The Witch’s Daughter (44 page)

For a moment nothing happened; then the water began to turn as in a whirlpool. Round and round it went until the surface shimmered and pulsated. Then, atop the vortex, a face could be discerned. Ian’s appealing features swam into view. Just as they had formed, they began to change. First, they darkened, became more angular, still handsome but most definitely altered. I recognized the face at once as that of Gideon. Then the face distorted, changing again. Tegan began to cry loudly. While we watched, the features melted into the water and then re-formed into a hideous, terrifying visage. It was a face from a nightmare. A demon. A monster.

Tegan got up, staggering backward, her hands over her eyes. I went after her and caught her up in my arms.

‘Shhh, there now,’ I said. ‘It’s all right. It’s gone. It’s gone.’

‘It
has,’ she sobbed, pointing a shaking finger toward the reflection in the pool, ‘but
he
hasn’t.’ She looked at me directly now, her expression desperate. ‘He hasn’t, has he? He is still here.’

She sees plainly now what I have known in my heart all along. What the pool has shown us is the true nature of the man Tegan had fallen in love with. He may give the outward appearance of a gentle young drifter, but there is something very rotten hiding behind those pretty eyes. And that thing will do Tegan great harm if I do not stop it.

I nodded at Tegan, slowly. ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘he is still there. And you and I are going to do something about that, aren’t we? Together.’

OCTOBER 14—DARK OF THE MOON.

We have talked at some length of what must be done. I recognized that Tegan needed a little time to digest the events of the other night. I told her to stay at home, claim a cold or some such to avoid having to see Gideon, to give her time to accept there is no such person as Ian, and to simply allow herself a brief moment of adjustment. It is not every day one’s entire system of beliefs and understanding of the way the world works is turned on its head. She is young and often impulsive, but she has a good soul and a kind heart. She knows, deep down, what is right and what is wrong. She knows also that Gideon will have to be dealt with, once and for all time. She was appalled at the thought of spending time in his company and unsure if she could feign affection and normality in his presence. I told her she must. To arouse his suspicions now, before we are ready, would be highly dangerous. She can avoid him only so far. Beyond that, she must stall him. My hope is that we are able to maintain the pretense until the All Hallow Eve. There is much to do and I must prepare. The auspicious date I am sure will be of great help. It is a day when departed spirits are near at hand, and I will have need of them. Although All Hallows is a night for remembering and communing with the dead, it is not, contrary to popular myth, a time for darkness or fear of death. I must also find a way to bring about the confrontation on blessed ground. I am under no illusions—Gideon’s power far exceeds my own. I must use everything at my disposal if I am to defeat him. There is a place near here that will serve our purposes well. It is fitting that we should return to it, Gideon and I, at last. I know I have been putting off revisiting the spot where it all began, where I, Elizabeth Hawksmith, witch, began my long, singular journey. No doubt the area will have undergone changes, but the woodland itself is protected and still stands, albeit smaller. There is a timelessness in the trees.

We have been much occupied with readying ourselves for the battle ahead. I have had to move Tegan’s instruction forward at an unseemly pace, but necessity dictates speed. To begin, we followed a week of rituals, each bound to the traits and strength of the given day. We made particular effort with our incantations and spell casting on the Tuesday, this being the day for addressing the resisting of negative spells. It is hard enough for Tegan to have broken the thrall of love; I must do my utmost to free her from Gideon’s darker hold. At the week’s end, I consecrated two charms—a silver pentagon for myself, to aid my own magic, and an amethyst for Tegan. This stone is linked with the Sabbat of Samhain, and will help protect her.

Yesterday I asked Tegan to stay for the night so that we could perform rituals and prayers to weaken Gideon. She was keen to take part, but I sensed a nervousness as we walked toward the copse. It was a coal-black night, and she carried her candle low so that I could not read the expression on her face. The querulous note in her voice, however, gave her away.

‘Will he be able to hear us?’ she asked.

‘Hear us?’

‘When we’re chanting. I don’t mean hear our voices, but, well, you know, pick up what we are saying somehow. What we are doing.’

We had reached the center of the copse, and she set down the bundle of things I had given her to carry.

‘All magic sends out signals,’ I told her. ‘So yes, he will be aware of our … activity.’

