Spells & Life

by Rachel Medhurst

  Reeling backwards, I dived into the living room and shoved the door closed. My familiar’s meow drew my attention as Smudge paced over to me. I had neglected my familiar for the last few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted to allow Lucien to harm me. Not that she would. It was her role to protect me, but she was a female cat after all.

  “Smudge, get out of here.” Waving her away, I placed a barrier spell over the door.

  The cat wound herself around my legs before jumping on the couch and disappearing behind it. Good, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about her getting hurt by my serial killer admirer.

  “There’s no point in trying to keep me away,” Lucien shouted. “I’m stronger than you. Your death has weakened you.”

  He moved closer to the door, his voice muffled as he obviously put his mouth right next to it. How was he more powerful than me? Surely, the ancestors hadn’t...?

  “You hate Essex witches, but you are one!” I shouted, getting out my phone and typing an emergency message to Dave.

  Unless my desk friend could take magic from someone to transport himself to my house, he had no chance of reaching me anytime soon.

  The crack of wood made me reel back, my feet almost tripping over my rug as I slammed into the far wall. When the door’s hinges snapped, I screamed, unable to keep my fear from spilling over.

  Once the door was pushed aside, Lucien stepped straight into the room. Inclining his head, he frowned deeply. “Please, don’t be afraid of me. I’m going to be a fantastic husband.”

  Scoffing, I almost laughed, even though my spine hurt from where I pushed so far into the wall. A lump rose to my throat suddenly. He really did believe that we were destined to be together. The poor man had extreme mental health issues. That mixed with magic was a destructive combination.

  “Lucien?” I said, forcing myself to relax. “Maybe you’re right.”

  His frown deepened when I pushed away from the wall. I would come at it from a different angle. So far, trying to get away from him hadn’t worked. What if I agreed with him?

  “I knew you’d see sense.” A smile lit his face, a pink glow coming to his cheeks. “We’re supposed to prevent the evil from seeping into the world. My father told me so.”

  “He did?” Stepping closer, I tilted my head to the side and smiled softly. “It sounds like your father’s very wise. Please will you tell me what he told you?”

  I was about to mention how useless my mother had been in keeping me informed, but I bit back my words. There might have been some poison fed to him about her which would cause him to flip out. Mentally unstable witches had to be treated with caution. At least if I could keep him talking until Dave got there, I might have a chance to take him down.

  Puffing his chest, Lucien crossed his arms over his waist. “He said that a seer told him three hundred years ago that one of this sons would prevent Hell on Earth. Literally. If I didn’t marry a powerful Essex witch, my energy would drain the line until the magic was no longer keeping the boundaries of realms strong.”

  “So, you’re not deliberately draining the magic from the line?”

  My confusion made me lose myself in the story for a moment. The story that Lucien was feeding me was very different to anything I’d ever heard. Had my mother known? Did she keep it from me?

  “No, of course not, I would never harm the provider of our magic. However, a curse was placed on my father’s children when he defied her pure magic to stay alive. Ever since then, each one of us has had a curse that prevents us from accessing the line in a positive way.”

  Keeping my arms loose by my side, I faced him square on. “Why does your father still cast the spell with your firstborn children if he knows that the ley line’s magic is in danger?”

  Lucien’s gaze dropped to the ground. He snarled before he looked at me again, clearly vexed about either my question, or his father. “Because he’s a selfish man who’s power hungry. He doesn’t want to die. Even now, after seeing my brothers’ fall, he’s determined to have my child. My link to the ley line is draining the magic that’s keeping my father alive. He taps into it, forcing me to give him all of my power.”

  “How are you able to access it? You’re not a protector of the lines.”

  Hopefully Dave wouldn’t arrive too soon. Lucien’s sudden storytelling was helping me with the case.

  Rolling his eyes, Lucien tutted his tongue against the roof of this mouth. “Most witch historians like to leave out my family’s role in protecting the ley line. We were one of the four blood lines to originally protect them. However, an indiscretion on my father’s part made the ancestors release us from our vows. We may have found a way to stay connected without protecting the lines.”

