The Witch's Thief Read online

  “Can you stand?”

  “Yes,” he said. She took his arm and helped him to his feet. He wobbled a bit, but was able to stand on his own.

  She lifted the ragged torn edges of his once fine white shirt and noticed how dirty it had become as well. When she looked closer she noticed burn marks through the ripped fabric on his chest.

  “What has he done to you?” she whispered, not able to keep the horror hidden in her voice. She reached out to inspect the damage, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her.

  Sage put a gentle hand to her cheek. “I’m fine. Truly. I’ll be fine.”

  But she suspected he lied when she looked into his eyes. The laughter that had been so easy to see in his gaze had fled. Her heart cried out for him, for she loved this man as a woman loves her brother.

  “Sage,” she whispered, her eyes tearing.

  “Come. We must hurry, as you said.”

  He didn’t want to discuss what happened. She couldn’t blame him. Whatever had been done to him must have been horrible, but there was no physical damage done other than the condition of his clothes and a few burns. The wisps of smoke diminished from the top of his hair, but she saw no sign of anything else marring his skin. No blood, no broken bones, nothing that needed immediate attention.

  He held her arm, urging her forward. They ran. Sage relied on Julia to retrace her steps, but she halted halfway when she caught a whiff of lavender.

  “What?”

  Julia couldn’t answer right away. She thought of Marianne. She followed the scent to a door they were passing. She sensed the presence of her sister in there. Julia assumed Marianne had not followed her or the others through the mirror. She thought her sister’s spirit safely ensconced at Merriweather Manor awaiting her return. After all, she had not seen neither hide nor hair of her since her arrival. Or was it some sort of magic Drake possessed? Had he some ability to cloak Marianne’s spirit from Julia? Dear God, what if Julia could no longer hear or see Marianne? What if all this time her sister had been trying to communicate, and Julia no longer possessed the ability to hear her?

  “Marianne?” Julia called softly as she opened the door. She smelled Marianne’s perfume, she was certain of it. Marianne always favored lavender, her room at home oft times reeked of it.

  As soon as she opened the door she realized she was both wrong and right. Marianne was in the room…and she wasn’t.

  It was a bedchamber, similar to the one in which Drake had imprisoned her.

  A figure lay in the bed.

  Julia recognized the bright red curls atop the woman’s head.

  “Oh, Marianne!” Julia ran to the body and clasped her hands around the fingers. Marianne’s body felt warm to the touch. It still breathed, and her heart still beat. But her spirit was not there. Her eyes were open and lifeless.

  Julia sobbed to see her sister in such a state.

  After a few brief moments, Sage’s hand squeezed her shoulder.

  She nodded.

  “We’ll take her with us,” he said, pushing her away. Sage carefully lifted Marianne’s body into his arms. “Now we truly must hurry. Do you remember the way back to the mirror?”

  Julia swiped at the lingering wetness on her cheek.

  “Yes, it’s in the same room where Basil is chained.”

  “You left him there? Chained?”

  “I had no choice. He’s held by manacles to a chain that I cannot unlock. You can free him, and we’ll return through the mirror.”

  Sage abruptly halted, spinning her to face him. His eyes were wide and horror-filled.

  “There is no key?”

  “We found none. I assume Drake must have it.”

  “Then we must retrieve the key from Drake.”

  “Why?” Julia asked. The idea of confronting Drake as an obstacle to their escape sent shivers along her spine. Drake’s power had grown beyond mere herbal witch magic. He practiced the arts of a necromancer. Julia had no power in comparison.

  “No one surpasses your skill at unlocking spells. Can you not free him?”

  “I cannot,” he said. His voice trembled as he spoke. “Drake stole my ability to cast magic.”

  Chapter Nine

  Basil heard their voices before they entered the room. The sight of his brother carrying an unconscious Marianne relieved him of his fears, but the sight of Julia made his heart sing. He was not certain how long she’d been absent from his side. It felt as if hours dragged by, torturing him more than anything Drake devised.

