The wind picked up. She opened her eyes and looked down at her arms. They were spread out but disappeared below the elbow, either blended with or eaten up by the flowing energy. She still felt disconnected from the flesh, blood, and bone that made up her body. She’d heard of out-of-body experiences but had never had one.

  She looked up. The eclipse created an illusion of the moon as a black hole in the sky above, an emptiness wrapped in a glowing ring of fire. Sparks of light rained down over them. The energy of the witches’ spells fused together and rose to meet the light from above, creating a dome over the village that shone with their magic. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  As quickly as it started, it was over. The wind stopped and the ring of fire vanished. The moon, full and beautiful, was back. Morgana’s spirit re-entered her body and as she floated back down to the ground, the witches’ strands faded. She looked at her hands and flexed her fingers, reassuring herself they were back to normal. A chill ran through her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself, glad to have them back, but missing the feelings brought on by what they just did.

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. In her mind, Morgana could see the other witches. Nita plopped down on the ground. Fala had tears in her eyes, while Kinta stared up at the sky, her mouth slightly ajar. Agatha opened her shirt to feed baby Stet, unfazed by what they’d just done. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but suspected they now each carried a piece of one another, like a talisman. Morgana lay back on the dewy ground and gazed at the puffy clouds decorating the night sky.

  Chapter 32

  When they returned to the village, the horizon glowed orange and red as the sun signaled the start of a new day.

  They went to Fala’s hut, and Morgana sat on the floor next to the dwindling fire. A chill in the air, she touched the embers, and a flame jumped in response.

  Kinta muttered something under her breath and fresh wood floated through the door and into the little fire pit.

  Morgana smiled. “Thanks.”

  They all settled around the fire, and Agatha said, “I’ve never seen anything like it. Even when Morgana and I did this before, it was nowhere near as spectacular. We’re powerful together. We can accomplish great things.”

  “That was some powerful magic,” Fala said.

  There was no place Morgana would rather be than right here with these women. Life had a funny way of leading you to the most unlikely of places, and it was always exactly where you should be.

  Agatha got ready to feed her baby and pulled her breast out for Stetson. “We should go on the offensive with the bloodsuckers. Fala can find them, and Morgana and I can kill them.”

  Morgana stared at her friend, taking in the paradox of a loving mother and the flippant way she mentioned hunting vampires. Why did she and Fala want to hunt vampires? How could she get them to understand the danger involved and not disrupt the beautiful lives they were creating together?

  “Morgana?”

  She jumped at the sound of her name. “Sorry, what? Guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

  “What do you think?” Agatha stroked her baby’s cheek and kissed his head as he continued to suckle at her bosom.

  This conversation now? She couldn’t think clearly after what they had just gone through. She came here to escape vampires and live a simple life, but it seemed the universe had other plans for her.

  “I think I’m exhausted and need some rest.”

  Chapter 33

  Morgana woke at midday with Stet between her and Agatha, both still sleeping. She tried to get up without waking them, but had to move Stet. He stretched his chubby arms and smacked his lips. His eyes fluttered, and she touched his nose. “Sleep.” He smacked his lips once more and was asleep.

  Morgana found Fala in her hut making something that smelled delicious. “Good morning, Fala.”

  Fala smiled. “How did you sleep?”

  “Like a rock. What smells so good?”

  “Banaha. It’s made from corn. Try one.”

  Morgana took the mysterious food and watched Fala peel back the corn husk and eat the delicate cornmeal mixture inside.

  Morgana wasn’t sure, but was hungry and took a bite. It was delicious. “You must teach us how to cook.”

  Fala laughed. “I will. Eat. We have a gift for you, for your help.”

  Morgana took another bite when Agatha popped her head into the hut. “Smells so good. Fala, you must teach us how to cook.”

  Morgana and Fala laughed. “I just said the same thing. Try this, it’s banaha, made from corn. Did I say that right?”

  “Perfect.” Fala handed one to Agatha and showed her how to eat it.

  They finished their food and followed Fala out of her chukka and across the village to the area where the livestock was kept.

  Agatha went to the horses grazing in a fenced-in pasture. Their wagon was hitched and ready. Morgana got in and Fala said, “Wait. Your gift.”

  A young boy came their way, leading two horses.

  “Those horses are for us?” Agatha asked.

  Fala nodded.

  “You’ll have to teach us how to ride.”

  “I will.” Fala took the horses from the boy. “This black and white one is Talulah, and the gray one is Panola. Talulah means leaping water and Panola means cotton.”

  Agatha petted Talulah and told her how beautiful she was.

  “How can we ever repay you, Fala?” Morgana asked.

  “This is our gratitude. For what you’ve taught us.”

  Morgana stroked Panola’s face. “She looks like cotton.”

  “I’m going to ride back with you and give you your first lessons. Who wants to go first?”

  Morgana looked at Agatha. “Let me take baby Stet and you try your hand with little Miss Talulah.”

  Agatha unwrapped the cocoon where her son slept from her body before Morgana could finish her sentence.

  Morgana took Stetson and wrapped him secure against her bosom while Fala showed Agatha how to mount Talulah; and they were off, riding alongside the wagon.

