Detective Witch (Devil's Witch Book 2)

Stella

The only light comes in down here through the thin gap between the doors of the cellar above me. A dull pain throbs around my wrists from the anti-magic leather straps pinning my arms down to the bloody metal armrests of my chair.

After the car accident, my memories returned. I had woken up in the car and tried to get out of the vampire’s hold. Then, I was ripped violently from my seat and dragged out over the shards of glass and across the blacktop. They knew the ‘glamoured me’ failed to protect her and that the impact of the crash knocked me back into my senses.

The vile vamp himself had carefully gotten Valerie out of the car and obsessed over her while I got hauled off to the church temporarily. The officer with the accent eventually drove me up here for the time being.

To the portal.

Bound and gagged, I pull at my restraints even more frantically seeing the doors above me finally open. Another lifeless witch is thrown down the old steps and the door once again slams shut, locking.

The smell of death is horrendous and I’m afraid if I do throw up I’ll choke on it with this gag in my mouth. I know everything now, but it’s too late. Colin has been trapped down here with me too, feeding like a parasite on the dead coven member bodies. I guess he’s still glamoured into thinking the vamps are right to treat him so inhumanely.

There are around thirty witches and warlocks in here laying on the floor dead. Colin is chained to a wall behind my chair. I know they are hoping for Valerie to activate the portal to get rid of us, the evidence. I have to get out of here and warn her because Colin was right about everything.

They glamoured him again to forget and then turned him into one of them to make him suffer. They didn’t teach him how to live his new life properly. All they did was use him as a puppet and discard him down here when they were done.

He’s completely distraught. Sitting at the bottom of the steps of the cellar waiting for the doors to open again. It’s as far as his chain reaches.

“Savior! Please, I’ll do anything! Goddess will forgive me!” He yells for the millionth time and continues to say how it’s my fault goddess got hurt. How it’s my fault he’s trapped down here and doesn’t get to walk in the daylight ever again.

All I know is his savior will not be rescuing us. No one knows we are locked up here. Will and a few other witches helped ward the portal off. The vamps can’t get down here or pass it still. Colin dragged me down here while they watched above. The weakening concentration of magic still remaining among the dead coven member bodies down here lets them open and close the doors.

It must be a hybrid using their magic because I don’t know how else they could have broken the ward without the coven knowing. The whole coven did pretty much craft it, including me. That’s why they are suppressing my magic down here so I can’t open it myself and escape.

None of the witches who helped ward the portal can actually use it though. Only Val or a really strong witch or warlock like Will could. Both their families have magic engrained in the walls down here and the door above.

This is what they’ve wanted all along. A way to silently wipe us out and justify it by their job titles. They are dangerously close to getting it too. I don’t know why they’ve bothered to keep us alive.

Our stay down here might be temporary, but if it’s not, I’m leaving a message behind before they have the chance to kill me or glamour me again. I can’t summon much of my own magic at all, but the law doesn’t exist down here. The coven won’t know if I tamper with the tiny amount of magic left from the dead witches and warlocks at my feet. By the time I’m finished, it’ll all be used up without a trace.

_______________________________________

The wind blows gently through the large weeping willow trees lining the small area of the backyard. I open my window to help get rid of the musty smell in my room and glance up to the moon above warily. An orange tabby cat struts across Stella’s small sectioned off garden and wanders off under a hole in the fence on the other side of it.

After work yesterday, Will told me the coven still couldn’t find anything on Stella and Colin. It’s time I do my own search. I turn to my bed and bend down to slide out a flat rectangular cardboard box. I scavenge through the pile of knick-knacks until I find the ridiculous weapon I was given at work. Then I grab my broom from the corner of my room.

The coven already attempted their own tracing search of both Colin and Stella. Since I didn’t know she was missing until a week after she left, her trail of magic has been long gone on where she could have traveled after returning from vacation. We already think they made it back to town because of the street cameras. I think they are being held hostage and I bet someone in the coven knows where.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just a trap for them to get me to use the devil’s magic and finally have evidence to prove me the ‘white witch’. Well, too bad for them I’m not going to rely on magic if it comes to it. I will simply use my gun, but hopefully, I won’t have to.

I pull a grey hoodie over my head and a pair of old jeans. Then I hide my gun in my hoodie pocket and take my broom downstairs. At the kitchen table, I quickly assemble my own crafted trace potion. The coven already tried their version of it, but they didn’t think to trace Colin. The devil told me once before he had possessed him. If I’m right, Colin should have some level of black magic still lingering around him.

I toss a chunk of fur from a demonic dog I had to take care of today and toss it into the bowl along with one of his patterned cartoon shirts I found in Stella’s room. Luckily, she didn’t wash it yet and I’m hoping there’s still some form of his DNA on it. Then I grip the counter and close my eyes, putting my hand over the bowl.

