I ducked down behind a stack of Synthies crates just as two of the vampire guards came running out of a room across the hallway. They headed off down the corridor in the direction of the explosion. I stepped out from my hiding place about to head back upstairs to free the girls when I sensed movement seconds before the door to Wynne's room opened. I darted into the open room the Vampires had come out of and hid behind the door holding my breath.
"Stay here" commanded Ansuradon. "Make sure the Maiden and Mother are kept safe. They do not leave this room." I felt his dark energy move off in the same direction as the guards had run.
I peeked through the gap in the door to see the third guard posted outside in the hallway. Darn it! How was I going to get out of here and up the stairs now? I scanned the room for any ideas. My eyes landed on a pile of jewellery on a table to my left. I recognised some of the bracelets: The Black Tourmaline and Chakra bracelets Willow had bought me, along with some leather ones I had transmuted myself, and that was definitely my Grisgris bag. I slipped the bracelets over my wrist and smiled; I felt more like me when I had them on, I realised. I grabbed my Grisgris bag and tucked it in my bra, then put the other bracelets on my other arm, and placed the necklaces over my head. I was betting they belonged to the girls upstairs and I was going to return them to their rightful owners, along with their magic.
I felt inside for all the different signatures and started sifting through them and separating them. I seemed to have a knack for vibrational energy and it was coming in very useful now. As I continued to organise the different magic within me I noticed another signature I had not expected - Miss Sage. I followed it to that shield I had felt earlier within me. That must be the potion to help control my magic. I wasn't sure I had much as I remembered dropping most of the potion at Moon Circle. But there it was, and it seemed to be doing its job. I now understood that had been what had slowed down my Mums magic and stopped me from passing out. I studied the shield. It was a barrier that was basically slowing down the release of power so as not to overwhelm me, much as the power had overwhelmed Tulipa when her own magic was boosted. That gave me an idea.
I peeked back through the gap in the door - the vampire was still there. I sighed. I needed to get past him somehow. I looked down at my bracelets. Was there anything in my Book of Shadows that could help? Or in my Grisgris bag? My fingers stroked the crystals on my bracelets and I remembered back to Miss Camellia's Tea Room and Willow explaining what they were for. The Black Tourmaline bracelet seemed to be calling to me and I remembered Willow saying it was one of the most protective crystals in the world and when activated it would create a forcefield of protection. I wondered if she meant literally because that would certainly come in handy about now. How do I activate it? My grandmother had placed her crystals directly in the moonlight to activate hers, but I had no moonlight on me right now. Or did I? I opened up my Grisgris bag and picked out my vial of ash from Moon Circle. That had been directly in contact with the Moon, surely that would work. I popped the cork and gently poured a few of the ashes onto my bracelet. Come on Goddess, I prayed, please work. I felt a slight warmth spread up my arm and across my body and when I relaxed my eyes I could see a slight shimmer coming off my skin; the energy felt just like the beads on my bracelet. It worked! Relieved, I turned back to the door.
The vampire was still standing guard outside the room where my mum and Wynne were. I hadn't heard Lab Coat come out so I was presuming he was still in there. I needed to get them out, but I also needed to help the girls upstairs. I was torn. But I knew what my mum would do, what my grandmother would do, what I needed to do. As much as I wanted to get my Mum and Wynne out, I knew I had to help the girls first. I had sworn to protect them, but more than that - I was The Maiden and it was my duty. I looked down at my hands as they started to glow. I smiled. Showtime!
I jumped out into the doorway and before the Vamp had time to react I blasted him with my light. He didn't even get a scream out before he was singed dead on the floor. I stood for a second staring at the mess I had made. I had just killed someone. A bad guy for sure, but still, he was a person, and I had just killed him. I wasn't sure how long I stood there; time stood still and I was frozen in that moment. It took another explosion to set me free. I rocked on my heels and ran for the stairs.
I tried the door but it was locked. Darn it, why didn't I think about keys? I readied my magic and I was about to shout at them to stand back while I busted the door in, but then I wondered if that would draw more attention than was necessary. I cursed myself. You're not a superhero that smashes down doors, you're a witch, so use your magic. I released a small amount of energy and heated the lock on the door. The metal gave way and I opened the door. "Hey. Are you girls ready to get out of here?" The looks of relief on their faces said it all; they were ready. But first...
I stepped in and closed the door behind me. "What are you doing?" Asked Daisy. "Let's go before they come back."
"They're otherwise occupied and I thought you might want your magic back first." I answered.