  His offhand remark made me clench my teeth to prevent my strong words of rebuke. The bastard Xvair Harvey had a lot to answer for. How dare he take what wasn’t his?

  “How are we going to stop evil? I’m dead, remember.”

  His eyes lit up, like a little boy who was ready to share something he’d discovered. Man, this wasn’t how I’d envisioned our first proper conversation.

  “Once we say our wedding vows, the ritual to join us will merge our magic and blood lines together. This will help create a stronger connection that we’ll share to the ley line. I’ll no longer be draining the line, no longer cursed. In fact, my father can live through us.”

  My stomach churned at the thought of what he was suggesting. His link would become strong enough to keep his father alive. How sick was that?

  “But, I’m dead. You’ve said yourself that my link is much weaker.”

  Waving his hand, he dismissed my words. “Once we’ve saved the world from impending doom, the ancestors will bring you back to life, I’m sure of it. The prophecy said so.”

  Unable to believe what he was saying, I wrung my hands together in front of me. If what he said was true, which it couldn’t be, why were the ancestors allowing him to drain the line? Why not just stop him themselves? They were the ones who made me bring my father back to life, just to tell me that hell could easily burst its seams. Surely, they knew that already? I was extremely confused about their motives.

  “Anyway,” Lucien barked, suddenly twitching. “My father’s calling me home. Let’s go.”

  Reaching for me, he paused when I thrust away from him, my arm extended. “Hold on,” I muttered, my heartbeat skipping way too quickly. “I need a moment.”

  Shit, if Dave didn’t hurry up, I would have to try and take Lucien down on my own. His eyes flared as he watched me, obviously seeing my hesitation.

  Raising both hands, I focused all my magic on his skull. Squeezing hard, I tried not to smirk when he dropped to his knees and clutched his head. His scream of pain was more satisfying than anything I’d ever experienced in my life. Jeez, this job was turning me into a very wrong person.

  “What are you doing?” he squeezed between his teeth, his tone laced with agony.

  “I can’t let you take me.” My voice was quiet as I dragged magic up from the ley line.

  Looking up at me from where he was crouched on the ground, he snarled. The sound rose up his chest, growing in volume. The energy in the room intensified when he slowly pushed up from the ground, his eyes almost bulging with pain.

  Shit. He was able to resist my spell. Which meant he would get me. No one was here to help me, even though in the past I wouldn’t have needed anyone. It was a stark realisation that now I did.

  “You’ll never defeat me,” he hissed.

  Reaching forward, Lucien flicked his arm violently. Flying to the left, I smashed into my wooden table and chairs. My arms and legs broke the furniture, sending it sprawling across the floor. Grunting as I landed in a heap, I stayed still.

  This was it, this was going to be the moment that he finally got me. No matter how hard I tried to fight him, for some reason, he was able to access the ley line and use the magic against me. Even though I was its protector. The ancestors had a lot to answer f
or.

  Keeping my eyes closed, I curled up into a ball, ready for his onslaught. His breathing was heavy, the sound of it echoing throughout the room. My arm stung where I’d sliced it, the squelch of blood on the floor alerting me to my injury.

  He was about to reach me, his footsteps coming closer. Could I fight anymore?

  The sound of claws scattering across the wooden lino floor made my eyes flip open. Lucien howled as Smudge jumped on his shoulder and sunk her teeth into his neck.

  Batting her away, Lucien managed to get her off. She scattered back to her hiding place behind the couch. Slowly moving into a sit, I watched Lucien as he clasped his neck, his face screwed up in pain.

  Glaring at me, he shook his head before he puffed into nothing. My heartbeat pounded in my head as I held my arm close to my chest. Why had he left? Surely, Smudge’s bite wasn’t that bad?

  A banging on the door made me jump. Dave’s voice came through the letterbox as he shouted my name. Flicking my fingers, I allowed him to gain access to my house.

