SACRIFICIUM (THE UNDERGROUND Book 1)

by Allie Doherty

  “That’s part of the fun, T.” She yawns again.

  I roll my eyes and smile. “You’re insane!”

  She snuggles down into Tavis’ bed and she’s out in seconds.

  I leave her to sleep and join the rest of the misfit crew in the main room where Tavis is waiting to give an announcement.

  “Theo, there you are!” He beams. “We can finally get started! But first, how’s Maeve?”

  “Alive…” It’s the best answer I can give.

  He nods. “I have some exciting news! Everybody, gather round!”

  We do as he says and he stands taller, practically giddy with excitement.

  “The raid on Huxtable academy was a success! We saved five new recruits from being sacrificed, everyone please welcome Katia, Max, Trixie, Josh and Jake.”

  The five newbies stand front and centre as people applaud their survival.

  “And while it’s amazing to have them here with us, they are not the only prizes we collected on our mission!”

  Knox steps up with a smile. “While we were there, we did a raid on their library and supply stores. Meaning –”

  “Meaning that we can now officially begin the real classes!” Tavis shrieks. “We’re starting with potions and elixir’s! There’ll be twenty to each class, and anybody not in class at that time can do independent study with the history books! It’s going to be amazing, guys! Get excited!”

  He says it as though he’s just announced a field trip to a water park.

  I giggle into my hand and impose myself into his head. “Be careful, Tavis… Your inner nerd is showing.”

  I flick an eyebrow up at him and, as his eyes glide over to mine, I can feel his urge to flip me the bird.

  “It’s never hidden, Theo…”

  He can’t stop the grin that’s spreading wider by the second. “I’ll be teaching potions and elixirs in Theo and I’s training room. We’re doing ten to each class, so some of you come with me, and the rest can dive into the history books and start preparing for the reality of a war!”

  Even the way he says the word ‘war’ is giddy, like war is something made from rainbows and leprechauns.

  “Do I call you professor Tavis now?”

  Again his grin widens. He doesn’t say anything but he nods eagerly at me and I roll my eyes.

  ***

  “I am the worst at potions, professor…” I sigh, slapping my palms on the new mixing desks in our training room. “I have had more than one potion explode in my face! And more often than not, elixirs that are supposed to last twenty-four hours last five at most.”

  “Well that’s why you’re in my class.” He nudges me. “Trust me, you’ll be learned in no time.”

  We’re brewing something ‘simple’ according to Tavis, but so far, I have no idea what I’m doing. It’s like when I cook… I just add random ingredients and hope for the best.

  I cut up something green and try to add it to the pot but Tavis’ hand stops mine. He comes behind me and scolds me with a whisper in my ear. “What did I tell you about adding things that ought not to be added?”

  I shiver from the feel of his breath on my lobe. “Do it?”

  He laughs. “You’re wild.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?” I turn my head to look at him. My hand is still being held by his and he lowers it until I drop the green thing on the desk.

  His mouth upturns and his glasses hang on the end of his nose. I bring my hand up to his face and gently push them up for him.

  Moving past me, he checks everybody else’s potions and leaves me to my devices – something that the teachers at the academy never did!

  They knew better…

  I take the green thing in my hand again and toss it in, purely out of interest.

  The pot in front of me gives a loud bang and I’m thrown back on my ass. I yelp and lie on my back, trying to get my breathing under control. Fright radiates through my body and makes my heart pound hard and fast.

  Pain shoots through my shoulder, but all I can do is laugh.

  Tavis stands over me with a disapproving look and helps me to my feet. There is a slight twinkle in his eyes that’s laughing along with me.

  “I’ll pretend I didn’t see that,” I whisper.

  Again, he shakes his head. “Now, what are you going to do next class?”

  “Follow the instructions?” I say and he nods. “You got it, professor…”

  ***

  The classes switch over and it’s our turn to check out the history books. They’re stacked ten books high in piles of sixteen on the table. Most of the covers look like they would bore me to death so I keep searching; discarding the ones that don’t catch my interest to the side.

