by K E O'Connor
I couldn’t get air into my lungs as it took me a second to process everything she’d just told me. “It was you! You and Killion were behind the dark magic that infected me and Magda. You set us loose to destroy this whole place?”
“You were perfectly positioned to carry out my wishes. You had yet to come into your full power, so were easy to manipulate. And Magda deserved no less. I wasn’t even cold on the mortuary slab before she was knocking on the door and offering sympathetic hugs. She couldn’t wait to get her feet under the table and take on the role of wife and perfect mother to you.”
“Magda didn’t do that.”
“Your father married her before I’d been dead a year.”
“Because he loved her. And Magda was an amazing mom to me. I couldn’t have wished for any better,” I said. “You destroyed everything I had because you were jealous?”
“You were my family. I wanted to keep you. Magda didn’t deserve you.”
“You’re not so perfect,” Storm said. “Killion turned your head quickly enough, and you were happy to run off with your demon lover boy as soon as he clicked his wicked fingers. If you loved your real family, you’d never have been swayed by darkness.”
She glowered at Storm. “Watch your tongue, Winter witch. I know things about you. Things that’ll change how your friends see you. You’re not so pure.”
“Nothing you tell us about Storm will stop us from loving her,” Odessa said.
My mom’s gaze flicked to Odessa. “Ah, and the pumpkin princess. You’re not so innocent, either.”
Odessa’s cheeks flushed. “I also have nothing to hide.”
Storm’s face paled, but she stood firm. “And I have no secrets.”
My mom chuckled. “You both hide plenty. You should be careful what you conceal. As you’ve seen with Luna, hiding too much from others attracts the wrong kind of interest.”
I still had no clue what she was talking about. Luna’s magic was all about food. There was nothing dark about that.
I glanced at Storm and Odessa and saw them share a look. It seemed they didn’t share that belief.
“What will it be, Indigo?” My mom tilted her head. “Your best friend for my one true love?”
I’d never known my birth mom, but I’d heard plenty about her and I’d seen tons of pictures, so I felt like I knew her. And she was my blood. She was another Ash witch. There were so many conflicting emotions whirling inside me, I didn’t know which one to settle on.
But I had to focus on what was important. Luna was my family, too. This misty, broken form of a witch may have been my birth mom, but that was our only link. She wasn’t my real family, she’d never cared for me, and she’d been broken by dark magic and then used it against the family she should have protected.
“We agree to your deal,” I said. “If you return Luna, we’ll do everything we can to bring Killion back so you can be reunited with him.”
I looked at Storm and Odessa again, and they both nodded, although their expressions were grim.
“Agreed. And I’ll be glad to relieve myself of your friend. Luna’s powers aren’t to be messed with.”
“I hope she’s given you hell,” I said. “It’s no less than you deserve. And one more thing.”
My mom lifted her eyebrows, an amused expression on her face. “What’s that?”
“Leave Witch Haven alone. You’ve done enough damage. This place needs to be left in peace.”
“But it’s ripe for the taking. Everyone here is so bitter and jaded. Their negativity is the perfect environment for us to thrive.”
“It’s only like that because you’ve been messing with the village. Leave, and everyone will be happy again,” I said. “And Magda and my dad raised me well. As an Ash witch, I know justice always prevails. You may keep trying to get Witch Haven, but you will fail, because you’re in the wrong.”
A flicker of rage crossed my mom’s face, but then she laughed again. “You have my spirit. Perhaps there is a place for you at my side.”
“I’ll never join you. I have all the family I need right here. There’s no place for you in my life, and there’s no room for you and Killion in Witch Haven.”
Her smile faded, and she flicked a hand at me. “Get on with it. Return Killion to me, before I start picking off the nosy villagers.”
I extracted the pieces of ghost jar from my bag and held them out in my palm. “Are you both ready for this?” I said to Storm and Odessa.
“Ready to bring back some insane ghost demon creature who’ll most likely terrorize us?” Storm grinned. “Bring it on.” She placed a hand over mine.
“We’ve come this far,” Odessa said. “What’s one more unstable dark magic user in the village? No offense, Indigo.”
“None taken. And I’m nothing like my mom. I won’t be swayed by her darkness. Let’s get lover boy back and bring Luna home.”
Chapter 20
“I feel his approach,” my mom said. “Keep channelling your energy into the jar fragments. Summon my love back to me.”
“She needs to put a sock in it,” Storm growled.
We’d been summoning Killion for almost an hour. All three of us were sweating and shaking with the effort. His energy was out there, but it was diffuse and weak, and he didn’t seem able to reconnect all the pieces to materialize.
“We have to take a break,” Odessa whispered. “I’m about to pass out.”
“Keep going a bit longer. This is for Luna. We have to get this ghost demon back, so we can save her. No Killion, no Luna.”
“And then that’s it, and this is over?” Storm said. “You think those two will flit off happily and never cause us any more problems?”
“No, not from the way my mom is talking,” I said. “But one problem at a time. Let’s get Luna back. We’ll be stronger when we have her here.”
“You’re losing focus,” my mom snapped. “If you don’t pay attention, my love will drift away. And if you don’t return him to me, you’ll never see Luna again.”
