《The Curse of the Guardian》


 Chapter 1

    I stood by the door at the bakery, hoping to close up, when I saw a regular customer and a friend walking down the parking lot, her two children in tow. She wore the look I knew well, the look of troubles. Part of me wanted to close up quickly and pretend we were closed already, but instead of listening to my instinct telling me that this is a problem we do not need, I opened the door with a smile.


    ¡°Welcome Laura, you are just in time!¡± Children walking next to her were happy to see me and did not look in distress. At least that was encouraging.


    ¡°Just in time for some last minute donuts, aren¡¯t you kids?¡±


    The children smiled back and the young girl ran toward me, jumping into my arms, while the boy was his usual serious self. I noticed Laura had been crying since her eyes were red, her cheeks all puffy and her lips swollen as if she had been biting them. I closed the door behind them and flipped the sign to CLOSED, before anyone else mistook us for being open. .


    Laura was a young mother to two little witch kids, while not having any magic herself. She used to be a good looking woman, with her dark blond hair and vibrant green eyes, but life and probably husband, beat that vibrancy out of her, so now she looked like a rag that someone threw on the floor and stomped on. I knew little of her situation, but what I did know was that she ran away from her sorcerer husband a couple of years ago, and she was deep into hiding. When my cousin Mia and I took over the bakery, Mia put a spell on the store that called out to people in the area in need of magical help. People like Laura who are in trouble and are looking for help, maybe not even knowing what kind of help, are attracted to the bakery and come in for a donut or two. The spell that Mia created gently suggests to people to share their problems with her, and the spell was incredibly intricate and difficult to maintain. It takes a couple of days to cast and needs to be redone every full moon so that it keeps its potency and calls out to people in trouble. My cousin has a kind face and a welcoming personality so people are drawn to her even without the spell.


    Laura was among our first customers for both the bakery business and Mia¡¯s Twilight cauldron store, requiring a very delicate spell that would help her and her kids to disappear. Mia, being a witch of considerable power, made a wonderful spell called The Hideaway, which she can imbue into candles, essential oils and incense, and it hides a magic signature of everyone within the area of the smoke or mist. Laura came to us with a problem and did not even know how to ask for help, but once she said she was on the run, Mia knew exactly what she needed and gave her a sample for free. Ever since then Laura has been a regular, admitting that the spell was the only reason why she was allowed to put down roots and raise her kids as she wanted to. Seeing her in distress was something that has not happened in years, so naturally I was worried about her and her children, since she has become more of a friend than just a customer.


    ¡°Hey Sasha, is Mia available?¡± Laura whispered. I escorted the kids to the display of our tiny donuts, and called my cousin, who was preparing new samples of cookies to be sold if the interest would be big enough.


    ¡°Cousin, you have a customer!¡±


    Laura sat behind a little table, with her back to the wall, so she had a perfect view of the kids, who were still admiring the tiny donuts, and the front door, checking for any danger that could have followed her. Mia appeared at the counter, carrying a selection of freshly baked cookies.


    Before you saw my cousin, you heard her, because she wore several beads which clicked and clacked as she walked. Her usual ensemble consisted of tight fitting shirts and long flowy skirts with many beads on her necklaces and bracelets, as she believed it made her seem more like a witch, even when I told her that at least to me, she looked more like Esmeralda the gipsy. Everyone loved Mia, no matter what she wore or how she looked, so if she wanted to adorn herself with layers and layers of beads that was her choice. Kids loved her because she was colorful and silly, adults loved her sense of humor and her smarts, the supernatural community loved her magic and her neutral stance.


    I¡¯m not a human myself, but lone shifters are far more common than lone, powerful witches. The local coven knew about Mia and made several attempts to bring her into the coven, but she was not a normal witch, just like I was not a normal shifter. Coming from Eastern Europe our magic was old and forgotten, and we didn¡¯t really fit into the fairly new American supernatural community.


    Mia was beautiful by any standards imaginable. She had long soft curls, light brown hair, clear blue eyes, a nose that was a bit long but it fit on her oval shaped face, full lips and rounded chin. She was tall and had just enough fat to make her desirable, while not being chubby or skinny. She walked with grace, to her own music, always smiling. Dressed as a fashionable gipsy, she wore a colorful skirt and white blouse, making the outfit pop with a deep purple scarf that was wrapped around her neck. She wore several long necklaces, bracelets, earrings and a few rings, all made out of colorful stones. The jewelry was actually homemade by another customer of Mias, who didn¡¯t have a lot of money, so Mia accepted jewelry as payment instead.


    She saw the kids first and immediately went to their side, picking up Sarah and twirling her around.


    ¡°You are so much bigger than the last time I saw you, little witch!¡± Sarah was giggling in her arms and continuing twirling even after Mia put her down.


    ¡°Shawn, you look more and more like a man, instead of a boy.¡± Shawn looked somber but shook her offered hand.


    ¡°Maybe you should consider stopping growing for a month or so?¡± She said as she stepped back, taking him in. Shawn, being all of 11 years old, just shrugged and went to his sister, who was picking out which tiny donuts she wanted to try today. I didn''t know how old Sarah was, but I guessed around five or six. I catered to the kids, offering the leftover tiny donuts, while my cousin focused on Laura. They tried to speak silently, but my hearing was good enough to listen in.


    ¡°I need more of Hideaway,¡± Sarah whispered.


    ¡°Kids are having nightmares of their father, asking where they are and to tell him the address or general location. I don¡¯t know what else to do¡­¡± I felt her eyes on the kids.


    ¡°Sometimes I wish they weren¡¯t witch born. I just want my kids to be safe.¡± The last sentence was accompanied with a sigh and a few tears.


    ¡°Sasha,¡± I heard my cousin say,


    ¡°Can you go make some tea for Laura, and maybe cocoa for the kids?¡± I beckoned to the kids. ¡°Come on little ones, let''s go find some tiny marshmallows to soak in nice hot cocoa.¡± Sarah made a squealing noise and ran to the back of the bakery, into the kitchen. Shawn lingered, looking back to his mom. I touched his shoulders and said:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your momma, she will be fine. My cousin has her back.¡± I winked at him.


    ¡°And I have yours.¡± He did not smile back, but slowly went to the back of the bakery as well. Sarah went and sat behind a table in a corner, while Shawn stood next to her, keeping an eye on the doors, visibly worried about his mom. It was not their first time in my kitchen so they knew not to touch anything hot and wait where it''s safe. If this would be a social visit we would go to our apartment which was located right across the hallway from the bakery, but I wanted to keep the kids close to their mom, just in case.


    I took the electric kettle and poured water in for the tea. For the cocoa I found a smaller pot and filled it with milk.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t like my cocoa with water,¡± I said softly to the kids, throwing them a smile. While water was being boiled and milk was heating up, I went and sat across the kids wanting to make them feel safe and talkative. I found tiny marshmallows in a cupboard with the cocoa powder, so I put it on the table, but the kids didn¡¯t even notice. In a desperate attempt to get their attention I ate several tiny marshmallows, oohing and aahing how good and fluffy they were. Sarah was happy to follow my example as she grabbed a fistful of the marshmallows and threw them in her mouth, but Shawn was being stubborn.


    ¡°So what¡¯s wrong?¡± Shawn made a frown face, but Sarah had no problems telling me all sorts of secrets.


    ¡°Mommy said it''s a secret, and she told me not to tell anyone at school.¡± She made a point of taking more marshmallows,


    ¡°But you are like my aunty and she tells you stuff anyway.¡± She peeked at her brother, but decided to continue.


    ¡°I had a bad dream.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I have bad dreams as well. They happen sometimes,¡± I said softly. Shawn made an odd noise.


    ¡°I dreamed of the bad man eating Shawn.¡± I threw a marshmallow in my mouth thinking of what to say next.


    ¡°Did anything else happen? In the bad dream?¡± Sarah looked at Shawn.


    ¡°He dreamt I got eaten as well. He just doesn¡¯t want to tell mommy, because she got really scared when I told her my dream.¡± Shawn finally opened up to add:


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t want her to worry. I have been having bad dreams for a while, but mom always makes such a fuss out of everything.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°Moms do like to make fuss and most of the time they don¡¯t fuss over nothing. Did she say anything about why she fussed?¡± The kids shook their heads. Shawn continued:


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say, but I know. She is scared that our father will find us and take away our magic.¡±


    The kettle made a whistling noise so I stepped away to find some mugs thinking about what the kids told me. I poured boiling water in a big tea cup and added a special tea mix my cousin makes, making the tea calm and soothing and for the kids I found some smaller cups with colorful cartoon characters all over them, adding cocoa powder that we have specially ordered from Belgia. My own mug is more akin to a soup mug, big and deep, with a Pooh bear on it. I heard Mia¡¯s beads and she was suddenly in the kitchen asking if tea was ready. I gave her a mug for Laura, and took the two smaller mugs to the kids. Their eyes shone with anticipation, and even Shawn seemed more relaxed as he put several marshmallows into his mug.


    ¡°Shawn,¡± I started carefully.


    ¡°How long have you had dreams about your father?¡± Cocoa was too hot to drink, but he used a spoon to fish out a marshmallow and while he was blowing on it, to cool it down, Sarah answered the question.


    ¡°Since my 5th birthday, when my magic lit up.¡± I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°What do you mean Sarah, when you say that your magic lit up?¡±


    Sarah looked me straight in the eyes. ¡°I have big big magic now.¡± She flung her arms wide and almost hit her brother in the face.


    ¡°It used to be small, like a little fire right here,¡± she motioned to her chest, right above her heart,


    ¡°But since my birthday it has been growing and growing and growing. It¡¯s really big now.¡± She said with a smile, while I tried to make my face blank. It wasn¡¯t all that hard, since hiding my emotions was something I had to do since I was a kid.


    ¡°When did you start having nightmares then, Sarah? Shawn has been having them for a while, what about you?¡± Since Sarah was too busy slurping the hot cocoa from the spoon, Shawn took the opportunity and answered for her.


    ¡°Three nights in a row,¡± He either ignored the hotness of the cocoa or he chilled it down somehow, because his cup was half empty already.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I covered my face with my palms, thinking. Nightmares were not good as the dreams could either be prophetic or their father was looking for them, but they could also just be a dream. I felt like I didn''t have enough information about Laura and her situation to judge the severity of the nightmares and what to make of them. I also wasn''t an expert in dreams or magic and how they might work together in children who have incredible magical potential. The big issue at hand was also their father, who Laura claimed was an incredibly powerful sorcerer. Not all sorcerers are evil, but good ones are the exception of the rule. Knowing that Laura ran away from her husband, father of her kids, I can imagine him being evil or at least bad enough to hide his children away from him. But eating or taking kids'' magic away is something I can¡¯t really imagine any good man would do.


    I smiled at the kids, patted them on the head and went to the front of the bakery, where Mia and Laura were whispering. I looked at my witchy cousin and made a motion for her to notice me.


    ¡°Switch with me.¡± I think Mia was more surprised than Laura, but she got up. When she walked  past me, I whispered:


    ¡°Ask about the nightmares.¡± With that information Mia went to the kitchen and I went to sit next to Laura, who had clearly been crying and looked very upset. For a few minutes I sat in silence, allowing her to compose herself. She took a sip of her tea before she started talking.


    ¡°I bring troubles to your door, and yet you still¡­¡± I didn¡¯t let her finish her sentence.


    ¡°Laura, you are not just a valued and regular customer, but both me and Mia consider you a friend.¡± She smiled weakly. I put my hand over hers and whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t ask people about why they come here and seek my cousin, usually I wait until they are comfortable enough to talk. Sooner or later, truth is told and problems are solved, one way or another. But you have been coming here since your little girl was a baby, and you still haven¡¯t told me your story. It¡¯s time Laura, you need to tell me.¡± She looked scared. Smell of terror emanated from her body and I blinked in surprised because I didn¡¯t expect terror. She tried to tug her hand back into her lap, but I was holding it firmly in my hands. She sat there quietly, until we heard Mia walk back in.


    ¡°Kids went to the apartment to find some books and toys.¡± Mia said as she was sitting down. She put her hands above both of our hands and whispered a spell:


    ¡°That, what is said here and now, let it be a secret, forever and ever. Let us be unseen or unheard, in this house, in this place.¡± She said the spell in English so that Laura would understand what she said, but I knew that the original spell was not in English. I never realized it doesn¡¯t matter what language you say the spell, as long as you know what you are doing, but I also never had more than just a passing interest in magic so there is a lot I don¡¯t know or care to know.


    ¡°You are safe here, Laura. It¡¯s a haven for the troubled, always has been and will be as long as we live here. Spell that I cast was an extra measure, but now you can really trust that you are safe and protected in this house. It¡¯s time.¡± Laura¡¯s mouth was a thin line, but I could see her resolve weakening.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I told you this before, but I was born into a prominent witch family in Seattle.¡± She started talking, but she wouldn¡¯t lift her head to look at us.


    ¡°Sadly I was born without magic. It has been happening more and more lately, especially in the oldest witch families. There are children born with no magic even to a male and female witch and that has never happened before in the known history. To help this issue they have been  breeding the kids out to other families, trying to see what happens, if it¡¯s simply inbreeding or if the lack of magic is caused by something else. They call children like me a witch kin, and two times out of five, if a witch kin has a child with a full witch, that child is a full witch.¡± I tried really hard not to look at Mia. She has had a lot of witches making propositions, so maybe it wasn¡¯t all for love, like we thought. Having a witch from one of the oldest european families might be a huge bonus for a declining witch family. New genes and all that.


    ¡°If a witch kin marries a human and has kids, they are nine times out of ten, human. Witch families usually let children like me marry for love, since there are more and more of us and we are becoming less relevant, but all my cousins and my sisters were also born witch kin, and my family was desperate for a new generation of witches.¡± She looked into my eyes and angrily said:


    ¡°I was 17 when Mikhael came with a proposal of marriage to my family. He was a sorcerer of some renown from an old family. who wanted to marry a witch, but there were no witches to marry, so my family offered me. Unbeknownst to me they came to an arrangement that if children would be born during the marriage, he would keep all the males and my family would get all the females. My family laughed at his mention of male witches, for they are extremely rare and treasured. They did not think we would have any children at all, since sorcerers are hard to breed and they are not known to have any kids at all. To them it was not a big deal to get rid of one of the many witch kin girls they had, for this experiment.¡± She swallowed in anger and resentment.


    ¡°I had no choice in this at all. As soon as I finished high school they informed me I was to marry Mikhael and be his. I was not happy, but Mikhael was very handsome and charismatic. We met and went on several dates as well, before the wedding.¡± She started whispering.


    ¡°I think he was slowly spelling me. Some love charm or something. Because yes he was good looking and yes, he was charismatic and older and more experienced, but I remember so little of our dates. Even our wedding is a blur.¡± There were tears trailing down her cheeks, falling on her shirt. I looked horrified, while Mia¡¯s face was blank. We dared not to interrupt her, for fear she would stop talking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the sex, but I do remember the magic. There was a massive pentagram under the bed, and although I am witch kin and can¡¯t do magic, I can still feel it. We had several bedrooms in the house, and one was specifically for when we had sex and I was ovulating. I swear he used magic on me to keep me subservient. You have to understand, I never had much of a spine, but I had some hobbies and wishes. I wanted to become a zookeeper and work with the animals. After the wedding, all I wanted was to please my husband, be healthy and fertile and that¡¯s it. When he wasn¡¯t there it was like I didn¡¯t exist.¡± She was almost visibly shrinking in front of us. Her arms were hugging her body, her head was low and she just looked so small.


    ¡°I have no words to explain it. I had to be spelled or charmed in some way, because there is no other explanation. I don¡¯t think I loved him¡­¡± She did not finish her thoughts. She was trying to convince us so hard that she was spelled and that it wasn¡¯t her fault that it made me suspicious. She was young and impressionable, and Mikhael was older and charismatic. She may have been spelled or maybe she was just in love. She could be ashamed of her feelings, and that''s why she is so quick to turn to magic. I know that there are spells that make you lustfull, but I don¡¯t know if true love spells actually exist.


    ¡°I became pregnant quite quickly, within months! It was a surprise to Mikhael and to my family and for the first time I was praised and not considered a failure or a burden.¡± Her hand gestures were becoming more and more wild.


    ¡°It was the happiest I have ever been. Mikhael was a doting husband, taking great care of me, feeding me, being a warm, welcoming person. We stopped having sex in the bedroom with the pentagram and life became easier. We even slept in the same room for the longest time, even though I had my own bedroom in the other wing of the house. Nursery was made and an ultrasound showed I was carrying a boy.¡± She stopped for a while and took a sip of her tea. She used this time to compose her thoughts.


    ¡°I think this is where the fog started lifting. Mikhael was ecstatic that I was carrying a boy. He was saying a lot about a deal he made with my family, and how we can keep our first child. It¡¯s where I found out about the deal and that my female children would be sent to my family. I tried to object, they were my children, but I just couldn¡¯t. Do you know how horrible it is, when you try to be mad at someone and you try to talk to them, and you just can¡¯t? The words would not leave my mouth¡­ And Mikhael knew it. He saw me trying to talk and being unable to, and he just laughed. He made fun of me, saying that if I have something to say, I should just say it. When I started to cry in frustration, he hit me.¡± She put her hand on her left cheek, rubbing it gently. I changed my mind about her being spelled, this was clearly a spell of some sort. I sighed silently, but her story was far from over.


    ¡°I gave birth at home, in the bedroom where Shawn was conceived. He had a strange witch come into the house, helping me. I don¡¯t know who she was, but everytime she touched me I screamed in pain and horror. It was the single most horrifying experience in my life. Sometimes I have a nightmare about that woman, where she takes my newborn son and eats him, in front of me. She then takes my womb out and eats that as well, leaving me to bleed out. I told that fear to Mikhael once and he just said that I am lucky, that she owed him a favor, because he would not put it past her, to not do just that.¡± Laura was shaking now. I don¡¯t know if it was the cold or fear, but the whole bakery had a stench of horror and despair. I made a face and looked at Mia. She was pale, because just like me, she remembered a story we were told as kids, about a witch eating newborns as payment for her help¡­


    ¡°I barely remember Shawn being a baby. I know I had a wetnurse helping me take care of him, but my memory only clears up when I had my miscarriages.¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself, I gasped a little. She said miscarriages, not a miscarriage. That means that there were several of them.


    ¡°I think it was five or six miscarriages, before Sarah. I honestly can not say, my memory is that bad. But in the last few months all the spells that Mikhael put on me, stopped working. He did not know of course, because I still acted foggy. I pretended I was sick quite often, so he would leave me alone. I don¡¯t know if it was Shawn¡¯s magic that sobered me up, or maybe it was Sarah herself. But one of my children brought me out of Mikhale¡¯s hold and I was free. I started plotting my escape, because I knew I carried a girl this time, and she would be sent to my family. At that point I hated my family as much as I hated Mikhael. They gave me to him and left me there, not even checking up with me one time.¡± Her tea was gone and she looked at Mia.


    ¡°I finally escaped. I faked labour pains, and he went to pick up the midwife. I drugged the wetnurse with sleeping pills, took my son and ran. I had no goal in mind, I just wanted to get away from the house of horror, so my babies would be safe. I drove for days, no goal, just drove. I slept a little in the car, feeding Shawn with fast food. I stole money from the wetnurse before I left so I had a couple of hundred dollars on me, but after a few weeks I was out of money. I gave birth to my daughter by myself in a car, only Shawn to help me. He was the one who was holding the newborn Sarah, while I cut the cord.¡± She closed her eyes and whispered:


    ¡°I think he healed me as well. I remember giving birth, cutting the cord, and then nothing. I think I was bleeding quite a lot, but when I woke up, the bleeding stopped.¡± She was now tapping the table with her fingers.


    ¡°I left the car in a bad neighborhood with keys in the car because I knew someone would take it and that it would make it back to Mikhael. Shawn used his magic to help me steal a new car and he also made the ATM drop money. I am so ashamed when I think about how I used my son''s magic, but I had no other choice.¡± I finally interjected in her story.


    ¡°There is no judgment here Laura.¡± She smiled bitterly, but finished the story.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we did for a while. I would take a new car in each town, take kids to the ATM to get some money. Three months on the run¡­¡± Suddenly she sat up straighter, feeling better about herself.


    ¡°We found your bakery about three months after I escaped. Shawn was actually asking me for something and we stopped in several bakeries, but he didn¡¯t like any of them. He kept insisting I need to drive there, and get him a donut. I don¡¯t even know why I listened, other than he was really the best little man, and he didn¡¯t ask for stuff often. When I saw your bakery I finally understood. I felt the magic, but it was so warm, so welcoming, so unlike what I was used to. Before I entered I cried a bit, because I finally felt safe.¡± Her eyes were teary again, but this time the tears were accompanied with a smile.


    ¡°Mia, you immediately knew what I needed. Something to hide me and my children from magic and you offered the spell immediately. I left the bakery with donuts and Hideaway. That first night, we stayed in the hotel and I put oil on my children and we finally felt safe. That horrible feeling that someone or something was after us was finally gone.¡± I don¡¯t remember her first visit, but Mia obviously did. She took a moment to answer.


    ¡°There is a spell on the bakery that attracts a certain kind of person. Those in need of help, in need of protection and safety. Spell attracts people like you, the people I can help, and hides it from people who would abuse my help. There isn¡¯t a lot I can do, but the Hideaway spell is one of my best inventions. I¡¯m glad it helped you, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Mia looked happy and that made me smile. Because every time Mia is happy, so am I.


    ¡°I stayed in the hotel for the whole week, thinking about my next move.¡± Laura continued.


    ¡°I realized it was time I stop running and build up my defenses. Your spell gave me just that. I rented a house, with a promise of being able to buy it, and started a protection circle that would hide us, without your help. The protection that I was setting up takes years to finish, so your help was still essential for me and my children. And now,¡± there was a sob escaping from her,


    ¡°I am finally so close to finishing the protection and somehow he has found us. I don¡¯t know how, but I feel the bad energy as soon as I go outside, it''s always there waiting for me and the kids. I just need a few more months before the house is spelled completely, but I just know he will be here before that.¡± Tears were back. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. We didn¡¯t even hear the kids, but suddenly they appeared, hugging their mom. Sarah, the little princess, looked at me and said:


    ¡°Save us aunty Sasha. I know you can. Mother said so.¡± I sat up straighter and Mia did as well. She looked at me with her eyes in shock.


    ¡°Did you mean mommy told you so?¡± She tried to elaborate, but Shawn was the one who answered.


    ¡°It was Mother. She came to us in a dream, chasing the bad man away. She looked weird, half shadow, half human, hidden between the trees and yet standing on a meadow. The half moon was behind her and..., ¡° He stopped, frown on his face. Sarah took my hand in hers:


    ¡°She was human, but she wasn¡¯t human. She told us to find the guardian. The guardian who protects the witches and guards against all evil. She said to tell you...,¡± Shawn and Sarah both said it in one voice at the same time.


    ¡°Tell my chosen one that Mother wants her to help you, for you two are the children of the future and in need of a strong guardian.¡± Their eyes glazed over and they both looked at me, still saying it in one voice:


    ¡°Time to step out of the shadows, to accept the place that the Gods created you for. Be the guardian you were meant to be, and grow out of the witch¡¯s shadow..¡± There was an eerie atmosphere in the bakery, and a silence so great you could hear a pin drop. Children moved to hug their mom, and I stared at Mia in horror.

 Chapter 2

    I was cleaning up the kitchen, while Mia was talking to Laura about adding more protection to the house. She will visit the house after the full moon, adding her magic to the circle, to reinforce the protection circle or to draw another circle of her own making. I gave the kids tons of baked goods, since it was the end of the day and they would have been thrown away anyway, and I even added some sprinkles so they can sprinkle the donuts themselves. We talked no more about the Mother or me being the Guardian, but I felt the eyes follow me everywhere I went. Laura calmed enough to drive, and Mia gave her the last bottle of Hideaway, and told her how to use it more efficiently until she reinforced the protection. She took some hair from the kids and Laura, to make little dolls with the kids magic signature and lure the evil away from the kids, possibly even to our apartment. She was even talking about making several dolls and dropping them all around the town, so if anyone is looking for them, they won''t know where to go and how to search for the kids. Since they share blood, this might be the only way to confuse the magic that the sorcerer was using, at least Mia hoped so. I knew very little about doll magic, so I let her do her own thing, while I stayed quiet. I knew the kids were looking at me, looking for me to protect them, but I truly did not know how to protect them against this kind of magic or even their sorcerer father. If it would have been a magic attack then yes, I would simply stand in front of them taking the magic within me, but as a shifter, I had little control over magic search spells. After they said their goodbyes Mia came and stood next to me, opening her arms into a hug.


    We were not blood cousins, but we looked similar enough that no one doubted when we called ourselves cousins. Our coloring was fairly similar, me having darker brown hair with red undertones than her light brown, and she had light blue eyes while mine were borderline gray. My nose was wider and smaller, my lips less full than hers. I had a nice oval shaped face with no dimples, while Mia had a sweetheart shaped face and every time she smiled her dimples would appear making her seem younger than she was. I had an hourglass figure, although it was mostly hidden by a layer of fat. I was definitely more cubby and smaller than my beautiful cousin, with bigger breasts and behind. She would often joke, how if you would combine our features you would get the perfect woman, tall enough and with all the right curves so that everyone would find it beautiful.


    I knew I was pretty, especially if I dressed for it, but I was merely pretty, while she was beautiful. I was also aware that beauty is only skin deep, and that it¡¯s the inside that makes a person truly beautiful. Luckily my cousin was beautiful on the inside and the outside, and she really did light up like a sun when she smiled and no one could argue with that. I loved my witchy cousin, and we have been best friends since early childhood.


    ¡°I never realized Laura had such a horrible and sad past,¡± my cousin started saying. I leaned away from her arms, sharing my thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°I guessed that it had to be something like that, to be honest. The way she needs to stay hidden and how protective she is of the kids, someone had to be after the kids and or her.¡± I looked at Mia for the first time after they left.


    ¡°Can you help them?¡± I caught her biting her nails.


    ¡°Well, yes. But¡­ It¡¯s complicated. There are several things that bother me. First of all I am at my weakest at the moment, one week before the full moon, second the amount of magic that Sarah is leaking is enormous. I gave her a talisman that should keep the magic contained for now, but it won¡¯t last long and the only thing that comes to mind is harvesting the extra magic and sealing it somewhere. But that comes with its own set of problems.¡± she sighed loudly, making exasperated arm gestures. I nodded, following her thought and took her hand in mine, pulling the nails out of her mouth. It was a bad habit and she only indulged it under stress.


    ¡°Is it the same situation you were in, after you came into power?¡± Mia was not born a prodigy. When she was 9 years old she went missing for several days and it changed her completely. By the time she was found her magic was greater than it was, greater than that of her grandmother, who was a matriarch of the coven.


    Mia was a powerful moon witch, meaning her magic was at its most powerful during a full moon and almost null during the empty moon, although during the empty moon some spells have more potency than others, or so she claims. She specialized in protection runes and they are powerful enough that no one can enter her protection circle without her permission, no matter how powerful the person is. At least in theory, but even she admitted that there are people with such potential that they could just walk through any protection circle, even hers. Being a moon witch is rare enough but there is another aspect of her magic that makes her special.


    When she disappeared all those years ago she was just a normal girl that showed a mediocre potential for moon magic, and when she came back the amount of control she had over her magic was astounding and she was as powerful as any adult moon witch. I am the only one she told what happened to her and I am pretty sure she didn''t tell me the whole story, but the short version is already odd enough.


    While being lost in the woods, she prayed to the moon, to the sun and the earth. It was the old Gods that answered. One God in particular took an interest in a young witch and that was Veles, the slavic God of witchcraft himself. He appeared before her, as an old bearded man with horns on his head, dressed in leather tunic and bare feet. He stared at her and she stared back, silent in her shock. He moved forward and extended his hands beckoning her to come to him and she did. As soon as she touched his extended hands she felt at peace and she could hear his words, even though he was not speaking. They conversed for a time and he promised he would help her, but only if she would make a statue of him and pray to him for a year, praising the name of Veles so that he may walk upon the Earth as a human for a short time and see how his people have fared. She promised and a day later a small bear walked up to her to lead her out of the forest. I was that bear, but I told her that Veles did not send me, the Great Mother Bear sent me. In the end, it did not matter, she was saved and that was that.


    Few days after the ordeal she did as she was bid. She found a large piece of wood, as big as her forearm and she carved a likeness of Veles into it. It was a crude statue, probably nothing like Veles expected, but it was his image and every morning she would put part of her breakfast in front of the statue and she would offer thanks for being saved. She would tell me that with every offering the carved statue changed, and by the end of the year the statue was quite elaborate and detailed and bore an exact likeness to the God she saw in the woods.


    This was just the beginning. She would pray and talk to other gods and eventually reached an agreement with some. They would give her a power or a boon in exchange for offerings or sacrifice, it all depended on a God she was talking to. Eventually her mother and other witches realized that something was off and once she told them, they called her a pagan and that she should only pray to Hecate, the mother of witches or Mother Earth, the one who gave birth to us all. Mia refused and it was the first difference of opinion that she had with her coven and that eventually led to her leaving the village all together.


    I never understood what the big deal was. The other witches worship Hecate, which is also a pagan goddess, but Mia assured me that it¡¯s not the same thing at all even if I fail to see the difference. As a pagan priestess she has a direct connection to the Gods and she can ask for boons and more often than not, in exchange for a small sacrifice, her wishes are granted. With the blessing of the Gods she can do some wonderful spells or even enchant objects, which was considered a lost art.


    I love my cousin dearly, but as a pagan witch she more often than not, scares the shit out of me. I have seen and heard Veles talking through her, using her as an avatar, and it was the scariest thing I have ever seen up to date.


    Unlike her I was just a shifter, and while bears are rare and only found in eastern Europe and in Russia,  I was nowhere near as special as my cousin. Compared to other shifters, bears are superior in terms of not being bound to the moon, not being allergic to silver and breeding true, but our healing was almost as slow as human and our bite would not turn anyone furry. As my grandmother always said, there is a difference between the gift that we have received and the curse that most other shifters are under.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    My train of thought was interrupted by Mia answering my question.


    ¡°Yes, in a way,¡± she said deep in thought. ¡°She has too much magic and her body can¡¯t handle it so it¡¯s leaking and leaving her magic signature everywhere. Not only is that bad because their father is on the hunt, but this kind of magic will attract others as well. Black witches love children because it''s easier to steal their magic, vampires find magic users especially tasty and children even more so, even shifters would love to have a child to raise in their family for their own purposes. And not to mention the coven.¡± As soon as she mentioned the coven, her face made a sour expression as if she just sucked on a lemon. She finished her rant, muttering under her breath.


    ¡°I knew that children with magic were precious, but I didn¡¯t know that witch families have fertility problems.¡± That got me thinking of our own families.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that problem,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, you have two sisters, both witches. Not like you, you are special, but they are competent.¡± Mia didn¡¯t say anything more, but sighed loudly and left the bakery to go to the apartment. That left me with the cleanup of the bakery, which would usually make me upset but I figured she had more important things on her mind.


    Mia was not the only one changed by her disappearance. Third night of her going missing I had a dream in which I was visited by the Great Mother Bear, who is said to be the first human to undergo the change from human to bear. I was only eight years old at the time and my memory of the dream has been hazy from the start and I didn¡¯t truly believe that it happened until I felt a magical connection to Mia. The Great Mother Bear asked me if I want to help my friend and if I am willing to change my whole life to be of service, if I was willing to be more than I was supposed to be. She might have used different words, but the intention was clear she was asking if I was willing to change to help Mia. I told her I would do anything to help find her. When I woke up I was in my bear form, which was unusual, but even more unusual was that I knew exactly where to go to find Mia. I wandered into the forest behind my house and walked for hours, until I saw Mia crying on a clearing, just in front of the most bizarre cottage that looked completely out of place in the middle of the forest. I did not question why the cottage was there, nor did I question human looking bones around the cottage or the massive eye that was the window in a little turret on the roof. I ran to Mia and pulled her by her hand, urging her to follow me home.


    We have been together ever since, inseparable, together forever, bound by blood, wild magic and fate. I wonder sometimes who was I meant to be, who was Mia meant to be and why we were not allowed to be normal. It is a dark and gloomy train of thought and if possible I try not to think about it. We were both changed by the wild magic, making us both more powerful and more alien, even if it did save our lives. When I ask Mia about it, she simply says that whatever happened was meant to happen and it helped her survive, but even she is not sure sometimes if it was worth it, as her life has taken some bad turns.


    I found her sitting on the couch in the apartment and I sat down next to her.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± I finally asked.


    ¡°I need more magic than just one ritual.¡± She answered with a sigh. ¡°I will ask Penelope if she would be willing to help me raise some magic.¡±


    I looked at her in surprise. I knew she had a way of acquiring magic that is incredibly powerful, but her usual way of getting that magic is asking the Gods, and that would require a sacrifice of sorts, the bigger the magic, the bigger the sacrifice. The only thing I could imagine that would require another person is blood magic, but that is a dark road that she swore would not use unless someone''s life is on the line.


    ¡°I want to ask, but I know your rituals are sacred. I have only been a witness to a few of them, and you have grown and changed a lot since then. So, is there something you want to tell me?¡±


    She chuckled a bit, putting her long hair in a ponytail. She got up nervously and looked out of the window, not wanting to face me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do death magic, so you don''t need to worry about it. But there is a goddess I can ask for help with protection magic and I know what she will ask for, because she has been leading to it every time I asked¡­ I just really did not want to ask her¡­¡± She went quiet, wrapping her hands around her as if she was cold. If I would have been braver I would have walked up to her, but I was hoping not to be involved in her magic rituals.


    ¡°She will lend me her magic if I honor her with a specific ceremony like her priestess used to honor her, but that ceremony usually ends up in orgy.¡± I blinked. Then I blinked again.


    ¡°Uhm, excuse me?¡± She then laughed.


    ¡°If I dance and later fuck Penelope under a full moon, while calling upon Mokosh I can make myself as powerful as an entire coven.¡± I suddenly got a headache.


