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Eli ignored him. “Villagers were hunting, butchering anyone they believed to be a witch, they became so obsessed with finding us that they killed innocents. If you took a breath and they thought that you did it wrong, they would declare you a witch. It was that simple, and you didn’t have a hope of being found innocent.”

Eli stalled, his head was in another time and place. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

“Thanks for the history lesson,” he said and flashed a smile even though his stomach was swirling with some unknown tension. “But I really don't understand why I should pay attention to this?”

“Jack,
that was
your
history. There were two main families who lived in this village, one family is your own. Your mother is Anne Whittle and she died in 1612 leaving a seventeen year old boy-”

“What?” It wasn’t true.

“She left you; she didn’t have any other option.”

“It isn't true.”

“It is. You have your mother's power.”

He knew about the power, had felt it within his body, stretching and yawning. He'd known this, had hurriedly accepted he had powers but had refused to acknowledge the link. Power didn't just come into being. It was passed down.

“You’re a witch, it's as simple as that. I’ve told you this before but now you will have to believe me.”

Eli had told him a little less than a year ago that he was a witch and that one day he’d have powers that he would later explain. He had ignored him believing he was living with a man who had a loose wire in his head.

“Powerful witches go through a change. When you witnessed the death of your mother you went through your change. The country wasn’t safe at that time, witches were being tortured and I knew you would seek revenge. I couldn’t let you so I agreed it was for the best that your power was suppressed and your memories taken from you. It was best that you didn’t remember your past. I wanted to give you a shot at a normal life. ”

Jack inhaled deeply and then held the air in his lungs. He had watched his mother die?  Exhaling, he took deeper breaths trying to clear his head.

“I was there too,” Eli spoke. “I was hiding in the shadows to make sure they didn't take you, that was my job. I hope that one day your memories come back to you so you can see what happened that day.”

“Why don't I remember anything? Who did this to me?”

“Tabitha, the witch at the shop-”

“I knew it!” he shouted, “she looks like the type to go meddling in people’s business!”

“As I was saying, Tabitha was also involved in the witch trials. Her best friend was Alizon Device who has a daughter.” Eli held his finger in front of him signalling that he should remain quiet.

Jack knew who it was. The pieces of the puzzles were falling into place.

“You and Alizon’s daughter were at high risk at the time of these trials. Sons and daughters of witches were often taken and killed, they believed the devil would jump from the mother to their children. It was a miracle you were both able to escape. Once you’d witnessed the...” He shook his head and sighed. “You were both adamant that you wanted to be there at the end and we couldn't deny you the chance to say goodbye. Once it was over, Tabitha took you both into hiding.

             
“
Since that day you were placed in a family in which the relatives over the centuries have watched over you. Tabitha continued to do a spell on both of you every year or so to keep your past hidden from yourselves and from others. I'm not sure if or when your powers would have shown themselves. I was pre-warned by Tabitha that your power may never develop because we'd manipulated it and stalled your body doing what it should naturally. Until this moment Tabitha has remained neutral for the safety of you both.  No one knew about this arrangement other than the two families. It was just the Thomas family for you, Jack, and the Hunt family for Cora, Tabitha, the coven members and I.”

He now knew the name of the most irritating girl he’d ever had the non pleasure of meeting. She was the reason behind his family’s demise.

“So, what you’re saying is that my powers somehow barged past Tabitha's spell because I met
Cora?”

“I believe so.
”

The room was silent as they both lost themselves in thought.

“So there is no way of gaining my memories back with another type of spell?”

“That process is too difficult, the result could be disastrous. We didn’t want to risk it.”

“Right.”

“We need to prepare you and your powers so we can face whatever is thrown our way,” Eli urged.

“My powers are just fine,” he sang.

             
To prove it, he jumped off the sofa and ignored the way his head throbbed. His element respond instantly and he found himself levitating a few feet off the floor. His concentration lapsed, his legs collapsed beneath him as his body hit solid ground. He hissed as the pain in his body intensified.

“I need to work on the landing,” he smiled as he slowly stood up. “What do I need to know? How do I deal with Cora?” He had a feeling she would need to be dealt with. How else was this going to be resolved?

Eli shot him a stern look as he left the room only for him to return moments later holding some sort of book which was the size of his chest.

“This is your family book, however, what I do know without looking in this book is how to handle her.”

“How?”

Eli placed the book on the coffee table and looked at him. “You need to meet with her and sort the problem out.”

Something in Eli’s tone didn’t suggest sitting down with Cora and having tea and biscuits. “When you say sort the problem, do you mean like fight?”

“Yes.”

“Right, I don’t know if this will work. We’ve had some sort of thing that has happened between us and that hasn’t worked. It always ends with one of us running off or blacking out.”

“Well, we will control the fight. One way or the other, it will end.”

             
That could only mean one thing and that wasn't something he'd considered, ever. Yes, the girl irritated him, there was some emotion that seemed to surge through his body whenever he was in her presence. He couldn’t understand during clear moments like this why he felt the way he did but those moments evaporated when he stood in front of her. The pain she’d inflicted on him wasn't something he looked forward to either. But to actually kill her? Could he kill another human being?

