Every letter that came after that was burned immediately by Leo. It was hard to keep them hidden from his family and mine. The poor raven delivering them was ignored and nearly cooked. This was the angriest I had seen him. On the surface, he was his usual self, but I knew underneath he was tense. Stewing.
He was worried.
The closer it came to Yule, the tenser he became. Knowing we would have to face Morgan soon.
“Ouch!” he cried.
“Relax,” I teased.
He huffed a sigh.
“All these knots…” I muttered.
Instead, I found his earlobes and coaxed him to relax fully back.
“Deep breaths…” I whispered into his ear, “We have our alone time first before seeing her…” I reminded.
He finally relaxed, remembering his words, “True… Can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.” I returned to the annoying knot.
“Ouch! Lex!”
“Oh, shush.”
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Yule day broke dawn on the 21st of December. Watching the late sunrise was a straightforward celebration. The longest night of the year had finally come. After this day, the day grows longer and the night shorter.
Throughout the day, there would be celebrations. Sharing gifts, feasting, kissing under the mistletoe, and another coven get-together.
A time for joy, as they say…
Mum got a call from Uncle Keiron.
“Don’t panic.”
“Oh goddess… what?” Mum muttered whilst baking with the phone on the loudspeaker.
“The council have found out. I’m being pulled in for questioning.”
“What? Today?!”
“Yes. Right now.” Keiron's voice could barely be heard, “I’m going to try…”
----------------------------------------
Keiron
“No comment.”
“Mr Langton. Please. We need your help to protect the community.”
Keiron kept silent still, arms folded, his body language closed off. He knew it was only a matter of time before The Council got wind of what happened at the Abbey. Keiron's enquiries around a particular book of death tipped them off.
The Detective sighed, “We just want to keep the people safe.”
“Safe from who?”
“You tell me.”
Keiron knew the name game, “I can’t disclose a name. GDPR and that…” he trailed off, looking at the ceiling.
“So, you do have a name?”
Damn it.
“You don’t?” Keiron questioned in fake surprise.
“Mr Langton. Keiron…” The Detective switched his approach, leaning over the table, “I know you have been asking about the Vitamortum spell and the afterlife. I also have it on good authority that the spell was cast in Whitby Abbey.”
The Detective’s voice lowered, “Just tell us the truth, or it will be forced out of you.”
Taking a deep breath, Keiron knew the threat was genuine. Yet he wanted to probe further.
“Do you know why the spell was cast?” Keiron faked interest.
“Enlighten me?”
Keiron smirked and huffed a small laugh, “You have no idea…”
He shook his head.
“A vampire has broken the treaty.”
“Now that is an accusation.”
“There are many things that the council do not know of.”
“Go on.”
“A witch died at the hands of said vampire. A friend cast Vitamortum in the hopes of saving her.” Keiron scratched his chin, “And… I have it in good faith. This vampire has been on your radar for a long time.”
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The Detective hummed, “Did the spell work?”
“No comment.”
“What’s the name of the vampire?”
“Cornelius.”
Keiron was swiftly let go after he provided the information. ‘We will be in touch,’ were the last fleeting words from The Detective as he high-tailed it out of the room with his tail between his legs.
He just hoped Lexi’s name would be kept away from the council for as long as possible.
At least until he figured out how she was alive.
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Lexi
Leo shut the boot of his Da’s car. We were kindly dropped off at the train station.
Both of our rusty cars would not be able to fight the rolling hills of Scotland. Instead, we opted for a more relaxing route to Edinburgh. Then, a car hire to Glenrothes would complete the journey.
“Have a good time,” Noel said as he hugged me, “Take loads of pictures and don’t get too drunk.” He looked at Leo as he said the last part before hugging him.
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The once-busy train carriage quietened as we came across empty cultivated farmland. The windows darkened as we travelled through a tunnel. My eyes grew heavy whilst leaning onto Leo, feeling warm. Watching the beautiful views outside, birds pecked at the upturned earth, and Crows fled and flew from the field.
Another tunnel.
More fields and more crows flew, this time seeming towards the train. I shook my head slightly as we passed another tunnel.
I swear the lights flickered, but I did feel tired…
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Darkness overcame the train, the lights flickering. We were not moving. Stood still on the tracks in a tunnel. I sat up straighter, immediately turning to Leo.
He was gone.
As was everyone else on the train.
Was I dreaming?
“Leo?”
My voice echoed in the small metal carriage.
Caw! Caw!
Goosebumps rose over my skin, and a shiver down my back told me something was amiss. Rising from the seat into the aisle confirmed my suspicions.
A cawing crow landed on the back of a seat, sitting and staring straight at me.