  Agatha glanced over at Morgana. “This is amazing!”

  “Fala, what happens to your body when you enter your pigeon?” Morgana asked.

  “My body becomes lifeless. I don’t leave it unless I’m sure it’s safe or I might permanently become a part of the bird world.”

  “This is the first I’ve heard of this gift,” Agatha said. “It’s so special.”

  “It’s like nothing else to be flying above the trees,” Fala replied.

  “What would happen if something ate Coo while you were in her?” Morgana asked.

  “So very sad. It happened to me once, with a different Coo. I just went back into my body.”

  “There’s something I wanted to ask you. Nita still looks young and healthy, but Kinta is nearly grown. How is it Nita kept her powers?”

  “It’s true giving birth to a daughter can deplete your powers, but there are ways to maintain them. It’s like the opposite of a son when a witch chooses to give up her powers; with a daughter, some can choose to keep them, some naturally lose them. Usually when a witch chooses a family, in her heart, she’s committing to that life. Nita lost her husband when Kinta was still a baby. It was a simple decision for her to keep her powers.”

  “That’s big news,” Morgana said. “It doesn’t make me want to start another family, though.”

  “My behind is hurting,” Agatha said. “You want a turn, Morgana?”

  “I do.” She stopped the wagon, and they switched Stet, who woke up hungry.

  Fala helped Morgana mount Cotton, and they were off again.

  “Morgana, why are you so hesitant to hunt these vampires?” Fala asked.

  Morgana’s stomach turned at the question. She thought for a minute before answering. “This isn’t a game. These creatures are dangerous, ruthless killers. I’ve seen the atrocities they orchestrate firsthand.” She turned to Agatha. “What you experienced was only a glimpse into the chaos vampires bring to the world.”

  Tears welled in Agatha’s eyes, which brought tears to her own. With a hitch in her voice, she continued. “I’ve had enough loss in my life. I don’t know if I can take any more. When I left Europe, I wanted to start over and forget about vampires. I thought by coming here I could escape and live my life in peace. But vampires roam the earth and manipulate humans to do their bidding.

  “We’re building a school. Agatha has a family. That’s what is important. We built these barriers to keep us and our loved ones safe. We don’t need to put ourselves back in harm’s way.”

  They rode in silence for a while. Agatha wiped her tears away. “That’s a selfish way of looking at it.”

  Agatha’s words put Morgana on the defensive. “Self-preservation is never selfish. I don’t believe putting my self-interest and yours above that of strangers is in any way selfish. Some would argue that this sacrificial altruism is the height of stupidity.”

  “Sacrificial altruism? Really, Morgana? That’s rich. We’re talking about peoples’ lives. Maybe it’s stupid, but I see it as our duty. If we know of an existing evil and don’t do our part to rid the world of it, we’re complicit in that evil. I couldn’t possibly live with myself knowing people are dying because I was too much of a coward to stop it. What does our school, my family, our friendships mean if we have to live in fear outside of our boundaries? What’s the purpose of our lives? I would rather die tomorrow making the world a better place than live for hundreds of years in fear and cowardice.

  “You left a trail of dead vampires as you made your way here, right where you’re supposed to be. You might not want to admit it, but you’re good at it. Some might argue, you’re a natural and you owe it to yourself to live in your gifts. I’ve seen your kills, remember? You sealed them into your body, a permanent reminder of the evil and your ability and dedication to its eradication. But now, you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here. You felt how strong we were together last night. You can’t ignore that.”

  Agatha was right. Morgana thought of her Aurelian and wondered what he’d want her to do. Visions of their lives played through her mind, walking through Krakow hand in hand, her baby boy strapped to her chest, how the soft fuzz on his head felt against her lips when she kissed him. His sweet giggle when she pinched his chubby cheeks. Her loving husband and their precious baby Max, taken by the foul scum residing in the shadows of the world. Her life before vampires had been perfect. Though it was an illusion, she’d been cloaked in ignorance. She longed to be back there, unaware of the wickedness skulking beyond her grasp of reality.

  These memories seeped through the cracks of the vault she’d created in her mind to keep them at bay. If she could eradicate them like a plague, her pain would cease. It wasn’t fair to herself or her dead, but the alternative wasn’t appealing either. How was she to honor them if she’d sealed off the remnants of their lives and refused to acknowledge their existence?

  She’d never recovered from her loss. Instead of dealing with her pain, she started a new life in a new country to forget about vampires and the incessant ache in her gut.

  But she hadn’t forgotten vampires. She encased her vampire kills in her body forever. The things she’d come here to forget were more real than the memories of her husband and baby. This realization had always lurked in the dark corners of her consciousness—like a vampire hiding in the shadows—and she ignored it. A wave of nausea caused her to shudder and hold back a retch. Aurelian’s voice in her head took her breath away. Moja miłość, don’t let our deaths be in vain.

  She stopped her horse and cried. How could she forget the two loves of her life and push them aside like trash and instead, pay homage to the actual garbage?

  Fala brought her horse to a halt and hopped off. She went to Morgana and touched her leg. “Come down.”

