The Witches of the Glass Castle (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 1) (9 page)

Terrified and disoriented, Mia kicked out at him until her foot impacted with his shin. Colt didn’t seem particularly affected, b
ut nevertheless he submissively relinquished his hold on her. Almost
too
submissively.

Seeing her chance for escape, Mia turned and sprinted away from him. As she dashed across the sodden grass, she could sense him behind her, somehow walking yet matching her speed effortlessly.

Then, out of nowhere, Mia felt her foot skid across the slick, muddy ground. She fell on to her back with a thud and slid downwards. It dawned on her that she was plummeting down the sloping embankment, unable to stop. Her hands groped frantically for anything that might save her from her descent, but she could only seize clumps of grass, which pitifully broke away in her clutches. As she tumbled down the incline, her jumper rose up, exposing her bare skin to the toothed, rutted ground. Finally, she reached the bottom of the slope with a thump. She lay motionless for a moment, bruised and cut.

However
it wasn’t long before she was forced to move again. In a daze, she rolled over on to her side. The rain still clouded her vision, but she saw Colt pounce to the ground just inches from her face, as though he had jumped from a much greater height.

Refusing to surrender to him, Mia clambered to her feet and bolted off in the opposite direction. Even though her body ached from the brutal fall, she staggered on as fast as she could manage, out of breath and limping.

The gentle sound of wind chimes rustled somewhere to the right, and in dismay, Mia realised what she was running towards.

He’s driving me into the forest!
she realised in alarm. Perhaps all along, Colt had been the sheepdog, herding the defenceless lamb into its pen. And just like a lamb, she truly was defenceless.

Panting for breath, Mia knew that she had two choices: either to succumb to the forest
…or not to. She picked the latter. Following the sound of wind chimes, she changed direction and raced towards the graveyard.

The wind chimes grew louder and louder until she was directly beneath them. With a yelp, she crashed into a tall slab of stone. The hard gravestone knocked her to the ground and she slumped against it, exhausted and petrified.

All of a sudden the rain calmed and returned to its usual flow, falling downwards as nature had intended and granting her an unaltered view.

But what she saw made her wish for the distortion of before. Colt stood above her, blocking her path and cornering her against the gravestone.

He smiled.

This time there was no escape.

As the rain pounded down, Mia crouched on the ground, her arms shielding her face and her body pressing up against the rock gravestone. She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for Colt’s onslaught.

‘Spangles won’t lik
e that,’ Colt said in a smooth, even voice.

Mia cautiously opened her eyes. ‘What
?’

‘Spangles.’ Colt pointed to the gravestone. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t think much of your crawling all over his grave like that.’ He raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little bored. His ebony hair was stuck flat dow
n from the rain, but he didn’t flinch as the overspill trickled on to his face.

Reluctant to take her eyes off him, Mia quickly glanced at the headstone behind her. Sure enough, the word ‘Spangles’ had been etched
into the stone.

Mia turned her attention back to Colt. ‘What are you going to do to me?’ she asked in a tiny voice.

He shrugged.

Mia’s hands flew to her throat. Was it her imagination, or could she feel the air closing in on her again?

‘Stop!’ she gasped.

Colt looked at her with a bemused expression. ‘I’m not doing anything.’

She drew in several deep breaths. Perhaps it had been her mind playing tricks on her after all.

Colt frowned. ‘How very dramatic,’ he muttered under his breath.

‘But, before…’ Mia trailed off. She blinked fearfully up at him, remembering those eyes which had locked with hers as he’d tried to choke the life out of her just days earlier.

‘The drawing room,’ Colt acknowledged. ‘I suppose you would like an apology for that.’

Mia swallowed nervously. ‘OK.’

‘It wasn’t a question.’ The corner of Colt’s mouth twitched in amusement. ‘Merely a statement.’

‘OK,’ Mia repeated, baffled by the exchange.

‘Stop that
!’ he said abruptly. ‘Stop looking at me like that. Are you really that desperate for an apology? That was a question, by the way.’

‘Uh…’ Mia was taken aback. She
didn’t care about an apology – she was simply confused by the interaction. Her terrifying attacker was suddenly talking to her so casually, as if they were old friends.

‘No.’ He shook his head stubbornly, raindrops spilling from the drenched strands of hair. ‘I won’t apologise. I refuse. But I will admit that I could have exercised more restraint. Happy?’

Mia held her palms skyward. ‘Um…yes?’

‘Why are you asking me?’ Colt demanded.

‘Because I have absolutely no idea what to say to you!’