    ¡°Couple of orgasms, in the middle of the forest, on the night of the full moon?¡± She laughed out loud and nodded.


    ¡°I guess the truth about many orgies that my ancestors held, had a purpose, and it wasn¡¯t just for fun.¡± Ancient priests and priestesses of my land were famous for their orgies. It was a long discussed topic amongst our families and most of them agree that public orgies were just rumors and did not actually happen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Penelope would be against public sex?¡± I asked. She looked out of a window and hmmed.


    ¡°Well as a daughter of a shaman, being Native herself, she has often asked how my magic works. She knows I¡¯m not a normal witch, so it might be intriguing to her. Your presence might bother her though.¡±


    ¡°My presence? No offense cousin, I love you dearly, but I do not need to see you have sex.¡± She looked at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very complicated ritual that will raise a lot of magic and I will need my guardian. I will invoke the Goddess and just that act will protect us to an extent, but you know how it is. Invoking is an invitation and even if I make a call, they might not answer. I need my guardian to be there if something else comes. Also it will be a night of full moon, and I have heard howling wolves in the past few months.¡± I groaned because everything she said made sense. I just really did not want to stand guard while she did her ritual. But she made a very good point about the wolves.


    ¡°So did I.¡± I whispered back.


    One of the reasons why I stopped going with my cousin to perform her rituals was because my smell would intrigue the wolves. If they just smell a witch they would avoid her, being more interested in other food or activities, but if she plans to do magic and have sex, the smell of sex would be too irresistible to the wolves. She would need protection, and that was my job description. I was her guardian, whether I wanted to be or not.


    ¡°Well, this full moon will be fun.¡± She threw me a cookie, making sure I was covered in crumbs. Laughing at my frown, she said: ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at us while we perform our ritual. You are needed for the first part, when we call upon the Gods and then you can shift. As a bear you can stand guard around us, but not really being close, you know? Just sit somewhere in proximity, making sure we are not disturbed. Although you might not really be needed, last time I did a similar ritual the magic itself was strong enough to hide me and keep me safe.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± I finally conceded. It didn¡¯t sound like we had much of a choice.


    ¡°Now I just have to sell public sex to Penelope, and that will be a tough sell.¡± I started laughing at my poor cousin. I knew she would never pick her partner based on their genitals, so her considering a female partner was not surprising. It was one of the reasons that we left home though. Being different around our family was too difficult for her and she needed to leave so she could be herself.


    ¡°Why Penelope?¡± I asked gently.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster or easier with a man?¡± Meaning, wouldn¡¯t a man honor the goddess more.


    ¡°I love Penelope. It¡¯s more about the feelings, the hunt, the catch, the release. It¡¯s about our sacrifice, what we are willing to do for power. Problem is also that invoking Lada might be too fertile and I would be worried about pregnancy if I would have sex with a man, no matter what kind of contraceptive I would use.¡± She looked away from me and stared out of the window, almost whispering the next part.


    ¡°I guess I just can¡¯t imagine doing this with anyone else but Penelope, and that is also a part of the ritual. I just know she would be perfect for it.¡± I nodded, ate my cookie and left for my room to think. I needed a nap.


    ¡°Wake me up if you need me for anything.¡± When I walked past her, I kissed her forehead, praying that she was right and that we can make a family safe, while being invisible ourselves. I don¡¯t want to announce our magic to everyone.  The world is not ready for a lost, wild magic to reappear, no matter what my cousin says and I would prefer to stay a secret. No one knows what the supernatural community will do once they find out that the old Gods are walking on this Earth again.

 Chapter 3

    The whole design of the Mountain view shopping center, apartment building, motel, gas station and car mechanic shop was odd to say the least. It is like a little island of civilization in the middle of nowhere, nothing but an old road that used to be popular and connected two big cities but has become obsolete when the interstate was built and yet somehow this little slice of heaven was still alive and surviving. I call it a little slice of heaven, because that is exactly what it has been to me and my cousin, but not everyone sees it this way. Since we first came here I learned that it is actually quite common in America to have gas stations around the backyard roads and if someone takes a liking to it, they can buy and develop the land. Sometimes it leads to major development and a lot of money, and sometimes it disappears and becomes obsolete. Why and how Mountain View survived is all thanks to its architect and investor.


    We don''t know much about Sebastian Kamen except that he is a vampire of unknown origin and that about 60 years ago he purchased this land that nobody wanted, miles between the two big cities and built himself a gas station with a diner. Or maybe it''s a restaurant with a gas station? He says he didn''t want to deal with the vampire politics so he used the confusion around the Vampire war that ravaged the North American continent in the forties and the fifties, and bought himself a plot of land. This was one of the few unclaimed lands that he liked and he wanted to make it big. He failed. It was very successful for a few years, so much so that his little diner grew, and he had to add a mechanic shop next to it, since that was a big demand and just across the busy road a motel was built for the travelers and next to the motel he started to build a few shopping stores, a shopping center of sorts. But that''s when the interstate took most of the travelers and working men away. From being busy and growing the whole area came to stagnate and after 20 years of prosperity everything came to a halting stop. Instead of building a huge shopping mall, Sebastian opted for just a strip of buildings with shops in the front and apartments on top of the stores. Later on he added apartments in the back as well and thus finished construction. Every couple of years he would update buildings making sure they were up to standard and that his tenants are happy and willing to stay, but there was no new growth. Most people who lived in the apartments worked in the stores below them or the motel, or they drove an hour to the nearest city. He offered to rent a store at a super cheap price and it came with an apartment as an incentive for people to stay here. All you have to do is sign a tenant contract for a few years, so that he can make sure there is always someone there, taking care of the stores and apartments. The business may not be as big as if we lived in a city, but we make do and survive.


    We had rented the shop that was the farthest from the road, a bakery and an apartment that was across from it. Sebastian was very apologetic since shop owners usually get the apartment above the shop, but it worked out better for us in the long run. Apartments in the back had a little patio and an access to the forest, which works perfectly, if I have to shift and run out in the middle of the night. Above the bakery lived an old lady, a previous renter, who had become too old to run the store alone and gave it up, but she stayed at the apartment since she had nowhere else to go. Next to the bakery there was an adult store that specializes in sex toys and lingerie and next to that one there was a thrift store that has an absurd amount of prom dresses on sale all year round. I would often go take a look and wonder how do these two stores stay in business, especially the sex store which was open 24/7. I have never heard of a sex store that would be open 24/7, but every time I would question the owner, all I would receive was a cryptic smile and a question how much do I really want to know about his customers who require a sex store to be open at all time.


    The liquor store that was next to the thrift store had a nice collection of alcohol and it offered a service where they can procure any beverage you want from any part of the world. They actually have a saying that if they can¡¯t get you what you want in 21 days, you get it for free and we use the service often. I use it to amuse myself and to try alcohol from different parts of the world, but Mia uses it to help her with her spells since they can procure any liquid you desire. The last store was actually two smaller stores combined into one big general store, they just knocked down a wall in between and made it bigger and roomier. They have most everything we need so that we don¡¯t need to venture into bigger cities, but they did not offer a lot of variety. Above the stores there were six apartments and the same layout was in the back of the building, six apartments on the first floor and six on the second. The apartments were all the same, two bedrooms with a little bathroom in between and one big room that was a living room with kitchen combined. Thankfully the bathroom had its own washer and dryer so we didn¡¯t have to go to the laundromat everytime we needed to do laundry.


    In front of the stores there was a big parking lot which could park about 40 cars and on the other end of it, there was a Mountain View Motel. Motel was L shaped and it had 20 rooms, with some rooms specialized for vampire visitors, with darkened windows and a sun proof hole in the floors. The motel would go through empty and completely full periods depending on the season.


    The road was what separated the area, and on the other side of the road there was a beautiful old timey diner, where Sebastian worked most nights. On the right of the diner were a few gas pumps and on the left a car mechanic store. Sebastian often said that the area grew as it was needed, and that he only started with a diner and added the rest later. He missed more people and more traffic but even he admitted that we had a nice community and that there are more than enough people to make money and a nice living.


    I was sitting outside on the patio, sipping my imported beer from Chech Republic and thinking about the situation we have found ourselves in. When I woke up Mia was in the kitchen making dolls out of straw and hair, and because I didn¡¯t want to bother her I ventured outside. When we moved in we made a little fence that would offer us some privacy from the neighbors, although living so close to each other privacy was mostly just in us averting eyes and pretending not to hear what we aren¡¯t meant to hear. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was our first real home since we came to America and I treasured every minute of it. I was actually thinking of asking Sebastian to rent my own apartment when it becomes available and while still living in the same building as Mia, not living in the same apartment. I loved living with my cousin but we were both over thirty and we made enough money that living together is no longer necessary.


    Mia interrupted my train of thought as she sat next to me, her own drink in hand. She was looking tired and anxious as she sipped wine.


    ¡°I contacted Martha to ask for permission to use Wolf Creek park for my ritual and Delilah was the one to answer.¡± Mia said after a few minutes of silence.


    ¡°Delilah answered? I wonder why.¡± I said,


    ¡°I thought Martha was still the leader of the coven? Or did she name Delilah her successor?¡± Mia looked more troubled with each question I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t have a good feeling. She basically demanded that I come over to her caf¨¦ so we can talk things through in person.¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°She demanded?¡± Mia nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. It was odd. I felt like she was trying to accuse me of something or get some information. Problem is I have no idea what she wants from me¡­¡± I shrugged. I finished my beer and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Do you really need to perform in that area? Is there no other way?¡±


    She drank the last of her wine and looked to the forest.


    ¡°Honestly I could make do with doing the ritual without their permission, since the chances of them finding out that we are there is low. But I wanted to be courteous and Martha never had an issue of me being in their territory, she just wanted to know when and where. I really didn''t expect this to become something more than a call.¡± I tapped my fingers on the wooden table and smiled.


    ¡°When do we go?¡±


    She looked at me with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to come?¡±


    I laughed, knowing that witches are the least scary things out there.


    ¡°Do you really think I would let you go alone to Delilah¡¯s cafe? She is not as strong as her grandmother, but she is twice as mean. She would not be my first pick as a coven leader with her personality.¡± I burped loudly, and Mia made a face, but my manners weren¡¯t the problem she wanted to go into at the moment. She checked her phone.


    ¡°She wants to meet tonight. As soon as possible.¡± I groaned and got up. I looked up and down at myself, realizing I could use a change of clothes. I went to the bedroom and motioned to my cousin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. We don¡¯t want to leave the future coven mistress waiting. She might curse us with pustules and boils, and that would be a pain to deal with.¡± I made my cousin giggle as she followed me.


    Driving to Delilah¡¯s caf¨¦ took an hour unless you were speeding and since it was getting late, my foot was heavy on the gas. The drive was uneventful and silent until we entered the so-called witches territory. As soon as the car crossed the invisible boundary we felt an immense pressure and it almost caused me to crash the car. Luckily it only lasted a second and as soon as it started it also ended.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± I said, slightly distraught as I stopped the car in the middle of an empty road.


    ¡°They set up a warning boundary.¡± Mia said, breathing hard.


    ¡°Whoever set it up can feel any supernatural creature entering or exiting the territory. This is a massive spell and it needs to be constantly worked on. It is a huge waste of power¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± She took another deep breath, clearly still feeling the boundary spell. She looked at me wide eyed.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. They wouldn¡¯t have this kind of spell just up at the borders.¡± I slowly started the car again, going slowly toward the city of Savannah.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Maybe it was meant for us? That they just wanted to know when we entered their territory?¡± Mia shook her head no.


    ¡°No, I told her we will come today, and she didn¡¯t know until a few hours ago. This spell takes a long time to set up.¡± We continued driving in silence, both lost in thought.


    The city of Savannah and surrounding area that coven considered their territory was about 10,000 people. Not the biggest of towns, but also not the smallest. The coven was very specific about who can and who can¡¯t live in their territory, making sure there are no shifters or vampires on their turf. As far as we know, only witches and their kin are allowed, and humans of course. When we considered staying in the area, coven leader Martha wanted to recruit Mia into the coven. I wouldn¡¯t be welcomed to stay within the town area, but the bakery was outside of the territory so it would have been a good arrangement since I would be staying with the bakery and in the apartment next to it and Mia would live with the witches in town. Mia almost said yes, but after their first coven meeting she was firmly against it.


    Apparently they tried to cast a spell of some sort, to test how powerful she was, and some of the coven members used the spell to try and siphon off Mia¡¯s magic. She discovered the attempt and turned it around on them. She told Martha that she would rather be a loner than stay in a coven with such blatant disrespect to visitors, especially since Martha wouldn¡¯t punish the witches, calling it a teenager transgression.


    We claimed the bakery as ours, although strictly speaking it did belong to Sebastian and Sebastian was a vampire who paid a tithe to the local Vampire family. The family claimed Memphis as theirs with most of the surrounding area, so they weren¡¯t as worried about Sebastian as the witches were about Mia. Luckily for us, Sebastian cared very little about one lone witch and one lone shifter, and he was actually excited to have Mia around since he used her services quite often.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Sebastian declared his land as a neutral territory but I had the feeling he made some kind of a deal, other than regular payments, with the Memphis family in order for them to leave him alone. He was old and powerful, and it didn¡¯t really make sense why he would work in a diner in the middle of nowhere, but you do not question the old vampires.


    ¡°I wonder if there is a turf war going on with the Family?¡± I suggested, but Mia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I talked to Ethan a few weeks ago, and he didn¡¯t suggest anything like that. He gushed about how effective my healing oil is, claiming that it heals even old scars. He was saying he would want to hire me on a monthly basis, to make oils just for him and the Family.¡±


    That was news to me. Ethan was the human servant of the Family and their daytime man. He was the highest a human could climb in a vampire family and if he spoke to her about a position it means it was approved from above.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I asked quietly. Working for the vampire family would bring her a lot of money and a status that she would not be able to achieve on her own.


    ¡°That I would think about it, but I like my loner status, so he shouldn¡¯t count on it.¡± I tapped the steering wheel.


    ¡°And he took that nicely?¡± She wouldn¡¯t answer me and rather looked outside. I sighed loudly enough for her to know that I was bothered by her non response, but didn''t push her any more.


    The witches had their caf¨¦ in the very middle of the town so parking was usually hard to find, but this time there was an empty spot right in front of the entrance. I glanced at Mia, snorting at their use of magic but Mia was firmly looking out of the window, being all gloomy. I parked the car, and put my hand on hers, so that she wouldn¡¯t rush out.


    ¡°What did Ethan offer, Mia?¡± I asked again, this time expecting an answer. She looked at me defiantly, as if she was a teenager breaking the rules and I was the mother. She knew I resent the implication of being overly motherly and overbearing so she used it against me to prove a point.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I was offered, my dear Sasha, so what is the point of talking about it? You know that I have to keep hidden and that I need to protect my magic, especially from vampires who might have a memory of what pagan magic is actually capable of. No matter what they offer me, working for vampires directly is one thing I can not do.¡± She left to go outside and I let her. Sometimes I wonder what we would be, if she had never disappeared, but today I didn¡¯t dare to think too much about it. It was getting late and I wanted to go back home and leave the witches territory behind me.


    I watched Mia walk away and sighed.  I was toying with a bead on the only bracelet I wore, a bracelet that Mia made me and she had an exact copy on her. The bracelets were magically spelled so that if something happens to one of the wearers, the other bead would feel it. If Mia would get hurt, my bead would let me know. It does have some inaccuracies though and if Mia''s bracelet would fall off due to wear and tear, my bead would inform me that she has died, but other than that it was a good system and I relied on it telling me if something were to happen.


    I sat in the car for five minutes when I felt my consciousness slip. It wasn¡¯t actually a slip, it was more of a jump. It was as if I was standing on the edge of the mountain and looking down to the abyss and I simply walked off the edge. I felt the powerful wind going through me, enveloping my body and eventually going through it. I no longer possessed a physical body, I was only energy rushing through space and what seemed like an hour was barely a millisecond. If I would do this of my own free will it would be called astral projection and I would enjoy the feeling of a powerful wind carrying me over space and time, but this time it was not voluntary.


    The very first time I used astral projection was by accident in a dream world and to this day it is one of the most powerful experiences of my life. It started off with a regular dream that I don''t even remember, but I became conscious during it and wanted to end the dream by jumping off a cliff and instead of waking up, I flew. It was the same wind, the same loss of body and the feeling of being free. The feeling of wind rushing through your body, ignoring the muscles, skin or bones is odd to say the least, especially since I felt every last strand of hair on my head. The wind made my hair alive and I could feel my hair floating around as an entity searching and wriggling. That was not even the weirdest experience, that happened to me that very first time, but it was the most intense. As I was flying through space I saw bubbles of visions all around me and I flew through them. Bubbles had different entities, sometimes humanoid and sometimes not, in them and I believe it was a bubble of time caught in whatever space I was in. Some creatures seemed as if they were from the past and some looked very futuristic, more like robots and androids than magical. Some would notice me and smile, making me feel warm and happy and some did not seem to notice me at all. Later when I had time to think, I came to a conclusion that I entered a space where time is standing still and flows at the same time and the bubbles were the most important moments that happened and changed the course of the timeline. Or maybe it was all just a weird dream and everything I imagined was simply that, my imagination.


    That first experience inspired me to try and actually use astral projection and I became quite proficient in it, but it was altogether a different experience. I would leave my body behind and still stay in the same space, unable to interact with things but able to converse with Mia in a different room. It was more akin to being a ghost who can travel fast and across the continent, although I have yet to successfully travel across the ocean to another continent.


    But this time, it felt like that very first time, as if I was once again traveling through space with a speed that dissolved my body, toward one particular bubble, a bubble that was calling my name, crying and begging for help. It took me a while to recognize a voice in distress since it was muffled and so far away, but eventually a name came across my mind. Sarah, the little witch. As soon as I recognized the cries I flew even faster and suddenly the bubble was in view. It took me only a second to see what was happening, but luckily for me a second in this space was more than enough to make a plan.


    I saw a room that was in the middle of being remodeled, half of the room covered in plastic and different colors on the wall, and all of the furniture was pushed to the middle, making space for plastic to be laid down on the edges. Right at the middle there was a bright pink bed with a bump under the covers, a bump that was shivering and screaming. There was a shadow standing above it, its mouth unhinged trying to suck the magic or maybe the child''s soul away.


    The magical cry for help that called me left an open invitation to anyone else who can sense it and that was a danger in itself. I knew I had to destroy the shadow soon and close the gaping hole that Sarah had made in the magic circle, before something else answered the call for help. I felt my form gain more sustenance and I changed into a bear, as claws can make a big difference in astral form. I knew I was big and if Sarah could see me she would probably think of me as another monster, but sometimes you need to become a monster to kill other monsters.


    The shadow turned around when it sensed my presence and that¡¯s when I noticed that a shadow was actually a separate entity and that someone was controlling it from afar. A warlock most likely bound this shadow creature or maybe created it, but I wasn¡¯t sure of the reason behind its creation. It made matters more difficult because killing the shadow won¡¯t destroy the master, but it might wound him or her enough to make them stop trying. The shadow opened its mouth more and shot a beam of magic it just stole from Sarah as a laser beam toward me. I jumped to the side, but the beam caught my side and it burned me. I growled in pain and jumped toward the shadow, claws ready to slash. The shadow didn¡¯t move, thinking my attack could not harm it and that was the mistake. My claws are six inches long and thick and I could feel them slashing the shadows belly. I put both of my paws inside the belly and pulled out, essentially separating the shadow in half. If it would have been human it would bleed all its blood volume in seconds, being slashed so deep, but as a shadow it merely tore in half. I could hear its master screaming, noting that it was definitely a female scream. It took only a few seconds for the master to relinquish its hold upon the shadow and while the connection was slowly dissolving I  screamed, making sure the master heard me.


    "I am the Guardian of the children, of the lost and the unseen, I am the protector and the assassin, I am your worst nightmare and the sweetest of dreams. If I ever find you I will end your life and dance in your blood, making sure your soul is marked for eternity!" The connection dissolved completely, the master was gone and all that remained was a shadow pulled apart by me, and little Sarah, still crying under the covers. I leaned over the shadow, making sure it was harmless. When I was sure that the shadow could do no more damage, I changed my shape into human-like, although I did not truly look like me, at least now I had my face. I went toward Sarah, as I wanted to make sure she was ok, when I heard a faint thank you, coming from the shadow. I stopped and went back toward it, making sure it was still safe and dying. It was talking to me, but while I could not understand the words, I still understood its meaning. It was grateful to me for ending its life and for not letting it kill another child, and I could see its life in a series of flashbacks.


    It was made out of the soul of a newborn, killed as soon as the baby took its first breath, and then given to a woman with very little magic power. The shadow was sent to various children of various ages and magical powers, and it was tasked with sucking their magic, killing most of the children in the process and then bringing back the magic to the woman. This has been going on for several years and the shadow developed a sense of self and it resented its owners but it was trapped. Now it was finally free and it could return to the proper cycle of death and rebirth, thanks to me. At least so it seemed, but the mark on its body was calling it back, pulling it toward its creator and  the shadow was flailing, calling for release. I knew I had to do something but the only thing I could think to do was quite absurd and might not even work. I gathered myself, making myself more solid, and I plunged my hands inside the shadow, inside where the mark of its creator was seared into it. As soon as my hands touched the mark I could sense it, the soul of the baby and I whispered, pulling the baby into my embrace.


    ¡°Goddess of winter and death, goddess of rebirth and nightmares, I call upon you for this soul. Goddess Morana I call you as your faithful servant as I give unto you this twisted soul to be reborn as you are reborn every spring, sacrificing this meaningless life so it can be born unto you and convey your message across time and space, so that it can dream and worship, die and be reborn as is the proper cycle so the balance can be restored.¡± I lifted the soul in my arms and held it up high above my head, watching slowly as the mark started to change and mutate into something else entirely. The mark now looked like an x with a line at all the ends of the x and it was the mark of the Goddess Morana. She had accepted the soul as her own and marked it, overriding the previous mark. The soul of a baby slowly disintegrated into thin air and just for a second I wondered if I did the right thing, but surely a life in the service of a Goddess will be better than servitude to an evil warlock who uses you to kill others. At least now this soul will be reborn and maybe have a better life.


    As I watched the little soul disappear, Sarah came standing next to me. I turned toward her and whispered:


    ¡°You are gonna be ok, little witch.¡± Her face was red and tears were still rolling down her cheeks, but she wiped the snot with her sleeves and looked from me to the shadow on the floor.


    ¡°Is it going to come back?¡± She reached her hands toward me, but I had no body for her to hold.


    ¡°No, the shadow is gone and whoever called it will be hurting for a while, so I think you are safe for now. But maybe go sleep with your momma for tonight.¡± She nodded and ran toward the door, not looking back. I sighed and watched the shadow dissipate, hoping that this will be it for today. As I looked around, I noticed a big gaping hole in the protection aura that surrounded the house, the hole through which the shadow and I came from. The hole was already disappearing and I had to hurry up and go back to my body, before my spirit got trapped within the protection circle.


    The journey back was even faster than I expected and I suddenly appeared next to the car, staring at my lifeless body slumped in the front seat of the car. Two witches were eyeing me suspiciously and were walking toward the car, hands extended as if my lifeless body would attack them. It would be a laughable situation, if something dark on the horizon wouldn''t catch my eye. I turned away from my car and watched as a dark cloud was slowly coming towards us. It was so big, calling it a cloud was the only accurate description. It wasn¡¯t just that it was dark, I could feel its evil intentions the longer I stared at it. The barrier that we felt as we entered the territory was stopping it, for now, but the cloud was growing wider, looking for a weakness so it could come in. I cursed and went back into my body, wondering how we didn¡¯t notice the cloud before since it was in the same direction. I needed to talk to Mia.


    Returning to my body was not a fast process. Before I was light and free and suddenly I had a body, muscles and bones and I felt incredibly heavy. I had to remind myself to breathe slowly, inhale and exhale. It took me several minutes before my body started moving and during that time I was incredibly weak and could be attacked by magical or physical means, which is why doing astral projection during a fight is really not the best time, even if it might help. When I finally had the strength to move my head I noticed the two witches, staring at me from the street. It took all of my strength to finally open the doors to the car and walk outside, trying to stretch my stiff body and make it work again.


    It was a cold night outside I noticed, as freezing air filled my lungs and just what I needed to remind myself of how my body works. I wanted to ask the two witches if I could help them with something when the door to the caf¨¦ opened and furious Mia exited the building, yelling at someone behind her and her hands were formed into fists, as if she was readying for a fight.


    Mia calmed down a little when she saw me standing and stretching, maybe realizing that something was amiss, and asked me if I wanted her to drive. Instead of saying anything I slowly and stiffly walked toward the passenger door and awkwardly entered the car. Mia entered the driver''s seat with fury and before I even had the chance of putting on my seat belt she drove away. I prayed to the Gods that I survive her driving, unlikely as that may be.

 Chapter 4

    Mia was so upset on the drive back that I immediately regretted not driving. She was gripping the wheel tightly, barely acknowledged any other cars or rules of the road and the only reason why we avoided a car accident was because it was late and there were barely any vehicles on the road. I wanted to tell her to slow down or just let me drive but when I looked at her I saw the redness in her face and that tears were forming in her eyes, so I stayed quiet. Finally we passed the city border and its magic barrier and Mia slowed down by the side of the road. She went outside, biting her lips, her hands forming into fists and just stood there, silently screaming into the moon. I slowly checked the area around us, making sure that the dark and menacing cloud was nowhere in sight, and when I made sure we were alone I joined her outside in the cold.


    I never know if Mia and I don''t like to express our emotions because our parents taught us to control them because of what we are or because of our culture, but in our house you never laughed too loud, screamed in anger or cried in public. It simply wasn''t done. Expressing emotions was frowned upon and only children could do so, and even then we''re told to not throw unnecessary tantrums. If you cried in public someone better be newly dead or bleeding, because why else would you cry.


    As Mia stood there staring at the moon, screaming silently, her face was not showing any of the emotions inside her. I took her hand in mine and stood next to her in solidarity, waiting for her to explain what happened. It didn''t take long.


    ¡°They flat out accused me of murdering Martha and sending a demon out to kill them, Sasha.¡±


    The only thing that I managed to say was,  ¡°Excuse me?¡± She turned to me, pulling her hand out of mine.


    ¡°Martha got a message from someone and told Delilah that she has to go see them, and she never came back from the meeting. She is gone, missing and no magic can find her and a day later a demon appeared in the countryside killing a smaller coven of witches.¡± I stood there with my mouth open, not knowing what to say. She continued.


    ¡°Because I refuse to help them, they have deduced that it was my fault.¡± We were both silent for a few minutes and just stood on the side of the road, cooling off our anger and disappointment. Mia turned away from me, caught in her own thoughts and for a second I considered if I should tell her what has happened to me or if I should just keep silent until we come home. But Mia needed to know, since protecting Sarah is something she volunteered to do.


    ¡°Something happened while you were in there,¡± I said quietly. Mia turned around, but she let me continue without interruptions.


    ¡°I was called by Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Called?¡± Mia replied with her eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Sarah was being attacked by a shadow who made a hole in the protection of the house and in her panic she sent out a call for help.¡± My mouth dried up as I was explaining, realizing that this could potentially be a big problem. Mia came to the same conclusion as she looked at the moon and angrily asked:


    ¡°Can anything else go wrong today!¡± She stood there cursing and flailing her arms around and if the situation wasn''t as serious as it was, I would have laughed because it was quite funny seeing a witch ranting at a moon. I sighed loudly, drawing her attention again.


    ¡°The shadow was wrong Mia. I have never seen a construct such as this and I did something that might be an issue.¡± She did a rolling sign with her hand, asking me to continue.


    ¡°After I defeated it and it was dying, it asked for my help, but it didn¡¯t use words, it was more like a feeling. The witch or warlock or whatever the thing that controlled it was, was calling it back to return to him. It was asking for my help, if I can free it.¡± It was my turn to turn away and look at the floor. The cold wind blew around us, as if it knew that the situation was weird and mysterious.


    ¡°When I inspected the shadow more closely it shared its memories with me and it was bad. The shadow was a soul of a newborn, killed at the moment of its first breath and then twisted into a servant. But the woman that controlled it, wasn''t its creator. The creator was extremely powerful and old, or so he seemed, and the one who controlled the shadow was weak. They used the shadow to stalk the young witch children and steal their magic away, but after several years the shadow developed a sense of self and it resented what it was doing. It just wanted to be free and when I hurt it, it thought it would die and it was grateful. But then the woman called it back so the shadow asked for my help to be free.¡± I blurted fast and in one single breath, trying to summarize the situation. Mia held her hand in front of her mouth, in shock and terror. I didn¡¯t want to call whoever made the shadow a witch or a warlock, because I was unsure what they were. I was pretty sure it was a male creator and a female who controlled it, but I wasn¡¯t sure.


    Mia was breathing fast and I could see tears in her eyes again.


    ¡°Did you help it?¡± She whispered so silently I barely heard her. I swallowed hard and replied.


    ¡°I found the soul deep within the shadow, raw, hurt and twisted beyond belief. I didn¡¯t know what to do, beyond asking for help.¡± The silence that followed was palpable and I did not want to continue, but I had to tell her the last bit.


    ¡°I called upon Morana to help the soul be reborn, and before my eyes the mark of its creator got overwritten with the mark of Morana. The soul then disappeared and I just know it returned to the proper cycle of rebirth¡­¡± Mia suddenly embraced me and held me so tight I could barely breathe.


    ¡°So you saved the soul and Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I whispered into her ear. We stood there for a while, just holding each other. Finally she let me go and turned toward the almost full moon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± She finally said, but I don¡¯t think she was talking to me.


    I drove back, because Mia was busy watching the road and thinking. Instead of driving to our apartment I parked in front of the restaurant, hoping that maybe Sebastian had some advice for us. Even if he is a vampire, he is old and he knows magic and how it works. Maybe he could give us an idea of what we are fighting against.


    "So to summarize," I told Mia while parking, "We have a sorcerer who is looking for his children to potentially drain their magic and kill them, two unknown magic users who use newborns to make shadow servants and they might be connected to the sorcerer or they might not, we don''t know. We have a missing coven leader, potentially dead and a demon killing the witches around town. Anything else?"  Mia looked at me wide eyed and a nervous smile.


    "Damn, when you put it like that it sounds so much worse, but no I think that is all. Are we asking Sebastian for help? Because I don''t know if he will just help us for free. He is a vampire you know." I shrugged at her comments.


    "It doesn''t hurt to ask his opinion. If there is an actual demon roaming around, I''m sure he would want to know." We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, watching the diner.


    The diner reminded me of a classic 1950 restaurant that you see in movies with leather booths and big windows with lacy curtains. The name Mountain View Diner was neon lighted and on top of a little doorway, very bold and inviting. I never understood why Sebastian insisted on naming the area Mountain View since you only see mountains a couple of times a year. Usually all you get to view is dark gloomy forest and fog, but he insisted that when he started developing the land mountains were visible all the time. I took his words with a grain of salt.


    Finally we left the car and went inside. Sebastian, as per usual, was the sole staff during the night shift. There aren''t that many people so he can handle cooking, serving, charging and cleaning by himself. We both greeted him, and he promised to be with us soon. We sat down in our usual booth, a corner booth with a perfect view of the apartment building. Menu was already on the table, but we didn''t look through it as we knew it by heart.


    Sebastian was a small man, probably around 5 foot 5, with a strong build. He wasn''t fat at all but he was built like someone who worked hard on a farm all his life, before he became the undead. He was quite unremarkable looking, with dark brown hair and brown eyes and no defining feature whatsoever. We often joked that he would be the perfect spy because no one would ever look at him and see danger. Until you look into his empty eyes and predatory smile, you would trust him with your life. And after¡­ Most people run away, but to me he just feels like a predator. I never understood why he would work in a diner in the middle of nowhere, but I wasn''t brave enough to ask either.


    "What will you two ladies have tonight?" He said with a smile that showed his fangs. Mia ordered raspberry ice tea and when he turned to me I said: "Hot chocolate with a side of information." He stopped writing on the pad and looked at me.


    "That might be expensive. Are you sure?" I made a thinking face, smiled and replied.


    "Add whipped cream please." He added whipped cream on the pad.


    "Anything to eat?" He picked up the menu from the tables and looked at us expectedly. Mia looked up, looking extremely miserable and he finally saw the redness of her eyes and the dark cloud of sadness above her head. His smile faltered as she whispered:


    "Surprise us Adam, something that will make this evening better." I nodded to him and he replied.


    "I will try ladies, I will try." He turned around and left. I wanted to talk to Mia, but she refused to look at me, so she stared outside instead.


    Suddenly our drinks were put down in front of us and as I was trying to say thank you to Adam, I noticed that it wasn''t Adam who brought the drinks.


    "Ethan!" I exclaimed a little bit too loud. Mia turned around in surprise but smiled as she noticed the vampire human servant.


    "May I join you?" He asked politely and Mia scooted over to the window, giving him space. Besides him being a human servant, we didn''t really know much about Ethan.


    He looked like your typical lawyer, always impeccably dressed, tall, blond and blue eyed with a chiseled chin and dimples in his cheeks. He was quite handsome and the only thing that marred his beautiful face was a nasty scar running from his eyebrow to the left corner of his mouth. Since he is a vampire servant with access to the healing of the vampire blood I always assumed the injury happened when he was younger, although the scar used to be worse. Now it seemed muted, less scary. I wonder if it was Mia''s healing cream that helped.


    "I''ve been wanting to talk to you Sasha, but it seems you have been quite busy lately." I didn''t reply, mostly because I wasn''t busy at all. I''ve been busy at the bakery during the day but I haven''t been helping with Mia''s magic business, so he either assumed we were always together therefore me not helping Mia means I''ve been busy elsewhere, or Mia told him I''ve been busy. In any case, the fact that I laze around most nights and binge watch TV isn''t any of his business, so I simply nodded. He took my nod as a sign to continue.


