Page 18 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"Mara?" he calls me.

"Sorry, it's nothing. Let's go."

Liam gives me a suspicious glance, but I flip the helmet visor down, hiding my eyes. He gives up and starts driving. Damn, I'm on a bike with Liam, of all people, but I'm going to ask myself hundreds of questions instead of enjoying this now...

The ride on his bike makes me feel a lot better... in a lot of ways. First, I think my headache lessens a bit. Maybe it's because I'm protected from the rain with the helmet and jacket, but it definitely isn't as bad as it was a while ago. Or maybe the ride soothes me in a way. It's pleasant, to say the least. Despite the rain, the roar of the engine makes a reassuring noise, and the driver is actually pretty good. I had heard it's not recommended to use a bike in rainy weather, but Liam doesn't seem to care one bit.

Even without his helmet, he rides his bike as if they were just one being. What disturbs me the most is that I love both. The good leather smell and the heat are getting to my head. Moreover, I have to hold on to him for the ride, and it is the first time we have enjoyed such proximity since we met. I feel the heat of his back, despite the clothes between us and the rain. I know I could just hold on to the back handle of the bike, but damn, this is one rare opportunity where he can't brush me off... I hold on to him and, a bit shamelessly, rest my head against his back to look at the city passing next to us.

We have left the docks to get back to the heart of Silver City. I can't help but feel a bit strange, seeing all those tall buildings from down here. I used to watch them from my hospital room's window, think about how tall they are, and wonder how it would feel to walk next to them. Now that I'm here, it's a bit of an eerie feeling. Dozens of windows lined up, some with lights on because of the dark clouds above us. The neon signs mix into funky colors, making some pretty images with the bike's speed. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this. I hate the rain, but I have to admit, it suits the atmosphere of this city.

Finally, Liam stops in front of a different neighborhood. Here, all the buildings are either gray or covered in graffiti. It looks like a giant skate park or one of those backdrops in gangster movies. We left the skyscrapers behind us too. Here, the tallest buildings are ten floors at most. There are strangely a lot of people in the streets. Standing in front of the shops, sipping bottles of beer in front of pubs, and smoking cigarettes, no one seems to care about the downpour. It lessened, actually, but it's still heavy rain.

Liam stops in an empty parking lot, and I have to get off first and unwillingly take off the helmet. Damn it, my hair is an absolute mess... I try to tame it a bit while Liam puts a lock on his wheel, and actually, I'm hiding my blushing a bit too. We were so close during the ride, it's a bit awkward now. Liam too, I feel like he's taking a bit too much time just to park his bike. When he finally gets up, his eyes look elsewhere.

"Alright, let's go..."

I follow him, keeping his biker jacket on me. I really like the feeling of that heavy leather on my shoulders, the mixed smell of leather and Liam. ...Is that creepy?

He guides me toward a street full of houses, all in a row but of various colors. It's probably a lovely street under good weather, but now it's just averagely gloomy. Just as we get into the street, I can already tell which house we are going to. It really stands out, with all the green. It has a rather impressive fence, with ivy or bushes covering it all. To my surprise, we get in without any issues. The gate is open, and I was expecting something magical to happen, but we just step into a large garden. The grass is growing freely, with wildflowers everywhere. On the side, rows of vegetable crops have been taken care of and seem to be growing fine. Same for the little greenhouse, nothing inside indicates that its owner has passed.

"The neighbors have been taking care of the garden," explains Liam as he notices my gaze. "Most of what Sylviana was growing is still doing fine thanks to them, so they can use the vegetables and herbs..."

"Is that alright?"

He nods.

"She liked to grow everything she consumed herself. A lot of people on this street have started doing the same, actually. This street is one of the greenest in Silver City..."

Now that he mentions it, all the houses we walked by had little gardens that looked well taken care of. I guess she did leave her mark around here... Maybe everything is growing faster and better because an Earth Witch was living in the area too.

I keep looking around in Sylviana's garden, but we are already at her house. It's a rather normal house, actually. I don't know what I was expecting. Once again, it's covered in so much ivy, I have to guess the original exterior color was white. There is something a bit more interesting, though; the whole house is covered with this thick layer of ivy, including the windows and door. We stand in front of it, under the rain, a bit at a loss on what to do.

"I suppose you tried tearing it off?" I ask, turning to Liam.

