The Witch's Key

Episode 16: "A Lot To Learn"

True to Martin's style, he invited everyone back to the kitchen for fresh coffee and cookies. None of the Slayers were about to say no to that, so we all made our way to the back room of the house.

After a few minutes of getting everyone situated and making introductions, everyone found a seat at the worn antique table that I'd come to think of as the coziest place on earth.

I cupped the warm mug between my hands and breathed in the earthy aroma of the coffee.

We actually had a chance now to save Peyton and the others, and I couldn't help but smile. In so many ways, I'd felt alone after the death of my parents. I had Martin, of course, but it had taken time to get comfortable with him.

Now, though, I remembered that I wasn't alone at all. The people who truly loved my parents would always be there for me when I needed them.

"Does the Council know you're here?" I asked, breaking up the casual conversations going on around the table.

I was hopeful and all, but we were pressed for time here. We could talk about casual things once this demon was gone.

"Alright then. Let's get straight to the point," an old Slayer named Gowan said, winking at me before taking his seat.

Gowan's white hair and beard seemed to be freshly cut, and he wore a black t-shirt that stretched over his huge muscles. He was about six feet tall, and except for the color of his hair, he didn't at all look his age. Though to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how old he was.

He'd been around for a very long time, according to my parents. Longer than Martin, even. He was the oldest, most powerful Slayer I knew, which probably put him over a hundred and fifty years old as a conservative estimate.

There weren't many Slayers his age still around, despite the slower aging of our kind.

It was a dangerous job.

"We didn't exactly advertise we were coming here," Gianna said.

She was sitting next to me on the left side. Kai sat to my right.

"I doubt our presence here can stay secret for long, though," Asher said. "But as far as it stands right now, no one has expressly forbidden us from getting involved."

"And if they do?" I asked.

I had my concerns about the Council. I wasn't sure why they wanted to allow this demon to free his brother, or why they didn't seem to care about the girls who'd been taken, but I had no doubt they were hiding something.

Asher shrugged.

He was the youngest Slayer in the group, besides me if I even counted yet. His long brown hair fell over his very light blue eyes. He wore a dark navy suit jacket that looked very put together and mature, but underneath the jacket was an old Metallica t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans.

I'd only first met Asher about five years ago when he first became a Slayer, officially, and had been mentored by my dad. He'd lived with us for a while when Dad had first taken him under his wing, so I kind of saw Asher like an older brother.

I hadn't seen him as much over the past year, though, because he'd been on some secret assignment in Japan. I hoped we'd get a chance to talk more while he was here. I was dying to hear what he'd been up to.

"If the Council has a problem with us coming here to stop Algrath from killing five more innocent girls with magic in their blood and releasing his brother into the world, then there's going to be a lot more to discuss than a few rogue Slayers," he said. "The entire coven will need to be contacted and told about this. The Council needs to answer for their actions in this case."