"Oh right." Daisy smiled and stepped forward. I took her hands and closed my eyes. I reached within and found her signature, it was almost as if her magic ached to be reunited with her. It definitely felt stronger than it had before, thanks to my mothers blood, and I hoped she would be OK with it once I gave it back. I passed it through the shield that Sage's potion had created, taking just a little of it and mixing it in. I hoped this would be enough to give Daisy a chance to get used to her new level of power. Then I let it flow out of me and into Daisy. Her eyes shone a bright white for just a second as she absorbed her power. "It feels different. Stronger." She confirmed.
"You've got a bit of a power boost, but I've added a bit of a shield to protect you from the full effect. It should wear off by the next New Moon so it will give you time to adjust." She nodded, seemingly happy with the explanation. I turned to Violet. "You ready?" She nodded enthusiastically and I took her hands repeating the process. Once all the girls were done I was just left with Tulipa's magic and I wasn't sure what to do with it; I guessed I'd hold on to it for now. I handed out the bracelets and necklaces and the girls seemed extremely happy to have them back. It wasn't like it was just jewellery to these girls; these were parts of their heritage, and their arsenal. I took apart my Black Tourmaline bracelet and gave each of them a bead, explaining that it would give them a shield of protection. Each of them stashed it on themself, whether it was in a necklace, on a bracelet, or just in their pocket, they kept hold of it, not doubting my words. Their faith in me warmed me. It was time to get them out of here.
I pushed out with my senses. There seemed to be two main areas that were hubs of chaos. One was concentrated outside on the grounds and the other was in the warehouse section where the Humans were being kept. We slid down the corridor as quietly as possible until we reached the stairs. I kept myself open to the energies around us so I could sense any threat approaching. We filed down the stairs as quickly as possible and paused at the bottom.
"Which way?" Whispered Violet from my left.
"I don't know. We need to find Raven I guess." I shrugged.
"What about your Mum?"
I pointed down the corridor "She's down there with Wynne."
"Well we can't leave them here." Violet stated matter of fact. I turned to look at her surprised. The rest of the girls were shaking their heads.
"But I need to get you out of here." I explained.
"Honey, we're not leaving The Mother, or your friend." The other girls were still shaking their heads in agreement. I looked at each in turn, their determination warming my heart. These girls were terrified, but they wouldn't leave without my Mum and Wynne.
"My name is Rose." I smiled at each of them "thank you."
"Come on Rose, let's go get your mum" said Violet tugging on my arm. We headed down the corridor and back towards the mess I had made. "Did you do that?" Asked Violet pointing to the singed remains of the Vampire still smoking on the floor. I nodded. "Nice." She smiled and stepped over him. Not a feeling I shared, but the other girls just stepped over or around the body not seemingly too concerned by his death. I guess I couldn't blame them.
We approached the door quietly and I reached out with my senses. Lab Coat was still in there with Mum and Wynne. My mum still felt off and Wynne was unconscious so I wasn't sure they would be able to help. I just needed to make sure they were protected while we subdued Lab Coat. That was when I realised we didn't actually have a plan. We probably should have discussed this before we were standing outside the door. Wynne would have called me an Ejit in that occasional Irish twang of hers and she'd be right.
"What exactly is the plan?" Asked Daisy, echoing my own thoughts.
"Rose is going to get Lab Coat while we free The Mother and her friend." Answered Violet as if we'd already discussed it. OK, so I guess that was the plan. I was going after Lab Coat. I tried not to look back at the singed corpse on the floor behind us. Was I going to have to do that again? "On three." Violet held up her fingers and started putting them down. I took a deep breath and on three opened the door.
Lab Coat was standing over Wynne with a syringe. My anger rose. "Get away from her!" I shouted. I shot a beam of light at the needle aimed at my best friend.
Lab Coat dropped it and stepped back in surprise. "You?!"
"Me!" I smiled, stepping forward. The girls had filed in behind me and were surrounding my mother. "Get her out of here!" I yelled back and half the girls ran out of the room wheeling my mum with them. The other half stayed put, waiting to be able to get to Wynne.
"I see you're enjoying the power boost I gave you." Lab Coat sneered.
I smiled back at him. "Oh this isn't your power boost, this is all me. I'm holding on to that power boost for later." I grinned and his face fell.
"Impossible." He looked me up and down and I could see the uncertainty take root.
"What's the matter? Things not going according to plan? You messed with the wrong Witches." I took a step closer, and he actually took a step back.
"But you're nobody." He said, sounding less certain of that statement.
"Am I?" I grinned and took another step. He stepped back again. He was getting farther away from Wynne which is exactly what I needed him to do. I could feel the girls still behind me, edging closer with each step I took. Keeping them behind me I maneuvered Lab Coat away from my best friend who was still strapped down and unconscious.
