Page 41 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

¨ Got it! 〃

I don't lose sight of the witch, but I have to slow down and try to get those flames. I am a Fire Witch, whatˇs the point if I can't stop this?! My wolf keeps growling, and it's exhilarating. The feeling of my fur, fueled by hundreds of flames, so hot and warm even the sun would be less blinding. I'm shining, burning, and this power is like a new wave of adrenaline. My heart is beating so fast, I'm afraid something's going to burst.

"You can't catch me!" she laughs at the other end of the room we just barged in.

It's a large conference room with a bay window and an amazing view over the closest streets. Needless to say, I don't have time to admire my surroundings. Most of those windows have burst open, and there's glass on the floor. The witch catches a piece of glass, herrather, my hand bleeding from how tight she's holding it.

"You'll see," she smiles. "I'll bleed you bit by bit, until this body dies from a slow agony..."

I growl at her, and suddenly I know what I have to do. All of her attitude, that anger, that craziness... I can't give in to her provocation. I keep walking around her, circling her carefully. I just need to keep her there while everyone else evacuates.

" And then? " I ask, sure she can hear me. " You'll have a dead body you can't use. How many other witches in Silver City can you use to have fun? What's the point? "

"I will always find another," she hisses. "My hatred won't die. My hatred will continue to pass on to generations of witches..."

" Your hatred? What for? Nephera couldn't even see her child's spirit was still alive, and she died, leaving her alone! But you're not Nephera, are you? You're that evil thing that was inside her, and inside Clarissa too. What the hell are you? "

She smirks, amused.

"I'm much older than that, I am the anger of all the witches before. I am the original one, the curse the werewolves can never get out of! I won't stop! I won't stop until all the werewolves are dead!"

...A curse? She talked about this too. What was that thing about a curse? I thought it was about Nephera, but now, she clarified this is something much, much older.

"You're an abomination," she continues. "You Cursed Ones should have never seen the light of the day!"

Cursed Ones. Again.

I growl. Cursed One or not, she is going to give me back my body, since she hates it so much. I start drawing circles closer and closer. She notices.

"What are you going to do? Kill me? This is your body, once it's gone"

" I won't have another. Yeah, I got that the first time. However, I need that body back, so I really suggest you freaking step aside and give it back to me now! "

I growl and jump to attack her.

Even if it's my body, I'm not the one in it right now; I'll worry about the pain later, I suppose. All I need to do is make sure she stays alive and in a good enough state to be healed.

The Dark Witch screeches as I jump over her. The flames move to trap her, and she rolls on the ground, trying to get away. Moon Goddess, chasing my own body is the weirdest experience ever. She jumps back on her feet as I stay away, cautious not to burn her completely. She grabs a chair, throwing it at me. I dive just in time to avoid it, but the next second, another one slams my flank violently. Shit...

I'm sure I felt something break on my left side. Damn, it hurts for real... but I don't have time to whine. I'm pretty sure if she kills me in my werewolf body, it's going to be game over.

I growl and bite back as soon as I see her arm, extended above my head as she's about to hit me again with that damn chair. I bite down for the first time, as hard as I can, and she screams. Moon Goddess, I officially hate my voice.

"Let go! Let go you damn beast!"

" I'll let go when you let go of my body, you bitch! "

She tries to kick me, but I'm stubborn enough to keep holding on nevertheless. The taste of my own blood quickly fills my mouth. Gross.

She keeps screaming furiously and suddenly her voice changes, she begins reciting something in an ancient language. Oh, shit. I let go and jump to the side, just in time to avoid a large bang, and what looked like a lightning bolt. What the hell, how did she do that?

" Mara, if you have any idea how I can retrieve my body... "

" A spell could work! But you'll probably have to knock her out first... "

I've never knocked someone out! What if I smash my own head instead? I don't want to be trapped in a wolf's body forever! Just as I try to get a hold of her again, she finds a long object to hit me with. I take the hit on the shoulder this time, enough to make me bow down. I growl and try to bite at anything that comes within my fangs' grasp. My canine teeth make contact with an ankle. She screeches again, and soon enough, I get kicked in the face by her heel. Damn it, I need to be more conscious of my body size, I'm super exposed at each attack!

Just as I shake my head, trying to ignore the growing pain on my forehead, the Dark Witch screeches and tries to run away again. However, at the opposite door, the one she was looking to escape through, a black wolf appeared, framed in the doorway. It's not Damian Black, I realize, it's Liam! He's a bit smaller than his brother, with a leaner body, blue-gray eyes, and that scar over the left one. He growls, warning her from approaching.

