Page 29 of The 13th Daughter (The Witches of New Salem #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Thirteen betrayed, thirteen avenged...

Invoke...blood promise....

Arwan and Agrona, hear us this night....

The thirteenth bearer of life...

I screamed in frustration and threw my journal at the door. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make myself remember. I'd only had the one dream. Stupid me had repeated my father's words verbatim: Show me now what she sees and forever let it be.

Everything was so muddled. I couldn't get past the terror. I could only remember snatches of the curse. Sara's spell was out of reach. Laura had been so horrified at the casting of the curse, she hadn't paid attention to Sara. Apparently neither had I.

Why couldn't I remember? I'd tried to write memory spells, but it was useless. The dream was gone. Maybe for good this time. Tomorrow was my birthday. Maybe the dream was only supposed to last until then as a reminder or a warning of some sort. I just didn't know and it was driving me crazy.

Some of my frustration was due to the fact that Ethan had been gone since last Saturday and hadn't bothered to call me even once.

I was so pissed. I'd left messages for him, but no response.

My boyfriend was ignoring me. Granted he hadn't told me why he needed to go home and there could be something wrong, but would it have hurt him to drop me a text? Just to say hi? No, it would not have.

He'd better be back by tomorrow or at least call me.

"What's going on in here?" Dad poked his head in. "I heard a thump."

"Sorry, Dad," I smiled. "I was just taking out some frustration."

He glanced down and saw my journal. Without thinking he picked it up, his eyes skimming over what I'd written. He let out a hiss and came in, closing the door behind him before making his way over to my bed.

"What the hell is this, CJ?"

Ohh, so not good.

"Nothing."

"Where did you see this?" he demanded, towering over me. His face had gone white and his eyes were wild with fear again. I shrank back from him, remembering the last time I'd seen that look in his eyes.

"In a dream," I whispered. "A dream you took from me."

All the anger fizzled out of him. He took a shaky breath and sat down. "How? How did you remember it?"

"Kay," I told him, scooting to the other edge of the bed. "She was having the dream and I repeated the same spell you cast on me and Emily."

His hands shook. "CJ..."

"Why, Dad, why did you take the dream from me?"

"Because it was a sign," he whispered. "A sign of the curse."

Oh crap.

"I thought if I could make you forget, no one would know. They wouldn't have any more reasons to suspect..."

"Stop, Dad," I whispered frantically. "Don't. I know what will happen if you tell me. You'll die, Daddy. I don't want you to die."

"It'll be worth it, pumpkin, if it saves you." He reached out, pulled me to him, and crushed me in a hug. "You're my baby. I can't let you die."

Die? I was going to die? No. It didn't matter. I did what I always did. I pushed the panic aside and focused. I could fall apart later. I was going to die...stop it. I needed to keep Dad from doing something rash.

"No, Daddy, please. How do you think that would make me feel for the rest of my life? Knowing I caused your death?"

"That's a parent's job, CJ, to protect their children. This is the only way left I can protect you." His voice was gruff and hard. "I won't fail you."

"Emily," I breathed. That's what this was about. "Do you think you failed her, Dad?"

"I know I did."

"Did you know what they were planning to do?" I asked. "Is that why you didn't answer your phone that day?"

"What?" he pulled away and looked down at me, his eyes wide with shock.

"I found her diary, Dad. She was terrified. She wrote in her last entry they were coming for her and you weren't answering your phone."

"God, no, CJ. I'd left my phone in the truck.

I had no idea she needed me. When I checked it later that night and found all the missed calls she'd made, I tried to call her back.

By then it was too late. After her death, I suspected the Coven might have had a hand in it, but I didn't have any proof.

It's why I quit. I didn't want any part of something that may have caused my daughter's death. "

A weight lifted from my chest. He didn't have anything to do with Emily's death. "I'm pretty sure they killed her, Dad. I just can't prove it either."

"I'm going to tell you about the curse, CJ. I will save you."

"No, we'll find another way."

"You'll be eighteen at midnight, Cassie Jayne. There's nothing I can do then."

"Maybe you're not supposed to do anything, Dad. Maybe I have to be the one to figure this out. Born to be the Coven leader, remember?"

He gasped. I'd shocked him. "How do you know that?"

