What the Hex Read online

  Careful not to bump into anybody, Sir Kain weaved through the crowd of coven members/employees. Above everything and everyone floated ghosts of coven past keeping their eyes on things.

  Sir Kain reached a series of elevators. With one living stone finger he pressed the button summoning an elevator to go down. He whistled the British national anthem as he waited.

  With a ding, an elevator arrived and the doors opened up. Out of it came a man dressed in tattered, torn clothes. He breathed heavy and was sweating, smelling like a wet dog.

  Sir Kain patiently waited for the man to exit the elevator before getting on. Once on he pressed the button for 3B. Patient as can be, he waited as the car descended.

  The elevator stopped at 2B, the doors opened up. Sir Kain saw a long hallway filled with cats of all colors. A single black cat sauntered in next to him. It looked up at the being of living stone.

  “Five please,” asked the cat in a sultry woman’s voice.

  “Of course m’am,” Sir Kain obliged.

  Creature intake at the coven’s headquarters was a wild place, pun intended. Only the most adventurous and frankly weird witches and warlocks work there. Speaking of, Sir Kain was greeted by Basil Augustine, a senior warlock and master of the kennels for over five hundred years.

  Basil Augustine looked to be a forty something year old man with wild grey hair. His eyes were arguably as wild as the creatures he was in charge of keeping. Short, squat and but not overweight, he was shaped like a barrel. He wore a suit covered in animal hair and fur, not purposefully.

  Behind Basil were seemingly endless rows of cages. Sir Kain saw fire bellowing out from some of the bars. Tentacles covered in a black oily substance wrestled one of the employees to the ground. He heard roars, screeching, squeaking and the inhuman chilling laughter of gnomes.

  “Sir Kain!” greeted Basil. He held out his ring covered hand for the former knight to shake.

  “Hello sir,” replied Sir Kain, he placed the crate with the fairy inside on the counter that separated the two of them.

  Basil could see, based not on Sir Kain’s still facial expression but his eyes that the knight didn’t recognize him. “Remember me Thomas? Basil Augustine, from St. Laurent?”

  Sir Kain stared back at Basil with his blank emotionless smile.

  “We fought the merman, saved the whole town? Nothing? Are you even in there old friend?” Basil became more distressed that this man who he thought he had the bound of standing side-by-side in battle with didn’t remember him. Granted it was a long, long time ago but still...a warlock/ witch’s mind aged as slow as the rest of their body.

  “Here, I have a fairy,” pointed out Sir Kain.

  Basil gave his old friend one last look over before resigning himself to the fact that he may have lost him. He then turned his attention to what Sir Kain brought him.

  “Indeed, it appears you do.” Basil bent over slightly to look inside the crate. “And what are you doing here in our realm?”

  “Stealing mundane babies,” Sir Kain answered for the creature.

  “That so? Well we can’t have that, can we?”

  “It needs to be punished according to coven law,” said Sir Kain in an emotionless very matter of fact tone.

  “Unfortunately we can’t imprison this little trouble maker here. These little creatures have a very well earned reputation as escape artists. No, best to send him back home.” Basil opened the crate.

  “Are you sure that is wise sir. My master had quite a difficult time capturing this little beast.”

  “Your master?” Basil held out his hand for the fairy to climb onto. Which it did. “Since when did the great knight Sir Thomas Kain have a master?”

  “I’ve always had a master sir,” answered Sir Kain as he watched the fairy climb up onto Basil’s shoulder.

  “That so?” Basil reached up and petted the fairy on the back making it purr, like a cat but more high pitched. “See, the key is to treat the little monsters with respect. And a little bit of love. Now to get you home.”

  Sir Kain felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Heck, it was the first time he felt anything in who knows how long. He felt a fondness for Basil but didn’t know why. As far as he knew, the man was a stranger but the man identified him as a friend. What was this hole inside him?

  “Seiriaf of mlaer eht ot rood eht nepo,” seconds after speaking the spell, there was a boom and screech. A rip, a tear, a portal in their dimension opened behind Basil.

