Fate Changer (The Lost Witch Trilogy #3) (26 page)

Charles fell hard to the gravel and struggled to upend Lash, but was unable to against Lash’s brute strength.

“Get off me!” Charles roared, back handing Lash viciously across the face, cutting his cheek open with the ring on his hand.

Lash ignored the blood, dripping down his face and onto Charles’s shirt. “Make another swipe at me and I might be tempted to see what
your
blood tastes like,” he threatened, making Charles turn even more pale.

Lash rolled Charles over and then dragged him up to his knees, standing behind him with his hands around his throat. “Sorry for the interruption,” he said with a grin to Zane.

Zane smiled back, nodding his head in approval. “Thank you Lash. Ladies, gentlemen, please proceed,” he said, motioning towards Charles’s still form.

Five witches moved towards Charles, holding their hands towards his chest, not saying anything. Charles looked horrified and yelled something. Sarah gasped when she realized what he had yelled. He’d yelled her father’s name.

Sarah scanned the house, the porch and the trees on either side for her father. And then Race walked out the front door. But he wasn’t alone. He had Miranda by the arm and by the way she was sweating and looking panicked, he was hurting her.

Sarah’s energy exploded out of her body and she moved around the circle of witches, as everyone broke out into gasps, yelling and chaos. Charles tried to break free from Lash again, but was held tight. Miranda received another shock of energy from Race and squealed in agony before going limp in his hands. The outrage from the crowd of witches escalated and Race held his hand up for silence as Sarah moved behind a tree by the side of the porch. She was almost close enough.

“Release Charles and I’ll hand your friend back. She tells me that she has two children and a husband who would be upset if she doesn’t make it back today. I’ll count to ten and then she’ll be gone,” he said conversationally.

Sarah felt queasy at the careless way her father talked of murder. She glanced at the crowd and saw everyone’s face was turned toward Race and Miranda. Except for Zane and Jericho who were staring right at her. Zane nodded his head and sent the words,
Do it Sarah
, to her mind.

Jericho winked at her and then moved towards her father. “Race is it? How about this? If you don’t let this beautiful woman go right now, we’ll be taking your power as well as Charles’s. I’ll give you five seconds to think it over,” he said, making sure Race’s attention was on him and not the girl moving steadily toward him.

Race’s face stiffened in outrage and he shook the woman in his arms. “If you think I’m bluffing, I promise you, I’m not.”

Jericho grinned and crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “And neither am I. You’re down to three seconds now,” he added kindly.

Race glared at the young man and took a deep breath, getting ready for what, Sarah didn’t know. She only knew she had to act immediately.

She raised her hand towards Race’s chest and felt her energy draw up inside of her and explode out of her hand in a harsh wave that made her gasp in surprise. The energy hit her father a second later and his head snapped back before he collapsed to his knees. He fell to his side in what seemed like slow motion. Sarah ignored her father and rushed up the stairs to grab Miranda, pulling her away from her father’s still tight grasp. It was as if his hand was frozen into a permanent claw around Miranda’s arm. She touched a finger to her father’s hand and it flew off of Miranda, leaving her free.

Ethan straightaway took Miranda in his arms and carried her to the circle where three witches promptly surrounded her and began soothing the pain caused by Race.

Sarah was joined by Zane and Jericho as she stared down at her father’s body. Jericho sighed and reached down to grasp Race by the shoulder’s, pulling him roughly down the porch and then letting him fall in a heap in front of Charles and Lash. Charles stared at Race in surprise and then looked at the witches surrounding him and began to realize that he was in very real trouble.

Zane held her hand as they walked down the steps and joined the circle of witches surrounding Charles, Race and Lash. Sarah walked forward to stand in front of Charles and crossed her arms over her chest. “I was told by a very wise witch I know that witches were born to protect others, to serve others and to heal. You have done none of those things. You have taken power and lives and love and destroyed without any thought or conscious. I hope you live a very long life filled with regret and sorrow,” she said and stepped back.

