86: A Witch Is A Witch

Time stops as the three wolves march inside. They crack their knuckles ready to fight their own. Bringing up the end of the line is Caleb.

I quickly wrap my fingers around his arm bringing him to an abrupt stop. “What are you doing? You don’t have to go in there. You shouldn’t go in there.” I say with fast lips. Something is very, very wrong in there and something very, very wrong could happen.

He shakes me off with words of ‘I’ll be fine’. I roll my eyes with a huff at his stupidity. The door closing feels like a death sentence.

I’m left outside with a bunch of wolves and Marcus. Great. But he’s too deep in thought to care about me and he isn’t the only one that starts pacing the front steps. He walks along the deck and I climb the stairs. Up and down, up and down.

The crash of furniture, the echo of howls. The minutes add up. Five, ten, fifteen...after a half an hour they were still in there, but the clatter of furniture has died down, so that has to be good, right?

Then all goes silent except for the creak of the front door. We all snap our attention to the cabin. Caleb is the first and only one to exit. He’s bloodied with jagged gashes that rip his clothing and are deeply etched into his flesh.

“What the hell happened in there?” The words are said in a whisper, on a horrified exhale of breath.

He doesn’t answer me, instead he looks to Marcus and says, “it’s safe.”

Walking back into the cabin brings a weakness to my legs that I hate to admit. The lights are at least on this time around, but it only showcases the extent of destruction and the three other wolves that are bruised and bloodied, but my eyes linger on the rugged wolf who is back to being a girl.

She seems so much smaller back in her human body compared to the large animal she turns into. She’s tied to a chair appearing to be unconscious. Each step forward is like walking up to my grave and I know what that feels like. Something I don’t ever want to feel again.

I circle her trying to get a read on the ghost, demon, or whatever it is that we’re dealing with. Except I don’t feel the presence of another or sense evil residue. I’m starting to feel that it might be rabies when the tickle of lacework creeps out. Lattice of a witch’s spell.

Without thinking, I reach out to touch her. To get a closer feel of what has been laid. My fingers just graze her as her body convulses, jerking aggressively in the chair as if she knew my hands were close. With her jolting knee, my hand lands harder on her than I want. I’m knocked off my feet and I crash to the floor as my knees buckle beneath me.

*The cabin disappears and I’m sucked into a black hole. This isn’t the dream realm. This is closer to hell. A place void of life, void of memories besides the torment of her own thoughts. And with hitching a ride I can hear the manic thoughts of the girl.

I’m unsure if they’re her own or if they’re planted. They’re jumbled and chaotic, but they all have one thing in common. Pain. Inducing, inflicting. Pain onto themself and onto others. The wolf, the girl, who she was...is gone.

I look for an escape. I need out and I start to panic, because I don’t even know I got in here. The craziness, the turmoil that the void is leaching into the girl is slowly inching its way onto me. The small cell’s black hole wall is closer than I would like. It boxes me in and beats with a pulse of its own. It calls to me. With my hand outstretched ready to touch it...*

...it all disappears as I’m yanked to my feet, my hands slipping from the girl. Caleb’s angered voice hisses in my ear. “Damn it, Hazel.” He twists me around like a ragdoll to face him. The force of his strength, which he doesn’t hold back on, has my head bobbing side to side. He looks me over searching for something that could be wrong.
Being so close to him, I can see the extent of his injuries. One in particular, that level with my stare. It still oozes blood and a chunky white, fatty substance peeks out deep within the wound. That can’t be good.

It’s Marcus’s voice that snaps me back to reality. “What did you see? What is it?”

My voice is shaky at first. Fearful of what I saw or Fearful of Marcus’s hateful words. “I don’t know. Something that I’ve never seen.” I mumble not meeting his eyes. “There’s something blocking her, feeding on her.” I take a few steps back slipping out of Caleb’s grasp. “This isn’t just some ghost or a demon manifestation. This is the work of a witch.” Once the words are out a nervousness fills me. “And it wasn’t me, so don’t get snappy.” My eyes meet each and every pair in the room.

I catch the flash of anger on Marcus’s face. A witch is a witch to him and I’m not above taking punishment for some other witch’s doing.

“Can you reverse it?” Marcus yells into the quiet space. It straightens every spine in the room. It kills him to ask if I can reverse it. He wants to order me to, force me to do it, not ask if I can.

I shrug my shoulders unsure of the answer. “There’s conviction there. It’s tangled deep. Messily wound around her wolf. For her to change would be suicidal, for anyone.” I pause and take a deep breath before continuing. “I’m not sure I’m the right person to go digging around in there. The most I can do is suppress the transformation.”

“Suppress what she is? Get rid of the wolf?” Marcus shouts a little too close to my face. Obviously not the answer he was looking for, but I’m well versed in curses. I could make things worse than they already are.

