Witch Emerging (High Witch Book 2) (2 page)

He stared at her when they were finished, lying beside her, then trailed his fingers over her stomach.

She giggled. “That tickles,” she said, smiling at him, her blue eyes filled with warmth.

He smiled. “Well, I can’t be tickling the home of our baby,” he said, running his fingers over her stomach again.

Ariel laughed, pushing his hand away. “Stop it. That’s not fair,” she said, giggling. “Don’t make me use my magic on you.”

He raised his eyebrows but knew it was an empty threat. He drew her to him, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her forehead. “Ariel,” he breathed. “I can’t wait for him or her to arrive. You think you’re a few months along?”

“About that,” she said softly. “I can’t wait, either. I can’t wait to meet our baby. I wish I’d told you I was pregnant earlier, but I really thought the early symptoms were just due to stress over what I’d been through. By the time I realized I was pregnant, we were about to be married. I know I’m a few months along—your mother said it’s normal for some women not to show at this stage. I guess I’ll be huge later, though.”

Brayden smiled, then kissed her forehead again. “You’ll still look lovely, though.” Ariel snuggled up to him, shutting her eyes and lying there silently. Brayden smoothed his hand over her long, flowing blonde hair, his mind drifting over how they’d met, nearly five months ago. They’d been thrown together but grown close so quickly. Meeting her was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

He’d been working at an inn, and Ariel had arrived there as a guest. When Brayden had tried to help her use her magic, he’d discovered she was a High Witch—one of only three witches in the world with a rare kind of power. He knew all about High Witches—his family was descended from one.

They’d learned a man named Julius was after Ariel and wanted to put her through an ordeal called the test. Julius had used the test in the past to turn women who were High Witches, making them kill someone to save themselves when he tried to hurt them. When the women became turned, they lost any goodness inside of them and became enslaved to Julius.

Ariel and Brayden ran, but eventually Julius caught up with them. The High Witch who was currently with Julius was named Nadia. She fought Ariel in a battle, and Ariel only just escaped with her life. Julius kidnapped Brayden’s mother, Emily, and forced them both to go to him. Ariel was stuck—she had to go through the test or Julius would kill Brayden’s mother.

Julius killed Nadia, then tried to turn Ariel. Ariel was tortured by an enormous machine. If she killed Brayden, she would be turned but Julius would release her. But Ariel didn’t kill him. She let herself die by the machine, sacrificing herself to save Brayden. No witch had ever passed the test before.

Ariel miraculously came back. They all saw the result of someone passing the test: she was revived, made whole. Ariel killed Julius, then Brayden and his mother and her were all safe. They went home, and four months later, she and Brayden got married. On their wedding day, Ariel told him she was pregnant.

That was one week ago, and Brayden couldn’t be happier. He felt their lives were perfect. Just Ariel and him and soon their child. It was all he could ever want. Ariel worked with his mother brewing potions to help others, and Brayden sold them at the market. They had their own place and a new life. He had never felt so content before.

Ariel sighed deeply in Brayden’s arms, and he smiled. He adored it every time she sighed.

She moved to look at him. “Brayden?” she asked, looking a little nervous. “Are you mad at me?”

He frowned, confused. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because,” she began, “I haven’t started looking for the other High Witches yet. I told you I would—I told you I’d try to find them. I love living here, being with you, but I can’t put it off forever. They need to be protected. We know one is only a baby, born the day Nadia died, but the other one might be my age, or younger, or older. I don’t want someone to turn her.”

Brayden kissed her hair. “I’m not even remotely angry with you. We only just got married—we deserve to rest for a while. But if you want to start looking, we can. The thing is, she could be anywhere. She’s not likely to be nearby.”

Ariel sighed. “I know. But if Julius could find me, I can surely find her. We’ll start looking soon, okay?”

“Whatever you wish, Ariel,” Brayden said, a little fear running through him but also awe at how kind-hearted she was. He held her closely, then ran his hand over her waist and down her thigh.

Ariel smiled. “Brayden,” she whispered, kissing his neck. “You’re always distracting me.”

“I’m just trying to make you feel better. I don’t want you to feel your morning sickness.”