  Through the portal Sir Kain could see thousands, no tens of thousands of fairies flying around in a forest that human eyes were never meant to see. One of them noticed the portal was open and squeaked to the others. Almost all of them turned to the open portal at once, ready to rush it.

  “No time to dilly dally buddy,” Basil gently threw the fairy through the portal.

  “Seiriaf of mlaer eht ot rood eht nepo.” Basil closed the portal just in time. Thousands of excited fairies were a split second before spilling through into our realm.

  “Thank you sir. I need to go return to my master. Have a wonderful afternoon.”

  “Sir Kain!” Basil called to the former knight as he waited for the elevator to return.

  “Yes?” Sir Kain turned around.

  “Promise me you’ll come back here sometime. I’d very much like to have a talk with you.”

  “Aren’t we talking right now?”

  Basil smiled to hide his justified concerns. “Have a good day Thomas.”

  There Sir Kain was, back on the elevator. He pressed the button for the ground floor but it didn’t move. The doors closed but the car would not budge.

  Suddenly the elevator car plummeted. Sir Kain’s expression didn’t change as he was pinned to the ceiling. It came to a abrupt stop and he slammed down onto the floor. But his wrist, still bound by the restrictive access spell was forcefully lifted up along with the attached arm.

  The elevator doors opened up to a strange sight. Sand, there was endless sand as far as Sir Kain could see. It must’ve been what broke the elevator’s fall. Above was a star covered night sky.

  Standing maybe fifty yards away was a bald woman with her back to Sir Kain. She waved her hand. He was lifted up off the floor of the elevator car and floated over to her, displacing sand along the way.

  Sir Kain stopped just short of the woman and was let gently down into the cold sand. She turned around to reveal herself as Alizia Blackward. Which he knew already.

  “Hello Thomas,” Alizia gave him a genuine smile.

  “Mrs. Blackward,” Sir Kain bowed to her.

  Alizia placed one finger under Sir Kain’s chin and pushed him upright. His arm was still stuck up in the air as the spell tried to pull him back. “Please, no need to bow. Not after all we’ve been through. Not after all you’ve done for me.”

  “I live to serve missus.”

  “I know you do love. Give me your arm.” Sir Kain tried his best to lower his arm and present it to his master. The pull was too strong though.

  Alizia took a hold of Sir Kain’s wrist and with ease, lowered it. “Let’s rid you of this pesky spell. Shall we? Eerf maor noitcirtser esaeler, lleps esaeler.”

  The glowing orange shackle made of energy cracked then exploded into burning ember like shards in the sand. They quickly dissipated into nothingness.

  “Now, what do you have for me?” asked but really ordered Alizia.

  “We were visited by a detective with the Coven Police Department today,” answered Sir Kain.

  “Which one?”

  “A Detective Drake.”

  Alizia frowned. “Drake? He really is a miserable old jerk. What did he want?”

  “He offered your daughter a job.”

  “And...?”

  “The job, it was to find a missing colleague of his, a witch by the name of Winter Krueger. According to what he said she was investigating a cult in the coven called ‘The Cold Dawn’.”

  Alizia looked away for second then down at t
he sand. Sir Kain could see that his answer upset her even though she tried hard to hide it.

  “Is everything okay m’am?”

  Alizia looked back up at Sir Kain. “What else did he say, about the cult?”

  “Not much I’m afraid. Do you know of this cult?”

  “I do, unfortunately. They’re very old, very dangerous and have been allowed to exist for far too long.” Alizia made sure to make eye contact with Sir Kain’s unnerving red peepers.

  “Do you have any information I can give your daughter? Anything would sure to be of help.”

  “I can’t. If I tell you and you tell her, she might ask where you got that info. No, we’ll let her figure it out. She’s a smart girl. Smarter than her mother. If necessary her father and I will step in.”

  “Understood Mrs. Blackwater. Is there anything else you wish to know? I am, as some say, an open book.” Sir Kain was always happy to oblige, to obey.

  “Why her? Did Drake say why he brought the job to Lilith?”

  “He mentioned something about higher ups in the coven being involved. He wanted to keep the job unofficial.”