“We get it.” Storm rolled her shoulders and steadied her shaking hands.
We all focused on the pieces of ghost jar I held.
Hilda climbed up my leg and settled on my shoulder. “You can’t keep on using your magic without resting. You’ll get sick if you empty your reserves. A witch can only keep casting magic for so long before it becomes dangerous for her. I sense that you’re fading.”
“You heard my crazy mom,” I said. “This is for Luna.”
“Yes, but you’ll die if you don’t stop. Luna wouldn’t want you to sacrifice yourself for her.”
“I should. My birth mom is behind all this.” I glanced at her. She was swirling around, her impatience clear as she waited for her twisted lover to return. “I really thought she was dead.”
“We all did,” Hilda said. “But you’re nothing like her. You’re so much better than her. And she’s not even a real witch anymore. I’ve been trying to get a read on her energy and keep getting a muddle of different powers. She’s trapped between this world and the next, and there is so much dark magic pulsing out of her that I feel sick. She’s damaging to be around.”
“Perhaps that’s why she wants to get her hands on Witch Haven,” I said. “She needs an anchor. A place to ground the darkness.”
“And cause even more destruction,” Storm said. “We’re not letting that happen.”
“We have to get rid of her,” I muttered. “But she won’t go until Killion is here.”
“We’ve got nothing more to give you,” Hilda said. “I wish I could offer you more of my energy, but I’m running on empty.”
“No, you’ve all done more than enough.” Nugget and Russell were panting and slumped on the ground beside my feet. Having familiars meant I got an extra power boost, but it was at their expense. The more I kept blasting summoning magic into the ghost jar fragments, the weaker everyone became.
“Bring me back my love,” my mom yelled.
I gritted my t
eeth and gave it one final push. Sweat dripped down the side of my face as I channelled my magic into bringing back this twisted energy.
A roar of pure rage filled the air. I staggered back as my magic died and the connection with Storm and Odessa was lost.
“He’s here.” My mom raced toward a misty image a few feet away.
I slumped to the ground on my knees and dropped the pieces of ghost jar. Storm and Odessa joined me. We could do nothing but kneel, pant, and try not to faint.
“We did it. We summoned back the bad guy,” Storm said.
I looked up to see my mom embracing a jagged ball of energy. She was whispering and stroking it. And slowly, the image of a tall blond man appeared. He was kind of Viking handsome. Tall with muscles, and an arrogant sneer on his face as his gaze flicked over to us.
He floated toward me, my mom’s hand clasped in his. “You’re the witch who captured me?”
I staggered to my feet and did a mock curtsy. “I’m happy to be of service. I’m just sorry I didn’t destroy you.”
“She doesn’t mean that, my love,” my mom said hastily. “This is my daughter, Indigo.”
Killion said nothing, but his sneer said everything.
My gaze moved to my mom. “Where is Luna? We had a deal.”
“You made a deal? Without consulting me?” Killion’s sharp gaze settled on my mom.
“To get you back. And it was worth the sacrifice. I’ve been testing new recruits for our coven, but the witch I chose wasn’t suitable. She was difficult and stubborn, and kept saying she wanted to come back to her friends and family.”
I grinned. “That’s Luna for you. She’s awesome. And she’d never be swayed by what you had to offer.”
“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge,” my mom said. “Luna was tempted. She’s been tempted for a long time. Still, we all have our secrets. Each and every one of us.” Her gaze swept over the exhausted group.
“Enough of the secrets talk,” I said. “Give us back our friend.”
“You shouldn’t bend to this witch’s demands,” Killion said.
“Forget the witches, my darling. We have a lot of catching up to do.” My mom placed a kiss on Killion’s lips.
I grimaced and looked away.
She clicked her fingers as she continued to kiss Killion. A cold, gray mist swirled around her, and a few seconds later, Luna appeared. She fell to her knees and hunched over, gasping.
We raced over and surrounded her in a protective circle. Odessa helped her to her feet, while I kept an eye on my mom and her creepy lover, who were still locked in an embarrassingly intense embrace.
“Is Luna okay?” I said, my back to her as I guarded her against my mom and Killion.
“She seems to be,” Odessa said. “Luna, do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?”
“I... I think so. I’ve been trying so hard to get back here.” Luna’s voice was shaky, but it was definitely her.
“Get Luna away from here,” I said. “I have unfinished business with a family member.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Odessa whispered. “While she’s distracted, we should get out of here.”
I nodded, my glare fixed on my mom, who was finally done making out with Killion. I glanced over my shoulder, relieved to see they were moving back.
Luna looked like she’d lost weight and her hair was bedraggled, but she gave me a weak smile.
“It’s time for us to leave,” my mom said.
I turned back to her. “Good. You’re done here.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Whatever makes you think that?”
“Witch Haven doesn’t want you. You’ve been trying to get your claws into it for over a decade, and you’ve failed.”
Her gaze flitted around the cemetery. “I’ve far from failed. From what I hear, the Magic Council is thinking of destroying this place because it has become so tainted with my darkness.”
“Our darkness,” Killion said.