  “What’s happening?” he shouted as he thundered into the room.

  Not bothering to even get to my feet, I looked at him, unable to speak. There had been times in my life when I’d been afraid, but today had taken it out of me.

  Coming over, Dave dropped to his knees. His eyes were wide as he surveyed the damage behind me before grabbing my arm and inspecting the wound. My skin grew warm where he held it, obviously stealing a bit of my magic. Waving his hand over the deep cut near my elbow, he smiled to himself when it healed instantly. The smile quickly left when he looked into my eyes.

  “It was him, wasn’t it?”

  Nodding, I swallowed hard. A lump came to my throat unbidden. Someone had penetrated my sanctuary, turning it into an unsafe place.

  “He came to get me. I couldn’t beat him.” The shake of my voice made Dave drag me to my feet.

  Folding his arms around me, he forced me to accept his hug. Warmth enveloped me as his breath tickled my ear. Every part of my body shivered as the adrenaline of fear faded away. Why couldn’t I beat the man who was supposed to be weaker than me?

  “How did you get rid of him?” Pulling away from me, Dave looked down into my eyes.

  Although his hair was dishevelled, it actually enhanced his attractiveness. Not that it was the appropriate time to be thinking about how good-looking Dave was, considering that my bizarre fiancé of sorts had just attacked me.

  “Smudge,” I blurted, pushing away from him to go to the couch.

  Bending down, I called her name and put my finger out. Her little meow was followed by the butting of her head against my hand. I stroked her, laughing to myself when she wound herself around my legs.

  Coming over, Dave indicated that I should sit on the sofa. Following him, I allowed Smudge to settle on my lap. Meowing again, she put her paws on my chest and opened her mouth wide. I stared at her, unable to understand what she was doing. She had never done this before.

  “Is that blood?” Dave asked, leaning forward to look closer.

  Oh wow. My kitty was extremely clever. She was showing me that she had Lucien Harvey’s blood on her teeth.

  “Magic up a sample tube,” Dave said. “Quickly.”

  Clicking my fingers, I imagined the image of a cotton bud tube sample in my mind. The real thing appeared in my hand when I whispered a conjuring spell.

  “I’ll do it.” Snatching the equipment, Dave ripped it open.

  “Be good,” I told Smudge as Dave leant forward.

  The cat stayed exactly as she was, her mouth wide open. I hadn’t given her enough credit in the past. Maybe I should include her more often in my everyday life. She had saved me. I had to repay her.

  “She’s a good familiar.” Dave slowly extended the cotton bud stick and quickly wiped the blood from Smudge’s canine teeth.

  When he was done, she crawled up my chest a little further and rubbed her head against my chin. I stroked her and held her close, feeling a little strange at the intimacy between myself and my familiar. It wasn’t something I’d allowed myself to do before.

  “We’ve got him,” Dave said as he screwed on the lid of the sample. “Your clever girl will help us to capture him once and for all.”

  He was right. Once we had his DNA, we would be able to do a location spell to track him. There was no way he could get away from us now. It was time to end this case.

  Chapter 12

  “I can’t believe he managed to get into your house,” Kate muttered as Dave knocked on the door of the agency.

  My cousin, Devon Jinx, had agreed to allow us access to their brand spanking new DNA equipment. We were installing ours as we spoke, but we needed it now. The Hunted Witch Agency were agents who dealt with witch crimes. They were currently in favour with the government for dealing with one of the most notorious witches in London. That’s why they’d got their equipment before us.

  “I can’t believe we’re having to ask these guys to help when we work for Paranormal MI5.” Dave hadn’t hidden his dislike of the idea that they had better stuff than us.

  “Welcome!” Devon Jinx threw open the heavy wooden door.

  A breeze pushed my hair back from my face as I glanced to check that no one watched us. The building was in front of the Thames, which meant that when it was cold, it was really cold.

  “Come in, come in,” my cousin said, waving us into the hall.

