“it’ll be okay wont it Morgan” Mary K asked as we strode down the streets of Widows Vale, and I knew she was asking me as a sister looking for re-assurance. But this time it wasn’t a cheating Boyfriend, or an argument with girls at school - it was a dead witch calling a dark wave in widows vale that could kill every blood witch within reach. It was surreal, unimaginable - but part of me knew this was real life and happening, and part of me knew, that for some reason - I would be the only blood witch alive able to stop it. My legacy and my destiny had finally caught up with me, and I knew there would be another hard choice to make, another dangerous choice on top of everything………….summoning the power of Belwicket to aid me. But I didn’t want to think of that right now, and the consequences of it would be….well as I said, lets not go there.

“everything that happens, happens for a reason MK” I said softly and she chuckled nervously.

“that’s a pretty way of saying I don’t know, isn’t it?”

“Maybe” I said, attempting a half smile, but it came out more of a grimace.

“I’ll tell you maybe… maybe this is a bad idea Morgan. Your trailing round here with nothing but an athame in your boot looking for some one who could kill you! Where’s the great plan? Where’s…”

“Mary K” I said calmly “please, I need to focus my energies. I can sense something, he’s near.”

“okay” Mary k nodded. She knew too well about the dark wave and what it could do, how a dark cloud sought and destroyed innocent blood witches - a sole entity created for evil purposes. Death. And if not stopped, once conjured, depending on the skill and the power of the witch, they could be impossible to stop.

She stopped and looked at me as I paused mid step and dropped my defences, forcing myself to relax, before taking another step down the side street with high hedges and concealed housing spattered randomly about. I found myself bombarded with a feeling of lethargy and irrelevance, but I was too focused on my task and knew this must be a magical deterrent to keep me away. My power had grown immensely these past years and I slid past the defence without a thought, but notice Mary K hesitated.

“I don’t want to go that way.” she said

“it’s a spell” I said yanking her along with me and felt it tugging at my senses, changing from a sense of lethargy to foreboding, as if I was not meant to come here, but I was determined and proud of Mary K as she tried to shake it off and dispel her fear, following me. She was telling me something, trying to get my attention but I did not hear her words, I was to focused on following this spell to it’s source, the source I knew would be Cal. I felt her tugging at my arm and indicating to something But I ploughed on as if in a daze, I was not Morgan her sister now, I had fully given my senses over to my magic.

In that moment I realised I was in front of a door and the road was no longer in sight and I snapped back to my senses and held a finger to silence Mary K.

“he’s in here” I said and she gestured at me.

“This is Hunters new house!!” she hissed and I froze and jerked my head sharply around me to survey my surroundings. “Oh my goddess - this is to freaky” Mary K hyper ventilated and I shot her a withering look.

“Get it together”

“Im scared!” she confessed clutching her pentagram “Calhoun Blaire who is practicing dark magic and spilling blood is on the other side of that fucking door Morgan!! Fuck sake!”

“I cant do this now MK” I sighed and inhaled deeply grounding myself for the unknown and tested the door, unlocked. I crept in the house surveying our surroundings. I centred drawing on my deep power and immediate felt confident and assured again and I thanked the Goddess for her clarity and strength, even Mary K sensed the changed and smiled. She was waiting for Red the unstoppable to kick in, and drew strength from me.

I heard voices, and instinctively knew Mary k would follow me as I trespassed down a long hallway out to a garden area where before me, sat in a circle were Hunter Niall and his cousin Sky Eventide, My former best friends Bree Warren and Robbie Gurevitch, and then there was Raven Meltzer, but more importantly stood looking directly at me was Calhoun Blaire. I tilted me head to Mary K who crept back and stood behind the door out of sights, and hopefully harms, way.

I stared right at him and he smiled at me. He actually smiled and it was a secret smile, one that I didn’t trust. I crouched down slowly and drew my athame from my boot and held it tightly, never breaking eye contact, till the others looked at him and he quickly turned his face to one of horror. Bastard I thought, making out he had only just seen me and was scared. He knew I was coming, I saw it in that smile. They all turned to see what had brought such a look to his face and their eyes grew wide and I cursed inwardly. They trusted Cal now, I was the one who was the outsider.

