7. A Demigod

CHAPTER 7

A Demigod

W alking into the room behind the garage that I’ve yet to explore, I’m shocked to find all the latest workout equipment, along with a top-of-the-line stereo system. Bessie has transformed from a grandma vibe to a kick-ass vibe. She’s wearing a pair of skin-tight leggings and a tank top that makes her look thirty years younger.

“I didn’t think I needed to wear workout clothes,” I admit.

“What did you think we were going to be doing?” Bessie asks.

“Teaching me how to use my powers. Not running on a treadmill.”

“No one is running on the treadmill,” Zeke adds. “Bessie just likes to show off.”

“Pfff,” Bessie scoffs. “I like the mirrors.” She holds her arm toward me. “Stand beside me, Rose.”

“You need to tell her about the dream,” Zeke interrupts .

“Dream?” Bessie turns toward me.

“I was on Kragen’s ship.”

“And…” Zeke urges.

“I talked to a vampire.”

“What did the vampire say?” Bessie asks.

“She told me she was a monster.” Sadness fills me thinking of the young girl. “She was nothing more than skin and bones.”

“Did she try to hurt you?”

I shake my head. “No. She told me to leave that Kragen was coming.”

Bessie turns toward me. “How did you leave?”

I shrug. “The same way I came back to the ground last night. I thought it, and it happened.”

“Good. We’ll start there.” The older witch walks to the corner of the gym. She faces the corner, and the energy of the room begins to change. Before I realize what’s going on, she turns, slamming what can only be described as a ball of energy straight into my chest. My feet lift off the ground, and my back crashes into the glass wall behind me, shattering the mirror in the process.

“Get up,” she demands, moving toward me. My heart is racing in my chest, and I struggle to get off the floor. “Get up,” she says again.

I feel the energy form again as she raises her hand, sending another blast toward me. I roll just as the blast arrives, moving away from the hit. “What are you doing?” I ask, struggling to get up.

“Teaching.” The energy changes once more as she raises her hand to deliver another blast.

“Stop!” I yell in her direction. Bessie stops moving. Up, I think, and my body responds, lifting from the broken rubble and setting me upright. Shattered glass falls from my clothes and skin, leaving small cuts in its wake.

A small smirk covers my teacher’s face. “Good. Do it again.” She leaps into the air, landing directly in front of me. This time, her attack comes from an invisible force. What feels like a punch in my gut makes me double over in pain and shock. The wind leaves my lungs, leaving me gasping as my throat is squeezed by the same invisible force as before. Bessie raises her arm, and I lift into the air. “Do it again,” she threatens.

With no air, my words aren’t working. I struggle to speak the word that stopped her in her tracks before without any luck. The room becomes fuzzy as my body fights to breathe. Just as the blackness threatens to overtake me, Bessie’s hold on me is released, and her body flies across the room, hitting the wall with a thud.

I fall to the ground in a heap. It takes a few minutes to realize what’s happened. Standing in the doorway is my handyman, Drake. His arm is forward, and he’s breathing harder than usual.

From a chair against the wall, a tiny laugh echoes through the now-destroyed room. “Will you look at that? It seems Rose isn’t the only strong witch here. Bravo, boy. Bravo.”

“Drake?” I ask. “How did you do that?”

“I…I don’t know.” He lowers his hand with his words.

Zeke steps in front of Bessie, kicking her foot. “You still alive, witch?”

She moans slightly before taking her time to stand. Drake moves to my side as the older witch wipes debris from her body. “Zeke’s right. Rose isn’t the only strong witch here.”

“Are you okay?” Drake asks me, ignoring the wonder duo’s declarations.

“Yes. You?”

He nods, turning his attention back to my teacher. “Whatever you’re trying to do, you’re doing it wrong.”

“My tactics may be harsh, but they work. Rose doesn’t have time for slow training. Someone is after that amulet. Margaret died to keep it safe. I will not stand by and watch her niece die for the same reason.” She looks between the two of us. “The rest of the afternoon will be spent training the two of you.”

“With all due respect, Ms. Bessie. I’m not powerful. I’m a green witch, nothing more, nothing less.” Drake shifts his weight from foot to foot as he speaks.

“You’re more than a green witch. A green witch wouldn’t have the power to do what you did just now. Even with how you feel about Rose, those emotions wouldn’t have been enough. I suggest looking into your heritage more.” Bessie doesn’t beat around the bush with her words. She holds the palm of her hand toward Drake, forcing his mouth closed. “We don’t have time for arguments. If Rose is visiting the pirate ship in her dreams, he has a stronger hold on her than I’d like.” The older witch straightens her spandex top.

