Moonshine & Malice Page 3

  As soon as the two old witches placed their hands on her, Zoey felt the haze clear as their positive energy warmed her skin.

  “I need to question her,” Luke said, stopping them and earning a glare from Slade.

  “Then come to our house for lunch, Luke,” Agnes smiled as they pulled Zoey up onto her wobbly legs. “Let’s get you home, dear.”

  Not letting anyone stop them, they ordered everyone to stay put as Maribelle and others looked on worriedly. “Come on dear, one step at a time,” Vilma ordered as they helped her from the small clearing around the creek. The farther Zoey got from the scene, the better she began to feel.

  “Okay, we’re out of sight,” Agnes whispered and Vilma flicked her fingers. When Zoey opened her eyes she was in Agnes’s living room. Her stomach heaved as her knees buckled. “You’ll get used to it. It’s always bad the first time you transport. Now, let me make you some sweet tea to calm your nerves.”

  Vilma helped her onto the couch and went in search of a blanket, leaving Zoey staring at the ceiling. Her head and stomach spun as if she had just had a pitcher of margaritas.

  “I’m so sorry, Miss Mathers.”

  Zoey let out a shriek and sat up so fast she almost hit the little head peering over the back of the couch. Putting a hand to her heart, Zoey laid back down. “Matthew, what is going on?”

  “I don’t know. That was me, wasn’t it? Does that mean I’m Matthew?”

  The little boy looked down at her sadly as she nodded. “Yes, you’re Matthew Cohen, and that was your body in the creek. Do you remember what happened?”

  “Did you find my parents?” he asked instead.

  “I met your mom. Now I know who they are it will be easier to talk to them. What do you want me to tell them?”

  “I—I don’t know. I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

  “Were you alone?” Zoey asked.

  “I don’t think so. I think that’s what happened to me. I remember being there, and then I saw something big, dark, and smelly. Then nothing until I woke up last night at the creek. I tried to find my parents, but I couldn’t remember where I lived. Everything is fading. Names, places, memories.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “You’re bright and pretty,” Matthew said, ducking his head with embarrassment.

  “Dear, who are you talking to?” Vilma asked as she carried in a blanket.

  “Matthew,” Zoey said, gesturing to the boy standing next to her.

  “Matthew? Matthew Cohen?” Agnes asked, walking in with a big glass of something that was probably either moonshine or water. One never knew until it was close enough to smell.

  “Can’t you see him?” Zoey asked. “He said I’m bright.”

  “Oh,” Vilma said with surprise.

  Agnes set down the cider and cocked her head to the side. “You can see souls before they cross over. That’s new. Hello, Matthew. I can’t see you, but maybe we can help you.”

  “They’re bright too, but not as bright as you. She’s green and the other one is blue,” Matthew said, jumping up to sit on the back of the couch.

  “He says you’re green and you’re blue,” Zoey told them.

  “That’s our powers. Different colors designate where we draw the majority of our powers. I have green powers since I draw from Earth,” Vilma explained. “Agnes’s are blue since she draws from Water. Light blue is Air and red is Fire. What color is Zoey?”

  “White. Really bright white. That’s how I found her. The whole house glows white when she’s inside,” Matthew said, swinging his leg and kicking the couch. Well, at least that’s what it appeared he was doing since the couch wasn’t moving at all.

  “He says I’m bright white and that my whole house glows. What does that mean?”

  “It means the Tenebris will want you more than ever. I’ll call in our sisters. You must be protected.”

  “Whoa, where did that kitty come from?” Matthew asked as he hopped off the couch and knelt down in front of Grand Mistress Lauren.

  “We’re witches, little one. That’s why you can talk to some of us,” Grand Mistress Lauren said telepathically as she sat up a little straighter. “Now, don’t you need to be crossing over? There’s someone special waiting for you. Grandpappy, I believe he says his name is.”

  “Is that the warm feeling? I know it’s there but not what it is,” Matthew said as he reached out and slowly scratched behind Grand Mistress Lauren’s ear. She purred, and Zoey wondered if that was all she needed to do to make the head of the Claritase like her.

