Ember

by Jessica Samuels

  Chapter 5

  The next morning it was time to take the journey. I was excited, nervous, and ready to take on anything. It was also dangerous, and it would be since we needed to get the relic. I had Syphon with me, and I could hold my own, even if I wasn’t a full AngelWitch yet.

  Syphon smiled at me. “It’s time to find the relic so we can call the scorpions to us in battle. We do need your book since it can help the spiders.”

  I nodded. “It will help your shifters as well, and if we stop the witches along the way, all the better."

  All I needed was my book and some food and water. Luckily, my backpack never left my sight. And I even had snacks in it. Syphon packed some stuff for him, and we were ready to go.

  Syphon grabbed my hand, and we headed to the cave. We had to make our way through the rest to the secret entrance. I followed him as we passed by other spider shifters. Some said hello and they gave me curious looks, too.

  "So I don't know what we are up against, but I do know it’s heavily guarded," he said.

  "We can face whatever it is together and defeat it," I said. Syphon opened the door to the edge of the place, and it led to a forest. A pretty one, with dark green trees and green grass. Birds were chirping. And after walking on a path Syphon knew really well, we arrived at the entrance. It was a huge cave that looked empty. It smelled like earth, dirt, and rock. The ground felt alive though, and I could tell the magic was strong here. I could feel the energy welcoming me.

  We stepped into the cave, hand in hand. It smelled like mildew the deeper we went, and the feeling of being watched happened again. Something was there. And it didn't like being disturbed. There was a shake. And it only got stronger. As we moved forward, it intensified. The entrance to a walkway appeared just beyond our reach when a mist started billowing around us. It formed into the shape of a person with a suit of armor and weapons.

  "What brings you here? Only a worthy couple may enter," it boomed.

  "We need passage to obtain the relic to call the scorpions, " Syphon said.

  "Why are you worthy?" the thing asked.

  I walked up to him and stepped in front of him. Then I pulled out my book and put it in front of me. "Because they have me." The book came to life and slipped from my hands to his.

  He looked at it, and with wide eyes said, "I have never seen a book like this in person. Only heard about it in legends. You are both worthy now.. But you'll have to defeat the guardians, too. " He gave me back the book and vanished.

  "They have never given me entrance till I found you. It was meant to be. He always said no until you came along," Syphon said and kissed me.

  He held my hand, and I kissed him back. The energy was heady. I could only imagine when he brought me into my full power. We moved forward, past the door and through the passages. It was like a creepy scene you saw only in movies. Cobwebs and candelabras lay the scene decked with granite walls. And it was full of the skeletons of those who tried and failed. The fate of the spiders rested in our hands, so there was no time for failure. We went deeper and deeper into the cave. Until we got to a locked entrance…

  "How do we get in?" I asked.

  He inspected the lock and then said, "We have to give it blood and then it will open for us."

  He got out a knife and made a small cut on his hand. He put his bleeding hand on the lock, and I went to the lock and held up my hand, too. He made a small cut and I put my bleeding hand on the lock. It opened as soon as both of our blood mingled together. The door opened, leaving us the passage to get the relic. And we went inside. The room was well lit with torches, and the cave got creepier the deeper we went in.

  Finally, we found the area we needed to be in. The relic was right there. It was a sword with a Scorpion handle. Fitting. But just as we stepped through, mists appeared and formed into fucking zombies. They must be the guardians, and they started shuffling toward us.

  The zombies came at me, and I hurled fire balls at them. It turned them to dust, and the fire felt good as I unleashed it. I was careful to dodge their arms and made sure they couldn't bite me at all. They tried to get me, but I was faster. Syphon was wickedly good with a sword. He was chopping off their heads at lightning speed. It was just me and Syphon defeating the zombies that stood in our way. I hurled fire balls and dodged their mouths and hands. My magic was never-ending, since I drew upon the power of fire. The zombies were dispatched one by one. It went on repeat. The zombies burned up in flames when I hurled my witch fire at them. The magic loved to get out, and it had a different energy to it since I bonded with Syphon. His sword was able to bond with my magic as well, enabling him to borrow my power. He burned up the zombies each time it came in contact with his sword.

  Finally, it was over. The zombies were defeated, and although we were covered in a little goo, we were fine. The relic was straight ahead. Home free. Syphon grabbed the relic. It was a steel sword with a scorpion head, and it fit him just right. Like it was made for him. It sparkled when he touched it like it approved him. It glowed with his power like it was his and meant to be.

  He smiled at me. "This has been a legend in spider shifter history, and now we have it in our hands. Wow. I never thought I would see the day where I got to hold this relic. I really can't believe it." He held it in his hands, his hand flat on the blade, testing it.

  "I think we should get out of here," I said.

  He took the relic, and we ran like hell out of the cave. I followed him, and we backtracked to the entrance. It was a journey, but we finally had the sword. Outside the cave, it was still bright. Of course, a few shapes appeared. Gabe and Knox. The dragon and angel were here.

