Humans Bite Back

When I returned to work the next day, Petunia had been replaced with a contraption that Edna had dubbed Mallory, and Mallory was priced so high that I doubted anyone in Silverdale would be able to afford it.

When I mentioned this to Chad, he told me, “That’s what we thought when we had decided upon a price for Petunia, but she sold anyway,” “What’s the point of putting it on display if it’s never meant to be sold?” I had asked, to which Chad responded, “Ah, that’s the point, my dear boy. We have to give people the option, don’t we?”

Confused by Chad’s reasoning, I had asked Petra what he had meant by that. “Magic is one-half psychology,” she explained, “Making people believe an unattainable item may one day be attainable is not only a great motivator, but it inspires hope.”

Petra’s explanation made more sense, but as I stood behind the counter, watching customers admire Mallory, it was beyond me as to why anyone would hope to own such an abomination.

Things started going smoothly after my first day; the Petunia debacle had Edna and Chad on high alert. Still, when the customer didn’t return, they relaxed a little and trusted me to run the store while they attended to their other duties.

Banana Pepper had been up in her room sulking on my first day, but by the end of the week, she had reemerged and had taken to hanging around on the rafters directly above the cash register. Though she had not displayed any aggressive behavior, I had the sneaky suspicion that she was watching me, waiting for me to make the wrong move so she would have an excuse to wrap her body around mine and choke the life out of me. When I had voiced these concerns to Edna, she had just chuckled and said, “She is a little rascal.”

My workplace was a dangerous place, but I felt more at ease at Edna’s than I did at home. Finn had taken an interest in teaching me botanical magic. With practice, most of it came easy to me, but when I caught on too quickly, I could sense that she was concerned, so I learned to pull back in her presence, but in the company of the Grandmasters, I could apply her techniques and use them to my full potential.

I wasn’t under the impression that I was remarkable by any means, but I felt that this was all happening because of me somehow and that the Grandmasters were acquiring their power by using me as a conduit. I kept these thoughts private, not daring to share them with anyone, especially the Grandmasters.

However, I thought it was time to disclose my mother’s grimoire to the Grandmasters. The possessed cat’s words had been nagging at the corners of my mind, and I thought perhaps opening the book might put my mind at ease.

Instead of returning to the house after work, I had stashed the grimoire in my backpack before heading out to work, intending to open it with other Grandmasters. Banana Pepper had been intrigued with my bag, so intrigued that she had not even reacted when I released live mice in the store. I might not have recovered it if Chad hadn’t come along with a spray bottle and a broomstick.

Once I retrieved my backpack, I waved goodbye to Chad but didn’t dare interrupt Edna, who was attending to a customer in the back room. The screams that emanated from behind the closed door told me that she was engaged in an intense session.

I nipped out the back door and took the quickest route to the industrial sector, anxious to share my discovery. As I drew near the building where the Grandmasters had been gathering, they were all milling around outside the fence, looking perturbed.

“What’s up, guys?” I began, but it didn’t take me long to realize that some changes have occurred in the industrial sector.

A chain-link fence was erected to protect the construction equipment scattered across the gravel lot.

“What happened?” I asked, dropping my backpack on the ground and approaching the fence. It was easy to see that whoever had purchased the building had gone right to work, windows had been repaired, and there was a new door blocking our original point of entry, complete with a keypad lock.

“What’s that smell?” Bryce asked from behind me. I expanded my nostrils and inhaled and nearly choked on the musty aroma of old sewage and setting water. “Leviathan,” I said, taking a step back and covering my nose. “Their musk is all over the place; they must be the new owners.”

“What would they want with the old brewery?” Jacob pondered.

“They are probably turning it into one of their human sweatshops,” Kenny told him.

“What?” Bryce asked, stunned, “I thought those were banned from Silverdale.”

“I did too,” Jacob agreed, “But I can’t imagine the Leviathan buying up property for any other reason.”