As I stepped closer, its black wings flapped as a warning, and other crows began to join from thin air into the carriage, crowding me in.
Ignoring their flailing, I moved to the door at the end of the carriage. Pressing the button, the door opened. However, taking a step forward, a shock wave through my body as I tried to pass through it, and I was bounced back.
An invisible barrier.
Caw! Caw!
I heard disembodied whispers overtake the small space, and the shiver crawled down the back. The crows quietened down, putting me on edge.
Thud.
I winced at the noise. I had to turn around and face it, but fear kept me in place. I was a scaredy cat.
“Gods. Why?” I whispered.
Gulping, I slowly inched around with shuffling feet. A dark mist was settled onto the floor, rising and falling like smoke.
Finally facing it, my magic rose in my hand, my arm lighting up in red flames. Ready for anything.
The mist rose, twisting and turning. It transformed into a cloaked mass—no taller than me.
I waited impatiently for it to speak, move…, or do something.
Taking in the surroundings, the crows crowded around me, but they stared at the figure. The whispers never stopped.
“Beware the crow. They work for another.”
The words echoed around. Was this the person they worked for?
“You don’t give up, do you?” A low female whispered around the tin carriage.
I stayed quiet. Not knowing what to respond with.
“Who are you?”
“A warning. You may have escaped death once. You won’t a second time. Save yourself.”
“Save myself?”
“Leave.”
My eyes narrowed. This woman didn’t make sense, and not once did she look up, keeping her face obscured.
“There is no hope for you both.” She shifted forward, and I raised my arm.
“The only way to break the cycle is to leave him.”
Caw!!
The crows shifted, flapping their wings as she came closer. I concentrated the flames into my palm, a fireball.
“Don’t,” I warned.
“You cannot fix this, Lexi. Leave him. Let him be happy.”
“Why should I believe you?”
An eerie silence fell, and the carriage lights blinked out. The whispers grew louder, the crows took flight, and black feathers obscured the view. With each blinking light, she got closer, not once looking up or revealing her face.
I flung the fireball in her direction.
Cackling laughter overcame the screeching crows.
She twisted into a vortex in a splash of red and black, laughing as she did. I had to close my eyes as air circulated around the small train.
“No!” A scream took over the space.
----------------------------------------
I jolted awake, hitting my head on the window next to us.
“Ouch,” I muttered, rubbing the pain.
The train was still moving, but it was a little emptier.
More importantly, Leo was not next to me. I got up in a slight panic and fanned out my senses.
His face peeked into the door window. He was on the phone, but the concern was in his eyes.
“Are you alright, miss?” A hand grasped my shoulder lightly, and a small gasp left me as I turned. It was just an attendant.
Taking a shaky breath, “Yes,” I replied, “Sorry, a bad dream.”
I retook the seat and placed my head into my hands. What was that scream? It sounded familiar. A shooting pain in my temples and forehead told me to leave it.
Instead, I grabbed some snacks I’d packed. Hoping the food would provide some comfort.
----------------------------------------
Leo returned briefly and shimmied into the seat next to me.
“You alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His concerned face peered into mine.
“Bad dream…” I muttered, holding out my arms.
In the small space, he hugged me, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not here,” I whispered.
“Who were you talking to? Everything okay?”
His face grimaced, “Our hotel reservation has been cancelled…”
“What?” I quietly gasped.
He nodded, “They have had an emergency. No running water or electricity. They have offered to put us somewhere else, but it’s miles away…”
I sighed in disappointment before he continued, “Then my brother rang.”
“Derick?”
He nodded, “Long story short… He has offered to pick us up.”
Leo looked around at the carriage. There was something he couldn’t say.
“We aren’t going to have alone time before seeing her, are we?”
I guessed correctly.
Leo’s fingers tapped the table in anxiety, matching the bouncing of his leg. The tension in his body returned and tightened like a coil. We were nearly at Edinburgh Waverly station.
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Blackspit
“Damn it!” She hit the already broken table, splintering it further.
When the thing threw the ball of fire, she used it to her advantage. She hoped to shoot its own projectile back mixed in with something of her own. Hopefully, knocking it out cold.
With no other plan, the scare tactic seemed easy. All she had to do was get it to go away. Then, she could deal with the thing alone. Even better, get Cornelious to finish the job.
She hissed, grasping her forearm. It was scaly and weepy from fresh burns.
Something got in the way of her little present. A spirit protecting the thing, she did not know the name; otherwise, she would have nipped it in the bud.
“Wait a minute…”
The thing was protected.
It came back from Vitamortum.
“It… It can’t be!”
She pulled her wrist back, the tattoo still present. No, her deal with Dagda still stood.
Then how?