The Mayhem Sisters (22 page)

His wounded body lay in a heap. He had stopped throwing up wards, stopped deflecting the spells. What was he doing? His head rose, and he crawled to his feet, a devious leer on his face. He pulled a second bracelet from a pocket inside of his jacket. The silver cuff glowed hot as an ember, loaded with magic. He had the additional siphon on him the whole time. He slipped it onto his wrist and thunder roared. Paul could control the elements. Rain and wind lashed out under his command. His outstretched arms trembled with power. Hannah’s eyes went wide.

Paul had taken the hit on purpose and used the cuff to siphon Hannah’s power. Somehow he had created a siphon that didn’t need to be worn by the witch, but could absorb the magic directly, and now he struck back, shooting a beam of pure electric energy at her in a powerful surge. Throwing up a ward seconds before impact, she screamed and fell to her knees, the impact too great. She absorbed the hit. Her body trembled, and she struggled to regain her footing. Sweat-soaked and breathing heavily, she pulled elemental energy down from the sky, but Vivi sensed the power she pulled down was too great. The force rippled across her skin in a wave of crackling heat.

Body shaking, Hannah threw all she had at Paul, but this time he was ready for her, and he deflected the magic. She took a hit from the recoil, the kickback exploding into her. Red blood spread down her arms as one of her scars opened up. Vivi gasped, realizing the witch’s scars had come from using her own magic. Hannah opened her mouth to scream, but this time she just collapsed to the ground. Her body went limp, her eyes closed. A pool of blood formed around her. The stench of smoke filled the air. Vivi’s stomach clenched. She couldn’t tell if the young witch was alive or dead.

Finn called out to his wounded sister, but she didn’t respond. He dove for the satchel attached to his bike and pulled something out. At first Vivi thought it was a medical kit, but then she saw the wooden box—the elemental spheres.

Finn turned a wild gaze on Paul.

“You’ll pay for hurting her.” Finn clasped the box in his hand.

“Collect up your dead and wounded and go,” Paul said. “Think of it as mercy.”

Finn’s gaze swept over his broken and battered sister. His brow was creased with dirt and sweat. Rage filled his face. Vivi knew he would never surrender to Paul. Not now, not ever. It wasn’t the Hexer’s way.

“You’re pathetic,” Finn taunted Paul. “I’m done fighting a wizard with no magic who has to maim other witches and steal their power to use for himself. You need to be exterminated.” Finn held out the box and lifted the lid. The elemental spheres swirled inside of the velvet-lined box.

Paul’s face went blank. “Are you insane? You can’t use those.” For the first time, Vivi saw real fear in him. For a second, she considered letting Finn take him down, sphere or no sphere, but she knew, it was wrong. It would destroy everything.

Finn pulled a dazzling red fireball from the box and set the rest at his feet.

“No!” Paul screamed. He glared at Vivi. “He’s mad.”

Vivi raced out into the open toward the Hexer. She couldn’t let him use the powerful magic. It was volatile even in the most careful hands, and in that moment Finn was not in a careful mindset. Anger rose off him like steam off a boiling cauldron.

“Listen to me, Finn! You can’t use the spheres!” Vivi shouted. “They’re too dangerous!”

A vengeful shadow was cast across his face. There was darkness in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. He held up the sphere, tossing it up and down in his palm. Finn wasn’t listening. Paul saw the look, too, and for a second he appeared as if he might run.

Vivi tried to reason with the Hexer. “You could take out the whole meadow and Willow Realm. Are you prepared to destroy the entire woods with that thing?”

“Powerful magic is going around. Looks like anyone can use it, so who cares if I can’t control it? Who cares if other people get hurt? I’ve got a job to do, and I have to use any means necessary.”

“No one should have that much power,” Vivi said. Her muscles trembled. Sweat trickled down her back. Her gaze darted between Finn and Paul. They had so much raw power and magic between them, literally at their fingertips. This fight would not end well.

“If you use that thing, this whole forest goes up in flames,” Paul said, his eyes wide. Even he realized that his kinetic power was not enough to stop an elemental sphere.

Vivi’s whole world was at risk—the woods, the meadow, even Willow Realm would be in the fireball’s path. Paul was right. Finn wasn’t an elemental; he didn’t know how to control the blast of heat and destruction that existed in that tiny ball of fire. That was why the elemental spheres had been outlawed. In the wrong hands, even with the best intentions, too much power was lethal.

Vivi tried again. “Arrest him. Hold him accountable for what he’s done. Just not like this,” she implored him. “This fight doesn’t have to happen. We can call a truce.” It was all Vivi could think to do. Both men had to agree to lay down their weapons. The thought of negotiating with a swine like Paul made her sick, but they had to get Sabine out of danger and out of the forest without torching the place. She saw little choice. As long as Paul was wearing the bracelet, he had power to negotiate, and getting close enough to rip the cuff off his skinny wrist was futile, unless she wanted to get crushed or flung into a tree.

