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We were all quiet for a moment. The only sound was ticking of the indicator as we turned into a hotel car park. Pulling the handbrake and turning off the car, Mary turned to us and waved us out. “I’m going to call Debbie.”
Winnie led me to the lift in the lobby, which took us to her room. The door clicked shut behind us, and the sound echoed in the silence. I sighed and sat on the bed, unsure of what to do now. I still didn’t know why she was doing this or where Savida’s fire was, so I kept up the ruse.
Winnie whispered, “Are you really okay?”
I shrugged. “I hate being human again, but they didn’t hurt me. They just want their friend back.”
“I want to ask you about them.” She saw my narrowed eyes and continued, “I won’t, though.”
She threw her bag on the bed, and I asked, “Why are you doing this? Is this … project … something you really want?”
She sighed. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Clawd, but trust me when I tell you I need this.”
“But why?”
She sat on a chair by the desk and mirror and began taking off her shoes as she spoke. “You know, growing up black isn’t easy. You’re on the fringes of society even if everyone pretends you’re not. Being a black lesbian, that’s even worse. You’re in your own bubble, watching from the outside. When I found my father, he told me I had witch blood. At first, I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to be even more different. He gave me books and a contact for someone who could teach me, and when he died, I got in touch with them.
“I found a community that didn’t care about my skin or my sexual preferences. They cared about power, and that was something I could work on. Did you know I am the third witch in my coven to call a familiar? It takes an awful lot of magic, practice, and sacrifices. I poured myself into casting to make sure I could excel in this community. I was finally successful when I got you, and that was proof to a lot of the senior coven members that I was ready to learn more. Be part of something bigger. When I met Mary, her enthusiasm lit a fire in me. I need this now. I need to prove myself.”
I shook my head, confused. As far as I could tell, she had done nothing of worth as a witch. Even my existence was to show off to the others. “Prove yourself to be what? A monster? Because you are taking the lives of innocent beings and using them for something. Can’t you see that it’s wrong?”
“You think I’m a monster?” I could feel her hurt and rejoiced. It meant I could still save her. Still convince her to stop this.
“Savida didn’t deserve what you did to him.” I turned my nose up and looked away from her so she could see the depths of my disgust and the disappointment.
She was silent for a moment before she whispered, “You are so beautiful, Clawdia. I always thought you would be.”
Then she whispered something, and when my eyes got heavy, I knew she’d spelled me to sleep. I wasn’t surprised.
* * *
It feltlike only minutes later when I woke up, but the room was significantly darker. I heard the door open, then footsteps and voices. I was sleepy and disoriented. Too disorientated to feel ready for interaction.
“This is her?” I heard, and my bleary eyes caught sight of a tall woman with blond hair tied in a neat bun on her head. She had a deep voice and a sturdy body. Alertness flashed through me, and adrenaline began pumping around my body. I sat up quickly and assessed the situation.
“This is my familiar, Clawdia. Clawdia, this is Debbie. She’s going to see if she can help us,” Winnie said, coming around to the side of the woman. I noticed the difference in her words; there wasn’t any certainty or promise in them anymore.
“You are usually a cat, are you not?” Debbie asked. I nodded. “How is it you are human?”
“I don’t know,” I lied.
“Don’t lie to me, or I will spell the truth from you,” she sneered, her calm facade falling away to reveal an ugly, desperate woman.
She pulled a book from her handbag, turning to a dog-eared page. “Did the male who changed you look similar to this?”
She showed me a picture of someone very similar to Daithi, except they had different hair and eye color. I couldn’t let her spell me, or I wouldn’t be able to control what I told her. I needed to be honest, but not completely. Hesitantly, I nodded.
She turned to Winnie. “It is as I suspected. A faei. They are a powerful and ancient race that has visited our world throughout the ages. You could not see the group’s true forms because the faei can create impenetrable glamours which disguise them. Faei cause a lot of upheaval. If we have a faei looking for the fire, we can expect they will try very hard to stop our event and may even succeed. You will need to stop them however you can.”
I almost felt proud they were so concerned the guys were going to crash their event and take back Savida’s fire. I laughed to myself.
Be afraid. Daithi is going to make you suffer.
“Stop them? How?” Winnie asked.
“By whatever means necessary,” Debbie insisted. “This event has been centuries in the making and is essential to our survival now. We can’t afford to have any threats.”
“The quickest way to get rid of them would be to give back the fire of their demon friend,” Winnie noted hesitantly.