             
Her family had sent his to be murdered. They had died and he had lost a mother because of her. Within the space of days they had fought and both times he had walked away with some injury. He couldn't believe he was thinking about this. But in the great scheme of things he had only two choices, kill or be killed.

“For the record I don't condone killing people. It's not in my nature to hurt people, that would turn me into something like
him
, and he made my life miserable. But when I see her or think of her I get such a rush of emotion too difficult to control or understand. I can't live in this village, walk around this village whilst she does.”

“We could move?” Eli suggested.

“Why should we? I lived here first, she should move. No, you're right,” he sighed as he pushed his hand through his hair.  “We have only one option.”

“Right, then you will need the help of your coven.”

             
Eli grabbed the phone on his way out of the room leaving him, several tidal waves of regret, worry and concern washed over him. He'd either agreed to do something that would save his life or it would kill another human being. It wasn’t a decision that sat happily in his stomach but what else could he do? This fight, this anger appeared to be hundreds of years old, he was seventeen. This was far beyond anything he could manage.

Chapter 12

FAMILY

Blocking out Eli's muffled voice from the kitchen, Jack sat brushing off the layer of dust on the book to reveal
Chattox
. The letters had a flowing, calligraphy feel to them. He opened the book and found the beginnings of a family tree.

             
Names he didn’t know curved in several directions creating branches. Turning the page, he found his name, a short branch born from another slightly bigger branch. He followed the sweeping name.  His mother’s name. He felt his heart painfully tighten for someone he would never know. Opposite his mother's was another large branch that was also connected to his. The name was illegible. He followed the curves and sweeps. He gasped as his finger followed another smaller branch, the letters read Anne Redfern. Their names connected with one single flowing branch.

“Eli!” he shouted, “Eli, get in here!”

Eli walked into the room with the phone placed against his chest. “What’s wrong?” he hissed.

“I have a sister!?” He waited for Eli to tell him he was wrong.

It didn’t come. 

Eli mumbled something into the phone and sat on the sofa. “This is a very difficult thing to talk about,” he sighed, “but I will try to tell you everything, please bear with me.”

“You should have already told me everything.”

“I know....” Eli took some deep breaths. “Your sister, Anne, was a funny, caring woman who loved with her whole heart. She had the same deep rich brown hair as you, the same eyes, you both inherited those eyes from your mother. The witch trials were a mass of confusion and Anne was taken. Your mother was also taken but then Anne came back, I believe they’d found new evidence condemning someone else so she was released.  She believed that she was acquitted but they came for her again just before she was about to leave. This time they declared her guilty of witchcraft.”

He pushed aside the sting of tears. He wouldn’t cry. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you because...  it was such a painful time for everyone...” Eli stumbled with his words.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Eli had placed his head in his hands.
The hairs on his neck
stood to attention
preparing him for something more.
The seconds slowed as he waited for an answer.  Eli’s eyes finally found his and to Jack’s horror he noticed the tears.

“Jack, I was married to Anne. She’s the love of my life.” Eli wiped his face. “It crushed me when she was murdered, I’ve never felt pain like that. In that one second I lost the one person who completed me, the one person who understood me. I went that day to see her, I couldn't show myself for fear that they would take me. They presumed marital spouses were also witches. Their presumptions were right. She had this iron brace around her neck. Oh God, the blood.” He looked down at his hands like he could see the blood there.  “I would have done anything to take her place that day, to die instead of her. It wasn't her time, she had so much to give, but I couldn't change it. I stood and watched the person I love murdered right in front of my eyes. It was agreed before she was snatched that I was to look after you and if I'd saved her then you would have been left alone.”

A wave of pity and guilt crashed over him.

“The crowds spat and shouted at them. It took every ounce of strength I had not to retaliate. I looked at Alizon Device who stood on the same platform as my wife, the overwhelming anger I felt pushed me to step into the crowd, Alizon needed to pay for what she’d done. The moment I felt at my weakest with my hands fisted ready to pummel someone was the moment Anne’s eyes found me. She smiled at me and she'd never looked more beautiful. From the first moment I met her, her bright smile grabbed my heart and has never let go. In the final seconds her lips moved and uttered three words that broke my heart. Then she closed her eyes.” Eli took another deep shuddering breath wiping the rest of his face and then he looked at him.

“Jack, I’m your brother in law.”

Jack’s heart had stopped beating. He felt the burn behind his eyes and the restriction in his throat.

“So, you went through the change. How old are you?”

“I am twenty seven years old. I’ve been twenty seven since 1612. I'm not an extremely powerful witch because my mother married a commoner, she fell in love, she loved breaking the law,” he smiled. 

Jack felt the weight of the world drop on his shoulders. He scrubbed his closed eyes. He needed this day to end and for everything to go away. “My dad, who was he?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Was it bad that he felt happy about not knowing the name of another loved one? Two names weighed heavily on his heart.

             
As the sun lowered in the sky, a soft pink
hue danced across the wall and was quickly followed by the harsh cold blue of the approaching night. Neither of them stood to turn on a light.  A soft tapping at the door forced Eli to stand.

“Jack, we’re going to have our first coven meeting.”