“Of course. Our darkness.” Mom kissed his cheek.
I grimaced. I hated a domineering guy. “The Magic Council won’t need to destroy the village if you leave it alone.”
“It’s my home. I deserve this after everything that happened to me.”
“I’m sorry giving birth to me cost you your life. I wanted the same things as you, to have a mom and a dad who loved me. I wanted you in my life, but it didn’t work out that way. Tragedies happen all the time. You have to accept that and move on.”
“I didn’t deserve that. I should have been saved. Your father’s magic failed me. He didn’t want me to live. He wanted Magda. He as good as killed me.”
“Mom! He loved you. And magic can’t solve everything. Sometimes, bad things just happen,” I said. “And... although Dad cared for Magda, he never forgot you. I sometimes think he died of a broken heart because he never got over losing you. He tried hard to make a happy life for me, that’s why he married so soon after your death, but I could see how broken he was. He was broken because you died. He never stopped loving you.”
A dozen different expressions crossed my mom’s face. She clung to Killion’s arm as if she might fall if she let him go.
“Is your child always so wilful?” Killion said. “Perhaps we don’t want her to join us if she’s always going to talk back. I insist on obedience in my coven.”
I choked out a laugh, not sure I’d heard him right. “Join you? I won’t ever join you.”
My mom held out her hand. “Of course you will. I’ve been hoping you’d come to your senses and realize where your destiny lies, but all this time you’ve fought me. You keep trying to save this tired little place. It’s time for change. The darkness needs to take control.”
“You’re wrong. Witch Haven is an amazing place, and it doesn’t need you spoiling it. Leave it alone.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then come with us. We can have adventures together. You’re my daughter. You should be with me.”
“No, I shouldn’t. My family is right here.” I looked at my friends and familiars, who were huddled together watching my every move. “I have a great life here, and you’re not ruining it. You got what you wanted. You destroyed Magda, and you nearly destroyed me, all because you couldn’t bear to see the man you cared about happy with another woman.”
Killion growled under his breath.
“You’re the man I love now,” my mom said to him. She looked back at me, a hint of desperation in her eyes. “You’ll soon see how much more powerful you can be when you embrace your dark side. You had a taste when you were seventeen and you touched the dark magic I put in Magda’s care. It gave you so much.”
“It gave me nothing! It corrupted me, and I hurt people I cared about. This village hates me because of the damage I caused. They’ll never forgive me, and I don’t blame them. And I deserved the punishment I got. But I’ve changed, and I’ll never touch dark magic again. I don’t want to be with you.”
“We can recruit new members to the coven from other places,” Killion muttered. “And we don’t need your daughter. If she won’t come willingly, she’ll only slow us down.”
“Don’t bother gathering new recruits,” I said. “You failed to recruit Luna, and you’ll keep on failing. Magic users don’t want your power.”
“Then they’re fools,” Killion said. “We offer unlimited power. Everything you could desire.”
“I have everything I desire right here. You can offer me nothing else.”
My mom shot out a hand, and her fingers curled. “You will come with us. If I have to drag you away from this sorry little place on your knees, then that’s what I’ll do.”
It like a vice had wrapped around my neck. I wheezed out a breath as my mom’s sharp magic wove around me.
“No! You can’t have her,” Odessa yelled. “She’s our friend. Let her go!”
Three separate blasts of magic shot out either side of me as my friends’ power slammed into my mom and Killion.
Killion
shot back an arc of silver magic as my mom continued to drag me toward her.
I added my own magic to the mix, despite my throat burning and the desire to do nothing more than find a way to breathe. But my power was weak, and I had barely anything left to fight with.
There was a blur of movement above me, and Russell shot out of the air and landed on Killion’s head, squawking and pecking at him. A second later, Nugget joined in and leaped on my mom in a hissing ball of fluffed up fury.
I redirected my magic, pulsing it into my familiars so they could grow huge and even more fearsome.
My mom shrieked, and her hold on me wavered, but she blasted Nugget away with a spell, then focused her evil intentions back on me. “You will come with us. I’m not leaving without you. I’ve invested too much of my time to give up on you now. I changed Witch Haven for you. You need a dark paradise to dwell in and thrive. This has always been about you.”
“This has nothing to do with me. This is about fulfilling your own twisted desires. And I’d rather die than be with you,” I said.
“That can be arranged.” Killion batted at Russell. “Destroy her. There are other places we can infiltrate. Places that are less trouble.”
“This is my home,” my mom growled out. “This is the place I should control with my daughter by my side.”
“This place is more trouble than it’s worth,” Killion said.
“You should listen to him,” I said. “He’s talking sense. Leave Witch Haven. We don’t want you.”
“I don’t care what you want. I’m taking you.” Mom’s magic rammed into me, punching a blast of rank smelling energy into my chest. I yelped as fire and ice rushed through me and black dots flooded my vision.
A chant began among the watching villagers, and my eyes widened as I recognized their words. They were all speaking the banishing spell.
My gaze shot around the cemetery. Everyone had joined hands, and they were chanting. The living and the dead were all involved, with the corpses back on their feet. They were helping me.