberately forget. It’s been a crazy few days.”
“Exactly. And they’ll understand that. Hopefully. How are your broken bones?”
“Better. I think I’m back to normal.” She climbs out of bed without wincing. “See?”
He laughs and takes her in his arms. “So this doesn’t hurt?”
“Nope, not even a little.”
He leans in, and they kiss. “Don’t you wish this was all over, and we could just kiss all day?”
She nods. “Definitely. My dad thinks you’re a lovely boy, from a lovely family. He’ll be happy.”
“Does he really?”
“Yeah. I mean, he’s wrong about your family. Except your mum. Your mum is lovely. Your aunt and your cousins... not so much.”
He laughs. “They are hard work, for sure. Will your dad really be pleased?”
“Yes. He’s been waiting forever for me to get a boyfriend, so he’ll have somebody strong to cart our coffins around.”
Fletcher laughs. “I am not carting coffins.”
She shakes her head. “We don’t really ‘cart’ them, that’s not the right word. My dad is nicer to our dead bodies than he is to me and Isaac. But he’ll be happy to have someone strong around the place.”
“I’d be more than happy to help. I can just magi
c things done. And so can you, now.”
“I keep forgetting that I’m a witch! I’m the worst one you’ve ever met, aren’t I?”
He cannot keep a straight face and she groans. “Oh, I’m so embarrassing.”
“You’re not. You’re lovely.”
They kiss again. “Come on, we need to be quick.”
She nods, and they are downstairs within ten minutes. The others aren’t far behind them.
“I feel sick,” Ember says to Elodie. “What are we going to say to them?”
“Sorry. And, in fairness, the reason you probably feel sick is that you drank too much champagne.”
Ember nods and winces, holding onto her head. “True. They’ll be so angry. Are Jane and David coming too?”
“No, just us. I don’t want to overwhelm them or for it to look like we’ve come with loads of backup. I’m hoping to throw myself on their mercy, to be honest.”
“If they have any.”
Elodie shrugs. Her sister has spoken aloud her exact fear.
Thea takes her mum’s hand. “I’m scared. I don’t want another big fight. I don’t think I can face it.”
“It’s okay. We need to do it. We need to explain what went wrong, and we need to say sorry. And we need to be open with them. Moving forwards, we need to work more closely than we ever have before. We can’t let this happen again.”
“Come on, everyone. Let’s go.”
Elodie and Ember check outside to make sure it’s safe, before they go out, and once they are all gathered on the pavement, Ember puts the protections back in place.
“Ready?” Fletcher holds out his arms, so Ellis can step into them. She fits so perfectly against him. She lays her head against his chest, and then he holds her close.
They fly away, up to Scotland and land in front of the enormous house.
There’s no welcoming committee this time, and they all pause. None of them wants to step inside and face the absolute anger they know is coming.
Ellis
Fletcher’s mum takes the lead, thank God; I don’t even want to go inside, never mind go inside first. And then it’s like my legs won’t walk, and Fletcher has to tug on my arm to get me to move. And ever so reluctantly I follow him, clutching onto his hand.
The Accidental End (The Accidental Witch Trilogy Book 3) Page 2