Callie - An Enchantress Novel - Book 1

Chapter 9

Callie absentmindedly spun the silver ring that now adorned her right index finger. The design she had chosen was a simple Celtic knot. It had caught her eye almost immediately and when she tried it on it fit perfectly, as if it was meant for her. Thankfully, Stephan had been more than willing to open up the store for them at such an ungodly hour of the morning, but probably most surprising was that Liz had insisted on joining them. They were the perfect couple and still very much in love after centuries of marriage. They had been holding hands when they arrived and more often than not, Stephan's eyes had followed her around the room. If not for the fact that Callie and Sam had to travel a hundred miles before dawn broke, they would still have been chatting like old friends. Arrangements had been made for another visit on their return.

They had an hour to reach the witch before the sun rose and they were cutting it short. The GPS stated it would take an hour and twenty minutes to reach their destination. Sam gunned the engine and took off, taking each turn as the GPS voice instructed.

Callie's silence made Sam uncomfortable. He could tell there was something bothering her. "As long as we don't meet any traffic we can make up some time on the motorway. We'll get there before sunrise."

Callie shrugged. "Irene said we would be there before first light, so I'm not worried about that."

"So you admit you are worried?"

"This is all quite overwhelming you know. I wake up to find that, not only am I dead, but I'm also quite capable of murder."

"By slaying him, you have saved the lives of countless children. He would undoubtedly have mutilated them in such horrific ways that it doesn't bear thinking about. Consider it justifiable homicide," he interrupted her. "You are not dead, you're a vampire."

"I know first hand what kind of monster he was and what he was capable of. I guess I'll just have to get used to it. After all, it would seem I'm going to be around for a while."

They slipped into a more comfortable topic of conversation for the rest of the journey, chatting easily about Stephan and Liz, and made good time as Sam had predicted. The sky was just starting to lighten by the time the GPS stated that they had arrived. Callie ran from the car to the front door and raised her hand to knock just as it opened to reveal a girl in her mid teens. She was dressed much older than her years in a floral patterned blouse under a cream, cable knit cardigan and navy, creased trousers.

"Come in both of you. Welcome to my home. Please try to talk quietly as my grandmother is still sleeping upstairs." Irene closed the door after Sam and ushered them through to a north-facing room. "Through this door are stairs that lead to the basement. Callie, I suggest you go there now and I'll help Sam with your things from the car."

Callie thanked her and walked down the darkened staircase using her heightened vision to allow her to see. On reaching the bottom, she came to another door that opened with a groan. The room beyond had an eerie glow that lit the room but there were no visible sources of light that she could find. There was a bed against the far right wall, a comfortable looking sofa against the left wall, a table in the middle of the room and a fridge in the corner.

She felt a presence lingering - a tingle that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end - but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see anyone. She stood next to the bed and closed her eyes. Concentrating on the feeling, she pushed all other thoughts from her mind and listened intently for some sound that would give the onlooker away.

An image began to form in her mind's eye. It was faint and blurred, though she could make out two forms. They stood in a dark cavern with a fire lighting the immediate area. Then she heard the murmurs and knew that the two were talking. She concentrated harder.