Charles stared at her silently, his face as still as granite before ramming his head as hard as he could into Lash’s face and jumping forward, grasping her in his arms. Sarah screamed as three things happened at once. Lash collapsed, his face covered in blood. Zane shot forward, reaching for her hand. And Jericho shouting as she disappeared into darkness with Charles’s arms wrapped tightly around her.

Sarah woke up slowly as if she was rising through heavy water. She opened her eyes and moaned loudly, as the aching in her arms made itself known. She felt strange and the muscles in her neck were screaming in pain. She lifted her head and blinked her eyes. Her arms were aching because she’d been tied to a chair with tight cords. She was in the middle of a dark room and she was alone. She felt her energy swimming through her body and used it to free her hands and ankles. She flinched at the sound of the cords hitting the floor loudly.

Honestly, had he really thought she couldn’t break through cords? She rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust before standing up. Her back ached and her legs were stiff and she wondered how long she’d been out. And then wondered what if anything he’d done to her
while
she had been out.

She closed her eyes and moved her energy throughout her body slowly, looking and feeling for anything out of the ordinary. If he’d cursed her, she was in trouble, but he must not have had time to do anything, because she felt completely normal. She glanced around the small room as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, feeling the chill through her jacket.

She was safe for the moment and so she centered herself and moved inward, calling out to Zane in the way she knew could reach him no matter where he was or how far away he was.
Zane! Zane, help me!
she called and then waited patiently for a response.

She breathed slowly in and out and centered all of her energy within herself, waiting for anything he would send back to her. She waited a few more minutes and then heard it.
Sarah! Where are you?

Sarah opened her eyes and walked over to the window. It was a high horizontal rectangle and she couldn’t see out. She held her arms out and pushed up with her energy, moving the air under her feet as she floated up to the top of the ceiling. She stared out the window and saw that it was night time. The moon was high in the sky and from the faint light she could see she was on the top floor of a house and she could see the ocean. She angled her head trying to see any landmarks that would help Zane find her, but nothing looked familiar.

She floated down and leaned her head against the wall as she spoke to Zane’s mind
. I don’t know where I am Zane. I can see the moon and the ocean out my window and I’m on the top floor of a house in a room. That’s all I know. Please find me.

She waited another minute and felt Zane’s mind connect to hers.
I’m coming for you Sarah.

She sighed in relief and knew that he would. He
would
find her. He would never let Charles keep her. She turned around and looked at the door and wondered if she should attempt to leave that way. She pushed her energy outside of her and sent it through the walls and out into the house. She sent it through the spaces and areas of the house, but she didn’t feel anyone’s presence. She frowned and swept her energy through the house again.
She was alone
. She was sure of it. Why would Charles leave her alone now that he finally had her?

She wrinkled her forehead as she thought and rubbed the soreness out of her arms with her power, feeling much better. She leaned down and rubbed her ankles where she’d been tied as well.
And then she knew
. It had to be a booby trap for Zane and anyone else who came for her. She gasped and wondered what Charles would do. He still wanted her, but whoever came for her would die and then Charles wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore. It was the only thing that made sense.

She started breathing fast and felt her energy quicken inside her. She called out to Zane to warn him.
Zane! I think it’s a trap. He’s not here in the house with me. He’s waiting for someone to try and rescue me. Whoever tries will die. I’m sure of it. Stay away until I figure a way out of this.

Sarah paced around the small room, waiting for Zane’s reply, gripping her hands anxiously when Zane finally spoke to her.
I won’t let Charles have you Sarah. Trap or not, I’m coming for you. I can feel your blood Sarah. I’m getting close. I can feel it rushing through you.

Sarah’s mouth opened in horror and she ran her hands through her hair.
Forget that
. No way was she going to let Zane be hurt again. Not this time. The house was empty so she moved to the door and tried the knob. It opened easily. She put up a power shield and walked quickly out of the room and down the hallway, running lightly down the stairs. It was a typical beach house with lots of bedrooms and a large family room with an open kitchen that had windows open to the ocean.

