Page 38 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

I take a deep breath and expand the circle. It grows unevenly and I have to focus hard to not let it get out of hand. This damn fire just won't listen to me. It grows unruly, like a dog running around in random circles. I try to focus, but the more I do, the wilder it gets. The flames get more intense and raging, and I feel the burn on my body. The dark scars appear, making me grimace.

"You're being too mean with it."

I sigh and stop, turning to young Mara. She's pouting, staring at me like I'm some... bully.

"What do you mean, I'm just trying to control it better," I say.

"You can't control fire, silly!"

I bite my thumb, completely at a loss. It's probably only been an hour or so, but I feel like the more I train with mini Mara, the worse my fire handling gets. I don't get it. She can just play around with it and use it however she wants, while I'm struggling to not get burned in the process.

"Look, just ask it to be your friend!"

She makes her own fire appear, and it starts dancing in perfect circles around her. Not only that, but she can split it in several circles, and I've even seen her make it change color. Is she much stronger because she's a spirit? I frown, still unable to get it. I feel like it's dangerous to let it loose, but the more I control it, the wilder my fire gets...

I don't have time for this. I need to get stronger, and fast, to get out of here. I get up, letting go of that pointless exercise, and walk up to the mirror.

"Are you worried?" asks little Mara.

"Of course, I am. Mara, your mother... She wants to hurt them, you understand? This is why I need to get out of here. Get stronger and fast!"

"Why do you want to get strong fast?"

"Well, I... I don't have time to lose," I sigh, turning to her.

She's crouching down, her arms wrapped around her knees, looking confused. She often takes that position. It actually looks like a fetal position, now that I think about it. It would make sense for her...

How long have I really been here? I just can't tell. The light in Nora's bathroom is only a light bulb that no one's turned on for a while, and the light above, in the garden, is my only clue. It somewhat starts to look like the evening up there... It makes me crazy to be stuck here, so helpless, with no idea what the hell is going on outside with my friends. I tried breaking those mirrors, begging Mara, but it really looks useless. She can't do anything. It looks like she was right to say help has to come from the outside, but who the hell will be able to do this? How long will it take them to realize they have the wrong woman roaming around in my body?!

"...Are you sure she won't be able to use my magic?" I ask again, frowning.

"No. Mommy is a Water Witch," sighs little Mara, drawing circles on the floor with a pout. "She can't..."

Well, at least there’s that. What is a witch without magic? No more than a human, I suppose, and I trust Liam and the other werewolves to be able to best her if she starts some trouble, but... what of Kelsi? Or the children? I keep seeing her with that knife in hand, over and over. At least, she seems to want to go after Damian Black first, but who knows what she’s willing to do to get to the oldest Black brother? Who she'll attack? Moon Goddess, I'm going crazy in here, imagining the worst.

"Mara, you need to help me," I say. "I have to get out of here fast, learn fast. I don't have time for so many lessons."

"Why not?" she asks, tilting her head. "We have a lot of time in here!"

"No, no, you don't understand. Look, it's already dusk outside. Hours have passed since she forced me in here!"

She looks at the little frame of sky above us with a cute frown, then comes back to me, her big blue eyes looking surprised.

"Oh... So is it a problem? I can slow time for you, though?"

"Wait, what?"

She chuckles again at my baffled expression, and she nods proudly.

"Yes! You know, in here, it's magic! If you want, the magic will slow time for you!"

"You can really do that?"

"Of course! It's magic!"

I chuckle, nervous and happy at the same time. My heart is thumping wildly in my chest. Finally, Moon Goddess, if this is true, that's one good thing I could really use right now. The first one in a while, actually. I take a deep breath and nod.

"Alright, Mara. Let's slow down time so we can study, you and I. I mean... so you can teach me everything about magic."

"Everything, everything?" she asks, her eyes beamed up.

"Everything," I nod. "And please, slow time as much as you can. I'm going to need it."

"Of course!" she answers, excited.

To my own surprise, it really works. I didn't believe it at first, because nothing really happens right away or visibly. However, as I keep staring at the window, I do notice a little lonely cloud that doesn't move at all anymore, as if it was stuck in that purple-ish sky. The little branches on the trees in the corner aren’t moving in the wind anymore. Moon Goddess, it actually works. I take a deep breath and look down at little Mara, finally seeing a bit of hope. With that settled, I'm ready. Oh, I'm so ready to learn what it takes to be a real witch.