  “We can’t be long.” Dave stormed down the hallway and towards their laboratory. “We’ve got a killer to catch.”

  Gerard, Devon’s partner, came down the stairs as we all followed Dave to the place where we would hopefully gain the information we needed. Gerard waved at me, a smile on his face as he glanced at the woman who had successfully integrated herself into the agency. A pang of jealousy rushed through my chest as I noticed how familiar they were with each other. Would I ever have that with my team?

  “I can’t believe they haven’t installed your new DNA tester yet.” Devon almost skipped along beside me as we entered the lab. “Although, I also can’t believe you’ve got that T-shirt on.”

  After a fitful night’s sleep in Dave’s spare bedroom, I wasn’t in the mood for Devon’s snark. Glancing down at my top as Gerard showed Dave how to use the DNA contraption, I didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with this T-shirt?”

  Putting her hands on her hips, my pint-sized cousin flicked back her dark hair and smiled broadly. “Nothing, I have the exact same shirt.”

  Opening her leather jacket, she revealed her Goonies T- shirt. Really? Since when did Devon start wearing amazing T-shirts? That was my thing. Plus, not many twenty year olds knew what The Goonies was anymore. 80s classics were appreciated much less nowadays.

  “I heard what happened to you,” Devon said, growing serious. “What can I do to stop the bastard? I want to help.”

  Watching Dave replicate Lucien’s blood, I sighed as the others gathered around him, fascinated by the machine that could force blood or DNA to grow bigger. The small dot of blood was now a pool in a bowl. It would be the perfect amount to use for the location spell.

  “Can you help with a location spell?” My sudden question surprised myself.

  Frowning, Devon nodded slowly as she watched me. Her eyes fell to my holster where my dagger and gun was kept. Yes, I looked the part, I had the weapons, but my real weapon, magic, was weak. Weaker than it had ever been.

  “Of course.” She wasn’t going to question me, which was a good thing considering I wasn’t going to tell her what was happening. We might be cousins, but we weren’t close. A sad fact of most people in my life.

  The others spoke between themselves as they finished the reproduction of DNA blood. As soon as we had enough, we would do a location spell and head straight for the Harveys. We would not let them get away again.

  “Read any good books lately?” Devon asked.

  Glancing down at her sideways, I narrowed my eyes. She was being strangely civil. No sarca
sm laced her voice as she shrugged. “Just trying to make conversation.”

  Taking a deep breath, I kept my gaze forward. “Yes. One of my favourite indie authors just launched a new series. Ironically enough, she almost had some of our magic system correct. Not quite, though.”

  “She must be part of the supernatural world. No human would innately know how we worked.”

  She was right. Many humans had ideas of their own about how a magic system would work, but none of them actually knew. Not one author who’d written fantasy had hit all the points right.

  “I think she’s human, although I don’t know for sure. I’ve not met her yet.”

  I could feel Devon’s gaze on me, but I refused to look at her. She thought I was strange, I knew that.

  “You’re so cool.”

  What?

  Turning to her, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you talking about?”

  Huffing, she stared at me. “When I first saw you, I was shocked by how kickass you were. Not only did you know how to fight, you had the cool calm collectedness of someone who had it completely together. And, you’re a book nerd to go with it. I aspired to be like you. Although, I’ve kind of found myself now. Mr Handsome Gerard over there gave me all sorts of philosophical lessons and shit.”

  “Sounds like Gerard has good sense. Trust me, you don’t want to be like me.”

  Before she could reply, the others whooped in excitement. Apparently, the kit had worked. We had enough blood to do the location spell.

  “Thank you for your help,” I said to my cousin as the others piled out of the room with the bowl.

  Going to follow, I hesitated when Devon stopped me with a hand on my elbow. “For a long time, I never let anyone get close to me. I have to admit, since being an agent for the Hunted Witch Agency, I’ve found a place I belong. Not because of what I do, although, believe me, I enjoy kicking some witch arse most days... but, because of the family I’ve built around me.”