Spells & Life

by Rachel Medhurst

  Rubbing a hand over his face, Dave rolled his eyes. “Great. So, the Essex Obsessor wants to take the magic out of the Earth, effectively killing every living thing on it.”

  Nodding, I turned to my side to look at him. “Yep, starting with me.”

  Chapter 3

  “Come on,” Dave said, tugging on my arm.

  My reluctant boots dragged along the concrete pathway. The traffic of the Scottish people made me hug myself as we traipsed towards Mary’s home. Dave had insisted that we visit the seer to ask for advice. Apparently, he had kept in contact to discuss not only the case, but Dave’s decor. Yep, the man had got advice from the seer about how to decorate the house opposite mine.

  “Why have you dragged me here in the middle of the night?” My huff was ignored as Dave knocked on the door.

  Glancing sideways, he raised his dark eyebrows and wiggled them. “Well, I couldn’t exactly stay in your bedroom with all those teeny posters. Plus, you were annoying enough with your memory, I don’t think I can live much longer without it.”

  Rolling my eyes would be pointless. As soon as I’d told Dave about the killer threatening to kill me, he had insisted that we visit Mary. As much as I’d apparently liked the seer, I wasn’t convinced that she’d know how to fix my memory problem.

  The patter of footsteps down stairs came from inside. Holding my breath, I braced myself for the onslaught of the elderly seer. If I had been woken at 1 AM in the morning, I wouldn’t exactly have a welcoming smile. Although, I rarely was asleep at that time, preferring to read well into the night.

  “I was expecting you.” Mary spoke before the door was even fully open. “Come on in.”

  Dave’s smirk as he followed her tempted me to rain violence on him. There was no point, it would only get ugly, and Mary would be extremely offended considering it was her home.

  It was silent as we all made our way up to Mary’s top floor. Shivers caused goose bumps to spread out over my skin. Something about the seer’s place made me uneasy. Had someone been here?

  “Don’t dawdle,” Mary called as I slowed at the bottom of the stairs.

  Rushing up them two at a time, I thrust into her open living area, almost colliding with Dave’s back. He had stopped dead just inside the door.

  “It’s nice to see you.”

  Poking my head out from behind Dave’s back, I snarled in the direction of my mother. She sat on Mary’s couch, nursing a cup of tea. The old lady shoved me from behind, albeit gently. She obviously sensed my immediate desire to run.

  “Please, come and join me.” My mother patted the cushion on the couch beside her.

  Without hesitating, Dave strode over and sat directly next to her. My breath rushed out of my lungs, relief filtering through my veins. At least I could put a bit of distance between us.

  “Now then,” Mary said, shuffling over to her seat. “It’s time we got everything out into the open. Both of you have been visiting me, and yet, I can feel the tension between you.”

  Standing beside the door made me look antisocial, but I didn’t care. Had Dave realised that my mother would be here? Was it a setup?

  “Why are we here?” I asked as heat suddenly flared across my skin, eradicating the goose bumps.

  If my mother found out about my secret, she would expel me from MI5. If I had ever shown weakness in the past, she had not been kind. Weakness was an illness to her, especially for an agent who was meant to be protecting the paranormal world.

  Putting her cup down, my mother waved for me to join them. “Let’s talk.”

  Clearing his throat, Dave fidgeted in his seat. “Shall I leave you to it?”

  All three of us refused in various ways. My vehement refusal made the others stare at me. What? Something about Dave’s presence gave me confidence that my mother wouldn’t push the issue that I knew she wanted to. Wedding talk would be completely off the gender.

  “I’ve had a very important dream,” Mary said, pointing at a wooden seat opposite the couch. “Usually, I don’t share my visions, but in this case, I won’t stay silent.”

  Slowly moving closer, I stopped hugging myself and sat, keeping my gaze away from my mother. Mary had my full attention.

  “Please,” my mother said. “Tell us what you’ve seen.”

