To Hex With It Page 8

  “IS THIS IT? WHAT’S happening to me?” asked Lilith as she watched her slightly older self completely lose control.

  Inquisitor Torrance slowly walked forward towards Slightly Older Lilith. He looked fascinated by the whole scene. He turned back to Lilith and OLG.

  “I don’t believe it. Of all people, all the witches in the coven. You’re the one?” Inquisitor Torrance actually showed emotion on his face, which was new and slightly dis-concerning.

  “I’m a what?” Lilith was confused.

  “You’re a Morgan Witch. A descendant of Morgan le Fay. How...?”

  “Morgan le Fay? The Morgan le Fay, the famous witch? How’s that possible?”

  “It’s the only way, her bloodline is the only one that ever showed these kinds of powers. Your mother, she never said anything about you being adopted or anything like that?” asked Inquisitor Torrance, still staring in amazement at Slightly Older Lilith as her abilities raged and ravaged Blackward Manor’s living room.

  “What’re you babbling about? I’m not adopted.”

  “I beg to-” Inquisitor Torrance was cut off by Alizia Blackward grabbing him by his mouth. Somehow she detected him during their visit into Older Lilith's Ghost’s memories. It should’ve been impossible but as the members of the coven high table recently learned, she was not a witch to be underestimated.

  “Not, another, word,” said Alizia Blackward.

  The tendrils made of soul energy that emanated from Inquisitor Torrance’s forearm, attached to Lilith, pulled them together by force. A split second before colliding they were in yet another memory.

  Inquisitor Torrance was a little shook as he and Lilith found themselves in a cell in Devil’s End Coven Prison. Lilith stared at the inquisitor as he touched his own mouth in disbelief of what just happened.

  “You okay?” asked Lilith. “Because we got work to do, right?”

  “I...that shoudn’t have, she shouldn’t have been able to see or hear us, let alone touch me.”

  “That’s mommy dearest. She has a habit of doing things she shouldn’t be able to do. Anyway where are, oh you got to be kidding me. He isn’t dead yet?” Lilith looked to her right and saw that the cell she was in was right next to Amadeus Essex’s.

  Amadeus Essex looked a bit rough. He clearly hadn’t shaved in awhile. Scars covered his face. Looked like he took buckshot to his ugly mug. His infantile clothing was ripped up, had holes in it. Eyes closed, he sat on his cot and orchestrated an invisible symphony as classical music played from a speaker in his cell.

  Lilith heard the sound of a creaky metal door opening. In walked her slightly older self who was making a bee-line to his cell.

  “Is that you Lilith?” asked Amadeus Essex.

  Lilith watches as her slightly older self approached Amadeus’ cell. Under her eyes were a bit swollen. She must’ve just been crying. She couldn’t help but wonder if this occurred just after her slightly older self’s outburst back at home.

  “That is you, isn’t it? I’ve missed ya dude! Where have you been?” Amadeus Essex stopped dancing and ran up to the bars and grabbed them.

  “What do you want Amadeus?” asked Slightly Older Lilith, undaunted and definitely not scared by what she saw as a pathetic prisoner.

  “Who knows what this crazy jerk wants? Why bother asking,” commented Lilith as she watched, her hands on the bars that separated the two cells.

  Inquisitor Torrance gathered himself. He joined Lilith at the bars, the tendrils connecting them back to normal size and length. “Pay attention.”

  “Me? Oh, well, a lot of things. I’d love to get out of here. I’d like a nice comfy warm bed and a hot shower, a private hot shower. I’d like some pizza, do you have any pizza on you? Like in your pocket or something?”

  “You asked for me specifically to come. What do you want? The next words better be what you wanted to talk to me about because anymore nonsense and I’ll leave you here with these poor idiots.” Slightly Older Lilith didn’t have the patience.

  “I see they made you a inquisitor? That’s certainly interesting, Inquisitor Blackward. Almost has a nice ring to it,” Amadeus backed away from the bars.

  “Your point?”

