The Unrivaled's Witch Read online

  “Ok! Honey! I am going to put you down just for a second ok?” he said and started to lay the girl down. Rebecca quickly slid in his place and held her in her lap. Darcy was back and on her knees next to them. She pressed a wet towel against the girl’s bleeding forehead and wiped gently.

  Zack folded back the sleeves of his perfectly white, button-down shirt, now stained with blood, then put his thumbs against the girl’s head and his palms held the sides of her face in place. He pressed gently and closed his eyes.

  The girl quickly opened her eyes and looked at him. She held onto his wrists and pulled them away. Then looking straight at him she shook her head slowly and firmly.

  “Don’t. It will hurt.” She said wetting her lips as she spoke.

  “Yes, it will. But we have to stop the blood loss or you will never make it to the hospital.” He said urgently. The girl shook her head once again, her hands still holding his wrists.

  “It’s too much for you.” She said then her grip on his hand slackened and her eyes closed.”

  Rebecca looked up at Zack in surprise. The girl was not talking about herself when she had said it would hurt. She was talking about Zack. She knew he was a healer and would have to draw out her pain into himself first to release it.

  “Is she gone?” Rebecca asked afraid of the answer.

  “No. Just unconscious” Zack said, once again his thumbs pressed against her forehead. He closed his eyes and his face contorted and he groaned in pain. Rebecca looked at him with worry and cried out.

  “Zack don’t! You don’t know how much of damage she has.” Zack opened his eyes and looked at Rebecca.

  “Let me do my work ok? If I don’t take some of the hurt away she will go into a coma.” He said then went back to work. He groaned in pain and barred his teeth when it became unbearable. But he continued to draw out the hurt till the ambulance arrived. When they put her into the back he insisted he would ride with her.

  “Zack be careful. She is one of us and she was not alone. The guy who did this to her also has the gift. And he meant to do what he did.” Rebecca said pulling him back a little before he turned to her, nodded his blond head, just like Darcy’s, then disappeared into the bus.

  Chapter 3

  “Really? Three in a day?” Darcy said pressing down on the brakes as she parked the car outside the small hospital building.

  “I hope she made it.” Rebecca sighed beside her.

  “I hope Zack made it.” Darcy said grudgingly as they got out and started towards the ER. “He just doesn’t know where to stop.” It was nearing dusk and the place was empty except for Sheriff Bowie who was talking to a doctor and Zack who sat in a comfortable chair while a nurse took his vitals. The men heard them approach and turned. While Darcy went straight to her cousin, Rebecca joined the Sheriff and the Doctor.

  “Rebecca, are you and Darcy ok? I heard you guys had quite the afternoon.” Rebecca nodded then let Weylin Bowie hold her hands briefly. He was a childhood friend she had grown up with and was one of those who knew the craft, just like Darcy and Zack. The four of them had grown up together, understanding each other, shielding each other and protecting their craft.

  “Meet Dr. McDonald. He just got transferred here last week. He is going to treat the girl.” Rebecca turned to the doctor and thrust her hand forward to shake it, that was when she saw him for the first time. As his huge hand folded around her’s she yelped.

  Weylin’s cell phone rang just then and he motioned the two of them with a finger and walked away to take it.

  “You?” Rebecca said with shock as the blue raptor eyes bore into hers just as they had that morning in her shop. Once again, a warm glow filled her, emanating from his hand and spreading inside her.

  “I figured you have the gift.”

  “You figured right.” His face was void of any expression.

  “I also know you are an Unrivaled.” She challenged.

  “You impress me.” He said arching one eyebrow.

  “But, your parlor tricks don’t impress me. Save them for someone else.” She said to him a tad too crossly.

  She shouldn’t have taken the risk. Obviously, this man was a wizard and a much stronger one than her. He could perform advanced forms of magic not everyone could manage. And though she would kill herself before she admitted it, she was impressed. But if he was so strong, it was better not to provoke him. He could turn dangerous. She saw Darcy kneeling on the ground beside Zack, both of them engrossed in each other and Weylin talking on his phone in a faraway corner of the otherwise empty ER waiting room.

  “Does this impress you then?” he asked letting go of her hand and peering into her eyes. She felt as if the distance between the two of them had suddenly reduced and they merged into each other. Then once again she was transported to another time, another place.

  This time it was spring and the two children were slightly older than in her earlier vision. The girl, Bec, around thirteen, was sitting on a branch of an apple tree. She had a cotton stole tied cross ways, from one shoulder, across her chest and making a small pouch at her hip. It felt heavy, there was fruit in it that she must have collected. She was just then reaching for the fruit, Rebecca knew was way out of her reach. That was when the branch snapped and she slipped and started falling towards the ground. But just as she was about to hit the hard terrain her momentum was suddenly arrested and she was laid out on the ground as if someone holding her in their arms would lay her there gently.

  The boy, Arturo, was lazily leaning against the branch of a tree eating an apple. Rebecca had seen him quickly put his hands forward, apple still in one hand, concentrating on the falling Bec with his sharp raptor gaze. A blue light had emanated from his fingers. That was when Bec had suddenly stopped falling and had been laid out on the ground gently.