He nods and steps forward. He grabs some of the ivy on the door to pull it, but indeed, as soon as he even touches it, more ivy suddenly grows at an accelerated speed, covering the door with a new layer of leaves. And he hasn't even plucked one leaf off yet. I bite my thumb. She really didn't want anyone to come into her house after her... at least, not the werewolves, not even Liam. But what if I try?

Just like Liam, I step forward and try to tear a branch off. I pull one, but as expected, at least ten more grow to replace it before I can do anything. Damn, I'm not going to accept that we came here for nothing. Liam shakes his head, glaring at that ivy.

"I've tried countless times," he says. "I've tried cutting it, burning it, even digging out the roots, but nothing works. It regrows no matter what and won't let me in, or anyone else..."

Well, despite being nothing but vegetation, her protection does look pretty pervasive. Although, I haven't tried yet. This rain isn't helping, but at least, it's not as heavy as earlier. I take my arm out of Liam's jacket and start a fire between my fingers. Liam frowns.

"Hey, what are you doing? I said I tried burning it!"

"You haven't tried magic fire," I retort. "It’s worth a try."

He seems hesitant but steps back despite the frowning. Well, I guess we will know soon enough. Either it doesn't care and regrows, or...

I approach with my fire, and to my surprise, the leaves get consumed right away, despite being drenched by the rain. Actually, it propagates very quickly, all the nearby branches catching fire at once. I just had to burn one! We watch the fire spread, but it doesn't just act like any normal branch burning. It's very... orderly, the leaves disappearing one by one. The ashes even disappear into thin air as soon as they get burned, meaning there's definitely some sort of magic seal I just broke. We wait a few seconds, watching all of the ivy on the door and windows disappear. It looks like even if she unlocked the door for me, Sylviana never intended to let her house run out of Ivy. The branches that aren't on the door or windows are just fine.

We exchange a glance, and I put my hand on the door knob, a bit nervous. I have no idea what I'm going to find inside. It could even be some sort of trap. This is an actual witch's house, the last one before me.

I walk in first. The house is smaller than it looked on the outside, probably because there are a lot of things everywhere, even hanging on the walls. Plants, of course, are absolutely everywhere. I was more or less expecting so, but still... They really are everywhere our eyes can stumble upon: on shelves, hanging pots, in front of the windows, and on every piece of furniture, table and stools included. It's as if she had tried filling every available spot with something green. I walk in carefully. The entrance is actually a walk-in to the open kitchen and a large living room after just a couple of stairs.

"How long has it been since…?"

"Around 2 years," he says.

Liam looks around, as confused as I am. It doesn't look like this house has been abandoned for 2 years... more like 2 weeks, at most. Every plant here looks perfectly fine and hydrated, there's only a thin layer of dust, and nothing is out of place. Even the kitchen looks like we could use it right now, except that there is no fridge, only storage for dry food. Now that I look around, I only see about a quarter of the appliances one would find in a normal house. No TV, just an old radio. The light must only come from the windows because I don't see a lamp of any sort either. It looks like she lived in the fifties or sixties... I bet her electricity bills were in the single digits.

"It feels... weird," sighs Liam.

From his expression, I know he's not just talking about the overall feeling of the house, more like his personal feelings. Again, I feel this little pinch in my heart. I walk further inside, starting to rummage through her belongings for more clues. I actually need to keep myself busy instead of seeing this abandoned puppy expression of his.

"So... are we going to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"About your relationship with that witch. Not the bullshit from earlier."

He sighs, still looking around without stepping inside as if he didn't feel allowed to.

"There isn't much to say..."

"I'm not blind," I retort. "If you don't want to talk about it, say it. Or tell me the actual truth, but please, don't serve me a lie or some half-assed answer. I've had that all week long already."

"Fine," he sighs. "We were together."

Damn, I fucking knew it. And even if I knew it, it still hurts. I grab a big bundle of books to look at, anything to avoid looking at him. Although, I feel my anger rise a bit. I glare at the pages, one after another. I know I have no right to be angry or even remotely jealous, but I can't help it. I ignore him and keep looking through the stuff here.

I hear Liam coming closer, but I don't know if I can endure looking at him right now.

"...Are you... upset?"

Is he being insensitive on purpose? Or is he just that dense? I wish he didn't ask, because I hate having to lie. I don't want to lie.

"I don't know," I retort. "Does it matter?"

He has nothing to answer to that, and it suits me just fine. Guess I am the one serving half-assed answers now. I shake my head and ignore that part of the conversation. To think I'm going through his ex's stuff... What a unique and weird situation.