  “I wonder, what would people say if they knew that the newest inquisitor in the coven not only let a known murderer, manipulator and all around bad dude live, just to save her mommy and buddies. What would they think if they knew she let hundreds of witches die by letting him live to wreak havoc on our new chilly world? Would they still welcome you with open arms as a hero or would they see you as the weak little girl you actually are? Hmm, I wonder dude. I really wonder.” Amadeus Essex’s words ended with a sinister smile.

  “Is that why you called me here? To threaten me? Blackmail me?” Older Lilith was not impressed. “You’re gonna be executed in the morning Amadeus. Maybe you should focus on your own black soul and heart, beg whatever powers that be for forgiveness and accept that your end is very near.”

  Amadeus laughed. “Is it though? Funny thing. When I was still in power, when I was the man here in Devil’s End I had access to all sorts of information. For example,” Amadeus Essex motioned at one of the guards standing against the opposite wall. He took off his ring of keys and threw them to the crazed Essex, perfectly through the bars.

  “Why wouldn’t they just execute him? I mean, I’m not a big fan of that sort of thing but in his case, an exception needs to be made. Right?” asked Lilith.

  “Don’t do it. Or I’ll end you right here. I mean it.” Finally something stirred up inside Older Lilith. It was anger and caution. Not to mention confusion. This confirmed the guards were for sure under his control but how? The prison was meant to suppress and even eliminate the use of magic. So how did he get them under his control?

  “I bet you’re wondering how I did it? Yeah I can see it in your eyes. You never had a good poker face Lil. Anyway as I was saying before, I had access to all kinds of information.” Amadeus didn’t heed Slightly Older Lilith’s warnings and went through the keys looking for which one might’ve been the best fit. “Did you know that a witch's and warlock's powers aren’t suppressed by any spell down here. Nope. It was all an artifact, back from ancient Egypt. Really fascinating stuff dude. Long story short I had it removed shortly after you and your buddies escaped. Damn, that felt so long ago.”

  Another one of the guards reached out and grabbed Slightly Older Lilith from behind. He tried his best to restrain her but she was a full fledged inquisitor. It took little effort for her to throw him off of her via a push spell that also sent the other two guards to the ground.

  Amadeus sat down on his cot inside his cell. He clapped. “Bravo. I would expect no less from Alizia Blackward’s daughter. By the way, how is Lizzy doing? Does she talk about me? I bet she doesn’t but I’m sure she thinks about me. Especially after what I did to her. Well technically it wasn’t me but I was the one pulling the old strings.”

  “This ends now Amadeus. Give me the keys.” Slightly Older Lilith stood outside the bars of Amadeus Essex’s cell.

  “Sure.” Amadeus threw Slightly Older Lilith the keys. She was about to pocket them when she suddenly was unable to move.

  “Yeah, you feel that? Probably thought an inquisitor is too powerful for me to attach strings to, huh? Probably thought there was no way he’d get me. Don’t know how to tell you this dude...so I’ll just show you.” Amadeus Essex stood up. The orchestral music kept playing. “Unlock my cell.”

  Slightly Older Lilith couldn’t stop herself. She chose the right key and opened Amadeus’s cell. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he walked out right in front of her. He kissed her on the cheek and then looked down at the guards on the ground, still struggling to recover.

  “I let you in on my secret.” Amadeus Essex whispered in Older Lilith’s ear. “I can control anyone at anytime I want. Only reason I didn’t do this to you or your mom earlier was because that would take the fun out of it. Now...kill them and then let’s get out
of here.”

  “Oh no! He can control anyone?” Lilith was somehow more horrified that Amadeus Essex could control pretty much anyone than the fact that he had her slightly older self under his control. “This is bad. This is really, really bad.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you this. But this is not the memory we need. And from what I can see, the road ahead is worse.” Inquisitor Torrance grabbed Lilith by her hand. Together they walked out the cell door and were transported to a final memory.

  This time, Lilith and Inquisitor Torrance found themselves outside Blackward Manor, in the snow, arctic winds blowing drifts so hard that seeing more than twenty feet or so in front of them was nearly impossible.

  “That bastard! He made me do this! Didn’t he!?” From what Lilith could see, Older Lilith was fighting not only the coven police but her friends.

  “This is it,” Inquisitor Torrance was excited. “This is the memory we needed. Now, all you need to do, is fight yourself. Simple enough, right?”