Finn grunted. “That’s not enough. I want him to surrender or I will toast him like a marshmallow.”

“I’m not going to a Hexer cell. I walk away from this.” Paul twisted the silver cuff on his wrist. His eyes darted around nervously, searching for a way out.

Vivi knew that Finn would never agree to let him go. His team was down and Paul was the one to blame. He had killed one witch and wounded at least three others. He would be locked up in a Hexer jail cell for a long time. Somehow she had to get Paul to believe he could still get out of this.

“Take the bracelet off,” Finn said. “And then we’ll talk.”

“You’re joking. This cuff is my lifeline.” Paul’s hand went to the silver band on his wrist. “It stays on. You give the elemental sphere to the Mayhem witch, and I ride out of here on a bike. That’s my deal.”

“Then there’s no deal.” Finn smirked, a flicker of finality in his eyes, and Vivi knew she had lost any hope of a truce. He held the swirling red sphere up in the air. “You need to pay. The wizard fries.”

Finn threw the elemental ball into the air and the sphere erupted in an arch of fire that danced across the sky. The air went dry and warm. Vivi’s skin flushed with heat as if she had just opened an oven and peered inside. There was movement on the ground behind Finn. Suddenly, Hannah stirred to life, leapt to her feet with her wand in hand, and caught the fire, pulling it, directing the flame.

Tendrils of orange fire were spinning at her command, weaving into a fiery net that grew in a widening arch around the clearing. She controlled the power that had been contained in the sphere like a master.

Finn dove at Vivi and dragged her back to the porch out of harm’s way. “You didn’t think I was that crazy, did you?” He gave her a gruff smile.

“Yes!” Vivi blurted. “Next time give me a heads-up.” Her shoulders slumped. It had been a trap. Finn and Hannah had set Paul up. Finn had never intended to use the power. Hannah had not gone down; she had been waiting on the ground, crouched like a lioness, waiting for her prey to relax before she pounced.

Relieved, Vivi wished she had known Finn’s intentions with the spheres, but she was just happy that Hannah was all right. And from the look of things, she was more than all right; she was a magical prodigy. She moved the flames toward Paul, bringing the net of glowing strands closer. She surrounded him in a magical web of fire and trapped him inside. He spun in a circle, desperate for a way out, but the magic was tight.

“This is how it feels to be caged, jerk,” Hannah said, and the flames jumped higher. Her brow was pinched. Her eyes squinted as she concentrated and anchored the flaming circle to the ground.

Paul cowered, crouching behind the fire that caged him.

After securing Paul, Hannah waved her partners in to arrest their prisoner.

M
ore hover bikes descended, and within minutes the woods were crawling with police. Lance and Juniper approached, along with a team of healers and a transport. Vivi waved them over, filled them in on the situation, and then stayed with Sabine until a healer unit attended to her.

Though weak, the witch was eager to tell her story.

Sabine’s
persuasion
of levitation had come on in her late teens and was a complete shock. She had assumed that her
persuasion
would only cause trouble, so she kept it hidden. She worked in Golden Bears Bank as a teller and never dreamed of displaying her power. She and Paul met by chance at a
Spellbinders
party thrown by the swanky Ex Libris bookshop in Stargazer City. Both were fans of the novels and began spending time together.

Sabine had confided in Paul, told him all about her strange and powerful
persuasion
. She had no idea he was hungry for a
persuasion
of his own. She thought he would understand and even sympathize with her strange power, since he lived with a minor
persuasion
all his life, but she was very wrong. Paul was not sympathetic to her new surge in magical power; he was jealous. He cultivated a friendship with her, only to turn on her once his plan was in action, drawing her to his cottage in the woods and holding her in the basement, slowly and painfully siphoning her power from her.

Sabine was taken to the healer’s ward, as was Hannah. Both would need time to recover from their interaction with Paul, but had survived the worst of it. After the two witches were safely transported out of the woods, Vivi made her way over to talk with Finn. Additional Hexer teams crowded the area, took Paul into custody, and worked with Lance to process the crime scene.

“You need to trust me more. I’m not totally stupid,” Finn said to Vivi.

“I had no idea what you were going to do with those spheres.” Vivi felt a pang of guilt. He was right; she hadn’t trusted him, not entirely, especially after discovering he got the elemental devices from the Darklander. “I only found out recently that Hannah was your sister and an elemental. You’re a wizard with many secrets.”

“You’re right about that. I’m protective of my sister. Always have been,” he said, shrugging it off and motioning to the cottage. “I’m glad we found your missing witch. Your visions saved her life.”