  “Yes, little one. Go to the warmth.”

  Matthew shook his head. “I can’t. Not until I find my parents. Miss Mathers is helping me. She knows who they are.”

  One furry eyebrow rose over her bright teal eyes. “Mistress Zoey, can you see the boy or just hear him?”

  “Both. Why?”

  Grand Mistress Lauren turned back to the little boy without answering Zoey. “Little one, Mistress Mathers has an adorable puppy out back. Why don’t you play with him for a couple of minutes?”

  “Okay,” Matthew said with a shrug as he ran his hand down Grand Mistress Lauren’s back. She arched her back and rubbed against his leg before he ran off. With a wiggle of her tail, Chance appeared in the backyard as Matthew bent down to play with him.

  “What’s going on?” Zoey asked. “Why can I see a dead boy and why will the Tenebris want me even more now?”

  Grand Mistress Lauren leapt onto the coffee table as Vilma and Agnes took their seats. Soon the room was filled with witches. Witches smiled and hugged each other. Some were older, like Vilma and Agnes, and sat together while the younger ones who looked to be Zoey’s age or a little older laughed and showed each other pictures on their cell phones. They all smiled as if they hadn’t seen each other in a while, even though many had been hanging around town and helping her with her lessons.

  “My sisters,” Grand Mistress Lauren called out, “I know it’s been centuries since this many of us have been together, but the time has arrived to come out of hiding. The fifth element has arrived.”

  The room went silent as all eyes turned to Zoey. “Um, hello,” she said with a weak wave before the room erupted as every witch started talking at once.

  6

  “Sisters,” Grand Mistress Lauren said calmly and everyone instantly went quiet. “A short time ago Mistress Zoey went to rescue Mistresses Vilma and Agnes from a Tenebris hunter. Not knowing our sisters had defeated him and were in the process of collecting his powers, she accidently interrupted the transfer and inherited the hunter’s powers.”

  “Accidental witch” was murmured all around Zoey as she felt like she was being called out for eating the last piece of cake.

  “Yes, an accidental witch. But the man was very powerful, and Mistress Zoey has great powers now. However, there must be a witch in her history because she is more powerful than she should be. She’ll sway the war to our side—maybe even end it if we can protect her long enough to teach her how to use these powers.” A witch sitting next to Agnes with beautiful sand-colored skin and long, straight black hair highlighted with silver streaks held up her hand. “Yes, Neferu?”

  “What powers does the accidental witch have?” she asked in a strange accent Zoey couldn’t place. Based on her dress and makeup, she looked Egyptian.

  “She can transport objects, sees and communicates with souls who haven’t crossed, and then . . . Mistress Zoey, I want you to show them your special powers.”

  Zoey looked to Agnes and Vilma who suddenly looked nervous. “Um, how do I do that?”

  “Neferu, will you please help her?” Mistress Lauren asked.

  Neferu stood, wearing a light blue cotton dress that hugged her chest before flowing to her ankles. With a regal elegance, she stepped forward, held her hand palm up, cupped her fingers, and suddenly light blue light crackled from them. Zoey felt a breeze rush past her and as Neferu twirled a finger a small tornado formed above her hand. With a flick of
her wrist and a spark of light blue light, Neferu smirked and sent the tornado slamming into Zoey’s face. Just as quickly it was gone, but the hair sticking out in knots in all directions was all the evidence Zoey needed to know two things—Neferu wasn’t impressed with Zoey’s accidental witch status, and she had the power of Air.

  Neferu grabbed Zoey’s arm and Zoey almost yelped. She felt as if she were stuck in front of a grade school class after not doing her homework with the teacher bearing down on her. This was the stuff all school nightmares were made out of . . . except in this case she didn’t know she had homework. And her teacher was a powerful and probably ancient witch.

  “Stand with your feet planted firmly on the ground.” Neferu pushed them apart and then pulled at Zoey’s shoulders until Zoey had her feet planted shoulder-width apart and firmly held her position. “Young ones are always unable to contain your powers, so sisters, you may want to back up.”