“Ha!” Ariel laughed. “You know I just use my magic to heal myself of that. But I’m not complaining, my love. Not for a second.”

Brayden kissed her, becoming lost in the feeling, delighting in her touch. But in the back of his mind, he still felt a little fear.

***

The next day they were sitting in their kitchen, a sunny room at the back of the house, drinking tea together. They had another week together before he and Ariel went back to work. Sunlight shone through the light curtains onto the wooden table, the bench and cupboards also bathed in the glow. There was a fireplace along the wall and various cooking utensils around the room. A vase of yellow flowers stood in the middle of the table.

Ariel took another sip of tea, then gasped, putting her hand to her stomach.

Brayden frowned. “What is it?” he asked.

Ariel looked at him. “I don’t know. I just felt something. Like movement, or something. But it’s too soon for that yet. I don’t know what it was.”

Brayden stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want me to bring my mother here? Do you need some help?”

“No, it’s probably nothing. It was only the once. It’s okay.”

He sat back down, but felt a little uneasy. “Alright. Have you given any thought to how you want to locate the other High Witch? The older one? We don’t have a lot of money and aren’t really in a position to travel around. We’d need to hear stories about a witch with enormous power who may have done something big at some stage. She may not be aware of what she is, like you weren’t. I’m not quite sure how to go about this.”

They were silent for a moment. “Surely there’s a spell I could cast, something that could reach out to her?” Ariel said. “There has to be some way I could use magic to find her.”

Brayden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Nadia certainly didn’t know of a spell, or she would have used magic to find you. But it does seem hard to believe that you have all that power—that the other witch has all that power—and you can’t find each other. Do you want me to find some books about locating spells?”

Ariel nodded. “Yes, please. It would be a start. And then…” Ariel gasped again, then was thrown back in her chair. She held on to the table, breathing deeply. She looked at Brayden, her eyes wide.

He stared back in horror.

“Brayden, can a baby use magic in the womb?”

Brayden shook his head. “That’s impossible. She—she’s not even big enough yet. You’re not even showing yet! She can’t… it can’t be! I… I…”

Ariel put a shaky hand to her stomach, then disappeared on the spot, reappearing in a corner of the kitchen.

Brayden rushed to her side and clutched her tightly.

She reached out her arms and held on to him, shaking. “Something’s wrong,” Ariel said. “That wasn’t me. She’s using magic. It’s coming out of her somehow. I’m frightened, Brayden.”

Brayden took a deep breath, petrified. Something was definitely wrong. He brought Ariel into a hug, determined to find a healer who knew about magic straight away. They didn’t need anything bad to happen.

Heaven help them if something bad happened.

Chapter 2

Hallie sat in the tavern after work, trying to enjoy the meal of meat and vegetables before her. She was at a small table along the wall by herself, half-listening to the loud sounds of people talking and laughing. The dimly lit place had the aroma of smoke mixed with the smell of ale and the food people were eating. There were a lot of people there, but they all left Hallie alone. They didn’t know about her past. She was safe there.

She took a sip of her wine, remembering with a heavy heart what day this was. It was two years exactly since she’d last seen Sean. After their fight all those months ago, he took a job on his uncle’s ship and left town. She hadn’t heard from him in all that time—not even a single letter. She had no way of knowing where he was, but she knew he could still find her because her parents knew where she lived. Didn’t he want to know how she was doing? Wasn’t he curious at all? She sighed, having to resign herself to the fact that he probably got married to someone and had forgotten all about her. She guessed she never meant as much to him as he meant to her.

She gradually finished eating, then tucked her hair behind her ears. Her appearance had changed a bit over the last couple of years: she had gotten a little taller but not much; her hair was a little longer now, though still a wavy mess; she lost the extra weight she’d carried throughout her childhood, her face less round and her figure more slender.

But her life had changed significantly in other ways. She had been copying letters and other documents for people in her town for years for free, just because she was good at it and enjoyed it. She had always been good at writing and was an excellent reader, much to her parents’ dismay. They always wanted her to be good at more practical tasks, get married, and be a good housewife. But Hallie preferred reading and writing.