Vivi swelled with pride. “Me too.” There was a nagging question she wanted to ask him. “Why was the Hex Division so involved in this case? It had to be more than the spheres.”

He sighed and sat on the edge of the porch. Vivi joined him and waited silently until he replied. “I guess you could say it was personal and professional. I was hoping the bracelet Paul had invented would work. I still do. Even though he used them to steal magic, they do have a purpose. I want to help my sister control her power. It’s just too much for her sometimes.”

“The scars?” Vivi asked. She winced, remembering seeing Hannah’s wounds open up when she was pulling down the electrical current from the clouds. Her magic was dangerous, painful, but also truly awe-inspiring. “It has to be hard on her.”

“My sister suffers for her
persuasion
. She has so much power, literally, at her fingertips, but the magic is brutal. The elements are cruel, especially to the witches who try to control them.” He bowed his head, hands in lap.

Vivi gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. “She’s very talented, but the magic cutting through her like that must be taking its toll.”

“I can’t get her to stop using her
persuasion
. It’s her life. She can’t deny it. The bracelet could help her siphon off some of the power so she doesn’t end up killing herself.”

“Maybe there’s still a way to use them.” Vivi thought of Dr. Fowler and Dax and wondered if they could help develop the bracelet to be used safely for witches with too much magic to help them control it. “I’ll see what I can do.”

One of the other Hexers brought Finn a wooden box and set it next to him on the porch. Vivi recognized it immediately as the same one that held the elemental spheres. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

“Don’t worry. The elemental sphere has been returned to its case and is going into the vault at the Witch Council headquarters. No one is ever going to use them again.”

“Good. That’s where they belong.”

The next couple of days had Vivi running all over Everland. One of her first stops, after making sure everything was going smoothly at The Potion Garden, was to the healer’s ward to visit Clarissa and Sabine. Both witches were showing remarkable signs of recovery. Due to her actions in the lab, Miranda was given community service and issued a public apology to Vivi, vindicating her in the press, so Vivi decided not to press additional charges against the witch. To their credit, when the Mender twins found out what was
really
going on with the bracelet, they personally paid the witches a visit, providing their healing expertise. In time, the witches would make a full recovery. Hannah’s wounds were also healing, but her scars would remain. Both she and Sabine were recovering in rooms next to each other and had struck up a friendship based on their unusual
persuasions
and seemed to be a good support system for each other.

Vivi’s next stop was Mender Corp, and this time she even had an appointment. Using her connections with both Finn and Lance, Vivi took a selection of Paul’s magical bracelets to Dr. Fowler’s lab. The Hex Division confiscated the ones the company was using to sell
persuasions
, since the magic had been developed from criminal practices, but it was agreed upon with the Healers’ Guild’s approval that Dr. Fowler would be allowed to research the cuff and see if he could design a model to help witches like Hannah control their power.

Vivi had high hopes and so did the doctor. Always the entrepreneur, Dax was more than agreeable, since he negotiated the rights to sell the product if Dr. Fowler was successful, providing a portion of the profits went to charities to help witches to use magic safely.

Within a few weeks, life returned to normal in the little village of Willow Realm. After putting in a busy day at her shop, Vivi carried a take-out container from Nocturnes up to her apartment. The leaves had all fallen from the trees as old man winter stirred from his sleep, ready to send them a wintery blast. She put her food on a plate and curled up on the sofa, too tired to sit at the table like a civilized witch.

Rumor cawed from his perch. He ruffled his feathers, shifted on his claws. Her familiar was restless. She knew the feeling.

“Sorry, guy. You can fend for yourself. This dinner is all mine.”

There was something scratching at the window, tapping on the glass. Vivi set her plate on the coffee table. The apartment was too high up for an average prowler to break in. Senses alert, Vivi lunged at the window, but was too late as the latch gave way and the window heaved open. The Darklander’s leathery familiar screeched. Its huge wings were too big to gracefully make it through the opening, but its claws dug into the wood frame. The hideous beast screeched and hissed. She backtracked toward the shelf where she kept some emergency potions and grabbed a trusty silver bottle while Rumor dive-bombed the relentless creature, cawing madly.

Vivi uncorked the bottle. A pale vapor rose from the rim. She blew the smoke toward the creature and whispered a spell. The potion was a new knockout enchantment she was working on and was part sleeping potion and part freezing spell. After the past few weeks, she had a feeling the new potion would come in handy. The smoky vapor rolled over the creature’s rubbery skin like a fog and within seconds a loud thud came from the back garden. The familiar was gone. Vivi peered tentatively out the window. The beast was out cold, snoozing in the herb garden.

“Keep an eye on him, will you, Rumor?” Her valiant raven gave a caw and settled on a tree branch above the familiar.