  “What?”

  CHAPTER 9: THE END OF THE ROAD

  “You have no idea how happy you just made me Inquisitor! Seriously dude, I’m like ecstatic!” Amadeus Essex was beside himself as he sat in the backseat of his luxury town car next to Inquisitor Talon. In his hands he held a very old rolled up scroll. It was Heinrich Talon’s spell. Finally, it was his. “Was there any trouble getting it?”

  “I ran into Lilith Blackward at the Angel’s Watch Tower,” answered Inquisitor Talon, doing her best to hide her disgust at the sleaze that was Amadeus Essex.

  “Annnnddddd? Please tell me that little pain in my behind is a goner.”

  “No, she’s not dead. In fact she almost killed me sir. She is a problem. One that you might not want to underestimate.”

  Amadeus Essex’s smile disappeared for just a few seconds, then it came back in full Cheshire Cat mode. “I think, maybe, dude, that she shouldn’t underestimate me. After all, look at me! Seriously. In less than a year I went from the bastard step child of the Essex’s to the high table’s representative and I hold the end of the world as we know it in my hands.”

  “And what does the high table want with this spell sir?” Inquisitor Talon operated under the impression that Amadeus Essex was merely a spokesman for the legit witches and warlocks of the Devil’s End Coven high table. To her, he was just a servant like herself. But that impression was getting murkier each second she had the displeasure of spending with him.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, the high table. Uhhh, well, it really doesn’t matter what they want. Does it?”

  “Sir?”

  “Funny thing about forbidden spells Inquisitor. They are mostly unknown by their very nature, right? I mean, how can you prepare for or counter for a move that you’ve never even known existed? That’s a hell of a dilemma right? So what do you do when confronted by someone using forbidden spells? Besides lock em up of course.” Amadeus laughed far too hard for any sane human being.

  It dawned on Inquisitor Talon that Amadeus might’ve been out of his mind. In her limited interactions with him before she thought he was a little bit of a creep but not a nut job. And it was no coincidence that he showed his true colors after she handed over the most powerful spell in known existence. She regretted her actions.

  “Why are you telling me abo-” Inquisitor Talon felt a strange sensation in her head. It felt as if someone phased through her skull, grabbed her brain and squeezed.

  “Because my dear Inquisitor, I wanted you to feel less guilty or inadequate after I used a forbidden spell to take control of your mind, body and soul.” Amadeus leaned in close enough that Inquisitor Talon could smell the bourbon on his breath. “You’re mine dude.” He pecked her on the cheek.

  Amadeus Essex made Inquisitor Talon sit, bent over with her head between her knees, just for kicks. He wanted to demonstrate just how much power he had over her by making her sit in such an uncomfortable position. Whistling, he unrolled the scroll and finally read in his head, Heinrich Talon’s spell.

  The drive from the Devil’s End Coven Headquarters to Blackward Manor wasn’t terribly far. Under the worst conditions it took about twenty minutes. And that night, it was under the worst conditions. A rarity in that section of Southern California, it started to rain, hard, turning into a down pour.

  Amadeus Essex was excited as his driver turned into an opening in the woods that led to Blackward Manor’s long driveway. Flashes of lightning and the boom of thunder heralded his arrival back to his stolen home. He rolled up Heinrich’s spell and put it in his jacket pocket for safe keeping.

  “Well, that’s a little odd,” commented Amadeus as he looked out the window at Blackward Manor. There were cars parked out front, which wasn’t odd. He invited Harrison Midnight and other members of the coven’s most influential families to witness this historical night. What was odd was that all the lights in Blackward Manor were out and there was a crowd of invitees standing under the cover of the over hang above the front door.

  “After you.” Amadeus forced Inquisitor Talon to get out of the car first as they pulled up to the Blackward Manor entrance. She stood out in the pouring rain as she took out an umbrella and opened up for him to take shelter under.

  “What’s going on here Amadeus?” asked Harrison Midnight. The gluttonous man was practically glued to the Blackward Manor doors not wanting any rain to get on his very expensive fur coat.

  “Nothing to worry about my dear Harrison. It looks like someone inside forgot to roll out the red carpet for us. Just give me a second.” Amadeus reassured his partner in crime and then closed his eyes.