When she was seventeen, the man who became her employer was traveling in her town and needed some letters copied at the last moment. Hallie did the work for him, and he was so impressed he offered to take her on as his apprentice as long as she was willing to leave with him. And so she went with him. The elderly man was a highly proficient writer, and Hallie had a huge amount of work to do. She had worked for the man for the last year, he paid her well, and she earned a reputation as a highly intelligent, hard-working woman. She was pleased she had started work, had started a new life, but there was a hole in her heart nothing could fill. She tried to ignore it with work, which was all she really had.

No one in that town knew she was a witch—no one knew anything about her really. She mainly kept to herself, and while the people around her seemed nice and friendly, she just wanted to work and not get close to anyone. She didn’t want anyone there to know about her past. It was safer that way.

Hallie took another sip of wine when she felt someone watching her. She looked around, then saw a young man of around twenty standing near the door. He was tall and slender, with short black hair. To her surprise he made his way towards her and stood by her table.

“I hear you work for Amos,” the man said in a gentle voice.

Hallie half-smiled. “Yes, I do. I’m his scribe.”

The man nodded. “I heard you do very good work. My name is Nicholas.”

“Hallie,” she replied, feeling a little nervous.

Nicholas rubbed his chin. “I have some letters I need copied. Do you think you would be able to help me? I would pay you well.”

Hallie looked down, fidgeting with her napkin. “I guess so. I don’t work on Sundays. I could do it for you then.” She looked up at him again and saw him gazing at her warmly.

He gestured to the empty chair across from her. “May I sit down? I’ve been traveling all day and would like to rest my feet.”

“I—alright,” Hallie said. “I’ll be leaving soon, though. But you’re welcome to sit.”

He didn’t reply, just took the seat. Silence settled between them, but to Hallie’s surprise, it wasn’t all that uncomfortable. She glanced at Nicholas, noting he had pleasant dark eyes and full lips. He smiled at her, and she hurriedly looked away.

He leaned close to her. “I’m surprised you’re sitting here by yourself. Wouldn’t a beautiful woman like you have men begging to spend time with her? Or do you reject their advances, Hallie?”

She blushed, but she felt a slight chill run through her. Nicholas was getting a little too personal too quickly. She did reject any man who approached her because she wanted to be left alone. But how did he know? And why would be bring it up? “I—I just like to sit by myself. I’m sorry, I have to get going now. I’ll see you on Sunday. We can meet here at two o’clock, if you like.” She rose.

He also stood, gazing at her, then reached out and took her hand. He smiled again. “Whatever you wish, Hallie,” he said softly. “I’ll be waiting.”

Then Hallie felt an odd sensation—cold and wet—in the hand he was holding. She hurriedly moved her hand away and saw a faint sheen of ice fade from Nicholas’ palm. She looked at him in surprise.
A warlock
.

He narrowed his eyes, and then he leaned down and put his lips to her ear. “I hear you can do a little more than just scribe, Hallie,” he whispered. “How does the rhyme go? What do the little girls sing?”

Hallie stepped back, looking at him in horror. She clenched her fists. “That’s not who I am now. I left all that behind. Leave me alone.”

She pushed past him, purposely shoving him with her shoulder, then hurried to the door. She didn’t look back, just hurled the door open and rushed outside. She heard laughter in her wake and felt her blood boil.
How did he know? How did he find her? And who was he?
She ran into the warm night, heading home, clutching her small bag to her as she raced. The last thing she ever needed was to be reminded of her past. The last thing she needed was to become upset. Lest she cast a spell. Lest she hurt someone.

But as she neared her home, she felt her magic pulsing inside of her.
No! Don’t come out! No!
She hurried down the path to her neat, wooden home and had barely shut the door behind her when a huge wave of light poured out of her. The room glowed in silver radiance as it shone from Hallie’s chest, making her arch her back and freeze on the spot, and then she slumped against the door, the light fading. She struggled to breathe, beginning to sob as all her emotions caught up with her.
Dammit, why did this happen!
She didn’t want any trouble. She didn’t want to face any problems alone.