The Witches of Glass Castle: Uprising (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 2) (14 page)

She blinked, dazed but awake now.

Jonathan stared back at her, his pale eyes riddled with concern.

‘You’re sleep walking,’ he told Mia, gripping her shoulders with both hands and shaking her.

‘No,’ Mia mumbled. ‘Let me go. I have to go to him.’

Jonathan’s eyebrows drew together. ‘Go where? Mia, you’re dreaming.’

‘N-no...’ she stuttered, her own voice finally breaking through her haze.

She looked around, abruptly aware that she was downstairs by the castle entrance in the dead of night. Her mind grew fuzzy.

‘I...I was...Why am I here?’ she managed.

Everything was a blur now.

‘You were sleep walking,’ Jonathan explained.

‘Oh. I was?’ her voice echoed eerily in the corridor.

There was something she needed to recall, she was sure of it. A feeling? A voice?

‘Unless...’ Jonathan squinted and peered into Mia’s grey eyes. ‘A Hunter hasn’t taken your blood, have they?’

By Hunter, Mia knew he was referring to Colt. She winced.

‘No,’ she scoffed, looking down at the floor. ‘Of course not.’

Jonathan reached out and took hold of her hand. ‘Have you ever heard of a Hunter ritual called Enticement?’

She swallowed.

‘Because what I saw just then looked a lot like—’

‘I’m sorry, Jonathan,’ Mia interrupted, pulling her hand free. ‘I have to go to bed. Sorry for waking you.’ She turned and ran up the staircase.

‘That’s okay!’ he called after her. ‘I was awake anyway!’

But his words were lost on Mia. She wasn’t listening. All she could think about was the memory of scraping her finger on the ragged stone in the wall crevice. And Colt’s lips brushing across the broken skin.

She felt sick as the realisation dawned on her.

Colt had cast an Enticement over her.

Hunter Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Colt paced agitatedly along the border of the pine forest. This wasn’t his usual border. No, that was several miles south. This was new territory, beyond the sanctuary of the castle grounds. His quick, restless strides cut ribbons through the thick layer of mist he’d created for himself.

Colt looked up to the sky. A haze of purple fog shrouded the full moon. Dark magic was afoot.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard the crunch of fallen leaves. Someone was approaching.

‘It’s about time,’ he muttered under his breath.

The newcomer emerged, battling through the opaque vapours and coughing deliberately in a show of displeasure.

‘What’s with all the mist, brother?’ Siren asked, appearing before Colt. ‘Theatrics? On your head be it if I develop respiration problems after this infernal visit.’

‘Oh, it’s you,’ Colt noted in disappointment.

‘You were expecting a lady friend?’ Siren acted surprised. ‘How gauche.’

Colt rolled his eyes. ‘Fantastic. Go ahead, laugh at my expense! I’m glad my banishment is so amusing to you.’

Siren waved his arm, distractedly batting away mist. ‘Seriously, Colt, is this really necessary? It’s going a little overboard, wouldn’t you say?’

‘
You
try being stuck out here all night! Brewing this has been the only thing keeping me sane. It has become my only comfort in these trying times.’

It was Siren’s turn to roll his eyes. ‘Enough with the dramatics already. It’s only been a few hours.’ He coughed again. ‘Potent,’ he remarked, tasting the enchanted air. ‘What’s the charm on it?’
Colt toyed with the mist, winding his hand through the grey vapours. ‘When breathed in by unwelcome visitors, it’ll summon an illusion of their deepest fears.’

‘Dark,’ Siren mused.

Colt shrugged. ‘Since you’re here, I will need a small favour.’

Siren grimaced. ‘That depends on what it is. I don’t want to end up with the same fate as you.’

‘You mean underappreciated by those Arcana nitwits?’

‘I mean exiled and’—Siren frowned at the mist between them—‘impractical.’

‘I need you to bring her to me,’ said Colt without missing a beat.

‘Her?’

‘Mia,’ Colt clarified. ‘Bring her here. Preferably in one piece. I tried to call her with an Enticement, but she resisted somehow. Maybe I shouldn’t have imparted so much knowledge and wisdom on her,’ he mused. ‘So just see that she makes it next time, okay?’

Siren cleared his throat. ‘Forgive me for stating the obvious, brother, but if you go ahead with this, the consequences will be dire. Are you sure you want to do this?’

Colt held his palms skyward. ‘What consequences could be worse than this?’

‘But...to kill the Arcana girl for the Arx?’

Colt staggered backwards. ‘Has everyone lost their minds today?’

