Seventeen: Witch please

"Where are we going Emma?"

"Shut your hole and get in the car." She pointed the knife at me. I dared not disobey.

I duck down and settled on the backseat hands still bound. Atleast she didn't gag me.

She went around the car and opened the trunk, something heavy fell and she closed the lid. Without further ado, she sat on the driver seat and drove away.

I looked back and saw the manor sitting still, preserved prefectly. Ghostly and beautiful at the same time. No one stirred. I hope dad was okay.

Emma was whistling. This could be bad. In the movies if the bad guy was in a good mood you're in for a surprise. Either I end up dead or I overpower her.

"Are you planning how to escape sweetie?" She stared at me thru the mirror.

I met her eyes fiercely, "You bet."

Her wicked laugh rang again. Oh how I hated it!

"Don't even try anything stupid. Just cooperate and everything will end well. We can put this behind us and go on with our lives, back to normal."

"You're not even normal, Emma."

"You think so?" She was taunting me obviously. And I'm not falling for it.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Oh, just somewhere far from that bloody house."

I ignored her after that. My eyes strained to see beyond the dark glass. We were still driving thru the dirt road, that means she 's not taking me somewhere I could possibly ask for help. The property was desserted and no other house was around.

Except for one. The Kelly's.

But I've never been there. I don't even know where exactly it was. We didn't have the chance to drop by after our trip from the forest. Oh my god, he went out after Dad was attacked.

"What have you done to Tristane?"

"Your little boyfriend's a headache sweetie. He was taller you know, I had to use the element of surprise to get to him."

I felt rage creep into my face.

"Relax. He's alive. You look dangerous when provoked."

"If you hurt any of them I'll-"

"You'll what Krista? Hmm? Seriously, drop the bravery act. You and I both know I'm in control here."

"And you want that, don't you Emma? Always in control?"

"You bet." Her smile was blood curling.

She continued to drive for about another five minutes before finally parking in a secluded area. The engine was shut off and she was out the car.

I could hear gravel outside, that means we might still be near the dirt road. Then I can follow it back if I can run from her. But she's got the car.

I rolled my eyes. Is there no escaping her at all?

"Get up!"

I heard her opening the trunk and a grunt followed her words. She had someone in the trunk? This entire trip?

I twisted to see but the trunk was raised and I couldn't make out.

"Now open the door." She ordered the person.

I felt the chill crawled thru my spine as I stepped out.

"Tristane!"

He was holding the door open and was very disheleved.

"Krista?"

His eyes were swollen, the right one was almost shut. Blood dried on his lips. By god, what did Emma do to him?

"Okay, so you both are alive. Hurray! Now get going, reunion's over!" Emma was behind Tristane now holding a gun.

"A gun Emma? Really?"

"There's two of you now, I gotta make sure you won't be making reckless actions. Now, walk."

She pushed Tristane ahead and I followed next. We might be somewhere near the Alpine Forest, there was a lot oak and pine trees around. I couldn't make out the rest because the moon was hidden behind the clouds.

"Take us to the passage Tristane. Time to do some witching."

"What passage?"

Emma was smiling again, "He didn't tell you? He's got witch blood Krista, he weaves magic on his fingers. He's evil."

"I do not deal with black magic!"

"Oh come on! You got the potential, you just have to harness that power of yours." Emma ran her hands on Tristane's arm, "I can teach you. There's more to petty healing spells and pathetic anti magic whatnot."

"I am nothing like you."

"Yet."

This time Emma pushed me ahead. There was a beaten path and I found myself quite familiar with it. We walked in silence. Tristane was in so much pain due to his injuries and I was thinking a lot of things we could use to escape. Emma was just enjoying the moment.

It wasn't until we reached a clearing that I realised where we were going. I made a sharp turn and studied Emma's face. It was the same beautiful face with eyes as blue as the sky. Her blonde hair hung free and was swaying against the wind. A single lock landed on her shoulder before she brushed it off, the penlight she held confirmed that the strand was white.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Emma pointed the penlight at me, her red painted lips curved into an evil grin.

"You figured it out? How, I wonder?"

She pushed Tristane on his knees and raised the gun at me. We were standing below the pear tree that we have visited just awhile ago.

"You knew about the secret room. And you fit the profile perfectly." I answered.