Colt mumbled irritably to himself. Then, with a submissive sigh, he said, ‘The night you stole the Athame…I am willing to admit that perhaps I should have contained my temper. I’m sure I tried, but it’s quite complex. Once it starts…Anyway, I feel that’s apology enough. Shall we move on?’

‘Move on to what?’ Mia gulped. She could feel the cold, wet gravestone through her saturated jumper; try as she might, she couldn’t move back any farther. Maybe she could run, but she guessed that she wouldn’t get very far.

Colt let out a throaty chuckle. ‘Relax. I’m not here to harm you. I want to ask something of you.’

Mia’s mind raced. What could he possibly want to ask her? Was he blackmailing her? Did he want her to do his sordid biddings? ‘I won’t kill,’ she declared drastically, feeling particularly proud of her fearless display of nobility.

Colt slapped his
hand to his head. ‘Oh, my god,’ he muttered. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous!’

‘Then what do
you want from me?’ She tried her best to look confident and fearless– although it was difficult with rain dribbling in and out of her mouth as she spoke. ‘I am powerful,’ she bragged. ‘Yes, very powerful… Actually, I’m the most powerful witch of all time. And I am not to be tested.’

Co
lt wrinkled his nose. ‘Anyway,’ he went on, ‘I want you to stop the rain. I suppose I should say please. It’s not in my nature to do so, but I understand that your kind love it. So puh-lease. How did that sound? Believable?’

Mia gawped at him. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Please. Puh-lease. That’s the correct word, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, please is the right wor
d,’ she said distractedly. ‘I don’t understand why you’re saying it to me, though. I can’t stop the rain. It’s just a…thing.’

Colt folded his arms. ‘Why are you being difficult? I said please, didn’t I? Is this still about the incident with the Athame?’

‘No.’ Mia looked at him as though he were insane. ‘This is about me not being able to control the weather.’ For a moment, she wondered if maybe he had actually believed her proclamation about being all powerful.
Am I really that convincing an actress?
she mused, secretly impressed by the idea.

‘I see. You insist on being stubborn. So I suppose we all must continue to suffer.’ His dark-green eyes bore into her, patronisingly disappointed by her supposedly rebellious behaviour.

Mia threw up her hands. ‘I’m sorry, but I really can’t stop the rain.’

‘Yes, you can.’

‘No, I can’t.’

‘Yes, you
can
.’

Mia narrowed her eyes. ‘No, I can’t.’

‘Yes – you – can,’ Colt insisted, enunciating each word perfectly.

The back-and-forth debate was driving Mia cr
azy. ‘No, I can’t!’ she cried. ‘How do you expect me to stop the rain? It’s beyond my control!’

‘You’re doing it. You can stop it.’

‘Doing what? I’m not doing anything,’ Mia protested.

Impatiently, Colt clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. ‘You’re making it rain,’ he told her.

‘And how exactly would I manage that?’ she challenged.

‘I’m not a mind reader!’ Colt exclaimed. ‘How am I supposed to know what puts you females in your foul moods?’

‘I’m not in a bad mood,’ Mia argued.

Colt eyed her with an infuriatingly dubious expression.

‘And even if I
were
in a bad mood,’ Mia carried on, ‘I’m certainly not making it rain. It’s just nature.’

‘No, it’s you.’

‘Stop saying that! I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to make weather like this!’ She cupped her hands together, catching the bombardment of droplets in her palms.

Colt smirked. ‘I thought you were the most powerful witch of all t
ime,’ he mimicked her.

‘I am,’ Mia retorted. ‘But I can’t make rain. I’m not…’ She racked her brain for an appropriate example. ‘…I’m not Rain Man,’ she said at last.

‘Rain Man didn’t
create
rain,’ Colt scoffed. ‘It was just his nickname.’

‘Oh. W
ell, anyway, I’m not doing
this
.’ Mia looked up to the gloomy, purple sky.

‘Yes, you are
.’

‘Stop it!’ Mia wailed. He was relentless!

‘It looks like you. It smells like you. How else can I put this? It
is
you.’

She stared blankly at him. ‘Huh?’

‘You’re everywhere,’ he elaborated, although without much clarity. ‘You’re a Tempestus, yes?’

‘What’s a Temptestus?’

Exasperated, Colt rubbed at his temples. ‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ he muttered, ‘not a Temptestus. A Tem
pes
tus. That’s what you are.’

Mia frowned.

‘This is just pathetic. Do I have to spoon-feed everything to you?’

‘OK,’ Mia replied sheepishly.

‘That wasn’t an offer,’ Colt snapped. ‘You’re a Tempestus. You have the ability to manipulate the elements. You do know what the elements are, don’t you?’ he checked, half-joking.