"Liam..." she says. "Liam, babe, it's me! Please let me through! Our bodies were exchanged!"

Moon Goddess, if he believes that crap for one second, I swear I'll...

However, Liam furiously growls clearly at her, not me. Moon Goddess, thank you! He probably can tell the difference with our bond now that I have a proper, physical body. We walk slowly, cornering the Dark Witch against the window. The flames and smoke are low now, allowing Liam to be here without coughing his lungs out. I do hope it will be enough for the structure to hold on a little while longer...

I growl, and she glares at me the most, holding her bleeding arm against her, retreating.

"You can't..." she hissed. "I'll haunt this body forever. You, all the Cursed Ones, you're mine. I'll unleash my wrath, at all the werewolves... forever."

" What the hell is wrong with you?! " I growl, furious. " Who the heck are you?! Nephera is dead, and you used her mother's voice to trick the other Mara, didn't you? You... "

Suddenly, I realize.

This isn't just about Mara. Why would these two have been brought together, to begin with? I know enough about them and their magic now. They were lured in, to get together and create more magic. Clarissa was afraid of the Dark Magic that was growing inside them. It couldn't have been Nephera, Clarissa was sick long before she ever came across Mara's spirit!

" You were in Clarissa's body too, harassing her! Why? Why are you doing all of this to them?! "

She laughs.

"Didn't you hear? I have to get revenge. I have an anger to appease!"

" Your anger should have been appeased when Judah Black died! Clarissa died! How many more bodies do you need? "

She laughs hysterically, and suddenly grabs another piece of glass, ready to attack us. Both Liam and I begin growling at the same time.

"Never," she hisses. "It will never be enough. I will spill the blood of hundreds of werewolves with these hands and it still won't be enough."

" I say it's enough, " I growl furiously, stepping forward. " Look at me! I am a witch and a werewolf! You're so blind you can't even see you've turned against your own kind! "

"No!" she screams. "You Cursed Ones are damned! Damned!"

She throws some of the glass at me, and I feel a sharp piece graze my foreleg. Liam growls furiously, stepping closer to her, but I growl back at him. I'm fine!

She retreats toward the window, with nowhere left to go. Her eyes are somewhere behind me, and I glance quickly. Damian Black! Does that mean the evacuation is over already? Or was he worried about us? I want to rejoice, but I can't confirm anything for now. Beneath us, the building quakes again. Not a good sign... I really hope everyone else left!

However, I still have a problem.

We need to take her down. We need to leave this building as soon as possible, and leave with her knocked out. Sylviana's tree is in serious danger, and that's the last barrier between Silver City and those other witches out there; we can't afford to lose it. Liam and Damian can attack, but they don't want to injure my body. Kelsi can do the spell, she's smart and knows enough. She's seen the other symbols I used on the mirror. I growl and start getting closer.

"D-don't approach me!" she yells.

It's my body. I know how much it can take, I know how strong I am. I growl and jump on her, to attack her for real this time. I bite her shoulder furiously, and then dive to attack another part of her body. I keep jumping at her, biting, growling, attacking like a savage beast. I feel my own pain. She stabs me with a piece of glass, and thereˇs a piercing pain in my stomach.

Suddenly, I hear something loudly creaking beneath us. Oh, no, no, not the ground...

Damian and Liam both retreat away from the large cracks that have appeared behind me. Is it about to collapse? They have to leave, now!

" Mara! Get out of there! "

I can't. If I let go, it will be another game of chase... and who knows what havoc she'll wreak in the meantime? I keep pushing, hearing something creak again behind her. The window! The glass window is about to crack.

"Mara!" suddenly yells Liam's voice behind me. "Are you crazy, you'll both die!"

Maybe, but she won't let go until we're both out. The window behind her vibrates strangely, and I get another idea. It's maybe even crazier than the original plan, but... I bite furiously, and push her again, her body against the window. We hear and feel the glass breaking behind her, and I jump still biting her. Her eyes, my eyes, open wide as we both fall from the building.

This fall feels strangely long. I feel the wind blowing up my limbs, and I try to focus on my fire. I need to slow down our fall, or both my bodies are going to be literally smashed against the ground. We are too high, way too high. If we crash from this height, at this speed, I'll die for real. I'm not too fond of the idea of dying now.

