Blood Rush (The Lost Witch Trilogy #2) (3 page)

“Charlie Prescott,” Zane answered for her.

Francis’s eyes got big and she turned to look at Beatrice who looked gray all of a sudden. “You say
Charlie
is her name?”

Zane nodded his head, looking at his mother worriedly. “Yeah, I’m positive that’s her name.”

“Cold, abrasive feel to her? It’s probably nothing to worry about. I’ll look into it. I’ve been the only witch in this town for over eighteen years. It would be a very strange thing for a witch to be here without me knowing it, seeing it or sensing it,” Francis said, sounding affronted.

Agnes snorted and wiped off the counter. “We all get taken by surprise sometimes. That’s the truth. But I agree with Francis. Let’s not worry about it. We’ve got enough on our plates right now. Let’s just deal with one thing at a time.”

Sarah felt herself relax as Agnes smiled at her. “So what’s item number one?” she asked curiously.

“Setting the table. You’ll find the dishes right behind you in that cupboard,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Sarah laughed and pulled on the back of Zane’s shirt as he tried to escape the chore. “You’re not getting out of helping me. Come on.”

Zane laughed and pulled the plates out for her. They took the silver ware and plates into the large formal dining room and flipped on the lights. It was kind of dark, dusty and depressing. She’d much rather eat in the kitchen or in the breakfast room where she could look at the ocean but Agnes had pointed her this way. After they set the table, they walked back into the kitchen for the glassware and noticed Agnes, Gretchen, Francis and Beatrice had their heads together talking softly to themselves.

As they both grabbed water glasses, Sarah talked into Zane’s mind.
Get a load of them. What do you think they’re trying to hide from us?

Zane glanced over his shoulder and shrugged.
They’re probably going to look into that Charlie chick. If she is a witch, where’d she come from? It’s genetic so they’re probably trying to figure out who her parents are. Let them worry about it. I’m done thinking about her.

Sarah smiled and turned around to walk back towards the dining room and came face to face with her grandmother.

“Let Zane finish setting the table dear. Let’s you and I have a little tutorial on your power before dinner is ready.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise. “Can’t Zane come too? He might need lessons.”

Francis shook her head firmly. “Zane’s known he was a witch his whole life. He’s miles ahead of you. I don’t worry about your young man Sarah. You’re the one I’m worried about. Come on now, no lollygagging.”

Sarah waited for Francis to turn and walk away before she turned back and grinned at Zane. “
Lollygagging,
” she whispered with a giggle before running to catch up. She heard Zane’s soft laughter behind her and felt a warm energy hug before turning the corner to walk into the breakfast room.

“This is my favorite room in the house. I draw my power from energy and water and the closer I am to it, the stronger I feel. We each have our weaknesses and our strengths. So let’s talk about your strength right now. How do you control or access your power?”

Sarah trailed a hand across the golden leather of the couch in front of the fireplace. “I’m not really sure.
Um
,. . . I sort of talk to it sometimes. Like I can command it, at least that’s what I did when Lash’s dad attacked me. It didn’t work very well on him though. But when I’m feeling passionate about something, like I’m scared or mad or upset, then I feel more powerful, like it’s ripping through my body trying to get out. I honestly don’t know a whole lot about it.”

Francis nodded and sat down in a large ornamental chair that could not have been very comfortable. Sarah was glad when Francis motioned her to sit on the couch. “Not many people have that kind of power Sarah. It’s rare and it’s what every witch dreams of having. Your father has it. He seems to have grown into his power later in life though. He wasn’t half as powerful as you when he was your age. Which means, I assume, that with every year, you’ll become more and more powerful as well. Charles is a fool to try and obtain you now. If he even waited until you were say, thirty, your power would be an extraordinary beautiful thing. Which leads me to think he’s either scared you’ll be too powerful for him to bind if he waits any longer, or he needs your power right now for some horrific goal of his. It could even be a combination of the two. So we need to prepare you to be able to fight him off. If he ever gets the chance at you, that is.”

Sarah swallowed a mouthful of fear and looked away from her grandmother’s too bright eyes. “You almost make it sound as if it’s a given that he will.”