  Neferu moved to stand behind Zoey and placed one hand on Zoey’s hip and the other on her belly. “You must focus on the elements. Feel the heat from Fire, the rumble of Earth, the coolness of Water, the breeze of Air you’re breathing. Feel the power they hold. Feel the one calling to you and see it traveling through your feet.”

  Zoey thought about lying, but then figured Neferu would probably curse her. “No, I’m so sorry. I’m trying, but my fingers are tingling instead of my toes.”

  “Ah, good,” Neferu surprised her by saying. “Then your powers are either Air or Fire. Hold your hands palm up and feel the energy in them.”

  Zoey gasped as it felt like someone had put a defibrillator on her hands and ran three thousand volts through it. “Good. Now you want to pull that energy out through the fingers. Aim for that pillow and direct your powers to hit it.”

  Zoey nodded, the energy going through her made it hard to talk. She looked at the grey and white chevron patterned pillow and focused all her powers at it. Energy flew from her fingers in a violent burst that almost knocked her backward. White light surrounded the pillow, flowing circularly around it.

  The witches gasped. Neferu dropped her hands from Zoey and stared. “Polly, shoot the pillow with Fire. Zoey keep focusing on the pillow,” Neferu ordered.

  Zoey felt a witch come to stand next to her. She looked to be around thirty and stylish in white skinny jeans, brown boots, and a navy blue long sleeved T-shirt. “Ready, sweetie?” she asked in a deep southern accent.

  Zoey nodded. Red light flashed from Polly. It entered the white swirl of light and simply disappeared. The pillow was completely untouched. Polly dropped her hands and stared at Zoey.

  Grand Mistress Lauren nodded. “Zoey, destroy the pillow.”

  “How?” Zoey asked, finding firm footing as she felt her hair starting to float up as if her hand were on static electric ball. She certainly felt the crackling of the energy as if she were touching one.

  “Simply imagine it gone. Your powers will do the rest.”

  Zoey imagined the pillow vanishing, and her powers heated her fingers. Then suddenly with a swirl almost like water down a drain, the pillow disappeared. “Where did it go?” Zoey asked as she dropped her hands, the white light fading. Her body hummed with energy and endorphins.

  “Aether,” Polly whispered.

  “Qi,” a Chinese woman said in awe.

  “Akasha,” a woman in traditional Indian dress murmured as they all stared at where the pillow had been.

  “Quintessence,” a woman with a French accent said with astonishment.

  Zoey looked around confused. “What?”

  “I didn’t know it was possible,” Neferu said, looking to Vilma and Agnes. “Did you know?”

  Vilma nodded. “We suspected but didn’t believe it. The only other one with this power was Grand Mistress Celesta, the first head of the Claritase appointed by the Goddess herself.”

  Zoey felt ignored. They were all talking about her instead of to her. “Stop! What does this mean? Why is this such a big deal?”

  “You know the four elements of nature?” Grand Mistress Lauren asked.

  Zoey nodded. “Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.”

  “There was a fifth element. The Greeks believed it was the pure essence that the gods lived on, but every culture had their own word for it. The fifth element is beyond our world. Aristotle called it Aether. He believed it was the first element, not the last. Aether is believed to be from the heavens and from it came Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. It is neither dry nor wet, light nor dark. That’s why it absorbed the fire and the pillow vanished to the void. It’s similar to what current scientists call dark energy. It’s both nothingness and all. It’s the greatest elemental power a witch can have, yet none have had it since our first Grand Mistress.”

  “Who are you?” Neferu asked with astonishment.

  “That’s what I want you to find out.” Grand Mistress Lauren said. “Take a family history and dig into our records.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” Neferu pulled out a pad and pen and made Zoey ramble off every relative she knew before Neferu poofed away.

  “What’s all the noise?” Matthew asked, walking back inside. He smiled at a couple of the witches who waved back. “When did they get here?”

  Most of them continued to talk, but a couple stopped and looked around. It appeared only the two who waved could see Matthew, but several more could hear him.

  “Ah, little one. Please tell my friends what happened to you,” Mistress Lauren told him. Matthew repeated his story as they all listened attentively. Zoey repeated it for those who couldn’t hear it.