In that moment I felt Hunters eyes on me and couldn’t help glance at him. He was still the man I had loved, his green eyes still as beautiful as dawn breaking, his silvery blonde hair still in a casual disarray…but he was still also the man who had betrayed me. I straightened as Hunter took a step toward me, Sky still irritatingly falling into step beside him.

I ignored them, tragic reunions could be saved for later, right now my goal was him.

“Calhoun Blaire” I said darkly

“Morgan… wh..what are you doing here??” he stammered and I sneered at his act, what a façade!

“I could ask you the same question” I said and felt a tug and immediately slammed a wall of invisible protection at me as I felt hunter and sky throw a binding spell at me. I refused to acknowledge them.

“I know your secret” I whispered darkly and laughed as his visage faltered “You mean to tell me that you knew I was coming here, but you didn’t think I knew why? What else would bring me back to Widowsvale. I am here for the same reason as you, we just have different motives”

“What is going on!” Hunter demanded magic flaring and I bound him and sky, the only two blood witches who could threaten me.

“Don’t try attacking me with magic again Niall, and you wont break free from that, even with your magic combined - ah ah ah” I said turning to Cal “Don’t you try breaking them out either - that ones a trick I learnt from the Sguirs Dan heritage” I took a step closer and Robbie and Bree backed away from me, scared as shit and not knowing what to do, so hiding behind Cal. “The danger does not lie with me” I scoffed. “How are you here Cal?” I whispered softly “Why? Why would you do this?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” He yelled at me “please don’t kill me….”

“I am not a killer Cal - if I was you would be dead already. Tell me!” I yelled magic pulsating around me “I was there! At the Leylines!! The Goddess herself sent me here to deal with you Sgath - who sent you and who are you working with - no blood witch can summon a dark wave on their own!”

Every one froze even Cal froze and I took the opportunity to throw a binding spell at him, which he blocked, and threw a wave of fire at me and I side stepped and heard a yelp and whirled to see it had hit the door causing Mary K to jump back and in my distraction I was hit by a bolt of Magick that sent me crashing backwards into the wall and I crumpled to the floor suffering a cracked head, blood already pooling down my forehead.

“That was unexpected” I winced standing up “Amyranths magic - I can feel it already. Fool, your not very good at hiding your source. I also have one of my own!” I said and sent a bolt back sending him spiralling into the air and sprawling onto the grass on his back.

I began chanting a spell to reverse his magic and send it back to him and Amyranth, when I was aware of Mary K yelp beside me, as she was pinioned against the wall unable to move.

“Try that again McEwan and I kill her” Cal sneered

“Did you feel that tug on your powers then? Stronger that I thought, I wont underestimate you again” I panted wiping blood from where it had dripped into my eye. Suddenly my eyes flashed with panic as I was unable to release Mary K.

“You cant break her from that spell Morgan, I am merely a conduit for Amyranth - it is their power coursing through me, their power holding her - no one alive can break a spell formed by a whole coven single handily.”

I raised my eyebrow and inhaled deeply sensing his dark magic filling the air, knowing the others felt it to. “Enough Sgath” I commanded “An di allaigh an de al an di nath ran….” The air began to pick up as i chanted and Cal began a counter chant of his own and my voice faltered - I had not expected amaranths power, he was stronger than I could imagine. “Sga murn di mith ra” I continued in the strongest voice I could muster, and I knew I was using a lot of magic as was he. I knew as the spell on Hunter and Sky fell apart, and Mary K was released and I was vaguely aware of them rush to Mary ks aid, as I focused all my attentions on Cal, we were fighting each other with everything we had now, I surrounded by purple witch fire, he Orange and our auras crashed in the middle as we repeated spell after spell and threw ball after ball of magic at each other.

I once again began my power chant “You will not win Cal, I will not let you summon a dark wave. I command you and what is thine, to return to source through space and time, with eye and tool and wind and air, with fire earth and all light fair, I banish you from this sacred space, be gone from here and what is mine, as is my will so mote it be!”

I threw my arms forward and Cal was sent tumbling backward again and again before being blown back by a strong gale as my hair whipped around me “So mote it be” I shouted again and suddenly the winds stopped, and Cal was gone.

TBC, let me know what you think…..