    "I have a business proposal for your cousin and she mentioned anywhere she goes you go with her?" I took a sip of my hot chocolate and nodded again.


    "Ethan," Mia suddenly interrupted.


    "I''ve told you I don''t want to come work for you. I''m quite happy where I am." Ethan looked at her and waved his hand.


    "This is a business proposal for Sasha. It is a separate matter altogether." I chuckled and Ethan looked at me with a bigger grin.


    "I don''t know if you''ve heard but Memphis didn''t fare well during the wars and most of its supernatural community killed each other resulting in a division that still lasts today. On one side we have a vampire family and on the other we have the shifters. We have been trying to reconcile and present a united front, because our enemies always look for open spots to overtake and destroy us." I leaned back, cup in hand. Mia was quite surprised and she simply watched him explain. We have heard about the vampire wars that ravaged the country 60 to 50 years ago and we knew that the wars were a reason why Sebastian, even though he was neutral, could hold land and a business so close to the daily and yet be apart from it.


    "Simply said we need someone neutral, who doesn''t work for vampires or shifters to hold our talks of peace and reconciliation."


    Mia pouted a bit and I could see that she had no idea what he was talking about.


    "That is not what you told me, Ethan." Ethan smiled but didn''t say anything as we saw Sebastian moving toward us with food. He brought us the comfort food of America, pancakes. They were his special chocolate chip cookie pancakes that he knows I love.


    "Thank you Adam, you always know how to treat a lady." Mia said, and I looked at her with wide eyes and laughed. I think everyone was startled by my laughing, and suddenly I had all of the attention.


    "I''m sorry," I said,


    "It''s just we are as far from ladies as you can go!" Only stunned silence followed. Once Mia recovered, she whispered:


    "Speak for yourself dear cousin." I laughed again and took a big bite of my pancake.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "So Ethan, you need a neutral party to negotiate talks with the shifters?" I asked when Sebastian turned to go away. I pointed my knife toward the vampire.


    "Why not ask Sebastian? He is neutral and a vampire?" Ethan looked at me surprised.


    "It''s true, his name did come up, but Carmen, the alpha werewolf, told us she will not trust any vampire to advocate for her side or to be neutral." I pointed toward Mia.


    "Why not a witch?" Ethan sighed.


    "Witches are¡­ fragile. A strong vampire can ensnare them with a gaze and a strong shifter can be faster than magic. Witches'' power lies in their covens and we simply can''t invite a coven to the city." I took a second to think about it.


    "What made you think of me?" I asked. Sebastian came back and gave me a look to scoot over so he could sit down. Without batting an eyelash I scooted toward the window, dragging my plate with me. He brought himself a glass of warm blood and sipped it silently while we talked.


    "We know you are a bear, Sasha. Bears are notorious and extremely rare, especially in the States. You are strong enough to handle a vampire gaze, even an old one and you can take any shifter in battle." I cocked my head to the side.


    "Well now, how would you know that?" I looked at Mia and she blushed. Ethan ignored the interaction and continued.


    "Your only weakness is your cousin and we would make sure she is taken care of." I snorted again in disbelief.


    "Yeah I can see that happening, it''s not like I would rule in your favor since you are holding my cousin hostage?" It was Ethan''s turn to sigh.


    "I didn''t mean it that way. We can provide a shop for her in the middle of the town, making sure she is safe from vampires and you make sure she is safe from everyone else."


    "I just love when people talk like I''m not even here or as if I''m incompetent in defending myself." Mia interrupted. She was flushed with anger and I could see her eyes sparkling. It was time for us to be silent.


    Sebastian was the one that broke the tension.


    "You should refuse." He said to my surprise.


    "I don''t see how any of this would be good for you. Being in the middle of the shifters and vampires makes you a target of both, not to mention the rising halfling population wouldn¡¯t be happy about a fourth party coming to town and being in charge of peace talk." Ethan glared at Sebastian.


    "What would you know of our troubles?" Ethan hissed menacingly at the vampire.


    "I''ve been keeping an ear on the ground.  What happens in Memphis affects me as well, you know." Mia decided to jump into the conversation, trying to break up the rising tension.


    "Do either of you know what has been going on with the witches in Savannah?" Both men looked at her, surprised by the sudden change in topic. I could smell Ethan''s unease, it was coming off him in waves, while Sebastian was simply clueless.


    "We don''t bother with the witches. They have their own little town and won''t deal with us, so we don''t care about it." Mia looked at Sebastian to see if he had anything to add, and he did.


    "It''s been a while since I took an interest as well, I admit." I was still eating my pancake, so I just observed. I was a very good observer. I knew that Ethan was feeling outgunned and Sebastian didn''t like Ethan offering us a place to go. There was also unease when Mia mentioned the witches, although I wasn''t sure why.


    "A smaller coven on the outskirts of town got murdered by what looks like a demon, their coven leader went missing and the town is under the assault of a creature of unknown origin as big as a cloud and as flimsy as a ghost." Ethan''s mouth fell open in surprise and Sebastian''s face went blank. I added:


    "Not to say there is proof of someone using a shade of sorts to suck the witches'' children dry of their magic, essentially killing them, and then collecting that magic to do with it as he or she pleases." Ethan cursed under his breath and went pale.


    "How sure are you?" I looked at him.


    "Of which part?" I asked as emotionlessly as I could.


    "Any parts!" He hissed. Mia was the one who answered him.


    "About the witches, quite sure. I was accused of kidnapping or killing Martha, their coven leader, and of summoning a demon that killed the coven and whatever that creature is that lurks on the edge of the town."


    "And I personally encountered a shadow trying to feed of a five year old witch girl. I destroyed it but its master is still alive and well." Adam drank the blood and got up. He slowly said:


    "You came here for the information, right?" I nodded. He closed his eyes.


    "I can enquire about the shadow, but witches are beyond me. I can ask around who has dabbled in demon summoning but¡­" His voice trailed off.


    "The shadow would take priority." I told him and Mia added.


    "The person affected is our dear friend and honestly the demon can take those witches and be done with them, for all I care." I nodded in agreement.


    "One more thing Sebastian," I said before he left.


    "Could a sorcerer take a child''s soul and twist it to steal magic from other children? Also why would a sorcerer want his children to the point of killing their mother? Would they kill their own children for some purpose?" Sebastian went still. Deadly still.


    "I will get back to you, dear Sasha." He said, turned around and walked away.


    We sat there in silence until Ethan cleared his throat.


    "Please think about what I said and we can talk about it when you have the time. We would like a reply within the month." I smiled as sweetly as I could, knowing well that I look like a serial killer who just found his prey.


    "We will get back to you Ethan. Goodbye." Mia said goodbye with her mouth full so it sounded more like a mumble, but Ethan took his cue and left. I sighed.


    "Well that didn''t go as planned." It was Mia''s turn to chuckle.


    "No, but I''m tired of games and shadows. I want to be direct and upfront, at least tonight." She sounded tired. I finished my pancake and left her at the table while I went to pay. Sebastian was standing at the register, looking outside as if he was watching someone, but when I looked in the same direction I saw nothing.


    "I''m sorry Sebastian, we didn''t mean to spring all those questions on you. We are having a bad and very long day today." He smiled but his smile was empty.


    "Why do you ask me about sorcerers and their intentions?" His question took me by surprise.


    "Because I don''t know who else to ask." I answered honestly.


    "You seem knowledgeable and wise and you are neutral. To remain neutral in this age you must possess at least enough knowledge to defend yourself. I just assumed that the knowledge would include at least some information about sorcerers and even if you don''t know anything about them, you might know someone who does and even if you only share that information it will be more than what we know now." I leaned closer and talked more silently. We were the only one in the diner and yet the topic felt as if we should whisper. His face became more relaxed and he was clearly satisfied with my answer.


    "What do you know about sorcerers?" He suddenly asked me.


    "Not much," I admitted.


    "They are rare, but quite powerful. Their magic is different from witches. Witches borrow their power from the elements and every witch has a personal limit of how much they can borrow, so their magic isn''t purely their own. But sorcerers have a magic that comes from within them and it is only as powerful as the person who wields it. It is not limited to earthly logic like witches magic is. Sorcerers are mostly known as evil, they serve only themselves and they don''t like to work with others. They are the epitome of a lone powerful mage. I also know that they used to be extremely rare but now they are just rare and apparently they do have families?" I posed that as a question since it was new information to me. Sebastian handed me a bill and I handed him some money. While handing me the change he added:


    "Do you know that someone can just be born a sorcerer? Out of nowhere, even if for generations his family is human? They can be born, just like that?" That surprised me.


    "No," I finally said, accepting his change.


    "I was not aware of that." Sebastian nodded and looked back outside. I took that as a sign that the conversation was over so I motioned to Mia that it''s time to leave.


    To my surprise Penelope was waiting in front of the apartment, texting on her phone. Mia went to her and gave her a long kiss. I unlocked the doors, leaving them behind.


    I was in my room, sending an email to a friend who might have some information on demons and similar beings, when I heard their conversation getting heated. Mia was explaining the situation about something when Penelope gasped. She probably just explained about the ritual she wanted to do and that she would require her help. Only a few minutes went by and just as I finished my email, Penelope knocked on the door. I knew it was her because the knocking was polite and gentle, instead of the brute force knock that my cousin uses.


    "Sasha, are you still awake?" I walked to the door and opened it. She stood there surprised at the sudden open door and I realized just how beautiful she was. She told us she was mixed race, that only her mothers side was native American, but you could barely tell by her appearance. I once joked that she looked a lot like Pocahontas from the cartoons with her long black hair, oval shaped brown eyes and the nose that is clearly native American, but Mia told me that could be seen as racist, so I held my tongue. I mean, I found her beautiful regardless but it is funny that her name is Penelope and that she looks like Pocahontas, but maybe it''s just my broken sense of humor.


    "How can I help?" I said and broke the staring competition. She cleared her throat and stepped aside.


    "Would you mind coming to the living room?" There was something wrong. Her whole face was kind of scrunched as if she just had the tartiest of lemons. She looked troubled so of course I followed her to the living room, which was right outside of my doors anyway. I sat on the recliner, while Mia and Penelope sat on the couch, their hands entwined with each other.


    We were both looking at Penelope, while she looked on the floor, clearly embarrassed. I finally broke the tension, because I truly was tired and I wanted to get this over with and go to sleep.


    "Are you worried about the ceremony? Because I can assure you I will be there only in a protective capacity and I will make sure you two are not disturbed." Her eyes went wide and she waved her hand away.


    "I''m not worried about that," she finally said. It took a few more minutes for her to finally ask.


    "Do you really shapeshift into a bear?" I backed away in surprise and looked at my cousin.


    "I thought you had this conversation with her already?" She shrugged and replied.


    "I told her you were a shifter and I was sure I told her you were a bear, but I guess I didn''t?" Penelope, now more upset, said.


    "I might have misheard, I knew you were a shifter but I just assumed you were a wolf. Most shifters from Europe are wolves and we didn''t know bears¡­" She didn''t finish her sentence so I took that as an invitation to explain.


    "Well, I am a bear. Most of my family is? We are rare as a species but we have some nice communities out there, although I don''t know about any in the States." For some reason Penelope started breathing easier and I was just as confused as before.


    "What''s wrong sweetie," my cousin finally said, petting the hair of her lover. Penelope looked at Mia and then at me.


    "I know currently you seem to have a lot on your plate and I will do anything to help you with your problems. I will." She said with certainty to Mia, before she turned to me.


    "But I also need your help." I was too tired for this shit, I thought to myself.


    "My family situation is quite complicated and I don''t really want to talk about it, but since I am asking for your help you deserve to know." The tension was so high you could hear a pin drop.


    "I need you to come meet my uncle." She finally said. My eyebrow very slowly went up, wanting a further explanation. But all she did was look at me hopefully with her big brown eyes. I sighed.


    "Of course I''ll go meet your uncle if it''s that important to you. I don''t think it''s such a big deal¡­" she gasped and her whole body relaxed, making me suspicious. It was Mia who asked:


    "Is it a big deal, meeting your uncle?" Penelope suddenly blushed.


    "Maybe I should explain."


    "That would be nice," I said sarcastically. Mia gave me a mean look, but I ignored her. Penelope adjusted her seat and leaned into Mia''s embrace.


    "I''m going to make a long story short, because I can see you are tired." I wanted to thank her for her consideration but I kept my mouth shut, to speed up her storytelling.


    "My great grandmother had a twin sister who went bad. Like black magic bad." She said that with a hushed voice as if she was expecting gasps of horror. When neither me or Mia reacted how she expected us to, Penelope continued.


    "She was banished from the tribe and made a new life not far away from here. When my great grandmother was dying she asked me to inform her sister of her passing, so when I was just a teenager I went to search for the infamous Black Crow. I was quite surprised when I found her in good health and good spirits and not some evil shaman poised to kill everyone around her. Anyway, she had a family of her own and one of those was Tim, my uncle. Tim is a dream walker and a spirit quest guide, and if he would have been born in a different family he would have been a great shaman, but he is considered as lesser due to his blood. Unknown to my family I kept in touch with several members of my other side and I have to admit Tim is my favorite." We were enthralled by the story. Penelope was a great storyteller with her hands being animated and her facial expressions telling a story of their own. We were barely breathing, making sure no noise would interrupt her.


    "He is currently visiting grandmother because on his last spirit quest something weird has happened and he has been trying to figure stuff out ever since. Apparently he found a huge bear in his vision, and the bear told him that his services are needed and he needs to find the bear''s daughter and help her." This is where Mia gasped, but Penelope continued, ignoring Mia''s tugging.


    "The vision was very brutal and demanding and Uncle Tim was shaken. He went to his grandmother to ask for help, since he doesn''t know who the daughter of the bear spirit was. Usually spirits present themselves in a male form, but this spirit was female, so it was a mystery even to grandmother. She told him to go to different tribes, looking for the bear shifter of native descent. It has been months and nothing. He has walked all around the states, visited many tribes and reservations but he has found no one who could be labeled as the daughter of the bear spirit." She finally stopped talking and took a long breath.


    "You think I''m the daughter?" I asked.


    "I don''t know." Penelope admitted.


    "But you are the only bear I have ever met. Tomorrow I was supposed to visit the town and ask some friends to spread the word, but my uncle just came to the cottage that my grandmother owns just beyond this woods, and maybe ¡­" I sighed.


    "Look Penelope, I don''t think," I started but Mia interrupted me.


    "She would love to meet your uncle!" I looked at her in surprise, wondering what she was going on about. Mia looked at me sternly.


    "Penelope is kind enough to help us, with the ritual and anything else she can, so of course you will take an hour out of your busy schedule and meet her uncle."


    "But," I started, but Mia wouldn''t let me finish.


    "You are most likely not the bear he is looking for anyway." Mia shrugged.


    "He is most likely looking for someone of native descent and you are most certainly not Native American." I rolled my eyes but I really was too tired to argue.


    "Fine," I said while getting up. "I''ll meet your uncle as soon as possible but only because you are dear to me Penelope." There was a look of relief on her face when she thanked me from the bottom of her heart. I waved my hand and retired to my room.


    I closed my door slowly, trying not to listen to them whisper about me and fell on the bed, wishing for sleep to take me.

 Chapter 5

    Being woken up by two girls chatting, making breakfast and then screaming in excitement was not the best start of my day. I really needed to talk to Sebastian about getting one of the apartments next door, I said to myself as I got dressed. Mia and Penelope were clearly busy making something, but it wasn''t breakfast as I suspected. Mia was leaning over her magic pot giggling like a mad witch, and honestly she really should just buy a cauldron and do her magic stuff with that because her looming over a pot isn''t scary at all. I sat behind a counter on one of the high chairs and watched them pull dolls out of the pot.


    Mia successfully pulled a doll out and handed it to Penelope with tongs, who slowly grabbed the doll and turned around. As soon as she saw me she screamed and dropped the doll in surprise. I mean I knew I looked messy, but I didn¡¯t think I looked that bad?


    "Sasha! Don''t sneak up on me, woman!" She finally said, grabbing the doll from the floor. I only shrugged, being too tired to speak just yet. Penelope put the doll next to almost identical dolls that were laying on the counter. Some were handmade dolls, made with rags and stuffing, others were store bought with plastic heads and arms and there was even a Barbie doll. I picked up the Barbie doll and raised an eyebrow.


    "Really?" Mia turned around, saw me picking up the Barbie doll and blushed.


    "I was trying out different materials and how they would work holding Sarah''s essence." I put Barbie next to me and I inhaled deeply trying to catch its smell. It did smell like Sarah but faintly, almost undetectable. The rag dolls on the other hand had a very distinctive Sarah smell and if I would close my eyes and only based location based on smell, I would not be able to distinguish between the real Sarah and the rag doll. I put the dolls back and saw that both Penelope and Mia were staring at me expectantly.


    "Rag dolls smell exactly like Sarah so those are your best bet, while Barbie has a very faint smell and would probably not be a good decoy." They both smile and Penelope gave Mia a light punch on the shoulder.


    "Told you my dolls would win!" Mia smiled back at her, but said nothing. I watched them do their thing until all the dolls were made. Mia looked at the collection and sighed.


    "I will go around the area and bury them or put them in some places that won''t cause too much harm if an evil sorcerer comes around to collect his child. I hope this gives us enough time to strengthen the protection around the house and find a way to¡­" she didn''t say it because she didn''t know how to say it.


    "I think the only way Sarah and Shawn will be safe is if we kill their father." I said bluntly. Mia nodded, but Penelope looked away as if she didn''t want to hear it.


    It took Mia a few minutes to gather her thoughts. She separated the dolls in three piles, and looked at me and Penelope. I wanted to say no, but the look in Mia''s eyes convinced me. I took the smallest pile and grumbled.


    "Fine I''ll help but only because it''s for the kids¡­" Penelope took the second pile with the same expression that I had.


    "Sasha, would you mind visiting my uncle on your own? You can dispose of the dolls on the way and I told him to expect you soon. I won''t be any help anyway and if we go in three different directions it will be easier to finish this today."


    "Doesn''t that feel kind of awkward?" I said, not wanting to go at all.


    "I mean, I will just show up at your uncle''s place, probably not even who he is looking for, and without you to explain who I am or why I''m there?" Penelope sighed and blushed a little.


    "So my uncle is a prankster, ok? He has always been the joker of the family and I was his favorite victim. You have a way of dealing with jokes that he will not expect, like when you are being all serious and asking for an explanation. Every time I try to prank you, you just stand there stoically and make me feel bad!" I didn''t know whether to be insulted or flattered. Mia was silently laughing in a corner, and I glared at her.


    "When did you try and prank me?" I suddenly asked, interrupting her rant. She raised her hands in exasperation.


    "See?! You don''t even know!"


    "So you want me to go there, and say Hey, your niece sent me because you might be looking for me?" I asked, calmly with raised eyebrows. Penelope calmed down as well.


    "I didn''t tell him you were a woman or that you are a bear shifter. I told him I found someone who can help him in his search, so just you being you would be the prank¡­" Her voice went quieter toward the end and I could barely hear what she said. I grabbed my pile of toys and went to my bedroom to get dressed.


    "Fine. I can go there by myself and surprise your uncle, but I really don''t see the joke that you are trying to make." As I walked away, I heard Mia whisper.


    "Don''t call her stoic, she hates when people call her stoic. She just doesn''t have the same sense of humor as the rest of us." As I was closing the door I turned toward them and yelled:


    "I heard that!"


    Penelope typed the address into my GPS and away I went. I stopped every 15 min to drop a doll, at first in forest in random locations and then randomly in towns that I passed over. Some went to the bus stations, some next to trash cans, some on a corner of a street and some I dropped into cafes where supernatural communities gathered. It took me nearly two hours of driving before I finally saw the path that would lead me to the cottage where the uncle was staying. He was in the middle of a forest in a cottage that her grandmother owned. It was so well hidden that the path just ended and I had to drive on little forest tracks if I wanted to drive all the way to the cottage. I was cursing myself for taking the smaller car instead of the truck that Mia drove, since my car was not meant to drive anywhere but asphalt road since it was so small and delicate. More and more I felt as if the prank was played on me, not on the uncle.


    As soon as I saw the cottage in the distance, I also saw a wolf standing near it. It was a small gray wolf, staring at me with intelligence beyond his stature. I opened a window to catch his scent, but he only smelled like a wolf, not like a werewolf. He could be a Native American shifter who truly shifts into an animal and not like European shifters who shift into a wolf comparable to their weight as a human. Werewolves don''t smell like natural wolves, but a mixture of human body odor, a wet wolf and a hint of danger. Penelope doesn''t talk often of shifters of native descent, but from what I''ve heard of them they are quite similar to how my family works. Shifting is a family thing, you shift into an animal of the same weight as a wild animal, your bite doesn''t change anyone else into a shifter and most importantly, you are a wolf or bear. I heard that werewolves as we know them have a wolf''s soul inside of them and they fight for dominance and when they shift they might not be in full control of their own actions. My grandma always said that was the difference between us, who were blessed and the others who were cursed, and if my knowledge of native American mythology is correct, they can shift because their spirits would occasionally take a human form and have a family, so those children and their children would sometimes have an ability to shift to whatever their ancestor could shift. In a way, if you consider their spirits gods, that would make them demigods? I didn''t want to go into a full blown mythology discussion with myself at this time, since I was just about ready to park, but it was something that I could ask Penelope.


    Wolf was hiding in a forest, when I stepped out of the car so I let him be. There is no reason to suspect the wolf means me harm, and even if he would, there is no way in hell a lone young wolf would ever pose a threat to a bear. I waved at him with a smile, because one thing I love to do is tease the little wolf boys, since usually they have no idea what they are in for and they always tried to intimidate me. He disappeared behind the cabin and I knocked on the door. After a couple of seconds I knocked louder.


    "Come on in," came the slightly accented male voice. I opened the door with more confidence than I actually had and walked in, but the sight that awaited me was not what I expected. Uncle Tim was an extremely good looking man of native American descent. He was a bit taller than me, but that still made him small as a general consensus, since I was barely 5 ft 2. The first thing I noticed was that he had long silky black hair that reached all the way to his butt and the next thing I noticed was that he was shirtless. I tried not to stare, but he was extremely handsome and I was weak against any man my parents wouldn''t approve of. As he came closer, as surprised as I was, I noticed he had a very similar face to Penelope, just a bit more square with a larger nose, but they both had full lips with a rounded chin. He also had amber eyes, whereas Penelope''s were darker brown. I have never seen eyes like that before. Just as I was ready not to stare at his very nicely defined body anymore his scent hit my nostrils, and just for a second I fell in love. He smelled like the wild, old forest of my dreams and it was making me feel nostalgic and lustful.


    "Hello," I finally said.


    "I''m Sasha. Penelope said I might be able to help you with your problem?" I extended my hand, and after a few seconds he finally shook it.


    "Tim, also called Tim the wanderer or Tim the dreamwalker. Nice to meet you." He held my hand in his, staring at me. I blushed and pulled my hand back. It was a bit embarrassing and him not wearing a shirt made it worse. I kept staring into his eyes, wondering if he was the wolf I had seen outside. Amber eyes could be an indictment of that, but the problem was he did not smell like a wolf nor did he react to me as a fellow shifter would.


    "Please sit down," he finally indicated on one of the sofas. I took a look around and I have to say, the cottage looked very nice and comfortable. It had one big room that served as a living room, dining room, kitchen and an office space. Everything was made from the same logs, so it had a very homey look. There was a door on each side of the log. Probably one to the bedroom, one to the bathroom and one to the backyard. At least that''s what I imagined since all the doors were closed.


    Tim offered me a soda and I graciously accepted. He sat across from me and somehow he had managed to find a shirt and cover up and just for a  moment a thought of regret flew around my head, but I pulled myself together with blushing cheeks and waited for him to speak.


    "Penelope told me she has a friend who can help me, but you are not what I expected." He finally said, looking at me. I smiled.


    "Yeah, I think she wanted to prank both of us a little." He laughed. It was one of those manly laughs, pure and deep, that rolled on you like a wave of warmth and happiness. It was my favorite kind of laugh and I have to admit, it touched me in places it was not supposed to.


    "So it''s a prank that you are here, or can you actually help me?" He asked, eyebrows high. I shrugged.


    "She genuinely thought I could help. She mentioned something about a vision? She was not very specific, but she is doing me a favor and she said I could repay that by talking with you." He got a bit more comfortable on the couch. He looked at me for a second, but thoughtfully he didn''t know where to start. He leaned closer, and I followed suit.


    "Yes, are you a bear expert? Or do you know a bear?"


    "Both, of sorts." That got him interested. I could almost see a twinkle in his eyes.


    "Are you a witch like her girlfriend?" It took me a few seconds to remember that Penelope never told him I''m a bear shifter. I closed my eyes and smiled, hoping that he would prank Penelope twice for the big revelation.


    "No, but the witch in question is my cousin." He suddenly jumped up a bit.


    "So that''s the accent! Southern Europe?"


    "Yes." I said with a smile. People always comment on my accent even when I thought I lost it after living here for almost a decade. We were silent again for a few seconds.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "So can you tell me about your vision or is it private?" I asked.


    "I''m just not sure how you''re gonna help. I mean no offense, but you aren''t a witch.." I held up my hand to interrupt him, even though I know it''s impolite.


    "I''m a bear shifter." That shut him up. He stared at me, eyes wide, shock on his face.


    "But I haven''t heard about any bear shifters around here." He said, almost too low for me to hear. I shrugged.


    "I don''t really advertise what I am." He was looking at me with a lot more interest now. He shifted closer to me and said,


    "Well, maybe you can help me. Or more accurately, I can help you." I raised my eyebrow.


    "I don''t need help?" It was more of a question than a statement. I slowly scooted away from him, to regain some of my space, but as I moved away he moved closer. His scent was now overwhelming me and I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He smelled too good for me to keep holding myself back and not melting into his embrace and fuck his brains out. He smiled at me, daring me to come closer, almost as if he knew my thoughts. Even if he didn¡¯t scare me, that smile made me shiver in all the right places. He leaned closer and his expression got more serious.


    "On my walkabout I was contacted by the Great Bear Spirit and it told me that a bear shifter will need my help and I need to make myself available in any way possible. I assumed it would be a member of the family whose genetic line can be traced to the Bear Spirit and that he or she will awaken to their bear legacy and since most members have been killed off, I was thinking it might have been an orphan or someone of mixed blood, unaware of his legacy. But I have contacted everyone I could think of and walked all the way to Alaska in search of a missing bear, but I found no one who would fit the description. I managed to find a family who claim that they are the descendants of the Great Bear but no one has awakened and when I went on a spirit walk with them, they just didn¡¯t have the gift for it." He sighed and I looked around for a pillow that I could hug. I knew it was an odd comforting gesture, but I could really use something to hug. He gave me an appraising look.


    ¡°It never crossed my mind that it could be someone not of Native descent, or even¡­¡± I closed my eyes and finished his sentence.


    ¡°Someone of a different pantheon all together?¡± He smiled and flashed those pearly white teeth at me.


    "That doesn''t mean anything.¡± He said, waving his hands around.


    ¡°We are a part of one world, we are all connected." I was trying really really hard not to roll my eyes, but Tim continued.


    "Even if you are not part of my family, the Great Spirit considers bear shifters a part of his family, which makes you a relative to all Bear shifters on this continent." I was holding my inner thoughts to myself but I truly didn''t believe that he could be of any other help than an eye candy. He would work absolutely great at that though.


    "I don''t know what to say but I still don¡¯t think I am the one your spirit talked about." I finally said. He scooted closer and before I knew it he was so close I could touch him.


    "Tell me about yourself, about your family, about how you became a bear and what problems have you gotten my cousin into?" I sighed and one of his questions bothered me.


    ¡°What do you mean, how I became a bear?¡± He was the one surprised now.


    ¡°Well, I assumed it was an accident? Were you attacked by a bear or was it a family member? Is it a family thing?¡± He was quite honest and it took me a second to remember he most likely only has experience with European werewolves, who can only reproduce by being bitten. Well I did hear a rumor that there is a way for werewolves to be born, but it is extremely rare. I looked at him definitely, making sure I spoke with a serious tone.


    "I wasn''t bitten, I was born. I don''t know any bears who became bears by being bitten." His eyes went wide and his mouth opened in surprise.


    "What do you mean? I thought all European shifters are made?" I smiled and leaned closer to him, as if I was telling a secret.


    "As far as I know we, my family, are the oldest bear shifting family line and we are born what we are. Honestly, until I heard about how Native American shifters'' family line works, I had no idea we were so similar. There are some differences of course, Penelope didn¡¯t know all the details, or just didn¡¯t share, but what she did share sounded awfully familiar to how we work." He closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch, his hands on his temple, thinking.


    "So it runs in the family?" He finally asked.


    "Yes. We call ourselves a clan or family, depending on who asks. My great grandma told me that we used to be a lot more numerous, but the world wars killed many of the extended family, and the war after Yugoslavia broke up killed off entire villages, so many of my extended family was caught in the crossfire. Currently there are only about a hundred in my home village, and a couple of hundreds in the outer area. No one really wants to talk about it, but we used to be in the thousands. I think after the world wars many actually left to make new lives, but the clan considers them dead, so I¡¯m not sure about the actual number¡­" He stared in awe and whispered.


    "I didn''t know the wars affected you so?" I shrugged, not knowing what to say.


    "To the rest of the world we are a very Catholic, very patriotic family. Being shifters by birth we don''t have the same weaknesses like silver or being moon bound, but we heal almost humanly slowly. So if someone shoots us in the head or torso we most likely won''t survive." I said matter of fact. I didn¡¯t even notice when, but he was suddenly sitting right next to me, and instead of getting more uncomfortable I just blurted.


    "Why do you keep moving closer? You started all the way on the other seat and now you are practically in my lap?" I worked really hard to sound mildly annoyed, but all I did was make him laugh.


    "I like making people uncomfortable to see how they react, since it is an honest view of their personality. Not a lot of people can hold their true feelings for themselves once I make them uncomfortable." I blushed. I hated people like him, who make others uncomfortable just to see their reactions, to judge them silently, so I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. I looked him straight in the eyes and sat as close to him as humanly possible. Our legs were now pressed together and I had to put my hand under his so we could sit semi comfortably. The only way I could come closer to him is if I would sit in his lap, and while he seemed strong enough I am not a skinny woman. He made a little surprise noise when I wrapped my hand around his arm, but I completely ignored his protests and continued.


    "Considering that we can''t bite people and make them bears, we can only grow as much as we can give birth to. We do have a longer life span, which makes our fertility last a couple of decades longer, but still, until a few years ago more bears died than were born. Part of why some of my family moved to other countries was so we can establish more branches and hopefully not interbreed too much. My mom won¡¯t say it but she does want more bears to find human spouses to try and have some outside blood as she calls it, but only one in five children of the union will be a bear, or maybe none at all. Whereas a two bear family will always have a bear cub." I didn''t look at him, but his warm body being this close to me was actually making me more relaxed than before. I tried not to inhale his scent too obviously, but I finally realized why he smelled so good. It was his natural scent, blended with herbs from the forest and he most likely bathed in the lake. I was breathing steadily, thinking to myself that I won, as he seemed uncomfortable now. He pulled his arm away from my hand and for a brief second I thought maybe now he will stop his games and give me more space, but he put his arm on my shoulders, pulled me closer to him and now there was no barrier between our bodies being as close together as it was possible. Mentally I cursed myself. I may have won the battle, but lost the war.


    "So how is your cousin a witch?" He asked with genuine interest.


    "We are not blood related. During the black plague many died and those who survived were killed by the priest or other survivors. That era is called the Great Purge and it killed many European supernatural communities, so much in fact it completely changed the course of history. Vampires are the ones that survived the best and ever since then, they have been considered the ruling class and we simply don¡¯t have the numbers to fight them, so we have to coexist with them. In the old stories though, they were considered lesser supernatural creatures and were quite often killed on sight.¡± I didn¡¯t actually want to go into that much detail, but I got a bit distracted by his body being pressed firmly against me.


    ¡°The purge formed an alliance that still lasts today, an alliance between the Clan and the Coven. Every Clan family has a counterpart of a Coven family, and children are raised together as cousins and if tragedy strikes, as family. That way our bond is as if we were blood relation, but in some cases it goes further than even that. We have several mixed couples, and even if their children are always human those couples are what makes our alliance so fruitful. Even if my grandmother would be quite devastated that one of her daughters would never have a bear cub, even she wouldn¡¯t oppose a marriage with a witch and the same goes for the Coven side. Our alliance is what keeps us safe and strong and nothing is allowed to come between that." I suddenly noticed that he was playing with a strand of my hair and I sat as if I was a statue, trying not to think of his hand touching my skin or pulling my hair. He moved a bit closer and whispered in my ear.


    "Can you shift from birth?" I nodded, blushing.


    "When my older sister was pregnant she felt a stabbing pain in her belly. She shifted out of habit, and once she was in her bear form realized her baby shifted with her. Grandma told her she needed to stay a bear until the baby is born or she risks miscarriage, saying that baby most likely wouldn¡¯t have survived if it was human. Once she gave birth, she stayed a bear for a full year, until my nephew shifted into a human, and even then he was more likely to be a bear than a toddler.¡± I stopped talking since what followed was none of his business. I turned my head slightly, whispering back.


    ¡°So yes, we can shift from birth, but usually stop shifting when we can walk until we reach puberty when shifting is brought on by hormones.¡±


    The door slammed open with a loud bang and we both looked up in surprise. Tim held me even closer and was pushing me behind him, while still sitting down, making sure I would be at least partly hidden behind him in case we were attacked. It surprised me, because I''m the one that usually does protection and because he pushed me behind, gave me a perfect view of a very nice ass. Before I could even see who came rushing in I heard him. He sounded young and in distress.


    "Tim, you need to get away from that woman! She is not what she seems!" I finally managed to peek away from the view he offered and looked at the screaming boy. He was definitely a boy and not a man, scrawny and maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. I giggled. He was stark naked, covering his manhood with his hands. When he saw me, Tim''s hand on my shoulders, standing in front of me he blushed a lot more than I thought someone of darker complexion could. He stuttered, pointing at Tim with one hand.