That damn Dark Witch is screaming and holding on to me for dear life. So she won't give up? Well, she's in for a fucking ride anyway... Damn it, I'm going to regret this later. But for now...

I focus as hard as I can on my fire, and summon all of it to me. I only have a couple of seconds, and Moon Goddess I wish I could extend it like the other Mara. This isn't my mind, this is the real world and it doesn't wait for me. I need fire, more fire, more... I growl furiously, summoning all of my power underneath us. This goes at the top of the list of crazy ideas I've had, but I've watched so many movies with Kelsi, it gave me that one crazy idea that might save my life... and my body.

The fire grows like a huge fireball under us, and I try to use it, like a propeller underneath us, to fight gravity. I summon all the fire I can find, inside me and outside. I even absorb more of the building's fire, like the most dangerous and hottest magnet around. The witch keeps screaming. With her inside, my body can't take it. It's hot, too hot, and burning the defenseless human skin she's wearing. If it was me inside, things would be different, but for now, I'm only glad I'm not inside and living that nightmare. I need to use that fire.

Finally, it happens.

Our fall slows down as the insane fireball beneath us propels us higher. Moon Goddess, the movies lied, you need a hell of a lot of fire to propulse a human... We are still falling, but I'm just gaining a few seconds and slowing our fall. I'm just desperate to fight as much as I can against gravity, against the ground that is coming closer and closer, dangerously fast. Holy shit.

The shock is horrible. It's not just the asphalt. I feel so many random pieces of debris that fell from the building brutally piercing my skin, scratching me, violently hitting me. I groan in pain, but Moon Goddess, it's a real scream in my head. The pain is just... horrible, echoing through my whole body in waves. Shit... I'm sure I don't have enough fingers to count my broken bones.

It's a miracle I'm still conscious. I move my head, and next to me, of course, I find my body. Unlike me, it's inanimate, eyes closed and unconscious. There's a mean blood stain on her face... Oh, Moon Goddess, that can't be good... I try to move, but it's too painful to even breathe. I move my eyes, very slowly, to glance above. The Black Corporation building is standing tall, covering us in its shadow. I almost feel like it's looking down on me now... Thank Moon Goddess, it still seems stable. Most of the smoke is gone... Thank Moon Goddess. At least the fire should be... contained...

No, no, stay awake, Mara, you're not done here. You have to help them find you... Did Liam see my fall? Then they'll surely find me... I hope sooner than later. I'm scared.

I'm scared they'll arrive too late, and my body will die. This one, or the other. Witchcraft... I should really stop messing up. It sucks to clean up my own mess...

"Mara! Mara!"

I hear my name like a far away echo. I'm not sure if it's in my head or in the real world. It sounds like Kelsi, though, so... I hear some rummaging around us. Is it really messy out there? Moon Goddess, I'm laying down on a pile of mess, I'm glad I can't sit... Lying down is still pretty painful in itself, though...

"She's here! She's really here! Oh, crap, crap, Mara..."

She swears a lot, and I'd chuckle if I could. A shadow comes over us, and I feel several presences around me. Who is there? Oh, did I close my eyes? I struggle to open them back up, and look around at the shadows hovering above me.

"Moon Goddess, she's alive, and even conscious. I can't believe it... With that fall..."

Nora's voice. So she found me, too?

I growl softly. I meant to tell them I'm okay, but really, a growl isn't very talkative. I feel a gentle hand over my head.

"Try using your mind-link, Mara. Don't talk, you'll hurt yourself even more... Moon Goddess, all that blood..."

" The symbols... Tell Kelsi... The glass... "

"Kelsi, she wants you to do that spell, now. Quickly!"

"What? But... If I do it now..."

"Find some glass to use around here, something big enough. I'll try to heal Mara's body as much as I can meanwhile. Let's hurry!"

Thank Moon Goddess for the mind-link. I never knew how handy it was, when everything is too painful to use... I hear them moving around. Steps going away, and someone moving around. I still can hear Kelsi's voice, complaining a lot, half-crying, telling herself not to panic, but clearly panicking still. That's my Kelsi... Meanwhile, Nora suddenly appears in my line of vision, leaning over my other body. She exchanges a glance with me.

"I'll do what I can," she promises.

She leans over it, and her long raven curls hide whatever is going on from me. Good... I have no idea how bad my other body looks, but I saw that blood on my head. Damn, I hope that damn Dark Witch didn't wreck it. I like that body.