“Who gave them permission….” I began and then stopped in my tracks when Bryce picked up my backpack and drew his arm back. Before I had a chance to react, Bryce cried out, “Stupid Leviathan,” and launched my bag at the fence.

I watched helplessly as my bag arched high in the air, and though it reached the height of the fence, the arm holster was hung up on a support pole, preventing my bag from crossing the boundary.

I looked back at Bryce in disbelief. “Why did you do that?”

Bryce took off his Grandmaster cap and ran his fingers through his short buzz cut. “I hate the Leviathan; they ruin everything,” he sputtered.

“I understand you’re frustrated, but you had no right to toss my backpack,” I cried as I turned away from him and gazed at the bag, which was now swinging from the tip of the pole.

“I’ll look around for a long stick to get it down with,” Kenny offered, but I waved him away, “I’ll just scale the fence,” I said as I leaped upon the fence and attached myself with my fingers. At that moment, Kenny cried out, “Bishop, wait!”

I suppose he had intended to warn me that the fence was electrified, but I discovered that on my own once I made contact.

I felt bolts of electricity travel through my body. I expect I was too shocked to find the experience painful and unpleasant. I felt my body stiffen, and though I willed it, my fingers were locked around the fencing.

Eventually, the electricity traveled up the length of my spin and to my brain. It was like a rubber band snapping and rebounding several times between my temples, but then gratefully, everything went dark shortly before I felt my body hit the ground.

As soon as my bones clattered against the gravel, I felt as if my spirit had rebounded for a moment to save me from the pain of the initial impact, but then I landed again.

I lay there with my eyes closed, attempting to comprehend what had just happened to me, and though I wanted to stay like that forever, I gave myself a few minutes to recover before I dared to open my eyes. A part of me wanted to burst into tears, but I didn’t want to appear like a sobbing mess in front of my friends.

When I was sure my tear ducts wouldn’t betray me, I allowed my eyes to flutter open, and I was met with a starry night sky. “How long did you guys allow me just to lay here?” I asked, annoyed. I braced myself to sit up, but it hadn’t been necessary because I didn’t seem to be in any pain.

Careful, just in case my body was in shock, I eased my upper body into an upright position. Confused about what I was seeing, I rubbed my eyes, sure that I was hallucinating.

I was no longer in the industrial district but in the meadow that divided the city of Silverdale from The Where Woods, the fraction of Silverdale that had been designated as werewolf territory. However, the long stretch of open field was a common area because The Great Oak resided in the center of the open field.

Every faction in Silverdale had its own lore surrounding The Great Oak. The vampires called it the devil’s elevator because they were sure it was a one-way trip to the underworld. The wolves believed the tree was an ancient ancestor who had fended off the Leviathan during The Great War.

The witches called it The Witch’s Pass because when warlocks or witches touched the bark, they gained entrance inside the tree.

Though a lot of lore surrounded The Great Oak, its inner workings were not mysterious at all. It was just a hollowed-out tree that made an excellent clubhouse for young witches and warlocks. Though playing in The Great Oak had gone out of fashion in recent years, I could imagine that it still held the hidden treasures of young warlocks with something to hide.

I suspected that the Grandmasters had gone inside The Great Oak while they had been waiting for me to recover. I couldn’t wait to burst in there and give them a piece of my mind, but first, I had to work up the courage to stand.

I had expected my body to put up more of a fight, considering what I had just been through, but I found my way to my feet with ease. I stood up and planted my feet in the grass, and once I was sure I had my bearings, I began to walk purposefully towards The Great Oak, intending to confront my friends and force them to recover my backpack.

I had almost reached the entrance when a figure shot past me; we would have collided if I had not reflectively dodged it.

“Watch out,” I protested as I was forced back a few paces. I scowled at the figure approaching the great oak. To my surprise, it was a warlock and not a youth.

Witches and Warlocks enjoy extended secessions in the aging processes, but most never bear the ravaging signs of aging before they pass. The Grand Priestess, who was the eldest witch to date, only recently acquired a few streaks of silver at the base of her temples, so it was a shock to see a warlock with a full head of white hair and a beard to match.