  “Told you not to climb too high.” he said pointing at some of the fruits, one after the other, with his fingers and they all flew right into Bec’s pouch.

  “Showoff!” the girl said rolling her eyes and starting to walk as Arturo fell into stride beside her.

  “You have a wizard in your service. Why do you have to do the circus?”

  “Your tricks don’t impress me.” The girl said jabbing him in the side. “If you are a real wizard race me back to the house. And if you lose less miserably than yesterday, I’ll make you a pie.” She said laughingly and started running. The slightly chubby Arturo, with his cherubic face and dimpled cheeks, groaned as he lumbered after her with a pained expression.

  Rebecca was drawn back to the present and once again she was in the ER. Dr. McDonald was looking at her with a slight grin on his face.

  “Who is that girl?” Rebecca asked and hated the weakness in her own voice.

  “You know who she is.” Dr. McDonald replied quietly. He was tall and had a strapping figure that made Rebecca feel like a dwarf. Once again there was that strange mesmerizing scent coming from him that she could not place but was sure she knew something about.

  “Her name is Bec. But it’s not me.” Rebecca said shakily half her focus being robbed by that scent. Dr. McDonald smiled.

  “No, it’s not you. But you know her.” He said. Suddenly Rebecca was tired of this battle of wills. Whatever cat and mouse game this man was playing with her, and enjoying himself immensely, she was done playing it.

  “Stay away from me.” She said suddenly pointing a finger at him then turned and went to join Darcy and Zack.

  Chapter 4

  “You shouldn’t have taken the risk. It was too much for one person to handle.” The girl said as Zack laid her down on the huge comfortable sofa, in the apartment above Rebecca’s shop. It was three days after the accident and the hospital had discharged her that morning. Zack had driven her to Rebecca’s and carried her up to the apartment. It was a big enough place with two bedrooms, and a very large outer room that served as the living room on one end and the kitchen on the other, the large kitchen island demarcating the two spaces.

  Reb
ecca and Darcy sat on tall stools at the kitchen island packing the candles, the soaps and the potpourri Rebecca had made just the day before.

  “Zack is always like that. When he sees someone in pain he doesn’t hesitate. He has nearly killed himself over strangers before.” Darcy said not looking up from her work and Zack glared at her back.

  Then turning to the girl, he said.

  “She doesn’t bite, just barks!”

  “That’s because I care for you!” Darcy countered from her place.

  “And she gets worse when Rebecca makes her do those candles and when she gets hungry. So, I think I will just go get us some food.” Zack continued to talk to the girl without looking at his cousin.

  “Stop you two. We have bigger issues at hand right now. Weylin is getting dinner. Then we need to talk.” Just then the doorbell peeled and Zack went to answer.

  “Hey” he said as Weylin and Dr. McDonald stepped in with bags of food. They put the bags down on the big square coffee table.

  “Arthur, here is one of us, besides he is new in town and needs to make friends. So, I just got him along.”

  “That’s great” Zack cried and everyone around smiled, waved and said things to welcome him. Then his gaze turned to Rebecca. She was looking at him with an indiscernible expression. His name was Arthur, just like the boy in the visions. Who was he? And how were they related?

  Arthur checked up on his patient while the others sorted through the food.

  “How is she now?” Rebecca asked as she held out a box of Thai chicken in red sauce.

  “She is perfectly ok now. She can start moving around a little from tomorrow.” Arthur said as Rebecca passed around more food. Zack sat next to the girl on the sofa and Darcy and Weylin sat in the two adjoining single seaters leaving the two-seater facing the sofa for Rebecca and Arthur.

  “Except of course my memory. There is no knowing when I can remember my own name.”

  “Hey, it’s going to be ok!” Zack said rubbing her arm lightly.

  “You can crash here, till you figure things out” Rebecca offered as Darcy glared at her with disapproval.

  “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  “You aren’t. And don’t mind Darcy. She too has a big heart. It’s just that a large part of it is devoted to Zack.” Rebecca said looking into her food.

  “I will see if I can get a match on you with your fingerprints and DNA. I will also make some calls to my buddies in Boston and New York to see if we can make a visual identification.”

  “Once you are healed sufficiently, maybe next week perhaps, we can start you on some medication and light hypnosis to see if it helps for your memory.” Arthur said and his quiet confident voice carried a weight that made everyone look at him.

  “In the meanwhile I have a job for you. I will pay you.” Zack said and everyone looked up in surprise. The girl turned to him with sheer devotion in her eyes as he explained.

  “I own this place. Rebecca and Darcy run the shop downstairs. It’s a Nature’s Pharmacy, so to say. They sell natural cures for everyday ailments. They also deal in perfumes, spices, essential oils and such. Just next door is another shop that used to belong to an old lady till recently. But she passed away. I want to start an old books library there. I have a vast collection of rare books in my library at home and father has decided to discard it. I want to keep it because it belonged to my grandmother. So, I need someone to start a library out of it here.”

  “I would love to!” the girl said tears in her eyes.