  "We were worried about you, and we couldn't find you for a while. We went to the bar and saw you leave with Syphon, so I relaxed. Luckily, we even confirmed it with Blade. Then the witches were on our tail since where one is, the other will follow." He trailed off as we saw the witches appear right in front of us. Fuck. So much for them not finding me. Time to face them, once and for all.

  Chapter 6

  Great. The witches were right in front of us and managed to find me again. They needed to be stopped, and I didn't want to keep running anymore. I wanted to fight and get it over with. I needed to.

  “Well, this time we got company,” Ivy said. And the whole surrounding area went up in smoke. Everywhere I turned, it suffocated me, and my eyes burned in the gas. Before I knew it, I passed out.

  I woke up with a headache. Whatever I breathed in knocked me out, and I was left in a cell. One bed, sink, toilet, and metal bars all around me. The place had a window, and it was cloudy outside.

  I didn’t have my book either. I doubted they could use my book without my help though. They were screwed in that sense. It smelled like a musty basement. There was one half of a cell, and the rest has a ton of spell casting items. Rare items, at that. The ritual room. Probably to keep victims in cells and use them for parts. They were black witches who used body parts to fuel their spells. There were all kinds of creature parts, too. Some from every species. They were smart enough to put my book in the room since it was right there. I still needed to get out though, and I hoped help was on the way. I didn’t want to depend on anyone else.

  Sitting there in a cell was nerve wracking, and there was nothing I could do for the time being. I needed a plan to get out by myself. I couldn’t do much except break out and grab the book. But even if I did, I would still need to know where I was and how to get back. I observed my surroundings. It wasn’t looking too good. I sat down, cross-legged, and closed my eyes. I was in a room, and I summoned the fire element.

  I cast a circle of fire, and the magic encased me in a fire circle. It was neat. And once I did, a shape materialized. Lavar, the fire element. He asked, “Need my help?”

  I nodded. “I do, and I need to break out of this metal cell. I am trapped here by the Poison Apple Coven, and I need to get out before they kill me.”

  He nodded. “I can help you and break you out. Your fr
iends are on the way, anyway.”

  Then I opened my eyes, and the bars melted. I was not caged, and I grabbed the book and got out of there.

  I explored my surroundings more, and the more I looked around I was sickened. Animals, humans, and all kinds of species were there. And they even had their own book of shadows, too. It wasn’t magicked, so I opened it. They already knew about AngelWitches, and wasn’t the only one. There were a ton of them in the area. And it looked like they had teamed up with dark angels. So this was a really bad thing. There was definitely an all-out war. It’d been happening for a while now. I heard a commotion outside, with a lot of gunfire too. And instead of hiding, I headed toward it with my book in hand. I had a feeling I needed to be there, so I made my way toward the noise. I ran into hard muscle...Syphon...He found me. I was so happy, I hugged him and said, “So are you here to rescue me?”

  He nodded. “Yes, and I’m here to take you to the place with Angeline, the leader of your new coven.”

  “So I finally have a coven again?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, and you can come into your full power as an AngelWitch.”

  “Yes.” Then I followed him, and we headed to a clearing in the woods where there was a plane waiting for us. And the battle raged on, since I was safe from danger.

  But curiosity got the better of me. Everyone was fighting the witches. I was also tired of trying to fight it. I unleashed my sacred witch fire. I aimed a death spell at Ivy and hit her with everything I had. No holding back, since she took everything. Payback was a bitch. After Ivy got knocked out, I fired another spell at her unconscious body which disintegrated her. The rest of the witches were dispatched. The battle was over, and now I was finally free to move on. I no longer had to worry over running from them anymore. I could move out of my apartment and start fresh, and now I could enjoy my vacation in peace.

  Chapter 7

  When it was over, a girl and a guy boarded the plane with Knox and Gabe. After the battle, I went to the plane waiting to take me to the island. The girl smiled, and she was pretty…

  “Hi my name is Angeline, and this is my AngelMate Felix,” she said.

  “Nice to meet you. My name is Ember, and thanks for coming to my rescue even though I stopped it,” I said.

  “No problem. We need you to complete the circle, and you no longer need to worry about the witches since they are dead. Now we are going to the AngelWitch place so you can come into your power and be an official AngelWitch,” she said.

  “Yes, and it will finally be good to be a part of a coven again,” I said.

  “Good,” she said.

  We got there in less than an hour. It was dark by the time we made it there.

  “Welcome home,” she said.

  I could breathe a sigh of relief now and that meant we could tell Syphons parents about getting the artifact back. We could do it after I became an official AngelWitch. I’d finally be a part of a coven again. I held Syphons hand, and for the first time, I actually had hope. Hope for a better future. Hope for an actual home. Somewhere I could be myself. And somewhere I belonged. I could finally stop running since the witches were dead. I was quitting the server life to help other people. And there was the ultimate fight. Now the scorpions could be called and we would win in the end.

  “And I’ll never be alone again and finally with someone who cares about me in a good coven,” I said.

  “Never. And I have you to hold and love forever because we were meant to be,” he said.

  “Yes, and you have us,” Angeline said.

  I was happy and there was just one final step to complete before it’s done. Become an AngelWitch.