Francis cleared her throat and tapped her chin with a long pale finger. “You’re not a child anymore Sarah, so I’m not going to sugar coat this for you. We need to assume he will. If we lower our guard or underestimate him, we’re only putting your life at risk. You know that old saying,
If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear?
Fear is weakness Sarah. He can use that and manipulate that. Never, ever give in to fear. So let’s start. Charles’s power, his strength has always been mind control. He of course has the other abilities that most witches have, he can even manipulate energy at will, but his crowning jewel and his moral downfall has always been the power to make other people do what he wants them to. He started out just as good a boy as any boy I’ve ever known. But when he realized he had that power, he took advantage of it and it twisted him. His soul became darker and darker every time he manipulated someone for his own desires. He became addicted to power and now he’s a monster. He’s now more evil than he was ever good.”

Sarah grasped her cold hands together and wished she didn’t feel so scared. But she did and lying to herself wouldn’t make it go away.

“He’s your grandson, just like my father. What happened to his family? What happened to my dad’s family?”

Francis’s face pinched into an expression of such absolute pain and agony that Sarah’s mouth opened in surprise and concern. She stood up to go to her grandmother, but Francis held her hand up and whisked her away. Sarah slowly lowered herself back onto the couch as Francis tried valiantly to school her emotions.

“Charles killed them all of course. And if you don’t want the same to happen to you and your father and the people you love, you’ll listen very carefully to me and you’ll do everything I tell you to. Because if Charles is successful in obtaining you, then I pity this world, because your power combined with his would be a thought more horrifying than hell.”

Sarah bit her lip and felt a cold shiver slither down her spine. She looked away from her grandmother’s piercing gaze and shook her head. “I just want this to all go away. I want to be a normal girl, with a normal family with a normal life. I don’t want this. I’d give up my power in a second if I could just be normal and safe,” she whispered brokenly.

Francis slapped her hand on the wooden arm rest of her chair and looked angry. “You have a gift young woman! How dare you wish it away. You’ve been given this gift by God, for a reason and for you to bow down and wish it away at the first hint of opposition is shameful. Shame on you Sarah.”

Sarah’s head whipped up and she glared at her grandmother. “Shame on me? How dare
you
judge
me
,” she hissed, feeling spurts of energy pop through her veins. “Do you even know one thing about me or my life except who my father is? If I want to wish for a normal life, I think I have that right.”

Francis looked at her speculatively and leaned back in the chair. “Anger suits you. I’d rather you have constant access to your energy, but the anger will work, especially if Charles attacks you or someone you love. You could fry me right now, this very instant, couldn’t you?” she said with a small smile.

Sarah flexed her fingers and looked away as she rubbed her arms. “Let’s just get on with the lesson. What did you want to teach me?” she asked, glancing at the cold fall sky and knowing she’d probably need to go running now.

Francis tilted her head and smiled as if she had read her thoughts. Sarah frowned and threw up an energy field around herself. She didn’t like anyone walking through her mind without permission. And Francis Livingston, grandmother or not, did not have permission.

“You’ve just introduced the first lesson. Protection. You can use your energy as a weapon, you can use it to heal and you can use it to protect yourself. Did you even feel me inside your mind Sarah? I was there. I heard your thoughts about needing to go running. I heard every thought you’ve had for the last fifteen minutes. If I can do it, then so can Charles. And if he has access to your mind, not only can he hear, but he can control and without you even knowing he’s doing it. You’ll think the things you do will be your own ideas. He’s so subtle, so crafty and slick that he can have you doing his bidding without you even knowing it. We can’t have that. You can’t allow that to happen.”

Sarah shivered again and massaged her forehead as she felt a head ache coming on. “If I don’t know it’s happening, then how can I stop it? Sure I can throw up a field of protection, but I can’t just walk around all day like that. I used to, and it was exhausting and it power slapped everyone I came in contact with.”