‘Um…’ she pondered it. ‘Atoms?’

‘No, no, no,’ Colt cut her off intolerantly. ‘The elements: earth, air, fire and water. Are you familiar with those words?’

Mia scowled at him. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. You command them.’

Mia fell silent. On the one hand
, she was elated at the idea that she may have actually found her power. On the other hand, how could she trust what Colt was saying? He was a Hunter, after all. And up until a few minutes ago, she was under the impression that they were mortal enemies. Beside, how could he possibly know?

‘Why should I trust you?
’ she asked at last.

Colt laughed. ‘Darling,’ he droned,
intimately, ‘I don’t want your trust.’

Mia stared at him.
She wasn’t about to back down. ‘How do you know this about me?’

He sighed. ‘
Isn’t it obvious? I recognise you as a Tempestus because I’m one, too.’

Mia took a deep breath, struggling to keep her cool
. ‘Well, then, maybe you’re the one making the rain. Have you ever considered that?’

Colt knotted his fingers through his
rain-soaked hair and groaned. ‘I’m not. You are. Now be a good girl and stop it, because it’s highly annoying.’ He paused, and then added archly, ‘As are you.’

Mia contemplated his words
. Maybe he really was telling the truth. He had no reason to lie, anyway. Could it be that she had finally found her power?

‘I’m a Tempestus,’
she murmured dreamily.

‘Yes.
And a fabulous one at that. I’m being sarcastic, you know that, right?’

‘What can I do?’ Mia asked, suddenly enthralled.

‘Not much, by the looks of things.’ Colt tapped his foot against the waterlogged ground. ‘Making it rain seems to be your forte.’

‘No, I mean, what will I be able to do? What can a Tempestus do?’

‘You’ll figure it out.’

‘No!’ Mia cried. ‘That’s all anyone ever says! Please teach me. Puh-lease,’ she imitated his previous use of the word.

Although he tried to resist it, Colt cracked a smile. He ran his hands over his face and let out a strangled moan. ‘OK,’ he said finally, ‘I won’t teach you, but I will give you a demonstration.’

Mia
nodded emphatically. Her winter-grey eyes lit up and the rain began to subside.

True to his word, Colt raised his hand and swiftly turned his palm skyward. All the while his eyes remained locked on Mia.

She gasped as a forceful rush of air lifted her to a standing position. Disoriented, she clutched on to Spangles’ gravestone, steadying herself. It was as though the air had picked her up off the ground. In fact, she supposed that was exactly what it had done. She gazed around the graveyard in disbelief.

Colt drew his outstretched hand into his body. ‘Look at me,’ he or
dered, and a gust of air guided her focus back towards him.

‘That’s incredible,’ Mia breathed.

‘
I’m
incredible,’ Colt amended.

‘Did you distort the ra
in?’ Mia asked, piecing together the bizarre rainstorm that had driven her to the graveyard.

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I wanted you to stay still.
I thought if I blurred your vision it would hold you in one place.’

Mia’s lips
pressed together into a smile. ‘But it didn’t.’

‘No, it did not.’

‘Why didn’t you just tell me that you wanted to talk?’ she asked.

Colt grinned. ‘Because I was having fun.’

Mia rolled her eyes. ‘Glad my terror was so entertaining for you,’ she said wryly. ‘How did you do it, anyway?’

‘Watch…’ H
e raised his index finger and spun it in a fluid, circular motion. The light dusting of rain between them spun like a tornado and then plunged to the ground with a splash.

‘Am I able to do these things, too?’ Mia pressed.

‘Perhaps,’ he answered. ‘But you’ll never attain my standard of excellence.’

Mia focused on a puddle of rainwater. She directed her palm towards it, awaiting a reaction. Nothing happened.

Colt chuckled. ‘You’re absurd!’ he said brightly.

Mia f
rowned. ‘Can you teach me how to do it?’ she asked, desperate for him to divulge his secrets.

Colt glanced up to the sky, where a gleaming ray of sun had broken through the grim storm clouds.

‘I’m not one for thank-yous,’ he said frankly. ‘But I’m glad the rain is over. I’m done with you now.’ In the blink of an eye he was gone.

Mia stood alone in the flooded graveyard. She shivered in her wet clothes, but glorious sunshine glistened in her eyes.
The miserable day had just got a whole lot better.

As the sun set over the forest, it illuminated the land with a dusty-pink blush, which would soon disappear in the twilight hour.

Dino combed the gardens in search of Mia. He wasn’t planning on apologising to her, mostly because he didn’t feel that he’d done anything wrong, but she’d been missing all day and he felt obliged to at least make an attempt at finding her.