I felt a spark of hope ignite because this grand old wizard was proof that Warlocks were capable of advanced magic and that the other Grandmasters and I had not been deluding ourselves. I was preparing to approach him when he halted in front of The Great Oak.

Though eliciting a response from The Great Oak had never required any hocus pocus before, the great Warlock muttered a spell and let his hands pass over the trunk, and just as I expected, the bark parted; what I had not expected was what the tree revealed.

Over the years, many Witches and Warlocks had tried different magic methods on The Great Oak, all with the same result, but this Warlock had managed an entire world within the tree’s fold.

I started clapping like a maniac which caused the Warlock to spin around. I placed my hands up defensively, “Just admiring your work, my good man,” I told him. He ignored me as his eyes focused on something past me. I turned around and saw several figures sprinting in our direction.

They were in such a hurry that I stepped to the side, worried that they might bowl me over.

The figures hurrying towards The Great Oak were Warlocks too, but none as advanced as the one standing next to the entrance. “Hurry, before they catch up,” the Grand Warlock called out to them in an urgent tone.

It wasn’t until the Warlocks jogged past me that I realized that something was off; none of them gave me even a brief glance of acknowledgment. “Hello?” I ventured as another one sprinted past. The Warlock appeared to be deaf to my greeting as he rushed past me and disappeared into the recesses of the tree.

The elderly Warlock seeming satisfied that all his coven members were present, turned as if he meant to join the others when an out-of-breath straggler shot out from a nearby brush and rushed him.

Before the stray Warlock reached his destination, the elderly Warlock’s hand shot out, and the straggler was tossed to the ground.

“Please, Grand Wizard Felix!” the Warlock cried as he struggled to get back onto his feet.

The elderly Warlock gave the man he had just tossed to the ground a spiteful glare. “I will show you no such mercy!” the elderly Warlock spat at him. “You made your choices; now you will suffer the consequences,” with that declaration, the elderly warlock spun and disappeared into The Great Oak, sealing the bark behind him.

The discarded Warlock blinked at the bark in disbelief for a moment, then he balled up his fist and began pounding on the bark, “Felix, please! I’m your only descendant.” Still, his pleas were cut short because voices could be heard shouting in the distance and bouncing lights could be seen peeking from the tree line.

The distraught Warlock noticed this too, and his features contorted from grief to rage. “If I can’t come in, then you will never come out,” he promised.

In one swift motion, he produced a pocket knife from his trousers and used the sharp blade to slice his right palm, which he pressed against the bark and began whispering words that couldn’t be mistaken as anything but a curse.

Watching a Warlock perform a blood curse shocked me and caused me to gasp audibly. Even though I was sure this was just a vivid dream, I clapped my hand over my mouth. However, I couldn’t explain why I was terrified of being discovered.

He had just finished marking the tree with the blood running from the palm of his hand when an arrow, shot from somewhere beyond the tree line, came hurtling in the Warlock’s direction. The arrow was a blur, but it whistled through the air, announcing its arrival.

The Warlock turned as if he meant to send the arrow on a detour, but it was traveling at such a high speed that it quickly found its target, the Warlock’s heart.

For an instant, the Warlock seemed confused, but as the figures touting lanterns began to emerge from the cover of the trees, his expression turned from confusion to that of acceptance. It was at that moment of realization that his knees bent, refusing to support him any longer as his upper body crumbled against The Great Oak.

I was surprised to see that it had been a werewolf wielding the bow. “Good aim, Silver,” a very harsh voice complimented the wolf as she drew closer to the warlock now that he was no longer a threat.

I didn’t recognize the woman, but she was dressed in garb that suggested that she was the reigning Grand Priestess, and to her left was The Grand Priestess I had seen in my birthday hallucination, though she appeared much younger and her demeanor suggested that she was still an apprentice.