Francis nodded her head. “I’m going to teach you to know immediately when someone walks uninvited into your mind. That headache you’re feeling right now? That’s a symptom. But that won’t help you. You need to know immediately and then have the strength to shove him out. Sarah, if you even have a suspicion that Charles is anywhere around you, you keep your shield up and you keep it strong. He won’t be able to break through unless you let him.”

Sarah nodded her head. “Okay, that makes sense. So how can I tell?”

Francis smiled and looked at her and spoke into her mind
. Did you feel that little blip? Almost like a speed bump feel? It’s very soft and very subtle. If you’re busy doing something, like watching a movie or talking to someone or even eating lunch you might not notice. We need you to learn to notice no matter what you’re doing.

Sarah frowned as her head ache grew stronger. “Okay, pull out and we’ll try again.”

Francis looked down at her manicure and then glanced up. “Did you enjoy school today Sarah?”

Sarah frowned and closed her eyes ignoring the question, knowing automatically it was a smoke screen. She felt a little pulse of energy, so tiny she would have never noticed if she wasn’t looking for it.

“Gotcha,” she said softly, smiling at her grandmother.

Francis smiled proudly at her. “Excellent. Now how are you going to rid of me?”

Sarah frowned. “I have no idea. Just tell me how.”

Francis smoothed her pants and crossed her legs. “No. I want to see if you can do it instinctively first. Go on. Push me out Sarah.”

Sarah glared at her grandmother, feeling irritation at her teaching methods. She closed her eyes and thought the words,
Get Out,
fiercely.

She opened her eyes as she heard her grandmother gasp. She stared curiously as Francis reached up a shaking hand and touched her temple.

“What did you do? Wait, no, don’t tell me. If I don’t know, then Charles won’t be able to get it out of me, if it comes to that. You’ll be pleased to know that you passed your first test with flying colors,” she said, sounding weak and faint.

Sarah looked at her in concern. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” she asked, feeling guilty and mean.

Francis held up her hand. “No. You didn’t hurt me. But I’ve never been flung so quickly and so powerfully somewhere I wasn’t planning on taking myself. That headache you felt when I was inside your mind? That’s kind of what I’m feeling right now, with a touch of mental vertigo.”

Sarah relaxed back into her chair and frowned. “Oh, well, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough with you. I’ve never done that before though. I’ve never had to.”

Francis smiled and ran her hands over her hair as if she had been through a wind storm.

“I’m impressed. Please don’t apologize. But I need to work with you more so you can tell no matter what you’re doing. During dinner, we’ll be talking and eating. A perfect chance to test you. I’ll attempt to enter your mind a few times. Instead of doing what you just did to remove me, just tap your finger three times on your glass and I’ll leave on my own accord.”

Sarah nodded her head. “Okay, that sounds good. I wish I understood more about this mind entering stuff. I talk to Zane all the time, mind to mind. Does that mean he’s in my mind and I’m in his? Like he could control me or I could control him?” she asked curiously, with a small amount of dread.

Francis shook her head and stood up. “No. That dark gift is Charles’s. Not yours. Mind speaking is different than mind control. But they do use the same channels. Come, let’s go see if dinner’s ready.”

Sarah followed her grandmother out of the room and down the hall and felt empowered by the lesson, but more worried than ever about Charles Langford. This man, who was determined to have her, was not someone she ever wanted to meet.

Chapter 4 - A Hot Mess

Sarah sat next to Zane and across from Lash. Her father sat on her other side and her Grandmother sat at the head of the table. Gretchen and Agnes sat across from them too with Beatrice at the foot of the table.

Sarah felt Zane touch her foot with his and relaxed a little. She glanced quickly over at him and smiled up into his silvery gray eyes. If he wasn’t here with her, she would be completely miserable. Zane read the expression in her eyes and he leaned towards her. Sarah’s eyes widened and she shook her head slightly.

Zane’s eyes narrowed at her and he spoke into her mind.
Why are you so shy about me touching you or kissing you in front of people?

Sarah felt a speed bump enter her mind and she quickly reached across her place setting and lifted her water glass, tapping her finger on the edge three times. She looked at her grandmother who smiled at her and nodded at her. Sarah immediately felt a small amount of energy leave and she sighed in relief.