  Amadeus searched for his forced servants. He couldn’t connect with Lisabeth Essex or Tabitha Talon. When he tried to get a mental hold of Deacon Thorne and got nothing, he started to worry. Not even the gargoyles he assigned to guard the manor were there.

  “Looks like someone has been up to some shenanigans.” Amadeus quietly said to himself. He reached the doors and turned to the crowd of witches and warlocks he invited for this momentous night that already was turning sour. He knocked on the door. “Little pig, little pig, let me in...”

  “Seriously, what is the meaning of this?” asked Thomas Ward, the acting chief of the coven police. “You call us here in the middle of the night at the high table’s request. But I don’t see any member of the high table here. The doors are locked, lights off. What game are you playing Amadeus?”

  “Games? No games Mr. Ward. None, at, all. Unless...” Amadeus ran over to Thomas Thorne and grabbed him by his arm as if he was his date for the night.

  “What’re you-?”

  “Did you want to play a game? That’s it isn’t it. You are so perturbed that I teased you with some entertainment. Well, not to worry good sir. I got some entertainment for you, for all of us dude. Take off all your clothes.” Amadeus had that look in his eye, the look of a psychopath completely off the rails.

  “Amadeus? Is this really necessary?” asked Harrison Midnight as everyone outside the Blackward Manor watched Thomas Ward take off all his clothes against his will.

  “Necessary? Nope. But c’mon dude, it’s pretty funny.”

  Thomas Ward stood there completely nude, clothes neatly folded in his arms. He was equal parts embarrassed, furious and confused as to why he would answer such a ridiculous command. It stopped being ridiculous and became dangerous when Amadeus made him walk away into the rainy somewhat chilly night. His order? Walk to the ocean and keep walking.

  “Great. Now that that’s taken care of, where were we?” Amadeus had everyone in attendance’s attention. Any grumblings about him and what he was trying to pull by calling them there were either squashed or at the very least, silenced. “Oh yeah!” Amadeus went back to knocking on the Blackward Manor front doors. “Little pig, little pig, let me in.”

  The front doors to Blackward Manor unlocked. Amadeus was secretly relieved. For a moment there he thought there was trouble. He grabbed the door handles and went to pull them open when they opened on th
eir own.

  “Maybe you should go in first Inquisitor. You know, in case there’s any trouble, you’re more than capable of handling it.” Amadeus was still wary to lead the way inside. He was indeed crazy but he was far from stupid. Otherwise there was no way he would’ve gotten where he is today. Inquisitor Talon had no real choice but to obey.

  Every light in Blackward Manor was off. The inside was dominated by shadows and silence. It was eerie. Inquisitor Talon felt the presence of something or someone that wanted to do them harm. So she held out her hand to indicate that everyone should wait to enter behind her.

  Inquisitor Talon’s footsteps echoed in the Blackward Manor foyer. With each slippery step, her boots clanked on the marble floor. Her glowing eyes darted back and forth looking for the ambush she could feel in her gut was coming. Even through the dark, something caught her eye.

  Alizia Blackward walked out into the foyer and stood at the end that was also the entrance into the dining room. She stood silent and still. Inquisitor Talon stopped and assessed the situation.

  “Hello? Who is that?” Even with her ability to see in the absence of light, Inquisitor Talon couldn’t make out who was standing before her. Unbeknownst to her, Alizia cast a spell to drape herself in unnatural shadow to give her a little bit of an edge in the fight to come. “Mrs. Essex? Mr. Thorne? I’m Inquisitor Talon. What is going on here? Why are all the lights out. And why do you not show your face?”

  Alizia didn’t answer.

  “Show yourself!” commanded Inquisitor Talon. She powered up, ready for a fight, eyes glowing.

  Alizia knelt down, put her hands on the marble floor of the foyer. “Nonmemaga fo sdnah dnasuoht eno eht nommus.”

  Inquisitor Talon, as part of her inquisitor training, was forced to learn a litany of spells. Not only so she could use them but more importantly, so she could defend herself against and counter them. But Alizia used one she’d never heard of before, one they didn’t teach.