‘But will he know it’s aimed at him? At weakening him?’

I could see she sought reassurance, but honesty was imperative if I was to maintain her trust.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘He will very quickly see precisely what we are about.’

‘Isn’t that going to be dangerous? Won’t he try to stop us?’

‘Knowing Gideon as I do, I suspect he will merely be amused.’

‘What? He’ll laugh at us?’

‘At our attempts to in some way threaten him, yes.’

Tegan gave a derisory snort. ‘Bloody marvelous! That
creature
has got me terrified half out of my mind, and he thinks that’s funny.’ She was cross now, and I was pleased to see it. She stomped about, lighting the fire, muttering insults.

‘Let him laugh,’ I said. ‘Better he does not consider us a real danger. That way we can continue to summon all the help we might find without him stopping us. Here, add these bay leaves to the fire. Then come over to the stone altar. It should be you who writes his name on the parchment.’

‘Why me? You’re the one he’s been stalking for centuries, not me.’

‘There is strength in unity, Tegan. The greater part you take in these proceedings, the better we work together, the more effective we will be.’

She stooped over the low stone and scratched the word
Gideon
onto the rough creamy surface of the parchment.

‘Good. Now roll it up and come and stand beside me close to the fire. First, I will say a prayer to speak to the departed, to aid those who might linger between worlds. If I help them to find their true home, they may help us when our moment comes. After that, we will consign your writing to the flames.’

I closed my eyes and focused on the stirring magic within me. The late autumn air was chill but calm. An owl screeched encouragement from the oak tree behind me. Tiny voices whispered from myriad unseen beings. I held my arms open to the fire and began to chant,

O flame that burns glory bright

Be a beacon on this quiet night

Light the path for all the Dead

That they may see the way ahead

Lead them to the Summerland

And shine till Pan comes to take their hands

And with Your light, bring them peace

That they may rest and sleep with ease.

I moved my hands and blue flames joined the scarlet and the orange, then yellow and green too. Tegan gasped.

‘Step closer,’ I told her. I raised my voice again,

Cleansing inferno, take this name upon this advent of Samhain. Feed on the strength it bears, claim it for your own. Take from our foe and give to us you power.

I indicated to Tegan that the moment had come. She raised the parchment, holding it high for a moment before throwing it onto the fire. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, with alarming ferocity, the flames leaped skyward, the blaze so intense it lit up the heavens and forced us both to stagger backward.

‘Hold fast!’ I grabbed Tegan’s arm. ‘We must stand our ground.’

She cried out, turning her face away from the source of the heat, shielding her eyes with her arm. ‘We’ll be burned!’

‘No! We must not retreat!’ Even as I spoke, I could smell singeing hair. The whole night had been illuminated by the fire so that the brightness as much as the temperature became painful. Tegan let out a scream of terror. I took my athame from my belt and held it aloft. ‘We will prevail!’ I shouted into the maelstrom.

At once, everything was silent. The blaze vanished, leaving only smoldering embers. Soothing darkness returned. The moment passed.

Tegan dared to look around her once more. When she met my gaze, I saw a mixture of awe and fear. I knew what she was thinking. If this was a tiny fraction of Gideon’s rage and power, what chance would we have when we finally faced him?

OCTOBER 18—THIRD QUARTER

I have been pleasantly surprised by Tegan’s resilience. She herself admits to being a little uncomfortable at how easily she is able to lie when she needs to. I tell her it is for a righteous cause. She has been inventive and resourceful in finding ways to avoid any more contact with Ian than she can stand. I noticed yesterday that she has made the transition from fear to anger. This is a crucial step, which has lent her great strength, every bit of which she will need in the coming days.

OCTOBER 26—GIBBOUS MOON

Our preparations are nearing an end. I kept vigil at my shrine two nights ago, making small offerings and praying to anyone who might listen. I asked the Goddess for her help. I am going to need it. I am fearful for Tegan. I must not fail her. Whatever happens, I will not allow her to become another of Gideon’s victims in his pursuit of me. There has been enough dying. Enough heartbreak. Enough killing. It ends now.

NOVEMBER 1

It feels weird, writing in someone else’s diary, but I think it is what Elizabeth wanted me to do. Someone has got to write down what happened, and nobody else is going to do it, are they? I still can’t believe that what went down last night
really
happened. Every minute of it is sharp in my head, but it’s too mad. It’s too much to take in.