  “I see. Okay. Thank you Sir Kain. I think you need to be getting back to my daughter. Looks like she needs your help.”

  “Missus.”

  “Drawkcalb eneles htilil, rethguad ym ot rood eht nepo.” Just as with Basil, there was a boom and a screech, there was a rip in space showing a bit of commotion on the end. Lilith came into view, she looked frightened.

  “Do not worry. I won’t let any harm come to her,” reassured Sir Kaine.

  “Enabflow drows eht htrof nommus.” A short sword appeared in Alizia’s hand. It burned to the touch but she held it just long enough to hand it to it’s owner, Sir Kain. With his sword in hand, Sir Kain jumped through the portal to save the day.

  Not a minute after Sir Kain left to assist Lilith there was the beep of an arriving elevator. Alizia watched one drop from the sky and land next to the one the former knight took. Sand flew up from the impact.

  Out of the second elevator stepped Deacon Thorn. As per usual he was dressed to the nines in a immaculate three piece suit. It was black with a blood red tie. A trio of scars ran down his cheek from where a werewolf gave him a good scratch. He wore thin metal glasses below neatly styled salt and pepper hair. His feet were bare.

  “So, what’d he say?” asked Deacon Thorn before grabbing Alizia by the waist and planting a kiss on her full black lipstick covered lips.

  “My clever daughter just got a case. Drake from the CPD, he hired her to find poor Ms. Krueger,” replied Alizia, still just an inch or two from Thorn’s face.

  “That’s good news right? No one is ever going to find her, not even Lilith.”

  “He told her about the Cold Dawn.”

  Deacon Thorn released his grasp of Alizia’s waist. “That’s...unfortunate. What do you want to do?”

  “Nothing for now. Let her investigate. She might actually give us some answers we need.” Alizia tried to pull Deacon Thorn back in but he refused.

  “This is a very dangerous game you’re playing Alizia. And that is not like you.”

  “What? Playing?”

  “Being reckless. Not only do you put your daughter’s life at risk but the well being of this coven.”

  Alizia was annoyed, not quite angry though. It took a lot to truly upset her. Or at least it took a lot for her to outwardly show it.

  “My daughter will be fine. I sent Sir Kain to keep her safe plus her passenger will see to her safety. Vested interest and all. Secondly, everything I do is to safeguard this coven. You know more than anyone how much I’ve sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to make sure our future is the correct one.”

  “I hope you’re right. I sincerely do my love. Does your husband, Marcus know about us about any of this?”

  “Of course not. And I intend to keep it that way.”

  Chapter 5

  YOU HAVE TO TURN AROUND. Doesn’t matter how much you don’t want to. Turn around or die here. Those are your options.

  Lilith could feel and hear something behind her. Well, actually two somethings. And they were big and they were profoundly dangerous.

  Pieces of stone crumbled off what Lilith thought were two statues of chimeras. Turned out, they were just imprisoned there waiting until an idiot like her trespassed on the Cold Dawn’s hangout.

  “Dleihs eiryklav eht htrof nommus!” A shield, the height of her body, made of light projected out from Lilith’s forearm.

  There was a loud roar behind Lilith, she quickly turned to see a giant talon laden claw barreling down at her. She blocked it with the shield causing sparks of bright white light to shower the room.

  “Remember there’s two,” said OLG.

  Lilith ducked a claw swipe from the eagle headed chimera. She climbed under the slab of granite floating table.

  “You do not belong here! You not even a witch,” the skull kept yelling as Lilith crawled back and forth trying to avoid the chimera’s grasps.

  “Any suggestions!” yelled Lilith.

  “Fight back,” replied OLG.

  “Any useful suggestions?! Oh, Mothersmucker!” the wolf headed chimera figured out that it could crawl under the table after Lilith. She scrambled out from underneath it and placed one hand on top.

  “Dlorw eht fo thgiew!” In her panic, Lilith yelled the spell. In the blink of an eye the already very heavy slab of granite became three, four times heavier. Naturally it fell onto the wolf headed chimera. As tough as it was, the monster died instantly.

  “Good. One down, one to, duck!” OLG saw the remaining chimera, the eagle headed beastie, lunging at her younger self. She had a vested interest in keeping her alive.