  I grip two and try to the throw them along with the others but only one will leave my hand. I keep flicking my wrist, but the book refuses to be set down. Narrowing my eyes, I check the title.

  ‘The history of the Raven-Hill witches.’

  My breath catches in my throat and I take a seat, delving into the past of my bloodline. I start right at the beginning with the day that Solaris was murdered and continue on with the adventures of Karelia.

  ‘She led battles against the Jacobian hunters. She banished demons to hell. She killed the witches who defied and betrayed her… and She did it all with her love at her side and a knife in her hand.’

  I skip several chapters, knowing how Karelia’s story ends, until I come to Nina.

  ‘Nina Raven-Hill: a woman of extreme power, bravery and class. She led a rebellion against the hunters and killed thousands of them before they killed her. She sacrificed herself to save her line from extinction and the Raven-Hill witches lived on because of her… and she did it all with Karelia Raven-Hill’s knife in her hand...’

  The next in line is Serena Raven-Hill. Nina’s younger sister and my great-great-great-grandmother… She took the knife from Nina’s dead body and protected her kin with it for many years. She died of old age, surrounded by her children and grandchildren – a rare occurrence in this family.

  Each generation, the knife was passed down from Raven-Hill to Raven-Hill.

  Jared Raven-Hill took the blade from Serena and passed it down to his son David on the day of his murder.

  David wielded the weapon and slaughtered hunters galore for decades, before he met his end by a Jacobian sword.

  His daughter Jessica was next in line, her son Jack after her... Jack fathered no children and so the knife moved to his sister’s daughter, Harriet, and then her daughter Hilary, and on it went – All the way up to Nadalie Raven-Hill-Hollis, killed by a Jacobian hunter, along with her mundane husband and two daughters, in a meadow on a warm summer day. There’s a picture of her family, smiling and huddled together, and it pangs my heart… I want to remember them like this, and not the way they died.

  After that, the whereabouts of the knife were unknown for nearly fifty years. It was theorized that the hunter took it to use or to sell.

  I grimace and turn the page and then I shake.

  ‘Faith Raven-Hill, the black haired beauty who fought her way through forty hunters to reclaim her family’s knife, and she succeeded against all hope.’ I read the rest of her biography and let out a small, soft cry. ‘She was a powerful warrior and mother of two children; Anna Emilia Raven-Hill and Theodora Aurelia Blackthorn. It’s unknown the details of her death, but it is known to be a gruesome and bitter end at the hands of the hunters from house Jacobian.’

  My eyes widen and fury eats away at me. I read on.

  ‘It is said that the knife of Karelia Raven-Hill is currently possessed by the family of heinous hunters.’

  There’s a full chapter on the knife and it’s fascinating to read. It possesses magical properties that can only be inherited by a child of Karelia and can be used as a weapon of great strength against all enemies of the Raven-Hill name.

  There’s no specifics on which of the Jacobian’s has the knife in present day, but I have a feeling that I coul
d find out easily enough and if I could, it might be a handy thing to have around.

  There’s an artistic depiction of the knife. It’s encrusted in a golden holder decorated with flecks that make up a sigil that I’ve never seen before. I graze the page with my fingers and freeze.

  A scene unfolds of a man with a long, black beard and yellow teeth, holding the knife. He’s surrounded by a group of people and they’re all talking so fast that I can’t keep up. I’m standing in the corner, watching them, but none of them are watching me. The near-black green of their soulless eyes is telling of their heritage; Jacobian hunters, with my knife! The patriarch scratches his face and the familiar, birthmark comes into clear view. Frustration hits me like a tonne of bricks and I just want to reach out with both hands and grab it from his grasp but, alas, I’m not really there.

  The scene flicks to the outside of a house. It’s big, red-bricked and holds at least fifteen bedrooms, but despite its impressive size, it’s by no means lavish.