    "Can you for once not think with your dick!¡± The boy yelled, clearly upset.


    ¡°She is a shifter of some kind and not human! She will most likely bite your dick off!" I couldn''t help myself and I started laughing so loud that there were tears starting to form in my eyes.


    "So you are the little wolf that was peeking from the forest?" I managed to wheeze during a laughing fit. Tim got up and threw the boy a blanket from the sofa, and I averted my eyes so he could cover himself, but I was still laughing. Tim joined me and pulled me into his embrace as if nothing happened, making us seem a lot more intimate in the boy''s eyes.


    The boy, his lower part of the body securely wrapped in the blanket, sat on the chair opposite of us. I smiled at the boy and put my hand on Tim''s knee, as if I was the most confident woman in the world. I was daring the boy to say something again, but he just stared at me, waiting for me to sprout a second head.


    "Tim, would you like to introduce us?¡± the boy said quite sullenly.


    "That''s uncle Tim to you." Tim replied. The boy visibly gritted his teeth and I had to hold back giggles.


    "Uncle Tim, would you like to introduce me to your new side piece?" Now he was insulting me? Too bad for him, because I knew exactly how to deal with nasty little wolves. Just a little, I let my bear go. I don''t know if Tim felt anything, but I was mentally moving forward into the wolf''s safe space and the boy knew it. He scrambled backward, in surprise, trying to hold the blanket in place.


    "Want to try that again?" I said calmly, but I knew he could see something more in my eyes. Tim laughed, and the boy got startled again. I could hear his heart thump loudly and fast in his chest, full of fear and surprise. Tim was enjoying the exchange immensely. He finally relented and did the introduction.


    "Sasha, this impolite little wolf is Sam. Sam, this is Sasha, cousin of Penelope''s girlfriend and a shifter who will help me, or rather will let me help her." Tim made sure to pull me closer to him and it caught me off guard and off balance. I almost fell into his lap. Sam''s eyes widened as my bear suddenly disappeared.


    "Nice to meet you,¡± he said meekly.


    "Nice to meet you as well," I replied.


    Sam¡¯s arrival put a stop on the questions and we just sat there, until Tim sighed loudly.


    ¡°Sam, why are you here?¡± Sam looked away. Tim finally had enough and started talking to him in a language I did not recognize and that finally prompted Sam to talk. Tim was getting more and more upset and so was Sam, but it wasn¡¯t until I noticed Sam¡¯s tears that I figured something was wrong. I got up and Tim caught my hand, to stop me.


    ¡°You say that you had a vision to help me, but I believe this young man requires your help more than me.¡± Tim wanted to argue and Sam took a big breath, probably to counter me as well, but I would not take no for an answer, and I pulled my hand away.


    ¡°I promise, if I find myself in a situation that would require your help I will call you. Even better, I will leave you my phone number and you can call me if you think there is something urgent that could require my expertise. But at the moment, I have some stuff to do, and so do you.¡± I gazed upon Sam, who was still clearly upset. Tim had nothing to say, so he let my hand go. Tim handed me a pen and a piece of paper and I put my number and name on it. I left it at the kitchen counter, took one last look at the handsome stranger who held me in his arms just a moment ago and left quietly.


    In the car I finally felt comfortable and just as I was about to drive home, a thought occurred to me that maybe he could help with the witches or the sorcerer, but what could a dreamwalker do that I could not do myself? Still I did make a mental note to at least ask Penelope if maybe she could inquire if Tim would be of any help, and with that thought I drove away, looking for a safe place to put the last doll that my cousin entrusted me with.

 Chapter 6

    The next two days were extremely busy at the bakery so I had no time to think about Tim or ask Penelope about him. Penelope and Mia were awol most of the time, getting ready for the ceremony, most importantly getting their aura cleanse on, while I was stuck at home being in charge of everything. Finally the night before the full moon, one night before the ceremony I took some time for myself. I put the daily report papers in the drawers, put on some loud music and baked some mini muffins. A long time employee of the bakery, Tamara, requested if we could sell some mini muffins, since they have apparently been the newest craze at her daughter''s high school. I decided to look at some recipes online and try baking them, just to see how they end up and if they would be an appropriate item to sell. Baking was my favorite relaxing activity, since you can do whatever the hell you want and most of the time you get a yummy dessert or at least you have some fun and you can post fail pictures on whatever social media you use. I personally don¡¯t have social media, but the bakery has several profiles on several sites, so they need to be constantly updated and customers really do appreciate seeing how we make our delicious muffins. After a couple of hours of mixing ingredients, playing around in the kitchen and eventually tasting half of them I¡¯ve had enough. I finally felt relaxed and I was ready to battle the big bad evil tomorrow night, together with my cousin and her on and off again girlfriend. I put half of the muffins in a little basket so I could take pictures and the other half went into little bins to see how they would sell in a couple of hours during the morning rush.


    I picked two of the most flavorful, most colorful cupcakes and put them on a little plate on a window. They were an offering for our Domovoy, the spirit that has chosen to protect my family line. She wears the image of a small, older woman with a smile that is too big for her face. She doesn¡¯t show herself often, only when something extremely bad will happen or something extremely good and with the spirits that usually means death or birth, as those impact them the most. My grandma said that she still sees the Domovoy at their house, so I guess it either spends half its time here and half over there, or Mia and I got our own Domovoy, which does seem unlikely. Nevertheless, once we moved into this apartment the Domovoy showed her face with her creepy smile and I knew we were safe. I offered her my food then and have continued to offer anytime I remember. It is always good to have a Domovoy at your house as that shows the health of the house and of the household. No evil spirits or curses can impact us directly while at the house, as Domovoy will protect us. There are horror stories that we tell at the bonfire, whenever the family of the Domovoy turns evil, so will the Domovoy and instead of having a nice spirit who helps you and protects you, it turns demonic and it will punish the family it was supposed to protect. I looked over at the cupcakes, happy that I remembered that someone else in the house will enjoy them as well and decided I was done for today.


    I changed my nasty baking shirt for a slightly less nasty sleeping shirt and called my favorite Chinese restaurant to order a feast. I always ordered way more than I could eat, because I love leftovers and if Mia comes home and realizes that there isn¡¯t enough leftovers for her, she will cause a fight. The Chinese restaurant knew us as silly white girls who always ordered enough food to feed the local homeless population, but hey, at least we always got extra cookies and soy sauce.


    I put on a movie that I have been dying to watch, The Queen of the Damned, and went to the kitchen to make a tea from Brazil that my aunt sent me in a care package. My aunt loves to travel around the world and every time she finds some kind of interesting food or drink she sends it to me, because she knows I appreciate it more than anyone else. Just as my tea was finished, and it smelled divine by the way, I heard a doorbell ring. I was surprised since it was kind of fast to be my Chinese food, but I went anyway and opened the door, money in hand. As soon as I saw Tim standing there my mouth opened but no sound escaped it. I stared at him until he finally asked me to come in.


    ¡°Hello there, I was wandering in the neighborhood and I thought we could talk a little?¡± His voice caught me unaware, and I opened the door more.


    ¡°Of course, come on in.¡± I said and moved aside. Too late I remembered that my kitchen is a mess, so I quickly added.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t judge me by the state of the kitchen!¡±


    "I would never judge a woman by the state¡­," he was saying as he entered but then he actually saw the mess and whistled in surprise.


    "I hope whatever you made tastes as good as it smells?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow and gave me a once over. I was suddenly very aware that I was wearing a long t-shirt that although does cover all the important parts, it was not meant to be seen by anyone else but me. Blushing, I offered him a basket full of mini cupcakes and whispered.


    ¡°I tried making different kinds of mini cupcakes and you are welcome to try them.¡± He accepted the basket and sat down in front of the tv, interested in the movie. I quickly went to the bedroom to find a pretty summer dress and some short leggings, not because I was ashamed of my legs, I just felt more comfortable with leggings when wearing a short skirt. By the time I came back, Tim was on his third cupcake. He looked at me, mouth full of food, trying to say something but stopped as he saw me. I don¡¯t know if it was because he liked what he saw or he was just surprised at my quick changing skills.


    I sat next to him and smiled at his cupcake eating skills.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fill too much with cupcakes, I have food coming soon!¡± He quickly finished the cupcake he was holding and returned the smile.


    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not imposing, I just wanted to have a short conversation since our last one got interrupted, and Penelope mentioned that you should have some time later today.¡± I tried not to roll my eyes at the comment, but I guess I didn¡¯t specify to the girls that I had planned a night for myself tonight.


    "No, you are good. I just wasn''t expecting any company." I said, trying to be confident. I suddenly remembered the tea on the kitchen counter.


    ¡°Would you like to try some tea? My aunt sent it to me from Brazil and it''s supposed to relax you and prepare you for the day ahead?¡± He took a second to think it through and accepted the offer. I got up, poured us two cups and brought them to the sofa. He accepted his cup gracefully and smelled it as if he was some kind of tea expert. He smiled from behind the cup, and the smile made me all giggly. Once again I was reminded of just how handsome he was, and for a second I thought he was here to seduce me, but that thought went out of my head rather quickly, since I was sure this was not a social visit.


    ¡°It smells divine, this miracle tea. Your aunt got it in Brazil?¡±


    ¡°Yeah she likes to travel around and then she sends me all kinds of treats and specialties.¡± We both took a sip and the tea truly was nice, but it was not making me relaxed. To fill the silence I finally asked.


    "So, how can I help you?" I leaned over to take a mini cupcake from the basket at the same time as he leaned to get the cupcake himself. Our hands touched and I quickly pulled myself back. He took his cupcake and smiled.


    "First you can tell me what are you watching?" He waved his hand toward the tv so suddenly that the dessert almost flew out of his hands.


    "It''s just Queen of the Damned. I recently read all of Anne Rice novels and now I¡¯m watching the movies, just so I can complain how much the movie writers got it wrong. I love to do that on occasion. I also love watching vampire movies in general, only to ask the vampires if they¡¯ve seen it and what is their opinion on garlic." I giggled, remembering the last vampire answer and how one question led into a full length conversation about where movies and books got these ideas of how vampires are. Tim turned toward the tv.


    "I would love to watch Queen of the Damned with you, would you mind restarting the movie?" he was being completely serious and I stared at him a little in surprise.


    "Did you just invite yourself¡­" he interrupted my thought.


    "Shh, let''s just start the movie, yes?" I laughed but restarted the movie and pressed play.


    I am usually quite loud at commenting and pointing out all the wrong things, but I held myself back because I knew it was rude. It''s a bad habit and it''s the reason why I don''t go to the cinema to watch the movies, I just wait until they are released on bluray and watch them at home, where I¡¯m alone and no one minds my nasty comments. Yes it does get lonely, but hey you can¡¯t have everything. Luckily for me, Tim seemed to be the same as me, as he immediately commented on Lestat''s singing and how he has never heard of a vampire singing quite like that. I paused the movie, because it was too interesting to miss even a second of it and leaned over to Tim. As he leaned back I whispered:


    "Actually there is a local legend about one of the castles around the area where I lived. Well not around, a couple of hours away, but close enough that it was an important scary story in my youth."


    "I''m all ears," he said. I leaned even closer because when you talk about local scary legends, you just have to whisper. We were so close, that if either one of us would lean a bit more we could kiss.


    "There once was a vampire lord, old and scary, living all alone in his castle. The castle was on top of the hill overlooking several towns below, as it was a custom at the time. One of the towns was filled with life and theater and it was meant for the richer merchants instead of serfs and farmers and it was his favorite place to be and to hunt. One night a singer arrived, a pretty girl, fresh from a nearby village. She was lovely to look at but not a great beauty, until she started to sing. She sat at the water fountain one day and sang a song about a sunflower looking for the sun. It was as if her whole body was illuminated from the inside. At the moment she started singing she became the most beautiful girl in the entire town and beyond, maybe even in the entire world. She became famous and would sing every other day in the biggest theater in the town. One night a few years after this happened, the old, lonely vampire was walking around the town, searching for something to do, something to watch or listen to. That''s when he heard her sing and he fell in love. He would watch her every performance, and became her biggest fan. He would pay for everything she wanted, everything her little heart desired. But what she wanted was not something that can be bought. She wanted eternal youth. Vampire lord knew that not many great artists are meant to be young eternally as it breaks something in them after a few decades. Killing kills the soul, he would often say and vampires sooner or later, start to kill. The singer was relentless. The day she noticed the first wrinkle, she stopped singing and declared she was sick and dying. The vampire lord, thinking she was sincere, did what he thought was right. He took her to his castle and made her a vampire. Soon she rose, dead and pale, a vampire and she sang, even more beautifully than before."


    The doorbell interrupted the tale. We both jumped a little in surprise and laughed. I got up and got my immense order of Chinese food. I put everything on the coffee table in front of us and invited Tim to eat.


    "Woman, did you lie to me when you said you didn''t expect company or have you not eaten for days?" He exclaimed. I laughed, a bit embarrassed.


    "I just really like Chinese and I couldn''t decide on what to get, so I got all my favorites." I paid the delivery boy and got my favorite bowls and chopsticks. I handed another bowl with some funny text to Tim, and started piling up food. He watched me in awe as I ate with chopsticks as a master, inhaling my food more than actually eating it.


    "Oh I''m sorry, do you prefer a fork?" I realized maybe not everyone likes eating with chopsticks.


    "No, I''m good," he laughed.


    "You just surprised me."


    "Good surprise or bad surprise?" I asked a bit more quietly.


    "Very good." He started choosing his own food from the big selection on the table.


    "So what happened to the vampire lady? Did she kill and become depressed and meet the sun?" I sat a bit straighter, putting the bowl on the table and continued the tale of woe.


    "She still sang, but now she sang at night for the creatures of the night. Vampires from all around the world would come to visit her and she was known as the Transylvanian beauty. She married the vampire lord in a lavish ceremony and for a while all seemed good. But she grew jealous of humans who could still sing in the light of the day, who could walk around and in her eyes enjoy things she could no longer enjoy. Every time she would hear a woman with a nice voice she would go to town and drain her dry. Everywhere she would go, bodies would start piling up and people started to wonder. Women would disappear, girls would follow and the great singer could or would not stop. The Lord was devastated. Her appetite was too great and before the people of the town would storm the castle with fire and pitchforks, he took it upon himself to resolve the situation. He sent his son a letter, explaining what has been happening and that he needs to return to become the lord in his stead, then gave his wife a cup of blood, as if nothing was wrong. But inside that cup was the poison that paralyzed the woman. He took her to the roof of the castle and sang to her for the first time in centuries. She never knew that the vampire lord was once a great singer himself and he was the most famous singer of his time, but she was so selfish she never bothered to ask anything about him. As he sang the melody, ancient and long forgotten they met the sun together and perished." Tim was staring at me, mouth open.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "That is such a sad story, and yet so¡­ thrilling." I smiled and picked up my bowl.


    "My mother always said that if I hadn''t been chosen to become a guardian, I would have followed the first storyteller who came to the village." I giggled a little and continued eating, not noticing the strange look Tim was giving me.


    "Ok, I have several questions, but let''s finish the movie and food and then we can talk." Before I pressed play I looked at him, squinting my eyes.


    "Didn''t you come here to talk to me about something?"


    "Yes, but then I wouldn''t get to spend time with you. Now we can enjoy each other''s company and accomplish the task I set out to." I rolled my eyes just a little, and pressed play. We ate, we watched and we talked about the movie. He had his own thoughts about how Akasha should have done things and I informed him that books are better, but I really did like how Akasha was in the movie. I also exclaimed how I would totally wear that dress, if I had her body and made Tim blush.


    Once the movie was over I offered Tim some ice cream, but he politely refused due to his stomach exploding.


    "So," he said a few minutes after the movie ended.


    "How can a vampire have a son? I thought they can''t have children?" I turned toward him, putting my feet on the couch and leaned on the back of it. It took me a second to realize he was talking about the story that I told him before, and not the movie.


    "It was his child in a sense that he made him a vampire. The lady would have been considered his daughter. In this time and age it¡¯s frowned upon to marry your own children, simply because marriage should be of two equals, and once you sire a vampire it can take them centuries to become your equal. But this was centuries ago and vampires were a lot less civilized for a lack of a better word.¡±


    "How do you know so much about all this?" He wondered. He slowly got up and sat next to me. If we didn¡¯t do this a few days ago I would have been uncomfortable, but hey at least we weren¡¯t touching each other. Yet.


    "Well two things. I actually know the son in the story." I said, looking down. Tim''s eyes widened.


    "Wait, really?" I nodded and told him.


    "So I don¡¯t know if you are aware of this, but Vampires have their own territorial boundaries and most of the time they are not the same as those of other communities. So our territory actually belongs to the same vampire who is the son of the vampire lord who had to kill his own wife since she became crazy. He is actually really nice and hosts dinners for important events and he is super helpful to the supernatural community in his territory. He is also strong enough to hold his territory against every other vampire so we support him as much as we can, since it is beneficial for everyone if he stays in charge. He doesn¡¯t have a large vampire family to protect him, so we often go there to meet him and be his bodyguards for some vampire events. It¡¯s in our best interest if he stays the lord of the land." I explained. Since he seemed interested I continued.


    ¡°I visited him several times with my grandmother after she became the matriarch, because I was just too interested in vampires for my own good, as she would often say. She wanted to dissuade me of my curiosity, but she, of course, made it worse. If he would be actually scary or mean it might have worked, but he loved children and found me especially entertaining. When Mia decided that she wanted to move to a different place I actually convinced her to go visit Levi first, and he really helped us arrange everything and even gave us a letter for the local vampires so they knew that if they fucked with us, we were under his protection.¡± I said everything as a matter of fact, because I didn¡¯t want my voice to show my feelings for the vampire in question.


    "Wait, can you just randomly visit a vampire of such stature?" I shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t know about any other vampires, but like I said, I knew him since I was a child and he has been very helpful to me and my family. I consider him a close friend and we still exchange letters monthly. I do think that is mostly because he is very lonely and he loves writing letters, and I am the only one who isn¡¯t really afraid of him, you know?"


    "Fascinating," said Tim, clearly surprised. What I didn''t say and I would never tell anyone is that the vampire proposed more than just a friendship with me. When I told him that I can''t leave Mia and that we are bound by forces beyond our reach, he said he doesn''t mind Mia staying with us, if only I would be there and be his. In the end I had to decline, because I knew that Mia would never go for it and I just couldn''t leave her alone. I never told her, or anyone else, that Levi was my first love and if I could choose I would stay with him and be his in every sense of the word.


    I shrugged at Tim''s comment.


    "Vampires in Europe are a lot more civil. They are older and meaner, but they have a lot of rules and they hold themselves to a higher standard. If one of them breaks a rule, they die. It is simple but effective. That''s why a lot of ''trouble makers'' come to America, because they can''t stand the rules and the limitations of the older vampires." He sat there quietly for a few minutes and just when I thought I answered all his questions, he surprised me once again.


    "So this vampire just told you the story of his father or is it a known legend?¡± I smiled, because I knew that he would love the answer.


    "Both in a way. Every couple of years a storyteller would visit my village and we would hold a week-long celebration and during that time the storyteller tells stories.¡± I wanted to add, as if you can¡¯t tell from the title, but that seemed condescending so I held the comment to myself. Before he even asked what a storyteller is, I continued.


    ¡°The Storyteller is¡­ human but a part of the supernatural community. They are blessed with a memory and a knack for telling stories and they are well known and welcomed everywhere. There isn''t a supernatural creature who would mess with a storyteller, because they would die a most horrendous death by everyone else. Storytellers are our most sacred human members and they hold the stories of our past. We all have someone in the family who would know some of the legends and myths, but storytellers are the ones that know every legend and every myth of every community. There are rumors going on that they actually know how each of the supernatural creatures was created, but they hold that secret close to their heart and will never ever tell." I explained. It was a short explanation and I was sure that I missed some details, but I was getting tired and I suddenly realized that I have been talking a lot, while Tim was just silent and observant.


    "But how do you know someone is a storyteller?"


    "Because a storyteller will find an apprentice and they will travel together for 3 to 5 years, all around the world, gathering stories and visiting everyone. In those years the apprentice will learn most, if not all of the stories and he will be introduced to most of the supernatural community. I believe that there is even a list, a family tree of sorts that can be traced all the way back to the first storyteller, but I¡¯m not sure that rumor is true." Tim looked in awe.


    "I never knew or heard anything like that. We have our own storytellers, of native descent, but they only tell our stories. We haven''t even imagined that you might have your own traditions of storytelling." I shrugged and for a few seconds sat in silence.


    "Do you think we could get one of your storytellers to our gathering? I don''t know how many people would be interested, but I know a storyteller personally who would love to swap a story or two." He suddenly said and surprised me. I sat up straight, thinking. I actually did know someone who, years ago, mentioned he would love to hear a new story and visit the USA, but he never had the courage as he didn¡¯t know how a story teller would be welcomed in the community. He has been asking me if he could visit us and we would introduce him around, but we are not all that well known in the local community and I just wasn¡¯t sure how he would be accepted. But throwing all doubts aside I smiled.


    "Yes, I do! I actually know someone who would love to listen to your stories and tell a few of his own. He was always the odd one out of the storytellers, including that he never took on an apprentice even though he is getting on in years. I can contact him and tell him about this opportunity and I am sure he would love to come, but he will require a body guard because I really don¡¯t want to be held responsible for his death by someone who doesn¡¯t know what a storyteller is. I can make sure he is safe around here, but I don¡¯t know how welcomed I would be within your community, so if you can assure me he would be safe, I would love to send him a letter and invite him over?¡± Tim seemed surprised by my fast talking and he was all for it, assuring me that a storyteller is sacred to them as well, and even if he belongs to a different community they would love to share and listen. Before Tim got too invested I had to add that I didn¡¯t exactly know when he would be able to come.


    ¡°Sadly, last I heard he was in India, talking to some of the cult worshipers so it might be some months before he can finally make the trip over the ocean.¡±


    Tim couldn''t help but let his jaw drop.


    "Fascinating." He said. We stared at each other, smiling and content that we arrived at the same conclusion.


    I don¡¯t know how long we sat there just chit chatting about the weather, before Tim finally admitted that he had an ulterior motive for his visit.


    ¡°I actually didn¡¯t visit just because I wanted to spend time with you, although this was the best evening I have had in a while,¡± Tim finally said.


    ¡°I kind of guessed that you were here on some sort of quest.¡± I said, eating my third bowl of leftovers. Tim leaned a bit away from me, but his knees were still touching mine. I turned toward him, putting the bowl down, as his face became more serious.


    ¡°I went on a vision quest on behalf of an elder who saw something disturbing in the forest and I saw something.¡± I turned my whole body toward him, pulling my feet under me.


    ¡°I saw you in the vision, or at least I¡¯m pretty sure it was you? It was a huge brown bear and it was fighting a¡­ monster.¡± He finished quietly. I raised an eyebrow, but before I could ask any questions he continued.


    ¡°After consulting with an elder, we have deduced that it was most likely a wendigo, who must have just woken up from his sleep and it will start hunting soon or maybe it''s already hunting just outside of our territory and we haven¡¯t gotten any reports yet. The elder is pretty convinced it''s the same wendigo that they have tried to kill thirty some years ago and failed, so he wants to try again. But the vision was pretty clear, it''s a bear who has any chance of killing the monster, anyone else will fail.¡± I cocked my head to the side and asked.


    ¡°So you see a random bear fighting this wendigo monster and now if I don¡¯t go and fight it, you will fail?¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Visions aren¡¯t an exact science, but it was a bear who finished the monster and you are the only bear around here, as far as I know. Not only that, but this was the biggest damn bear I have ever seen.¡± That sort of filled me with pride. I was quite a big and good looking bear, if I can say so myself. I sighed loudly and in annoyance.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice then? It''s either kill the wendigo with you or let you be killed?¡± Tim nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Do you have any clue when the hunt is starting? I am kind of busy tomorrow with a ceremony and I have to be there, but I believe that after that I could take some time off for a quick hunt?¡± Tim looked more surprised than anything else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other questions? I mean, you just agreed to go kill a monster, and all you say is I¡¯m busy tomorrow but after that I am all yours?¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Hey, believe it or not, I do enjoy hunting some monsters and this will most certainly not be my first monster. It will be my first wendigo so, instead of being surprised you might want to tell me about wendigos.¡± I said smugly. It¡¯s true, in my career as Mias guardian I have encountered several creatures that could only be described as a monster, so taking on a wendigo sounds like fun. Tim looked at me, more scared than surprised, but answered my request.


    ¡°Wendigo is an old native legend, something that elders aren¡¯t quite sure even existed before the white men came to our land. It is a man transformed by his own greed and gluttony and an outside force, starvation to be exact.¡± I had so many questions, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt.


    ¡°The first wendigo that the elders knew of, was a native who was trapped in a cave fleeing the white man. He wasn¡¯t alone as there were others already hiding deep in the caves and together they tried to escape the white man''s wrath. But the white men had explosives and they collapsed the entrance of the cave, capturing all the people inside and condemning them to death. We know little of what happened during their time inside, but we found evidence that the man killed everyone in the cave and ate their flesh. Eating the flesh of his own people, acting with greed and gluttony not known before, he transformed into a horrific creature. He grew taller and skinnier, got stronger and faster, better than any man could, but he was always hungry. Once he escaped the cave, he went crazy with hunger and ate everything in his sight, animals and humans alike. The elders didn¡¯t know what to do about this new monster and simply went away, disappeared, but the white men decided to fight it. The monster, called Wendigo now, killed a whole battalion of white men, before disappearing back into the cave where it rested for decades. But this wasn¡¯t the end, since the monster would reappear after a couple of decades and went on a spree to kill more and more, sometimes he would hunt natives and sometimes he would hunt white men, whoever was set in his path.¡± I was enthralled with his story especially since I realized I have heard of similar legends, how people who engage in cannibalism transform into a monster, but I¡¯ve never imagined it was true.


    ¡°Sadly, more and  more wendigos would appear, as if seeing that first one was a chain reaction and people who were in its presence and survived were far more likely to find themselves in situations that changed them into a wendigo. The native people finally decided to do something about it and hunt some of them down, and slowly and with great sacrifice the number of wendigos appearing was less and less each decade.¡± He sighed loudly, as if he really didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    ¡°It would seem, some survived till today. We have an elder who was a hunter of monsters and he has a list of places where wendigos appeared last and when, so we have at least an inkling of where to fight them next. It would seem that this area is next so he came to me, as a dream walker and asked me to guide him on a vision, to maybe see if the hunt will be successful. I was his first stop and at this moment he is gathering warriors in the tribes surrounding this area, since you can not fight the wendigo alone, but I don¡¯t have much hope for his success. Modern youngsters have all but lost faith in the old ways and they simply don¡¯t believe in monsters anymore or they don¡¯t want to risk dying.¡± I nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°So, he is gathering warriors or other hunters and you have decided to invite me? Because you saw a big brown bear in your vision and you are sure I have to be there for this to be a successful hunt?¡± I summarized.


    ¡°Yes, I will be there as well and I would much appreciate your help.¡± He had huge puppy eyes and I just couldn¡¯t resist teasing him.


    ¡°Of course I will help you kill the big bad wendigo, no need for puppy eyes.¡± I winked at him and he started laughing.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± he whispered as he leaned toward me. His face was now so close, it was as if he wanted to kiss me.


    ¡°I sure hope so, I like to show off,¡± I leaned in as well and whispered into his ear. My cheek was touching his and his scent overwhelmed my senses. He still smelled great and I didn¡¯t realize just how much I missed it. I felt his hand on my other cheek as he guided my face toward his and kissed me. I really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, but I was and for a few seconds I just sat there like an idiot. But only for a few seconds. I got more comfortable in his embrace and returned the kiss.


    It was in that position that Mia and Penelope found us a few hours later, as they returned from their errands. Only after he said his goodbyes did I realize I forgot to ask him why he is called The Wanderer.

 Chapter 7

    After a day of teasing by Mia and Penelope, the night of the ceremony was finally upon us. We spent the morning in the park building a bonfire and the following afternoon getting ready for the most important night of our lives. Mia was the first one to go to the Wolf Creek Park, so she could make sure everything was as it needs to be, and as anxious as she was I let her go alone. She has been snapping at everyone and it was really getting on my nerves, since yes, it was an important ceremony but everything was going as planned, so her being nasty about random shit was just useless. Penelope had to go home at the last second, as she forgot something, so we all just agreed to meet at the park before the sun sets.


    Wolf Creek Park was one of the oldest parks in the area and it was extremely well preserved and maintained. Just the drive to the park was relaxing for most people, but I lived in the middle of nowhere so the sight of trees was nothing new and I didn¡¯t take my time to look around. The parking lot was usually closed after 10 pm, but Mia had a talk with whoever was in charge and he said he won¡¯t lock it up for a night, under the condition that if we get caught we say we broke in. Apparently he also said to please not start any wild forest fires as his job could be on the line if we do that. Mia agreed and promised that by morning no one could tell we were ever there.


    I only saw Mia''s car on the lot so I decided to wait in my car until Penelope came. That way I would bring the intended sacrifice to the ceremony. I mean victim. I mean partner. It took Penelope about thirty minutes to arrive and in that time I was just enjoying the park and its smells. I realized that it has been too long since I shifted and just enjoyed being outside, because as I was sitting there, enjoying the smells of the forest I was becoming more and more melancholic.


    The first thing I noticed as Penelope opened the door was how stunning she looked. She wore a pure white, almost sheer, tunic with a slit on her thigh. She undid her signature braids so her silky hair was flowing like a waterfall all the way to her behind. She had some tribal tattoos on her, but I was pretty sure they weren¡¯t permanent as I would have noticed them before. She looked like a dream come true. A wild, scary and beautiful dream. She took off her shoes and blushed as she saw me approaching. Since her image was so stunning I didn''t even notice a wolf in the backseat until she opened the door for him and he jumped out and stretched.  It took me by surprise, and I barely noticed that his smell was familiar. Finally I said:


    "Sam?"  Penelope looked embarrassed and blushed, which made her look like a virgin on her wedding night.


    "You look stunning, Penelope." I said and went to hug her, ignoring the wolf for now. I¡¯m not usually a hugger but somehow I knew she needed a hug. These past few days have been stressful for us all and we were finally here at the ceremony and everything had to go well, so that we can protect the kids. After that all we need to do is somehow find the damn sorcerer and do something about his appalling behavior. But that is a thought for tomorrow, after the ceremony is successful and the kids are safe.


    "I''m sorry, but as soon as my parents heard that we are doing a ceremony in Wolf Creek Park they insisted on Sam coming along. I tried to tell them that you will be there to protect us in case of troubles, but¡­" I nodded.


    "I understand. They worry, as all parents do." I leaned over and whispered in her ears:


    "Did you tell them that the ceremony entails some¡­ not so safe for work parts?" Penelope started laughing and Sam came closer, looking bewildered, if a wolf can even look bewildered.


    "No, I kept that to myself. I did tell Sam on the way, so he will keep away and not peek around the bushes." I looked over at Sam, hoping to look menacing. I have to admit he was a beautiful creature, even if he was on the small side. His fur was mostly dark with white snout and white underbelly. His gray black coat looked incredibly soft and shaggy and a part of me really wanted to pet him, but that probably wouldn¡¯t go over well.


    "Time to go," I said as I noticed the sun going lower. I offered Penelope my arm and told Sam:


    "You should make yourself scarce Sammy, go run around and make sure no one is around. And remember not to peek!" I turned to Penelope and we walked, hand in hand, toward my cousin.


    "Let''s go sweet, sweet sacrifice." I whispered and Penelope laughed and followed my lead. We both left shoes in cars since we were thinking it would be easier and while she did look like a bride, I looked like I just woke up. I had a short and oversized summer dress that was easy to tear or take off. It had strings keeping it together so when the time to shift comes, I just undo the strings and it falls right off. I never wore underwear when I have to shift since tearing it midshift hurts more than I would like to admit. I had a change of clothes in the car and I was pretty sure others did as well.


    We followed the path through the forest until the clearing and after a couple of minutes if silence I heard Penelope loudly sigh.


    "Next time let''s wear shoes," Penelope said and I wholeheartedly agreed. After a few more minutes of walking barefoot on the path, we saw the beginning of the clearing where Mia had decided to host the ceremony and we both breathed a sigh of relief. Mia was standing in the middle of a clearing, hands reaching up to the setting sun, most likely praying to a deity or two. She wore a tunic similar to Penelope''s but it was even more revealing and almost completely sheer. There was a huge bonfire next to her just waiting to be lit and a blanket far away from the bonfire that will be used later if they deem it necessary. I let Penelope go to Mia, and walked the perimeter of the area included in the protection spell once again, making sure all is safe.


    There was a slight slope at the edge with a rock on top, surrounded by trees and it was the area from where I will watch the ceremony after my part in it will be over, making sure that everything goes as planned and no one will interrupt the magic. There was a large creek not that far from here that I didn¡¯t notice before and I made a mental note to investigate it once I shift. I caught a glimpse of Sam, trotting around making his way toward me and the rock on the edge. I finally went to Mia, and she looked relaxed and ready. Sun was almost gone, so I asked.


    "Did you explain to Penelope about my role?"


    "Yes," she nodded and guided me to the bonfire. I sighed and got ready to undo the straps.


    The dress fell to my ankles and I stood next to the bonfire fully naked and exposed. Mia started singing an old song, a song full of magic and wonder and from a completely ordinary plane of existence we entered into a magical one. Everything in the circle was suddenly transformed, even an ordinary grass to grass imbued with magic. The song wove around us as a wind, flowing from one to another, inspecting our bodies and souls and preparing the dirt itself for something far greater than any of us could have imagined. Mia sang in an ancient Slavic dialect that even I didn¡¯t understand, but I knew that song was about sacrifice, protection and love. She walked around me, ceremonial knife in hand and I could see the magic she wove as tiny glowing strands. When the magic settled around me as a spider web, keeping me in place she took the knife in her hands and started carving letters into my body. I closed my eyes, listening to the song, giving my pain to the protective circle that surrounded us and I knew that by the time my cousin will finish the song, my blood will fill out the circle around us and it will grow all the way to the edge of the clearing.


