The Witches of BlackBrook (18 page)

by

Tish Thawer

I surveyed the death and destruction surrounding me and smiled.
Another job well done
. The fog and spindly trees that accompanied my arrival began to recede, returning the surroundings back to their normal state. It was something I never tired of; something that fed into my legend and mystic. For I am Dark Abigail––Hell's first assassin.

1

Loki peered through a rip in space, his nostrils flaring at his recent failure. He forced himself to watched as Raven and Michael bid farewell to Holli and Garrett in a slew of hugs and kisses.

"Holli" and "Garrett,"
hmph
.  His daughter would pay for her betrayal and the new leader of Purgatory would lose his head in the process. Angered by the choice she had made, the sight of her enjoying her new life with Death was too much to bear.

Loki turned away and focused his full attention on his current surroundings. A black expanse of lava cooled fields stretched out before him. Blood red rivers of molten fire flowed throughout, illuminating the tips and crevices which created a sea of eerie shapes and a sense of false movements.

Traipsing through Hell with diminished powers was not going to be easy, but he had a plan he needed to put into action. And keeping Lucifer waiting was never a good idea.

His first step towards Lucifer's castle conjured images of Thor, Odin, and Frigga––specters of his worse memories; guilt, anger, fear. They swarmed him like vengeful ghosts, but it was to be expected...this was Hell after all.

Still want more?

Turn the page for an excerpt from
HANDLER
,

Tish Thawer’s upcoming New Adult Dystopian.

by

Tish Thawer

P.R.O.L.O.G.U.E.

“Don’t do it, Cole,” Samantha whispered as we crouched behind the wall.

The thick cover of night limited my vision, but I didn’t have to see her face to know she was about to cry.

“Sam, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to run over and make sure Kiva and Vey made it across the bridge.”

“Who cares!” She sobbed. “They’re the reason we’re breaking the law in the first place. It would serve them right.”

I shifted my position and laid a hand on her knee. “You don’t mean that. Kiva is your friend, and Vey is only searching for his brother. They aren’t trying to get us in trouble. Besides, you didn’t have to come.”

She jerked at the harshness of my words, but it was true. None of us twisted her arm or forced her to tag along.

“You don’t get it, do you? I’m not worried about getting in trouble, I’m worried that we’re all going to die! You know the stories, Cole; you know we’re forbidden to go out at night.”

“Cole! You ready?” Ren’s shout pulled me from the memory of that fateful day.

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

I glanced at the tape covering my hands and pushed the padding between each knuckle. Since I’d been
accepted
into the Handler program, my fights had become harder and harder and the damage to my body more and more apparent. Tonight’s fight determined whether I’d remain in my current job, or if I’d advance and have a chance to be placed in a government position.

I looked down the long dark corridor at the illuminated stairs and imagined the waiting crowd beyond.

My stomach rolled.

I shook my head and punched each fist into the opposite hand, psyching myself up.
You’ve got this!

Actually, there was no choice, I had to win; I
had
to get placed in the government if I ever hoped to expose their lie. Even if it meant moving onto the killing rounds.

. . . . . .

C.H.A.P.T.E.R.  O.N.E.

Three months ago

“Colizan, would you care to join us for a walk?” Father asked.

“Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

The warm sun glinted off the quartz sidewalk as my father, mother, and I strolled from our assigned dwinn in the Northern territory of Atal. Winding our way through the gardens which led to Common Park had always been our preferred route.

I didn’t bother trying to eavesdrop on my parent’s conversation, but instead, smiled and continued to take in the scenery.

It was the usual picture perfect display of green grass, sparkling quartz, lush flowers, and elaborate water features dotting the landscape. The buildings in Atal were a mix of glass and quartz, some tall and towering, others round and inviting.

I smiled and quickened my pace as we approached my favorite part of the city––the museum. It reminded me of a picture I’d once seen of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, but instead of white and cream concrete, it was all glass. I always made it a point to stop and read the plaque outside, and today was no exception.

“ATAL. Est. 2027. Redesigned from the ashes of Atlanta.”
There was an image of a Genesis machine hovering over the war-struck city in the foreground, and the utopian paradise left in its wake.

“I didn’t know there was a meeting today,” Father stated.

I glanced up from the sign to see folks gathered in Common Park, taking their seats on bleachers that had automatically risen from the grass.

“Let’s find a seat,” Mother suggested.

We ventured into the park, nodding in greeting to the other citizens.