"Really? Are you even sure you got it right?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, you just spoiled the fun Krista. Tsk, tsk.." Emma pulled out a pair of handcuffs behind her, "We'll just have to skip to the main event then? Shall we?"

Shit. What's going on?

"Bind her on that tree over there." She ordered Tristane.

My hands were still bound, the addition of the handcuffs was another problem. Tristane had no choice but obey her.

"Now, be good children while I prepare everything."

She tucked the gun behind her jeans and went towards the tree.

"I'm putting it in a lose vine. That way you can always pull it when the time comes." He whispered to me.

"I can't leave you here with that witch!"

"Trust me Krista, she won't kill me. But she will do anything to get you killed. Once I distract her, run."

"No.. Tristane, you don't know her. She's—"

"—Letecia." He finished my sentence, "I figured it out after we saw Yra's death. No one else knew who she was, but Letecia had studied her family. It was her who confirmed she was lowborn. And she happens to be my ancestor, where I inherited my powers. I should have been able to tell how near she was, I should've been able to detect her powers. But I was still weak after using so much magic tonight. She tazed me when I went out of the study and hit me with bat."

"She hurt you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just promise me you'll escape from this place. Only then I'll accept your apology."

"But—"

"Enough talk. Come here Tristane."

I turned my attention back to Emma, she had lighted candles all around the pear tree and had drawn something on ground with a chalk. She really is a witch.

Tristane squeezed my hand before leaving me. He was still limping due to his injuries. She pushed him down next to the spot where Claus was found years ago.

"You must be curious what I'm about to do, hmm?" She asked me.

"Believe me, I have a million of questions right now."

"Well, let's have it out then. I do have to wait until the moon comes out of those heavy clouds before I could start a bloody ritual."

I gritted my teeth, hoping the moon would stay hidden long enough to buy me time.

"Why did you call me asking about dad this morning?"

She smiled and it brought a thousand chills up my spine.

"I had to make sure you were isolated. I can't take on all of you at once. I knew Louie was easily toxicated so he was off the list. I was with Patrick the whole time."

She stared at Tristane, "But I wasn't expecting him. When you told me about your conflicted feelings with a Kelly and your Dad mentioned the manor, I connected the dots. Tristane's a descendant.

"That alone was enough to stir panic in me, I thought he'd uncover what really happened to the Baron. Though I was hoping that my pathetic bloodline had wanted nothing to do with the Norwood's and would just leave the house to rot. But no, they kept their bloody promise to me and cared for the whole damned place.

"So I made my plan, decided to come here and tie the lose ends. I burned all his research including those horrible portraits they kept. No one must discover what happened to Lucian. I tried so hard to erase any traces of them."

"Yet my Dad found the journal."

"Yes. I admit, he's pretty good at his job. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to allow him anymore discoveries."

"Did you chose my Dad specifically? Why didn't you just disappear into the other side of the planet? Why my dad of all people?"

"Oh but I didn't. You see, I've been wandering the earth for many years now. I left Winter Falls a long time ago, because people would start suspecting why I wasn't growing old. I met your Dad in Richmond when he was still working in the bank. I never expected he'd chase his long forgotten dream of digging ancient remains!

"Worst, he grew fond of the Lucian case. At first I thought he'd grow tired of it, the odds of stumbling at that damned journal was one in a million. If Claus was still alive, I'd strangle him for it.

"I could've just turned a blind eye when he found the house. I knew there wasn't anything in there to help dear old Lucian's pitiful disappearance. Every one from that time is dead."

"Except you." Tristane croaked.

"Yes. Except me."

"But my ancestors buried you. Or was that a lie as well."

"Of course it was a lie. I was merely pretending to be dying, I slipped away the night before they tossed the coffin six feet below the ground."

"Why Emma? Or should I say... Letecia Mayer?" I emphasized the last word so she would turn her full attention to me.

"I haven't been Letecia Mayer for... a long time. I'd appreciate it if you could just use Emma for now. I've grown fond of it, really." She walked around the candles, careful not to step on the pentagram.

"But you asked why I did it, hmm? Well, let me see. It was just because I wanted money." She stared at me and I was wide eyed, oh boy, she loved that look. "I was a petty weakling witch that time. My own family hated my gift, called it a curse. They threw me out and left me to die, if not for my sainted aunt I would've died already. She raised me like a normal girl, educated me enough that I became a governess.