Siren blinked, confused.

‘Why would I kill her?’ Colt ranted on. ‘I don’t covet the immunity of the Arx! I would be bored to tears without the chance of a little death here and there.’

‘Oh.’ Siren pondered it. ‘The evidence is certainly stacked against you.’

Colt laughed in disbelief. ‘Little brother, after nearly two decades together, don’t you know me at all? Do you honestly suspect that I’m the one behind this?’

Siren knit his brow in thought. ‘No,’ he said finally. ‘You’re not patient enough to pull off underhanded and scheming. You’re more of a look-at-me-and-all-I-can-do type of challenger.’

Colt raised his chin proudly.

‘Although,’ Siren deliberated, ‘if you’re telling the truth, then why steal the book? A spot of light reading?’

‘I was guarding it!’ Colt cried, exasperated. ‘I appointed it into my care because no one else is able to protect it as well as I can.’

‘Look-at-me-and-all-I-can-do,’ Siren teased.

‘Yes,’ Colt sighed. ‘But there’s not a lot I can do from out here, is there?’

There was a pause as Siren considered his words. ‘And how, exactly, is me bringing you the girl going to help?’ he asked at last.

‘I just...I just need to see her, that’s all,’ Colt said vaguely.

Siren’s eyes shone with understanding. ‘For a tryst? How trite.’

Colt narrowed his eyes. ‘Well, obviously it would be better if you could get me back in.’

Siren snorted. ‘Even if I
could
sneak you back in, they’d kill us both on sight!’

Colt pressed his knuckles to his mouth, debating silently. ‘Surely Wendolyn will hear me out,’ he mused. ‘What has she said?’

Siren’s black eyes flickered to the unfamiliar treetops. ‘Wendolyn is unconscious. The fever has taken hold over the last few hours. It’s worse than we thought.’

Colt’s heart gave a thud. ‘Will she recover?’ he asked, hoping that Siren wouldn’t detect the vulnerability in his voice.

‘I would imagine so. It’s just a fever, after all.’

Colt sighed. ‘All right. Forget about getting me back in—for now, at least. Just help me get the book out. The girl and the book. That’s all I need.’

‘And if it’s
you
who’s lost his mind?’ Siren considered. ‘What if this is all part of some clever deception and you’re just using me as a pawn?’

Colt fixed him with a steely stare. ‘Does it matter, brother?’

Siren relented, smiling wryly. ‘No,’ he submitted. ‘No, I suppose it doesn’t.’

* * *

When Siren returned to the castle, it was still night time. Only his own footsteps could be heard as he paced across the courtyard. If anyone knew he’d been to see Colt, he’d be a traitor, and probably suspected of being an accessory to Colt’s crime—or
alleged
crime.

The allegations seemed unlikely to Siren, but stranger things had happened. If a Hunter went rogue, there was no telling what lengths he would go to in his quest for power. If Colt was covering up his true intent, he was certainly fooling Siren.

But, as Colt had said, did it really matter? Siren had no allegiance to Mia and the Arcana. He was a Hunter, and as such, his allegiance was to his coven. To Colt.

Perhaps I must be loyal to Wendolyn, too
, he supposed. After all, she had taken him in and raised him from a toddler, just as she had done for all of them—Colt, Siren, and their fallen brothers, Lotan and Roc. The four Hunters had grown up together. They’d been a family... Until Tol and his henchmen came along and destroyed everything, murdering Lotan and Roc in cold blood.

After that, only Siren and Colt remained. Talon and Finn arrived soon after, recruited from a colony of Hunters in the north. They were tolerable enough, Siren supposed, but they were young and new, and not his brothers yet. Perhaps they never would be.

In his world, he only had Colt.

He opened the castle door and slipped inside. He would do his duty. When Colt called the girl to him, Siren would make sure she went this time.

‘Siren!’ came a hushed voice from inside the castle vestibule.

He tasted the air.
Arcana
, he deuced. Using his Sententia power, he detected the emotions of the boy.
Nervous
. He could work with that.

Jonathan stepped into the candlelight.

‘I’m here to take over the watch,’ Siren improvised. ‘You can retire to your chamber now.’

‘That’s okay,’ Jonathan declined, fumbling over his words. ‘I’m awake, anyway. I might as well help you stand guard.’

Siren almost laughed at the notion of Jonathan helping him with anything.
Get lost, little boy
, he thought irritably. He tried to remember how Arcana talked amongst themselves. ‘Your offer, though appreciated, is not necessary,’ he strung together calmly. ‘You are free to go.’

