Page 29 of The Fearless Witch

A loud crack of a branch had me reaching for my magic. With a tinge of pain and exhaustion spread through my bones, it came. I was healed, well mostly, so I could only hope whatever was out there was a bear or some other predator. I didn’t want to face a real threat.

Another crack followed, and I tightened the hold on my power, looking tentatively around. I sent a pulse of magic through the forest, gasping in surprise when it whispered of a witch’s presence. A figure appeared just as I was turning to flee, raising her hands. I cursed under my breath, preparing to defend myself, when I noticed the woman was holding her palms up and open like she was… surrendering.

My eyes widened when I recognized Paula, one of Regina’s latest minions, with her sharp, perfectly straight hair and expensive pencil skirts that looked ridiculous in the middle of the forest. The last time I saw her, the poor woman had been killing herself in an attempt to please Regina and be allowed in her inner circle, not realizing the Head Witch was only using her. But just because she was another of Regina’s victims didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous.

“We found you,” Paula sighed with relief, taking another step toward me. A root shot out of the earth, blocking her way, and she jumped back with a yelp. Her eyes darted to where my hand was touching the tree, and she raised her hands higher.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said in a soothing voice, a hesitant smile pulling on her lips. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. We thought the worst might have happened.”

“Why were you looking for me?”

She gave me an incredulous look, as if my question made no sense.

“Because Regina’s dead,” she said finally when I continued to wait for her answer. “This makes you the next Head Witch. Of course, we were going to look for you!” She licked her lips when I said nothing, her confidence wavering. “We didn’t find your body at the mansion and when we did a locating spell, it didn’t show that you’re dead, so we kept searching. We only sensed your location a few minutes ago, and we immediately came.” Her shoulders dropped low and she finally let her smile fall. “What happened to you? How did you end up… here?”

Her eyes darted to the evergreen trees while I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to decide what to say. Head Witch? I hadn’t been sure if they knew I tried to kill Regina, but if they still considered me her heir, then they must have no idea. That was good because it meant I wouldn’t have to worry about hundreds of witches trying to murder me in my sleep.

Before I could decide what to do, the sound of rushing steps made us both turn. Two more witches appeared among the trees, freezing in their tracks when they saw us. Both of them had the same relieved expressions, but as they drew near, they looked around in suspicion as if expecting an attack.

Then I remembered. Mathias.

I had to get them away from here, away from him, because if they saw him, he might do something. And no matter how many bad things they might have done to please Regina, they were still witches. They didn’t deserve to suffer because their leader was playing with fire.

As if on cue, something slammed into my mental shields and I wobbled, falling to one knee while I pushed him back. The pain stole my breath and even as I muttered ‘Stay away!’, a pair of hands wrapped around my shoulders. I looked up, expecting to see Mathias holding me, but the sweet smell of witch magic and the gentleness of the touch told me it wasn’t him.

Paula frowned, her grip tightening.

“We need to get her inside the ward,” she told the others. “She is weak and hurt. The hunters might have reached this far already, we need to get back. Samara, can you translocate?”

“No,” I said, allowing her to pull me to my feet. “I don’t know where my tether is.”

Paula nodded, and at her command, the other two drew closer. I took a firm hold of my magic, ready to lash out at the first sign of ill intent, but they seemed too focused on the older woman to even notice. Holding my breath, I willed my body to relax before they noticed my reaction, telling myself I was stronger and faster than them… but not Mathias.

“Hold on,” Paula warned me as faint light engulfed her form and her magic spread to the others. They did the same, merging their power as they prepared to translocate. Working together like this could only mean we were out of their usual range.

I gave the woods one last look, trying to remember something distinctive so I could get back if necessary when their spell activated. My landing was unsteady at best, and as my knees moved to buckle, they all held me up. Once my vision cleared, I realized we were in the temple of the Hallowed Goddess, standing at the feet of her enormous statue while more and more witches knelt by the walls. Whispers and cries of surprise filled the room, then the whole space exploded into movement. Most wore black mourning clothes and veils, but when they met my eyes, they all stared back with hope and relief.

It was strange. When I was their Second, most looked at me with disdain or uncertainty at best. I wasn’t a person, just a girl attached to a useless title because the older witches often questioned Regina’s decision to make ‘a child’ her successor. Yet, somehow, I could see none of it now. That should have made me happy or something, but all I felt was suspicion.

“You’re alive, thank the Goddess!” they whispered one after another, bowing their heads in reverence. Paula squeezed my hand, and I realized I was unconsciously clinging to her. I released her and took a step back. The others instantly did the same while their waiting eyes watched my every breath, every twitch, every beat of sweat running down my forehead.

‘Fuck, what now?’ I thought, panic blurring their faces. ‘What do I do now?’

I needed more information. I needed to find out how much they knew and what they were planning. I needed to know if Mariam…

“Where is Mariam?” I asked without thinking, looking around in horror when I realized I might have walked right back into the lion’s den. If what Mathias told me was true, then going anywhere near that person could only mean death for me. Or worse.

“She disappeared,” Paula replied, and a few people nodded in agreement. “Once the spell for the ward was complete, she just vanished. We haven’t seen her since and we have no means of reaching her.”

Relief flooded my body, and I did my best to hide my stumble when my knees wobbled. Not knowing where she was and what she was up to was bad, but if she wasn’t here, then this was good. Great even! The Coven still considered me Regina’s successor, so I could at least spare them from being dragged into whatever Mariam was plotting.

“Good,” I whispered, and the ones closest to me shared a look of confusion.

“Good? Why is it good?” One of the older women frowned. “The hunters are slowly returning to the city, and the other supernaturals are just outside the ward, looking for ways to breach it. If they do, they’d all be after our heads, and without Regina…” She trailed off, giving me a quick once-over as if suddenly remembering I was the child they spoke against not long ago.

I needed to make the best of my situation before they stripped me of my power. If I could at least turn them against Mariam, then that might be enough to protect them. After all, I had been lying to them from the first day I was accepted into the Coven.

One more lie wouldn’t hurt.

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