“Is this how you always greet your guests?” The deep voice came from behind her, causing her to jump. Vivi had heard the voice before when she’d been scrying.

The Darklander stood in her living room.

“Only when they try to climb uninvited into my window.” Grabbing a sweater off a chair, Vivi tried to remain nonchalant, even though fear pulsed through every muscle in her body. His scarred face was impossible to ignore. With his magic, he could use a glamor to hide the red fleshy ridges and puckered skin that covered one side, but he wore his scars proudly along with a well-cut suit. He seemed taller in person and his chest broader, making her feel very small standing next to him.

An intimidating smirk curled up his lip. “That’s why I used the door.”

“Yet I didn’t hear a knock.” She raised a brow and sat on the arm of an overstuffed chair. Her gaze drifted to the stairs, but there was no way she’d make it out safely if she tried to run.

“I like surprises.” He noticed her plate and took a seat opposite her. “So sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

“Why are you here?” Hopefully, he was not seeking a little payback.

“To pay you a visit. Turnabout is fair play. I have decided that you and I shall form a friendship, call it a mutual alliance.”

Alliance? Was he serious? That was the last thing Vivi wanted. She couldn’t imagine what he was up to. It must have shown on her face, because the Darklander chuckled. “Why?” she asked. Her mouth was dry.

“Because you’re on the verge of owning your power. You possess a strong
persuasion
and an even stronger presence.” He leaned back in his chair, and the scent of amber wafted off of him.

“My
persuasion
is none of your business.” She crossed her arms in front of her.

He ignored the comment and continued, “You haven’t shown signs of the madness caused by your
persuasion
that so many others of your kind have succumbed to. Have you ever wondered why you were able to control your magic for so long?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I denied it.”

“Yes, and denial is a way of controlling it. You kept it in check for over a decade. A sign of true power.”

She sensed his real motives. “I’m not about to let you or anyone else control me or take my power. I’ve had enough of witches trying to take what isn’t theirs. Got it?”

His gaze was unnerving. “I’m not so petty and crass that I would stoop to such levels. I make deals. I’m a businessman.”

“I’m not doing business with a wizard of the black arts.” She steadied her voice. She didn’t want to argue with him; she just wanted him to leave her in peace.

“Oh, don’t be so sure.” He stood.

“No, I’m sure. Very sure.”

Before she could stop him, he darted up and took her hand in his. She couldn’t move. Not a muscle. Talk about a freezing spell. All she could do was stare face to face with the most feared wizard in Everland, who had suddenly taken a liking to her.

“You have no idea how powerful you and your sisters are. The Mayhems are legendary, but more importantly, they will play a role in what is to come.” His voice was liquid warmth rolling over her.

“What’s coming?” Vivi whispered.

“Everland is changing. The barrier between worlds is weakening.”

“That’s impossible.” Vivi remembered his minions with their horns and ancient-looking tattoos. The Darklander wanted the old ways to return. He hated living in a world solely of witches, but the old ways were dangerous. Witches were safe now in Everland. Never again would they live among other supernatural beings. Never.

“You will be an oracle. You will see our future, and when you do, I want you to know that I will be here. I will be ready to assist you.” He put a Y-shaped piece of wood in her hand. “This is where we will meet.”

“The tree where the victim was found.” Her stomach lurched.

“You saw the tree because I wanted you to see it. And you were right. Nothing happens in my woods without my knowing about it.” His gaze was intense, all-encompassing.

“You knew what Paul was doing and yet you stood by and did nothing.” He repulsed her. What kind of wizard sat back and watched such misery? The Darklander. That was why he’d been banished to the Dire Woods in the first place, because he let bad things happen, nurtured them, encouraged a dark vine to grow in their world.

“I simply stayed out of the way and let law enforcement do its job,” he reasoned.

“And what about Hexer Finn and the elemental spheres? Where did you get them?” she countered, not letting him slip through the knotted conversation.

“Like I said, I’m a businessman. I deal in magical artifacts. Remember that. Know that you can always contact me for anything you might need.”

Vivi inwardly cringed. She would never need his help. Ever. And even if she did, she would never ask. She had her sisters, her neighbors, Pepper, the sheriff, and even the Hex Division. She would go to all of them before she ever went to the Darklander. He was trying to flatter her with the oracle remark. Oracles were long gone from the witching world. They went the way of old magic and hadn’t been seen for centuries.

“Just get out.” Vivi was too tired to play games, and she didn’t want to fight with him tonight. “My dinner’s getting cold.”

“As you wish,” he said. “I’ll go pick up my familiar from your garden.”

Vivi dropped to her knees on the carpet. The Darklander was gone as quickly as he had come, leaving her alone. He had easily gotten through her wards. She had been foolish to spy on him. No one does so and gets away with it, and now she had drawn his attention. She shuddered. That was the last thing she needed.