“I wouldn’t be getting rid of it, More like putting it to sleep for a while, but by all means have her turn and kill anyone she comes into contact with.” I snap back. I shouldn’t, but I do. “That includes humans and wolves. She’ll rip out any throat within reach.” The next little tidbit comes out fast and quiet, “someone really hates her...or you.”

He glares at me, his eyes immediately turn to his wolf’s, large and bright. Caleb is the one to try to calm him down, “she’s right.” Marcus backs down at his words.

“Fine, but just know I don’t like it and I don’t trust you.” Marcus snaps. His anger with himself and whoever did this make him more aggressive. If this doesn’t work that wraith will be on me, more than it already is.

I’m not sure Caleb will be able to save me from it.

Each of them flank each side of me as I step in front of the chair she’s tied to. Her eyes still aren’t open, but I’m sure the drugs will be wearing off soon. I would rather not be here when that happens.

“Stand behind me, unless you want to accidentally get affected.” I tease. Every wolf in the room scatters behind me, giving several feet distance between us. Better safe than sorry.

There’s no spell to stop the change, well officially, but I’ve heard of it being suppressed. Can I do it? I don’t know. Caleb should’ve brought Gretchen instead of me. She would know what to do.

Carefully, mindfully, I dig deep within myself and feel the words that echo in my head and burrow in my gut. I repeat them out loud into the room, focusing my attention on the girl. “Moon of night, moon of dark. For four full phases you will have no fight. No hair will grow, no snap of teeth, no crack of bones. For human is all you will know.” The static charge in the air dissipates with the final words. “So mote it be,” I mutter under my breath.

Marcus pounces on me the second I finish the incantation. His hand curls around my arms, one right on top of my still burned arm. I bite my lip and make my pain appear as hatred. His words slither through his clenched teeth. “You better hope this works, witch.”

“I would be more worried about having only four moons to figure it out.” I retort, leaving them behind.

Caleb follows me out though. Silent at my back.

“Can I go back to the shop now, please?” I hop into the car with or without Caleb. If he doesn’t want to leave, I’ll just hang out in here until he does.

I can feel the wolves eyes on me. Full of scorn and speculation. They hated me before, but now they really hate me. A loathing disgust that they don’t try to hide behind an average snear.

Caleb hopping into the car breaks my train of thought and any glares that are latched onto me snap away. He starts the car and drives away from the den without a word said. His silence only thickens the airs and makes it nearly suffocating inside the small interior.

I chance a few glances in his direction. I take in the blood that soaks his shirt, the tears made from claws. It’s heartbreaking and I cave. My hand gently rests on his forearm again in effort to bring him some sort of comfort. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay, Hazel.” His voice is so loud and causes me to flinch, my hand slips away. I know his anger isn’t directed at me, but I can’t help but to feel scared.
Okay, then. I suck in a quivering breath letting silence settle between us once again.

“God damn it,” his fist pounds against the steering wheel and I’m surprised it doesn’t snap off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.” He runs a hand through his hair, tugging a little too roughly at the strands.

“It’s fine. I get it. I wish I could be more helpful, but...I’m not familiar with curses. They’re dark, old magic. It’s tricky and can easily go wrong. Maybe Gretchen can help?”
“Maybe,” he grumbles. “I just wish I knew who did it.”

“Well, it always helps to make a list.” I let out a puff of laughter. “I’m sure it will be a long, hell, several page list full of all the people that dislike Marcus, but you know who is at the top. We just had a not so pleasant encounter with them last night.”

“But it can’t be them. You said a witch did this. Scarlet River doesn’t have a witch.”

My lips pucker into a ‘oh’. “Actually...they kinda do.” As I say the words Caleb’s eyes flash to me. “Apparently, Phillip has witches, I don’t know, all I know is that she was with Gabriel that night at The Den and he gave her to them a thank you or keepsake or something for some business that they have with Phillip.”

He grunts with laughter. “Of course, Phillip, Lord of Vampires would hand over a witch as a welcoming gift. The next question is, would she do their bidding?”

I shrug, “Willingly? Maybe. Forced? Most likely. She’s a real piece of work so I know she’s definitely capable of it.”

“Fucking vampires.” Caleb shouts yet again before his eyes whip back to me. “What’s the business, Hazel?”

“How should I know,” I shout back, matching his volume. “Gabriel doesn’t want me involved in Phillip’s business.” But as I say the words a feeling, a sickening feeling starts to eat at me. My chest gets tight with nerves. I can’t quite place it. It’s like I know Phillip’s business and am held to the secret, the horrors it brings...brought?

I shake the feelings loose and rub it off as instinct. Any plans a powerful vampire makes can’t be good.