  “I will not leave him!” Julia yelled. Sage hushed her, looking over his shoulder. When no one appeared behind them, Sage cautiously closed the door with his foot. Then he faced a table, and with his free arm swiped the table clear. Gently he lowered Marianne onto the cleared surface.

  Sage looked from Marianne to Basil.

  It was as if Drake punched Basil in the gut. The echo of sadness in Sage’s eyes haunted Basil. He never saw such an expression on his brother’s normally cheerful optimistic face. What had Drake done?

  Sage approached Basil, leaving Julia to stand next to Marianne, looking helpless with tears streaming down her pink cheeks.

  Basil noticed Sage’s attire, or lack of it.

  “Are you intending a new fashion statement?” The joke was humorless and in bad taste, but Basil could not think of anything else to say. He recognized the mournful stare in his brother’s eyes and suspected he had bad news to bear.

  Sage didn’t smile. He didn’t even acknowledge Basil had spoken. “I cannot free you.”

  Questions flared through Basil’s mind, but he bit them back. They had no time for answers. He nodded. “I understand.” Then he glanced at the mirror, nodding his head in that direction. “Go. Take them home.”

  “No,” Julia cried out. She reached Sage’s side, pulling on his arm to face her. “Try! We have a moment to try.”

  Sage solemnly shook his head.

  “It’s of no use Julia. My power is gone.”

  Basil inhaled sharply. Drake had stolen Sage’s magic. How? Again the questions consumed him, but there was little time. He glanced at the door, expecting to see Drake appear at any moment.

  “Try,” Julia pleaded.

  Sage nodded. He touched the manacles. After whispering the words, he waved his fingers around the lock. When he attempted to pull it free, nothing happened. He swore.

  “Go,” Basil said. “You’ll have time to devise a plan once you’re safely home. Just go, now!”

  “I will not leave you behind,” Julia said, a stubborn tilt to her chin that Basil recognized well.

  He turned back to his brother. “You’ll have to take her kicking and screaming.”

  Sage nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately, my arms are already full.” He waved to Marianne’s body on the table.

  “We’ll find the key,” Julia said. At the look of improbability both men sent her, she huffed at the challenge. “We’ll find a key. Any key. There must be something we can use to unlock this!”

  She turned and stalked off to the bookshelves where again she rummaged through the contents, searching for any sign of something they could use to free him.

  Basil sighed and flexed the stiff muscles in his arms. His hands had gone numb hours ago, but he tried to wriggle his fingers anyway. It was of no use.

  “You have to get her out of here,” Basil whispered to his brother as Julia searched in vain.

  “She loves you.”

  “I know. And I love her. She’s in danger here.”

  “We all are,” Sage muttered, staring into the air before him, lost in memory. He shuddered, which seemed to awaken him. “Come, Julia. We have no more time. We must leave and we must do it now.”

  “Aha!” Julia sprang from the stool she had climbed to check the highest shelf. She plucked two pins from her hair. A strand of curls tumbled down her back. “Perhaps we might use this to pry the lock open? Sage, do you know how?”

  He took the pins and studied them. He looked doubtful
ly at the lock and shrugged. “Primitive, but I’ll try.”

  Basil’s brother fumbled with the lock, swearing loudly when it didn’t open within seconds of the attempt. But he continued to work at it, using the pins in the most effective manner. After what seemed like forever, he at last heard a click. Basil sagged against the wall, dropping to the ground. His brother caught him before he tumbled to the floor. Basil leaned against him, feeling the tiny stabs along his arms as blood flowed freely through his limbs again. He groaned at the pain of stiff muscles.

  “Oh, Basil! Basil!” Julia rushed to wrap her arms around him. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as her scent washed over him. This was Heaven. He buried his face into her hair and breathed her in.

  “Let’s hurry.” Sage’s worried voice broke through their embrace. “I don’t want to be here when Drake discovers us missing.”

  “Too late for that, brother,” said a voice from the doorway. Julia gasped, her hold on Basil tightening tenfold.