  It wasn’t very often that I saw my mum agitated. One of her knees bounced where her foot moved quickly up and down on the floor. In fact, her hair wasn’t as well-kept as usual, the strands not brushed into a neat straight hairstyle.

  When she glanced at me, her usual confidence was missing as her gaze dropped to the mug in her hand.

  “As you all know there’s a serial killer on the loose,” Mary started. “The dream I had last night was a prophecy.”

  “A prophecy?” Dave blurted, his hand rubbing his stubbly chin.

  Nodding, Mary glanced between the three of us, her bright blue eyes dulled. Was the seer afraid?

  “Yes. In my dream, I saw the Earth barren and burnt. Fires raged over the land, water engulfed and disappearing at a rapid rate as it steamed into the air. Standing nearby, I saw a man with a demon mask. This man will be responsible for the end of the world if you do not find him.”

  My heartbeat rapidly increased as I swallowed hard. I knew that the responsibility of the Essex Obsessor was in my hands, but I hadn’t realised how serious a threat he was to the Ley lines and to Earth.

  As I tried to wrap my head around what Mary was saying, my mother held a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide, the lines around them deepening as her expression turned into a frown. No doubt she would turn the blame on me.

  “I don’t suppose you have a way for us to find him?” I asked, almost flippantly.

  Dave got to his feet, moved around the table, and started to pace across the floor. His anxious energy was not helping. It pulsed out over us, making me shiver again.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have any clues,” Mary muttered. “Have you figured out the link to the rings yet?”

  The rings? What was she talking about? Oh yeah, I didn’t have any memory of what she was talking about.

  “I need my memory back.”

  My anguish was evident in the tone of my voice. Mary and my mother stared at me, their gaze penetrating every thread of my existence.

  Getting to her feet, Mary came closer. As she reached out her hands, I allowed her to place them on my head. She closed her eyes and muttered a few words in Latin. I often heard witches cast spells in the Latin language, but not seers. That was a new one.

  When Mary’s eyes flew open, I almost jumped out of my skin. She tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and shook her head. “I see another Essex witch helping you to regain your memories. Your mother can help, although there is much to be healed between you.”

  Moving away, Mary went over to my mother and placed her hands on her head. Dave came closer to me, putting his hand on my shoulder for a second. His reassurance was comforting, even if I wasn’t used to it.

  “You hold onto something from the past,” Mary told my mother. “And yet, the person who is affected doesn’t even know the full extent of your secret. If you do not tell her, life will unfold very differently to what you imagine. You must tell the truth.”

  My mother’s gasp echoed around Mary’s home. The shudder of her whole body made me clench my hands into fists. It was the marriage, I just knew. She had been keeping something from me about the bet that my father had made.

  “I can’t,” my mother whispered. “I just can’t.”

  Stepping away, Mary tutted as she shook her head and wagged her finger towards my mother’s face. Although the seer was very powerful, it seemed that she could get a little judgemental at times. However, seeing the fear that crossed my mother’s face before she buried it made me bite my lip.

  “Are you talking about the stupid bet?” I barked, getting to my feet.

  Dave’s hands clasped my shoulders, stopping me from approaching my mother. On the outside, the woman who had giv
en birth to me had pretended that she loved me and wanted the best for me. But, when it had come down to it, she had tried to force me to accept my father’s gambling debt with no quarrel. As soon as I had rebelled, she had turned into a witch. Well, a nasty witch, no longer putting her daughter’s happiness first. Not that I believed she had ever tried now that I knew what she wanted from me.

  “Tell me the truth,” I bit through my teeth as my mother stared.

  Standing back, Mary waved her hands in the air. “I will not have violence in this place. It is a sanctuary. Gemma?”

  Forcing myself to rip my gaze away from my mother, I looked at the seer. She was pointing towards her wall of paintings, nodding her head in that direction. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I shrugged Dave off and moved to where she had indicated.