One good thing about learning from a baby witch: she uses very simple language, no hard concepts like in those nightmarish magic books Kelsi had found. She is patient too. Everything is a game to her. If I ever had a childhood, this is probably what a young witch should have gone through. Little Mara waits until I've memorized all the witchcraft symbols she knows and gives me dozens of riddles to really master them all. All the runes and even the Gaelic and Hebrew languages? A new playground for strange conversation and charades. We also draw hundreds of magic circles, theorizing about new ones, chatting about everything we can do.

Moreover, we are literally playing with fire the whole time. Since we have no surface to write or draw on, we both have to use our fire to create the shapes we want. It's a nightmare for me to tame my flames enough for them to take the shape I want. It's like trying to draw with a string, I need to be careful, not only to draw well enough, but also to focus so everything stays as it is while I write more. I lose count of how many times my flames have run out and disappeared in a puff of smoke. It's a long exercise, but I do notice that I'm making some slow progress each time. It's like training a muscle, or learning to master a new weapon. I keep a cool head only by constantly reminding myself that I have time, and I really need to learn this. Mara makes anything out of fire in the blink of an eye, making me realize how big the gap is between us. At first, it takes me forever to master how to draw two symbols and keep them alive for a few seconds. My left hand is always the one to keep control the longest, whatever happens on my right is gone after just a few seconds of focusing elsewhere. It's nerve-wracking, but I keep going like I would keep writing to become ambidextrous. It slowly works and I feel like I'm forcing my brain to learn this new curve by sheer willpower. It is something exhilarating. My body and mind are not used to this, but every time I push them a bit further, I discover new doors that can't wait to be opened. It's exciting! I was probably only at five or ten percent of my abilities before. Like a girl playing with a stupid flame-thrower. Now, this is real Fire Magic. The one that makes me feel powerful and really in charge. I keep going, letting it flow through me.

By the time we get to magic circles, I start to get the hang of it. My control is much better, and the scars? No more appear when I create fire. My skin stays clear while my hands are dancing and moving to tame fire. I can feel it right down in my heart and stomach. I can focus on each circle, visualize it, and now, my hands and mind just know by heart what to do. Instead of simply drawing it, I can now produce the full circle at once, and being the stubborn Mara I always was, I keep working to make every single detail like I want.

Facing me, Mara has the innocence of a child playing with magic, but the knowledge of a timeless being. She's... incredible. I understand why Clarissa genuinely loved and treasured her so much. She wasn't born. She only knows of the world that Clarissa taught and showed her, whatever she saw through those mirrors. Everything fascinates her, and she celebrates my little victories even more than I do. It all amazes her; she has no idea about competition, frustration, or loss.

She never learned about good or evil, and I'm starting to understand why she wasn't able to tell how her mother used her, either... if it is Nephera. The more I learn from her about Light and Dark Magic, the more I realize little Mara didn't have the filter to see where things went wrong. However, I do. I'm learning fast, and I can tell, whatever has taken control of my... no, of our body, is most likely another entity. A bundle of Dark Magic that was left behind, both from Clarissa's sick body and Nephera's dark feelings she passed on to her child. Whatever Clarissa did, something went wrong, awfully wrong, allowing those entities to merge together and stay hidden here with the innocent young Mara...

"Look, look!"

I glance down, and indeed, the fire circle in my hands is much better than the one just before. It's crazy how much stronger and better my control has gotten. I really feel like I've found some new muscles, and I've been sharpening my senses enough. Now, I can feel my fire, control it perfectly to bend it to my will, but... strangely, it feels too calm. Before, there was like a willpower attached to it. Now it's just me playing with it. I sigh and stand up. This time, I try to expand my circle. It does exactly what I want, even when I add some more complex details. Why does this feel wrong? This is the kind of perfect control I was aiming for from the start! Why am I expecting my fire to... respond to me? Why does it feel like it's not... alive anymore?

I frown and keep forcing it. I want to provoke it, make it react. I need it stronger, bigger, fiercer! Why is it acting all shy now?!