“Fire, fire, come to me.” I mumble slowly, watching the blue glow of my magic descend onto the bowl. The tint of my magic fades to black around the newly lit fire in the bowl.

In a matter of seconds, the necessary items are burned up leaving a charred mark at the bottom. Above the burn mark, a tennis ball sized orb of my magic floats. My new guide to Colin. My little tracing trick worked and I did it all without the help of the coven.

With my broom in hand, I use my magic to open the front door. Then I mount my broomstick, soaring into the sky feeling annoyed by the coven for still having their solstice meeting tonight knowing someone in their community has gone missing.

I didn’t tell Will about me going out tonight, I figured he would feel inclined to go ahead with the meeting. Well, the winter solstice is more like a semi-annual party the coven hosts at usually one of the wealthier family homes. Normally, they have it at Will’s family home. However, since the Silvets bought most of their land, they will be meeting at someone else’s home tonight Will told me.

I try my best to focus my magic on guiding my broom in the direction of my tracing orb floating ahead of me. I’m high enough now not to draw attention to myself, above the treetops a few good yards. At this time of night, no one’s going to be really looking up here anyway. Most people will be asleep.

Abruptly, pain pulsates across my stomach and I roll my eyes searching the ground below me. Why did it have to be a dog tonight? They are the worst! With a deep sigh, I descend downward behind an abandoned looking motel sitting beside the road below me. I can already see the creature, barking away at me as if to provoke me to come fight.

“I hear you.” I grumble while softly landing on the ground and seeing my tracing orb fade away into nothing. All this time, it was just leading me to another demon! It didn’t work and I’ve wasted precious time doing this.

I rest my broom against the brick siding of the motel and the demon dog charges at me seeing me within reaching distance now.

I catch sight of my reflection in one of the windows of the motel and frown feeling older than I’ve ever felt. Finding and taking care of the demons sometimes really is grueling. Now with my friends gone, it’s up to me to find them and I counted on magic I should have known better to use to find them. I really do feel twenty-nine now in my own skin and wearing this funeral dress doesn’t make me feel any better about it.

"In infernis arderet." I say loudly expecting the demon to disappear. However, nothing happens and it continues racing towards me with its black fur raised. Pale strands of my hair raise off my shoulders, floating around my face as I summon more of my magic in panic seeing the spell not working.

Quickly, I put a ward up in hopes of separating the dog from me, but it jumps right through it thanks to its strange immunity to my black magic. My magic tremors around me and another wave of pain sears across my gut. Pumping my arms, I run further back into the parking lot and away from the motel building hearing the dog still chasing after me. I reach a dead end, facing a chicken wire fence too high for me to climb.

"In infernis arderet!" I repeat again with an angered yell with my back to the fence.

The demon dog whines sharply and comes to a stop on its haunches as my magic finally listens and condenses around it properly. I watch in relief as it returns to hell. Carefully, I look around my surroundings to make sure I haven’t had any witnesses. Then I head back over to the building to pick up my broom and sweep up the ashes to hide the evidence of my use of the devil’s magic.

Because it’s much cooler now, I don’t travel back the same way I came. Instead, I cut straight through town and get to see the pretty street lamps lit up with all the seasonal decor outside the shops and apartment buildings.

Eventually, I make it home.

Feeling extremely tired, I sluggishly take off my shoes and rest my broom by the door. That’s funny, I don’t remember leaving the lights on in the kitchen. I pull out my gun from my hoodie hearing a crash come from upstairs.

Stella and Will just had warded the house. I knew I should have helped, but I didn’t want to risk using my magic. Otherwise, I would have felt a disturbance in it knowing someone had broken in.

“Get out of my house!” I holler up with warning.

Before I have time to defend myself, a wave of magic barrels down the steps and my gun gets thrown out of my hand by the user’s craft. I watch in anger as a coven member steps out into the hallway at the top of the steps.

“Valerie Parway, the high council has asked for your home to be searched. You have the right to observe, but not interfere. Please, leave your firearm where it is or I will have you arrested.” The witch threatens me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is you broke into my home.” I grit out while running up the stairs at her.

“Do not approach me!” She screeches while putting a wall of her magic between us. I run into it nearly fall back down the stairs, but I manage to grab onto the railing.

Behind her, is another council member. A werewolf, who currently is destroying my room. Ripping open my drawers and closet. Searching desperately for anything they can find against me. I can see a bunch of my work papers as well as my own personal belongings lying in disarray all over the floor of my bedroom. My bed itself lays completely flipped over and it looks like someone decided to take a sledgehammer to my nightstand after finding nothing in it.

The witch grabs at my arms and drags me into my room where the other council member waits with one of my shoes in its mouth. Once seeing me restrained by the witch, the werewolf continues its ‘search’ which also happens to include shredding up all of my clothes too.

The witch pats down my clothes as if to check me for any more weapons and then continues watching in satisfaction as the werewolf destroys my room.