  The next thing I see is a street sign. ‘106 st.’

  And finally, the welcome sign of the town, Omaha, Nebraska.

  Crashing back to reality, I snap the book closed and swing my legs over the bench seat and take of running, ignoring the ache in my side, shoulder and legs.

  I get to the veer off and head for Knox’s room. With all the excitement I feel, I forget the rule of knocking and rip back the curtain without thought.

  “Knox, I –”

  He’s practically naked, pulling jeans over his legs, when I see him. He stands, jumping into them, and smirks. My words catch in my throat and my mouth goes dry. I can’t take my eyes off his body. His bare abs alone are enough to make me stop in my tracks but when they’re accompanied with those shoulders… damn! I want to grab his face in my hand and kiss him until we run out of breath.

  “I didn’t think you’d be so toned,” I say because why wouldn’t I let my mouth say that?

  “Yeah…” He coughs. “It’s the um, the classes with Maeve and Zhavia and I’ve been pulling extra sessions with Z after hours.”

  My eyebrow lifts higher and a touch of jealously twinges in my stomach. I brush it off when he laughs.

  “Not like that!” He laughs “I’ve just been trying to keep up around here. I’m not the strongest witch, gorgeous, so if I can fight, I can offer something at least… I did have a different sparring partner in mind, but apparently you’re taken…”

  “Oh, yeah…” I can’t help the upturn of my mouth. There’s a little bit of jealousy in his voice, now. “Yeah, I’m helping Tavis out, but it’s not like… that either.”

  “Good to know,” he says with a smile as he pulls a white, V-neck over his head. “Is there a reason you invaded my privacy? A few seconds sooner and you would have gotten the full, uncensored, triple-X-rated –”

  I hold up a hand and stop him, not letting him – or my mind – go there.

  Instead of saying anything, I pass him the book and watch as he skips through it.

  “Your family has a knife?” He takes a seat on the edge of his bed. “And it’ll give you more abilities to fight against the witches and whatever else?”

  “Apparently,” I say, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Do you think it’s worth tracking down?”

  “In terms of using it as a weapon, I’m not sure. A lot of these history books are exaggerated and more often than not, the rumours in them are debunked… that being said, if it is true, it could be worth checking out…”

  “Do you think Tavis would go for it?” I ask. “You know, organise a raid?”

  “That isn’t something I can answer. Tavis is very straight forward in his mission… if it’s alive, it’s worth risking our lives for, but an object?” He doesn’t look optimistic. “You’re best off approaching the boss man, himself.”

  I sigh and prepare the speech in my head. Standing on my tippy toes, I thank Knox with a soft kiss to the cheek before taking off with the book in my hand, back in the direction of our training room.

  Tavis is still teaching potions when I arrive at the door.

  He looks so relaxed and happy in this environment and I’m convinced that he would have run his academy one day. He seems to really love imparting knowledge and he has a lot of it to impart.

  He looks up to see me standing there and I wave him over. He informs his ‘class’ that he’ll be right back, and I stand outside of the door.

  “Aren’t you worried they’re gonna blow something up?”

  “So far none of them are as maniacal as you are,” he teases. “What’s up?”

  I take breath and hand him the book.

  “I have a small favor to ask you…”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I don’t know about this, Theo.” He sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. “It’s a risk on the word of an old history book.”

  “What if wasn’t just on the word of a book?”

  He side eyes me. “What does that mean?”

  “… I had a vision.” I say it slowly and I avoid eye contact.

  “A vision? What vision? Since when do you have visions?” He questions.

  “A Jacobian hunter with the knife, and of a house located on 106 St. Omaha, Nebraska.” I sigh. “I know it sounds insane but we deal with magic every single day, Tavis. Trust me on this, please. There didn’t look to be that many hunters in the house and it could be an easy raid…”

  He doesn’t look convinced.