"...Are you afraid?"

"Why would I be afraid of fire?!"

"Not the fire. The wolf."

"...What?"

I let the fire go, and turn around. What did she just say? A wolf? I keep squinting my eyes, but it's just... shadows. I try to look past the darkness, but I can't...

Suddenly, they appear. Two glowing eyes. One is of a sumptuous blue color, the other a mysterious glowing gold, almost orange. They are beautiful... but I can't ignore the beast hiding behind them. It's staring right at me, and there's... something in those eyes. Something fierce and powerful. I step back, cautious, and the wolf does exactly the same. No, it doesn't just mimic my movements, it's... like a perfect reflection. I take a deep breath, a bit nervous, and step forward this time. The wolf does the same.

Moon Goddess, it's...

"She's beautiful," I whisper, falling down on my knees.

This time, the wolf approaches, as my nervousness disappears. I even find myself chuckling nervously, taking the measure of what's happening. I keep staring, totally amazed. Moon Goddess, she's just so beautiful. I can feel... all of her. Her power, her savage, unruled power. My own heart is almost growing like a fire inside my chest, an echo of hers.

That's one unique wolf, I'll admit, but those colors on the fur are certainly more than familiar. Pitch black and gold... just like Spark. Is that even a thing for a wolf? It's definitely a wolf, though. My wolf. She looks like she's been through fire, a creature of ashes and embers. I am speechless.

Was that the other voice I was hearing all this time? In my fire and in my head? The animal, the one who growled for me when I was angry? The one who whimpered in my heart when I was sad? My smile slowly fades and instead, I... I want to cry. She was there, right? She was there, all this time, and I... I never realized there was so much more hidden inside me. I keep staring at the magnificent creature and, for the very first time, my heart suddenly feels complete.

"W-who... How?"

"It's our wolf," says the other Mara proudly. "I guess she was waiting too..."

"Waiting?" I ask, turning to her. "W-waiting for what?"

"For you, silly! She couldn't be born either, so... she was a good girl and waited with me all this time. With her and Clarissa, I wasn't too lonely, you know! But I think she didn't like Mom, so... she wasn't showing herself often... Now, she's gotten all better, thanks to you!"

I'm speechless. Is it because of... Nephera's dark aura? Was that why our wolf couldn't show herself? I take a few deep breaths, still shocked. I turn back to her, who's still waiting for me. I know she knows... and she was waiting for us. For me. Moon Goddess, that even explains why the voices were quieter when Liam was around... because that called her out. My wolf, his mate. That part of me who was... werewolf. Moon Goddess, this is real. I have a wolf. I... I do not know how this is possible, but... it's really my wolf. I can feel it in my core, as if she was both facing me and inside me. I guess it's the case, in a way? I need to take a deep breath to hold back my tears. I face her, still shook.

I'm not alone. I never was. I just... looked for the answer outside, when they were all inside. I slowly open my arms, and the wolf cautiously approaches. She feels so strong and big... she's powerful. I can feel her warmth. It's intense, but not to the point I'd get... burned. She's just there with me, standing tall and strong. She comes to me, and I can caress her. It's a strange feeling. I know she's in my mind, and this couldn't possibly be real, but I swear, I can feel the softness of her fur under my fingers, how far they dive in there.

I feel like I'm about to cry, and on the verge of bursting with happiness. It's crazy. I shouldn't have the mind to feel happy right now, but I swear, seeing my wolf here is just... amazing. She comes and rubs her head against my chest, and our warmth melts together. She slowly disappears, but I can feel her inside me. It's like... a stronger, bigger fire. I stand back up, filled with new confidence.

I light my fire.

This time, it's a real fire. So unruly, undisciplined, yet it's mine. A raging, savage fire, ready to heat up and burn. I smile uncontrollably. Yes, yes, now that's a real fire, and I can do whatever I want with it! I feel it burning, both in my hands and in my chest. My wolf growls, ready for action too. She's with me, she's sharing her strength with me, fueling that fire with her own power. Moon Goddess, even the scars on my body are slowly disappearing, retreating as if they were scared of the new strength in me. I've never felt so powerful!

"You're doing it!" says Mara, excited.