    It was a form of blood magic, of sacrifice and of pain but it was the most powerful protection a Guardian like me could offer. Nothing can get through the circle without killing me first, not even a God, a devil or anything in between and if I do get killed my soul will power up the protection to such an extent that no one in the known universe could break it. It was truly a catch-22, since they can not cross the circle without killing me, but if they kill me the protection grows too strong.


    Song continued and I could hear drums. Drums weren¡¯t usually a part of the ceremony so that caught me by surprise and I opened my eyes. I caught Penelope sitting on the other side of the not yet lit bonfire and she had a small drum in her hands and was playing her own melody to the song. The pain was growing stronger with every letter carved into my naked body so I focused on the drum and tried to synchronize my very soul to it. Once my heart beat in the same rhythm it was as if pain became less and less until all I felt was mere prickling


    Mia eventually stopped and I knew that the first part of the ceremony was finished. I opened my eyes, to watch the next part of the ceremony, knowing that my part was mostly finished. The sun was fully set now and nothing but the moon was giving us the light. Mia was glowing in the moonlight, letting me know once again that she was one of the most powerful moon witches. But tonight she didn''t call upon the moon to help her, she was calling the old Gods, those who have not walked the Earth in millennia or more.


    I stood in place as the song changed. Penelope somehow managed to match the song that was becoming more wild and Mia suddenly exploded in a dance. It looked erratic and crazy and it matched the song perfectly. She began to slow down, and just as we thought she was done due to exhaustion she exploded in a violent movement and in that moment the bonfire caught on fire and suddenly the whole area was lit due its light and it was magnificent! The flames started rising and illuminating the clearing and magic around me started growing and expanding and with every breath I took it grew larger and larger until it reached the edges of the circle and only then it stopped. The song, the dance, the breathing it all stopped and there was deathly silence. Only the crackling of the fire continued. Mia slowly pulled herself together and Penelope did a little tap on the drum and an invisible force took over my body and suddenly it was I who sang.


    I have no memory of what I sang and I can not describe its lyrics. It was a song as ancient as life itself, a song of the very first woman who jumped in front of the beast to protect her loved one, it was a song about the sacrifice you make for the one you love. Mia came closer and started applying red dirt on my still bleeding wounds. The dirt was a special concoction of hers and it will make sure that the wounds will stop bleeding and that for the next few days I will have red markings all over my body, but eventually they will disappear and once that happens I will be able to perform this kind of ceremony of protection once again.


    After she was done, she turned toward Penelope and drew markings with the dirt on her as well. Penelope dropped the tunic from her body and let Mia draw symbols on her, over her own tribal markings that seemed to disappear as soon as red dirt came in contact with them.


    Once my song was finished, Mia threw off her dress as well. We all stood around the bonfire and a melody was coming from somewhere, and the melody was prompting us to dance. It is hard to describe how or why we listened but the magic did not take no for an answer. I had a feeling that there should have been more, at least so many that we could all hold hands while we danced around the fire, but three was enough. The moon rose and somehow I knew it was time for me to leave the ceremony and finish the protection by stepping outside of the circle. My moves became slower and slower and I stepped away from the fire, watching the girls gravitating toward each other knowing, knowing full well, this dance will end with lovemaking somewhere around the fire. The next part that followed was the weakest point of the ceremony. I had to cross the circle as a human, weak and fragile and transform. If I transform into a bear before I cross, this whole ritual is pointless and there will be no protection. So out I walked, and as the last piece of me exited the circle I could hear the magic snap into place and the protection was set. I changed into a bear now, feeling the bones snap and skin fold, I knew I was safe.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I roared as only a bear could and walked away. It was done, the girls were safe and I survived the change.


    The forest was alive to my bear eyes. I had excellent night vision and I could make sure that nothing and no one came close to the clearing. The wolf was drinking from a creek and he was so busy drinking that he was completely unaware of me. I was walking as quietly as I could so that I could scare him and to my surprise it worked. I gently poked his furry butt with my six inch claws and he yelped and jumped into the creek. I laughed as only a bear could and just stood there, watching the wet wolf staring at me.


    He was staring as if he had never seen a bear before. I mean I was quite big and I felt even bigger and heavier than last time I weighed myself. I always knew I had the potential to grow more but I really thought that 600 pounds was more than enough.


    I drank from the creek as well, scaring the wolf more and slowly walked to the little rock above the clearing. The wolf followed me, his tail behind his legs. Once I arrived I took a quick glance at the girls, who were getting busy, so I turned myself around and looked at the forest, making sure they had their privacy. The wolf followed me and before he could even start looking at the girls, I took my paw and dragged him next to me and forced him to watch the forest with me, showing his back to the clearing. He, once again yelped in surprise, but stood still.  He looked small next to me and it felt odd. I wanted to tell him that I might take a little nap, and I suddenly realized how grateful I was for the company. Usually I am all alone when Mia does her ceremonies and it doesn''t feel safe to take a nap, but with someone else watching¡­  I laid down, using my paw as my pillow and closed my eyes. Oddly enough sleep came fast and sooner than I wanted to admit I was snoring away, probably scaring the wolf more.


    Sam woke me up by biting my paw. I grunted at him to let me be, but he was whining and pulling. I finally opened up my eyes and slowly stretched my big fat body. Sam basically hid under me while I stretched  and I finally realized something was wrong. I looked behind me and saw the girls laying on the clearing, probably taking a break, not having a care in the world. Since they were safe I focused on the forest around me. Something was off. The forest was as silent as the grave. It''s not how the forest is supposed to be in the middle of the night, it is supposed to be bustling with life, with all the little critters scuttling around and making noises. But for some odd reason there was absolutely no noise. I took a few steps, when I heard a twig snapping. I turned around toward the sound, but there was nothing there. Sam was whimpering in fear and I put my paw on his head putting him down. He got the meaning and shut up. I wished so hard I could tell him to shut the fuck up, but shifting would take too long with how tired I was.


    I walked around the barrier a bit, inspecting the forest while walking. There were no owls, no possums, no anything. It was as if the whole forest was holding its breath, and it wasn''t because of the magic or the ceremony. No, there was something here with us. Something that can scare the whole forest into a quiet graveyard. Anytime I moved, Sam moved with me. He was petrified and I could smell his fear. If the ceremony wasn''t as important as it was I would stop it without a second thought, but this was the only way to protect the children and we waited too long already. Even Mother had told us to protect the children, so this ceremony had to work. To wait for the next full moon, it would most likely mean the sorcerer would find the children and that would be the end of them.


    I saw it. The eyes in the forest. They shone as if it had two miniature lamps instead of eyes. It was in the tree above, so it can climb. And as I was watching it, it disappeared. It was fast. So fast I barely noticed its movement. Shit, I thought to myself. I had no choice, I had to keep it busy until morning. I walked toward it and Sam was not happy. He cried louder and was jumping at the border of the clearing. He wanted to go inside, but that would require me shifting, opening a wound, drawing a symbol on his forehead and letting him in. That was impossible in the current situation so I growled at him and started walking toward the forest, following the creature.


    Since I knew where the thing was, I took a deep breath and tried to sniff what the hell it was. There was an odd smell in the air and I could swear it smelled like decay and decomposition. It couldn''t have been a ghoul, they only appear in the cemetery. I really wish I could ask Sam if there is a hidden cemetery nearby, but even that couldn''t be it, for this creature was in the trees and fast. Ghouls were slow and not good climbers. Whatever this was smelled like death. I didn''t like it. There was fear in the air, coming mostly from Sam.


    I continued walking through the forest, knowing that if it even touches the protection circle I will know and it will be marked by my own blood. As soon as that thought crossed my mind I knew what I had to do. I walked forward toward where I last saw the creature, not paying attention to poor Sam who was hugging me as close as he could. That''s when I heard the whispers calling for help. I stopped and listened.


    "Help, please help, it''s here!" It almost sounded like a child, but not really. The tone should have been urgent, but it almost sounded¡­ recorded. Screams tore through the silence of the nights. Pure terror and fear. I started running toward the screams, following the smell of death. But there was nothing there. No people, no creatures, just more of the never ending forest. I could feel its eyes on me, assessing the situation. I was searching for it but even my night vision wasn''t good enough to see it. Suddenly, the feeling of being watched disappeared and I knew it lured us here to distract us while it went for its real targets.


    My plan worked. It decided that a bear and a wolf weren''t good enough targets, because the next thing I knew it screamed in pain and horror when it touched the protected barrier. I could feel its pain as it reached for the magic circle, knowing it would damage its arm. I smiled to myself as I felt my magic wrap around his arm, marking it and calling out to me. Whatever the creature was, my magic was stronger. I started running toward the mark and Sam was following along. A bear and a wolf on a hunt. All we needed was a crow and we could make our own children''s book adventure team. A bear, a wolf and a crow on hunt for the monster in the forest.


    It took longer than expected, since the creature was fast and the stamina he had was impressive, but I finally felt the mark getting closer. Sam kept up with me and I have to say the little wolf shifter was growing on me. The dawn was coming and the ceremony should be finished so at least that was done. While running toward the mark I had a horrible thought that this entire thing was a setup and while I''m away someone would attack Mia, but I felt no one else touching the barrier. Finally the mark was right there. The sight that awaited me and Sam, would have made me vomit if I was in my human form. I saw a pool of dark blood, more black than red, and an arm in the middle. The arm looked like it belonged to a zombie or a ghoul with how it was decomposed. It was bones with some skin and muscle attached to it, and it smelled horrible. I could hear Sam gagging behind me, but I didn''t turn around to watch him. There was no other sign of the creature, just its chewed up arm. It was smart enough to know that the mark was embedded into his flesh and it knew to chew or tore up its own arm. It was torn from the shoulder socket and it wasn''t an easy tear. The blood smelled days old, but that was impossible, it had to be done maybe thirty minutes ago. I cursed in my mind, knowing that the next step that follows will haunt me forever.


    I picked up the decaying arm in my mouth and turned around, to go back. Sam stared at me with as much horror as a wolf can muster and just stood there. He finally realized that I was being serious, and we slowly made our way back. I was gagging a lot and had to spit out the arm several times to take a few deep breaths, but even that was not helping. Sam tried to pick it up, but as soon as he came close, all I could hear was him gagging. It was so funny it made me laugh and that made it bearable enough. Sun was now rising higher as we finally reached the clearing. The clearing was clean of all human signs and I knew the girls ended the ceremony hours ago and they cleaned it all up. I was supposed to help with that, but Mia knew that if I wasn¡¯t, something important had happened. I braced myself and shifted.


    The first thing I did once I was human again, was to throw up. The taste in my mouth was disgusting, and I didn¡¯t even want to think about the smell. I once ate a deer that had been dead a couple of days and even that tasted better than the arm that I had been carrying around. Bears are omnivores but whatever that creature was, it was toxic and most definitely non edible. I felt a calming hand on my back after I was finally finished with my vomiting. I turned around and naked Sam was patting my back.


    "Dude¡­" he said, wide-eyed, scared and in awe, all at the same time.


    "That was the most wild night of my life." I went to the creek and just¡­ sat in it. Sam went in with me and poured cold water down my back. I drank the water and started washing the dirt off me. I still had faint marks of letters on my body but I knew they would fade with time and so will the scars.


    "What happened?" He said quietly.


    "Which part baffles you the most?" I slowly said, trying not to look at his young naked body. He jumped up, excited.


    "Everything! The ceremony, she carved you like a Thanksgiving turkey and you just stood there and took it! There was blood dripping all over you and you just¡­ didn''t do anything!" I got up slowly and tentatively took the severed arm in my hands. I put it as far as I could muster, trying not to breathe the deadly smell.


    "And then," he continued, jumping in front of me:


    "You just shift! So fast! And dude, you are huge! When I first saw you I peed myself, I kid you not. Damn, you are the biggest bear I have ever seen!" I smiled at his excitement. We walked toward the middle of the clearing where my dress was all nice and folded and for a second I didn''t know whether to wrap myself in the dress or maybe wrap the arm in it so maybe it would be bearable to carry it. After a few silent seconds I decided to wrap the arm in the dress and continued walking to the car naked.


    "And that¡­ that creature! I was so scared and you just went for it! I thought I was gonna die! But you were so brave¡­" He continued praising me and the whole evening all the way to the cars. I dropped the arm in the trunk, wishing and hoping it doesn''t stink up the entire car, before I turned to Sam.


    "I was terrified, Sam. Whatever that was, I have never ever encountered anything like it. It was smart enough to lure us into the forest by mimicking human voices so it could go after the girls and then it chewed its arm off so I couldn''t track it anymore." Sam stood there naked, looking younger and more innocent.


    "Yeah why did it do that? Like to stop us from tracking it?" I noticed that there was a sports bag in the back of my car that wasn''t mine. Since the car was unlocked I figured it might have been Sam''s, so I threw it at him. He was very happy to see it and rummaged through it to find something to wear. While he was getting dressed I searched my own backseat for clothes for myself. Feeling more like myself I turned to an excited youngster once more.


    "When Mia cut me, my blood formed a protective barrier all across the clearing. When the creature touched it, it marked him with my blood. I can track that and follow the mark, it is a very special magic and only I can do it as Mia''s guardian. That means that the creature knew that his arm was marked and that''s why it tore it''s arm out. That''s how smart it was." Sam, finally dressed, stared at me.


    "That is amazing. Can I do that, as a wolf?"


    "No. I''m Mia''s guardian, which means she can use me in her spells in ways that she can''t use you. She can do a lesser barrier with your blood but you wouldn''t be connected to the barrier itself. Because I am the guardian, I get certain magic that normal shifters don''t." He looked just a little bit disappointed as he climbed into my car. I sighed. I guess since both the girls left I''m in charge of delivering the boy to his house.


    He was asking questions all the way to his house, and I tried answering as best as I could while ignoring the foul smell that was slowly taking over my car. I really just needed a long nap and put all of this behind me, but I knew that as soon as I dropped Sam off, I needed to hurry to Mia to complete the magic protection around the house so that the children would be safe. I can take a nap after that, I decided and drove a bit faster.

 Chapter 8

    I was surprised how far I was supposed to drive Sam. He set the GPS address as two hours away, but at least it was in the same direction as Laura''s house so I could stop there on the way home and make sure that everything was going according to plan. I wasn''t all that worried about Mia, since I would have known if she was in trouble, but there was still that bad feeling every time I thought about the monster. The drive was relaxing enough that I could think about what exactly we saw last night. I knew it wasn''t a zombie or a ghoul, the monster was too fast and it mimicked human voices too perfectly. We were also not in the vicinity of any cemeteries, so I could rule those two out. I was quite sure it wasn''t a striga which was a form of zombie/vampire that my grandma would tell me about in her bedtime stories. Strigas need a quite unique circumstance to be raised and I seriously don''t think I''m that unlucky and grandma was sure they would only rise in the old slavic cemeteries. Even if it would be a striga, simple beheading would do the trick and kill it for sure, but then, beheading would kill everything so I can¡¯t use it as a form of exclusion. It might have been a revenant which was a vampire who has gone mad and has started feeding on flesh instead of blood. Revenants are smart and fast, and they are supposed to smell bad, but this thing didn¡¯t exactly feel dead even if it looked similar to a corpse, based on its arm. But there was that nasty feeling again and Tim''s words came to mind. Wendigo. He didn''t go into detailed description of the being and I''m sure he would have mentioned the stench of death and rot, but maybe he didn''t know. If it was a wendigo it would mean that it is already awake and hunting and Tim might be too late to catch it before it starts killing. Tim also never mentioned how to kill the creature, although like I deduced already, beheading would probably do the trick. I was hoping Sam would wake up soon and maybe tell me if he knew anything, or maybe we could at least brainstorm but he was dead to the world.


    He woke up just five minutes away from his house and by then I didn''t want to bother him with questions that he probably didn''t have the answer to anyway. I decided to call Tim as soon as I made sure that Mia and Laura were ok, and maybe take a little nap. After a night like that I deserve more than just a nap, but a girl can''t be greedy when saving a family.


    As soon as the house came into view we noticed several cars parked in the driveway and several people rushing out of the house to greet us. My stomach immediately dropped and I figured we were in some kind of trouble. Sam cursed loudly as soon as he noticed the people but before I could ask if something was wrong, everyone turned toward us and looked quite hostile and were clearly upset about something. I parked behind the last car and turned toward Sam.


    "You did have permission to join Penelope, right?" Sam nodded and whispered.


    "Yeah, my parents even called her parents, but I don''t think they realized I would come home quite so late. Even so, those two elderly in the back are members of the elder council. Why would they be here? And look, there are Tim and Penelope!"


    I turned toward Penelope and noticed she had red cheeks, but not in a good way, like she was really excited to see us. It looked more like someone slapped her face so strong that it left a mark. I could feel anger rising inside of me and my bear spirit stood up. I opened the door and walked toward the group with anger in my step. Tim, who rushed toward me, recoiled and it took me a second to realize he probably recoiled due to the stench that was coming off me and not because I looked menacing. He gave me a wide eyed look but before he could ask any questions, an older woman who had to be Sam''s mom screamed.


    "My baby, I was so worried!" She ran toward him, but as soon as she came into hugging distance she retched on the side and turned away from him. I was still pissed, because now that I was closer I could see that I was right and someone slapped the shit out of Penelope, but on the other hand the woman retching on the side while trying to be mad was entertaining as hell.


    "No offense but you smell. What have you been doing last night?" Tim said quietly before I had time to do anything else. I almost forgot just how bad we smelled, so for a second I merely looked at him as if he grew a second head.


    "I will explain in a bit, I just need to make sure that Mia finished the ceremony safely." I turned toward Penelope who came closer but put her t-shirt over her face to stop the smell.


    "Yes, all was well.¡± She said quiet enough that only we heard it.


    ¡°It was a major success. She was practically floating on her way to the car, because she was overflowing with magic." I smiled and relaxed that at least something went right. People next to us were arguing in their native language and were getting more and more agitated and I almost wished that I could understand, because it was getting heated. Of course the entertainment ended once I noticed Sam''s tears, and I realized this was probably more serious than just coming home late.


    ¡°Why is everyone so upset? I mean I know we are late and we smell horribly but this seems excessive?¡± I pointed to the group that was surrounding poor Sam. Penelope sighed and explained.


    ¡°Apparently they thought that we were just going to sit in the woods and there would be no danger whatsoever and Sam was supposed to stay with me the entire time. When I came home without him they made a huge fuss and were convinced I was tricked by your cousin into sacrificing Sam in some weird witch ritual. It didn''t help that I couldn''t really explain the details of the ceremony¡­¡± I nodded and realized maybe I should explain what happened. I cleared my throat loud enough that everyone turned their heads toward me.


    "Ok everyone, before you start making too much of a fuss, everyone is safe. Sam was never in any real danger, because every decision I made in that forest was to assure everyone''s safety. Keep that in mind, while I explain what happened." Now that I had all the attention to myself, I could see the mistrust in the elders'' eyes.


    ¡°First of all the ceremony that my cousin did, and required Penelope''s help, was to help a young woman and her children. They are being hunted by the father of the children who wants to harm them, and because the young woman couldn¡¯t make a protection circle strong enough herself, my cousin offered to help. The ceremony was to ask the old Gods to give my cousin enough strength to make a protective circle strong enough to withstand the fury of a sorcerer and everything else that might want to harm the children.¡± Usually I would keep a detail like the old Gods to myself, but I was tired of keeping secrets, so just going full on honesty was exhilarating.


    ¡°I formed a protection circle around them, with my blood and my life force and the protection was strong enough to stop a demon or a God or anything else that might want to try and harm them.¡± Penelope nodded and confirmed. I saw that one of the elders was trying to interrupt, but I spoke louder.


    ¡°Sam wasn¡¯t even supposed to be there in the first place, but since he wasn¡¯t allowed to be in the protective circle due to him having a penis,¡± I tried to sound completely serious, but I couldn''t help but smile a little once I saw the blushing elders.


    ¡°He was stuck on guard duty with me. Saying that, I was and am grateful that he was there, since he can confirm what we saw.¡± I took a minute to think about how to say the next part.


    "Sasha," Penelope said confused:


    "Please tell us what happened. I think we are all confused and would like to hear more." I nodded and continued.


    "I will only tell you the short version and Sam can tell you all the details later, since I really need to go to Laura¡¯s house and make sure she is doing well. However, a few hours after the ceremony Sam noticed that something was wrong. There was something unnatural in the forest, something so wrong and foul that the entire forest went completely silent. There were no animals, not even bugs, it was as if time stood still. It called us away from the clearing with the voices of kids yelling for help and even if I knew it was a trap I had to go see, in case the children were really in trouble. Knowing that the barrier I made was impenetrable I followed the noise and made Sam follow me. Because I knew that the girls were safe, my only priority was making sure Sam was safe and since I didn''t know what the creature was, the safest place for him was next to me, where I could protect him." I made a point to look at Penelope, but I regretted it in a second. She had tears streaming down her face.


    "So you just went and followed it?" The elder asked.


    "What else was I supposed to do?" I asked, annoyed. They were all silent and I continued, more sullen now.


    "Anyway, the creature called us away and then double tracked back and tried to go into the barrier." That''s when everyone gasped and looked at me in horror. I swear I''m done with this story, I haven¡¯t even told them the scary parts and they are already gasping.


    "The protective barrier did as it always does to evil, it scorched its skin and marked it by magic that only I could follow. It was hurt enough now to realize that it would not be able to penetrate the circle so it ran, and I ran after it, knowing I can follow it and take it out, before it gets too out of control." Question, yelling, noises. I shushed them all up.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "We followed it. For the entire night me and Sam were running after the damn thing and we couldn''t catch it. It was too fast or too smart I should say. It knew we were following it and we were not in our human form, so how did it recognize the danger? It also knew about the tracking spell that was embedded into its flesh, because soon we found this," I went to the back of the car, took the severed arm out of it and threw it on the ground in front of the elders. I made a little pause for dramatic effect and to give everyone time to take a long look at the arm and enjoy the stench that surrounded it. I swear the stench was like a cloud of miasma, emanating from that damn arm, and it was so bad that most people couldn¡¯t stand it and went as far as they could. I spoke louder now, so that those far enough would hear me.


    "It severed its arm because it knew that I could follow it. It was smart enough to know about the spell in its arm, it could talk, it went after the weaker human members and yet it had the speed and agility of¡­" I was interrupted once again.


    "Wendigo." Tim said, eyes closed and nose covered from the smell. They were looking from the severed arm to Sam, to me. I shrugged.


    "Never seen a wendigo, so I don''t know what it was. It could have been a freshly risen revenant for all I know.¡± I went quiet, as I didn¡¯t have anything more to add. But after a couple moments of silence I finally added.


    ¡°Anyway, I really need to go now. I have other stuff to do¡­" I started to turn around to leave when I felt Tim''s hand on mine. He was looking at me with very big sad eyes.


    "Just wait a minute, please. You don''t understand, we didn''t know you were going to do the ceremony at Wolf Creek Park. There have been rumors about the park for the past few months, not just about the park but the area around it¡­ If I knew where you planned to go I would have warned you!"


    "Well I don''t know what to tell you." I felt a bit embarrassed. One of the elders came closer.


    "You survived an encounter with a wendigo and you have brought us its arm. You have kept both of the youngsters safe. I thank you." He bowed his head a little and I felt bad.


    "It''s my job as a Guardian. I really want you to understand that if I felt anyone was in real danger, I would have made sure that they were safe. I wouldn''t have followed the creature unless I thought I could handle it." I opened the door to my car, making it clear I was leaving. Just before I left I turned toward the people who were looking at me with a certain sadness. As I was looking at them I reached the decision of killing the damn beast, because I knew that they don¡¯t stand a chance against it and I do.


    "Don''t go after it alone. It is going to be pissed, since it lost an arm. If you give me a couple of days I''ll go after it and kill it for you." They stared at me in horror, but I didn''t really give a damn. I waved goodbye and left before I said too much and upset more people.


    I reconsidered on my drive to the town. I was being too blunt and too hasty again. I sighed and wished it didn''t happen at all, but I was so tired. I was running the entire night and I felt ambushed with the elders and Penelope crying. I searched for my phone and called Mia. She, of course, did not pick up but I did leave a voicemail telling her that I will be a bit late and if she can invite Penelope tomorrow so that I can apologize and we can talk. I also need to ask Penelope who slapped her hard enough to leave a mark and if she needs me to slap them back,


    I actually wished that they didn''t even know about the damn creature. If they didn''t know about it I could have made my own plan, find a good group and go kill it. But Tim already invited me to go help them hunt, and even had a vision that I need to be there to take it down, so that complicated things. I don¡¯t like hunting monsters with humans, because they are too fragile and they die so easily. Just as I was coming up to the town where Laura''s house was I had a thought. I stopped the car and sent a message to a friend, the only one I knew I could trust to help me kill the creature. Satisfied that I had at least a semblance of a plan, I drove toward the house.


    My happy mood did not last long, only until I caught a glimpse of a massive dark cloud-like creature that was hovering above the house and clearly eating the protection around it. It was bad. Laura''s house was being invaded by darkness and I was sure it was the same dark cloud that I glimpsed when we went to visit the witches, except that this time it seemed a bit smaller and a lot more menacing. What was it doing all the way here? I jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked semi safe, looking for Mia and the kids. That''s when I noticed that Mia was inside of the house, chanting and crying, trying to keep the darkness at bay with the last line of defense. I cursed myself and the whole fucking situation. I was late, almost too late.


    Darkness was above the house so I took the opportunity and tried to run for the door, to touch Mia and give her my essence of a guardian so that she may bolster her defenses and maybe push the darkness back, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough. As soon as I came close to the door a massive black wall appeared in front of me, blocking my way in. I stopped just in time so I didn¡¯t run into the damn darkness. I took a second to evaluate the situation. The darkness seemed sentient, and it had more substance than just a shadow, it almost seemed like it had a top layer that was made out of dark liquid. It was moving back and forth as if it was actually breathing. I tried to yell as loud as I could,


    ¡°Mia, can you hear me? Is everyone ok?¡± But there was no response, so maybe the darkness was blocking more than just sound. Suddenly I heard a crackle and I realized it was a crackle of a protection circle being slowly broken apart. I was out of time and I knew there was only one thing a guardian like me could do. I shifted my hands into half paws, until I had claws and sliced my wrists on both hands. It hurt like hell, but the blood and the magic in my veins was enough to get the darkness''s attention.


    ¡°Come at me you stupid dark cloud, and stop picking on little kids!¡± I screamed as loud as I could. I needed to buy time for Mia to either bolster the protective circle or to get the kids far away. When the darkness came toward me I had a thought that this may mean my death, but I didn¡¯t have long to dwell on those thoughts. I always knew I would die sacrificing my life for someone else and I was prepared for it.


    Immediately I was in complete and utter darkness. I don¡¯t know how long I stood there, it could have been a minute or it could have been a week, before I started thinking like a person again. The darkness consumed me and there was nothing else but dark. There were no walls, no floor, no sun, no anything. Just endless darkness. Slowly I started to feel my body and I could feel the darkness probing me, licking me, touching me, pulling on my skin, hair and clothes. I tasted the tears that were leaking down my cheeks to the corners of my mouth and they tasted awfully like they were mixed with blood. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity and yet I was sure it wasn¡¯t longer than a minute. Suddenly I heard a whisper coming from all around me and yet what should have been a whisper was more like a booming all encompassing sound.


    What are you? It suddenly said,


    "My name is Sasha and I am the guardian of the people!" I answered loudly.


    Guardian? What is a guardian? Can you help me? I am cold.


    I was confused. Was it cold? I couldn¡¯t tell.


    "Why are you here?" I asked about the endless darkness around me.


    I want to live.


    "Are you dead?" My arms were hurting for some reason, but I couldn¡¯t give up now.


    I want to live.


    "Why come here?" I repeated the question.


    He said there that magic here will make me alive.


    He? There is a he. A master? Is this some weird construct? Some magic gone wrong?


    "How would you come alive? There are just children in there and even if they are magical they can''t make you alive." It faltered. It seemed confused and sad.


    Warmth. Life. Laughter. It helps. It makes me feel.


    I tried again.


    "What are you? Maybe I can help?" I suddenly felt the intense pressure on my body. As if the weight of the darkness just came crushing on me. I fell on my knees.


    I was made to kill. To take magic. To store magic. But he never took it away. The pain, the suffering. The never ending death. He said if I come here and finish the light, kill the light he will make it stop.


    And just like that I knew that whoever made this darkness, made the shadow that was here just days ago. That knowledge gave me power and I could think again. It was not darkness or some sort of weird God, it was just a construct of magic, by the same man who made the shadow. So this darkness must have an essence from which it came, like a soul. This means that all we need to do is find the soul, find the origin of it and we can end it!


    Luckily for me I was close enough to Mia that she could use her mind magic and eventually I could hear her voice in my head.


    ¡°Sasha, please don¡¯t tell me you are the reason that this damn dark cloud stopped eating my protection magic and that you are somewhere safe, far away?¡± I didn¡¯t have time for this, I said to myself, forgetting that Mia could hear my every thought.


    ¡°Mia, it''s similar to the shadow I fought a while ago. It was constructed by someone to collect and store magic!¡± She gasped loudly enough that I could hear and finally went silent.


    It took her a mere few seconds to hatch a plan. She and I bonded, melded our minds as only a witch and her guardian could. She spoke and I acted, she wove the spell and I was the conduit. As loud as I could, I said in my voice but her words.


    "I protect this land and the people within. Darkness, evil and malice have no power here!" And I stomped. I flung my arms wider, as if I was coming to hug it. I felt sharp pain on my arms and I knew that somehow I was bleeding from my wrists hard enough that my blood was dripping down my arms to the darkness that surrounded me.


    "With my blood I claim thee. With my blood I make thee mine. With my will I bind thee. With my body I make thee bow. With my words I gave thee voice. With my heart I make thee light. With my mouth I ate thee, darkness. BE MINE!"


    There was a loud pop and I was flung backwards, until I hit something metal with a loud thud and then I finally passed out.

 Chapter 9

    I was laying on my back in the softest bed ever made. I could feel the sun gently warming my cold body and the wind brought to me smells of delight and happiness. I was at peace. Nothing hurt and for the first time in forever I felt truly happy. I smiled but I did not open my eyes. I knew that as soon as I opened my eyes the illusion would end and the world would come crashing down on me with all its might. So I stayed there, hoping that I could just stay here forever.


    Eventually I had to open my eyes and face reality and when I did finally look around I was no longer home. I was laying in an open field surrounded by sunflowers and other wild flowers that seemed familiar, but I didn''t know their names. It took me a while but when I finally stood up I noticed that I was wearing a tunic of coarse white fabric that felt as light and airy as if I was wearing sheer silk. There were red symbols embroidered at the edges and somehow, even though I have never seen this tunic before, it all seemed so familiar and right. I was barefoot however when I walked around the field my feet weren¡¯t hurting at all, it was as if I wore the softest of shoes.


    I laughed loudly, because I suddenly realized that I was dead. There is no other explanation. I twirled around in my tunic and decided that being dead is not all that bad. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, the flowers smelled nice but not overwhelmingly nice and I felt no pain. I walked, looking around and trying to find out what the afterlife is when I noticed a well worn path, leading out of the field of flowers. I hopped like a little girl down that path, feeling lighter than I ever have in my life. The road led me out of the field and down, all the way to a three forked crossroad.


    A young woman was standing there, seemingly deciding on which path to go. She turned around when she heard me and smiled. I smiled back, because you just couldn¡¯t help yourself not to smile when you saw that beautiful face of hers. She stood there naked with only periwinkle flowers adorning her long dark blond hair. Her skin was toned, like she spends all her days in the sun but she looked soft as if she didn¡¯t work a day in her life. Her brown eyes shone with the power of the summer sun behind them, and her lips were full and red, as if she was just kissing the love of her life. Truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, but I also realized at the same time, she was not a woman at all. She was the representation of summer, of life itself and her name was Zhiva, the goddess of life. She blew me a kiss and walked down the left path, whistling a song with the birds that flew next to her. I don¡¯t know how long I stood there, but before I made a sound or a move toward her, she walked far enough away to disappear.


    Another person was standing next to me now and she arrived so silently I almost screamed when I finally noticed her. How long had she stood there? Did she also watch the goddess Zhiva walk down the path? A thought came to the front of my mind, that the kiss that the goddess blew must have been meant for the person next to me, because the longer I looked at her, the more I realized she was not like me at all.


    Morana, the goddess of death, looked down on me and walked ahead. She was as beautiful as Zhiva was, but in a different, more terrifying way. Morana was tall and deathly pale, as if a corpse was walking down the road. She had long black strands of hair, but they were more than black, it was more like the emptiness of any color. Her lips were dark red, the color of the heart blood and her eyes were so blue they pierced through me. The goddess of death and rebirth, of nightmares and winter was dressed in spider webs and she looked more nude than she did dressed. She looked upon me with as much warmth as Zhiva did, as if she was a mother looking down on her beloved but misguided child. Eventually she turned around and walked the right path, not glancing back.


    The left path leads to life and all its sorrows and the right path leads to death and rest, with a promise of rebirth. But there was a middle path as well and I stood there in the crossroads, not knowing what to do or where to go. Were the goddesses there to tell me that I have a choice? A choice whether I live or die? And why did I have such a hard time making this decision? Wouldn¡¯t anyone jump on the left path, the path of life already lived? I mean who would choose death? Even if it comes with a promise of rebirth and a new life? What was the middle path? What is there beside life and death?


    I stood there like an idiot while the sun was slowly setting. I sighed and eventually sat down, cross legged, debating what to do. Part of me wanted to die. I never wanted the responsibility of a guardian, I wanted to be like my mother was, a stay at home bear with a bunch of cubs, living a happy and uneventful life. However there was another half of me, the one who wanted to be someone important, the one who fell in love with an old vampire, who experienced life and adventure. But I was so unhappy with my life, being stuck to Mia, being her guardian, being always the second, never being able to be me. I was her shadow, her second since I was eight years old and I didn¡¯t see a future where that would change. One path leads me down to Mia to be whatever she requires me to be and when she requires me to be, with no fate of my own, only that which is tied to hers. The other path leads me down to oblivion, to rest, to new life, one that is my own, but I will forget everything and everyone. How could anyone ever decide their own fate this way?