"Mara! Mara!"

I hear Liam's voice screaming over, and Nora suddenly sits up.

"Liam, over here! She's here!"

"Oh, Moon Goddess, Mara, Mara..."

I wish I could turn around to see him. His breathing is so uneven, I'm wondering if he's injured too. Did something else happen? Suddenly, Liam is next to me, and I feel his hand in my fur. Oh, Moon Goddess, I missed him... I really missed him. Nora moves a little, and Liam gets between my bodies. His eyes go to the other one first, the human one, and his eyes grow wide in shock. Yeah, probably not good... He looks at Nora.

"Please tell me you can do something..."

"I'll try," she answers. "They called an ambulance. If only Mara can hold on until then... Her friend Kelsi is trying to find a piece of glass large enough to do the spell back... if... her body can take it..."

Liam's lips tremble, and he turns back to me, the wolf me this time. Our eyes meet, and he looks like he's about to break down.

"Oh, fuck, Mara, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." he whimpers. "I should have known sooner... I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to doubt you again..."

Yeah, I haven't forgotten about that... I'm so going to whoop his ass if I survive this.

I growl a bit and he shakes his head. His hand on my fur is the best feeling in the world. He gently caresses me, right under my ear, fingers grabbing my hair as if to hold me back. He leans closer, and puts his face against mine, very gently.

"You have to hold on, just a bit longer, Mara... just a bit longer. I promise, I'm never, ever going to let you down again. But, please, don't leave me... Not like this."

I growl back, the only thing I can do. He stays with me a little, and I close my eyes. He smells like ashes and a ton of other burnt things, but it's my Liam. My mate. I can still feel him. Maybe it's even more intense because I'm in wolf form, but... I feel connected to him more deeply than any touch.

He leans back a little to look at me, his eyes watery. He keeps caressing me, and chuckles nervously a bit.

"You're beautiful," he whispers. "Moon Goddess, you're so damn beautiful... My tiger. My Mara... Just hold on, love. Just a bit longer..."

I try. I really try to. It's painful, and I want to give in to the sweet sensation of Liam caressing me, and that warmth that's about to envelope me. He keeps talking to me gently, softly, but I can tell his eyes are worried I'll pass out and give up. He keeps glancing at my body too, the one Nora's desperately trying to heal. What the hell, I don't want to die yet... not now... I need to protect them. Protect Sylviana's tree and the magic of Silver City. They all need me.

Shit, it hurts. I can feel my own heart now, beating in my ears, struggling to keep up. It's not good...

"I got it!"

Kelsi comes back with a large piece of glass that probably came from one of the burst windows. She sits next to us, her knees scratched against the debris, but she doesnˇt care.

Her fingers are covered in blood too...

"Is it going to work?" asks Liam, frowning.

"Well, I'm not a witch, but I am somewhat of an expert by now, and it's just about reversing the curse..."

"What will happen to the wolf?"

"I... I don't know. However, unless Mara gets back into her real body, I mean, her human body, something else can happen to it. I think I've had enough fake Mara for today."

Nora and Liam exchange a glance and nod.

"Alright, Kelsi, do it then. But quick. Mara is not in a good state..."

"Your healing didn't work?"

"It did, but she's... Liam, you know I can't heal everything. She needs real doctors, probably surgery."

"Fuck. Kelsi, hurry."

"Yes, yes... First, you move and put that thing between the two... Yes, like this. Now give me Mara's finger. Did she bleed somewhere... Ah, here, perfect; she has to be the one tracing them. It's not perfect, but... I don't want to risk doing it myself, I'm not a real witch, after all..."

What are they doing? I feel Liam getting behind me, although he keeps a hand over my body. I'm suddenly faced with my human self as they roll it over to face me, from beneath the glass. Wow... I really look like crap... It's probably going to be painful as hell to get back in there... at least the Dark Witch will be gone. That's one thing done, I suppose...

Signs in blood appear on the glass, Kelsi tracing them with my hand. My brain is too numb to read them, but I'm sure she knows what she's doing. The non-witch expert on witchcraft...

"Alright, that should be it."

"What now?"

"I guess they just need to both touch the glass, it should do the trick."

"Okay, then let's..."

"Wait!" suddenly exclaims Liam, as both girls were about to roll my human body over to me.

"What?!"