I think so too. I can feel my own heart beating wild with excitement. I grow the flames in my hands, bigger and bigger, until it feels like I'm ready to take the whole world down.

" What… the…? "

I turn around. In a new mirror, the Dark Mara, or Nephera's spirit, whatever this is, is facing me, and I recognize our apartment's bathroom. I smile and throw one of my enormous fires at her. She steps back, looking really scared this time. I get ready, and throw another one at her.

This time, a crack appears in the mirror. Her eyes grow wide in horror, but I smile and approach her.

"Get ready," I whisper to her. "Once I get out of here, it's game on."

I'm feeling so powerful right now; I'm more confident than ever and ready to take that bitch on. The only thing stopping me is that damn glass between us! She glances at the crack and the fear slowly disappears from her eyes. Instead, she puts on a smirk, and caresses the crack in the mirror. It slowly starts disappearing, leaving the glass as good as new. She smiles at my baffled expression, and like I had done before, grabs one of Kelsi's crayons to draw some witchcraft symbols on the mirror.

As I read them, I understand. That damn bitch is putting a reinforcing spell on the damn mirror! I try sending more of those new gigantic flames I have control over now, but this time, it doesn't flinch. There isn't even a single crack... Damn it.

" You're not out yet, " she chuckles. " You'd better stay here and get a good look, because I'm going to burn this whole city down! "

What did she say? What the fucking hell is she going to do?! She smiles again, and leaves the room. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

I knew she didn’t have her Water Magic or my Fire Magic, but I forgot she could use basic witchcraft and runes. She might not be as powerful as she could be, but that doesn't mean she's powerless either. Shit, this is really some trouble coming right up our alley. ...And I am fucking trapped here!

"Are you mad?"

I turn around to the little Mara, who looks worried. I shake my head.

"Yes, a bit, but not at you. Don't worry. I'm just worried about what your mother is capable of doing."

Mara tears up, as if she is about to cry.

"B-but it's not really Mommy... I promise... Mommy is nice..."

I sigh and walk up to her.

"Don't worry, I... we will stop her, okay?" I try to comfort her. "We will stop her before your mommy does anything bad."

"You promise?"

I chuckle a bit nervously. The little Mara is so adorably cute, I can't handle it sometimes. I get how Clarissa was probably feeling all this time. Using her? Hell no. If anything, I think Mara gave her a reason to fight against her disease a bit longer. She is... just an innocent bundle of hope and joy, and it's contagious. No matter how frustrated I am, I can't stay upset when she is looking at me like that with those big blue eyes of hers.

"You must really miss your mom," I whisper gently.

"Yes... and Clarissa too..."

"Mara, is Clarissa really gone? What happened to her?"

"She... she told me not to watch... She was angry, but she said... you would be coming, so I will be alright. The bad men... they were really, really mean, and I was scared."

The bad men? Could it be the... Is she talking about the other corpses they found with our body? Wait, it sounds like Clarissa was attacked? Why? What did they want?

"Mara, those men, what do you know about them? Did they say anything?"

"No, uh... they said she should come with them... and they... called her really mean names. They said all witches are rotten... We are not rotten, right?"

"No, no, of course not," I say, caressing her hair gently.

Wait a minute.

How did these men know anything about Clarissa being a witch? She could only do the most basic witchcraft, and I am sure she stayed discreet at all times. She was desperate to hide her secret, even from her own sister and Kelsi. So how would those men have known? How could they know she was learning about witchcraft?

They had said those bodies were unidentified. Why? Silver City is a big place, very large, but this is the twenty-first century. With three people going missing, someone should have been able to find out who or why by now. Still, there wasn't the slightest clue about the three bodies. No missing person, nothing about someone looking for them. So where the hell did those men come from, and why target Clarissa specifically? And the way they talked... Witch hunters?

"Mara, can you remember more than that?"

She hesitates.

"I... I can show you?"

"Show me?"

Right, we both perfectly handle magic circles now, why didn't I think of this before? Moreover, I have Clarissa's body now. It's just going back in her memories, forcing this body to... rewind. Rewind all my five senses and experience what she experienced back then. It might not be a pleasant journey, but... I nod.

"Good idea, Mara. Can you help me draw it?"

"Yes!"