I persuaded Gideon to take me to the woods like Elizabeth told me. I can’t think of him as Ian anymore. I’d hate myself if I did. So, we went on his bike, took a rucksack with some food and a few beers. I told him I’d heard it was a really spooky place, great for Halloween. We could camp there all night. And Gideon was cool with the idea. Did he suspect? Did he know it was a trap? Maybe it was what he wanted. Beats me. Point was, he agreed to go and didn’t ask too many awkward questions. We must have got there about eight. The woods were much bigger than I’d expected. I thought, oh my God, how am I supposed to take him to the right spot? But it was like he knew where to go. Took us straight to it.

We got the bike in quite a long way, then walked a bit. It was seriously spooky. Really, really still. Silent. We had a torch and a paraffin lamp from the boat. We got to this sort of clearing. About the size of a football field. Lots of brambles and nettles but no trees. Just a few stumps. It was weird, all these tall trees around, oaks and beech—Elizabeth taught me which was which. There was this seriously uncool vibe. I tried to keep it light, opened a couple of bottles and sat down with the food, but I could tell he was really affected by the place. Elizabeth said he would be. She said he knew it from long, long ago. I think, now that I’ve seen it, I know what she was talking about. There was no house, but there could have been once. And the clearing and the stumps? It looked a lot like I had imagined when she told me about Bess. In the woods. With Gideon.

‘Do you want a beer?’ I asked him. The way he was pacing about was just making me even more nervous.

For a moment, he didn’t seem to hear me, then he turned and smiled.

‘Sure, why not?’ he said, as he sat down beside me.

I handed him a bottle and he held his hand over mine as he took it. I had to make myself let him, when all I really wanted to do was pull away.

‘Lovely Tegan,’ he said. ‘So young. So sweet.’

‘This is a great place. All this fresh air is giving me an appetite.’ I withdrew my hand so that I could dig in the rucksack for food. ‘I’m going to have a sandwich, d’you want one?’

‘Maybe later.’ He gently took the bag from me and set it down. He held my hand, stroking my palm with his thumb. With his other hand, he brushed my hair from my face. He seemed to be searching my expression, studying me. I felt his fingers stroke my cheek and then travel down my throat. He leaned forward and kissed me, soft and slow. I shuddered—I couldn’t help myself. If he noticed, he didn’t show it. He let his hand wander down and started undoing the zip on my jacket. ‘It’s been a while,’ he whispered, never for a second taking his eyes off my face, watching my reaction.

Oh God,
I thought,
I can’t! I just can’t.

‘I’ve been busy,’ I said lamely.

‘But now we’re here. Just the two of us. In this lovely place.’ He kissed me again, harder this time.

‘Wait,’ I said, wriggling away.

‘Wait?’

‘I mean, it’s early. Let’s have a drink. Help us relax a bit.’

‘Aren’t you relaxed with me, Tegan? What’s making you so nervous?’

I couldn’t think of anything to say. It was as if he was looking right into me, reading everything I was thinking. As if he was just playing with me now, enjoying my suffering.

Then, suddenly, Elizabeth was there. Standing behind him. I never heard her come, never noticed the slightest movement, but there she was. She looked amazing. I had never seen her looking like that. Never seen anyone looking like that. She was wearing this green dress, long, with a raggedy hem with gold braid, and the same sort of thing going on with the sleeves. Her hair was loose—I never knew it was that long. It sort of blew about like there was a wind, but there wasn’t. It was completely still. Not a leaf moved. She glowed. All of her just glowed. Like she was lit up from inside. She was like a goddess of the woods. She had her staff with her. And a knife in her belt, the black-handled one.

Gideon knew she was behind him. His expression changed. He didn’t look round, but he knew all right. He stood up really slowly. Then he smiled and blew me a kiss. Bastard! Like he was reminding me what we’d done. What I’d let him do. Then he began to change. Made my skin crawl to watch, but I couldn’t look away. Soon he was the Gideon I had seen in the pool, all dark hair and seductive eyes. Nothing left of my Ian. Gone. Completely gone. He turned his back on me. Elizabeth didn’t flinch when she saw his face—she must have been expecting it.