‘There’s really no point,’ Jonathan replied. ‘I haven’t slept in weeks. In fact, I’ve given up trying!’ He planted himself at the foot of the staircase and flipped open the book he’d been reading by candlelight.

Siren frowned. This wasn’t in his plan. ‘You’re having trouble sleeping?’ he mused. ‘I can help you with that.’

‘Really?’ Jonathan looked up to meet the Hunter’s wolf-like eyes. ‘How?’

Siren detected his nervousness increase.
Good. A bit of fear will help this along nicely.

‘Relax your mind,’ Siren instructed.
And let me do the rest
, he added silently.

Jonathan set his book on the bottom step and gazed at Siren.

‘You want to go to sleep,’ Siren coaxed, stepping closer and placing his hand Jonathan’s shoulder. ‘You are tired. So tired that all you can do is...’ He slowly pushed down on a pressure point in the grove of Johnathan’s neck.

Jonathan’s eyes glazed over and his expression became woozy.

‘
...
sleep,’ Siren finished.

With a thud, Jonathan collapsed on the bottom step, snoring into the open pages of his book.

Siren smirked. Leaning back against the banister, he crossed his ankles and prepared for his next challenge.

Mia
.

If Colt timed this right, she would be drawn downstairs at any moment, and all Siren would have to do was let her walk right on by. It was child’s play.

Getting his hands on the Tome of Black Magic, on the other hand, would be a little more difficult. But Siren loved a challenge.

His ears pricked at the sound of a door opening from somewhere upstairs.

The scent of the girl rushed through the channels of the castle. She was approaching.

Siren listened to the rhythm of her footsteps. Slow and steady—the trancelike movements of someone bewitched. Someone under an Enticement spell.

And there she was, right on cue. She began down the staircase, staring into the vacant space around her. She didn’t see Siren; she didn’t even see Jonathan as she stepped over him.

Siren opened the main door for her, and she swept straight through.

His lips formed into a crocodile smile as he watched her cross the courtyard beneath the purple moon. 

‘Bye, bye, little girl,’ he whispered. ‘Enjoy your trip.’

He closed the door with a resounding thud.

Bewitched

A dark bank of clouds rolled across the moon, veiling it. Mia crossed beneath the hedge archway, her eyes trained straight ahead.

‘Come to me,’ Colt whispered in her mind. He goaded her forward with his inescapable command.

She felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing—only him. He flowed through her every fibre, intoxicating the furthest reaches of her mind, luring her to him until she existed only for him. Her limbs, alive with the desire to reach him, were no longer her own.

‘Come to me,’ he chanted again. His voice was different now, calmer and not quite so urgent. Almost as though he knew she was on her way. She had succumbed to him. She was under his spell, following his command.

His voice was unafraid.

She was his.

* * *

Colt trembled under the strain of the magic. He had her—he could feel it. He could feel her moving closer towards him, the pound of her feet hitting the earth in time to the beat of his heart.

‘Come to me,’ he said into the mist. He squeezed his eyes shut as the vibrations of the magnetic pull jolted through him in electric waves.

Even on the cold winter’s night, sweat had begun to bead on his brow. He rocked backwards as the weight of the dark enchantment coursed through him.

‘Come to me,’ Colt said again through clenched teeth. He stumbled backwards, crashing into a tree. The rough bark dug into his spine. The magic was proving to be stronger than he had ever imagined.

But he wouldn’t stop now. He couldn’t. She was so close.

His body began to tremor. He could feel the spell taking hold of him. It was too big. The distance between them had been too great to execute a ritual like this, and the struggle to maintain it for so long rocked through him.

He fought back, holding on to her in his mind. He couldn’t release her yet; she was still on Glass Castle land. He couldn’t get to her there.

He needed her
here
.

Stop
, a voice nagged at the back of his mind.
This isn’t you.

Colt blocked out the sound of his own subconscious. It was true, though. This
wasn’t
him. He didn’t do rituals—not rituals like this, anyway. The Enticement, the charmed mist...it wasn’t his way.

How had it come to this?

He’d lost control. Not in the same way that Mia had, as she moved robotically at his will. Colt had lost control of everything except the drive to hold on. The drive to keep going until he had her.

‘Come to me,’ he rasped again. His head rolled back, clipping the tree trunk. Above him, the braches began to sway wildly. They blurred before his eyes.

Colt dug his feet into the dirt and braced himself against the tree trunk. He bowed his head and focused on the ground as it spun around him.

All he had to do was hold on for a little while longer.

Just a few more minutes and she’d be his.