"Who are you?" His eyes scrutinised me.
"It shouldn't matter who I am. You think you have the right to take people and experiment on them because you believe them to be weaker than you? You don't." I growled. "You think you can play with people like they're your personal toys? You can't." He didn't have much more space to step back into. "You think you're better than us? You're not." His legs hit the table behind him, knocking a few of his papers to the floor.
"B...b...but..." he stammered.
"But nothing!" I screamed. My hands blazing with golden light.
"We've got her!" Violet yelled.
I turned to see the girls lifting Wynne off the table, just as a dark Shadow filled the door. He lifted his hand. "Look out!" I screamed. A dark beam of shadow headed straight towards my friends. I threw out my hands, sending my light flying towards the shadow; the two collided, sending out a wave of energy that knocked me off my feet. I flew through the air towards the wall, but my shield prevented a full on impact and I kind of bounced back off it. I got to my feet and took a second to check myself. That was unexpected. Thank you Black Tourmaline. I looked over to my friends. They were getting themselves up off the floor, but seemed OK. Wynne was in a heap near the wall. Darn it! Why didn't I put a bead on her? I went to go to her when I noticed my ankle felt painful; I must have sprained it. Shake it off, I told myself. You can't be worrying about a sprained ankle right now. I hobbled over to Wynne and tried to pull her up, but she was still unconscious. What had they done to her?
"We've got to get out of here" Violet pulled at my arm. I wasn't leaving without Wynne. I placed my hands over her. Maybe I could heal her. "We don't have time." Violet dragged at me harder.
"I'm not leaving her here!" I grabbed at Wynne as Zinnia came to grab her other arm. We'd drag her out if we had to. Suddenly I felt a jolt as I was hit with another wave of energy. I flew across the room and even with my shield in place I felt the crunch as my shoulder hit the wall and I bounced off. I fell back to the floor. Wynne was still where she had been and my friends were across the other side of the room. They were helping each other up; they seemed relatively OK. "Go! Now!" I screamed at them. Ansuradon would kill them in a heartbeat, that I knew for sure. He turned towards them. "Hey arsehole!" He turned back to me, his eyes glowing bright red. I scrambled back just a little and hated myself for it. I saw the girls run through the door and sighed a small sigh of relief. Just had to get myself and Wynne out of here now. Totally doable.
"I knew there was something about you Little Witch." Ansuradon smiled, but it was the creepy kind that made you shudder. Show no fear, I told myself.
I tried to stand. My ankle was throbbing and my shoulder was definitely dislocated. But I would not sit here in a crumpled heap at this guy's feet. I fingered the Turquoise on my chakra bracelet remembering it was used in healing, and drew some of the energy into me. I added my own healing energy to it and sent it to my ankle and shoulder. Not as good as new, but somewhat relieved of pain for now, I stood. Ansuradon was watching me. He seemed almost fascinated and I found that more unnerving than his creepy smile. I felt his dark energy probing at me; he was trying to get a read on me. I locked my magic down tight deep within my well, no way was I letting him know what other tricks I may have up my sleeve. He stepped closer, the darkness pressing in on me as he tried to scan my energy harder. I concentrated on my Black Tourmaline and pushed back against him. He growled in frustration. "Who are you?"
I splayed my hands out in front of me. "I'm just me."
"Oh Little Witch, you would be wise not to play with me." He warned.
"I would be more than happy for us to go our separate ways" I smiled "we can pretend we never met and all will be right with the world. I'll just retrieve my friend and we'll be on our way." I stepped closer to Wynne, my eyes never leaving Ansuradon. I didn't honestly believe he'd let the two of us leave, but it was worth a try. Right?
"Really?" He asked me sceptically. Yeah I didn't think so.
"You seem like an intelligent man. Surely you can see that your experiments are not working. It seems pointless to continue when it is quite clear the results are not going to change. I believe that is the definition of insanity. Now he," I pointed at Lab Coat "he is quite obviously stupid enough to think that if he keeps doing the same thing over and over again, something will magically happen and he'll get the result he's hoping for. But you, you're smarter than that. You know it's time to take a different tack." I figured appealing to his intelligence had more of a chance of working than anything else. He may be a psychotic maniac, but he wasn't stupid. At least, I hoped that his intelligence won out over his lunacy. He seemed to be mulling it over. Hey, maybe I was more convincing than I thought. I took another step towards Wynne.
"I believe there is something in what you have said Little Witch. You may be right."