  “I had a vision! It has to mean something!” I try again, but he still looks dubious. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Of course I believe you, Theo. I just don’t know if it’s worth it.”

  “It’s worth it if I can stop the hunters with it,” I say, pulling my eyebrows forward and wrinkling my nose. “ How can’t you see that?”

  “Theo…”

  “You really can’t see how this is a good thing for me?”

  “That’s just it!” He snaps. “It’s a good thing for you! Not for the underground as a whole.”

  “The Jacobian hunters going down is one less thing the underground has to worry about! You’re being so stupid right now!”

  “And you’re being selfish!”

  I scoff. “Knox seemed to think it was a good idea.”

  “That’s because Knox has a crush on you, and he’s too blinded by it to tell you what you need to hear!”

  “Which is what, exactly?”

  “That you’re not the only one whose life is worth something around here!” He yells. “And I’m sorry if this hurts you, but I would rather have as little as ten average witches with no knife than one amped up super-witch with a knife. So the answer is no, I don’t think taking the cavalry into the lion’s den where they’re going to be rendered powerless with only two months of hand-to-hand training is a good idea.”

  He walks away from me and heads back to class.

  “What if we put it to a vote,” I say to his retreating back. “And that way those who volunteer can come, and the rest of them can stay here with their fearful leader.”

  I’m aware of how harsh my words are but my ability to care diminished with the word ‘selfish.’

  I’m not trying to be selfish. I am doing this for the underground and the fact that Tavis can’t see that… It hurts.

  “We’ll announce the vote tonight,” he says. “But if this goes wrong and people die, their blood is on your hands, Theo. Can you live with that?”

  I’m too furious to answer him.

  Walking away from him, I bite my lip to stop from screaming. Nobody will die on my watch and that I’m sure of.

  Tavis is wrong!

  And I’m going to prove it to him…

  ***

  The vote is announced after dinner is served.

  Tavis and I stand at the top of the stairs, four feet apart and glaring at each other. There’s obvious tension and it’s the topic of the day amongst the lower ranks and the newbies.

  Katia and Max are especially aware o
f it because Tavis decided to consult with Katia on the possibilities of trauma’s and getting more supplies from the local hospital in case of a ‘stupid raid’ going wrong.

  “Everybody listen up!” Tavis yells. “Theo has something she needs to tell you.”

  I take point and start from the beginning, explaining my dreams first, Karelia second and then I segway into the knife and, finally, I end with the vision.

  “Tavis and I are having a very amicable disagreement on our course of action with this and –”

  “To cut to the chase, Theo is requesting volunteers to accompany her on what I personally think is a suicide mission, so that she can retrieve her pretty family heirloom from the most vicious hunters in the history books.”

  “Apparently not that amicable since Tavis is acting like a child!”

  “Oh, I’m the child? You’re the one leading people to their slaughters because you’re a brat who can’t be told no to something…”

  My eyes squint into anger-filled slits.

  He turns back to the crowd. “If you’re interested in following Theo, stand to the left of the room and if you’re staying here and staying alive, stand to the right.”

  The crowd parts like the red sea. It’s a pretty even split.

  On my side is Amalie, Penelope, Cleo, River, Ben, Knox, Zhavia, Jonah, Mateo and a fresh-on-her-feet Maeve along with seventeen or so more people that I’m less than familiar with.

  “Mateo,” Tavis exclaims. “No!”

  “I can do this, Tavis!” He argues. “I need to go back out there, man. It’s time! I need more experience in the field.”

  “Then I’ll take you on the next academy raid, but please don’t do this…” He begs.

  Mateo stays firmly on my side and the decision is made.

  The crowd dissipates and I turn to face Tavis. “I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”

  I try to reach out to comfort him but he shrugs me off and walks away.

  ***

  Two weeks of planning, hand-to-hand combat classes and shooting practice have all led up to this moment. We’re outside of the hunters abode and ready to attack.