  My hand reached out, my fingers tracing the picture on the wall. The cool surface made the tip of my finger numb as my stomach churned. There I was, standing at an altar, a man by my side. It wasn’t the background that made the blood in my veins run cold, it was what I was wearing.

  “Who is she getting married to?” Dave asked over my shoulder.

  I couldn’t repress the anger that boiled up from my feet and came to rest in my stomach. Making sure my hands were clasped in front of me, I took several deep breaths before I turned to face the room again.

  “What is it?” I asked my mother, leaving her no room to ignore me.

  Sitting forward, she placed her mug on the table and got to her feet. Straightening her black pencil skirt, she tried to regain her composure. It was a rare occurrence to see my mother looking less than cool. What was it that plagued her so much that she was no longer her strong self?

  “Your father made a promise, as you know.” Gripping her hands in front of her, my mother looked me in the eye. “However, I’ve never told you the full extent of his bet. Not only are you to wed the witch’s son, but you are to bear him a child who will be given to your husband’s father.”

  Gritting my teeth, I stared her down, but she would not look away. How dare she keep such an important piece of the bet from me? Witches were known for haggling for other witches children. It had been practised long ago in exchange for help with magic. It most commonly occurred when women were barren, desperately wanting their own children. The bargaining had happened between mother and witch, the father never even knowing. However, the practice had been out of fashion for a long while.

  “I don’t understand why you even think that I would adhere to my father’s bet when he’s not even alive.”

  The fury that radiated throughout my energy coated the tone of my voice. My mother cringed, her hand going to her chest. This secret had weighed heavily on her shoulders, her paranoia making her unstable. I had never seen her so doubtful of her own power. Why did the witch that my father had lost against hold so much power over her?

  “The witch wasn’t just any old witch,” my mother pushed through her teeth. “It was the leader of one of the most powerful covens in the world. He will be coming for you soon. Your child...”

  A sob suddenly erupted from her throat, making her choke on her words. Tempted to throw a spell her way to make her choke more, I entwined my hands together to try and get a hold of my temper. She was my mother after all.

  Mary and Dave stared between us, neither offering any words. Closing my eyes briefly, I blocked out their gazes. I had to think. I’d known for most of my life what my father had done, but I’d never known that I was promised to a coven leader’s son, let alone giving up my first child.

  “Gemma,” my mother breathed as she came to me. “I’m so sorry. If I could change the events that your father set into motion, I would. However, I know he’s coming. There’s a reason he wants your child, and I’m very afraid.”

  Placing my head in my hands, I listened to the sound of my breath as it rushed in and out of my lungs. “You’re afraid?”

  Lifting my head, I snarled in her direction, my hands automatically reaching out. Dave’s arms wrapped around me from behind, tugging me back before I could reach my mother. She had known all along that my child, not that I was having one any time soon, would be in danger as soon as it was born. And yet, she had failed to tell me what my future held. A future it seemed that I had no control over.

  “I must go.” Retrieving her bag from the floor, my mother thanked Mary and turned back to me. “Once you have calmed down, we’ll talk about this properly. Your sacrifice will right the energy of our family line. Once it’s done, you’ll be free to do as you please with your life. I’ll no longer hold you to Paranormal MI5. Gemma, you will be free.”

  Before I could answer, she flashed away. Dave’s arms held me tight against his chest as I thrashed, needing to get to the woman who had just told me that I had no choice, I would have to play out my father’s bet if I was to have my freedom. Rage as hot as what I’d always imagined hell to be like seared my muscles, forcing me to clench every one of them. Control was lost as my mouth opened, and I screamed as loud as I could. How dare they ruin my life? How dare they take my freedom away from me? They wouldn’t get away with it. No matter what happened, I would never let them take away my choice.

  “Gemma,” Mary said gently when I finally quietened down.

  I’d been staring at the floor, the old frayed carpet holding my attention as the heat drained from my body. I no longer felt where Dave held me against him, supporting me so that I didn’t fall to my knees.