We both use our fire to create a new circle, adding some specific details to it, making sure we get exactly what we want. I... I'm amazed by everything I can do now. For the outside world, only a few hours have passed, but I feel like I've been in here for days...

We finally come up with a satisfying enough circle, and I turn to Mara.

"Alright, but it will be only me, okay? Clarissa said you shouldn't... watch this. So you wait for me, okay?"

Mara nods obediently.

"Okay, I understand."

She must have trusted Clarissa so much to not even try to insist...

I take a deep breath and step inside the circle. Maybe because we are already in a sort of magic zone, the area is extremely prone to help us. My magic circle starts spinning like crazy under my feet, and the surroundings change.

This is clearly the hangar from before.

I feel a horrible, cold chill... Oh, right, it happened sometime in the winter, right? I haven’t experienced winter in Silver City yet, so I didn't expect so much snow. We are walking, with large burgundy boots digging into the snow, managing a path before us. I guess I'm just a passenger in Clarissa's body. It's a bit odd. I feel everything she's feeling, but I'm... unable to do anything. I feel the little hint of hunger in her stomach, her sore legs, the gentle feel of her scarf around her neck. All of her pain too. She's walking slowly, but it's a fight she's leading against her body. I can feel the throbbing pain in her lungs, her irritated throat that makes me want to cough, and that horrible headache. Moon Goddess, Clarissa, you really did your best until the end... Why is she outside in such weather, in her condition? She shouldn't be; she belongs in a freaking hospital bed at this point! Clarissa, what were you thinking...?

She keeps walking, looking around as if she's searching for something. Her eyes mostly go toward the sea, and she keeps looking for a long time at the waves each time. Her hands and lips shaking, she hurries up. I wish I could hear her thoughts too, but I'm just a passenger trapped in a front row seat.

After a few seconds, she glances at the numbers on the hangars.

"We're almost there, Mara," she whispers. "If I can just warn him... just... just in case..."

Warn who? Who is that "him"?

Before I get an answer to that, Clarissa suddenly stops. I heard that creaking from behind too. I don't like that... She glances over her shoulder, and sure enough, there are a couple of men coming from behind. Where did they even come from?! She gasps, something tells me she has the same bad feeling as me. I already know how this ends, I'm just scared to see it...

She tries to ignore them and hurry up, but just then, another silhouette appears. Another man wearing an ugly beanie and a big coat with a collar that covers most of his face. A single lady against three tall men. Moon Goddess, I really don't like the sight of this...

It's just instinct.

Your instinct, telling you something's wrong. Something primal inside you, that just knows your survival is at stake. Your instincts are telling you to leave this place, go somewhere safe. Walk away. Run. Do something, but get out of here. I can feel it just like Clarissa felt it. This dark shadow crawling in our minds, the fear that pours into poison.

Clarissa is smart enough to know she's in danger. She stops and looks around. It's nothing but the empty docks, snow, and those hangars there. Even the sea only has a couple ships at bay; all the others are spending the winter inside. Moon Goddess, I'm not sure I'm ready for what is coming. She retreats a few steps, but the sound of snow being crushed under heavy steps somewhere behind is not a good sign. Moon Goddess, please...

Clarissa swallows her saliva and suddenly turns around, heading to the closest hangar. That hangar. I feel so strange going back there in her memories. I thought it was all gray and rusty, but apparently, it was painted blue before it got scorched by flames... Clarissa gets to the door, but there's a heavy lock on it. She whispers something in Gaelic and I recognize the words for key and metal. Her finger quickly traces some runes on the frozen lock and sure enough, it magically unlocks just like that. She hurries to push the door open, hearing the men coming closer. Moon Goddess, I know all of this happened already, but it's hard to witness. I feel her terror, all this nightmare unraveling inexorably. I'm just glad Mara never witnessed this...

"Come here, little witch... Come here..."

Clarissa looks around and quickly finds a place to hide. This hangar is actually crowded with all kinds of stuff: mostly boxes, shelves, and random things. There are some fish nets hanging around, explaining that strange smell... This is so dark and creepy. Clarissa found herself a little corner between two shelves, but now, we can clearly hear the men walking in. She closes her eyes, so I can't see anything anymore; I only hear her whispers.