    ¡°Feeling confused, do you?¡± A sudden masculine voice yanked me out of my own head. A man was sitting, also cross legged mimicking me, down the middle path. He was old, with white bushy beard, white hair and dark skin. He looked like a perfect grandfather, happy and safe, and the only thing that made him look like the God that he was, was horns that were growing on his head.


    ¡°Not many have this option and yet you don¡¯t seem to be happy about it.¡± He continued in his booming voice. He should seem intimidating, bigger than life itself and yet, he felt like home. Veles the god of magic, underworld, chaos, trickery and among other things, bears, was staring down at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± I finally admitted with tears in my eyes.


    ¡°One path leads me to always be second, but I will be able to protect my family. I will be able to watch them grow and prosper and I will be able to see her as she changes the world as we know it. I know she can and she will, because that is her destiny. And yet, what kind of life is that?¡± I wondered out loud.


    ¡°I know I should choose life no matter what, because I promised her, I promised to protect her for as long as I live!¡± I looked upon the face of the old man.


    ¡°But I died, didn''t I? I fulfilled my duty and I can finally be done. I can be reborn and maybe this time have my own fate, have my own purpose, not to be tied down to someone else. Or at least I hope that I can be reborn as someone who can control her own fate.¡± I cracked a small smile, knowing full well that fate would most likely put me in a worse situation.


    The old man produced a pipe out of thin air and started smoking.


    ¡°Are you sure that your life was as you say it was? Was it truly fate that tied you down to a witch or was it you? Did you take something that was meant to be a gift and made it into a curse?¡± I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± I said silently. He blew smoke that formed a bear cub into my direction. I was absolutely mesmerized with just how much the bear looked alive instead of just a puff of smoke that it actually was.


    ¡°Humans are so small that often they see only a fracture of the picture. How could you understand who and what you are, when you limit yourself? You have said it time and time again, that you are the guardian of the people, and yet, you think you are tied to one witch? Was that truly what fate wanted you to be or was that your choice? Were you tied by fate and magic or were you tied by yourself? Or,¡± he paused for dramatic effect.


    ¡°Were you tied by a third force all together?¡± I understood the words he was speaking, and yet I could not wrap my head around it.


    ¡°Are you saying my life was not supposed to be this way or¡­¡± He made a noise that my grandmother used to make, a noise that lets you know that you are a disappointment and you are thinking about the wrong thing.


    ¡°I told you what I think. You are not seeing the bigger picture, you are not seeing what you were meant to see. You have limited yourself to a role and that role makes you unhappy, and yet you seem unable to shed that role.¡± He stood up and patted the pockets on his tunic as if he was searching for keys or something. It was such an odd gesture and yet so familiar.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Live or die, it is your choice. But know this, sometimes it is more than fate what brings you to a certain path in life. It is not easy to disrupt fate, but other things? That might be easier.¡± He turned around and walked down the middle path, leaving me more confused than ever.


    The moon was rising on the three paths and I was starting to get tired. The right path would lead me to my death, the left would lead me to my life, so what is the point of the middle path? I got up and closed my eyes. I was eight when I first saw a creature that wasn¡¯t supposed to exist and that creature led me to my missing cousin, promising me powers beyond my imagination. I followed the magic and found Mia, alone and hurt in the middle of the woods. My fate has been irreversibly tied to hers since that day, but I loved her more than life itself so I didn¡¯t mind. But now, looking back, my life wasn¡¯t my own at all. Since that day I have been riding the wave of Mia''s fate, fate that pushes her toward some unattainable goal of the Gods, something that Mia has to ultimately achieve on her own. What if the left path leads me toward that same life, life where Mia is everything to me, so much so, I would deny myself love and my own life, in favor of hers? So, what if the middle path is the one that leads me to my own life, life that would break me free of Mia''s fate? I loved Mia with all my heart, but I needed to know what else is there in this world without her shadow looming over me.


    I walked down the middle path with the confidence that I did not possess.


    The path was long and more than one time I regretted making this decision. It was twisting itself, it went up and down and twice it looped in a circle because I swear I saw the same batch of trees over and over again. I was starting to get frustrated and there was a fear inside of me that maybe I chose wrong and this will be my afterlife. Walking down the path that leads nowhere. I mean, Veles was the god of trickery and chaos and playing a prank on unsuspecting souls does sound like something he would do.


    Eventually, after walking for the entire night, I finally saw the end. Mountains. I started to walk faster until the mountains were right there, so close that I could run to them. But again, I found myself at a crossroad, two roads leading their separate ways. I stopped at the crossroad, and I knew that I would either cry in frustration or scream in anger. I took a long hard look on the right path, the path that leads away from the mountains. The more I looked at it, the better it looked. The path was suddenly paved with bright red bricks, not a speck of dust on them. There was a sound of laughter and screams of joy rolling down the path, promising me an easy life. The other path was waving through the forest as ancient as the world itself and it ended next to a cave entrance and I could see plenty of bear cubs playing in that forest, with their mother sleeping lazily in the cave.


    Goosebumps covered my whole body and I knew immediately what I had to do. I looked down the right path, and I knew what would have awaited me there. Happiness. I smiled to myself and went down the left path, toward knowledge. As soon as I stepped down the left path a hand grabbed me and pulled me back. I was so surprised I fell on my butt, but my legs were laying on the left path still, with my upper body on the crossroads. I turned around to see a woman holding me back, a woman of immense power and beauty. She was a small brown haired woman, whose hair was let loose and feral. She was staring at me with dark blue eyes that reminded me of an ocean in the storm, gray and wild. I pulled my arm out of her hand and got up, making sure I was still on the left path. There was pain in her eyes and she truly looked troubled over my choice. I didn¡¯t know why, but she gave me the creeps and I just wanted to be away from her. I walked backwards, making sure I had my eyes on her at all times. Finally she pulled herself together and magic surrounded her as a cloud and she looked as powerful as any of the Gods, even though she was only human.


    ¡°Walk down your own path little one, but don¡¯t forget those who steered you this far. You may have a destiny of your own, but I will not let you destroy her destiny in the process. Be careful when listening to them, as they don¡¯t think of human life as having any significance at all. We are all just pawns to the Gods, doing their bidding, but if we die they simply choose a new pawn and we are forgotten. Whatever you think your destiny is, you are not the first to hold it and you most likely won¡¯t be the last.¡± The more she spoke, the darker the sky got. It was as if her words were summoning a storm that would break down the forest and push me around.


    ¡°Choose happiness,¡± she pointed toward the right path.


    ¡°At least that way you will be happy. Don¡¯t make the same mistake as I did, thinking knowledge is power and that power could change one''s destiny.¡± With those words she turned around, watching the left path. I could swear I could see tears in her eyes, but she disappeared in a puff of smoke before she turned to me again.


    Of course I didn¡¯t listen to the crazy lady who looked more feral and crazy than anything else and continued down the path until I finally reached the mountains. It was a lot bigger than it seemed from far away, so much so that what I thought were bear cubs looked a lot like full grown bears, and the mother bear was enormous. I mean the size of a house enormous. I stopped at the clearing in front of the cave and gawked at the scene.


    ¡°Come closer my child,¡± Mother Bear finally said. Her voice was echoing all around, but no other bears responded. Some were napping in the shade, two were climbing on trees, one was eating a bunch of apples that were on the forest floor and the rest were just chilling around. I walked closer to her, hoping that bears are friendly and I won¡¯t be seen as an intruder.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± She lowered her massive face toward me and I realized that her eye was the size of my entire arm. She seemed bigger than life, bigger than the mountain itself.


    ¡°Because this is the path I choose,¡± I whispered, wondering if she even heard me.


    ¡°Why did you choose it?¡± She said, still eyeing me intensely. I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat.


    ¡°I want to know.¡± I said, but I knew I left a lot more unsaid. The mother knew it too, as she asked again, this time with less patience.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to know if Veles was right and I lived my life wrong.¡± The Mother huffed, looking away from me.


    ¡°What is a life wrong lived? How would you know whether your life was right or wrong?¡± Her question caught me by surprise.


    ¡°Was I ever meant to be a guardian?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You mean were you meant to protect your family from evil?¡± She retorted. I was quiet for a while.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be the second character in Mia''s story anymore.¡±  Mother laughed loudly enough to startle all of the bears around me, who started laughing as well.


    ¡°I see now. You speak of magic that binds you to one person, magic powerful enough to awaken your true potential too early and you confuse it with your destiny?¡± I was stunned into silence. I could feel something in me break and I slid on the forest floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I whispered mostly to myself. A bear that was closest to me walked up and sat so close he almost trampled me.


    ¡°We are all Mothers'' children, but not all of us receive Mothers gifts. Every few generations one of us is born, with potential to do more, to be more, to change the world if it needs to or if he wants to. But every generation also has someone or something who wants to bind that gift, use it for themselves, and abuse their power. I was bound by my enemy and instead of helping him, I chose honorable death. Our gift makes us powerful not only in body but in mind as well and many want that gift to work in their favor. Your cousin was already more than a witch, she had the potential to be the greatest witch of them all, but she was caught in a web larger than her life and she dragged you in it. Instead of you two growing and developing your own fate, you have been caught into a story larger and grander than you could have ever imagined.¡± The bear finally looked at me.


    ¡°She did not do it on purpose, but you are bound nonetheless. Even in death you carry her magic around your soul, and in that magic we see more than just her magic. She too, is influenced by forces bigger than she thought.¡± Bear sighed.


    ¡°Whether you like it or not, this is your path. You came here in search of knowledge and this is what I can share. By the time you wake up, you will have no memory of this encounter or anything else, but because of Mothers gift you will be aware that something has happened and I will grant you advice as well.¡± He lifted his paw and covered the top of my head as if he was patting a young child.


    ¡°Lift the veil around your heart, break the bondage around your soul and live as you were meant to live. Guard and protect those you love and you will be happy. It is a hard life and often not a very long one, but it is filled with happiness. Protect the children, guard the witch, make yourself proud and next time we meet, have some stories to share, not just sorrow and tears.¡±


    He pushed me back with such force my body slammed through the forest floor into the big vast emptiness of space and I was floating, flying, falling. I had no body, no thought, no feeling, I simply was, until I was nothing.


    And then I saw it. I was laying in my bed, in my bedroom, people around my dying body, trying to heal me, wishing me to take a breath.


    So I did. But not for them. I did it for me.

 Chapter 10

    There was nothing but pain. It was all around me, all encompassing, within me. I took a breath and it was like I could feel individual molecules of air entering my lungs, stabbing me as they moved through me. I exhaled and only felt pain. I could feel every beat of my heartbeat, every muscle, every bone. Pain was coursing through my body as if it was carried in my blood and I could feel every vein, almost like I had liquid fire going through them. I was in so much pain that even opening my eyes seemed too much, so I laid there and tried to breathe without crying. But even that was too much and if screaming wouldn¡¯t hurt me more, I would have probably screamed. I wished to be unconscious, I wanted something to knock me out, however even if pain was enough to wish for death, my mind was awake.


    I felt someone caress my arm and it startled me so much I jerked away and screamed as my whole arm throbbed. Screaming did, as I suspected, hurt more than it was worth in relief, so I closed my mouth and screamed internally.


    ¡°Sasha!¡± I heard my cousin say, way too loudly.


    ¡°You are awake.¡± I wanted to protest, to just let me rest, but she was not having it. She spoke quickly and I couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying. Finally after a few minutes of gibberish, I opened my eyes, even though it caused me pain.


    I was in my room, and Mia was walking around nervously, putting blankets away, folding them over and over, talking about nonsense. Finally I gathered the courage and wanted to say something, but my throat closed up and all I managed was a squeak. Mia finally noticed that I was trying to communicate, so she sat down, hands in lap.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± She said, slow enough for me to understand.


    ¡°No,¡± came out of my mouth. Mia leaned over with a cup and took out an ice chip and put it on my lips.


    ¡°I was told that your throat might hurt too much because of the screaming, so I¡¯m not sure if you can drink, but I made you some ice chips.¡± Oddly enough that helped and soon I was able to ask for an actual glass with a straw. Once my throat was sufficiently lubricated I felt well enough to talk.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. Mia looked away.


    ¡°You died.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, what? I answered.


    ¡°After we channeled the magic, to contain the familiar, magic burned you out. You lit up like a bonfire, a human bonfire, and you just stopped breathing.¡± She was softly crying now, gasping for air.


    ¡°Why am I alive? Or should I say how?¡± I asked quietly. She touched my hands.


    ¡°The amount of magic that we called for, the same magic that burned you up was enough to heal you as well, but I wasn¡¯t sure I was fast enough. I didn¡¯t realize how hurt you were at first and I thought you were just passed out, but then I realized it was more than that. I tried so hard to heal you and¡­ You just wouldn¡¯t wake up. I called Penelope, who brought Tim, and he said your soul was not there so he couldn¡¯t do anything. He tried calling you as a dream walker but he couldn¡¯t find you.¡± I closed my eyes. Well that was unexpected. Mia gently patted my forehead.


    ¡°Tim said that you will either return, or die. I healed your body but you had to decide whether or not to return.¡±


    ¡°I guess I decided to come back, huh.¡± I said, more to myself than to her. I do remember an odd dream about walking down the road with people. I decided to tell Mia, in case she has any idea what my dream could mean.


    ¡°I remember a dream. I was walking down the road and people were there and they seemed so familiar and it was maybe family? I wasn¡¯t scared or in pain, I think I was quite happy. But then I found a road and I had to decide which path to go¡­¡± My thoughts were all scattered. Mia suddenly hugged me as tight as you can hug a person who is laying down, causing me a lot of pain. I winced and just really wished she would let me go.


    ¡°You must have been in between life or death and you chose life!¡± She cried but for some reason all I felt was annoyance.


    Pain was slowly leaving my body, one muscle at the time, and in mere three days I was pain free and physically I felt better than ever. Problem was, something was wrong anyway. I felt disconnected with Mia and she wouldn¡¯t speak with me about it. Finally after three days of avoidance I managed to corner her and sat her down.


    ¡°Mia, you need to talk to me.¡± I said while she was putting groceries away. She turned around surprised and yelped.


    ¡°What are you doing out of bed? You need to rest!¡± She was trying to avoid the conversation and back away, but I was not having it.


    ¡°Something is wrong between us, you know it and I know it and I think we need to talk.¡± I sat down at the counter, looking at her expectantly. She finally stopped with the groceries and looked at me.


    ¡°I think I know what¡¯s wrong but I don¡¯t know how to talk to you about it.¡± That surprised me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She sighed and replied.


    ¡°After you¡­ passed out, the dark familiar¡­ well¡­¡± She was talking slowly and with several pauses. It was more annoying than anything else, so I tapped the counter, making the gesture for her to hurry up. She finally took a deep breath.


    ¡°It bonded with me and now it''s my familiar.¡± It was my turn to silently stare and think.


    ¡°So you have a familiar now?¡± She nodded tearfully.


    ¡°What does that mean exactly?¡± I asked. She took a bracelet from her hand and gave it to me. Bracelet that used to be a colorful creation filled with several precious gems, turned black. As soon as I touched it I felt the dark energy lurking behind. Mia whispered to me, as if she was scared someone was listening.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find out what exactly it is and how it was made so maybe I could release it, but for now it is bonded to me, and I am worried that if anyone sees me they will suspect I released it into the world. Especially since all the magic that it gathered was used in healing you!¡± I looked away from the bracelet and stared at my cousin. Several things she said didn¡¯t really make sense, like how can a familiar be hers now, why does she even call it a familiar and what happened to its magic?


    ¡°I don''t understand. I thought that the magic you gathered and called forward with the ceremony was used to heal me. That''s what you said when I woke up?¡± My dear dear cousin literally squirmed and somehow that made me feel worse.


    ¡°I¡­ I had used that magic to make the protective circle around the house. After the darkness bonded with me and disappeared into the gems, we saw you laying there and I thought you were fine. So I casted the circle first.¡± I swallowed. How long was I laying there dead, before she finally noticed? I could feel the resentment growing, but I couldn¡¯t let it show on my face. Wanting to be done with the conversation I offered the only solution I could think of.


    ¡°You should ask Sebastian.¡± Mia gasped, surprised, but didn¡¯t say anything so I continued.


    ¡°He has been very helpful in the past and we asked for his help already. Maybe if he can examine the creature he can tell us more about it.¡± I offered the bracelet back and she took it gently from my hands and put it back on her wrist.


    ¡°Maybe ask Penelope and Tim. I know they have elders, shamans who might have an idea what this is, but I would think it¡¯s more of a witch problem than anything else. This thing was stealing magic and it sounds way too familiar with the shadow that I fought, so I think it''s most likely the same kind of magic. Which means, it''s most likely the sorcerer and Sebastian would be best with that kind of problem. Unless you plan to tackle it on your own?¡± Mia found her voice shortly.


    ¡°I should have talked with you sooner. I¡¯m sorry. But you are right and I will listen to you. I will ask him tonight if he can come visit my shop and take a look at the bracelet and maybe put this familiar to rest.¡± I wanted to talk more, but Mia was ignoring all my attempts so I finally let her be.


    I was bitter and resentful of my cousin. I always put my life on the line for her, do everything to keep her safe, and she wouldn¡¯t even check on me after using me as a conduit to battle an unknown entity that sucks magic out of witches? Instead of feeling thankful that she saved my life and healed my body, I felt angrier until eventually I could feel the rage burning in my soul. I don¡¯t express my emotions often, but I knew that if I don¡¯t shift soon and hunt and destroy something with blood, I would hurt someone I love. I needed an outlet for my rage and I needed it soon. However, part of me was also scared. I could always feel my cousin at the back of my head, like a little bird twittering about how she was feeling, but ever since I woke up that was all gone. From the moment I woke up that night when I was eight and went into the forest to look for her, she has been in my head, and now suddenly she is gone? I had a bad feeling about this and while one side of me was raging about how much I have sacrificed for her, the other side was worried sick that something was wrong with me and that dying made some irreparable damage to our bond.


    I was laying on the couch watching one of my favorite shows when I heard screaming coming from the parking lot. Someone was screaming my name so I opened the door and ran to the parking lot, expecting trouble. I found Sam, covered in blood crying and trying to carry Tim in my direction. I picked Tim up, noticing he was actively bleeding and pretty close to death. I wanted to ask what happened, but as soon as I came close enough I knew. Both Tim and Sam smelled like rotting flesh and death. I took Tim inside the apartment, hoping that Sam could walk by himself, and put Tim on the couch. I had to find the source of the bleeding so I took off his shirt, and gasped. He had several gashes on his body as if something massive took a swipe at him. I was in the kitchen, looking for clean rags when Sam finally stumbled up in the living room, closing the door by leaning on it. He sat on the chair and mumbled. I didn¡¯t listen to his mumbling because I was too busy thinking about what I need to do in an emergency. I finally had enough rags and I even found one of Mia¡¯s healing concoctions. I ran to Tim, hoping I wasn¡¯t too late. He was still breathing, so I sent a quick thanks to the Gods.


    I took a deep breath and started working on his wounds. I applied the healing liquid to the wounds, hoping it would disinfect them, while wondering if he would need stitches. I looked at Sam, who was looking paler by the second. I covered the rag with the liquid and put it across Tim''s wounds and decided it''s time to talk to Sam.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I said as I leaned over, looking at his wounds. Sam pulled his shirt up and he had a big bruise in the making on his chest.


    ¡°A boy and his girlfriend have gone missing while hiking in one of the parks, so the elders have decided that it was time to hunt the beast down. Tim was wanting you to come with, but your cousin was saying you are still recovering from the ordeal you went through and that you need to rest. But it all went wrong. I showed them where we found the creature''s arm and I followed the scent from there on and we found its nest.¡± I cursed under my breath. I cursed Mia for making the decision to not tell me about it, I cursed Tim for not telling me directly and I cursed the whole damn situation.


    ¡°He knew we were coming and he got us, one by one. He fucking picked me up and threw me against the tree and I blacked out. When I woke up Tim was the only one left there, so I picked him up and carried him to the car¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened to the rest.¡± He started crying. I ran to the room to look for my phone and immediately called Mia. She, of course, didn¡¯t pick up. While looking over Sam, I called Penelope.


    "Sasha, this isn''t a good time," she started saying but I immediately interrupted.


    "Penelope, listen. Sam and Tim are badly hurt and I can''t reach Mia to heal them. Do you know where she is or do you have someone else who could heal them?" Penelope gasped and started cursing.


    "Mia is here, talking to my grandmother. I was sent out because it was a private conversation, but I''ll interrupt. How serious is it?¡± I looked over at the guys.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t bring Mia here soon you might want to call a vampire who would share blood or go to the ER. Tim needs stitches and Sam was thrown into the tree so he probably has several broken bones. I have to go after the creature, Sam said there might be other survivors.¡± I hung up before Penelope could protest and looked over at the guys again. There was simply nothing more I could do, especially since Tim''s bleeding seemed to have almost stopped.


    ¡°Sam, can I trust you to keep an eye on Tim?¡± I asked the young wolf who was gripping the rag with all his might.


    ¡°Why?¡± He whispered with horror when he saw me getting dressed. Instead of answering his question, I looked him in the eye and replied.


    ¡°Where is the nest? If there are any survivors I need to get there now.¡± Sam was so pale and he looked even younger than he actually was.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go alone,¡± he whispered with tears in his eyes


    ¡°I won¡¯t go alone, I have back up on call, I promise.¡± He swallowed.


    ¡°Ok, but you have to be careful. His nest was in the Grotto caves. But not the one that has a tourist attraction built in, it''s the one on the south side of the mountain a couple of miles away. But if you park your car at the Grotto, you should be at the nest sooner than we were. We parked at Wolf Creek Park because that¡¯s where we saw it last¡­¡± His voice was getting softer and softer until he couldn¡¯t speak anymore. I patted him on the head.


    ¡°You did good my friend. Don¡¯t worry about it, I will take care of it. Mia and Penelope will be here soon and they will take care of you and don''t worry about me. I will be back in the morning.¡± I glanced at Tim¡¯s wounds one last time and I was satisfied with how they were healing already, changed into my hunting clothes and left.


    In the car I made one last phone call, to a friend who owed me a favor and drove to the Grotto tourist attraction. Time to release that rage that has been bubbling inside of me and crush some skulls.

 Chapter 11

    It was almost midnight by the time I arrived at the Grotto tourist attraction and it was creepy without all the lights and people, so I stayed in my car until another car parked in the spot next to me. A teenage looking girl jumped out of the backseat, dressed in an honest to God gown with a corset, looking like a fairy tail princess. I got out of my car as well, staring at the pretty teenager.


    "Oh dear beloved Sasha, how have I missed you!" She came toward me, arms stretched for a hug. I hugged her tightly so I could whisper in her ears:


    "No blood tonight Esther, we are hunting." She giggled, licked my neck and made disappointing noises, but eventually she let me go and walked toward the rear of her car. Esther was made a vampire when she was just a teenager and she told me that there used to be a lot more vampires who looked like her, but apparently the modern age doesn¡¯t agree with them and most teenage vampires are underground or decided to meet the sun. It doesn¡¯t help that a disturbing amount of vampires who are made as children or young teenagers go mad and have to be put down like a rabid animal. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that a disturbing amount of vampires are made to be someone''s toy.


    She was maybe 15 years old when she was turned, but she was actually very old. I knew she was older than 300 years, but she never actually told me her age. I try not to ask too much, because I like her in a good mood and asking questions like how old you are, will get you killed. However, looking at her, you can almost feel bad for her. Yes, she is a beautiful 15 year old, but she would have been absolutely gorgeous if she would have been given a chance to grow up and develop as she was meant to.


    She was five feet tall or maybe an inch smaller, with black hair, so long and silky that all you want to do is run your fingers through it and she was as pale as Snow White. She had a perfectly round face with a sweetheart dimple, full perfectly bowed lips and eyes so green it was almost as if she had stolen cats eyes. Her body had just started to develop properly when she was turned, so she had small breasts and just a little curve to her shape. When she smiled she looked innocent and perfect and when she didn''t, she was as a porcelain doll, magnificent in her stillness. She liked dressing up in gowns and would often have a porcelain doll in her hands, making herself look younger, prepubescent. Most of the time she acts as a child, and it was quite unnerving and creepy. I am pretty sure that she was made by a pedophile, who turned her to be his eternal toy, but I also know she killed him. There is a craziness in vampires who kill their own maker before they reach their full power, and she was batshit crazy.


    When we first came to America, we met her in New York at a gala event that we accidentally stumbled upon. Neither she or us were supposed to be there, but Mia saw her and felt bad for her. Seeing a teenage vampire is heartbreaking, because in this day and age they are stuck as perpetual children, and can do nothing for themselves. Esther took a liking to her, which was cute and endearing at first but it progressed to stalking and Esther went absolutely crazy, trying to get Mia for her own family. She stalked Mia, sending her flowers, chocolates and blood. I finally tracked her down and confronted her. Her handlers didn''t know just how bad she has been behaving but they did say that ever since she met us, she has been behaving better and she hadn¡¯t had any accidental kills. They offered a mutually beneficial proposal. We would occasionally host Esther, play to her delusions and they would pay us a lot of money. It was a good deal and we took it but once we decided to move elsewhere, Esther ditched her handlers and escaped. During her free years she has actually become a lot more self-sufficient and better adjusted to the modern world. So much so, that I didn''t mind calling her up to spend some quality time, if Mia wasn''t around. She was still too hung up on Mia and she was a danger to her, so I just didn''t let them hang out. But I liked Esther and we had an outing every couple of months. I would also occasionally supply her with my blood, which helped her a lot since shifters blood is more potent than humans, and it seemed to make her more grounded.


    In the past five years she had changed quite a lot, just not enough to be around Mia.


    She took off her gown and stood there stark naked, rummaging in the back of the car. Eventually she found some flimsy shirts and pants and got dressed, then called me over, wanting to be acknowledged as a good kid.


    ¡°Do I look good?¡± She batted her eyes, expecting praise.


    ¡°You look good Esther, but we are hunting a wendigo, so be prepared to get your clothes torn.¡± She thought about it for a while and opened a whole new bag from her trunk. With a big toothy grin she pulled out several guns and offered one of them to me.


    "Have you ever fought a wendigo?" She asked and I shook my head.


    "No, and also I don''t know how to shoot a gun." She stared at me and smiled.


    "Want a sword or a knife?"


    "I don''t really know what to do with those either." I admitted. She was thinking for a moment and finally gave me a belt with two knives.


    "Just in case you need it, but I guess your strength is sufficient enough. If you manage to catch it, just crush its skull." I smiled, since that was my plan already.


    "That is not a problem for me." She got some guns and holsters for herself. That was a surprise, I¡¯ve never seen a vampire use guns.


    "Since when do you know how to shoot a gun?" She pointed toward the car and said:


    "My new boy loves to shoot. We go hunting often and before you go hunting, you need to learn how to properly shoot, or so he says." I peaked at the boy, who was clearly a man, sitting in the front seat. He was talking on the phone with someone and finally came out. He was tall, I would say at least six feet five, with muscles the size of Esther. I really didn¡¯t want to think about how their relationship was, but if I knew Esther at all, she would soon share all the dirty details. Esther loved to talk about her partners, especially when you are uncomfortable talking about it. I knew she was older than dirt, but thinking about her with this mountain of a man, made me cringe inside.


    "Hello, I''m Sasha." I said, He nodded to me, glanced at me once and immediately went straight to Esther.


    "Are you sure you don''t want me to help? I can hunt as well as any of you." He had a very thick Slavic accent and even hearing him talk made me a bit homesick. It was too dark for me to make out his features, but in the shadows he seemed handsome enough. Esther closed the trunk, all dressed up, and stepped up to him.


    "Peter, you are a wonderful hunting companion but ultimately you are human. Maybe next time Sasha calls, she will hunt something that doesn''t feast on humans and gains their strength by eating them, and for that hunt we will go together. But this hunt is for those who can survive being thrown around or being dragged to a cave to be eaten." He made disgruntled noises and went back to the car, not giving me a second glance. She waved happily as he drove away.


    "Now," she turned to me:


    "How did you manage to find a wendigo?" I sighed. Esther may be crazy but she was a friend. Kind of.


    "It found us." I said and started walking toward the forest. Esther grabbed my hand, intertwined our fingers and followed me.


    "We were doing a ceremony in the forest when it attacked. It wanted to attack Mia, who was in a protective circle, but the tracking spell that was a part of the defenses got attached to its arm, so it ran away. But after a while it chewed its arm off, I''m guessing because it realized that I was tracking it due to the spell in it." I took a few deep breaths trying to find its scent. Sam said to go south, and that''s where I went, hoping to get its scent before we get lost.


    "Ceremony huh?" Esther sighed.


    "You never invited me for a ceremony." I swear I could hear her pout. I tapped her hand with mine and whispered:


    "I was only invited as security, so don''t worry, you aren''t the only one excluded." She giggled.


    Walking through the forest with a teenage yet old vampire was thrilling. She would chat about her adventures and her life, sex life in particular was her favorite topic and I would listen, ask a question or two or just make agreeable noises. Finally we caught the scent of Tim''s party.


    "Hey Esther, do you have any experience hunting these creatures?" She stopped and looked at me.


    "I am so glad you finally asked darling. I have many experiences hunting wendigos. Did you know that when vampires first came to America, natives would deliberately send their creatures after us?" I shook my head in disbelief.


    "What do you mean?" Esther came closer.


    "They had their shifters and skinwalkers come during the daytime to kill us or at least find our hiding places. They killed our servants, took our heads, it was a true battle that could have gone entirely the other direction, if humans weren''t so keen on the extermination of the natives. If the battle would be fair, vampires would have lost¡­ not that they would admit to it now." She smiled and sniffed my neck. I knew she was standing on tippy toes because she was several inches smaller than me, but I let her have a sniff.


    "What about wendigos?" I told her. She was getting too excited, so I pushed her away and against the tree. I held her there with my strength and she gave in, not fighting. She moaned in pleasure and I stepped away, sighing.


    "Oh yeah, the starving ones." She put her finger in the mouth, biting on her nails.


    "I can tell you about my very first starving one." I looked around. It was well past midnight and I worried we would run out of time. Esther has to be back home by dawn otherwise she will catch fire and burn.


    "Do we have the time?" She shrugged at my question and asked me back.


    "Can you listen and track?" I took a deep breath, making sure the scent was strong


    "Yes, I have his trail now. Scent of death and decay is hard to miss." She held my hand again and pushed me.


    "Lead, my darling, and listen." I went on ahead, slowly but surely to the creature''s lair.


    "My master sent me to the colonies because I was bad and killed some¡­ important people. So here I was, mad as hell because they just locked me in a crate and let me starve half of the journey to the colonies, when I was informed Master Jacques was my new master. He was known for his bizarre tastes, but alas, what could a little vampire like me do. After a couple of months, when I was finally let out of the dungeon, because I promised to behave, Master Jacques showed me his work. He has been capturing the natives and savoring their blood. Did you know that they taste quite exquisite?" I tried really hard to not think about it, or ask any questions. This tale is giving me a lot of information about Esther''s past.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "He would hunt them at night, they would hunt us during daylight. Oh, what fun times! Anyway, he caught an entire family and he would play with them for as long as they would last, before he would move on to the next. One time a clan of warriors came and after a long battle we won and the surviving warriors were taken prisoners. I would visit them in the basement, learning their language and secretly savoring their blood. Master wasn''t interested in learning about different cultures, but I was very bored and I knew that the only way to defeat your enemy was through information. There was this one warrior, oh he was so tall and muscular¡­" she started to lick her lips and that was just so wrong. Seeing that beautiful, innocent face marked by lust and blood craving was disturbing to say the least.


    "I marked him as mine so he lived for quite a while and survived a lot of abuse. He would tell me stories of his people and how we are demons and such. But you see, my master got so mad once he realized I was giving him my blood, so mad he locked me up and killed the poor man. You can imagine just how upset I was." I didn''t say it out loud, but I am pretty sure she wasn''t all that upset. Although maybe I''m wrong and she is capable of love?


    "I was let out just in time to see him get thrown into the pit. The pit was where we dropped the dead humans, because no one wants a wall of corpses in their house." She giggled at her own joke and I was sick to my stomach.


    "We didn''t know that we created a perfect scenario to create the starving one. My brave darling warrior wasn''t completely dead and when he came too, he was buried alive with the corpses of his family. He had some vampire blood in him, which kept him alive enough to starve, but not enough to make him one of us. And you know what happens when people starve darling." I felt sick. The smell of decay was bad enough, but what she was insinuating was worse.


    "He ate his way out of the pit and by the time he got out, he wasn''t him anymore. I was there, watching him emerge as a newborn baby. He was tall, nine to ten feet, and so skinny, just bones and skin hanging over him. He cried as he emerged, covered in blood and pieces of human flesh. It was quite arousing¡­" I stopped. My mouth was dry and I wished I had never asked her anything.


    "He ran to the mountains, crying. But he came back darling, oh he did. He would pick up humans from the forest, one by one. We would never find them, but I knew he would take them up to the mountains and feast. I followed him, you see, I wanted to see if he was still my darling warrior. More people he ate, the more coherent he became. He would feast for a few months and fall asleep for years. But every time he would wake, I would be there. See, he was growing fast and strong, even skinny as he was. Oh yes, he was faster than even me. He didn''t hurt me, because I did supply him with food, but he would hurt other vampires. We had so much fun together." We arrived at the foot of the mountain. The smell was getting to me, it was potent and so bad and not only did I smell decay, there was a clear trail of fresh blood as well. We were getting closer to the nest.