“I don’t have anything to hide.” I say firmly, but neither of them cares.

After they finish looking through my closet the werewolf decides to scamper off downstairs with my tote. The witch remains with me.

“Tomorrow we will be searching the other houses in this area. We were ordered to check here first. Apologies for the mess. We are experts in this type of thing and should have your friends found very soon. Our condolences for the delayed arrival.” The witch says sharply while turning on her heels. She goes downstairs ahead of me and picks up my gun, taking it with her out the door where the werewolf waits.

I quickly close the front door and lock it behind them. From the window, I watch the two council members walk up to the neighboring townhouse beside mine. I shut the curtains and head upstairs to clean the giant mess they left in my room.

The only one they really searched.

I’m sure I won’t be the only one upset by this if they really are searching everyone’s homes. It’s about time they get here though, Will had called them a week ago. Hopefully, they find Stella and Colin, but I really don’t like their decision to check here first though. It doesn’t sit well with me at all.

Feeling bitter, I start gathering my things into piles and move the few clothes that are not ruined into my now empty closet. I’m not going to be able to wear most of my clothes, they are too ruined. What isn’t ruined, I toss in a pile to go into the washer. There’s no way I wouldn’t wash them after that werewolf had them in his mouth, gross. Then I stack up my scattered papers all over the floor which takes me the most time because I have to sort them back into order.

After I’m finished sorting them, I use my magic to help me flip my bed back over. There’s still a lot of my things thrown all over the room, but at least I got some of it cleaned up. I just can’t believe they smashed my nightstand and my dresser too. Those were very expensive furniture pieces and Stella bought them for me.

Solemnly, I look at my jewelry box that must have also been searched because it’s left open and I always close it shut. Getting a bad feeling, I open it up all the way and find the little clear case I keep my brooch in empty.

It’s gone.

Rage consumes me and my magic stirs at finding the single remaining thing I have left of my family stolen by the high council. I watch as my jewelry box lifts up into the air and gets thrown by my magic against the wall across from me. It falls with a loud thump. Silently, I watch as the neatly arranged piles of my things get ruined as my magic speedily tosses them around my small bedroom.

Something dark is getting hold of me and I feel myself slipping away and giving in to my black magic. My stomach burns and I clamp my mouth shut to keep from screaming. It’s been a while since it’s hurt so bad. My hair floats around my face as silent tears escape me. My eyes sting and I kick at a tin of stale popcorn on the floor the coven sent me as a get well gift after my car wreck.

I grab the footboard of my bed and grip it tightly to try to steady myself. I feel like I should be holding my breath because at any moment my magic could escape me and leave the house. Instead, all I can do is giggle alone in the dark like the demonic witch the coven believes me to be.

Soon after, I hear Will yelling downstairs for me. He must have felt the ward break when the council came into the house without prior consent. Getting a hold of my senses, I stand up straight and try to pat my hair down, but it doesn’t do any good. Well, at least my magic has settled down some and my curse mark doesn’t hurt so bad.

My cheekbone must have got cut by my magic during my little outburst. A drop of blood drips down from it and onto the hardwood floor. I watch with intrigue as it ripples a little as if having a life of its own. I bend down to get a closer look, but it doesn’t appear to be moving anymore. Must have been my imagination.

“Don’t come in.” I say loudly just as Will uses his magic to open the door to my room.

His dark hair is gelled in a fancy style and he looks handsome as usual in his professional looking suit. He can’t hide the look of fear on his face from me though and I turn my head away from him in shame because I know he can see the traces of my black magic in here. It stains my blue magic giving it unnatural black smudges. Now though, the dark smudges are slowly shrinking as I get a hold of my emotions.

“You promised you’d only use it on demons.” He tells me looking deeply disturbed by the big mess in my room, but most of this mess the high council started.

“The high council came. They took my family’s brooch and my tote!” I yell at him, but he stares at me like he’s seeing a ghost. Why does he look at me like we’re strangers? I couldn’t help it! He knows I’m still struggling to handle my magic. I didn’t mean to use it in here.

All I can do is look back at him in silence letting him judge me. I never signed up for this. Can’t he see this isn’t my fault? The devil’s probably laughing at us right now and Will is acting like the coven wants, to be afraid of me. He probably thinks I destroyed the ward myself when really it was the council.

My chest rises and falls heavily like a cornered animal as he backs out of my room.

“I’ll give you some time to recover and alert the police. I’m sorry about your brooch, but I’ll do my best to make sure they give you your things back. Goodnight...I love you.” He mumbles while looking at the floor and closing the door quietly with a wounded expression.

I glance up into the mirror above my dresser and see how sunken back my eyes look, like a corpse. My pale white hair still drifts around my head as if to taunt me and I sigh deeply feeling my heart snap in two when I hear the front door downstairs open and slam shut as he leaves.