Say what now. Lab Coat bristled. I took another step. I could practically feel Wynne's aura at my feet. I glanced down, she looked awful. Her face was sunken in and pale. The huge dark circles beneath her eyes made her look almost skeletal. I needed to get her out of here and healed straight away.
"The thing is with experiments" Ansuradon continued "is that when they fail, you need to find out why they failed. Otherwise you are not learning and the experiments are made in vain. So now I need to know why this experiment has failed. Why did the weak ones lose their magic instead of gaining more? Why is The Maiden not coming into her magic? These are questions that must be answered. There must be a reason you see. Magic does not simply vanish. Energy does not simply vanish. It can be changed, but it cannot vanish completely." Darn it. He was right of course and I knew exactly where the magic had gone.
"It's a mystery. Not one I'm sure you can solve unfortunately. Maybe Lab Coat here has done something with it and not told you." I had no qualms about pointing the finger at this disgusting P.O.S.
"Sir! I would never... I swear... I have done nothing but follow your instructions." Lab Coat really did look panicked and I have to admit I wasn't sorry for it.
"That's not strictly true though is it?" I added. "Maybe you should tell him about our time together."
"W...what?" He stuttered.
"You told me you wanted all the power for yourself. Right before you injected me with four times the amount you were supposed to." OK, so only half that statement was true, but I was working with what I had here and it wasn't a whole hell of a lot.
"That's not true!" He denied vehemently as his master stepped forward.
"Check the data." I smiled, knowing that half of the story was indeed true, and therefore would make the rest look true as well. "And obviously it still didn't work or I'd be unconscious right now wouldn't I?" Might as well add that in there for good measure. "Maybe it's not The Mother's blood he's injecting us with. Maybe he's keeping that for himself?"
Ansuradon crowded in on Lab Coat. "Show me!"
While his attention was on Lab Coat and the data, I bent down and shook Wynne. Nothing. Darn it. How was I going to get her out of here by myself? Did I have time to heal her? Could I heal her? I wasn't even sure what they had done to her, let alone where to start. Maybe I could just heal her enough to get her moving; I could half drag her if she could move her feet at least. I put my hands out over her and let the healing energy come. It flowed out from my hands freely but seemed to have trouble getting into Wynne's body. It was as if she were encased in something solid that wouldn't let anything in. I tried harder, but her skin wasn't cooperating. What have they done? I needed to scan her properly, but if I opened myself up here Ansuradon would surely feel it and realise my power. I couldn't let that happen. I needed help. Looking down at Wynne, I wasn't sure I had the time to wait for help. I looked over at Ansuradon and Lab Coat, who were still occupied. It was now or never. I fingered the Carnelian on my wrist, needing the courage and endurance it offered. I took a deep breath, stood and grabbed Wynne under the arms. I heaved and dragged her towards the door as silently and as quickly as I could.
"Oh Little Witch, you're not leaving so soon are you? We were just getting to know each other." Ansuradon turned from the desk just as I was steps away from the door. Darn it!
"And there was me thinking we were going our separate ways." I replied, sounding more confident than I felt. "Besides, don't you have insubordination to deal with." I added, pointing at Lab Coat.
Ansuradon smiled that creepy smile of his. "But we have still to find out the why of his failure. I have a feeling you could help with that."
"Me? I don't think so."
"You have shown yourself to be a Scientist and a scholar; I'm sure you will be most helpful." He was taunting me again. Could I keep him talking until Raven got here? Where was she? She was way past due. Lab Coat had gathered all his paperwork together and was now standing to the side smirking. I didn't like that smirk, it spelled trouble for me.
"You know what, as fun as this has been. I think you've got all the help you need right there with Lab Coat. I'd just slow you down. But you take care now." I leaned down to grab Wynne again knowing full well I was pushing my luck and this was not going to go the way I hoped. I was out of time. A gust of wind caught my attention and I looked up to see a dark tunnel forming in the room. What the...? The entrance got big enough to walk through and Lab Coat made his way in, disappearing into the darkness. I was not going in there. I stepped back. Wynne's body hovered up into the air and started moving towards the dark tunnel. "No!" I called out and grabbed onto her arm pulling as hard as I could. Then a force pushed me from behind as my feet came off the floor and I too started moving involuntarily towards the chasm. I panicked and threw out my light. It spread out around me but did nothing to stop me following Wynne into the abyss.
"Time to go Little Witch." I heard echoes of laughter as I was swallowed whole.
I tried desperately to turn back, my arms and legs scrambling but finding no traction. The last thing I saw before the tunnel closed behind us was Declan running into the room. "Rose!"
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