    "He killed those nasty vampires one by one, until the master had enough and went hunting for him. He took all of his strongest vampires, but my warrior was faster. With my help, we killed them until only the master remained. My warrior was badly hurt by then, but he made sure the master was hurt too. I lopped off master Jacques head and it was the best sight ever. I told the warrior that I will have to disappear as well and we said our goodbyes." I saw it. Thank the Gods, I found an entrance to the nest. Maybe I can push her inside and be done with it.


    "Did you ever see him again?" I asked quietly.


    "No, but I heard that he was hunted down a couple of decades later. Vampires were quite pissed to learn he killed an entire nest." She giggled and whispered into my ears:


    "They thought I was dead too. It was quite a surprise once they found me alive and well in Brazil. Oh, you''ve found it!" She exclaimed once she saw the entrance to the cave. She let go of my hands grabbed a gun with the other and whispered:


    "Let''s go get crazy!" And inside she went. I stood at the entrance and questioned my life choices. Telling her to come with me seemed such a good idea at the time, but now I really wished I had Mia and her flame magic with me. I was contemplating whether to rush in after her or just sit here until the battle was finished. Few minutes after the decision was made for me. I heard a couple of screams and the wendigo flew by me so fast that it knocked me on my butt. Immediately after it, Esther came running, guns in hand and screaming obscenities. I got up and followed them, even if they were too fast for me to actually do anything.


    Even without an arm, wendigo was wicked fast but Esther was catching up to him. They were almost flying from one tree to the other. Esther threw the guns away, realizing they weren''t stopping him, and grabbed some knives. The wendigo noticed me and decided I was a better target. It launched itself at me, but I was ready. Since I couldn''t really see it, but I knew it was coming, I transformed my hands into claws and just waited. It fell on me from above and impaled itself on my five inch long claws. It screamed in pain and tried to jump off, using its last remaining arm and legs, but it was impaled pretty darn well. When the wendigo realized it can''t push  itself away from me, it leaned into me and tried to gauge my eyes out with its long bony fingers. I shifted my hands back and kicked it off me. It took two seconds for Esther to jump on its back, stabbing it with her knives and screaming in joy. Wendigo was trying to get her off him by smashing itself on the trees and after a few tries it finally succeeded. The wendigo was badly hurt though and wasn''t nearly as fast as before. I quickly took off my shirt and let my pants slide to my ankles trying to kick them away before it was too late, so that I could shift into a bear. It was running away from Esther right in front of me, so I caught him with my claws again and when he tried to pull away, he actually pulled me right on top of him. I fell, flattening him under my big bear ass. I readjusted and realized I was in the perfect position to take his head and that''s what I did. I grabbed it, realizing just how small his head actually was and pulled it with all my might. The creature was screaming and fighting but I was well over 600 pounds so he was trapped under me pretty well. Esther came closer and did a couple of incisions on his neck so next time I pulled, I took its head right off.


    Esther screamed in joy and I roared. The forest rejoiced as it echoed our victory cries. I let the wendigos'' ripped head fall down and I shifted back, feeling a lot more exhausted. Esther was there, picking up the head and looking it up close.


    "Look at that, I''m pretty sure it used to be a white man. Couple of decades old too¡­" She grinned at me, putting his head under her armpit. I was sure she would prefer to hold it by his hair, but he had no hair. I went to search for my shirt and pants, hoping I didn''t tear them too much or that they didn''t get dirty or wet. I lost the belt with the knives that Esther gave me, but I don''t think she will miss them all that much. I didn''t expect to shift at all or I would have brought different clothes. I was lucky. My pants were slightly dirty, but the shirt was all nice and warm. I put my clothes on, knowing that I will have to go shoeless. Esther whistled at me to get my attention.


    "Hey pretty lady, catch." She threw the head as if it was a football and me, not being sporty, missed it. She laughed at my feeble attempt of catching it and failing.


    "I''m pretty sure I saw a survivor in the mountains so let me go get him." I found the head quite easily and waited. I didn''t have much hope for survivors seeing how Tim and Sam were treated, but Esther was right. She came carrying a young black man who I didn''t know.


    "I will help you until we come closer to the car, but I can feel the dawn coming. I will need to be a little faster than you." She said matter of factly and exchanged the head for the man. I cradled him to my chest, looking over his wounds. There was no active bleeding, but I didn''t know about internal wounds. He looked well, but unconscious, so we should hurry.


    "Lead the way, I will go as fast as I can and once you feel the need to go, you should. I can manage in the forest even if I have to carry him all the way. He isn''t all that heavy." I saw Esther nod and off she went. I quickly followed and it was quite a faster pace than when we were searching the nest.


    "Thank you Esther, for the help. I will consider our debt repaid."


    "There was a debt?" She asked incredulously.


    "Yes," I laughed.


    "Isn''t that why you came to help?"


    "No my dear, I missed you. We always had such wonderful adventures. What was the debt for?" She glanced quickly at me, with a weird look, which made me think either she really did forget or she was just acting.


    "For all that blood I sent you, when you weren''t feeling well." That was only partly true, but I felt like telling her about the time we went to Mardi Gras might not be the best idea. She did get hit by that curse so maybe it scrambled her brains more. You never knew with Esther, if you get the perfect vampire helper or the psycho who killed several of her masters, survived multiple years of being locked and starved, not to talk about all the abuse she suffered. So maybe it is for the best that she forgot about a little curse and voodoo witches. She was the one looking for trouble and I was the one pulling her out of it.


    I smiled to myself. My cousin was an amazing witch and a friend, but she also didn''t know me as well as she thought. Which made me feel sadder somehow. I knew everything about her. It could have been all my fault, there were things I didn''t share with her, for example the whole Esther situation, but she was also very unforgiving. I forgave Esther for all the trouble she gave us and here I am, almost friendly with her. Mia would never be able to understand, and that''s just one of the reasons why I keep things from her. The other is, she relied on wild magic way too much and that has unpredictable effects. We have grown apart in the past few years and I admit, some of that has been on me. Maybe it''s time we finally sat down and talked it out.


    After a few miles Esther stopped and put the severed head on top of the body I was carrying. She did a little bow and said:


    "Time for me to go. There are people looking for you and the sun''s gonna rise soon. Thank you for the fun!" She blew me a kiss and ran off. I watched her disappear into the woods, as I walked toward the noises. There were several people in the parking lot and they didn¡¯t look like tourists but like a rescue party. I heard them talking about several disappearances, mentioning me among them. That''s when I heard Penelope say that Mia has just arrived and she can search using her magic. That was the moment I decided to walk up to the parking lot, body and head in my arms. People started yelling that we have a survivor, but as soon as they saw a severed head of a Wendigo they backed away. I had a clear walk all the way to my car where Penelope stared at me in horror.


    "Sasha!" She suddenly yelled and ran toward me, but stopped as she noticed the head.


    "So no one wants to help the only survivor I could find in the nest?" I said loudly, wishing that someone would step forward and maybe get the man off me! Penelope answered:


    "We can''t touch a wendigo. It is tainted and the legend goes that if you are in the proximity of the wendigo there is a higher chance of you becoming one." I rolled my eyes as hard as I could and put the guy on the floor. He groaned in pain, but I carried him all the way from the mountains so I didn''t really care all that much now. Once he was laying on the ground I picked up the head and threw it across the clearing as far as I could.


    "Happy?" I yelled at all of the people avoiding me.


    "There is a nest in the mountain, if you want to go bury the dead but I don''t really have any wishes to walk there. Don''t worry, you should be safe now so...." I resisted the urge to show them the middle finger and walked toward my car.


    Mia saw me and screamed. She dropped some herbs and stones she was holding and ran towards me. I stretched my hands and she ran into my hug and held me tight. She was crying and screaming why, but she was in my arms, ignoring  the blood on my clothes and the smell that permeated me. I hugged her back and apologized for not waiting, but time was really of the essence.


    We were just about to leave when an older man in full shaman gear walked toward us. Mia made a face, but he was very clearly wanting to talk to me and not her. Just behind him there was a wolf, but it wasn''t a normal wolf. It was a big, dark wolf, with a color pattern I haven''t seen before. I cocked my head, because something was wrong about it, but I couldn''t quite put my finger on it. Until I realized the wolf was slightly shimmering. The shaman was now in front of me, offering me two hands, palms up. I put my hands to his and he grabbed them and took a look. I relaxed, because he only looked at my hands as a doctor would, very professional. He started talking but not in a language I understand. I looked around to see if there was anyone who could translate, until the wolf stepped right forward and started talking.


    "Tomorrow night we shall hold a feast for the fallen, to welcome them in the spirit world. But you can not come, for you are an outsider and tainted." I really wanted to roll my eyes and say some nasty stuff, but I held myself back.


    "Spirit walker will come for you,  and he will purify your body and your mind, as a thank you for saving us from the most foul of beasts. Walk well with the spirit, child of the bear." He then did some more gestures and I was actually quite happy I held my tongue. I really need to work on my patience. I nodded to the shaman and when he left I made sure I nodded to the wolf. He grinned as only a wolf can and said, in a whisper:


    "We will talk one day, little bear. My brother would love to meet you." I just smiled because I was pretty sure no one else could see the spirit wolf walking behind a shaman. Mia was looking at me with an odd expression, and in whispers I told her what I saw and heard.


    Mia offered to drive home in my car and just as we were leaving Penelope came to the parking lot.


    "Want to say goodbye to her?" Mia grabbed the steering wheel harder, and she bit her lower lip. She seemed more anxious than not.


    "Not really. We had a disagreement after we received your call. I am still sorry that I didn''t answer myself." I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture.


    ¡°We need to talk, Sasha.¡± She finally said and I knew that I was in trouble.

 Chapter 12

    After a long, hot shower where I used half a bottle of shampoo, and an even longer nap, I was finally ready to face my cousin. Mia was sitting outside on our tiny patio, sipping wine and watching the sun set. I joined her, beer in hand, but I said nothing.


    "Some crazy couple of days behind us." I finally whispered, after several minutes of silence. Mia chuckled.


    "More problems in a few days than in all the years we have been living here, that''s for sure." She drank a whole glass of wine and turned toward me.


    "But to be honest, we haven''t really done anything besides work and slept, have we?" She said with such a bitter tone, it surprised me.


    "What do you mean by that?" Mia, obviously intent on getting drunk, refilled her glass and put it up for a toast.


    "For years we have done nothing but hide in this apartment."


    "You mean because we don''t go out every night? Because we don''t invite people over?" I was more confused than ever, but those two things are what has come up in the past.


    "I have been so good, Sasha, so damn good. For you! I''ve been waiting for you to forgive me and finally climb out of that shell of yours, but all you do is mope around the house." I leaned back in my chair. Mia was staring at me with anger and resentment, clearly wanting me to say something but I didn''t know what to say.


    "I don''t know what to say Mia. What do you want me to forgive you for?" She huffed as if I insulted her. She finally hissed at me.


    "For taking you away from home and bringing you here. If I had known just how much you would pout and be a buzzkill I would have never invited you!" I started laughing and she got the most ridiculous expression on her face.


    "Mia, you never invited me in the first place." I exclaimed with a smile.


    "Then why did you come?" She demanded of me.


    "When I was eight years old I dreamed about a witch in trouble and because I wanted to help her, the bond was forged and I can''t break it." Brutal honesty. I drank my beer and looked at the sunset, praying for the courage to be brutally honest until the conversation passes.


    "Mia, whether you want to admit it or not, you broke me and shackled me with your magic, making absolutely sure I would always be there with you, or be able to find you in case something happened to you."


    "You are lying!" She whispered with big wide eyes full of fear.


    "Did you not feel the bond? Do you not feel it now?" I was more surprised than anything else, I thought she could feel just how connected we are. Although, I have to admit, I always suspected I was bonded to her more than she was to me. It took me a few minutes to realize that our bond hasn¡¯t been as strong lately so maybe that was what was bugging her?


    "Do you really never question why I always know how you feel, where you are or how I know your deepest darkest secrets?" She shook her head in denial so I continued.


    "Since I was a teenager I''ve been dreaming about you, about your most intense feelings and what caused them, about your shameful little secrets and all that is in between. I have learned to not focus on the details so admittedly you have had some privacy in the past decade or so, but girl, I know you better than you know yourself. So I truly don''t understand what you mean by saying you''ve been good? Like, I live my life for you, so what do you want from me?" I put my hand on the table between us, but I failed to recognize just how horrified Mia was by my confession.


    "What do you mean, that can''t be true. We are not bonded that deeply, our bond is only superficial." She turned away from me, not accepting my hand. I was the one who sounded bitter now.


    "Mia I don''t know if you are for real or not, but I am not lying. Why would I even lie about something like that?"


    "Why didn''t you tell me sooner then?" She almost yelled at me. It was my time to shrug.


    "Because I was a stupid kid who grew up to be a stupid teenager. At first I assumed you feel as much as I do and once that was proven wrong I just didn''t know how to bring it up."


    "That''s not an excuse! Are you really saying I bound your soul with magic to mine?" The last sentence was said with such horror that I almost felt bad for her.


    "Yes, I believe you have." We stared at each other until the last rays of sun finally went down and disappeared. We sat on the patio in darkness.


    "I planned this whole speech how tired I am of you being depressed and suicidal, but I just can''t bring myself to talk about it now." She finally said. I was drinking while she said that and I was so surprised that I choked on beer.


    "Repeat that please? I would like to have this discussion now." I said as soon as I stopped coughing. Mia didn¡¯t elaborate, but I was not ready to drop the topic so quickly.


    ¡°Mia, I will tell you this one time, so listen to me. Our bond is deep, and yes it was forged when we were kids and we didn¡¯t know what we were getting into, but it is how it is. Once you started talking about leaving home I went to the matriarch and the coven leader and talked to them about everything and they admitted that they don''t know how to break a bond and not kill one of us in the process. So I learned how to live with it, and I guess this is a shock to you, but you also need to deal with it.¡±


    I gave her a few moments, but I was not done with the conversation.


    ¡°I need you to explain to me, why do you think I am depressed and suicidal.¡± I finally said. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked at me, but avoided looking into my eyes.


    ¡°Because you never want to do anything but stay at home and mope. What kind of life is this Sasha, you work, you sleep, you read a book, you shift and go kill something, and that is it? You never go out with me, you have no friends besides me, you have no social life,¡± I rolled my eyes at her.


    ¡°Did you really call me depressed because I am different from you?¡± My tone of voice was becoming louder.


    ¡°You are like a weird robot Sasha! Just think about it, if you discount Tim, when was the last time you kissed someone?¡± Mia kept pushing her point. It was a classic argument of extrovert vs. introvert.


    ¡°That is besides the point. I could say that I have been busy with keeping you safe, you know.¡± She suddenly got up and towered above me.


    ¡°That is the only time you do anything. When my life or yours is in danger. You will jump into any situation with no thoughts, no plans, as long as there is a possibility of death you jump right in!¡± She wasn¡¯t done, because I could see her taking a long breath to continue, but I didn¡¯t let her.


    ¡°Are you hearing yourself? What do you want me to do next time a wendigo starts killing people?¡±


    ¡°Wait for help!¡± She was staring at me as if I was making her point.


    ¡°There was a person alive, who might not have been alive, if I hadn¡¯t rushed into that situation, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯re making your point as sufficiently as you think you are.¡± I was trying to be rational, to calm down the situation. Somehow I went from being a victim to being a villain.


    ¡°Fine, then let''s visit a similar situation that happened just days before this one. You were supposed to protect me and Penelope, and instead of protecting us and the circle, you took a teenage wolf shifter and went to hunt a monster in the woods! No thoughts about going inside the protective circle, no thoughts about keeping a teenager safe, nooooo, you just go and follow a wounded monster that might have killed you and I wouldn¡¯t even know about it!¡± She was finally done yelling. I was getting a headache from all of this and was seriously considering going inside and letting her cool off.


    ¡°Think about it,¡± I finally said to her.


    ¡°I was given an order from Mother to protect the children and the best way to do that was to let you finish the ceremony. Everything that I did in the past few days was to keep those two children safe and fulfill my purpose. Yes, maybe I could have shifted, given Sam the mark and maybe it would have worked and maybe he could have gone inside the barrier and been safe, but we never actually tested that theory so we don¡¯t even know if it would work! Also, it would have disturbed the ceremony. Now, what would happen, if the very next day, you would go to the house without all the magic and the dark creature would have been there? Would you, or the children, survive without the successful ceremony?¡± Mia slid back in her chair, tears streaming down her face. She was trying to wipe them with her sleeves, but all she was doing was smudging her mascara.


    ¡°We would have all been killed if I didn¡¯t have the extra magic,¡± she finally admitted. I feel like I¡¯ve won the argument, but somehow lost something more important.


    ¡°So, can you really call me suicidal for doing the best I can?¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°You died Sasha. You jumped into the darkness without a second thought and you sacrificed yourself with no qualms. The worst part was, when I tried contacting you, part of you was reluctant to come back and even Tim said that you might not want to return.¡± I looked toward the forest and avoided the conversation, because I knew that she was right. Part of me would have been happy to be dead, to have a different life.


    ¡°I love you Mia,¡± I finally said,


    ¡°And maybe you are right and I do jump into dangers without actually thinking about it, but it¡¯s also because I know that you are going to be right there for me. No matter what I do or how far I jump, I know you are going to be there to catch me. Just like I will always be there to catch you no matter how far you jump.¡± I added and hoped I sounded playful.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    She was wiping her tears with her sleeves.


    ¡°I want more. The bakery is suffocating me, my little magic store has barely any customers and it¡¯s all just so boring. I just want more Sasha. I want to go out to dances and events, maybe go out drinking and seducing people, I want to randomly find a cursed object that needs me and only I can find a solution for the curse. I am so bored of living my life in the shadows, on the edge of society.¡± And there it was. The reason for her outburst, the underlying problem. It wasn¡¯t me jumping into danger or me not thinking ahead, it was the fact that this life bore her. She wanted to live in the city, with many races mingling, she wanted excitement. Does that sound like hell to me? Yes. Last time we lived in the city Mia was in constant danger, mostly from vampire families who wanted to claim her magic and her blood and we only left the city because Esther was coming too close to actually killing her. Mia got up and wouldn¡¯t even look at me.


    ¡°Something needs to change, because I can¡¯t live like this anymore.¡± She left to go inside and closed the door behind her.


    I rolled my eyes. Spoiled little brat. Maybe I should leave her to go into the city and live her life the way she wanted, letting her find out for herself what she is getting into. The vampires in Memphis did offer her an exclusive contract if she would come work for them and she would love to live there. While I was deep in thought about our future I caught a whiff of a vampire in the air, coming from the forest. I watched him walk toward me and Sebastian, our landlord, sat on the chair that was previously occupied by Mia. He looked skinny and not well fed at all, and I almost offered him a bite, but then I remembered that he refused my blood once before.


    ¡°Evening Miss Sasha,¡± he finally said with a slight southern accent.


    ¡°Evening Sebastian,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± I asked, remembering my manners. Sebastian shook his head but smiled at the offer.


    ¡°No thank you, I just came over because I wanted to talk about your problem.¡± He probably came over as soon as it got dark, but didn¡¯t want to interrupt our heated conversation.


    ¡°We have several problems, although we did solve some of them, I guess.¡± I told him.


    ¡°Do you know who the mastermind behind all of this was, or is that still a mystery?¡± He asked. I shrugged in response.


    ¡°We think that most of it was the sorcerer, husband of Laura, who was hunting for his children via an abomination that either he created, or someone created for him.¡± Sebastian sighed.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I returned the sigh.


    ¡°No. The shadow died without revealing its master''s name and the other... Creature now belongs to Mia. I believe she is trying to set it free somehow, but she said it was a familiar of some sorts. She is still investigating it.¡± Sebastian looked thoughtful.


    ¡°So you defeated the minions of the man, but have you defeated the man itself?¡±


    ¡°No, we have not, but the children live under the best magic protection we can offer, and I don¡¯t know what else to do, besides kill the sorcerer. Which would most likely be a mistake since we know nothing about him, if he is working alone or if he has someone who would take revenge on us. Honestly, beside keeping the children protected, there isn¡¯t much we can do. That''s of course if our theory is correct and the father is the villain.¡± I took a deep breath.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± I finally admitted to Sebastian, and to myself.


    ¡°This all feels so counterproductive you know? I mean, what have we even achieved? We put a family on house arrest, we killed a soul eating minion and captured a bigger soul eating minion, but I almost died in the process? I mean, I guess I did kill a wendigo,¡± Sebastian looked at me in surprise and smiled.


    ¡°A wendigo? By yourself?¡± I almost giggled, because he seemed more impressed with that than with the magic part of the conversation.


    ¡°I called a friend who has more experience with killing wendigos, but yes, I pulled its head right off.¡± I had to brag a little. Sebastian seemed thoughtful.


    ¡°Was that friend a vampire by chance?¡± He asked quietly, maybe noticing that Mia was listening behind the closed door.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I replied whispering.


    ¡°I would love to talk more about the wendigo, but you have distracted me enough. I may have found a permanent solution to the family problems, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an acceptable solution.¡± My heart skipped a beat in anticipation.


    ¡°Permanent solution?¡± Mia suddenly asked from behind the closed door. She opened the door dramatically and grabbed Sebastian¡¯s hands. For a second I thought I saw him wince, but he patted her hands in response.


    ¡°Maybe. I inquired around about creatures that you talked about and there is a group of people very interested in them and when talking about it, we discussed the family being afflicted with the creatures.¡± This all seemed like the worst kind of foreplay.


    ¡°This all sounds a bit vague,¡± I finally said. Sebastian wasn¡¯t bothered by my comment.


    ¡°They want to meet them and discuss possibilities.¡±


    ¡°What kind of possibilities?¡± Mia whispered, moving closer to Sebastian.


    ¡°If the family is agreeable they would make a contract. They would keep them safe, but in exchange the kids would work for them once they grow up, at least for a couple of years or so.¡± And there was the catch 101.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± I interrupted, rolling my eyes almost audibly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a certain law office that is offering this deal with certain people who ''can claim kinship with the demons?¡± Mia gasped and Sebastian nodded.


    ¡°Yes, the half demons are quite intrigued by the minions you have mentioned, so much so that they have offered to protect the family in exchange for some information. And future service of the kids of course, they do like when witches work for them.¡± I wanted to protest but Mia beat me to it.


    ¡°That is preposterous.¡± She exclaimed, and while I did agree with her, I also saw the bigger picture.


    ¡°What are our options then?¡± I may have said that with a little too much hostility because Mia took a step back.


    ¡°We keep them safe!¡± She exclaimed.


    ¡°How Mia? Keep them under house arrest for the rest of their lives?¡± Sebastian was looking from one to the other, not wanting to get in between.


    ¡°The sorcerer will stop once he realizes that he can¡¯t get past my defenses!¡± I wanted to say that she wants to move away and then who will keep the family safe, but luckily for me Sebastian had something to add.


    ¡°That might not happen. My sources have told me that there is a certain ritual that grants near immortality and if what you¡¯ve told me is correct and the children were conceived with that in mind, they might be quite rare and replicating the ritual with new children might be too difficult.¡± We were both staring at him in awe and distrust at the same time.


    ¡°So your problems might have just started.¡± Mia started thinking so hard you could almost see the fumes coming out of her head.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t he need the children alive for any kind of ritual? Both the shadow and familiar would have taken their souls or their magic and killed the children in the process?¡± Sebastian looked at her.


    ¡°Was the target primarily the girl or the boy?¡± Mia gasped.


    ¡°I believe the girl was the primary target as she is an extremely powerful witch, and I¡¯m not sure about the boy. He might just be a sorcerer and I¡¯m not sure how they came into power, while the girl is already showing great promise.¡±


    ¡°So the shadow and familiar targeted the weaker in body, but stronger in magic child which would probably open up a hole in the defense and loudly broadcast the location, so the sorcerer would swoop in and take the boy. He would have the magic of the girl and the boy as a sacrifice.¡± That shut us all up.


    ¡°So to summarize, if you are correct the attacks won¡¯t stop? If you are correct at least?¡± I finally said defeat. I glanced at Mia, who was desperately wringing her hands.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the situation very well and neither do my contacts. But they have offered to host you and the family over the weekend and discuss possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust them?¡± Mia finally said.


    ¡°I would very closely look at the contract given, but once the contract is signed they will adhere to it.¡± An idea occurred to me.


    ¡°Could they have been the one to set all of this in motion? And this is just a cover up?¡± Sebastian looked at me surprised.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about that, but my first instinct would be no. Half demons, believe it or not, despise sacrifices of any kind, especially children and while they do love witches'' magic they would not know how to harvest magic from a person. They hire their own witches who then do their bidding and if they can find talented children even better, because they can raise a loyal witch. They love to throw money at the problems, and let''s be honest, that amount of money solves a lot of problems.¡± That gave us all a lot to think about. Sebastian got up and gave me a card with a phone number.


    ¡°Call this number after you talk with the family and set up a meeting. I do believe this is the safest way to proceed for both you two and the family in question.¡± He walked away, into the forest and disappeared in the night.


    The night ended the same way that it started, Mia and me sitting on our little patio, drinking.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± She finally said. I looked at the calling card in my hands and gave it to her.


    ¡°We will talk to Laura tomorrow and suggest that we go to this meeting. We can tell her that we did the best we could, but it might not be enough. Unless you want to take on a sorcerer?¡± She put her head in her hands.


    ¡°How possible is that? Can we take on a sorcerer that might have created the horrors we have seen?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I would rather not. Even if you call on all of the Gods, and I devote myself to Mother completely, I don¡¯t think that will give us enough magic or strength to go after someone of his stature. Remember, Laura said he is a part of a prominent sorcerer family and if we kill their son they might want revenge.¡±


    ¡°How sure are we that he is the culprit anyway?¡± She asked, although she already knew the answer.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know but if it isn''t him we have no idea who might it be, and that is even more terrifying.¡± She took the calling card and put it in her wallet.


    ¡°I will go talk to Laura tomorrow and see what she thinks.¡±


    ¡°I will come with you,¡± I said in solidarity, but she shook her head no.


    ¡°Tim called while you were out here talking with Sebastian and asked if he could come visit tomorrow, because he would like to talk to you.¡± I thought about it for a while.


    ¡°He probably wants to do the cleansing ritual that the elder was talking about,¡± I said, mostly to myself. Mia nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Probably. And Laura trusts me more than you anyway, so it might be best to go by myself and have an honest conversation with her.¡±  She got up and indicated that she wanted to go inside, but before she left I grabbed her hand in mine.


    ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡± I asked her, while gently caressing her hand.


    ¡°We just discussed this Sasha.¡± She said, annoyed.


    ¡°I mean about us.¡± I added quietly.


    ¡°Would you like to sell the bakery and your shop and leave for the city?¡± I didn¡¯t dare to look her in the eyes, because I knew that she would see my resentment. My voice was neutral, devoid of any emotions, but I knew my eyes weren¡¯t. After several minutes of silence she pulled her hand away from mine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do Sasha, that''s what this whole outburst was about. I thought we were hiding here while making some sort of plan for the future. I did not realize that this is what you wanted all along. It is not what I want, that''s for sure. So, I don¡¯t know what to do or how to solve this.¡± She walked toward the door and instead of goodnight she whispered something else.


    ¡°I guess we will see where the future leads us.¡± She left and closed the door firmly behind her. I sat there, again, alone and thinking.

 Chapter 13

    Every time I saw Tim I had to catch my breath because of how handsome he looked. He smiled when he saw me at the door, and the smile lit up the room. I opened the door wider and let him in, hoping it was more than just a business visit.


    ¡°You look so beautiful Sasha,¡± he said as soon as he took in my new dress. It caught me by surprise and I could feel the heat coloring my cheeks. I dressed nicely because I knew Tim was coming and sundresses do fit my fuller figure well.


    ¡°Look who''s talking,¡± I said and mentioned to him. Sam was dressed casually in old worn jeans and a tight and pale T-shirt that wrapped around his body in quite a suggestive manner.


    ¡°I feel like ever since we met we have been in one emergency after another and we never actually had a time to sit down and talk.¡± He said and sat on the sofa.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s not true. I remember a pretty memorable evening of watching a certain Vampire movie?¡± He laughed at my comment.


    ¡°Yes, that was one of the best evenings I have had in a while!¡± I sat next to him, so close our legs were touching. He lifted his hand and for a second I thought he would pat my cheek, or pull me closer for a kiss, but all he did was fix my hair, by tucking several strands of hair behind my ear.


    ¡°I would love to talk about the mysteries of the universe with you, but sadly, I am here on business.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°I had another vision.¡± His voice went from warm and welcoming to serious in a second. It took me by surprise so I leaned back on the sofa.


    ¡°About me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I waited for him to elaborate but he just looked at me in amusement.


    ¡°Anything I should know about?¡± I asked, hoping it wasn¡¯t another disaster.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I think today''s cleansing ritual will be a bit more of a vision quest. Tell me, has something happened recently?¡± I made a face.


    ¡°Me dying wasn¡¯t enough?¡± His smile faltered.


    ¡°I wish I could say I forgot about that, but seeing you dead, laying in that room,¡± He glanced behind him at the closed door.


    ¡°It was quite shocking and I felt like I failed you. I was supposed to be helping you in your quest and I wasn¡¯t there.¡± I raised an eyebrow at his confession.


    ¡°Tim, what could you have done?¡± Tim shrugged at my question.


    ¡°Probably nothing, but I still feel like I failed.¡± I leaned in closer.


    ¡°Well you didn¡¯t. And everything turned out ok, right? Wendigo is dead, your people are avenged and we have a plan on how to permanently keep the kids safe. So hopefully in a couple of days all will be well and we can go back to normal.¡± I said with a smile, but I was hiding some anxiety behind my words of confidence. I just want to go back to normal boring days, but thinking about Mia, made me realize that my boring normal days might be over.


    ¡°So how does the ritual work?¡± I finally asked.


    ¡°Well first you will drink a very special drink that will make you lose all the food that you have consumed in the past two days. It will be nasty and you might have wished you didn¡¯t agree to perform the cleansing, but it will also let you distance yourself. Then we shall take a swim in a very cold lake and after we are clean and cold we will sit around a bonfire, drink some alcoholic beverage and smoke some herbs that will let us connect to the spirits. Hopefully that will start your vision quest.¡± With every sentence my eyebrow rose higher.


    ¡°See in my village, if we want to commune with the spirits, we just drink until we pass out and somehow that works.¡± Tim looked at me with a little amazement and horror.


    ¡°Really? Does it work?¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Depends on who you ask!¡± We both laughed so hard that tears were starting to form at the edge of our eyes.


    ¡°Is this the same as a spirit quest ceremony performed by others?¡± I asked when we both calmed down.


    ¡°What we are gonna go through today is a modified ceremony that I perform for people of non native descent. You might not know it, but in the past few years spirituality has become quite popular, and a lot of people pay a lot of money to connect with their inner selves.¡± I nodded thoughtfully. Tim got up and offered me a hand.


    ¡°You ready?¡± I took his hand and out we went.


    Tim drove to the cabin where we first met. We drank his cleansing concoction at the house so that we could purge our bodies and it was the worst thing I have ever drank. Everything that I ate within the last two days came out of me via one end or the other. I cursed Tim with all my might and told him that next time he should just tell me to fast for a couple of days and I will do it, no questions asked. He was taking it surprisingly well and gave me privacy while I was hugging the toilet. My body hurt from all the heaving and pushing and I felt lightheaded. Tim was finally satisfied and told me it was time to visit the lake. The couple miles walk to the lake was very entertaining for Tim, since I stumbled around as if I was drunk and he made fun of me, until I threatened to turn and chase him to the lake. That made me laugh and Tim conceded and helped me to walk by holding my hand.


    I don¡¯t know if it was the fact that my whole body was tense, but when he grabbed my hand I finally felt better. I forgot all about the pain, about the uneven paths and the falling trees, I just focused on his hand, warm and firm, holding mine. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the lake.


    ¡°You should undress and walk into the lake. Or would you like me to help you?¡± I smiled at his suggestion and whispered into his ear.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much you can do to help.¡± I was not wearing any underwear so I slid the dress down. At least I tried, but I was clumsy and almost fell while trying to undress gracefully. Tim caught me and pulled the dress slowly off me. We were standing so close to each other that I could feel his body heat irradiating mine. I turned away, toward the water, and walked into the lake. When the water was waist height, I turned around to see Tim staring, mouth open.


    ¡°You coming?¡± I teased. I closed my eyes for a second because I was feeling so odd, so lightheaded. By the time I opened them Tim was nude and walking toward me.


    We walked further into the lake until my breasts were covered by the water. Tim stood next to me, holding my shoulders and spoke in his native tongue. The wind got stronger slowly and I could smell scents on it that reminded me of home. Somehow in the middle of Tennessee I could smell the old ancient forest of the Balkans with magic that permeates the earth from home. Wind was so strong that I could barely hear Tim, but the magic wouldn¡¯t let us go. I could sense something gathering inside of me, as if I had severe heartburn and it was on the verge of spilling out. I wanted to double over and throw up, but Tim was holding me too tightly.


    ¡°Sasha, get under water and stay there until I let you go!¡± Tim¡¯s voice got me out of my daze, but I felt too weak to actually duck under the water. Tim had to forcefully push me down and I didn¡¯t even have enough energy to fight it. I let him push me down into the water and I went from being beaten around from the wind to a complete stillness of being underwater in the lake. I didn¡¯t inhale properly before Tim pushed me down, so my foggy brain really hoped that whatever happens it would happen quickly. I hoped in vain. The arm disappeared, yes, but so did my ability to swim on the surface. Somehow, someway even though I was supposed to be standing right next to Tim, I suddenly couldn¡¯t stand up and I lost sight of the surface. I looked at what I thought was up, but there was nothing but vast emptiness of the water. It was all around me with no end, no floor or surface in sight.


    I panicked. I tried to swim in what I thought was up, but it was a rapidly losing battle. I had no air left, my lungs were screaming for air and my body felt too heavy to actually move. There was such pain around my heart, it almost felt as if someone stabbed me in the heart and I was losing the battle. I gave up and opened my mouth to breathe. Something bizarre happened. Instead of water rushing into my body and replacing the air in my lungs, a dark heavy substance came rushing from inside of me. I started fighting back in shock but the sustenance gathered itself as if it was sentient and floated away. I stared in horror, almost forgetting that I was in the middle of drowning.