"W-what if... she doesn't survive? Look at her, Nora, her human body is... really damaged. What if we put her back inside, and she doesn't survive?"

"Liam, every second we discuss this is time lost for Mara! What do you suggest? She can't remain a wolf!"

"Maybe she can? She... she has better chances of surviving that way, doesn't she?"

Nora seems to hesitate, looking down at me. What are they talking about? Meanwhile, Kelsi suddenly glares at Liam.

"You know, I thought you swore you'd believe Mara, but it looks like you still don't," she says. "She's a witch! She's not just a werewolf, or just your mate! She's a damn powerful witch, okay? She'll make it. I know she will. Mara just found herself, you can't do that to her. She's a fighter, I know she'll survive this. We have to trust her."

They hesitate again, and I feel Liam's fingers tightening on my fur. Oh, Moon Goddess, I love him, but really... I growl, as hard as I can. He sighs.

"Sorry, Mara. ...See you soon, my love."

I feel him lean over me, and his lips kiss my cheek. Then, he pushes me against the glass, and I suddenly bump into my human body on the other side.

Pain.

Pain, pain everywhere. It's horrible. My whole body is numb, yet still painful. I feel my heart, so, so slow. I hear voices around me, panicking, yelling orders. Someoneˇs calling out my name. They all sound too much alike... I can't tell what's going on.

...Are you dying?

¨ Oh, little Mara. 〃

I don't want you to die... I don't want to be alone again.

¨ I don't want to go, either. I want to see Liam and the others again. I want to help them, and all of Silver City. 〃

I really like you as a friend. You are really, really nice. Like Clarissa. But you know, I still miss her a lot. She was my first real friend... and now, Mommy is gone too... Everyone is going before me, without me...

¨ I don't want to abandon you. I promised I'd stay with you, but... I don't know if I can keep that promise now. My body has suffered a lot. It's hard to fight. Human bodies aren't like astral bodies, you know. They have their own rules, and I can't cheat indefinitely. Clarissa already did a lot to help me get a healthy one. Now it's all damaged because of my mistake... I'm sorry. 〃

No... she cries. I'm sorry... I know Mommy wasn't really Mommy, but... I thought... I thought she'd stay with me this time... I should have listened to Clarissa... It's all my fault...

¨ It's not your fault... You missed your mom. Clarissa missed her's too. It's fine. I understand. 〃

The little girl from before... Do you think she misses someone too?

¨ I don't know who that girl was 〃

I'm sure she's lonely... I felt her. And... they will all be lonely if you go... and very sad... I don't want people to be sad... They love you all a lot... I'm happy you had new friends... I'm happy you're happy...

¨ I know. I was happy too, happy with you. I'm sorry it's all ending now. 〃

No... I don't want you to die. It'll be really sad if you die too. Can you stay a bit longer? For them?

¨ I wish... but I don't have the strength. I guess it was really stupid to fall 〃

It's alright. Don't die yet. I will give you mine. You know, I thought about it a lot. I miss Clarissa, and maybe she is waiting for me, with all the others. I really want to see her...

¨ No, no, you can't do that. You'll die! 〃

I know, but it's okay. I'm not really scared. I was never really alive, you know. So, I'll just die a little. Just a little. And I am happy we met. You're my new friend. I really, really love you too.

¨ I love you too, little Mara 〃

I hope you won't be lonely if I go, but you have a lot of friends now. It will be okay... I just hope you won't forget me?

¨ I won't 〃

Hey, don't go yet! I said I'm the one going! You have to wait a bit. Just... promise you won't forget me.

¨ Yeah... I promise. 〃

Okay. And keep my name too! This way, Clarissa said I'll really have lived. Like the other Mara, but the one with a life.

Oh, it really is a bit complicated... but you have to live and be happy for twono, for three, Mara. For me and everyone else. You really have to be really happy, okay?

¨ Yeah... I... I think I can... do that 〃

Oh, good then! We will all be happy! And... help the others, please. I don't want others to live what Mommy lived... It is really too sad, that mean curse. It should stop now. You have to stop it, okay?

¨ Y-yeah 〃

Alright, I guess it's time to go now... Oh, it's really a bit sad... I'll miss you... I love you, other Mara. Please be really happy, and when you're very old and very tired, you can come with us. You'll meet Clarissa!

¨  〃

Oh, I have to go first, you won't wait... Good night, Mara.... Bye-bye... Remember me.