“Is there a way to train without me nearly dying?” I ask.

“There is,” Zeke answers. “Let’s all go outside, shall we?”

Bessie sighs as the three of us follow the imp through the door and to the dock Drake was working on earlier. “Sit on the edge,” he directs Drake and me.

“You’re not going to try to drown me, are you?” I scoff.

“Not yet.” Zeke smiles, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “I’ll save that for later.” The tiny imp raises his hands in the air, swirling them slowly. A bright orange circle forms above us. Through the circle, the view of an ancient pirate ship sailing on choppy seas comes into view.

“Kragen’s ship,” I whisper.

“Yep. The one and only. However, the pirate is dead. What you’re seeing is a moment in time. A snapshot of something that already occurred.”

“Even in death, he’s after the crystal,” Bessie adds.

“Not him,” Zeke adds. “His daughter.” Zeke lowers his hands, and the circle disappears.

“The child that was born to him and the goddess?” I ask, remembering Zeke’s announcement earlier.

“Yes.” Zeke turns, walking away from the water. “She’s no normal child. Marnie’s a demigod. A demigod that carries the blood of the undead in her body.”

“If what you’re saying is true, why would she want the crystal? She has more power than the crystal ever could.” Drake runs his hands over the smooth water as he speaks.

“Unless the crystal holds more than a blessing from Eudora.”

On cue, the crystal turns hot, alerting me to danger. I pull it from under my shirt, showing the small audience in front of me. “Something’s coming.”

“That’s impossible. This land is heavily warded. Nothing can break through the barriers. Even a demigod,” Bessie’s words are cut short as I catch sight of something moving through the air, heading toward us.

There’s no time to move before the item makes contact. Bessie’s eyes grow several sizes as she covers a small hole in her chest with her bare hand. It takes all of us more time than it should to realize what’s happened. The older witch falls to the ground, still holding her chest.

“Bessie?” I move to her side. “Let me see.”

She pulls her hand away, and blood gushes to the surface. “Get down!” she warns. “I doubt that was meant for me.” Drake rushes to my side, scooping Bessie into his arms and running toward the house. It’s not until we’re safely locked inside that any of us speaks for the first time.

“What happened?” I break the silence.

“Something pierced the barrier,” Zeke answers, moving to Bessie’s side. “How can I help you?”

“I don’t know,” her voice is shaky. Hecate, who’s been in hiding most of the day, runs into the room, lying on top of the injured witch.

“Hecate, move. You’re going to hurt her,” I scorn.

“No,” Bessie whispers. “She’s helping.”

Hecate purrs as she kneads the area around the wound.

“Use the grimoire,” echoes through my mind. I don’t question the voice, retrieving the book from its home in the kitchen.

Odin appears out of nowhere, landing on the heavy book and turning the pages with his talons. He stops on a page that was once blank. One thing I’ve learned about my family’s grimoire is that spells reveal themselves when the time is right .

“Healing,” I read the title aloud. “Drake, can you gather the herbs needed?” He glances over the list and runs toward the kitchen. “Zeke, can you help me apply pressure to the wound?”

For once, Zeke doesn’t argue. He moves to Bessie’s stomach, adding a surprisingly large amount of weight to my hands.

“This is everything,” Drake says, grinding the contents in a mortar.

“Place the herbs on the wound.” Bessie’s voice is barely audible. Her skin has turned a pasty color of gray, and her hands are shaking uncontrollably.

Drake gently places the ground herbs on the wound. I put my hands on top of the wound and recite the words written in the grimoire.

"By blood, by breath, by earth and sky mend what’s broken. Let wounds dry. From roots below and stars above restore the heart with light and love. Heal the flesh. Restore the soul. Make this broken spirit whole."

A soft warm glow emanates from my hands, weaving an intricate pattern through the elderly witch’s body. Bessie’s wound matches the glow as I lift my hands from the injury.

“You did it,” Zeke whispers. “You’re a healer.”

Pulling away from Bessie, I sit back on my thighs. My body feels like I’ve just run a marathon, and exhaustion takes over. Watching the ceiling disappear into nothingness is the last thing I remember before the room disappears, giving way to the darkness from before.

“You must be Rose,” a young voice says.

My eyes open to the now familiar blackness of nothing. Was that my imagination? “Hello?” I call into the space.