"Then that stupid Clayton fell in love with me. He was of course a lord, a Baron. Well known, handsome and very rich. Who was I to turn such blessing? I agreed to become his mistress right under his wife's nose!

"He showered me with gifts, jewellry, money, my own cottage and even a personal carriage. And all I had to do was lay with him every night. I didn't find it tiresome really, Clayton was very good in bed."

Emma was walking towards me now, I tried not to squirm under her gaze.

"But then, it wasn't enough. I became greedy, I wanted more. He was willing to do anything you see, he was so all over me afterall. He doubled the gifts, more dresses, more of everything. But my time as governess was drawing close, Galbraith was growing. Pretty soon he wouldn't need me anymore.

"So then we compromised, I accepted a servant's work so I could stay. I hated it. But we were more free, no one suspected whenever I visit his study and we would just fuck each other. Everyone thought we were discussing household problems. Oh, it was brilliant."

"So why didn't you leave when he died?" I finally found the courage to ask. I knew that Clayton and Elizabeth caught the sickness that spread all over town and died miserably.

"You just heard half of the story sweetie. Let me get to the juicy parts now, hmm." She held the knife out and played with it. I hope she nicks herself and bleed to death.

"My sainted aunt died and she turned out be not a saint at all. She was a witch like me and a very powerful one, she dealt with black magic. In fact, its what's killed her. A forbidden spell that was too risky to be performed alone.

"I found her dark book as we call it. There, I found a lot of wonderful spells I never knew existed. I became hungry for power again, my magic laid dormant for so long I feared I wouldn't be able to use it anymore.

"Then I found the perfect spell for me, the one that would let me keep my beauty. The book was very specific how to perform the ritual and what sacrifices I needed. So I gathered everything and called the evil powers of the earth to grant me the eternal youth. And as you can see, I succeded!"

"Hurray. And now, we're back to square one. Why are you doing this?" I do have the tendency to be sarcastic at the most unfortunate times.

Her face grew serious. She held the knife and pressed the blade against my cheek, it stung. My blood was warm yet I could only feel the coolness from the blade itself.

"Well, let's just say like any other spell performed, I have to pay the price."

My eyes widened in horror. She laughed at my reaction.

"You should have seen your face Krista, your eyes almost popped out." She threw her head back, unable to contain her happiness.

She came back serious again.

"Why do you think I brought you here, when I could just kill you right away? There's no fun in that at all!"

"So you sacrifice me, gain my youth and you live another hundred years. That it?" I retorted back. If I'm going to die tonight I won't give her the last laugh.

"Hmm, not quite. But I like the idea, its those Hollywood movies ain't it? They do paint witches horribly. Sweetie, I don't need to sacrifice you to gain youth. I already paid that price long time ago. You are here merely because you were tainting the barrier I placed on my prisoner."

"Prisoner?"

"Lucian.. he's been paying you a great deal of visit, hasn't he?"

I tried not to show any emotion but at this time it was so hard maintain a blank face.

"You see, I don't really need him. I trapped him there because he was causing a lot of problem. With that farmer's daughter and planning to elope, it was a mess. I could have allowed him to run away with the wench, but I needed their money. And he was the sole heir.

"I was planning to compromise his reputation and he'd end up marrying me, I was great beauty dear. People would understand if he was found in bed with me—his governess.

"If that was a success, I would have helped him leave the town with the girl. Then I'd have the Norwood's wealth. But the wench died, after I carefully instructed Claus to prevent it. The idiot was supposed to send her away. Instead he let her die and later found in the bloody river.

"Thus Lucian went crazed, it ruined my plan. If I pushed for it, that would've created a ruckus. People would say I took advantage of the opportunity and I found it truly exhausting. So I reconsidered the spell again and I had to choose immidiately for the ritual can only be performed under a blood moon eclipse. Which happened a week later. And it was very rare, I can't pass up the opportunity."

"Then why did you stay? Why linger at all?"

"Because I found myself with child."

The silence was so strong I thought the earth had stopped spinning. I raised my gaze and met hers, there was flicker of sadness on her blue eyes. But it disappeared immdiately, she was good in putting up a good façade.

"You heard it right Krista, I was carrying Clayton's bastard."