  “If you want to give her a job. She will need a name and a bank account.” Arthur said pulling out a bunch of noodles from Rebecca’s box, with the help of his chops sticks and pushing them into his mouth. Everyone around, already uneasy with the tears, was now shocked and scandalized by Arthur’s behavior.”

  “What? I can help. I will have the hospital draw an affidavit and she can open an account under a temporary name. We have done it before.” He said chewing on food. When they still kept staring at him he looked from one person to the other and said.

  “What do you think of Andrea?”

  Chapter 5

  Everyone liked the name Andrea. But more importantly Andrea liked it too.

  “It’s a great name Arthur. Feels like it’s mine.” She said looking at him and he smiled engagingly. Then everyone started talking at once. In the excitement of the moment, even Darcy forgot her inhibitions and started planning Andrea’s future in Griffin Springs.

  While everyone was busy setting Andrea up, Rebecca started picking up the leftovers and scrapping them. Arthur went into the kitchen to help her. Suddenly Rebecca whirled onto him.

  “What do you want?” she said looking at him furiously, at the same time making sure none of the others saw what was going on.

  “You” he said dreamily drawing a hand through her silky auburn tresses looking at her intently.

  “I know you are a powerful magician. You can do mind control. But this needs to stop now. I am not interested in you, or in anyone else for that matter. I have a job, life, friends, and I don’t want any ripples in my peaceful existence. So back off.”

  Rebecca said bending to put some of the uneaten stuff into the fridge.

  “Is that what you think all this is about? Mind control?” Arthur said disgusted, putting a hand on the refrigerator door to keep it open, shielding them from the others, and trapping Rebecca in. She was splayed against the open fridge, his broad stone-wall chest cutting her escape. And then she did something she meant to do only to push him away. She placed her palm, her fingers spread wide, over his chest and pushed. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a soft plaid shirt and that maddening perfume.

  As soon as her hand came into contact with his body she felt a jerk, as if she had touched a bare electric wire. She was about to withdraw, when he pressed it harder against his chest, by holding onto her wrist with his hand. He had a powerful grip and Rebecca felt that strange feeling of drawing in, she always felt with him. The fridge, the man in jeans, the room suddenly melted away and she was transported back to another world.

  It was raining and there was a biting chill in the air. Arturo and Bec were climbing a hillside hand in hand. It was a difficult hike and the rain was making it all the more difficult.

  “There” Arturo said pointing to a cluster of caves. Rebecca nodded looking at him through the falling rain and they started in that direction. They were wearing capes with cowls to cover their heads but the rain was so wild that the protection was of no use.

  As soon as they reached the caves Arturo pulled her inside. It was a group of small interlocking tunnels with an antechamber in the center. The room was small with a low ceiling, carved into the heart of the mountain, with various passageways protruding out. Some went out onto the hillside and some went deeper into the mountain.

  As soon as they were inside, Arturo dropped his cowl and his cape to the ground and started to brush the water from his body. When he turned to Rebecca she was standing still, looking at him strangely. They were older now. She was around eighteen and he, a couple of years older.

  He reached her in two long strides and pushed the cowl away from over her head. He quickly pulled strings at her neck that kept the cape in place, and pushed the cloak over her shoulders and let it drop to the ground. She was wearing a light, raw cotton, sleeveless dress underneath.

  She had her back against the mountainside, while he stood in front of her like another wall of stone. Bec trembled as his fingers brushed lightly against her skin. He smelled exactly like he always did. A mixture of the woods and smoke and something else that was crazily maddening to her senses.

  “I need to see about a fire. It’s going to be dark soon” He said looking around for something to make it with.

  “Don’t go!” she whispered hoarsely as he started to draw away.

  “Bec!” he said tentatively, placing his palm against the side of her face and brushing the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, dropping his gaze
to where his thumb was. He shook his head with a pleading expression on his angelic face.

  “Stay.” she sighed holding onto the wrist of his hand that rested against her face. Suddenly a fork of lightning tore through the sky and Bec fisted her hands into his shirt front bracing herself for the thunder that followed.

  Arturo held her close till the resounding crack of thunder had passed. Then he pushed her away resolutely and stepped back putting some distance between them.

  “Looks like we may have to stay the night. We need a fire otherwise we are either going to freeze or become prey to the hyenas.”

  He said looking around starting to gather, dry wood and roots that had pushed through the cracks in the rocks. Then he sat down to make a fire. He prodded the dry leaves he had piled upon the little heap with his finger and it lit up.

  Ro ambled to the fireside and sat down meekly, gathering her skirts around her.

  “Why do you push me away?” she asked and Rebecca hated the begging in her tone. The girl was so alone. Somehow Rebecca knew that she was alone in this world except for Arturo. She could feel the profound sense of loss and emptiness in her heart. But along with it there was another strange feeling, that of a deep desire. She was in love with him.

  His eyes were a shade of blue, Rebecca had never seen before. His cherubic features were now a mixture of affection, determination and agony.

  “I told you Rebecca, I will protect you. And I will do it even if it has to be from me.”

  “What if this is what I want?” she asked, her gaze not wavering from his face.

  He smiled defeat in his eyes, then shook his head and looked back into the fire.