  Lilith found herself in the world’s worst game of cat-and-mouse. Though the stakes were the same. She didn’t know how long she could keep it up. Betting on the monster running out of energy first wouldn’t be wise.

  You need to think fast. Come up with something. Or we are gonna die here and end up as food for this thing. It seems a fitting end, ending up as monster poop.

  After all her dodging and evading, Lilith ended up pinned in the corner. There wasn’t anywhere to go and the chimera knew it. Knowing that it had won, it took it’s time, savoring the meal to come.

  Strangely, with an assured death coming, all Lilith could think of was that no one would find her. The thing was she wasn’t sure if that bothered her or not. Even as the chimera inched closer and closer, she didn’t flinch. Was she frightened? Sure. But she did not show it, truly her mother’s daughter.

  “Moor eht ssorca dna teef ruoy ffo!” No thought was put into the spell, Lilith did it on reflex. It was the right move. Suddenly the chimera, who was so sure he had an easy meal, flew across the room and hit one of the stone walls hard.

  Next move, next move, next move?

  “You do not belong here! You, not even a witch!”

  Bingo. Lilith locked eyes on the skull encased in ice. It was between her and the dazed chimera across the room. The question was could she get to that skull before getting dead. Even if she does, will it do anything? Sometimes a shot in the dark is all you got.

  Lilith made a mad dash for the skull encased in ice. The chimera was up and moving. It shook it’s head, tried to regain it’s senses. Then it prepared to charge.

  As if on cue there was a boom and a screech. Lilith knew that sound. Ice encased skull in hand she backed up and looked above her. There was a hole in space. Through it she thought she saw her mother.

  Mom?

  “Focus!” yelled OLG. She was referring to the beast not a split second away from running her through.

  Lilith dived to her right, dropped the block of ice which shattered on the floor. The skull that was trapped inside slide across the room.

  Not missing a beat, the chimera quickly turned and prepared for another go at Lilith. She knew it was gonna come but her priority was the skull. On her hands and knees she scrambled after it.

&nb
sp; Lilith was so close. She was fingertips away from grabbing the skull when she felt something grab her leg. Not willing to be a docile victim, she kicked at the chimera’s hand with her other boot clad foot. It didn’t seem to want to let go.

  This is it. You had a good run. Lilith tried to squirm and kick herself away from the chimera but it just wasn’t working. It’s grip was like iron, unbreakable.

  Lilith always loved Sir Kain, ever since she was a kid. Yes he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but he always looked after her. He was always there for her. And at that moment, when she was so near death, so desperate, he fell out of the rip in space, sword in hand.

  Sir Kain buried his sword into the chimera’s back. It let out a mighty roar and threw him off. That roar was the last outburst of a dying beast. Seconds later it fell down, dead.

  “A little help?” Lilith still couldn’t pry her leg out of the now dead chimera’s hand.

  Sir Kain calmly got up off the floor. He wiped the rock dust off his suit. Still in his permanent zen mode, he strolled over to Lilith.

  “Looks like you are in a spot of bother Ms. Blackwater.” Sir Kain cut the chimera’s hand off with a swift swing of his sword. Then he held out his hand for Lilith to take.

  Back up on her feet Lilith looked around at the carnage. All of it was for what? That’s when she remembered the skull.

  “Thank you Sir Kain. You’re my hero,” said Lilith as she kissed Sir Kain on his cheek made of living stone.

  “You do not belong here! You, not even a witch!” Lilith picked up the skull and tore off the bottom jaw, shutting it up.

  “THE HITS JUST KEEP on coming,” said Lilith as she stood outside the entrance to her and Sir Kain’s office. The front glass door was broken, shards all over the sidewalk.

  “Please allow me.” Sir Kain insisted on entering first, sword in hand.

  “Such a gentleman,” said Lilith trying her best not be very pissed. After all, she did just narrowly avoid death. A break in hardly compared. Still...

  Lilith got a better idea of the damage once she went inside. Every drawer in every cabinet and desk was open, their contents scattered across the floor. It was a mess.