For one, if I had any doubts, it is clear Sylviana was an Earth Witch. There are countless books on pretty much anything related to plants, soil, ground, everything. Just like the one I found in my bedroom. Moreover, all the books look used until the cover is starting to fall apart. I doubt any of these will be of any help to me, though, I'm no Earth Witch...

"Anything that looks changed?" I ask, realizing he probably already knows this place very well.

Liam shakes his head, looking around.

"No... It was never very orderly, to be honest. This is just the usual, from what I remember, I didn't come for the books or the decoration either, so..."

Now I feel like barbecuing this insensitive idiot. Seriously. I'm starting to get hot, so I take off his jacket and almost throw it at his face. He makes a sour expression, maybe realizing his mistake. I ignore him and go to check another corner of the room, mostly to be away from him.

I'm a bit frustrated too. I know there is something here, there has to be. Then, how come this house looks so... normal? I wasn't waiting for magic fireworks, but still. I keep searching for clues, and he starts helping out, no matter how reluctantly.

"By the way," he says, "why did you react to the name Jones, earlier?"

I was so excited to finally discover the house, I almost forgot about that. I put down the book and scratch my head.

"I apparently used it as an alias," I say. "At the university, I gave the name Jones instead of Garnett, and I was hiding which classes I went to. Classes about witches."

"From the time before the... incident?"

"Yep, from the whole part I don't remember, it looks like I used a fake name instead of... Clarissa Garnett."

"How many aliases do you have, and why?"

If only I knew! Even the name Clarissa Garnett doesn't ring a bell, and instead, I have been Mara all along. Now that new name, Jones? Is it supposed to mean Mara Jones? It doesn't make sense... It feels more like a hazard. Did I pick any name just to hide from the university? Jones is rather common, but of all places, Sylviana's house is on the territory of a werewolf family named Jones.

"Was Sylviana related to the local werewolves?"

"Not that I know of. They knew she was living here, but they weren't sure she was a witch, they never cared enough to find proof either. She was living a very quiet life until the war.

"So the... Jones’ couldn't have had any kind of tie with her?"

"Only knowing where her house was, but..."

Crap, that might be it! What if I had picked that name on purpose? Aside from that idiot Ben, most werewolves would have been able to tell me there was a werewolf territory led by the Jones family! From there, they would have guided me to the witch's house, it comes back in a circle! I can't believe I lost so much time because that idiot couldn't even react to an alias! Was he even listening back at the library? I am so going to kick his useless ass.

"Mara?" Liam calls, noticing I am lost in my thoughts for a while.

"I think I really was meant to come here," I explain, looking around once more. "I picked the name of the territory Sylviana lived in, it can't be a coincidence. I... the previous me, the me from before the incident knew something and left clues behind."

It sounds crazier as I say it. Because it would mean I knew I was going to lose my memory and left clues on purpose. It can’t be, right? I mean... so far, it did seem like I was hiding some things from the people around me. The circle under my rug. The classes I was truly attending. That fake name too.

I stand up, leaving the books there, resolute. It has to be something bigger. I look around the house. It will lead to nowhere, just looking through all these damn books one at a time. What did I miss? I keep looking around, but it's really covered in plants. Actually... literally covered. One of the walls is covered in ivy, just like outside, from floor to ceiling.

"What are you doing?" asks Liam. "That ivy was already there years ago!"

"It doesn't mean it wasn't meant to be undone later," I retort.

Who cares if I burn that ivy down anyway? If it doesn't like being burnt, it will probably regrow just like the one outside. I light my fire on the tip of my fingers, hoping I'm not about to burn down the house with us in it.

Just like before, my fire spreads through the leaves quickly. Very quickly, actually, I worry a bit as I see all of the leaves catching fire so fast. It's not like outside, where they were wet and disappearing as ashes as soon as they got burnt. A strong smell starts coming off, but my fire isn't disappearing.

"...Mara..."

"I know!" I retort, a bit annoyed to have him watch my failure.

What the heck is going on? There is definitely something going on here, because that fire stays within the ivy wall, thankfully, but still, all this smoke is not good, and my fire isn't disappearing at all, the leaves keep burning. What the hell is wrong now? I spread out my hands, and take deep breaths, trying to call back my fire. It doesn't calm down at all, and my fire doesn't respond to me. What the hell?! I made this fire, why can't I control it now? I keep trying to bring it back, but it's like it's glued to that ivy and resisting me.