  Basil looked up to see Drake was not alone. Shadow and flame stood beside him, the shape of a man hidden within a mass of fire. His eyes glowed red.

  As the first sight of the dark shadowy shape, Sage’s feet propelled him backward. He backed into Basil, nearly knocking him over. It was an instinctive reaction. But Sage took great gasping breaths and straightened, grabbing Basil by the arm again to steady him. Together they turned to face their new enemy.

  “What is it?” Basil asked, his voice rumbled so low only Sage and Julia could hear.

  “A demon,” Sage answered, his voice eerily devoid of emotion though he sounded out of breath.

  Julia shivered beside him. Basil tightened his arm around her. Glancing at the mirror, he wondered how much time they needed to invoke the mirror spell. How much time to pull everyone through?

  “You’ll not escape,” Drake said, as if reading his mind.

  Probably true. Not enough time. But, they were going to try just the same.

  “We’re finished here, Drake.” Basil pulled away from them, standing on his own, unaided. His own bravado gave courage to Sage and Julia. They straightened, and came to stand beside him.

  “We’re going home. You will not stop us.”

  “I do not have to stop you,” Drake said then shrugged to the dark mass beside him. “My new friend will.”

  The mass moved forward.

  Basil raised his hands in defense, but Sage grabbed them, pushing them down.

  “You can’t.”

  “It’s a demon, Sage. I don’t think I have any choice in the matter. I need to use magic. Whether or not I should are considerations that no longer apply. You cannot help here, after all.” Basil’s fingers tingled with the power of his magic, ready to be unleashed. It had been so long since he allowed that power to reign free. He understood the consequences he faced by using his abilities. Every time he used magic, it weakened him considerably. It was a gamble to hope he might have enough time to distract this demon long enough for Sage to get Julia and Marianne to safety.

  “It feeds on magic,” Sage said, quickly. “Don’t use any attack magic.”

  That left Basil rather helpless. “What spells will work?”

  “I don’t know,” Sage said. “All I tried were attack spells, and it only grew stronger.”

  “Marvelous,” Basil muttered, frowning. “Julia, can you open the mirror portal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then do it. Take Marianne through. Sage and I will distract the demon. If we can’t get away, close the portal. Do you understand? I want no objections, Julia. We cannot allow the demon through.”

  Julia bit her lip, fighting the urge to argue with him. She wanted to help.

  “Your magic ability isn’t strong, and you know it. You must get your sister to safety. Think of Marianne.”

  She nodded, reluctantly.

  “Sage,” the demon hissed. Sage’s hand grabbed Basil’s arm, squeezing it tight.

  “Don’t let her touch you,” Sage whispered.

  “It’s female?”

  “It’s anything it wants to be,” Sage said. Something in his voice, a slight tremor, made Basil look at Sage. His brother’s eyes rounded in horror at the entity. His hands trembled. The blood drained from his face.

  Sage had been tortured.

  Basil’s bile rose in his throat, nearly gagging him. Anger surged, pounding in his blood. How could Drake do this? He used this demon against Sage in some horrible manner. Torturing him, his own brother.

  “Sage,” the demon hissed again. “Are you running away so soon? I thought we were enjoying our time together.”

  Basil identified the feminine lilt to the sound. The flames licking around shadow shifted, mutating into another shape, one with curves. The flames died away to reveal a tall woman, black hair, pale skin. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. No one might have guessed this woman was a demon until she opened her eyes, revealing a strange red glow that lit the room.

  She smiled. An evil smile. Hideous. One that promised pain for her enjoyment.

  Basil shivered, and his brother’s fingers dug painfully into his arm.

  “I cannot help you with this, my brother,” Sage said in a pain-filled whisper. He trembled.

  Gods! What had she done to him?

  Basil took a step forward, maneuvering himself slightly in front of Sage in a gesture of protection. How did he plan on accomplishing that protection? He hadn’t a clue.

  But, he needed to do something to give Julia the time she needed to escape.