  “We got everything ahead of time for the ritual we need to complete. You’ll never be a victim again,” Felix said

  “Then let’s do it,” I said.

  It was time for me to step it up since I needed my full AngelWitch powers, and Syphon, in my life.

  “If we do this, you’ll be bonded to me even more and able to use my spider magic,” he said.

  “All Angelmates are different and some are just friends, like with Gabe, it’s different. And your true mate is Syphon. Even though he isn’t a witch, you can use him in the ceremony for the bond. You’ll gain his power, and we are still figuring out the bad force and dark angels are teaming up for something, so we need all the help we can get,” Angeline said.

  “I agree, and in the coming battle we need you and your book,” Felix said.

  “We already got the stuff needed for the ritual, so we can do it now,” Angeline said.

  I nodded. “Yes I am ready to be a part of a coven now.”

  I loved it.

  “The ritual room is ready, and once we do that, then we can bring you into it with us. And that way you are a part of our coven,” Felix said.

  I followed them and got a chance to see the place which was cool. It was a little island. I was fascinated with it since it had everything. Everyone was friendly, too. We arrived at as closed door. Felix opened the door with a keycard. He opened the door and we went in. The room was heaven to me. It had everything a witch needed for a ritual. I loved rituals and spellwork. My book vibrated with the magic of the place which was a good sign. It finally had a home like I did. I knew how the ritual was set up. Luckily, I had my carnelian necklace. The candles were set up, and Angeline pulled out glitter, a shirt, and another item.

  “I already have my carnelian,” I said. I pulled it out and put it in the center of the table.

  “I am the coven leader here, and I need the book,” she said. I pulled out the book and handed it to her. It lit up and took us to the exact page we needed.

  “We are gathered here today to bring Ember into her power as the fire AngelWitch. She is given the power of the Element Angel Coven and is bound to Gabe.”

  The magic flowed in the room, strong this time. Angeline took the ritual lighter and started calling the elements.

  “I call the element water to the circle.” Blue energy appeared once she lit the blue candle.

  “I call the element fire to the circle.” Red energy appeared once she lit the red candle.

  “I call the element earth to the circle.” Green energy appeared once she lit the green candle.

  “I call the element air to the circle.” Yellow energy appeared once she lit the yellow candle.

  “It moves in all of us. I call spirit to the circle.” Angeline lit the white candle and, it responded with white energy. The elements collided, and it became a golden bubble encircling us. Sacred space, and I loved the feel of it.

  “My coven Element Angel accepts you as one of their own. You now have their power through your veins. Do you accept?”

  I nodded. “I accept.”

  The power hit me…

  Gabe stepped in. “I’m your Protector, and I’ll take the place of the angel and accept you as one of our own. I accept you as an AngelWitch. You have the power to fly, and besides, your Protector Syphon is yours to keep forever. Have your wings.”

  Gabe took the energy and hit me with it. I fell to the ground and energy burst through me, most likely as a result of my power. Then my wings came out of my body.

  Syphon came to me. “I’m your spider forever, and our nest accepts you, too.” He kissed me.

  Angeline sprinkled the glitter and got the ambrosia. “Eat this and it will give you permanent access to the realm.” I ate it. Then she took the archangel essence and give it to Gabe. “With the blessing of the archangel, you are finally one of us,” he said.

  I took it.

  The fire element stepped in. “I’m Lavar, the fire element, and you can use me like your leader can too,” it said.

  All the elements blessed me and left the circle.

  Also, you can communicate with me in your head, too. Angeline is in my head…

  “I officially close the circle, and dismiss the elements.” The power went away.

  It left me stronger than ever. Finally, it was official, I was an
AngelWitch.

  Syphon was my spider mate, and we had the scorpions in battle. Life was better than ever. I’d tell Rockie the news and help find the other witches. I was set, and safe. I couldn’t wait to complete the circle and stop the evil from wrecking the realms... I just had to find the girls... One more found. Three to go!

  The End……..

  Chapter 8

  Angeline Chapter 1:

  I can feel your emotions like bees buzzing in my head. I try not to meet your eyes since the moment I do I can feel what you feel. Your anger, impatience, everything. And I can feel the way you look at me with pity the moment I put on my retail uniform. I can also control the way you feel too, and since you came at me in anger due to me not being able to work on your watch, I swallowed it and replaced it with calmness. Take today for example…

  …I was near the end of my shift at Kyle’s today, and I was cleaning the counter since it needed a good cleaning. The jewelry was practically sparkling in the lights in the case. It was finally free of greasy fingerprints. Luckily, all the front end registers have people which means no calls for me. It was finally time to see if there was stuff to put away at the fitting room, and I went to go there when a customer walked up. The customer was an older woman with white hair, grey eyes, and wrinkles everywhere. She worked a floral print top and blue stretch pants. She came up to my counter and said, “I need a battery in my watch.” She took off the watch and handed it to me.

  I looked it over…It wasn’t one we carried, in fact, it was one of the more expensive ones. Bigger than my paychecks combined.

  “I’m sorry ma’am, but since it’s not a Kyle’s General store brand, we can’t work on it due to liability issues,” I said.