The Second Covenant

I definitely got stares from other men, and women. Surrounded as I was by such gorgeous men. We turned a corner and were at the cemetery. Dax made me stay behind him and Dom, Druex and Daire stayed glued to my sides. It was a bit annoying not to be able to see where I was going. “You could have stayed behind. Probably should have.” Dax said darkly and I was tempted to trip him over his own shoelaces. “You and me big guy, we’re gonna have a sit down later. Maybe Peyton too, and the both of you can just get it all out there why I piss you off so bad.” My dad had to bite his lips to keep from smiling. “You’re reckless. That’s my problem.” He snapped, but was looking around, scanning for trouble like a good bodyguard.

I felt the tremble of power and stopped, stock still. “Cherish, where is it?” Tristan demanded and I shook my head. “Not sure. Here, somewhere close. It feeds of fear, pain and anger.” Tyler lifted a brow at Dax and the wolf took a deep breath like he was counting to ten. I felt something, a cold wind flirting around my ankles. But the rest of our group showed up, Riley holding both leashes of the twins. Declan and Donovan came to me and I let them wind around my body. Touching, touching was good. I was nervous.

I was scanning the graves, the names as we went. We passed a point and I stopped again. “This wasn’t part of the original cemetery.” I said and my father looked around. “Feels older. Tyler?” The other man scooped back his shaggy hair and looked down at the ground. “Maybe.”
“Well during the Trials, the people burned at the stake, the ones accused of witchcraft were buried outside the church.” Riley said and everybody looked at him. “What? I do read you know.” He huffed and his dad shook his head. “Unbelievable. I‘m so disappointed in you.” Riley grinned triumphantly and sauntered on by.

I saw a collection of old stones and frowned to read the weathered letters. Proctor. Six of them. The whole family. I sighed and we kept walking. But something made me stop and turn around again, like a tug on the back of my coat. “Cherish?” I shook my head at the ready sound in Pogue’s voice. I walked over to the grave of the youngest girl, Elizabeth. Died at age seventeen. Accused of witchcraft.

I reached out to touch the stone but Peyton’s hand clamped around my wrist. “Maybe you shouldn’t do that.” Druex gave him a warning growl but Peyton wasn’t doing anything except holding my wrist gently. “It‘s alright, if something bad looks like it‘s happening, just pick me up off the ground.” Peyton let go reluctantly and I looked closer at the stone. “Someone scraped a little heart here.” I said softly, kneeling in the grass as I put my hand, not on the stone, but on the earth and was sucked into the vision instantly.

I heard laughter, a giggle, happy, ‘Catch me if you can Addy!’
‘Ah, my sweet little witch, how beautiful you are.’
I felt fear, guilt, anxiety and then I was able to see what the ghost wanted me to see.

Alone at the top of a hill, tied to a pyre. She was so young looking, tears streaming down her face. But she seemed resigned, knowing she was going to die. I saw her lips moving, just barely a breath of sound, but the words rang clear in my head. ’Blessed mother, hold me in your arms, cradle me to thy bosom and lift my spirit high.’ A Witches prayer. People ringed around her with torches, shouting ‘Witch, burn the Witch.’

I looked around the memory, trying to see as much as possible. I could faintly make out two figures standing near the tree line, out of rage to snare the attention of the mob. Three more came, men, five. And I knew them. Simms, Perry, Danvers, Putnam, Garwin. I moved through the memory and saw their faces. My ancestors, the grief, the shame that they couldn’t risk their own secret for one child. The times were to troubled. ‘Addy! Addy please don’t let them…’ the scream chilled my blood and when I turned around it was to see the lovely young woman, engulfed in flames, screaming, crying please, for this Addy. Her lover.

Hot, it was so hot, we couldn’t breathe. Oh God, it burned! Why wasn’t he helping me? He was right there, why…

I was pushed out of the vision, torn away from it when someone jerked me off the ground. I came up gasping, flailing. “Cherish!” Dax. I reached for him but before I could even move, the wind rose, freezing, slashing at us angrily. I rolled over and made it as far as my knees before My father and Pogue stepped in front of me. My coven ringed around us from behind, the wolves shielding me with their sheer bulk.
‘How dare you, YOU come here!’ The voice was thick with rage. ‘You who cowered, to afraid to save a child of your kind!’
I coughed at the burning, acrid taste of smoke in my lungs. “Oh fuck off already, Jesus.”
‘Foolish little girl, you bring me power, I didn’t have to come to you after all.’

I felt another tug, felt myself being pulled, my power, my energy all sapping from me slowly, like water from a straw. Clouds turned black above us and the day darkened, giving the evil spirit more power to rise. “You want power, how bout this bitch?” I stood up and reached deep inside myself. “Powers of light.” A glow started on my skin, pulsing in my hands, “Magic of right.” I touched Tristan and the glow spread to him. He touched Riley, and Riley touched Peyton, around until each of my coven glowed brightly with my spell. The wind rose around us, howling, trying to rip the words away from me. “Go away, leave my sight. Cast this evil into blackest night.”

The glow of the power of my Coven was like a halogen spot light. It exploded out through the cemetery and a pissed off scream was all we heard before the wind died and the sky cleared. “Damn.” Riley said and punched the air triumphantly. “That was so awesome.” I sighed and swayed a little, right into Dom’s arms. “Easy. You okay?” I nodded and licked my lips. “Yeah, just a little drained. I felt like it was drinking off me, power, energy. Need a soda. Caffeine.”

Tristan was looking around with wide eyes. “When’d you start getting so wordy with the magic?” I shrugged, feeling some life seeping back into me from the pulsing heat of Dom’s body behind mine. “Just recently. Worked though huh?” My dad gave a little short laugh. “Sure did. Lets get the hell out of here.”