She scanned the house again with her power and was surprised when it came back clean. There was no evil in the house. She paused in consternation and wondered what Charles was playing at. He admitted that she was powerful, so then why leave her in an empty house when all she had to do was walk out? It made no sense. She shook her head in confusion and moved to a window in the front room. She didn’t recognize anything. All she could see in the dark were trees and shadows and the road leading away from the house.

She rubbed her cold arms and wondered if Charles assumed she’d be unconscious for a long time. Maybe her power had woken her up ahead of schedule?
No, it had to be a trap
. Now how could she escape the house unharmed without Zane or anyone else getting hurt in the process? She had to do something and she had to do something fast, but she had no idea what. He’d expect her to leave by a door. But what if she flew?

She ran back up the stairs and looked for an outside entrance to a widow’s walk.
Nothing.
She walked into what must be the master bedroom and thankfully there was a small deck. Zane wasn’t the only one who could control metal. She opened the door with her power and walked cautiously outside, breathing easier as soon as the cold salty air wrapped around her. She scanned the beach for anyone watching the house. But there was no one. Sarah shook her head in confusion. None of it made sense. She raised her arms, called up her energy and floated over the railing and slowly down to the sand below.

Sarah swallowed nervously and ran quickly into a group of trees to the side of the house. And then she heard the shout. She jumped as if she’d heard a shot and moved further into the shadows.

“Sarah!” a man screamed over and over.

She knew immediately it wasn’t Zane. Coldness moved toward her, wrapping around her middle and she knew it was Charles.

“Sarah! Darling, where did you wander off to? It’s cold out tonight. Come inside and I’ll make a nice fire.”

Sarah looked to where the voice was coming from and shivered in fear. He was close. He couldn’t have seen her float down though. She could tell from the tension in his voice that he wasn’t sure where she was. But he knew she was close.

She strengthened the shield around herself and decided to float slowly backwards in case the sound a twig snapping drew his attention.

“Sarah! I brought you a surprise! Come see. I brought you a little friend. Charlie says she’s very excited to see Europe with us. Now come out so we can be on our way darling. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Sarah gasped and put her hand over mouth.
Not Jenny
. Not now. She stopped her backward flight and moved silently back to the break in the trees. She held onto the trunk of a tree as she watched Charles step into the moonlight. And standing next to him was Jenny.

Sarah moaned wondering what he’d done to Teresa. She tried to control her breathing as he pulled Jenny in front of him. Jenny stood silently, not making a sound. Her face was placid and expressionless as if she was a mannequin. Sarah frowned and then realized he was controlling her mind. It was his dark gift and he had no qualms about using it, least of all on his own daughter.

“Doesn’t she look excited Sarah? It would be a real shame if Charlie and I have to leave by ourselves. I’d hate to take out my disappointment on her. She’s been through enough, hasn’t she? And to think she and her mother were just barely getting to know each other again. It’s tragic really. Of course, if you come
willingly
, right now, I might let you convince me that she should return at some point. What do you think darling?” he asked, his voice smooth, calm and completely secure in the knowledge that Sarah would go along with his manipulations.

Sarah stared at her cousin and paused before moving forward. She’d tell Zane first before she went to Charles.

Zane! He has Jenny. He has her under his control and he says if I don’t go with him willingly, that he’ll take her and hurt her. He says if I come with him now, he might let her go. Zane! Answer me, please.

Sarah waited silently as Charles walked in a circle around his daughter, the moonlight shining on her long, white blond hair making it look as if she was glowing. She didn’t want to move until she heard from Zane, but she might not have a choice. Charles’s face lost his perpetual smooth calm as he raised his hand in the air and shot enough energy into the sky to cause a crack of lightening so loud, she couldn’t help the small scream that escaped her throat.