I stop trying to pull it back in and look at it. The fire stays on the leaves. It doesn't burn, but it doesn't go away either. The effect was just the same as before, so why aren't they disappearing now?! If I don't do something, we aren't going to burn, but the damn smoke will be just as efficient in killing us... I try to recall what I did outside. What is different?

"The rain!" I yell.

I'm such an idiot! This isn't just about me burning some damn leaves! Fire, earth, water, this is just like some weird witchy riddle! I look around for water, but Liam got it before me. He grabs an empty pot lying in a corner and opens a window to fill it with rainwater. After a few seconds, he comes back and splashes it on the burning ivy on the wall.

Finally, we see it. The leaves disappear in a new wave of ashes, thankfully taking the smoke with them as well. We can finally breathe some fresh air, even more so with Liam opening all the windows. I'm getting nervous all of a sudden, wondering what I will uncover this time. Liam grabs more water, as only the wet and burnt leaves have burned away. Meanwhile, I'm trying to decipher the image that is left behind. It's a drawing on the wall. Not just a childish drawing, something done with water paint. A very large tree? There is stuff written, some have even faded and disappeared over time. It takes me a little while to get it. It’s a family tree.

I remain in front of that wall, baffled. Liam is still filling the pot with rainwater to put out the fire on the remaining leaves, but I'm mesmerized by what we uncovered. A very, very large and complicated tree. I didn't expect something like this, but now that I'm seeing it, I have this strange feeling in my heart. Like I just found something epic, something really, really important. Why was it hidden underneath that ivy wall? Why was Sylviana trying to hide this...?

Once he's done splattering the water, Liam stands next to me to stare at the tree, still looking shaken. He seems just as lost as I am. We are both scrutinizing that tree. The branches go in all directions on the wall, and it takes me a while to understand how to read it properly. The leaves are going toward the floor, while for some reason, the older branches, closer to the roots, are almost on the ceiling. It's like a waterfall of leaves, but not just leaves. The little figures painted on that wall are symbols, three different ones: a leaf, a flame, and a water droplet. They definitely represent each sign the witch was born under. It's really... pretty. It's a simple painting on a wall, with nothing complicated about it, but the repetition of those three elements, over and over again, going in all different directions on the wall has something beautiful about it, like a mosaic.

Moreover, there are names on there. Lots of names, one per symbol. It's written so small because there is a lot, so many that it covers a full wall. Hundreds, at least... I gasp.

"Are we supposed to look for someone specific?" I wonder. "It's going to take ages..."

Shall I search for the name Mara? Or Clarissa? I glance sideways, and Liam's ice-blue eye is already going around, most likely looking for Sylviana's. I take a deep breath. Oh, well, I should start looking now...

The most ancient witches are probably the ones whose names are closer to the roots. I even recognize a few famous names, some I have seen in the book about witches that Kelsi brought. Medea, Circe. I thought those were only tales... What part is true? Curious, I try to look up the oldest names of all, the ones that are on the ceiling. Strangely, they are almost faded. As if they had been written there for ages, and been erased by time. Didn't Sylviana supposedly write them all at once? Or could it be, this house is much older than we thought? I find the oldest names and take a few minutes to decipher the old handwriting. ...Lilith... Hecate, Cybele, and... Luna? For real? Or is that some coincidence? Could the oldest witch have been a Luna? A werewolf as well?

"Mara."

I turn my head, and Liam is frowning in front of one end of the tree. I walk up to him and look at what he is showing me. Oh, of course.

Sylviana.

Her name looks freshly painted, adorned with an ivy leaf. I feel a strange heart-warming feeling, seeing that name there. Why is that? I never knew her, but I still feel... happy that she is here. As if I was seeing a friend I know, a picture of somebody I recognize. Now that I think of it, I have no idea what that woman looked like. Could there be a picture or something somewhere?

"Wait a second..."

"What?"

Liam is frowning and looking around, confused. I look at Sylviana's branch. The name above hers is Danica. A Fire Witch, according to that little flame symbol behind her name. Her name follows a long list of what are probably her ancestors, just like any end of the tree. The branch stops with Sylviana's name, though...

"Liam, what's wrong?" I ask, annoyed to see him squinting all around.

"Nephera. Her name isn't... with Sylviana's."

I suddenly realize. Weren't those two supposedly sisters? Yet, the branch doesn't split in two ways. According to this tree, Sylviana was Danica's only daughter, nothing comes after her, or between those two... no one.

"Maybe Nephera was born after?"

"No, no," says Liam. "Sylviana was years younger, Nephera was... the older sister, that's what they said... They were half-sisters, but still."