"Jeff told me. He explained that all the stuff I can do is a sign of a true Coven leader."

"Is that what you want, CJ?"

"Hell no. I don't want any part of it, but maybe it'll help me get through this."

"Not if you don't know what you're doing," he sighed. "I'll help you."

"Already covered, Dad. Jeff's been helping me get caught up on basic magic and spelling for the last couple weeks."

"Jeff?"

I nodded. "He's been a really good friend through all this and the only one I really trust. He's the only person who hasn't lied to me about something."

"Why couldn't she have picked him for a boyfriend?" he grumbled under his breath.

I wish I knew, I thought silently. I wish I knew.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"I'll tell you anything you want to know, pumpkin."

"In the dream, they were burned, but every other accused witch hanged. Why the difference?"

"The Coven made sure the accused were burned. You understand, CJ, that we practice witchcraft and not Wicca, yes?"

"Wicca is more of a religion with gods and goddesses. Witchcraft is different in that it's pure magic, manipulating the Elements. We don't need to pray to a god or goddess, but can if we need more...umph?"

"That's a good way to put it. We do sometimes seek the aid of a deity, but normally we don't. We don't need to. True magic..."

"...is neither good nor bad, but a culmination of the two," I finished for him. I'd read it in the first book I'd picked up on the subject. Wiccans were all about good magic for the most part. There weren't any clear lines in witchcraft. Witches had no qualms about using black magic.

"The only true way to kill a witch, CJ, is to burn them.

Even then, the ashes must be scattered. If they had hanged the witches, their spirits could have remained in their bodies and sought revenge.

By burning them, there was no vessel for their spirits to return to.

The ashes are scattered so that they cannot be used to give them a form to come back to.

Their spirit can never be reborn to pass on the knowledge they possess either. "

"They turned them over to witch hunters and then made sure they couldn't come back. No wonder they were all pissed."

"Pissed?"

"In the dream, everyone was angry. They couldn't believe the Coven would burn them. Now I understand why."

"You've already seen it, Cassie Jayne. Let me tell you the rest."

"No."

"I will save you even if means giving up my life to do it."

And I knew, looking into his eyes, that he would tell me. The determination to save my life at the cost of his own was written in his golden eyes.

"I bind thee, Roger Michael Bishop, from doing harm unto yourself,

You shall never speak nor write nor convey in any way the curse unto me.

Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, come unto me now.

Spirit, bind these Elements around him to prevent him from harming himself."

"CJ, no...what did you do?" He looked horrified.

"I won't let you die, Daddy."

"Do you know what you've done?" His voice shook with fear. He stared at me much the same way Jeff had when I called the Elements to hide us that day at the Hall. I scared him.

"It'll be fine, Dad." Fine? Who was I kidding? I was set to die tomorrow night.

"No, it won't. I will find a way to unbind this spell, Cassie Jayne.

You can't stop me from trying to save you.

" He stood and left, a look of concentration on his face.

This was not a fight he was going to give up, but he was my dad.

It's what dad's were supposed to do. I just had to find a way to avoid him until this was over.

He was a Coven Master. If anyone could find a way to unbind my spell, he could.

I tried not to panic. I couldn't forget his saying I was going to die. The curse would kill me? My death would bring vengeance for the thirteen men and women betrayed that night so long ago? How could that make sense? They were avenging their deaths. Why would I need to die for that to happen?

Blood promise. The curse was a blood promise. I remembered that much. Maybe spilling my blood would keep whatever promise they made to the gods? Oh, so not gonna happen.

Dammit, I needed Emily's Book of Shadows. She'd figured everything out. Why couldn't I find it? I didn't want to die.

My phone went off to the tune of Fall Out Boy's I Don't Care. I reached for it and glanced at the text.

Meet me n the park 5 mins – E

Ethan? Ethan was home? And all I got was a text?

He hadn't even bothered to call me? Meet me in the park, my ass.

He was gonna get a mouthful on boyfriend etiquette.

I jerked on my UNC sweatshirt before running down the stairs and pulling on my coat.

My mom was in the living room watching TV.

Only the Fates knew where Dad was. I channeled my growing panic into the anger building inside. I'd much rather be mad than scared.

"Mom! I'm going out for a while. I'll be back later!"