Another witch emerged and joined The Grand Priestess. Her long red hair and features reminded me of Finn, and I had to wonder if she could possibly be an ancestor of mine. The Grand Priestess gazed down at the Warlock in disgust, but for a fleeting moment, the red-haired witch’s expression had registered grief.

The red hair witch must have been of high stature because without waiting for permission, she approached the tree to examine the warlock’s handy work. The bark had taken possession of the blood; in its place, it had formed the knot which would mark the entrance to the tree.

The red-haired witch lightly touched upon the knot, and the bark parted to reveal a hollow oak. “He used blood magic to seal The Chapter of The Felix from this timeline,” she surmised, “They have no way of returning, and they are no longer within our reach.”

The Grand Priestess didn’t seem upset by the news; her face contorted in a cruel smile as she said, “Good, I hope he trapped them somewhere horrible.”

“What do we do now?” The future Grand Priestess, who would be Grand Supreme the day of my birth, ventured.

“First, we must bind all current witches from practicing necromancy so another Felix can’t arise.” The Grand Supreme declared. “Next, we must curse the male ego to prevent warlocks from forming such a powerful alliance in the future.”

“How are we going to do that?” the red-haired witch queried, “I doubt witches will agree to allow us to curse their male children,”

“True, that is why all males who have surpassed infancy will be cursed to die this night. We will claim it was a parting gift from The Chapter of The Felix, or now, The Lost Chapter. We will claim that only a ritual performed by a Grand Supreme can protect them from this curse. Out of fear for their children’s lives, the mothers will allow it,” The Grand Supreme had a smug expression when she finished divulging her plan.

The other two witches nodded in agreement, though they both looked uncertain. “It’s for the greater good,” The Grand Supreme assured them.

A gurgle escaped the Warlock on the ground, and the Grand Supreme regarded him with disgust. “Penelope, finish him off and relieve him of any of his valuables,” she turned to the witch standing next to her, “We will need to gather our coven to execute our plan. I intend to be done with this sordid affair by sunrise,” she then returned her attention to the red-haired witch, “I will send a cart to gather him, I will be instructing the mortician to cremate him twice and sink his ashes without ceremony.”

“Yes, Supreme Mother,” Penelope replied respectfully. The pocket knife the warlock had used to entrap his former chapter still lay next to him. The Grand Supreme seemed satisfied as she watched Penelope place the blade against the Warlock’s aortic arty.

“Come, Mary, we have our own tasks to attend to,” The Grand Supreme said, turning her back on the scene and urging the other witch to join her.

Penelope pressed the knife against the Warlock’s skin, but she didn’t immediately strike. Once the Grand Supreme was well out of earshot, she leaned over and whispered, “You will live on Joshua, for your seed grows in my belly.”

The Warlock attempted to smile; Penelope, anticipating his reaction, turned his head so he wouldn’t choke on the fresh blood that filled his cavities.

The warlock lifted a weak hand up to touch the lapel of his jacket. Penelope reached into his coat and extracted a familiar book. Penelope gasped as she gazed upon it and hurried to hide it in her skirts. She touched the Warlock’s face gently as she said, “Goodbye, my love,” then with a steady hand, she plunged the knife into his neck.

I watched with anticipation to see what would happen next, I was thoroughly engaged, but I felt that I was being pulled and prodded from the scene. I fought against it, but the force was too powerful, and I felt myself being pulled back into a physical state of pain.

My body felt as if it had been beaten; I could feel tiny rocks embedded into my skin. My eyes shot open as I prepared to be outraged, but my anger melted as I gazed upon the face in front of me as she withdrew her lips from mine.

“Erica,” I croaked. Delighted, she pulled back from me to gaze at the group that had begun to gather around me. I reached up, and my fingers brushed the sleeve of her jacket as I attempted to pull her back.

Kenny squatted down, and his face loomed over me. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had been crying. “It’s good to have you back, man,”

I waved him down to talk to him without the other’s hearing. Kenny understood what I wanted and tilted his head, so his ear was next to my lips.

“I found The Lost Chapter,” I told him.