  “You always have a choice,” the seer said, coming over to me and reaching up to cup my face with both of her hands. “You can capture the serial killer. He has a link to this bet. I don’t know what it is, or how he even knows about it, but you must find him. You must find him before this leader finds you.”

  Her passion ignited the flame inside me. Numbness had started to spread throughout me, but with her words, my determination reignited. I would find the killer. Especially if he was connected to my father’s ridiculous bet.

  “How can I get my memory back?” I asked as Dave slowly unwound his arms from my waist.

  Mary’s throat moved as she swallowed, her hands taking mine and squeezing hard. “You must connect with another Essex witch to visit the ancestors. They have something for you that can only be retrieved through a powerful link to the ley line. Your link is no longer as powerful as it once was. Make peace with your mother and ask her to help you.”

  Chapter 4

  “So,” Kate muttered as we stared at the bank of screens on the wall. “You’ve got to do a ritual with your mum?”

  Munching on the cookie, I nodded. Swallowing it down with a mouthful of tea, I sighed as the memory of my mother and her heartless confession made my chest squeeze.

  “Yeah, ironic considering we’ve fallen out, but I need her help to get my memories back.”

  When we’d left Mary’s the night before, both Dave and I had agreed not to tell Jake and Kate about the bet. My desk friend had stayed silent on the subject, obviously realising that I was not in the mood to talk. He’d quickly left me at my place after checking that I was emotionally stable after not only my run in with the demon masked killer, but my argument with my mother. The reminder made my stomach flip and the cookie go dry in my mouth.

  Dropping the rest of my sweet treat back onto the plate, I sighed as I studied the screen nearest me. Kate had persuaded me to join her in the CCTV surveillance. As boring as it was, not being around Dave was helping me this morning. He knew too much. I had to talk to him so I could ask for his silence when it came to my personal business.

  “You do need to get your memories back. You’re slightly annoying now that you haven’t got a clue what’s going on.” Kate fluffed her afro hair, her big pretty brown eyes twinkling as she winked at me.

  It was a good job I had no energy left. All my anger had dispersed overnight, the twisting and turning as I tried to sleep wearing me out even more. In fact, I’d completely pushed what my mother had told me out of my mind. I had more important th
ings to worry about.

  About to reply, I paused when my phone started to ring. Seeing Logan Hill’s number, I braced myself as I answered.

  “We’ve got another one,” he said dryly as he shouted at someone in the background.

  Rubbing my forehead as I rested my elbow on the desk, I closed my eyes. “Everything the same?”

  Kate nudged me, forcing me to look at her. She raised her eyebrows as she quickly pulled away. Had she learnt to read me well?

  “Yep.” Logan inhaled before he coughed. “We found her in a church. There was one slight difference.”

  For some reason the cookies in my stomach churned even more. Whatever he was about to say was going to make me feel sick. My body often reacted before I knew mentally what was going on. It sucked to be an intuitive witch sometimes.

  “Tell me,” I muttered, not really ready to hear what he had to say.

  “She’s wearing a wedding dress. I think this bastard has a problem with the wife.”

  A burst of energy made me surge to my feet. Kate just managed to stop the tray of mugs and cookies from falling off the side when I knocked them with my hip. It was a little too coincidental that my mother had been talking about my supposed betrothal the night before. Was the serial killer anything to do with my father’s bet?

  “I’ll send someone.”

  Before I hung up, Logan managed to stop me. “It’s okay, Dave’s on his way. He rang me about some of the evidence from the last case, so I told him about this new body.”

  Pacing the length of the surveillance room, I nodded to myself. “Okay, I’ll be in contact.”

  Hanging up, I stared at my phone. Dave hadn’t called to tell me what had happened. Why was he going to a crime scene without checking with me first?

  “Gemma,” Kate said quietly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve just seen a tiny glimpse of your past twenty-four hours.”

  My fingers clenched around my phone as I raised my gaze to look at her. How dare she encroach on my memories? Especially when I didn’t have many of my own.