“What’s this about, Cecily?” Merta ask my mother.

“I’m not sure,” Mom replied.

Father guided us into the bleachers, claiming the outer seat for himself. The action seemed odd, almost defensive, as if he was preparing in case we needed to make a sudden exit.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered as the rest of the citizens of our territory filed into place.

“I don’t know,” Dad said.

“Welcome!” a hidden voice declared over the crowd. “We’ve requested your presence here today for an important announcement.”

My mother leaned across me and whispered, “We must have missed the announcement while on our walk. But why wouldn’t they just send a message to the com device in our dwinn?”

My father’s reply was clipped and wordless. However, the rise of his eyebrow and quick shrug of his shoulder spoke volumes.

“It’s with heavy hearts we inform you that one of your citizens has disappeared and is presumed dead.”

A large holographic image of Viktor Venton appeared in front of the crowd, causing a collective gasp.

“This is the third disappearance this year. Therefore, we’ve called this meeting to remind you of our one and only law, which is in place for
your
safety. Please heed our warning and do not go out at night. If you violate the law, these are the kind of terrible things that will continue to happen, and we cannot bear to lose any more citizens of our beloved Atal.” The image of Viktor brightened and began rotating in midair.

I squirmed in my seat. If they were trying to make us feel as if they cared, it wasn’t working. Atal had plenty of rules to keep things structured from day-to-day, but only one law;
Don’t go out at night.
My family had never broken the law or any of the rules. Well, besides me I supposed; in my early teenage years I’d hacked some old movies and books to feed my curiosity about the world before the war. But in those times, when my curiosity peaked, my father would remind me,
“It’s the rules that allow us to live in peace and harmony, and therefore we should be grateful for them.”
So, all-in-all, we were the appropriate family clan. But as I looked at my father now, his brows furrowed and his jaw tight, it was obvious that something strange was happening here. There was something off about this impromptu meeting and the message being delivered.

“Let’s go,” Father instructed. We quickly rose from our seats, Mother pausing to gaze at Viktor’s image one last time.

When we reached our dwinn, Father placed the palm of his hand against the security panel; the thick opaque door rose in a smooth rush.

“Okay. Now will you tell me what’s going on?” I inquired the moment we were inside.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know.” He stated flatly.

My jaw flexed and I gritted my teeth as he turned away.

“Cecily, please contact Valeree and pay our respects,” Father instructed.

“Of course.”

The three of us gathered around the com device in the kitchen and waited for my mother to dial the extension for the Venton family dwinn.

“Cecily...” sobbed Viktor’s mother. “It can’t be true. My Viktor would never go out after dark. Never!” Her discarded tears coated her cheeks.

“Valeree, please accept our sincerest condolences,” Father stated politely.

I hung my head and stared at my hands while my parents continued to listen to Valeree, their efforts to console her, a mere lesson in futility.

I looked up and flinched when the conversation paused. Vey, Viktor’s younger brother, was barely visible in the far back corner of the screen, and he was staring straight at me. I opened my mouth to pay my own respects but stopped short when he jerked his head to the side and disappeared from view. I quietly excused myself and made my way to the com device in my private room.

I pressed the
accept
button on the screen and found Vey waiting on the display.

“I’m so sorry, man.” My words fell short of the feelings behind them.

“Thanks.”

“Any clue what really happened?”

“Nah. A bunch of us were walking back from the Education Center yesterday, and one minute he was there and the next he wasn’t.” Vey sank onto his bed. “We didn’t hear anything. Only when I turned around to ask him a question did I realize he was gone. We backtracked as far as we could, looking for...well, anything, but once the night alarms began to sound we all rushed home. I immediately told my mother what happened and she submitted an emergency report right away.”

“Was there an investigation? Did the Officials figure out what happened?”

“No. We got the same report as everyone else did, only they told us in private instead of in the park. Their ‘official’ statement is that it looks like he decided to split from our group and venture into the night on his own, which led to his probable death.”

Vey raised his head, staring into the display. His piercing determination told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t buying their story and we were going to investigate on our own.

I didn’t bother protesting because I couldn’t agree more. Viktor wouldn’t have broken the law...but we were about to. “When do we start?”

“Tomorrow night. Kiva’s coming too.”

“Okay. I’ll check with Sam and we can confirm our plans tomorrow at school.” I started towards the closet to gather my things.

“Cole?” I turned back to the display and found Vey’s gratitude shining in his eyes. “Thank you. You’re a true friend.”