Page 33 of An Ancient Power's Revenge

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Karla spoke, her voice thick with emotion. "Murdered?"

"We're not sure yet," I hedged. "But there are… unusual circumstances surrounding her death."

I explained the situation, the strange wounds and the drained blood.

"This sounds… horrible," she finally said, her voice cracking slightly. "But why Sarah? She was young, barely initiated."

"That's what we're hoping you can help us figure out," I pressed on. "Did Sarah have any enemies? Did she notice anything strange happening lately?"

Karla sighed, a heavy sound filled with worry. "We'll need to come down to the department and discuss this further. But first…" a tremor of anger edged into her voice, "I want to see Sarah."

Respecting her wishes, I agreed to take Karla and a few of her coven members to the morgue. The sight of Sarah's lifeless body brought a collective gasp from the witches. They examined her with a mixture of grief and a strange reverence, murmuring amongst themselves in a language I didn't yet totally understand.

Karla placed a delicate hand on Sarah's face, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Let Dr. Ramirez examine the bite marks,"she said, her voice tight with control. "We need to know exactly what we're dealing with."

Dr. Ramirez, ever the professional, nodded curtly. He quickly scanned the small punctures while the witches watched intently, their faces etched with concern.

After a few moments, Dr. Ramirez lowered the device. "The wounds are unlike anything I've seen before," he admitted. "There's no trace of struggle, no external damage besides these tiny punctures. The blood seems to have been… siphoned out."

Karla's lips pressed into a thin line. "Siphoned," she repeated the word as if tasting it. A flicker of something dark crossed her eyes, a mix of fear and a strange glint of recognition.

"Can we take care of Sarah's body now?" she asked, her voice low.

Dr. Ramirez nodded with a respectful silence. "Of course."

The witches, their faces grim, helped lay Sarah down and chanted a short, mournful prayer. It was a beautiful, haunting melody that sent shivers down my spine.

When they finished, Karla turned to me, her eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "We'll take Sarah back to the coven for a proper burial," she said. "But this isn't over, Sheriff. We'll find out who did this to her, and they will pay."

"We'll help you," I said, determined to stand beside them in this fight. This wasn't just about the Luminara. This was about protecting Harmony Grove and keeping the peace between the humans and the supernaturals.

Karla nodded curtly, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "We'll need all the help we can get, Evelyn. This darkness… it threatens us all."

With that, the witches took Sarah's body and walked back to their van, leaving behind a heavy silence. Alexei and I exchanged a worried glance.

“Wait!” I shouted, and they paused for me. “I will go with you,” I announced as soon as I got to them, and Karla stared at me. I nodded slowly. It doesn’t matter if I had open investigations to attend to, Sarah was part of us, just like every other Luminara witch. It would be disrespectful not to pay my last respects.

If nothing else, the other witches would know they aren’t alone in this.

“Don’t you have an investigation to get back to? We need to find Sarah’s killers as soon as possible,” one of them asked, and I shrugged.

“Attending Sarah’s burial is just as important as the investigations. My deputies are on it. I would like to pay my respect in person.”

Alexei shot me a concerned look as I climbed into the passenger seat of Karla's car. The rest of the coven members piled into a large, dusty van alongside Sarah’s body. Karla didn't say another word to me, and the ride to the coven was filled with an uncomfortable silence. The other witches sat stiffly, their faces etched with a mixture of grief and cold fury.

They were hurting badly, and it made me feel worse that I was letting the killer play games with me. They don’t deserve this. Not even Sarah Moore deserved to have life sucked out of her like that.

Chapter 19 - Like Vampire Bites

Evelyn

As we pulled to a stop, the witches stepped out of their vehicle, their movements purposeful and silent. I hesitated for a moment, the collective grief enveloping me. But Karla turned back, a flicker of something in her eyes I couldn't decipher.

"Come," she said simply, her voice devoid of warmth but not unkind.

Taking a deep breath, I followed her, stepping out into the cool night air. This was uncharted territory, but I wouldn't let fear hold me back.

Sarah was taken to a room first. The room was dimly lit by flickering candles, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. In the center, a large stone circle lay etched into the floor, runes and symbols carved into its surface.

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