A young girl appears in front of me. Her hair is so blonde, it’s white. Soulful green eyes stare into mine. She smiles, flashing a pure white smile. “Hiya!”

“Who are you? Where are we?”

“My name is Marnie.”

I fight to keep my face from showing the surprise I feel. “Who are you, Marnie?”

“I think you know who I am.” She moves closer to me. “You have something that belongs to me.”

The crystal glows, burning hot against my skin. “I don’t have much of anything.” I scoff.

“We both know that’s not true, don’t we?” She moves around me, reminding me of a predator stalking its prey. “Your aunt died for that stone. I won’t hesitate to kill you, too.”

I stare at the woman in front of me. “You killed her?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Does that upset you?” She laughs softly. “If it makes you feel better, she put up an honorable fight.” Marnie rubs her arm subconsciously.

“Why?”

“Surely you know what is contained within that crystal you wear around your neck.”

“Why don’t you tell me?” I fight to keep my words calm and in control.

“Well…” She claps her hands loudly, the sound echoing through the space. “It contains part of my mother’s soul.”

I stare at the demigod. “Her soul? How is that possible? ”

Marnie shrugs. “Oh, you know. Magic and stuff. In fact,” she stalks closer, “the part of her soul that is contained within was taken from her by a witch.”

Her words bring a lump to my throat. Without asking, I know the witch who took her soul from her is my ancestor. “What does that have to do with me?”

“You know what it has to do with you. Ever since my father lost the stone, my mother has searched the seas looking for it. Imagine her surprise to find it here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie.

“Rose Lovelace, don’t insult my intelligence. I know the crystal is on you right now. I feel it. I feel her. Give it to me, and I will consider sparing your life.”

In a moment of boldness, I face the young girl. “You’ll have to take it from me.”

Marnie claps. “I hoped you’d say something similar.” She transforms from a beautiful young woman to a creature from nightmares. Seaweed flows from her body as vampire teeth protrude from her mouth. “At least Margaret had the intelligence to run.”

I pull the crystal from underneath my shirt, wrapping my hand around it. “You’re right. She was smarter than me. Her death was necessary. I know that now.” I close my eyes. Return, I say through my mind. In an instant, the blackness disappears, and I’m returned to the present and Bessie’s bleeding body in the living room of my house.

“Rose?” Drake’s voice pulls me back to reality as he helps me sit up.

“She’s coming,” I pant, my chest tightening.

“Who?” Zeke asks.

“Marnie. ”

“What makes you so sure?” Zeke asks.

I point to the floor where I was lying moments earlier. “When I passed out, I saw her.”

Zeke looks around the house. “She was here?”

I sigh loudly, hoping to portray my annoyance at the imp. “When I passed out, I went to the darkness. It was there that I saw her.”

“What did she say?” Bessie’s voice is soft, but her breathing has slowed down, and the bleeding has stopped.

“She asked me for the crystal.” I hold it in front of me, showing that I still have it. “There’s something else.” I close my eyes as I speak. “The crystal contains part of the goddess’s soul.”

My audience stares at me. “Her soul?” Drake asks. “How is that possible?”

“An ancestor of mine.”

“Holy shit,” Zeke whispers. “That explains both Kragen and Eudora’s obsession.”

“And Margaret’s death.” Tears fill my eyes. “Marnie killed her. Margaret hid the crystal where Drake and I found it before she died.”

Bessie struggles to sit up. “We need to get you to safety,” she pants. “Help me up, Xyqloux.” Between Drake and Zeke, they have Bessie on her feet minutes later. “Whatever spell you performed is working. I feel it. Thank you, Rose.”

“It came from the grimoire.”

“Even the best of spells means nothing without ability. That spell was powerful, and not many witches would be able to perform it.” Bessie’s words bring a bit of confidence.

“Why can’t we do what Margaret did? Why not just hide the crystal somewhere?” Drake asks.

“There is no place safe to hide it. The spell Margaret placed on it before was powerful. Even with Margaret’s power and spell, it’s a miracle the demigod didn’t find it.” Bessie pants as she speaks.

“Nowhere we go will be safe from her. This house is safer than any random hotel or street.” Drake's words hit me with a heavy truth. He’s right—there’s nowhere we can run, nowhere to hide the crystal. We’re trapped, captives being held in the grip of a psychopath.

“Agreed,” Bessie answers. “Margaret warded the house and land with powerful spells. The fact that something,” she rubs the wound on her chest, “broke through the wards doesn’t mean we need to abandon this place.”

“It means we need to strengthen them.” Drake fills in the blank.