  “And then Miss Mathers found me, and she got sick,” Matthew finished. “I thought she was going to hurl, but Miss Vilma and Miss Agnes disappeared her home.”

  “You got sick?” Polly asked. “How so?”

  “I hit my head and when I woke up I felt the warm energy of Slade. I held his arm and could feel the energy rushing through him. He’s so powerful.”

  “Who is Slade?” Polly asked as everyone leaned forward.

  “A Tenebris hunter,” Vilma answered.

  The room erupted. “However,” Agnes said loudly. “We can’t determine his purpose. I don’t get the feeling of evil from him.”

  “But I got the feeling of evil there by the creek,” Zoey picked up. “There was a rotten smell in the air that entered my lungs and felt as if it were choking me.”

  “Oh my,” Polly whispered. “Only someone very powerful can leave behind that kind of energy.”

  “And that’s why I’ve called you all here.” Grand Mistress Lauren jumped onto the mantel so everyone could see her. “Zoey is the key to end the wars. We must teach her about her powers and test her strength, all while discovering this Slade’s true purpose. And most importantly, we need to protect her until she can protect herself.”

  “Protect me?” Zoey sputtered. Oh boy. She was in this deep. “When do my lessons start?”

  “Right now,” Grand Mistress Lauren said as the word prophecy was whispered around the room. Lauren called out for three witches to step forward. “The rest of you need to get a feel for the town and to surveil Slade. Now, get to work!”

  The witches either poofed away or transformed into various animals and skittered out the door Agnes opened. Zoey took a deep breath. The feeling of energy she’d released still thrummed through her body, but she also felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. All these women were depending on her, and she was scared to death she’d let them down. Plus, she had a sickening feeling they were keeping something from her—something very important.

  7

  Zoey was drenched in sweat by the time Polly, Agnes, and Vilma were done with her training. Further, Zoey had learned why Polly looked younger while Agnes and Vilma looked like little old grandmas. There were two categories of witches. Originals, which Zoey was correct in guessing were the witches first created by the Goddess. The second were the Descendants, or the subsequent generations of witches born to the Originals. Polly was part of the last gen
eration of the Descendants to be born before the war broke out. Agnes and Vilma were second generation Descendants.

  “You did really well, Zoey,” Polly told her with a kind smile. Zoey had thought Polly looked like a nice person when she first saw her. But after working with her for three hours, Zoey had found a true friend.

  “Thank you,” Zoey smiled with utter exhaustion. Her body tingled with spent energy, her legs wobbled, and she had a killer headache.

  “Here, dear,” Vilma said, handing her a cup of tea, “a little something extra to help your powers rebound faster.”

  Zoey took a seat on the sofa and sipped on the drink. “Do you really think I can do this?” she asked Polly.

  The woman nodded her perfectly blonde highlighted hair. “My great-great-grandparents were both Originals, which means I should have more power than most, but you’re already way more powerful than I am.”

  “By the end of the week you might be more powerful than we are,” Agnes said, taking the seat across from Zoey. “And it’s a good thing too, since you have a date with an angel of death.”

  “He sounds scary,” a childish voice said from behind them.

  Polly almost dropped her tea. “Young man, you do not go sneaking up on people like that.”

  “Sorry,” he said dejected. Zoey looked behind her to see Matthew poking his head from behind the couch. “But going out with an angel of death sounds like a bad thing, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

  Zoey smiled at the boy. “I’ll be fine, Matthew. Slade isn’t really an angel of death.”

  “Slade,” Polly said, interested in the gossip. “With a name like that I bet he’s something.”

  “Oh he is,” Vilma agreed. “So hot I almost wouldn’t mind dying at the hand of a Tenebris hunter.”

  Polly dropped her teacup with a gasp. She wiggled her fingers and the spilt tea and broken teacup floated up from the ground and was put back together. “Don’t say such a thing!”

  “It gets worse,” Agnes told her as Polly waved the teacup to float over to the coffee table. “Slade was Alexander’s second-in-command until the last century.”