  He took a moment to check on her. She had moved to where her sister’s body lay on the table. He glimpsed her as she finished drawing a circle of protection around them.

  Good.

  She had enough sense to make an effort for defense.

  Now it was Basil’s turn to attack.

  ****

  Julia had not a moment to lose. After she ran to her sister’s side, she found a jar of dirt on the shelf next to the table and used the contents to draw a circle of protection around the table containing her sister. As she drew, she whispered the necessary words to strengthen the circle so Drake nor his demon could break it.

  Then she watched the altercation between Basil and the demon.

  Helplessly watched.

  What could she do? Basil was right. Her power was not strong. She had no prayer of a chance to fight it. She could do naught, but stand and watch.

  Like a victim.

  She and her sister had been Drake’s victims for long enough. She needed to do something to help Basil.

  Think!

  The demon spoke to Sage, and its form shifted. It was no longer a mass of fire and darkness. The demon took the shape of a darkly beautiful woman with eyes of flame.

  “Come to me, Sage,” the demon’s voice growled, sultry and seductive. “Let’s continue where we left off.”

  Julia glanced at Sage, who had gone white. Basil stepped in front of him in a protective stance.

  How long could Basil hold out? The demon would consume any of his magic. In fact, that must have been how Sage lost his power. When he attacked it in defense, it must have taken his magic. That’s why Sage couldn’t perform any spells. The demon must be a succubus, draining a witch of his abilities.

  A demon also with the ability to control flame. She used her power to hurt Sage, burning him in ways that hurt but didn’t mutilate. Perhaps by the orders of Drake? If he had summoned the demon, he had control over it.

  Tenuous, at best.

  Julia knew never to deal with demons. They had all been taught the dangers since childhood. To summon a demon was black magic. It tainted the soul. Drake’s must be as black as midnight.

  “Stay back!” Basil held his arms up to ward her off. Not that it would do any good. The demon was strong enough to break Basil’s arm.

  He tried another tactic.

  “I order you, command you, to go back to the flames from whence you came.”

  The demon laughed, a high tinkling sound sending
shivers through Julia.

  “You cannot order me, witch. You must summon me to command me.”

  “Then I summon you, demon, to do as I bid.”

  “If only it were so simple. I serve one master at a time. And I have yet to fulfill my duties here. I cannot be summoned until he’s finished with me.”

  Basil cursed.

  It took several moments, but Sage recovered his courage, taking a step to stand beside his brother. With a roar, he picked up a chair and threw it at the demon’s head. The demon raised an arm. The chair crashed against her arm as if being smashed upon a wall. Then she laughed, flicking her wrist until a small flame shot out of her fingertips, lighting the remainder of the chair Sage still held. He threw it down.

  Basil lifted his arms, casting an attack spell upon the demon. Seconds after he unleashed the spell, he grabbed his hand, bent over and grunted in pain.

  Sage grabbed his shoulder. “I said no attack spells!”

  “Sorry. Instinct.”

  The demon tilted her head back and laughed. When she readjusted her gaze on the men, she said, “Perhaps I need a new plaything. This one seems nice.” She stepped toward Basil.

  Julia gasped.

  They were going to lose. Basil and Sage hadn’t done any damage to the demon and while they were attempting to draw it away from her, Julia was left with Drake standing watch.

  He no longer smiled. Instead, he focused his attention on her, as if he couldn’t bear to watch what was going to happen to his brothers.

  “She will kill them, you know,” Julia said. “How can you let her do that?”

  Drake shook his head. “She merely wants to play. I ordered her not to maim or kill.”

  “Play? You mean torture?”

  He flinched.

  “Drake, you don’t have to do this!” Julia said, realizing she had found a spot. A small vulnerable spot. There were feelings hidden in this man, deep within his heart, feelings and memories linked tightly together about his brothers, his family. She knew the witch before he turned necromancer, if Julia could focus on his love for his family, perhaps she might persuade him to let them go.

  “They love you. They would never harm you.”

  He shook his head again. “It’s too late, Julia. You cannot stop my plans.”