  Morgana slid off of her horse and fell into Fala’s arms. She tried to breathe between her sobs, her body shaking, going limp in Fala’s embrace. Then Agatha wrapped her arms around the two of them, baby Stet in the middle of it all.

  Morgana’s sobs tapered off. “I’m so sorry. You’re right, Agatha.”

  Chapter 34

  Stetson was one and no longer breastfeeding. The trees were in bloom and the tips of the tulips showed themselves. The air had lost its icy edge as spring made its appearance.

  Agatha and Morgana had spent the year learning to ride their horses and were now as comfortable on horseback as they were walking. Morgana taught them about vampires. She showed them her kills etched in her thigh as a tool for teaching. They practiced getting stun spells off as quickly as they could, and they made weapons. Morgana carried an axe dipped in silver, Agatha a bow and silver-tipped arrows. They made an arsenal of wooden stakes.

  Nita and Kinta wouldn’t join their posse. Nita had been hesitant about putting herself and her daughter in danger after having lost her husband.

  Fala took to the skies at night and found a lone vampire. She’d followed it, found its hovel.

  “I think we should take our time and track it,” Morgana said. “That way we can understand its habits. It will help us plan our attack.”

  “Absolutely not,” Agatha retorted. “We won’t allow him to continue to kill so we can track him. When we find a vampire, we kill it before it can kill anyone else.”

  Morgana opened her mouth in protest, but Agatha held up her hand, almost thrusting it in Morgana’s face. “This is not about the greater good. We’re here to save lives by destroying evil. So, you can save the sacrificial altruism speech because we’re beyond that now.”

  Morgana sighed. “I think my telepathy is rubbing off on you.”

  Agatha looked at Fala, who said, “No argument here.”

  “Good. Let’s go kill this bastard.”

  “Fala, you should stay in Coo and show us the way,” Morgana said. “Agatha, you’ll be armed and act as a backup. I’ll be the one to confront the bastard.”

  “I want to kill it,” Agatha said.

  Morgana thought for a minute. “I guess if we’re able to stun it, you can kill it. But only if we can get a stun spell off, okay? You have no sense of how fast these creatures are, and they are more vicious than any animal you’ve ever encountered. He’ll smell us well before he can see us, so he’s going to be ready.” Agatha nodded. “Say the words.”

  “I won’t engage unless we can stun it.”

  “Okay. We go tonight.”

  Agatha and Morgana rode their horses, and Fala flew in Coo—leaving her body with James—leading the way. Agatha was a better witch than she could ever hope to be, but Morgana knew the dangers of hunting these creatures.

  They rode in silence through the dark of night, the air crisp as the horizon shifted from black to a deep purple. Coo landed on Agatha’s shoulder.

  Morgana laughed. “How convenient you can talk to animals.”

  Agatha smiled. “He’s coming. We’ve got to go on foot from here.”

  Morgana dismounted and watched Coo take flight.

  Agatha touched Morgana’s hand and thought, Telepathy from now on.

  Morgana squeezed her friend’s hand. They followed Coo into the darkness.

  They saw the vampire in the distance. It had its back to them, watching something Morgana couldn’t see. A slight breeze came toward the witches. Morgana hoped it took their scent away from the vampire to give them extra time. It had been a long time since she’d hunted and she was nervous, especially with Agatha there. But she was also excited. Since her epiphany the year before, she’d missed the thrill of the danger and satisfaction of the kill. Alma had been different. She hadn’t sought her out. A bonus kill.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Agatha in her head. I can send a stun spell from here.

  It was a long way, but Morgana knew if anyone could send a spell that distance, it was Agatha.

  She nodded, and Agatha sent the spell. The vampire twitched, then froze, and the witches were upon it in seconds.

  Morgana smiled at the fear and confusion in its eyes.

  Agatha pulled a stake from her skirts and the realization came into the vampire’s eyes. Its death would be quick but painful. Morgana put her finger on the thing’s chest, right over its heart. “You can spike it anywhere, but the heart is the best.”

  Agatha raised her hand and spat in the thing’s face. “This is for all the pain you’ve caused.”

  She plunged the stake into its heart.

  Morgana pulled her friend back to avoid getting burned by the explosion that would come. She’d learned over the years the younger vampires went out with a small poof, not much excitement. But the older ones, as Alma had been, were quite a spectacle. If you stood too close, you would get burned. She had a few burns as reminders.

  This was a young vampire. Its face melted and its heart lit up, but quickly went out like a candle in the wind.

  It was gone.

  “Well,” Morgana said. “Not much of a show for your first kill. The older they are, the grander their exit. They’ve grown old by being savvy.”

  Agatha picked up the stake from the ground. “That was amazing. I can’t wait to do it again.”

  “I’ve created a monster. Let’s get home. But Agatha?”

  “Yes?” Coo landed on her shoulder.

  “I don’t want you to think it’ll always be like that. We got lucky. It’s not usually so easy to get them with a stun spell.”

  “Thanks for ruining it.”

  Morgana laughed. “You still did great. I just don’t want you to be surprised next time. We have to stay diligent and prepared.”

  Coo cooed and flew off toward home, and the other witches found their horses and followed.

 

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