Half-sisters? With the same mother? But if she was the oldest, Nephera should have appeared above Sylviana's name! I don't get it either. Or could it be because she turned bad, they removed her name? I look around. Actually, some names are indeed erased. A few branches further, a witch's name was burnt by something and is unreadable. Somewhere else, some mold has taken over to erase a witch's name too. They are either replaced with a new witch after, probably a second child, or the branch ends there. Liam notices too.

"Maybe because she was a Dark Witch? Are those all the Dark Witches that are erased?"

"Dark Witches?" I repeat.

"Yeah... Sylviana told us about them. Witches that used their magic... in a bad way, to do bad deeds, were deemed as Dark Witches."

This is getting very fairytale-like... The good and bad witches, Light and Dark Magic... I don't think those were bad witches, though. It doesn't make sense. All those names end their branch. Why would no bad witch have children, ever? I keep staring at the tree, thinking there's something I've missed.

Suddenly, I recall Kelsi's words.

"The cycle!" I exclaim.

"What?"

"The witches' cycle. My friend Kelsi found out about it. The three elements are essential to witches."

"Yeah, I know. What about it?"

"Nephera was a Water Witch, right? There's no way she was Danica's daughter, according to that sacred cycle thing, her firstborn had to be an Earth Witch! Look, the tree has the exact same pattern all over. Each branch. Fire, earth, water, fire, earth, water, it's all the same. There's no way a Water Witch was a Fire Witch's daughter."

Liam stares at me, dumbfounded. He probably didn't even think of doing the math until now. Looks like his ex wasn't anywhere near done with having secrets.

However, it doesn't explain to us where the hell Nephera the bad witch came from. Why would they claim to be half-sisters? From the same father, then? However, there are no male names here. The witches only kept track of each other's daughters. So much for the patriarchy, I guess.

"Here."

I found her, just a branch higher. Because of the way the tree is composed, her branch happens to end farther away, but Nephera is there, and... she is not alone. I frown. Right after her, there's a burn mark over the name. She had a daughter...?

"Oh... She mentioned a stillborn child," whispers Liam, as I put my finger on the burn mark.

"Really?"

He nods slowly and sits down next to me, looking bitter.

"She... Nephera didn't really have the happiest life. She said it a bit... before the fight, while talking to Sylviana. She was chased out of Silver City by my father, the previous Alpha King, and he basically sent vampires... to attack her. She was pregnant at the time, and the baby... died."

"...Vampires killed her child?"

Liam looks really uneasy, staring at that burnt spot with a sour expression.

"It was my father's fault, mostly. He... didn't want Nephera to have his child."

I'm lost for a second.

"Wait, his child? What the heck? You're telling me that the Water Witch, the one that attacked Silver City, was pregnant with... your father's child, and he had her attacked by vampires?"

"Yeah, my father was that kind of asshole," he growls.

"Fucking messed up seems like an understatement. So that burn mark is basically your... stillborn half-sister?"

He nods.

"And your ex's niece...? Seriously, how fucked up is this, exactly?"

And they are telling me Nephera was the bad witch in the story? After losing her baby to a fucked up ex, who happens to be Liam's dad? I turn to Liam.

"You guys just told me it was two sisters having a spat, you never mentioned that kind of fucked up history."

I don't know why I feel so upset about this? Is it because this is another half-truth the werewolves served me? Or because those women were witches? According to this tree, we are all related, all cousins, all sisters. Mothers and daughters. Why do I feel so upset about Nephera and Sylviana's story? I didn't suspect they were so closely related to the werewolves, especially to the Black family. They made Sylviana sound like a friend and Nephera like an enemy. Why?

"Mara, we barely met Nephera before the war," he says.

"You mean before you killed her? Why? Why do you even call her a bad witch at all? Because she wanted to get to Silver City? She had grounds for her revenge, didn't she?"

Liam rolls his eyes, starting to look angry too.

"You know nothing, Mara. Sylviana was Silver City's witch, and her sister just wanted that spot. She was ready to kill for it, and not just a few people. You know she killed some loved ones we had."

Yeah, that I know. Selena mentioned she lost one of her best friends, Ben and Bonnie's older brother. I saw her husband's missing arm too, and Liam's eye is blind, right in front of me. I sit down next to him.

"I want the full story, Liam Black. Stop giving me pieces here and there. I want Nephera and Sylviana's story, as it was, not just the part that accommodates the werewolves!"

"Fine, fine," he growls.