    I felt hands on my shoulders lift me up and I was face to face with horror stricken Tim.


    ¡°Sasha, are you ok?¡± He almost screamed in my face, shaking me until I was more dizzy than breathless.


    ¡°Tim let me go, I can¡¯t breathe!¡± I yelled back, finding my footing again. He slowly let me go and it took me a while to realize we were no longer in the deeper end of the lake.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked Tim, who still looked at me with horror. He took my hand and helped me walk out. My legs were barely holding me up, but with Tim¡¯s help I managed to walk all the way to the shore.


    ¡°I have no idea, but that has never happened before. The wind picked up as if we were in the midst of a tornado and as soon as you went underwater, it stopped. When I tried to pull you up a blackness came from somewhere and engulfed you within and I could not find you anywhere! You just disappeared and the darkness was spreading so I had to run out of the lake, otherwise the darkness would swallow me as well.¡± I still felt light headed and my whole body felt sore, but I also felt different. It''s like I have had a headache my whole life, so I learned to live with it and then suddenly that headache is gone. I felt that something was different, but I could not really fathom what exactly it was.


    ¡°As soon as the black liquid started to dissipate I saw you in the middle so I swam to you to pull you out, because you weren¡¯t moving.¡± He finished saying. I turned toward him and smiled.


    ¡°That was the weirdest thing I have ever experienced.¡± I finally said. Tim pulled me into his embrace and held me tight.


    ¡°You scared the shit out of me woman, I thought you died.¡± We stood there for a few minutes, our naked bodies holding each other in a completely non sexual manner. I felt myself going limp and together we sat a little bit away from the lake shore. There was a small bonfire ready to get started and a couple of pillows and blankets to sit on. Tim gently leaned me on one of the trees so there was no danger of me falling over and he started the fire.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°We need to get you warm and get you home as soon as we can.¡± He said, looking for the clothes we dropped on the shore.


    ¡°I thought the ceremony wasn''t over yet?¡± I asked when he came closer.


    ¡°No, but you almost died. Again. We need to get you home and figure out what happened.¡± He wouldn¡¯t even look at me, so I got up and grabbed his hand, forcing him to look into my direction.


    ¡°Tim, whatever happened, that darkness was inside of me. You made it go out. I don¡¯t know what happened but I really think that it might have saved my life. I would like to finish this ceremony now.¡± I was talking softly because my head was spinning and I felt like I drank a couple of liquor bottles on an empty stomach. Tim was saying some other stuff, about how dangerous it is, but I waved my hand.


    ¡°Please Tim, I need to finish the ceremony.¡± He finally relented and gave me a drink. It felt more like a slushie with little nasty pieces, but I drank it all. I felt the effect immediately.


    There was a time lapse, because I was looking at the little bonfire and it went from a tiny little flame to a massive fire that had to be going on for a while. I was sitting still, but I felt the world move around me. Tim was walking around the fire with a tree branch talking to a raven that was sitting in a tree and it was so funny that I would have laughed if I could. But the dizziness was getting worse, so I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them I would feel better.


    I took a couple of deep breaths but instead of my world stabilizing, I felt as if I lost the floor underneath me. I kept my eyes closed as my body floated through space. When I finally opened my eyes, I realized that this was the same feeling as when I did astral projection. I could feel every molecule of air touching every molecule of my body. I felt everything and nothing at the same time, like I had no body but was instead a blob of conscience flying through space and time with the speed of light.


    And just like that, it was over. I was slammed down in my body so hard I couldn¡¯t breathe for a solid minute. I fell forward hacking and coughing, trying to catch my breath. I was touched on my shoulder by Tim and that startled me enough that I jumped up, ready to fight. Tim looked amazing. His dark skin had a shine, as if someone turned on the light from the inside of him, his  amber eyes were on fire and they had a depth to them and the more I looked at them, the further they went. His hair was tied back in a style I haven¡¯t seen before and he was dressed in a pale yellow tunic with an intricate design on it. He looked happy and for some reason he reminded me of the sun, strong and powerful, always there for you. He was talking to me, but I couldn¡¯t understand anything.


    Something behind him caught my eyes. I looked at the horizon behind him and noticed a completely different set of trees on Tim¡¯s left and Tim¡¯s right as if he was the line to a completely different forest biome. Tim turned around as well, and showed me two paths in front of me. Somehow seeing the two paths made me feel very annoyed and I wanted to stomp like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I took a few steps toward the clearly divided forests. Tim immediately went left, following the crow that swooped in from one of the trees. He turned around and waved, inviting me to follow him, but the longer I looked at the trees, the more I realized why I can¡¯t follow him.


    Tim was heading toward the left path where the forest was exactly the same as the one behind our apartment. The trees were tall and skinny, with needles falling to the floor. It was sunny with crickets calling for their mates. The forest was not too dense, so the sunlight was able to reach the floor but you could see the top of the trees and the leaves were not blocking sunlight or water. The path was clearly visible and well worn, as if it had been walked often.


    The right path was my path, no question about it. The trees were not all that tall, maybe two thirds of the other forest, but the trees were vastly different. They were thick trees, growing closely together with canopy overlapping in such ways that almost no sunlight reached the floor. The path was covered with old brown leaves and they hid the path underneath it. I recognized the mighty oak tree at the start of the path, covered with moss decades old, and it brought tears to my eyes. I forgot about Tim and walked down the right path, the path to the Mother. I don¡¯t know how long I walked before I saw the old massive cave, but just like that, it appeared to me as it did so many years ago. I smiled when I saw a big mother bear playing with her small cubs.


    ¡°Welcome back child,¡± she said loudly, inviting me in. I walked, carefree, until I was right next to her massive form. The cubs were newborn, barely old enough to be walking and the cutest things I have ever seen. I blinked and felt like something hit me on the head. I was here recently. Talking to other bears. Bigger bears. I gasped, realizing I came here when I died. I turned around violently, looking for other bears, but there was no one here.


    ¡°Are there others around here?¡± I said, looking at the Mother. She shook her massive head no.


    ¡°No my child, they are not here. This is a place between life and death, a place where the spirits reside, a place where you can come to talk to me. This is also a place for the soul, whose body is still alive and the souls who are ready to be reborn.¡± She motioned to the little bears playing around us. I raised an eyebrow and picked up a small bear who was nearest to me. It looked like a perfectly normal bear, and I lifted it up toward the Mother. She made an odd noise that could be considered laughter.


    ¡°That one shall be born to your family next moon and she is quite excited about being reborn. Last time she was alive, she was too trusting and na?ve and was killed by an avalanche that could have been avoided had she not been distracted by a dead deer. I was hoping she would learn, but by the looks of it, she had not. Her soul will shine brightly and I suspect she will rejoin me soon, for curiosity is as dangerous as living next to a murderer.¡± I was looking from the mother, to the little cub I was holding and was awe stricken. She certainly seemed curious, smelling me, tasting my skin, licking me all over.


    ¡°My family? I didn¡¯t know we were expecting,¡± I said, more to myself than to the Mother. I put the little bear down and told her:


    ¡°I guess I will see you soon. Hopefully I can keep you safe so you can learn your lessons this time, little one.¡± The little bear looked at me as mischievous as a bear could, and wandered away.


    ¡°Mother,¡± I said, looking toward her again.


    ¡°I feel¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to finish the sentence. What do you say to a creature that is the closest thing to your creator as you can get?


    ¡°Do you remember the very first time you came to see me, child?¡± She asked, ignoring my previous sentence. The question caught me by surprise and I had to think a little.


    ¡°It was when my cousin got lost and I felt the call.¡± I answered.


    ¡°It was too soon. You were not called by me, as it was supposed to be, you were called by dark magic that your cousin got involved with. That dark magic found the potential in you and coaxed it out so it can be chained and harnessed for their use.¡± I was listening to her but I had a hard time believing what she was saying about my cousin.


    ¡°Mia would never do that!¡± I finally found my voice. Mother looked down at me and being glared at from a bear as big as your house almost gave me a heart attack.


    ¡°She was a child herself and most likely wasn¡¯t aware of what she was doing. But the fact remains, the witch in the forest taught her magic and your cousin used that magic to shackle you to her.¡± I knew about the witch, the bogeyman of the forest, but we didn¡¯t talk about it. It was like the devil, if you talk about it, it will appear.


    ¡°You both had a destiny that would have gone beyond what you are now, but it was all stopped so you could serve the witch and her agenda. You, my child, have finally found your way out of the shackles and are free, unlike your cousin.¡±


    ¡°Was that what happened in the lake? When the darkness escaped from my body?¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes, when you died the shackles were loosened enough for you to start seeing the truth and the magic that you performed with the dream walker was enough to escape.¡± Suddenly the odd feeling of something missing and the light headedness made sense.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m free? I am no longer bound to Mia?¡± I asked, hope in my voice.


    ¡°No.¡± The confidant and resounding no deflated any feeling of victory that I had.


    ¡°No?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You are free of the shackles that the witch put on you, while the girl was using her magic. The shackles held your magic down to a point where we were not able to converse. Your destiny was to be my voice in the clan, my ears, eyes and mouth. But you were awakened too soon and I was not able to contact you and after you were grown enough the darkness was too powerful in your soul and it stopped me from talking with you or you from visiting me.¡± She was quite talkative today, that¡¯s true.


    ¡°You still have a bond with your cousin, but it is a smaller bond and it doesn¡¯t hold as much influence as before. Also, your life is no longer tied to hers, so if she dies you will not die with her.¡± I closed my eyes and sat down. This was all too much information.


    ¡°So we can talk now more often?¡± I asked, trying not to think how this would impact my and Mia¡¯s relationship.


    ¡°Yes. One of the tasks that I will give you, is to talk to the parents of the cub you were holding. As my representative in the clan it is your job to inform her parents that they need to keep her safe as she is far too curious for her own good.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so my job is talking to parents about their kids and how to raise them?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yes and no. I want to see my children flourish and grow, not see them accidentally drown because water is shiny. I can not see the future, and every person is different, but souls like to follow the same patterns every time they are born. For example,¡± she picked up one of the cubs.


    ¡°In his last life this little one, got obsessed with fire and managed to burn down the forest and himself, because he wasn¡¯t careful enough. He was barely nine human years old at the time of his death so his soul is almost ready to be reborn. When the time of his birth comes, you shall tell the parents that he might have an unnatural obsession with fire and they need to teach him properly how to handle fire and his obsession.¡± She put the cub back on the floor.


    ¡°It has been almost a century since the last true guardian has awoken, so many have forgotten that your job is to help them. You were supposed to be the matriarch of the clan eventually and then no one would doubt you or your authority, but because of the darkness and your cousin, your path is different now.¡± She seemed thoughtful.


    ¡°Your path does offer many interesting choices. I will be here for you, with an occasional task that will help all my children develop, but your life is your own. If you choose to ignore me, you can. If you choose to listen, I will be here.¡± She lifted her massive paw and gently patted my head.


    ¡°No matter how you came here daughter, no matter what path led you here, I am proud of you. You survived and you are thriving like no other. Grow my child, in age and wisdom, and one day walk the path to the other guardians.¡± She was saying goodbye. I wanted to say more, to ask more, but between one blink and the next she disappeared and I was sitting in front of the lake, watching the small bonfire.


    Tim was sitting across from me in a trance, but I was too dazed to actually do something about it. I wanted to move to maybe cover my naked body, but I was frozen, unable to do anything but watch. In the corner of my eye sight I noticed a movement. I tried to focus on what was going on but it was hard when all I could move was my eyes. A woman walked toward me and Tim, dressed in an old tunic with several colorful layers. She seemed very familiar, but I could not place her in my memory. She came and sat right next to me, watching my every move as if she expected me to somehow move. She smiled once she noticed that I could not move and she put her hands in the fire. Her hands were unburnt though and she seemed like she was enjoying the warmth. After muttering some words she pulled a wooden toy in the shape of a bear out of the fire. It was incredibly well made and she laughed when she saw it. Not a normal person laughing, but an evil witch cackle that you only hear in cartoons. The woman put the toy next to me, made a gesture at the crow that was watching us from above the trees and walked away. As soon as she disappeared from my sight I was able to move.


    I was so tense that as soon as I was able to move I almost fell forward into the dying fire. I caught myself at the last second and pulled myself back. I decided to examine the toy that was laying next to me, when Tim gasped loudly, scaring the shit out of me.


    ¡°Tim!¡± I yelped in fear and the toy fell from my hands on the floor, dangerously close to the fire.


    ¡°Sasha!¡± He exclaimed back. We were staring at each other until the tension grew and we started laughing. Tim scooted all the way to me, offering me a blanket to cover myself. I wanted to talk with him, to ask him what happened, but when our hands touched everything else was forgotten. The blanket fell from his hand, between us, as we leaned closer and kissed.


    It was a passionate kiss, full of fire and life. We embraced each other as if we were starving and only being together would fill out the emptiness inside us. The kisses grew slower but we were exploring each other''s bodies more and more. The heat that was building between us, was enough to burn down the forest and only when our bodies became one, the heat was quenched. We spent the rest of the day and most of the evening next to the little bonfire, enjoying ourselves and new found freedom.

 Chapter 14

    The drive to Memphis was as comfortable as it could be. Mia and Laura were driving together in one car, presumably so they could talk about the upcoming meeting with the lawyers at Smith and Associates law firm, while I was driving the kids. We were having a fun ride filled with children''s songs, car games and some serious conversation about magic and the bad people who want it. We arrived a few hours early because the kids have never been in Memphis so I suggested we make a day trip out of it and visit some of the attractions. Andrew Smith, the lawyer we had a meeting with, asked if we could meet in the late afternoon, once the bustle and hustle of the day calms down. We preferred it that way anyway, because now we had time to visit several museums, a zoo and even a Pro Bass pyramid, the only pyramid in the area. The kids had a blast and even Laura relaxed for a couple of hours.


    The building where we had our meeting, was quite tall and intimidating, made with mostly steel and big glossy windows. It was a relief to walk from a hot, humid day to the lobby of a perfectly chilled building. A middle aged lady sat behind a desk, looking at us with curiosity.


    ¡°How can I help y¡¯all today?¡± She said with a perfect southern accent. She was quite beautiful with her graying hair pinned perfectly on the nape of her neck and small glasses at the end of the nose. She reminded me of a librarian, except that she was dressed in tight slacks that fit her figure perfectly.


    ¡°We have a meeting with Mr. Andrew Smith?¡± Mia said when she noticed that Laura looked like a deer caught in headlights. I was holding the kids'' hands tightly so they wouldn¡¯t run around and make a mess. The lady looked at us as if we were lying, but eventually she picked up the phone and called someone, alerting them that our group had arrived.


    ¡°I thought she would have at least asked our names,¡± Mia leaned and whispered to me.


    ¡°Is she human?¡± She asked, eyeing the lady suspiciously. I took a closer look at the receptionist and whispered back.


    ¡°No, she might have some demon in her, but I don¡¯t think she has any serious power.¡± Shawn caught my sentence and looked at the lady with fear in his eyes. Receptionist finally put her phone down and told us to sit down on the bench on her left.


    ¡°Please sit down, someone will come and collect you as soon as possible.¡± I was trying to get the kids to settle down, but she called up to them and offered some lollipops. Laura was not sure about it, but I told the kids to go get the sweets. They thanked the lady and she smiled at them, but looked at me with curiosity in her face. Mia finally managed to get Laura to relax, but she looked like she was walking to her execution.


    The ding that the elevator made when it reached our floor scared Laura so much she almost screamed. We all turned toward the elevator and gasped. The man that came out was at least 7 feet tall and he looked like he eats kids for breakfast. Tall, muscled, shaved head and visible tattoos and the perfect, most expensive suit you can find. He was a complete package that said, I¡¯m a badass, don''t make me mad. I couldn¡¯t help myself, I looked up into his dark eyes, that I swear flashed red when he saw me, and whispered.


    ¡°Duuuude.¡± The kids were as in awe as I was, Laura covered behind Mia, and Mia simply walked up to him and offered him her hand, introducing herself. I wanted to tell her not to do it, because I could smell the demon power coursing through him, but what is he going to do, blast her in the middle of a very important building? I shut my mouth and grabbed the kids hands, so we could march toward Mia and the giant.


    ¡°Mr. Smith will see you now,¡± he announced with his booming deep voice that had some kind of magic and I had no trouble believing that when he yelled he could push people away with his voice alone.


    ¡°Please follow me to the elevator.¡± He moved aside and let us pass. Laura had a little bit of trouble walking past him, and I realized she was annoying me more and more with her fear. We were doing all of this so she and her kids could be safe, but she acted like we were forcing her to be here. Before Mia talked her into visiting the half demons, her plan was just to stay in the house and rely on us to defend her from everything. And I mean everything. It took several hours to convince her that we don¡¯t know how to protect her from all the bad things that are coming her way. After that she apparently cried for several hours, asking why so many bad things were happening to her and why the world was so hell bent on killing her family. Mia told me it got so bad that the children had to console her and convince her that maybe talking to more powerful people would be better than staying in the house until their father gives up, if he ever gives up. So there we were, in a big comfortable elevator with a giant, going to the 17th floor to meet the big bad half demon leader of Memphis.


    ¡°I¡¯m Shawn,¡± Shawn said to the giant, offering his hand. The giant was visibly surprised at the gesture, but he shook his hand and solemnly said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason, the head of security.¡± I almost snorted, of course he is the  head of security. Shawn pulled his sister upfront, but she hid behind him.


    ¡°This is my sister Sarah, and that is my mom. Her name is Laura,¡± he pointed toward Laura who was as pale as a sheet. Jason nodded his big head to Laura¡¯s direction and asked about us.


    ¡°And the lady that is with you?¡± I smiled, when Shawn looked at me.


    ¡°That is Sasha and she is our guardian!¡± Sarah found her voice and loudly proclaimed my role in all this. I offered my hand to the giant as well. Can¡¯t be seen as a coward in front of the kids.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I said, realizing that my accent surprised him.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too ma''am,¡± he replied. He offered me nothing more than a glance, focusing on Mia more. He either saw her more as a threat or he liked her. Based on his scent, it was both. I almost giggled to myself but that would cause a whole new series of questions from the kids, and I did not want to explain how I can smell the man''s arousal every time he looks at my cousin.


    Finally we arrived at the 17th floor. The reception and the offices seemed empty so we relied on Jason to lead us to the correct office. Jason turned toward Laura and pointed to a door in front of him.


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind waiting here please. Someone will come right along to talk to you.¡± Laura looked at Mia in fear, but she wasn¡¯t given a chance to complain. Shawn went and grabbed her hand, opening the door with the other.


    ¡°Thank you Jason, for taking such good care of us.¡± He said with the confidence of a much older man, dragging his mother in the bright room, that was clearly meant for children. As soon as Sarah saw all the toys and brightly colored walls she squealed and ran in the room behind them. Jason closed the room and turned to us.


    ¡°Please follow me, Mr. Smith is waiting in his office.¡± We followed him to the end of the hall. He opened an office door and motioned us inside.


    ¡°Miss Mia and Miss Sasha are here for you sir.¡± He said to the room and almost pushed us inside.


    Mr. Smith was not as I expected him to be. I expected an older gentleman or at least middle aged, but he looked as young as us. Mid 30, tall and well built, with dark blond hair and glasses that hid his brown eyes. He assessed us and got up from his office chair, fixing the jacket as he walked toward us. Mia was in front of him first and we repeated the greetings. Mr. Smith offered us seats that we gladly took while Jason was standing outside of the door, close enough that if we would threaten his employer he would hear it. Of course I had no doubt that Andrew Smith could defend himself, because he was dripping demon magic with every fiber of his being.


    I can deal with vampires, because they are fast but one hit from me and they are hurt enough to slow down or die. Witches can hardly hurt me with their magic, even fire wouldn¡¯t do any real damage to me and other shifters, I have no doubt I would win almost any fight. But demons? They freaked me out. Half demons even more so. I heard that if demons do manage to impregnate a woman most of them die either while carrying a baby or during birth. Then at least a quarter of those children are so filled with magic that their human body can¡¯t handle it so they explode while still a baby or toddler and another quarter die by the time they are teens due to unknown causes. Those who survive have an extremely high chance of going insane or of losing their soul, which makes them psychotic and have to be put down like rabid dogs, because that''s exactly how they are, rabid. However those that survive all of their trials, are the cream of the crop, so to say. They are strong, nearly indestructible and each specialize in magic that they have complete control over. Basically they are the super hero or mutants that you see on the tv, except that all of them are hard to kill because even if you shot them, you won¡¯t do nearly as much damage as you would do to any other creature.


    The more I looked at Andrew Smith, the more I knew I never ever wanted to meet him in a fight. I wanted to alert Mia to be careful, but I didn¡¯t know how to do that without alerting the man in front of me that I knew, just how powerful he was. No wonder the vampires in Memphis had such a problem with keeping control over the city.


    We sat for a little while, staring at each other.


    ¡°A mutual friend of ours said we might be able to help each other out,¡± said Andrew. Mia was busy twirling the black bracelet in her hands so I was the one that replied.


    ¡°How much has Sebastian told you?¡± He fully expected Mia to reply to his question and was surprised when I was the one that spoke.


    ¡°He said that there is a witch kin woman with two witch children, who were being persecuted by what could be considered a demon. He mentioned that they might be agreeable to a contract in exchange for their safety.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°That is all he told you? And you just agreed to a meeting?¡± I was curious. Andrew Smith sighed loudly and leaned over his desk.


    ¡°I owe Sebastian a big favor, so I would have done the meeting even without mentioning the demon. But as half demons I do believe that we are responsible to keep our kin in check so they don¡¯t harm anyone, especially children, for they are the most precious. We are also always on the lookout for a capable witch that would be willing to work with us, and we discovered that it''s best to simply raise one yourself since that way we can make sure they are loyal to us.¡± Mia was upset about something and she voiced her opinion.


    ¡°So your plan is to raise the kids as your own personal witches? What if they don¡¯t want to work for you?¡± Andrew shrugged.


    ¡°That is their choice. You have to understand that since we started these kinds of contracts we haven¡¯t had a single witch who would leave before the contract is up. We offer a lot of money, schooling and protection for a couple years of work for us. If they want to work after the initial contract is over, that is their choice.¡±


    ¡°So you will offer your protection to Laura and she will have to sign a contract that the kids will come to work for you? Would that be as soon as they come into power or later in life?¡± I asked, trying to calm Mia down.


    ¡°When they see themselves capable of helping of course. We prefer that they finish some kind of university, but some kids don¡¯t do well in school so once they come of age they can decide what to do. We don¡¯t force anyone to work for us, but like I said already, the offer is quite hard to decline.¡± He smiled and he looked almost normal, like a boy next door, offering you a deal you can¡¯t refuse. I sighed, looking at Mia, who looked thoughtful.


    ¡°So Sebastian didn¡¯t tell you what we have been dealing with?¡± Andrew shook his head.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mention any specifics, except that a friend of his got hurt quite badly and was on the verge of death.¡± I didn¡¯t correct him that I actually died.


    ¡°I would like to know more details, if you don¡¯t mind though. If the kids will be under our protection we would love to know what we are dealing with.¡± It was Mia''s turn to lean closer to the table.


    ¡°To be honest, the problem is, we don¡¯t know much. We know what Laura told us, that she belonged to an old witch family who sold her to a sorcerer and they made a deal. Any girls born in the marriage would go to the family of Laura and any boys would stay with the sorcerer. Laura says that she was spelled most of the marriage and she has barely any recollection of anything, but she does know that both children were conceived in a magic circle of sorts.¡± That seemed to surprise Andrew. He leaned back, hands in his lap.


    ¡°When she was pregnant for the second time she finally woke up from the spell and escaped. After several months of running with two small kids she found us and our bakery. I knew she needed help as soon as she stepped in so I offered her a creation of mine, a spell called Hideaway, that hides your magical signature. It offered her enough respite that she managed to get a house and start to live her life, but recently kids have been having nightmares of their father that he is searching for them and a week ago they were attacked by a shadow that tried to kill little Sarah.¡± Andrew lifted his arm a bit, indicating that he has a question.


    ¡°May I ask, what do you mean by shadow?¡± Mia looked at me, wanting me to answer the question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to call it, except shadow, for it looked like one. It was humanoid shape, non corporeal and see-through and its goal was to eat Sarah''s magic. I managed to hurt it enough that it was dying and with its last thought the shadow connected to me and revealed some information.¡± Adam was clearly confused by something, but he let me continue.


    ¡°It said that it was created to steal the magic and life force of children, and that its creator was not the one that was controlling it. There was one who made it and one who was using it and collecting the magic to make itself stronger.¡± I didn¡¯t know how else to explain it, but he used my pause to ask me.


    ¡°I thought Mia was the witch. How did you fight a shadow that was non corporeal?¡± The question caught me off guard.


    ¡°She is a shapeshifter, but she is bonded to me, and that came with certain perks, including astral projection. Except that her astral projection can actually hurt and fight, not just observe.¡± Andrew''s eyebrows shot up and he looked at me with new appreciation.


    ¡°When Sarah was attacked she magically sent an SOS to everyone around her. I was just lucky enough that I was the first one there, because sometimes evil can hijack the SOS and then you are in double trouble.¡± I shrugged, not wanting to discuss my status as a guardian.


    ¡°So you killed the shadow?¡± He asked, clearly wanting to know more.


    ¡°No, while it was dying it revealed to me how it was created and in death, the essence would return to the creator who could simply remake the shadow. When it told me how it was created I found the essence and released it though, so they did lose a minion.¡± I took a breath before I continued.


    ¡°The essence of the shadow was the soul of a newborn, killed as soon as it took its first breath and then made into a weapon.¡± I was still angry about that poor soul even though I knew it was in a better place now. I just hoped that the soul will be reborn and that it won¡¯t resent me for placing it in the servitude of a goddess.


    ¡°How did you release a soul? Did you destroy the body completely?¡± I was getting a bit uncomfortable because I didn¡¯t want to discuss Morena, so I looked at Mia, asking for help.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now, what matters is that it was done, the shadow will no longer bother anyone. We can only hope that it was just that one, but realistically its creator could have an army of shadows sucking the magic of the world.¡± Adam nodded, looking beyond us now. Mia was the one who continued.


    ¡°We decided to redo her protection in hopes that it will be enough, but on the day that I was supposed to do the circle they were attacked again. This time it was¡­ a massive cloud of darkness that ate my magic as I was casting it. We would have all most likely died, if that one,¡± she glanced at me,


    ¡°Didn¡¯t jump inside of the damn cloud and touched its core. That gave me a foothold and I claimed it as mine. The fact that I could claim it as mine is still a big mystery but the more I look at it, the more demonic in origin it seems, and now it is linked to me.¡± She said distastefully. She took the bracelet off, the one that contained the minion and gently put it on the table between us.


    ¡°I bound it in the stones, but I used up all the magic that it had collected so that I could heal Sasha, but its essence is still there.¡± Andrew looked very intrigued and as he was leaning over to pick it up, Mia warned him.


    ¡°Be careful, I have no idea how it will react. It likes Sasha so the two of us aren¡¯t in any danger, but you are a stranger and I don¡¯t want to be responsible if something happens.¡± Andrew looked at us with an odd expression and instead of picking up the bracelet he picked up the phone.


    ¡°Trudy darling, would you please come to my office? I have an object that I would like you to look at and bring some gloves.¡± The phone went back, but the conversation stopped.


    ¡°So this is the reason why Sebastian wanted me to get involved?¡± He finally asked.


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Mia replied.


    ¡°I think the bigger problem is, we simply don¡¯t know who is targeting her. The most obvious culprit is, of course, her husband, the sorcerer. But we don¡¯t have any definite proof that it is him and with all the weird magic eating entities coming around their house, Mia and I simply can¡¯t protect her anymore. Unless we would move in with her to keep her safe 24/7 but even that is not a solution. We were discussing killing the husband, however that would be a last resort.¡± I said once the silence became uncomfortable.


    The knock on the door startled me. I turned around to see a young woman in her early twenties come in. She was dressed in a classic lawyer outfit, suit with a white shirt. Her big smile diminished as soon as she saw us, but seeing me startled her enough that she stopped walking toward the desk.


    ¡°Trudy, these are Mia and Sasha and they have come with an object I would like you to see.¡± That seemed to have woken her up as she walked toward the desk. She nodded to us, trying to be friendly, but ignored us nonetheless. As soon as she saw the bracelet she stopped and put on some black gloves.


    ¡°Do not touch that,¡± she whispered to no one in particular as she slowly crept closer.


    ¡°That is the most foul thing I have ever seen.¡± She finally said, glancing at Andrew.


    ¡°Is it a demon?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°I am not sure, there is definitely some demon essence in that, but it is all twisted and wrong.¡± Andrew looked concerned and he explained about my encounter with the shadow. Slowly but surely, Trudy was backtracking away from the desk.


    ¡°That might be what happened to whatever this creature is. I think it used to be a demon, but someone twisted it and changed it into¡­ something else?¡± she offered an explanation.


    ¡°Could a sorcerer do this?¡± He asked, not looking at us.


    ¡°I have no idea. I don¡¯t even know how this is possible, but I do know that if you touch it, it will escape out of that gem and I am not sure what it will do once that happens.¡± Mia took the bracelet and put it back on her hand.


    ¡°It bonded to me, so other than coming out and hiding behind me, it would be harmless.¡± She was almost pouting when she said that.


    ¡°Did she create it?¡± Andrew asked Trudy. Mia looked insulted and I had to give him props for asking the question in front of us.


    ¡°No.¡± Trudy then excused herself and left quickly, not wanting to look at us anymore.


    ¡°Well then, it does seem to be demonic in nature and you have not created it, which means we have a rogue warlock or sorcerer who knows how to subjugate demons. Both options fall under our domain, so we will be looking into it. Since the creature seems attached to you, do you have any plans on what to do with it?¡± Andrew was writing something on the laptop in front of him while talking.


    ¡°I was hoping you would know how to set it free?¡± Mia said quietly.


    ¡°It does act as a familiar but every time a witch inspects my aura, all they see is a demon familiar and that is making me quite the outcast.¡± I looked at her in surprise, because she never mentioned anything like that to me. Andrew looked at her thoughtfully.


    ¡°I have several experts on call that might be able to help, so we can arrange another date for your visit, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Mia agreed that she would love to visit again if it solves the issue.


    After exchanging phone numbers, we were dismissed and Jason escorted us in front of the room where Laura and the kids were talking to another lawyer looking lady. Laura looked happy for the first time since the troubles started and I guess they came to an arrangement as well.


    Laura and the kids stayed in Memphis under the care of the half demons since they deemed that going home to pack wasn¡¯t safe enough and Mia stayed with them, to see them settled and to make sure that they would be alright. I said goodbye to the kids and left to go home, hoping that our troubles are over now and I can return to baking some nice muffins and hopefully to another movie night with Tim.

 Epilogue

    I was watching my dinner guests with a smile and listening to their discussions. The storyteller Dennis replied to my letter as soon as he got it and hopped on the next plane to come for a visit, because he was so excited to share his stories with new people and to learn new stories from them. He also brought his apprentice and wife Emma, who he found while visiting Australia. She was a beautiful Maori woman full of secrets and knowing looks while Dennis paled in comparison, and I mean that literally. He was a pale looking man, with pale blond hair and bright blue eyes. Opposite them sat Tim and they were just making plans on when to introduce Dennis to the Native assembly and what he could expect.


    Mia refused to be a part of the conversation, saying that I invited guests without asking her and she would have refused, because she didn¡¯t want strangers in the apartment especially when strangers bring their own guests without saying anything. She has decided to go to New Orleans for vacation, admitting that recent events have been too much and she needs some time off for herself, away from me.


    After more than two decades of being bound by magic it was an adjustment for me, but she would send me daily messages that she was doing fine and she would even send a picture or two so that I didn¡¯t worry too much. I was relishing my new found freedom and I didn¡¯t think Mia appreciated it quite as much as I did.


    It was after dinner and I was washing dishes, trying not to impose on the conversation when I heard something odd. It was a hissing noise. I looked up through a window that was above the sink and almost had a heart attack. Right beside my reflection, there was a reflection of an older woman with a mouth too big for her face. I turned next to me and exhaled in relief. It was only our Domovoi, the spirit that protected our house from evil.


    The relief didn¡¯t last long. Domovoi usually looks like a nice old lady, wrapped in several layers of clothes, always smiling with mouth and eyes half closed. The only way we knew that she was a Domovoi and not just an ordinary spirit was because her face was disproportionate. Her mouth was too big with too many teeth for her small wrinkled face, and her eyes too small. However at that moment, her lips were pulled back in a grimace of rage and her small eyes were abnormally large. I recoiled, thinking she was looking at me, but on closer observation she was most definitely looking outside.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Cold sweat ran down my back. I turned toward the window again, looking through, wanting to see what made the old Domovoi so upset. I wish I hadn¡¯t looked.


    The sun was setting so there was still some light, but shadows in the forest made it hard to see clearly. There was something in the forest, something big. Way too big to be a wendigo or any other kind of monster. It had legs that looked more like tree trunks with twisted knees and something was wrong with how it moved. Eventually I gave up and looked up. It was shaped like a house. My heart stopped beating for a second.


    I took a step back, trying to take it all in. The last ray of sun shone on the forest floor and as soon as I saw that I knew what I was looking at.


    It was a cabin made out of stone like material with long chicken legs that supported and carried it. The chicken legs were made out of tree trunks thick and sturdy, but the house itself did not look that big. The house had a little turret window on top, and as soon as my eyes went that high I saw one big eye, blinking at me. The window was the eye. The house then turned around, somehow not getting damaged by the trees, as if all of the trees moved out of its way, and walked away a chicken like manner..


    I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and looked at the spirit next to me. The Domovoi slowly went back to its proper form, but no longer smiling. It was watching the outside as if it did not trust the house not to come back. I wanted to turn around and to tell them what I saw, but what would that do?


    Baba Yaga was here and there was nothing we could do about it.